I hate counting calories and not losing.

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Replies

  • Zichu
    Zichu Posts: 542 Member
    Ok I calculated your TDEE for sedentary and it's 1919 calories if you were to sit at a desk all day and only get up for food, drinks, toilet, or whatever. I find it easier to set it like this and then input your exercise manually. So underestimate the HRM by like 20% or something. Eat at a deficit of 250 calories and eat back exercise calories. Don't give up after one week and just try and stick at it.

    Drink plenty of water as well because 5lb gain in one week would be impossible unless you ate like 2500 calories a day above your TDEE. Pretty sure it would be due to water retention from either too much sodium, not enough water or changing up your workout routine and working different muscles.
  • bsharrah
    bsharrah Posts: 129 Member
    Keep in mind, TDEE calculators as well as devices to determine calorie burn have larger margins or error than most people want to accept. My advice, set your calories to 1500, do moderate cardio more days in the week then not but do not abandon strength training, and do not eat back your calories. Do this for a few weeks ans see what happens.
  • 0405mommy
    0405mommy Posts: 2 Member
    Not knowing you or your situation completely, I'd say that you need to do more cardio. I lost 12 lbs (have gained back 4 this summer but have kind of expected it because I've been on "vacation" from my ultra-healthy lifestyle of the spring). Some would say I didn't need to lose weight but I knew myself that I wanted to look leaner- so it wasn't as if I had tons of pounds to shed easily. Anyway, for my workouts, I started out at 20 minutes a day, 3-4 days a week and now I do 40 minutes a day, 3-4 days a week (I strength train 1-2 days after the cardio). So I primarily do cardio, with somes strength training. I "eat back" my calories and occassionally I even go over my calorie allotment for the day (and occassionally I am under but I usually strive to be right at the amount). I am very careful with counting and weighing foods. I make sure my calories, for the most part, are healthy foods that my body will consider "fuel" and not junk (though if I really want junk I have it because if I don't I will just overdo it later, for sure!!). I never cheat on my diary- once I ate an entire bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies in one day (!), and I recorded it!! Regarding "low carb," some people are more prone to eat this way and some are not. If you force it you will just eventually resist it and go back to your old ways. Maybe pick one meal a day and try to make it "low carb." Make lists of foods that you would enjoy that are low carb and pick from them at meal times. But don't go crazy! I've struggled with weight loss for many years, and it's been frustrating. MFP is the first time where I've lost weight, know that I can keep it off and am in control in a healthy way, and I've had people comment on my weight loss!! I am wearing a bikini this summer!! Just trying to motivate you to make a healthy lifestyle change- nothing drastic or that is unnatural for you. Good luck!!!!!!
  • missy3479
    missy3479 Posts: 30
    also eat every 3 hours. set the alarm on your phone for your meals.
    Meal frequency doesn't actually matter at all.

    I know everyone is different however I started eating every 2-2 1/2 hours and it allowed the weight to fall off quickly. Never wait longer than 3 hours to eat.
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    Just to clarify, have you found that you've been successful by cutting carbs in the past, or are you wondering if you should try cutting carbs? If it is the former, then you should definitely discuss with your doctor as it could by a symptom of a hormonal issue, such as hypothyroidism.
  • m60kaf
    m60kaf Posts: 421 Member
    5lb in 5 month = an excess of 120 calories a day.

    You are only recording calories religiously if you include drink and EVERYTHING - and reasonable figures - no like some on here like family size pork pie 500 cals etc!!

    reduce your calories by 250 a day and you will lose 5 lbs in 5 months.

    Reduce by 500 a day and you will lose your 20lb in 5 months
  • coppertop_4
    coppertop_4 Posts: 258 Member
    The two things that have worked for me are:

    HIIT training (High Intensity Interval Training) It's amazing! (I only did once a week 30 min)
    I walked for 30 minutes twice a week too. Only three workouts..... it's more about the next step for me

    I eat 200 calories every two hours. (The healthier the foods the better)

    Sugars and carbs I have to keep low too. Bread only once a day and never add sugar to anything.

    I struggled like you are forever it seemed!!!! I signed up here and counted EVERY SINGLE CALORIE!

    40 pounds are gone so far.
  • SGT_Reg
    SGT_Reg Posts: 186 Member
    I agree with M60kaf. EVERY CALORIE MUST BE ACCOUNTED FOR. You would be suprised to see those small nibbles and sips add up, and they can wreck your dreams. They can reach out and punch you right in the face, or gut. Good luck.
  • almostatgoalweight
    almostatgoalweight Posts: 234 Member
    I'm going to throw this out there and see what happens. I've lost 22kg over 3 years and must have counted calories for 6 weeks of those 3 years. Here is how I lost weight:

    Ate at least 80g of protein
    Ate 500g of vegetables a day
    Any other food I ate is based on a certain level of hunger.
    Weighed daily, and tracked my weight (ie wrote it down and took note of what was happening).

    Here is my suggestion:
    Eat 500g of vegetables, 80g of protein and the rest is made of food you like but don't enjoy *too much*
    Weigh daily with a digital scale. If your weight goes up or down by more than 500g/1lb half the change, then take the lowest weight of the last 4 days. That is your weight today.

    Aim for a certain level of hunger.

    Good luck.
  • Cristofori44
    Cristofori44 Posts: 201
    Need more details, such as your current weight, age, height, and your TDEE, and what you have been eating in cals, what your exercise cals are, and whether you have been subtracting those.

    Also, how many pounds do you want to lose? You said you are working with an elite trainer trying to lose those "last 10 lbs."--which, if that's the case, you may not need to really lose weight so much.

    I`m using an elite trainer`s workout at home. I need to lose 20 to 30 lbs. My weight 185lb 5'8" tall TDEE 2300 current cal 2000, cut this week to 1800.

    Not subtracting exercise cals. because I am going off a cut of TDEE. I always do my exercise. I always eat clean.

    Try not doing a TDEE cut. Enter in your stats in the MFP calculator for a 1 pd loss per week. Subtract your exercise calories every day, preferably w an HRM, and eat them back to hit net. That will.give you a better idea of where you stand. It's possible you're not eating enough, or eating too much. We won't know til you can accurately get a sense of your weekly.burn, which includes exercise cals.

    Other than that, see a doc to get everything checked out.
  • Cristofori44
    Cristofori44 Posts: 201
    Also, it is possible you've been not estimating food cals correctly....no open diary.
  • JessLLoser
    JessLLoser Posts: 235 Member
    Not possible I`m not estimating my calories correctly. I have been on here 5 months.


    That "why are you eating a slice of bread" comment really surprised me. You mean people on diets don`t eat bread at all, ever? Is this common knowledge?

    I have tried all of this advice and then some.

    Let`s assume I eat perfectly, which I do. It doesn`t matter if my diary is open or not because I have already addressed this before in this thread.

    If I eat perfectly and I do not go over my calories. I exercise regularly why have I not lost 1 lb in 5 months. If I am 125 cal over every day this makes sense. But I am not for sure! And I gained the 5 lbs in one week. Really! Of course it`s water weight. But it hasn`t gone away in 2 months. Why?

    The only thing I haven`t tried is cutting out carbs. I was only eating one slice of bread for breakfast and one cup of rice for lunch. Calorie wise my meals were not over 500 each.

    I am counting every thing!!! Even when I have a glass of wine. No one is running after a twinkie truck. :bigsmile:
  • almostatgoalweight
    almostatgoalweight Posts: 234 Member
    If I eat perfectly and I do not go over my calories. I exercise regularly why have I not lost 1 lb in 5 months. If I am 125 cal over every day this makes sense. But I am not for sure! And I gained the 5 lbs in one week. Really! Of course it`s water weight. But it hasn`t gone away in 2 months. Why?
    MFP's calculations are based on an average. Maybe your metabolism is a bit slower than the average (roughly half the population has a slower metabolism). Cut back your calories by a smidgeon and see if you start losing. As I said earlier, weigh daily. If I do that, I can see a plateau within 3-4 days.

    Edit: oh by the way, going low carb is pretty easy. Just be aware you might get a headache or feel tired the first week. But after that, there aren't any problems. Try it for a month and see if you like it.
  • kristin1493
    kristin1493 Posts: 41 Member
    You sound very defensive and not willing to listen to anyone's advice. You have your mind made up, cut out carbs and see how it goes. If that doesn't work you may have to reconsider allowing others to critique your food and exercise...
  • JessLLoser
    JessLLoser Posts: 235 Member
    You sound very defensive and not willing to listen to anyone's advice. You have your mind made up, cut out carbs and see how it goes. If that doesn't work you may have to reconsider allowing others to critique your food and exercise...

    I guess you would be too if you had heard all this advice before. I have already tried what they are suggesting and even though I am saying, seriously, I eat perfectly, you don`t want to take that at face value. If I had a problem with the diary I would have had everyone look at it. Although I have already done this multiple times in the 5 months. The only thing I haven`t tried is not eating bread or rice. I really have been under my calories every day.

    Sounds like even though I have told my weight and what I eat and how I exercise that is not enough. You must assume I am lying. Assume I am telling the truth. Then what advice do you have?

    If you read through the whole thread you might understand why I sound defensive. Even though I am not feeling defensive.

    Thanks for your two cents anyway. What do you do to lose weight?
  • Cristofori44
    Cristofori44 Posts: 201
    Low-carb is a fad. Do you really think a slice if bread is the reason you're not losing weight? Maybe if your diabetic and have too.much.sugar..but a lot of low-carb diets are really just low-cal in disguise bc people fill up on beans, meat.

    I like the suggestions to vary workouts and maybe net at 1,500. It's possible your metabolism is lower. It's possible your
    workouts don't burn much bc you have just been "assuming" them into the TDEE. It's also possible you are undernourished bc you set your TDEE too low. What's your activity level w/o exercise and what does exercise burn?

    Also your profile says you've been dieting since age 17? Have you seen a doc to get your thyroid checked?
  • ishtar13
    ishtar13 Posts: 528 Member
    You said you are doing a lot of strength, how much cardio do you do? Cardio (basically an increased heart rate) is the best way to increase your metabolism and get the pounds off. If you are only doing strength you will find it hard to lose weight since it doesn't really get your heart pumping enough to burn calories. Remember that you need to burn an extra 3500 calories to lose 1lb of fat.

    Um, ask how many people on here have done strength-only and lost weight.. . .

    I'm only doing strength, I've lost 20 lbs.

    Rebuilding muscle torn from strength training burns calories.
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    I weighed everything. I don`t count my exercise at all and have my calories set at -20% of my TDEE.
    Sounds good so far. Weigh all your unpackaged and bulk food. Keep eating at a negative and eat back a reasonable amount of your exercise. I eat back my cardio but don't count calories in strength exercise as calories burned.
    I don`t do big bouts of cardio so I never net below my BMR.
    30 minutes of moderate cardio 4-5 days a week is plenty. I wouldn't recommend that someone do more unless they were preparing for a 5k or some other type of running event. Your body will eventually get conditioned by excessive cardio and you will need to do more and more to burn the same amount of calories. Of course the same is true for strength exercise but all you have to do to fix that is pick up a heavier dumbbell. With cardio you have to run further and further or increase the speed more and more. It will lower your metabolism if you do it excessively.

    You said you are doing a lot of strength, how much cardio do you do? Cardio (basically an increased heart rate) is the best way to increase your metabolism and get the pounds off. If you are only doing strength you will find it hard to lose weight since it doesn't really get your heart pumping enough to burn calories.

    Bwaaa haaa haa! Come work out with me. After one set of Renegade Rows you'll beg to crawl back to the treadmill in a puddle of sweat and you'll crawl out of bed in the morning trying to remember what the license plate was of the Mack truck that ran over you. Strength training rips through calories during the exercise and increases your BMR. Cardio burns calories really well but doesn't increase your BMR. I would argue that it actually lowers it if you do it excessively.
  • JeSuisPrest
    JeSuisPrest Posts: 2,005 Member
    With a closed diary it's nearly impossible to help you, one can only guess. And my guess is you aren't eating enough. Eating low calorie doesn't work. Your body is a machine and needs to be fueled properly. Focus more on eating healthier and cleaner, read food labels! Exercise, some cardio, some strength training, and drink more water. Educate yourself about TDEE and BMR. There are two wonderful groups here called "Eat More to Weigh Less" and "Fuel The Machine" I highly recommend you check them out.
  • SaundraU
    SaundraU Posts: 77
    My mom told me if something smells fishy it probably is and the original poster smells fishy to me.

    She says all the right things, says she's doing all the right things but has lost nothing but won't open her diary. Tells me there are some secrets she doesn't want to share with any of us.

    Yep weight loss is hard, we all get it but to be able to help one another we have to be willing to be open to one another.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    I would keep your diary shut unless you want a barrage of comments that don't matter to your question. Sodium, protein, processed foods, water, sugar...

    You said you were eating 2000 until this week? That's quite a bit.

    I don't count carbs but I don't eat bread daily or even weekly, but just because I'm 'cheap' with my calories and would rather spend them on something with fat, protein or fiber, to keep me full longer. Nothing wrong with it, if it fits with your goals and satiety levels, though. But cutting it out for a week might be an interesting experiment, too. I know a lot of women just seem to do better without it daily.
  • Cristofori44
    Cristofori44 Posts: 201
    Some points:

    1. See a doctor and nutritionist and get stuff checked out. Your profile said you were "On a diet since 17" and "Lost weight using HCG drops and starving 2 years ago." There are a host of factors other than calories that can impede weight loss--hormones, blood sugar, etc.

    2. Still don't have your estimate calorie burn daily from exercise. What's your activity level w/o exercise--sedentary or lightly active? When I plug in your stats to FitnessFrog, I come up with a TDEE of 1919 for having a desk job. You've been eating 2,000. If you're burning just 200 calories daily from primarily from a strength-training program five days a week, you're not below enough on TDEE and need to net 1,500.

    ---It's possible also that, through your previous starvation diet, you lowered your BMR, thus your TDEE of 2,300 you say is actually a lot lower, and you need to net 1,500 after eating back your exercise calories.

    3. If you're burning, on the other hand, in addition to a desk job, 1,200 calories a day through exercise, the TDEE of 1,900-1,200 gives you 700 net cals for the day and it's possible you're undernourished.

    4. It's also possible your exercise program isn't optimal. Exercise should include both cardio and strength. There are a lot of proponents of just strength, but I take a middle ground with splitting my weekly exercise hours about evenly with cardio and strength. And mix it up. Incorporate 65-85 percent target heart-rate exercises (running, biking, stairmaster, elliptical,etc) with strength training and circuit training and even just walking. Make sure you hit the target HR with cardio 2-3 times, and then go lower on the HR with strength 2-3 times a week. Strength and high HR cardio can be on the same day or not--just try not to overstress the same muscle group on consecutive days (e.g. doing bench presses 2 days in a row).

    5. Eating bread probably has nothing to do with it, but if you insist on trying it out, I would go SBeach Phase 1 for two weeks, log your cals, and see where you are.

    6. See point 1 again.
  • Debbiedebbiey
    Debbiedebbiey Posts: 824 Member
    That sucks ! I have seen so many of your posts on EMTWL . I started my cut this week. Nothing. I'm wondering why I put on 9lbs. Hoping to lose them yet again. Sad. I was hoping to hear you'd lost after your reset. Keep trying!
  • JessLLoser
    JessLLoser Posts: 235 Member
    My mom told me if something smells fishy it probably is and the original poster smells fishy to me.

    She says all the right things, says she's doing all the right things but has lost nothing but won't open her diary. Tells me there are some secrets she doesn't want to share with any of us.

    Yep weight loss is hard, we all get it but to be able to help one another we have to be willing to be open to one another.

    Nice. I have been on this site for 5 months. I had my diary open for all that time. I am not counting calories this week so there is nothing for you to see now. Just assume that I am doing what I say. Go off of that. This is the 4th time I am writing this in this thread. Geez, not a lot of trust out there huh?

    If I had a problem with the nutrition. Well, that`s one thing. How many times do I have to say the same thing. Nothing fishy here. Opening my diary wouldn`t make a difference.
    I never put my exercise in. And I am not counting calories this week.

    I`m not closed about it. I just want to know what you all are doing to lose weight. Maybe you have an idea I haven`t thought of.... So instead of attacking me why don`t you just tell me what you did to overcome whatever plateau you had.

    I already did a metabolism reset. I know all about eat more to weigh less. I thought it would work for me. Some people say I am eating too much at 2000. I am 5'8". I don`t have a desk job. I run around a lot durning the day. It isn`t a workout. Just incidental exercise. I am really active. I usually burn 2500 per day on my omron device. I ate that much every day during my reset of 7 weeks. Seeing the numbers is just confusing. 2 months ago I dropped to 2000.

    Somehow nothing is moving. Can it take so long to see even a miniscule drop on the scale. I don`t even fluctuate much. It`s weird. I was the same at 2500 per day as 2000 per day.

    I ate less bread and rice yesterday. (so less calories I guess) And saw a drop on the scale today.

    It does seem counterintuitive and stupid to think it is a carbohydrate at every meal. That one thing alone may be the reason for my inability to lose. It seems stupid and too easy. And when it`s too easy we all know it`s bull, right ?

    I`ll make sure to keep you all updated a week from now. Could be nothing.

    I have never been to a doctor to get my thyroid checked. I live in Japan, ( I could do this but I suspect would find nothing) and I am not that overweight, not yet anyway. I gained my weight slowly from eating too much.

    When I say I have been on a diet since 17, I mean I diet and quit. or have always thought I was too fat and hated my body. I think a lot of girls can identify with that.

    Losing weight isn`t supposed to be hard. Isn`t it supposed to be calories in vs. calories out.

    why am I getting the numbers right, and not losing the weight?

    thanks to some of you for your intellegent comments and comisserations.

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