Struggling - any suggestions?

spanglevie · May 2012

I currently weigh around 134lb and only want to loose about 4lb. I have been trying and trying and trying and came to MFP after not losing for a while and hoping that keeping a closer eye on everything would help.

So this week I have tracked everything and just worked out the week as follows:

I consumed 11540 calories over the week and earned 3518 exercise calories, therefor averaging 1146 cals a day. Got on the scales this morning and once again it's not budged.

Can anyone offer any suggestions as to what to do, I keep upping my exercise hoping that will help but it doesn't seem to be doing. I now run 30km a week, do 30 day shred every day and boxing training and circuits once a week, which seems a fair amount of exercise to me.

HELP ;-(

LittleRedBoots · May 2012

You're in a really similar position as me. When you get this close to your goal weight it gets really hard and the scales don't budge very often at all.
However, you are exercising a tonne! Doing that and eating healthily your body will be changing, chances are you're gaining a lot of muscle. Don't be surprised if the scales go up instead of down but even if they do, you'll still be getting smaller, just more toned.
I suggest focusing on other things like how your clothes fit, its a good idea to take measurements. Either way, with what you're doing there will be changes happening.
Good luck for the rest of your journey

JessLLoser · May 2012

Actually you might be over training. You might want to use the search button to see some info on this or look it up on the internet.
For me the only thing that has helped me to keep my weight stable is to eat more.

Sounds crazy but 1000 cal a day is less than most people need for just their internal organs to survive when they are in a coma. Maybe your body is fighting you.

I`m 5'8" and and I need about 1500 cal for just my internal organs to survive. I need more to propel me through a lot of exercise. Try Fat2Fit radio to get your bmr and go from there.

spanglevie · May 2012

Thanks for there replies so far. It's so frustrating as you just think train more, burn more, eat less = loose more! But it doesn't seem to work like that. I'm not getting fed up, I'm really into my eating plan and exercise routine and I'm feeling good. Just wish the scales would say what I want them to say. I've always been a scales obsessive, thats just part of me. Actually just had a conversation with someone at work who said you look like you've lost weight, so thats cheered me up a bit :-)

Is it even possible to overtrain? I mean if I were training for a marathon for example I would be running way more than I am now.

brneydgrlie · May 2012

Thanks for there replies so far. It's so frustrating as you just think train more, burn more, eat less = loose more! But it doesn't seem to work like that. I'm not getting fed up, I'm really into my eating plan and exercise routine and I'm feeling good. Just wish the scales would say what I want them to say. I've always been a scales obsessive, thats just part of me. Actually just had a conversation with someone at work who said you look like you've lost weight, so thats cheered me up a bit :-)

Is it even possible to overtrain? I mean if I were training for a marathon for example I would be running way more than I am now.

But if you were training for a marathon, you would be eating alot more calories for fuel. Are you eating all of your exercise calories back? Also, are you drinking enough water, and watching your sodium intake?

em9371 · May 2012

not necessarily overtraining, a lot of runners do more than that, but it all seems cardio based - I'd consider switching the 30DS for heavy weights 2-3 times a week.

HOWEVER - so much exercise on low cals will NOT help you lose. Generally runners eat a lot more to fuel their runs. Set your goal to 0.5 per week, and eat back all your exercise cals, you need to correctly fuel your body.

It may be with only 4lbs to lose, you need to work on building muscle / reducing body fat rather than losing weight?

have a look at this, see what you think!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat

spanglevie · May 2012

I actually had it set to losing 0.5lb last week and this gave me 1310 cals a day. With no results this week I've just reset it to give me 1200 cals a day, thinking I need to drop my calorie in take to loose. It's so confusing. Do you think I should stick with the 1310 cals a day then. Last week I didn't eat all my exercise calories back, although I did eat a good amount of them. I earned 3518 cals through exercise and I ate 2370 of them.

spanglevie · May 2012

not necessarily overtraining, a lot of runners do more than that, but it all seems cardio based - I'd consider switching the 30DS for heavy weights 2-3 times a week.

HOWEVER - so much exercise on low cals will NOT help you lose. Generally runners eat a lot more to fuel their runs. Set your goal to 0.5 per week, and eat back all your exercise cals, you need to correctly fuel your body.

It may be with only 4lbs to lose, you need to work on building muscle / reducing body fat rather than losing weight?

have a look at this, see what you think!
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/392784-skinny-fat-vs-fit-photo?hl=skinny+fat

Wow - thats is so interesting isn't it. It's an obsession I have with the scales, I guess I have to try and not be so obsessed and look at my measurements instead.

chevy88grl · May 2012

I understand your frustration. And when we're frustrated, it seems like we flail around trying to find the right answer. The key to losing those last few pounds.

Take a deep breath. Do you know your BMR? How about TDEE? I suspect that you aren't eating enough based on how much you are working out. Also, keep in mind you want to find what works in order to keep this weight off long term. A very low calorie "diet" isn't long term sustainable (do you only want to eat 1200 calories for the rest of your life? I highly doubt it). I am easily maintaining while consuming 2300-2500 NET calories a day.

I would find your BMR and TDEE. Once you know those two numbers, you'll be able to better adjust your calories to fit your own lifestyle.

spanglevie · May 2012

I would find your BMR and TDEE. Once you know those two numbers, you'll be able to better adjust your calories to fit your own lifestyle.

MFP worked out my BMR to be 1560. What is TDEE?

chevy88grl · May 2012

I would find your BMR and TDEE. Once you know those two numbers, you'll be able to better adjust your calories to fit your own lifestyle.

MFP worked out my BMR to be 1560. What is TDEE?

If your BMR is 1560, I wouldn't recommend eating less than 1560 NET calories a day. Your body needs a bare minimum of the 1560 just to function properly.

TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is the total amount of calories your body burns in a day - activity, working out, etc.

I suspect you're burning a lot more calories in a day than you think you are and you aren't eating enough.

MLgarcia3 · May 2012

I would find your BMR and TDEE. Once you know those two numbers, you'll be able to better adjust your calories to fit your own lifestyle.

MFP worked out my BMR to be 1560. What is TDEE?

If your BMR is 1560, I wouldn't recommend eating less than 1560 NET calories a day. Your body needs a bare minimum of the 1560 just to function properly.

TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is the total amount of calories your body burns in a day - activity, working out, etc.

I suspect you're burning a lot more calories in a day than you think you are and you aren't eating enough.

Agree!!!

spanglevie · May 2012

What I find REALLY confusing about the whole eating more thing is that say if I went away for a weekend, still trying to make health choices but inevitably eating more calories than you do if you are preparing your own meals. I will ALWAYS put on weight. So my worry with eating more is that this will result in me gaining again and thats the last thing I want.

Is it a case of gradually increasing you calorie intake and giving your body chance to adjust?

em9371 · May 2012

I would find your BMR and TDEE. Once you know those two numbers, you'll be able to better adjust your calories to fit your own lifestyle.

MFP worked out my BMR to be 1560. What is TDEE?

If your BMR is 1560, I wouldn't recommend eating less than 1560 NET calories a day. Your body needs a bare minimum of the 1560 just to function properly.

TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is the total amount of calories your body burns in a day - activity, working out, etc.

I suspect you're burning a lot more calories in a day than you think you are and you aren't eating enough.

have a look on helloitsdan's post 'im place of a roadmap'.
this explains all about BMR & TDEE, and how to work out your cal level based on that.

Its also possible that your activity level is too low. Try increasing a level and see what number you get then. The MFP BMR calculator is slightly inaccurate as it doesnt include body fat% which can make a big difference to BMR - the higher your BF% the lower your BMR will be.

I agree with chevygirl, if your BMR is 1560, you shouldnt be netting less than that.

If you go away for a weekend, chances are the food is higher in sodium which will cause water gain, plus the sudden increase will cause a temporary gain.

When increasing calories, you will usually gain in the first week or two then it will come back down.
I went from 1100-1200 net to 1650 net in January. First week I gained 0.8, then lost 3,2,3,1.5 in feb, and have lost 1.5 every week since then.

VickyJo21 · May 2012

All I can suggest really is to keep at it. Your body is now reacting to that last 4lbs and it is not going to give it up without a fight. Think more of how well you are treating it by feeding it and exercising it. Take each day at what it brings and one day oops that 4lbs is gone because you are not solely focused on it.

Vicky

particleastro · May 2012

First question : why do you want to lose 4lbs? Are you trying to get under a weight class for a competition or boxing match? If not, who cares about your weight. Eat and train so you LOOK good and FEEL good. WIth the amount of training you do you will probably end up weighng more than when you started as your body has laid down muscle.

JU.

wahmx3 · May 2012

I think the hardest part for people to understand is they have to eat enough to lose weight, you simply can't undereat and expect to lose weight. If you don't eat enough, especially for your activity level, your body will fight you to hang onto every calorie it gets.

spanglevie · May 2012

So general consensus seems to be eat a bit more. Is it also a case of what to eat? Surely it's not as simple as 'you really ned to eat an extra 200 calories a day - have a piece of cake' ;-)

psuLemon · May 2012

Eat more. It truly is the plain and simple. Eating 1200 calories a day not only will prevent weight loss but it will negatively affect your training. Your body needs energy to burn energy and calories are the source of energy. So if you want to get faster, stronger or better at whatever you do, then you have to eat like an athlete. So lets do some math to figure out your TDEE. You already stated our BMR is 1560.

TDEE = 1560*1.725 (factor for those who workout 6-7 days a week) = 2691 <-- average number of calories you burn in a given day.

And to form a deficit (since you are so close to your goal, I use a 20% deficit as it's a bit more adaptive based on size)

CN = 2691 * .8 =2158 <-- number of calories you should be eating every day.

So lets confirm another way for those who are afraid of the factoring method.

BMR = 1560 * 1.2 (assuming you are sedentary throughout the day) = 1872 +500 (which I have a feeling this is highly under estimated) = 2372

CN = 2372 * .8 = 1897

So in reality, you should be eating between 1900-2100 calories a day. Also, if you want to cut body fat, then you need to drop some of the cardio and pick up some heavy weights. Cardio may help you lose a bit more weight in the short run (which it isn't anymore) but strength training is what makes you cut fat.

http://www.metaboliceffect.com/topic/38-nutrition-lifestyle.aspx

psuLemon · May 2012

So general consensus seems to be eat a bit more. Is it also a case of what to eat? Surely it's not as simple as 'you really ned to eat an extra 200 calories a day - have a piece of cake' ;-)

Not a bit more, a lot more. But yes, you can start adding an additional 200-300 calories a week until you hit around 2000 calories.

spanglevie · May 2012

Thanks for that.

Top and bottom line is - I'm scared to death to eat more.

Has anyone been in a similar situation to me, similar height & weight, exercise etc and eating about 1200 - 1300 cals a day, then followed the above advice about eating more and had success?

kellyjdavis09 · May 2012

I was training for a half marathon, hitting the gym 5 days a week for spin/strength training/pilates, and eating 1300 calories a day. Weight wasn't coming off. I read a ton of suggestions on MFP, and upped my calorie intake. The first week I gained weight, but after that the scale started going down. I think I was eating about 2100 calories a day...don't quite remember.

You NEED to fuel your body. You may think 1200 calories looks great on paper, but it's not helping your body. Overworking your body without nourishing it doesn't work. Try eating your exercise calories for a couple of weeks. It's not an instant weight loss - your body will save back some of the calories because it thinks you are starving it, and wants to save calories in case it doesn't get fed enough in the future. Once your body gets used to being fed, the weight will gradually start coming off. Remember, the last few pounds to lose are always the hardest.

I'm 5'6", 142 lbs. I lost 3% body fat, 17 pounds, 13 inches. Base your body on measurements and how you feel, instead of scale numbers. Trust me.

spanglevie · May 2012

Thanks. It's so hard to for me to get my head around eating more.

onceabyrne · May 2012

I'm certainly no expert at losing weight (although I'm a pro at losing and gaining it back!), but take a look at what you are fueling your body with, not just the bottom line of calories consumed. Again, I'm not an expert but aside from the protein shakes I drink, I try to avoid processed foods altogether and eat as "clean" as possible. Our bodies weren't designed to proceess all the additives, chemicals, and articial crap that goes into processed foods.

psuLemon · May 2012

Thanks. It's so hard to for me to get my head around eating more.

It is for every woman on that I have worked with on this board and that is 200+ people I have designed plans for. But I can tell you, there isn't a single person that i work with that isn't below 1700 calories. So when you want to lose weight, then you will up your calories. It's pretty obvious that 1200 calories isn't working for you, so whats the worst the can happen. Also keep in mind to gain a lb of ft, you need to eat 3500 calories more than you burn.

i_miss_donuts · May 2012

http://www.metaboliceffect.com/topic/38-nutrition-lifestyle.aspx
[/quote]

GREAT link Lemon - and great advice as always. My sister has been hospitalized for anorexia and exercise bulimia, thankfully she is out now, but unfortunately, she is a perfect example of the damage that calorie restriction and cardio overload do to your metabolism and lean body mass. Hope people read the article and take the sound, scientifically substantiated advice to heart.

spanglevie · May 2012

Thanks. It's so hard to for me to get my head around eating more.

It is for every woman on that I have worked with on this board and that is 200+ people I have designed plans for. But I can tell you, there isn't a single person that i work with that isn't below 1700 calories. So when you want to lose weight, then you will up your calories. It's pretty obvious that 1200 calories isn't working for you, so whats the worst the can happen. Also keep in mind to gain a lb of ft, you need to eat 3500 calories more than you burn.

This is EXACTLY what I've been driving myself mad with for ages. I know I'm not eating anywhere near 3500 extra calories a week, yet the scales yo-yo up and down and just hover around the same all the flippin' time. Honestly it's been driving me MAD. So then I think well nothing is happening, I obviously need to up my activity levels more - hence the running. Still nothing happening. As you say it's clearly not working what I'm doing just now.

I'd love you to design an eating plan for me. I feel like I'm just flailing around trying this and that and not getting results. Just getting increasingly frustrated. How would I go about you designing a plan for me?

psuLemon · May 2012

Thanks. It's so hard to for me to get my head around eating more.

It is for every woman on that I have worked with on this board and that is 200+ people I have designed plans for. But I can tell you, there isn't a single person that i work with that isn't below 1700 calories. So when you want to lose weight, then you will up your calories. It's pretty obvious that 1200 calories isn't working for you, so whats the worst the can happen. Also keep in mind to gain a lb of ft, you need to eat 3500 calories more than you burn.

This is EXACTLY what I've been driving myself mad with for ages. I know I'm not eating anywhere near 3500 extra calories a week, yet the scales yo-yo up and down and just hover around the same all the flippin' time. Honestly it's been driving me MAD. So then I think well nothing is happening, I obviously need to up my activity levels more - hence the running. Still nothing happening. As you say it's clearly not working what I'm doing just now.

I'd love you to design an eating plan for me. I feel like I'm just flailing around trying this and that and not getting results. Just getting increasingly frustrated. How would I go about you designing a plan for me?

I would use the calories I posted on the previous page. Start with 1900 calories, 35% carbs/40% protein/25% fats. I would also try to incorporate 3 days of strength training and limit your cardio to 2 days. And when i say weight train, I mean you should lift enough weight where you fail at 8-12 reps.

Really unless you are training for a marathon, cardio should be limited in order to cut fat.

spanglevie · May 2012

Thanks.

Don't know how I can get the weight training in though. I'm not a member of a gym and don't have weights that heavy at home.

Also looking at the breakdown of what I have been eating it seems I need to up my protein by quite a lot and cut my carbs a little. Also increase my fat. I don't eat a lot of meat generally. What would you suggest. I was thinking eggs for breakfast for a start and snack on some nuts throughout the day? Any other suggestions?

em9371 · May 2012

im at 40c / 30p / 30f and 1900 cals which is not far off what psulemon suggested for you. My diary is open if it will help you with any food ideas, you will just have to adjust amounts slightly to get to your 35/40/25 goals.

spanglevie · May 2012

im at 40c / 30p / 30f and 1900 cals which is not far off what psulemon suggested for you. My diary is open if it will help you with any food ideas, you will just have to adjust amounts slightly to get to your 35/40/25 goals.

Thanks thats great. Planned my first day today and it's not really panning out as I had hoped s I've got a tummy bug! I must admit when planning on what to eat and entering it all into my diaryI did think I'm going to struggle to eat all that protein. Going to give it a go though.

Struggling - any suggestions?

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