Have no trouble counting calories, but I can't lose weight...
I've been actively counting calories for the last few months. I've only had a few days where my deficit has been lower than 500 (and only 2 days where I went over my daily limit).
I can manage a 800-1000 calorie deficit most days, which means that I'm only eating (or logging) around 800-1000 calories a day. Unfortunately, I can't seem to lose any weight. My energy levels are OK - I still get 7-8 hours of sleep most nights, and I usually get "A" or "B+" grades for my daily intake. I've pretty much cut out most unhealthy fat (saturated, cholesterol) and empty carbs. I've been eating as many veggies as possible, and trying to fit healthy fats and protein into every meal. I've also started biking to work, and I usually manage to work out for 20-30 minutes every day.
According to all of the sources I've read, my diet *should* be leading to weight loss, but nothing has happened. Is my aggressive calorie deficit the problem?
Why in the world are you eating at such a huge deficit? You shouldn't go above 500 calories, and really should aim for about 300/day to be safe.
Anyways first hope you are eating at least at the level of your BMR.
Next your target weight loss should be max 1% of your weight per week. Preferably 2/3 of max. Based on 1lbs fat = 3,500 calories u calculate if your deficit is too much.
I guess I've been doing it because I can (which is a terrible reason, I know). I tried losing weight at the "standard" 1200 calorie limit for a few months last year and nothing happened then either. I guessed that I was under-reporting the food that I ate, so I tried reducing my limit to 1000 but that still didn't work.
I should probably listen to my conscience and go visit a weight loss professional, but I haven't been able to find one that I trust in Toronto (Canada). Does anyone have any recommendations (on the off-chance that some of you live in Toronto)?
I'd save your money and spend it on a good food scale and a HR monitor (if you exercise). Be honest with yourself about how much you eat, be good about logging it, and log any exercise you do as closely as possible (calorie-wise). If you are truly at a deficit, the weight will come down with time.
Of course this requires that you be overweight to begin with. You didn't mention your weight so in case you are already thin and for some reason want to lose weight (unhealthy) you probably won't lose much.
You don't have to go to a "weight loss professional". Start eating enough. The 1200 is a minimum, and not enough for most people, so when you adjusted down to 1000, you made things worse.
Without stats, I can't say what a good calorie target is, but I am willing to bet that it's over 1200.
I'm 5'2" and I weigh 153 pounds, so I'm definitely overweight (but not obese). The food scale and HR monitor are excellent ideas. Which brand of HR monitor do you recommend?
The target Calorie Count gives me (using the standard USDA values) is 1200 - is it still OK to hit this level if I exercise every day?
How old are you?
If you are exercising every day, 1200 is probably not enough for you. When you used the Calorie Target tool did you say that you were sedentary? Did you put in a goal date?
I work in an office for 9 hours a day, and I often spend some time watching movies/tv in the evening. I'd say that's the definition of a "sedentary" lifestyle. I started exercising every day a few months ago, but I joined Calorie Count last year (which is when those values were set).
My goal date is 12/06/12 - I don't know if that's Dec 6 or June 12. My "healthy" weight (calculated by Calorie Count) is 125.
Still need your age, to make sure I'm using the right numbers.
Light Activity
- At work - you walk a lot
- At home - you keep yourself busy and move a lot
- Exercise - you participate in light exercise or take long walks
Moderate Activity
- At work - you are very active much of the day
- At home - you rarely sit and do heavy housework or gardening
- Exercise - you exercise several times a week and push yourself pretty hard
You don't have to fit all of the descriptions of the activity level that you pick - read them as "or" statements. And since part of the description of sedentary is "you don't exercise regularly," then sedentary doesn't apply to you.
I work in an office too - and I spend far too much time sitting at a desk or on the couch. But I exercise regularly and with effort, and I've found "moderate" is a pretty good estimate for me. It's ok if you want to keep your account set to "sedentary" and log your exercise to track it. But for the calorie target tool to work, you need to give it full information that you are not completely sedentary.
I guess that's a good point. I have been logging my exercise, though.
I chose "sedentary" because that's what my lifestyle is like when I don't exercise. I didn't want CC to overestimate my maintenance calories on days when I don't have time to work out. That's why I'm pretty diligent about logging my exercise.
I'm 28, by the way. Sorry about giving all this info piecemeal. I didn't realize that you needed all of it to make sense of what's going on. :)
No problem :)
So your BMR (which is what you'd burn in a coma, not what you actually burn in a day) is about 1350-1400. So I would recommend that you eat at least that much - more is fine, and we'll get to that in a second.
I'm going to go middle of the road, and say that you are probably somewhere between lightly and moderately active. I doubt you are as little as light, but I don't know if you'd consider your workouts enough to bump you up to moderate.
So taking that average, I get that you burn ~2000 calories a day. At your weight, it would be good to aim for a 500-cal deficit, or eat 500 calories less than you burn. For you, that would be 1500.
If you think "moderate" might fit you better (you push yourself hard during workouts, and you are going at least 3-5 days/week), then you burn a little more, and so could eat more - maybe 1600 or 1650.
Again, it's fine to leave your account set to sedentary and log your activity. That method works for many people. But for the calorie target tool, you need to tell it that you aren't sedentary (because you aren't) -- otherwise it will recommend a target that is too low.
Thank you so much!
Do you think this will help get past this odd plateau that I'm sitting at? Will boosting my intake actually help me lose weight?
Given that up til now, you've been undereating, yes, definitely.
You might see a jump in the scale at first - you are suddenly giving your body more food, which can mean water retention and just having more food in the system. Give it time to balance out.
Thanks again!!
When you live a more active lifestyle, you have more muscle to maintain, which burns more calories. You can definitely record yourself at a higher activity level and continue to log your exercise :)
Original Post by kaellia:
I'm 5'2" and I weigh 153 pounds, so I'm definitely overweight (but not obese). The food scale and HR monitor are excellent ideas. Which brand of HR monitor do you recommend?
The target Calorie Count gives me (using the standard USDA values) is 1200 - is it still OK to hit this level if I exercise every day?
This was almost exactly me on Jan 1/12. I started at 151.5 pounds, 5'2", female, 31 years old. I have been eating between 1500-1800 calories per day, I sit at a desk for work 8 hours per day, plus commute for 1.5 hours in my car, at home I rarely sit down (I have a very active 2 year old). I have myself set at moderate activity because of my home life. I log all of my workouts (3 times per week). I have lost 18 pounds so far this year by eating that amount most of the time. I have had a few bad weekends where I consumed more like 2000-2500 per day though.
I prepare most foods and try to stay away from packaged foods as much as possible. I have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING, that way I can't lie to myself about the portions. I would highly suggest a food scale because it will tell you the complete truth about your portion size. I did not have a clue about a true portion size until I bought the scale.
