1000 calorie deficit and not losing weight

[Amazona]

Hi everyone, need your help figuring this out because I'm at my wit's end 😩

I signed up with a trainer a month ago and have been following her excercises (+ more cardio) religiously 3x week. I've cut 90% of carbs and eating about 1,000 cal/day and drinking about 2lt liquid a day.

The problem is I have not lost a single gram (and even managed to GAIN weight somehow).

my BMI is at the upper limit of normal (24.8) so plenty of room to improve.

Thing is, before all this, I ate junk food like crazy, did not excercise at all and yet if I skipped a meal I would drop a lb or two... just like that.

What gives? I feel like there's no use and I'm broken. This makes NO sense. Please help?!

[Dominique]

Thanks for the numerical information. 5’8 / 113kg would actually be BMI 37.9. Maybe 46.7 is body fat % (as estimated by a scale, or another device)? 113 - 55 = 58kg, OTOH, would be BMI 19.4, lower end of the normal weight category (higher end would be 74kg).

You write you want to lose 55kg more: does that mean the current level (113) isn’t your starting point? Asking as your recent weight history does impact what approach would be optimal from now on.

This online calculator estimates your BMR at 1829 and even with light activity, TDEE would be more than 2500. OTOH, if you’ve already lost a bunch of weight recently, both BMR and TDEE would be lower than calculated from the standard equation. However, it would appear to me an intake of 1500 is insufficient/unsustainable for your size and activity level.

[Lovenest]

Hi,

What is TDEE? & OTOH
What do you recommends calorie intake should be?
Your help is really appreciated.....

Kind regards

Moderator edit: personal info removed

[Dominique]

Sorry, TDEE (together with BMR) is defined at the bottom of the online calculator I mentioned previously. It’s the same as calories burned during the day, as estimated by Fitbit. OTOH (on the other hand) was not fitness-related.

You’re basically looking at halving yourself (116 -> 58kg). It’s very ambitious, but a few community members have done it, e.g. my personal hero @AuroraKat, as referenced in this other topic.

As to calories in, based on the numbers, I would suggest at least 2000. Have you had your thyroid checked? An underperforming thyroid is a common cause of weight gain, or failure to lose.

Regarding exercising, I would suggest doing less formal cardio (e.g. one-hour sessions on the treadmill or the elliptical at the gym, if it’s what your current workouts consist in) and make sure your overall activity during the day is high enough. Yet another acronym: NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis). It’s a very important, and often under-rated, component of TDEE. So instead of formal, one-hour long workouts, you could do two or three 20-30 minute walks scattered across the day, and do other things like gardening, cooking, household tasks etc. that keep you on the move, or even just .standing. If you have a gym membership (for your cardio workouts), I would suggest taking advantage of it for some resistance training. So instead of one hour of cardio, you could do 30 minutes of weight lifting and 30 minutes of cardio, for instance. If you’re not sure how to go about weight lifting, hire a trainer to get you started with the basics.

Despite the long tirade on activity, don’t forget weight loss success is at least 80% about diet, and only 20% or less about exercising. Since you’re going to have to restrict the amount of food you can eat, make sure you’re eating food that gives you the most bang for your buck (in terms of being nutritious, healthy, filling etc.).

[Rurucaden]

Omg I’m having the same issues, I work out twice a day, run two miles and go to Bikram yoga, my calorie intake is less than 1000 a day and I don’t eat any junk or bad carbs. My fiancé is on the same diet and works out less and he has lost 25 lb I have lost 4 in two months. I feel like I’m going to cry every time I get on the scale... when I was young I would lose all the weight in a month, now I’m 36 and it’s soooo hard... is it a hormone thing!!! So frustrating, your not alone, it’s so annoying!! I need answers!! 

[Gregggg]

You have slowed your metabolism with the ridiculously low calories.   Start eating more then slowly cut.

[Popsalotl]

I have hypothyroidism too! Does the rule of deducting 600 calories apply to us all, or does it vary depending on the severity?

[weight_warrior]

I am so glad I have found this board. The struggles here sound like mine & its hard. (but you all know that). Nothing has worked for me! I have tried everything except drugs and surgery. I am currently under the Fast 800, (with some tweaks) under my doctors advice. so essentially I am consuming between 800-1000 calories daily in an 8 hour window (or however long it takes me to consume the 800). I had blood test done prior to commencement and my thyroid is fine. my estrogen is decreasing (menopause). I have dropped my activity levels due to the restrictive calories. I do a treadmill walk for 30 mins 3-4 times a week (at walking pace), aqua aerobics once a week, and swim 2-3 times (slow laps - 1/2hour). The only fluids I am consuming are 2-3 litres of water per day. and 1 cup of black tea (no sugar). In the first week - I lost 4 kg. I am now 1/2way through my 3rd week. I have lost nothing more. I know this sounds sucky and whingy, but 1 am spending so much time checking calories and making sure that I keep everything balanced. I'm really not sure this is working. Should I be experiencing a plateau already?? My diet was pretty good before starting this, and I have had limited cravings. Feeling a bit low right now and wondering if its worth it all.

[Glenda]

@weight_warrior  I admire you for trying but I'll surprise you and say NO it isn't worth it.  It doesn't sound like you are enjoying any part of that.  You need to exercise some for the rest of your life.  To do that you can't depend on determination, enthusiasm or willpower to last for decades.  You need to find some way to enjoy exercise.  Maybe for you it might be dancing videos or something.  I don't like any exercise but I like to read and hate to waste tons of time reading the newspaper or book on the sofa so I do it on a treadmill or bike.   Think about it long term???   it is easier if it is something you can make into a habit or routine that you don't have to make decisions about  each day.  It would be good it could be done on "autopilot" like much of driving is.   When I want to really restrict calories I use protein drinks.  You could have that and a teaspoon of fiber just so it would be an extremely easy calorie count??

[dromia20]

skip the water

[weight_warrior]

Hi Glenda,

I cant do protein drinks as most of them are milk based and I have issues with milk products. I was juicing & quite enjoyed that (although I didn't lose any weight after the first 4 weeks), but my dr has said - no juicing. I will give the reading when on the treadmill a go. 🙂 thanks for that idea. I love to read, but as a teacher I don't get much time during terms to read. 

Thank you for the support in your response. I am really struggling at the moment. Hopefully as I routine this better into my life, rather than my life around it, it will be easier. 

[Glenda]

Reading on a treadmill, it seemed easier for me to increase the grade rather than the speed if you want more intensity.  Also dromia20 was right.  I didn't notice all that water.  For heavens sakes!!  Did your doctor tell you to do that?  He is right that fruit juice is bad and when I googled to see if all protein drinks had milk they suggested mixing soy or tofu with fruit juice.  Not good because it has too much sugar.  You might be able to make  or find something with just soy or peanut butter .  But I don't know if it would be worth making.  I use the powdered protein for drinks because I am small and the already prepared ones have more protein  and calories than I need at one time.  

          You can read on a bike too.  I like my recumbent better than the upright I started with which was a $25 used on.  You can probably find a good used recumbent bike easily too if you don't have one. 

[weight_warrior]

I don't understand. Whats the go with water? 

[weight_warrior]

Hi Glenda 

thanks for your responses and support. Whats wrong with water? I don't understand. I live in the tropics and our intake is recommended for 3 Litres per day (standard). Should I be doing something else?

[Glenda]

@weight_warrior @dromia20   I live in subtropical Houston Texas and evidently dromia20  doesn't live in the tropics either.  Most places encourage people to drink 8 glasses (actually 8 ounce cups)  of water a day and there is water in food too.  There never was any science behind the 8 cup amount.  But I can't imagine drinking one liter of anything in a day.  If you enjoy it you probably need it.

[rahulfitb]

There could be several reasons for that:

1. you are not counting your calories correctly
2. you're not drinking enough water
3. your metabolism rate has shut down and you do not have any glycogen stores left
4. you're not taking coffee every day

I have written a lot more about this and you can check out here. I also use Fitbit HR for my regular exercises such as light running, weightlifting et cetera.

[Ellionna]

Muscle growth. Your working out and probably eating high in protein your moving a lot more than normal. This is gonna cause muscle growth. If you stay consistent the change will come. Also somtimes your body needs a little bit more energy to feel comfortable enough to use it’s own storage. Don’t be afraid to eat 1100 or 1200. Monitor it week by week. And don’t rely on the scale. Instead rely on how you feel. Do you feel lighter when you walk ? If you so that could be weight loss or muscle growth. Either or is great. In the long run you’ll burn more calories because of the increase in the call of muscle tissue. 

[Heybales]

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@Ellionna wrote:

Muscle growth. Your working out and probably eating high in protein your moving a lot more than normal. This is gonna cause muscle growth. If you stay consistent the change will come. Also somtimes your body needs a little bit more energy to feel comfortable enough to use it’s own storage. Don’t be afraid to eat 1100 or 1200. Monitor it week by week. And don’t rely on the scale. Instead rely on how you feel. Do you feel lighter when you walk ? If you so that could be weight loss or muscle growth. Either or is great. In the long run you’ll burn more calories because of the increase in the call of muscle tissue. 

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If only muscle growth was really this easy.

Not sure which response you are replying to in case there is one about eating at maintenance or in surplus.

But in a rather severe diet situation, eating enough protein doesn't magically cause muscle growth, especially with no comments about progressive overload strength training being done.

Body doesn't expend limited resources on building something that is not being asked for, that will itself expend some energy.

Now, compared to fat, it's only about 4 cal per lb per day additional - so not exactly talking a lot of extra calories anyway, which is another myth that it's a big calorie burner.

Good advice to eat more than extreme diet - that rarely works long term.