2.5 pounds per month HELP :(

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  • cmccorma
    cmccorma Posts: 203 Member
    Some people throw around the term BMR as if putting your info into a calculator on a website is an exact science. Some members have had their BMR tested professionally and the number was much lower than what a website gave them. One did new leaf testing I believe. So I think that it would help to actually have our BMR tested. If not, BMR becomes a "magic" number like many claim about 1,200 calories.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Every body is different so what works for one will not work for all. I believe it's all trial and error. You have to tweak your eating and exercise plan from time to time. I hit a plateau years ago so I went off my diet for a week out of pure aggravation but maintained my exercise plan and just thought before I ate and when I went back on my eating plan I started to lose again. Of course this may not work for everyone. As for calories I saw an interview Jillian Michaels did and she said the base calories for women is 1200 to lose weight and to NOT eat back your exercise calories. The point is to burn calories to lose weight, if we eat back what we burned then why bother

    I am sorry, but this is completely wrong. We are NOT different. Well all have a BMR (metabolic rate), well all have a TDEE and all require a calorie reduction from that in order to lose weight.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

    OP, your first month was mostly water weight. So now 2.5 lbs per month is not a bad thing. Also, keep in mind, the smaller you get, the closer to your goal, the harder it will be for weight come off. Do us a favor and use the link below to figure out your estimated BMR and post the results. Also, post what your lifestyle is and your exercise routine and we can figure out what you should be eating.


    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

    I think I will agree to disagree with you as well.

    I read the article you suggested http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html

    In the last section of that article titled "However, Not Everybody Has it as Easy as Everybody Else" it clearly states

    "The research, however, is very clear: not everybody has it as easy as some folks do. Some people’s bodies are, in fact, demonstrably more resistant to weight loss (or gain) than others. Not that they can’t lose (or gain) weight but it comes off or on more slowly. More accurately, their bodies fight back harder.

    Researchers call these folks Diet Resistant and the reasons behind this resistance is just starting to be determined. It probably has to do with how these individuals brains perceive changes in caloric intake which determines how their brains react to those changes. Some people’s bodies simply increase metabolic rate more quickly (or drop it more quickly) in response to increased or decreased calories. You can see similar variations in terms of what’s lost during dieting; given the same diet and exercise program, some people will lose a lot more muscle than another.

    So there is no doubt that there are individual differences and efficiencies between people, that probably explains why you can find one person who reports near-magical results with nearly every diet out there: they happened to hit the one that just ‘fit’ their individual metabolism and chemistry. It would be silly to ignore all of that "

    Umm this to me says everybody is different.

    I don't percieve to know what someone else should do to lose weight. I merely suggested what works for one may not work for another and that it is all trial and error till we find what does work. Which is pretty much the same thing this article said.

    With that being said I will say that I know that as we get older, as we gain and lose weight, as we have children, as we go into menopause our bodies change as does our body chemistry. As a 29 year old male I do not expect you to understand that. However you also have to take into consideration that there are illnesses and medications that also come into play with how a persons body is going to respond, not to mention depression and stress. Therefore, every body is different and everybodys body will respond differently to exercise and diets than others.

    I've tried just about every diet out there and low carb is the only thing that has worked for me. I lost 50 pounds in 6 months doing it about 8 years ago but I did not look like I lost that much weight even though I did go down in dress sizes, through trial and error I now know that the type of ecercise I did then was either not enough or not the right kind for my body. I had some personal issues then so I put lossing weight aside to deal with what life had thrown at me. I have since started low carb again and it again is working, as for exercise, well I'm still figuring that out. But this to me means that if low carb worked for me and other plans did not work for me but did work for others than that means our bodies are different.

    I agree with the articles statement "calories in calories out" but there are many other factors out there to take into consideration and to not do that is wrong. I believe that each person is an individual and will need to learn through trial an derror what type of diet/eating plan and what kind of exercise plan will work for them. I have read about a lot of people on here who have hit a stall or pleatu that was overcome by making a tweak in thier plan to compensate for the change in thier bodies that may have occured from loosing weight or a new medication or a stressful situation. Each person has to figure it out on thier own. No one person should dictate what another should or should not do. Keep in mind that not everyone on these types of sites are under a doctors care or even consulted a doctor so giving a "one size fits all" advice may be dangerous because you do not know how a person will percive it and you do not know what that persons life is like.

    Sorry it took awhile to respond bit i thought i would like to add. All of those things you mentioned, metapause, illness, medical issues and etc... are all variables. It still doesnt defeat the person of calories in and out. Now, believe it or not, i take every opportunity to further educate myself to provide people with the most comprehensive diet and workout regime possible. I have work with post menopausal women as well as women with pcos or hypothyroidism. In many cases it means a lower starting point, aka a slower metabolism. In some cases, i implement lower carbs due to intolerances or whatever the situation but for those who i have worked with, i maintain about a 98% success rate. The two i could crack where due to medical reasons outside my capabilities in one case and the second case the girl never got on board with eating more; not really my fault but i still blame myself.

    Now i will say things do need to be adjusted as time goes. Sometimes with the workout routine and sometimes with the diet (lower or increase calories). None the less, i do appreciate the time you took to response.


    Now to answer your question to why you eat back exercise calories its simple, you need fuel for your body. If your body doesnt have enough fuel, then it draws from itself by converting the amino acids in your lean muscle mass into energy. This is why that people on vlcd can slow their metabolic rate which makes it harder for someone to lose long term. Its the same reason why women in the 40s+ have issue. Over time your body loses muscle mass which slows the metabolism. This is why stuff like strength training is so critical and as well as eating around or above your bmr. That has been proven benficial to 100% of the people i worked with.

    Something to ponder.
  • jodycoady
    jodycoady Posts: 598 Member
    I've lost 13 pounds since January 11th and only 5 since mid-february.

    I need some serious advise. I have been trying to stay under 1320 for about 4 weeks. I started running more? I eliminated wheat products about two weeks ago, Should I drop back down to 1200 calories or up to more? I am so confused, I just want to lose this weight a little bit quicker than I am. :(

    Cris

    STOP. JUST STOP. The weight loss will come. The gain didn't happen overnight, nor will the loss....Just keep at it.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    Some people throw around the term BMR as if putting your info into a calculator on a website is an exact science. Some members have had their BMR tested professionally and the number was much lower than what a website gave them. One did new leaf testing I believe. So I think that it would help to actually have our BMR tested. If not, BMR becomes a "magic" number like many claim about 1,200 calories.
    Bmr is just a part of the equation. Tdee is the most important. Tdee is where you form the deficit. Also this is why we run numbers based on several sites estimates. Now when you have your body fat it just makes things easier. But in reality you generally dont see huge swings. Mfp under estimates my bmr by 200 calories as i have a lot of lean muscle mass but i figured that out through katch mcardle. Its also why you have to adjust a little each month.

    Now what most people dont realize is there is weight loss and fat loss. Both are not the same. Fat loss will give your that body you want in a bathing suit, weight loss gets you close. I cant tell you bow many times people reach their goal and say oh crap i still have flab or a small gut and ask how to get rid of it. The problem when people concentrate on weigh loss they eat lower calories and lose muscle. And muscle is what makes a body look lean and sexy. This is also why you see so many skinny people have high body fat. As they lose weight they didnt lose fat. You see this a lot in those who do lots of cardio and no strength training.

    As i always say, skinnh makes you look good in clothes but fit will make you look good naked. And fit requires muscle.


    One more piece of info. The average muscle loss rate is 10%. So if you lose 100 lbs that would be 10 lbs of muscle. Now thoses on hcg (500 calorie diet) lose 50% of their weight from muscle. So in 4 months they cn lose 36 lbs and 18 of that is muscle. A peraon who only eats 1200 and burns 700 has an equvilant input as someone on hcg. This is why so many plateau on vlcd.

    Now to gain lean muscle mass it takes a lot of time. This means you have to eat a surplus of 3500 cal per week above your tdee in order to gain 1 lb of muscle and a workout routine to back it. So it would take on average 18 weeks to gain back that muscle. I will note its very hard to achieve one pound of pure muscle gain. Some of those exercise calories lead to fat. This is why it takes most people a year to repair metabolisms and gain back muscle.
  • Mompanda4
    Mompanda4 Posts: 869 Member
    Bump
  • missfitmt
    missfitmt Posts: 67 Member
    bump
  • criscricket
    criscricket Posts: 69 Member
    With 13 pounds to your goal weight, 2.5 pounds a month is the ideal weight loss. Make sure your calories are set to a half pound a week... that's the right range for the amount of weight you want to lose.

    Not really that goal is my first goal. Im 5'3" and want to get to 150 so I have 33 pounds to go!!! :( that is why I am so depressed, I have been at 183ish for over a month, consuming 1350 and eating back exercise calories.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    With 13 pounds to your goal weight, 2.5 pounds a month is the ideal weight loss. Make sure your calories are set to a half pound a week... that's the right range for the amount of weight you want to lose.

    Not really that goal is my first goal. Im 5'3" and want to get to 150 so I have 33 pounds to go!!! :( that is why I am so depressed, I have been at 183ish for over a month, consuming 1350 and eating back exercise calories.

    Keep in mind that you didn't gain weight fast, so you won't lose weight fast.
  • criscricket
    criscricket Posts: 69 Member
    With 13 pounds to your goal weight, 2.5 pounds a month is the ideal weight loss. Make sure your calories are set to a half pound a week... that's the right range for the amount of weight you want to lose.
    don't on

    Not really that goal is my first goal. Im 5'3" and want to get to 150 so I have 33 pounds to go!!! :( that is why I am so depressed, I have been at 183ish for over a month, consuming 1350 and eating back exercise calories.

    Keep in mind that you didn't gain weight fast, so you won't lose weight fast.

    Actually I kinda did gain it pretty fast...during a very st.ressful time in my life 11/2 ago. I could back the 15 or so I lost back in no time. I need to shake it up drastically, just don't know how.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    With 13 pounds to your goal weight, 2.5 pounds a month is the ideal weight loss. Make sure your calories are set to a half pound a week... that's the right range for the amount of weight you want to lose.
    don't on

    Not really that goal is my first goal. Im 5'3" and want to get to 150 so I have 33 pounds to go!!! :( that is why I am so depressed, I have been at 183ish for over a month, consuming 1350 and eating back exercise calories.

    Keep in mind that you didn't gain weight fast, so you won't lose weight fast.

    Actually I kinda did gain it pretty fast...during a very st.ressful time in my life 11/2 ago. I could back the 15 or so I lost back in no time. I need to shake it up drastically, just don't know how.

    Well until you accept some facts, then things wont change. You can't lose that last 20 lbs fast. But what you can do is cut body fat quicker than your weight loss. And lets face it, weight is meaningless. This is why, would you rather be 175 lbs with defined abs and a size 4 or 150 flabby and a size 6? If you concentrate on cutting fat, your body will be tighter and more defined. People can tell when you cut fat but they can't tell your weight. Below is what I mean. Now if you want to cut fat, it's rather simple. Figure out your estimated BMR and TDEE and then cut 20% from your TDEE (which includes exercise) and there is your diet. Then you add 3-4 days of weight training and 1-2 days of cardio and a day of yoga or two days of rest.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat&page=2#posts-5441852

    http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/


    And more proof of a 36 year old lady who eats 2100 calories on ST days (4 days a week) and 1800 on non workout days (3 days a week) and no cardio.


    "I just wanted to thank you for your help. You helped me a few months back and I just wanted to give you an update on my progress. 12 weeks ago I started at 154 and 28% bf. I got my bf remeasured last Friday and it was 24%. But I only lost 1 pound. It is crazy to me but I have learned to ignore the scale. You were right that keeping consistent and not giving up my body would finally adjust.

    Thanks again for your help!

    Stephanie"
  • jlkennedy88
    jlkennedy88 Posts: 9
    Every body is different. Sounds like your metabolism is really revved up! Good for you on your running and weight loss :)
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