I should be dropping pounds a week

2

Replies

  • vsowell86
    vsowell86 Posts: 8 Member
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps
  • hazelsmrf
    hazelsmrf Posts: 96 Member
    It should make absolutely no difference if the food you eat is late at night or high in fat at all.
  • hounds726
    hounds726 Posts: 63
    Simple advice but give it AT LEAST 2 weeks:

    --NET at least 1400 calories a day
    --Get a HRM ($$ but worth the investment, I promise! MFP and machines over/underestimate)
    --Eat back a good amount of your exercise calories.

    I was in your position as well, like many others. This has worked for me. It may not work for everyone but it is what caused my scale to start moving again.
  • chicpeach
    chicpeach Posts: 302 Member
    Track your sodium levels. Even at the recommended 2500mg, you could be retaining water. If you're higher, more water retention. If this is you, for one week eat clean: whole, natural foods, unprocessed foods, non restaurant foods. Keep your sodium as low as you can, strive for 1500mg or less. At the end of the week, you'll see that retained water come off, it will register on the scale and it might be the kick you need to keep at it.
  • renstwin
    renstwin Posts: 66 Member
    Same thing has happened to me! I have struggled to lose 19 pounds in 4 months when a couple of years ago I would have lost that in two months. I have tried more exercise, less exercise, more food, less food, nothing has helped. All we can do is keep plugging away at it!

    I just tell myself at least I have lost a little weight, which is better than gaining!

    Good luck to you!
  • all4derby
    all4derby Posts: 55
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps

    This is the worst advice ever and I would not be surprised if this poster gained every pound back. This is not a lifestyle change, this is starvation, probably on top of over training and is not sustainable. Do it right the first time and you won't have to do it again.

    Also the high fat thing at night is BS.
  • macylane4
    macylane4 Posts: 224
    Honestly take it from me...it takes time! You body is adjusting to the change. Mine is 100+ pounds later! I went from losing 2-5 pounds a week to maybe one now. If you worry about the scale so much, it will discourage you! I used to be so excited to get on the scale each week...anymore...I kind of forget to weigh in! As long as you're under daily calories, or right at them you'll be fine! Also, after 47 minutes in the gym your body shuts down. You can spend all those extra hours if you're having fun, but you working out for 1.5 hours, and me for a hour is pretty much doing the same thing. (that info was from a trained prof. with a proven track record) if you're eating all natural healthy food, the weight will come off! Everything in life worth having is worth waiting for! You took time putting it on...it takes 10 times longer taking it off!!!
  • katejkelley
    katejkelley Posts: 839 Member
    I hear ya! I thought I'd lose much faster, too, but it's really been one step forward, two steps back so far. Hang in there, though. As your fitness level increases, you'll burn more calories during exercise, and you should see some pounds drop more quickly. Also, remember muscle is more dense than fat, so if you've been working out, you may be building muscle mass as you decrease fat, which may make your scale look stuck for awhile. We're all here for you!
  • Jezebel_Barbie
    Jezebel_Barbie Posts: 198 Member
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps

    Absolutely awful advice. You may lose weight this way but you will not be healthy. OP, please disregard this "advice".
  • k_dogs
    k_dogs Posts: 1 Member
    The human body is too complicated to fool, shock or cheat. The best way to lose fat over an extended period of time is to be subtle.

    There must have been a time when you were eating a high calorie diet, whether that was years or days ago isn’t really relevant, you need to gently tidy things up otherwise you’ll quickly rebel against any training or diet routine.

    So the most important thing that I would want to see if what was your diet looked like BEFORE you starting tracking on here?

    If you were eating 3000 calories of high carb, high fat junk then you can’t expect your body to suddenly be efficient at digesting and handling complex carb or lean protein.

    The biggest mistake in any diet is to cut calories. With calorie reduction comes survival mode. Your body will do everything in its power to slow down, not burn fat and leave you lethargic.

    You’re far better off starting with an 1800 kcal diet that is spread out across 3 main meals and 3 snacks and bit by bit you can tidy up each meal to make it as healthy as possible and once you have each meal nailed and you’re active you could maybe then decide to reduce calories as a last resort.

    It’s not all about the numbers, a calorie from carbs is not the same as a calorie from protein (despite both equally 4 kcal). You could eat 5 chocolate bars and hit your target of 1800 kcal, but clearly that isn’t going to sustain energy and health. Clean small meals every 3 to 4 hours will ignite your metabolism and this is key to encouraging your body to burn fat for fuel.

    Am I qualified in nutrition, no, but I have reached 6% body fat as a natural bodybuilder without any assistance or drastic measure.

    Hope this helps.
  • FitLink
    FitLink Posts: 1,317 Member
    but my BMR is 1750....I'm so confused

    Your BMR is what you would burn off even if you never got out of bed. Ever. I assume you DO get out of bed, so you automatically DO burn about 20% more than that. So assume you actually burn about 2100 (TDEE), and that's before exercise. Honestly, there are some really good reasons not to go below 1200 calories NET that have nothing to do with science and "starvation mode" or anything else. The best is that it's not something you're likely to be able to do permanently. That's why I set my goals at netting my BMR. I can do this long term, and I have a deficit so I lose weight. I can't do 1200 long term. If I tried I MIGHT lose faster, but in the end, it wouldn't last. If I net my BMR, I slowly decrease my intake until my goal, then come up to netting TDEE.

    That said, how sure are you of your numbers? I found when I started that I wasn't losing because I was "eyeing up" portions, and when I actually weighed them, I found my "eyed up" proportions were twice as big as I thought. SO I was recording my calories honestly, but still inaccurately, and by half as much! No wonder I wasn't losing weight! I've also found that MFP's calories burned is about 20% less on average than an HTM, BodyMedia FIT, and/or FitBit measures. Combine the two errors and you can see why I had a problem.
  • Darlingir
    Darlingir Posts: 437
    but my BMR is 1750....I'm so confused

    Your BMR is what you would burn off even if you never got out of bed. Ever. I assume you DO get out of bed, so you automatically DO burn about 20% more than that. So assume you actually burn about 2100 (TDEE), and that's before exercise. Honestly, there are some really good reasons not to go below 1200 calories NET that have nothing to do with science and "starvation mode" or anything else. The best is that it's not something you're likely to be able to do permanently. That's why I set my goals at netting my BMR. I can do this long term, and I have a deficit so I lose weight. I can't do 1200 long term. If I tried I MIGHT lose faster, but in the end, it wouldn't last. If I net my BMR, I slowly decrease my intake until my goal, then come up to netting TDEE.

    That said, how sure are you of your numbers? I found when I started that I wasn't losing because I was "eyeing up" portions, and when I actually weighed them, I found my "eyed up" proportions were twice as big as I thought. SO I was recording my calories honestly, but still inaccurately, and by half as much! No wonder I wasn't losing weight! I've also found that MFP's calories burned is about 20% less on average than an HTM, BodyMedia FIT, and/or FitBit measures. Combine the two errors and you can see why I had a problem.

    So I should eat my BMR? 1700 cal seems like so much food...of course not compared to the endless calories I was consuming before I started here...
  • kikokateyy
    kikokateyy Posts: 136 Member
    but my BMR is 1750....I'm so confused

    Your BMR is what you would burn off even if you never got out of bed. Ever. I assume you DO get out of bed, so you automatically DO burn about 20% more than that. So assume you actually burn about 2100 (TDEE), and that's before exercise. Honestly, there are some really good reasons not to go below 1200 calories NET that have nothing to do with science and "starvation mode" or anything else. The best is that it's not something you're likely to be able to do permanently. That's why I set my goals at netting my BMR. I can do this long term, and I have a deficit so I lose weight. I can't do 1200 long term. If I tried I MIGHT lose faster, but in the end, it wouldn't last. If I net my BMR, I slowly decrease my intake until my goal, then come up to netting TDEE.

    That said, how sure are you of your numbers? I found when I started that I wasn't losing because I was "eyeing up" portions, and when I actually weighed them, I found my "eyed up" proportions were twice as big as I thought. SO I was recording my calories honestly, but still inaccurately, and by half as much! No wonder I wasn't losing weight! I've also found that MFP's calories burned is about 20% less on average than an HTM, BodyMedia FIT, and/or FitBit measures. Combine the two errors and you can see why I had a problem.

    So I should eat my BMR? 1700 cal seems like so much food...of course not compared to the endless calories I was consuming before I started here...

    You should. It is hard, but with the right choices it can be done pretty easy. Just find what works for you :)
  • tlinval
    tlinval Posts: 175 Member
    Drink water like it's going out of style!! Cut back on some of your sodium intake, too. :flowerforyou:
  • all4derby
    all4derby Posts: 55
    So I should eat my BMR? 1700 cal seems like so much food...of course not compared to the endless calories I was consuming before I started here...

    I know you're skeptical, I was too. Look at my diary and see how much I eat. I was plateaued and broke it by eating 1800.

    Edit: 1800 is 200 above my BMR.
  • littlewitch1973
    littlewitch1973 Posts: 139
    Instead of looking at pounds, have you measured yourself?

    I have been tracking my measurements instead of focusing on the weight - I might have lost only 5 lbs last month, but I lost over 11 inches!! I measure:
    Neck
    Chest
    Waist
    Hips
    Upper and Lower arms
    Upper and lower legs

    I also dropped 2 pants sizes in that month / month and a half. My weight hardly changed, but my body did. When you stall on the scale, chances are, the inches are melting away. Measure, measure measure!! You will be grateful you did!!
  • vsowell86
    vsowell86 Posts: 8 Member
    This is not the worse advice ever you do not know what you are talking about. I am not starving my self at all I am full from what I am eating it is called eat healthy and you do need to make sure you exercise a lot so that you do burn off the calories. Otherwise you will stay at the same weight and not lose anything. I am doing this right the first time you just do not know what you are talking about.
  • vsowell86
    vsowell86 Posts: 8 Member
    This is not the worse advice ever. I am eating healthy and exercising. I'm not starving myself and I will not be gaining the weight back. You do not know what you are talking about. Different things work for different people. If you are expecting to lose wrought you need to burn off he calories that you eat or you will not lose the weight
  • Ceit60
    Ceit60 Posts: 15
    This is very familiar and it's hard to keep motivated. I'm in the same boat and it's driving me mad. We'll just have to keep trying
  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps

    Sorry, that IS really really bad advice. A net of 100-500 calories? That's almost an eating disorder. That's craziness!
    You're going to hit a wall soon and I hope when you do you read up on this a little you realise that you should be aiming to net around 1200 (minimum). Slow and steady wins this race, every time.
  • DeepBreaths
    DeepBreaths Posts: 39
    Try listening to Kelly Howell's Sacred Body, clinically proven... make sure your subconscious is on board with this whole weight loss thing ;)
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps
    your NET is 100-500?? This is NOT healthy. In addition to losing weight you want to be healthy (and maintain weight loss). 100-500 NET calories a day is not healthy.
  • Mandy7698
    Mandy7698 Posts: 20 Member
    I feel the same as you do! It seems like if I work out a lot during the week, I don't lose and I may gain! I am very frustrated as well! I have about 100 lbs. to lose. I work hard at working out and trying to eat right, but when the scale doesn't move, it's very disappointing!
  • Ceit60
    Ceit60 Posts: 15
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps

    Sorry, that IS really really bad advice. A net of 100-500 calories? That's almost an eating disorder. That's craziness!
    You're going to hit a wall soon and I hope when you do you read up on this a little you realise that you should be aiming to net around 1200 (minimum). Slow and steady wins this race, every time.



    This is true - lookit, I was anorexic (for stress, not slimming reasons) about 7 years ago. I was barely eating enough to keep alive, and in the end I had to force myself for the sake of my children. Ever since I have been left with awful problems with my metabolism, and I just can't seem to get it off the ground. You MUST eat enough, or your body will close down, your hair will fall out, your teeth will loosen and your mind will play tricks on you. Please look after yourself
  • em9371
    em9371 Posts: 1,047 Member
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps
    your NET is 100-500?? This is NOT healthy. In addition to losing weight you want to be healthy (and maintain weight loss). 100-500 NET calories a day is not healthy.

    another vote for this is not healthy. by exercising so many cals off, it is the same as eating only 100-500 a day. would you do that?????
    You definelty shouldnt be recommending other people to do so. You will lose weight by starving yourself, but that doesnt make you healthy.

    OP and anyone else that is having trouble setting your cal goals - Helloitsdan's post 'in place of a roadmap' is fantastic for explaining how much you should eat and why. :-)
  • tinana_RN
    tinana_RN Posts: 541 Member
    I didn't read all of the replies here, but just wanted to throw out there... you're over in sodium almost every day, and under in water. I'd aim for the minimum 8 glasses a day, and each time you're going over in sodium, extra extra extra water!
  • tinana_RN
    tinana_RN Posts: 541 Member
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps


    :huh: :huh: :huh:
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Diary is inconsistent.
    1k days up to 1800 days.

    Pick a calorie and stick to the macros daily.
    Work out 3 times a week.
    Clothes get bigger even if the weight doesnt drop quickly.

    I disagree with this. It is not necessary to eat the same number of calories every day. You just need to meet your calorie goal on average. I often have low days because I like to have high days. But mine average out over 7-10 days. I met my goal in this manner and have maintained it for over 8 months.

    But for someone new who needs a routine...
    Shes just eating one day and saying "I'm not losing any weight so I wont eat tomorrow...."
    And what about on a hormonal level?
    She needs routine with eating.
    This....this isnt routine.

    The general advice seems to be that its a better idea to keep your body guessing is better than having it know what to expect. I've switched my calories up a lot and experimented with what works for *my* body. I think for women, that is even more important since we seem to stall out much more than the guys.
    This is bad advice. If you keep your body guessing, then your body will constantly stay in storage mode, because it will never know if food is plentiful enough or not. This keeps cortisol levels high and prevents fat burning. You need to consistently average around your BMR in order for your body to recognize that food is plentiful and it will readily enter fat burning mode, because it knows that if it burns too much and fat levels get too low, there is enough food available to store more.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps
    Terrible, unhealthy advice. So you lost 28 pounds in 3 months? I lost 60 pounds over 6 months, eating 3 times what you are. Also, think logically for a second. If you burn off all the calories you eat by exercising, where exactly do you expect your heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, eyes, hair, muscle, and skin to get the proper nutrients to function and repair themselves? That ONLY comes from food.
  • Ceit60
    Ceit60 Posts: 15
    What I try and do is burn as much calories as I can and only eat 1200 calories a day or a little more no more then 1300 and my net calories at the end of the day after burning calories is anywhere between 100 to 500 calories at most and it is working for me I;ve lost 28 lbs in almost three months. there is a week a month that I seem to gain about two lbs back and stay at a stand still for five days but then I start losing again. It all is based on what you are eating if it is high in fat at night and how much your are working out. I use the Active personal trainer and the free step on the wii fit on the Wii at night and it seems to help me out a lot. I hope this helps
    your NET is 100-500?? This is NOT healthy. In addition to losing weight you want to be healthy (and maintain weight loss). 100-500 NET calories a day is not healthy.

    another vote for this is not healthy. by exercising so many cals off, it is the same as eating only 100-500 a day. would you do that?????
    You definelty shouldnt be recommending other people to do so. You will lose weight by starving yourself, but that doesnt make you healthy.

    OP and anyone else that is having trouble setting your cal goals - Helloitsdan's post 'in place of a roadmap' is fantastic for explaining how much you should eat and why. :-)



    I just went on this and according to it I'm eating well below what I'm supposed to - could this be right

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