Here's why you're not losing weight! Follow this equation!

This is really well put, thank you!!

I also wanted to add some information that has been shared on several other threads:

It is very unrealistic for most people to lose 2 pounds per week, unless they have A LOT to lose. If you are only looking to lose 10-20 pounds, you really need to aim for 1 pound or less per week. Eating below your BMR will slow your metabolism and either plateau you or cause you to gain. PLUS, it's really hard to maintain because you'll feel hungry & tired a lot. The people who lose 2 or more pounds per week have more pounds to lose and when they get closer to their goal, they will lose more slowly.

Your calorie goals should change every few pounds you lose. Find a good BMR calculator and use it every time you lose a few pounds. Keep updating your caloric goals and be patient. We didn't gain weight overnight, we won't lose it overnight. Weight that is lost slowly is more likely to stay off.

Great thread, keep up the good work, guys!! :flowerforyou:

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

Some people are missing it.

BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate (the number of calories they would feed you if you were in a coma to fuel bodily functions only)

When you multiply that number to account for your daily activity level (getting up, using the bathroom, walking to the kitchen, taking a shower, going to your job, shopping, cleaning, exercising) that is called Maintenance Calories or TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). At this number of calories you would not gain any more weight or lose any more weight. It is the number to maintain the same weight.

So when you go around using the term BMR interchangeably for Maintenance or TDEE, or thinking they mean the same thing, you are confusing things.

You should eat less than Maintenance but more than BMR.

People who have a lot of weight to lose, like someone mentioned on the Biggest Loser show, they can eat for a time at less than BMR, but only under a doctor's orders.

If you do not have a lot of weight to lose, you should not eat anywhere near that low, because when you get down to trying to lose that last 10-20 pounds, you will have no way to restrict your calories any further to lose any more weight. In addition to it being bad for your hormones and metabolism.

Thanks for the info.....all of this is slowly starting to make sense. The more I keep reading the clearer it gets.

@ Tinamina78.. Thanks.. Sometimes I exercise sometimes I don't. I am a single mom of 3 teenagers and have 2 grandbabies so my evenings are taken. I do try and take the stroller and walk fo 30 mins but it doesn't happen often. I will really try to start getting closer to my cal. Thanks for the advice

OK MFP has me confused.... I got the part were you should not eat below your BMR.... mine calculated here and on fat2fit and averaged for the 3 different equations should be : 2454 cals per day.
my TDEE factor is 1.2 as I am mostly sitting at a desk during the day so : 2944.8 I have/want to lose about 100 lbs so I figured 2lbs a week was a good rate to start.... hence 1000 cals deficit..... 1944.8 cal (close to MFP recommendation).... with eating back most calories from exercise. great, so far it has worked good for me... now my concern is at 1944 cla/day, I am about 500 cals under my BMR.... so should I be concern at the moment ? What do you guys think ?

(for the record, I drink plenty of water, I am losing weight regularly, I stay within my dietary proportions except maybe for cholesterol and sodium wich is hard to control for me at the moment.... and I exercise every day with more or less intensity, usually low impact like walking etc...)

. now my concern is at 1944 cla/day, I am about 500 cals under my BMR.... so should I be concern at the moment ? What do you guys think ?

With 100 pounds to lose, you should be okay. Reevaluate every so often as you lose weight.

Editing to add: You should run it by your doctor.

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

OK, someone help me, I have read several forums all to do with the same thing and I am still confused.

If my BMR shows as 1631( I used the fitness frog site) , and my activity level is Sedentary ( I sit at a desk all day), am I calculating my equations correctly?

1631 X 1.2 = 1957.2 = TDEE
1957.2 - 500 = 1457.2 = Calorie Goal

I would like to lose 1.5 to 2lbs per week, I have 50-60 lbs to lose. I have been trying to stay within 1200 calories, including my excersising as that is what MFP stated. Should I actually be eating closer to 1400 calories?

Your calculations look good (based on my experience... I am NOT a doctor or dietician)! I would suggest upping your calorie goal to 1450 (eat back any exercise too). Make sure your additional calories are made up of lean proteins and good fats (chicken, fish, nuts, dairy, etc.). And DON'T despair after one week where you may or may not lose (possibly even gain that first week). Your metabolism needs some time to adjust and consistency (plus patience) are all you need. You can do it!!!

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

I Googled "low fat, high protein" and found this link with a list of "easy low-carb, higher protein snacks."

Hope this helps! :flowerforyou:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/snacks.htm

Brill topic Hun please add me I need all friends I can get I am 19 st 11 andnso want to lose the healthy way instead of fad diets xxx

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

It doesn't necessarily have to be fresh... frozen veg and berries are cheap around £1 a packet;

Not eating meat will make things difficult but not impossible.

You can have:

Eggs - Omlettes with cheese & veg are particularly awesome, boiled eggs, scrambled & poached too
Whole Milk
Cheese
Cottage Cheese - I mostly blend this into other stuff, great in low carb pancakes!
Try and up your fish intake a bit, tinned tuna, smoked mackeral, frozen cod and haddock and salmon is quite cheap.
Last resort is to supplement with whey which per serving isn't too expensive.

Great post! Thank you so much for sharing this important information! Knowledge is power!

This is interesting, however my bmr is 1384, now times lightly active = 1904.375. So If I want to lose 1lb a week, i should eat 1404 calories, or for 2lb a week, 904 calories. I currently eat 1,200 - 1,400 per day plus most of my exercise cals and have not lost any weight at all in over a month (aiming for 1/2 - 1lb per week). If i wanted to lose more, the 904 would be way below the minimum level most people say is ok which is 1,200, so how do i win?

I am guessing you don't need to lose that much weight as you are already light;

Keep your calories at 1400 cals, as you are regularly exercising don't go lower.

Looking at your diary I would advise increasing your protein intake from whole foods (if possible) to closer to 130g a day and drop your carb intake to between 50 - 100g maybe higher on workout days but closer to 50 on rest days.

These changes I would predict will allow you to drop some more.

You know what, i would LOVE to do this... however i cannot seem to find foods low in carbs and high in protein unless i spend the earth on veg, fruit, diet type food etc, which i just cannot sustain. My first month was all rice cakes, fresh fruit and veg etc and it just becomes impossibly expensive and time consuming plus everything goes off too fast.

It doesn't necessarily have to be fresh... frozen veg and berries are cheap around £1 a packet;

Not eating meat will make things difficult but not impossible.

You can have:

Eggs - Omlettes with cheese & veg are particularly awesome, boiled eggs, scrambled & poached too
Whole Milk
Cheese
Cottage Cheese - I mostly blend this into other stuff, great in low carb pancakes!
Try and up your fish intake a bit, tinned tuna, smoked mackeral, frozen cod and haddock and salmon is quite cheap.
Last resort is to supplement with whey which per serving isn't too expensive.

I agree, cottage cheese is a GREAT source of protein and you can add frozen fruits to it for added benefits and it's delicious. Tuna is good tossed into salads (and maybe then you can't taste it as much). I've also read that Edamame (a vegetable) is a good source of soy proteins (see link: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/9873/2). Eggs are good and lots of nuts. Almonds, pistachios, cashews, walnuts... make a big mix of them and portion them into baggies. Easy to grab and go.

Maybe try adding one of these per week and see if that helps. You've got this. Sometimes, it's just getting over the mental blocks and being willing to TRY things you think you don't like... Best wishes!

bump for later when can read it all