frustrated - help needed

You need to eat back your exercise calories. 910 net cals a day is too few. And 2 lbs a week is still a good loss; shoot, even a lb a week is a good, steady loss.

YOU NEED TO EAT 1700 CALORIES A DAY IF YOU ARE EXERCISING OFF 500 CALORIES
THAT WILL GIVE YOU A NET OF 1200
YOU NEED AT LEAST 1200 CALORIES
ALSO SLOW DOWN ON THE WALKING AND ADD SOME STRENGTH TRAINING
PUSHUPS, SQUATS AND SUCH

I think you could do with eating back at least some of your calories, I found that when i increased my net calories to 1200 then i started losing at a steady pace which for me is about 1 lb a week, slow and steady is best and 2 a week is a very healthy weight loss.

i am wanting to know what i am doing wrong
i am working on an average of
1485 cals per day in food
578 cals in exercise per day
910 average net food per day

and i am struggling to lose 2 lbs a week

am i eating too much or too little

any help offered will be appreciated as i am doing in excess of 37 miles a week walking and struggling to shift the lbs.

thank you

You know....most times when I review someone's diet plan I can find lots to talk about. Yours, on the other hand, is actually not a bad one. Not at all.

I'm not a dietician, nor do I claim to be one...but I know what I've done, what I do, what I've read (and it's a lot) and I've spoken to many licensed dietitions who are sports nutritionists and hospital nutritionist. I've read many articles on SCAN's Website (Sports, Cardiovascular Health and Wellness Nutrition) - which is nationally recongnized for it's advice and insight...

Starvation Mode is something I'm going to stay away from. It's exact role in things is muddy and I don't believe anyone has a full understanding of this...bottom line is if you don't eat, you lose weight...and eventually you die. So for all those that say you'll go into starvation mode and stop losing weight..(cause you're not losing as much as you want) ..well, I just don't agree with what I know so far.

I ate significantly under my calorie allotment. Look at my diary today. I was routinely 700 to 1600 calories under depending on my exercise. For the last six month I've been on average about 800 cals under..and I've maintained...

There are many reasons for this:
1. You're BMR is lower than you think! - I believe MFP uses the Harris Benedict formula (which is what most dietitions these days use.

English BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )

Metric BMR Formula
Women: BMR = 655 + ( 9.6 x weight in kilos ) + ( 1.8 x height in cm ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Men: BMR = 66 + ( 13.7 x weight in kilos ) + ( 5 x height in cm ) - ( 6.8 x age in years )

Harris Benedict Formula
To determine your total daily calorie needs, multiply your BMR by the appropriate activity factor, as follows:

•If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
•If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
•If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
•If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
•If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

Yet studies show that for those people attempting to lose weight...most regain within 3 to 6 years....why? Because your brain slows your BMR and sends out hormone to make you hungry...this is it's way, like a thermostat, telling you to get back to the weight...that you don't want to be. Sad, but true and documented over and over again.

So it's nice to know that to maintain 150 lbs...according to HB I need to eat x number of calories...cause my BMR is such.

But what if your rate isn't that....what if your BMR is lower....because your brain isn't trying to let you maintian 150 lbs...it wants you back at 190.....so the formula would be right for someone that was always at that weight....and wanting to maintain...but not necessarily for those that are losing. Nice estimate..but not perfect.

2. The number of calories equated for an exercise is probably over estimated. If you use a HRM or Body Media device you may find that the number of calories MFP estimates for any given activity is too high, or less frequent, too low. If too high, which it frequently is, your burn may not be 500 cals. It might be 250. So eating back isn't a great idea ..you might actually gain weight...so just realize these are estimates.

3. Weight isn't always the issue: I actually gained 8 lbs in the last 6 months..but lost 2 inches in my waist. I did lots of abdominal exercises and have been doing resistance training for the first time in my life for the last three months. Losing weight and body fat along with lean muscle mass is not a healthy thing. Studies show this too. So lose the fat, gain a little muscle, and it's going to be much healthier. Your weight might not be where you thought it should be..but you'll look fabulous.

4. Back to losing 2 lbs a week. I lost on average 2.5 lbs a week. I know...I'm a guy. Restricting soda (even diet), sodium intake..is important. Try stearing clear of processed foods. Lower your carbs to 45 percent of your dietary calories instead of the recommended 55 percent. Lower your fat intake a little below the 30 percent recommended. Increase or make up the difference with lean protein. Lots of reasons for all this. Make sure your kidney function is normal before increasing protein consumption above the 15 percent. Protein hasn't been proven to injury kidneys directly, but if they are already injured then it can worsen funtion. Carb intake of 45 percent has been shown in some studies to make you feel more full. Lowering fat intake lowers cholesterol as well..and knocks off a good 9 calories per gram (compared to 4 calories per gram of Carb).

5. Mix up your exercise...as you lose weight you burn less calories for the same exercise....as you become better at the exercise you become more efficient and burn less calories for the same time invested - ie your heart rate doesn't climb as high....mixing it up keeps your body a bit off balance. It's the theory I believe behind P90X and Insanity...muscle confusion.

Hope this helps. Good luck with your goals. Hollar at me if wish more...



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What texastango said. And if your BMI is below normal, you'll definitely have trouble losing weight.