Numbers don't add up

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christina_doubleU
christina_doubleU Posts: 29
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been very exact when it comes to entering my food. I haven't missed one day, not even when I was sick. I have gone over the last 34 days and added up all the calories I have eaten, then subtracted the exercise and then divided that number by 3500. The numbers say I should have lost 8.7 pounds. But I have not. I have only lost 6. And that is with the first weigh with me holding lots of water/waste. This last weigh in I was empty and it was first thing in the morning.

Everyone tells me it's simple math, eat less calories than you burn.. but I don't see that with my math :(

Replies

  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    weight loss isn't linear...
  • Coltsman4ever
    Coltsman4ever Posts: 602 Member
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    3500 calories in a pound is an estimate. Calories you burn in exercise are estimates.
    There is really no way to get exact numbers. Just estimates to help you stay on track.
  • seeled
    seeled Posts: 93
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    I am having the same problem. I am eating less and exercising more and have gained 10 lbs. NO it isn't muscle weight because my pants are tighter!! I am really getting discouraged.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    As Acg said weight loss is not linear, not to mention calories burned are just estimate and may not be exact, and/or your metabolism may be slower than MFP estimates it to be based on your age, gender and weight.

    Have you been weighing the food you eat or estimating portion sizes?
    Do you use an HRM to calculate cals burned (not 100% accurate but a good estimate, if you back out the cals you would have burned had you not worked out)?

    Not to mention with the amount you have to lose your weekly loss goal may be too aggressive, and you body is not able to lose that quickly . When you have 10-15 lbs to lose your weekly loss goal should not be more than 0.5 lbs/week. This will limit the amount of muscle you lose as you lose the last bit of fat.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I have been very exact when it comes to entering my food. I haven't missed one day, not even when I was sick. I have gone over the last 34 days and added up all the calories I have eaten, then subtracted the exercise and then divided that number by 3500. The numbers say I should have lost 8.7 pounds. But I have not. I have only lost 6. And that is with the first weigh with me holding lots of water/waste. This last weigh in I was empty and it was first thing in the morning.

    Everyone tells me it's simple math, eat less calories than you burn.. but I don't see that with my math :(

    6 pounds in 34 days is really good!

    patience is key, try not to worry too much!
  • RMinVA
    RMinVA Posts: 1,085 Member
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    weight loss isn't linear...

    ^^THIS^^ Yes, it's simple math, but it's not that simple.

    Despite entering everything there are still MANY variables that can contribute to calorie counts being incorrect, too many to go into here. This video is an example of one of them....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    Unless you are wearing an HRM 24/7, there is almost no way to get an accurate calorie burn. Your burn may vary too even if you do the exact same thing every day.
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
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    It's kind of simple ... until you go calculating calories eaten and calories burned. Even with our best attempts, they are only estimations. Especially calories burned.

    This much is true - if you burn more fat and calories than you eat, you'll lose weight. You're doing that. Keep at it. It's a marathon. Not a sprint.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    for setting your weekly weight loss goal here is an easy guide for the proper goals:
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • dunnmichelle
    dunnmichelle Posts: 1
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    There actually IS an exact method of measuring calorie expenditure, it's called direct calorimetry. That being said, it requires some pretty serious equipment, and computer programming that measures CO2 exhaled and combines it with detailed body measurements. At my hospital we have ONE and it is used to calculate the nutritional needs of people on ventilators with multi-factorial influences on their basal metabolic needs. You can actually overfeed people making it difficult to wean them from the ventilator.

    Over eating/feeding has soooo many consequences and the science is accurate at the MOLECULAR level. So, I would be proud of the accomplishments you have made so far and NOT spend so much effort doing math....LIVE!!!!

    And be glad you are not on a ventilator!
  • 3tzmom
    3tzmom Posts: 6
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    6 lbs is great! Everyone has a different metabolism and numbers aren't exact. Sometimes our bodies are more resistant to losing weight. Also food isn't always what we put in. I was up .2 today and I'm pretty sure it's because the chick-fil- a sandwich was bigger than it usually is. It was delicious though! The fact that you lost 6 is a great accomplishment!
  • nothingisred
    nothingisred Posts: 292
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    Ultimately everything is a rough guide. Unless you use a HRM your exercise calories are only an estimate. Food calories are only an estimate (a packet might say one slice of bread is 100 calories, but each slice of bread will be a slightly different size, so it is only an average).

    If you are going in the right direction then you are doing it right. Unfortunately it is not exact maths, everyone's body is different and progress will be different for everyone even if we all consumed and used the same amount of calories each day.
  • AdrienneinTO
    AdrienneinTO Posts: 111 Member
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    Are you adding up your net deficit from your BMR/normal daily activity?

    I keep a spreadsheet to track my calories in/calories out/deficit from normal, and calculate how much weight I should have lost by a certain date. It helps me check if my estimates are close. They have been within 1-2 lbs in the long-term.
  • samantha0176
    samantha0176 Posts: 67 Member
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    i do not know, but i'd be jumping up and down if i lost 6lb!
  • IMYarnCraz33
    IMYarnCraz33 Posts: 1,016 Member
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    if you are eating LESS calories than you are burning.... that's the problem.
    if you don't have much weight to lose, you're putting your body into starvation mode.
    Truth be told you NEED TO EAT to fuel your body TO LOSE weight--not starve it.
  • kathyrinker21
    kathyrinker21 Posts: 1 Member
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    You are doing SO WELL! Don't get discouraged. 6 pounds is a lot! Try to remember that we watch our weight and loose/gain it so that we are healthy.
  • Jo2926
    Jo2926 Posts: 489 Member
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    I am having the same problem. I am eating less and exercising more and have gained 10 lbs. NO it isn't muscle weight because my pants are tighter!! I am really getting discouraged.

    Firstly, its great that you are exercising more - that will be having benefits for your health even if its not helping your weight loss at the moment.

    If you are putting on weight, it suggests that you are eating more calories than you are using. I know you saying you are eating less, but are you eating less than you burn? Its difficult to comment specifically as your diary is not open to view. What number of calories do you aim for daily? And what kind of exercise are you doing?

    Try not to get discouraged, there are lots of lovely people here who will help you to pinpoint what is going wrong and what you can do to address it.

    Jodye
  • christina_doubleU
    christina_doubleU Posts: 29
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    I over estimate all my food.. and underestimate my exercise. I don't go under 1200 on calories.. I have maybe like 3 times... but not by much. I have gone over 2000 about 4 times..

    I'm happy with 6 pounds... but 9 would be better! I get a prize when I get to 10 lol.. so I'm not patient.
  • Sublog
    Sublog Posts: 1,296 Member
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    I have been very exact when it comes to entering my food. I haven't missed one day, not even when I was sick. I have gone over the last 34 days and added up all the calories I have eaten, then subtracted the exercise and then divided that number by 3500. The numbers say I should have lost 8.7 pounds. But I have not. I have only lost 6. And that is with the first weigh with me holding lots of water/waste. This last weigh in I was empty and it was first thing in the morning.

    Everyone tells me it's simple math, eat less calories than you burn.. but I don't see that with my math :(

    Read this:

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-energy-balance-equation.html

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