CANT lose weight

[Liitleshadow]

Hey everyone,

I am feeling a little down today.
I've had fitbit charge hr for the past month. Nonetheless, I have been trying to lose weight for the past 1 and a half. I started with 86kg and I am now at 74.3 kg. Its been 1 month amd a half that I have reached my goal (running for 25) and No change has come to my body. I have lost 5 cm on my belly, but my weight has not changed for the past month. I eat only healthy stuff and have been doing a deficit of 1000 calories with the hope of losing 2kg per week (fitbit app deficit goal)

Can anyone help me please? I dont know whats wrong...

[Heybales]

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@LongHauler wrote:

Starvation mode is a myth. Your body cannot create mass from nothing. You will continue to lose weight if you're only consuming 500cal/day.

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Starvation mode - aka adaptive thermogenesis - is not a myth.

The effects of outright starving sometimes tied to that mode are a myth - and other fallacies.

You mention 2 of them:

You will gain weight or fat specifically.

You will stop losing weight even if you keep eating less.

But the effects of starvation mode - namely your body running slower than it needs to or could be running - means every single binge meal/day ends up adding fat.

So looking at it over a period of time - it appears fat weight is gained.

But that's the problem of someone claiming they only eat 1000 calories - conveniently forgetting that about once a week or biweekly they can't control themselves eating so little and eat 3000 calories one day. That's the slow but steady fat gain on those days.

Now, 1000 they should keep losing. It's the person that only went a tad extreme and slowed their body down enough to wipe out their deficit if they don't keep eating less.

But what a terrible state to put the body in - needing so few calories than possible to keep losing weight - makes maintenance a likely failure - as most extreme diets end up at.

[hjrutledge]

I spoke with my doctor about calorie adjustment because my Fitbit was allowing me 2700 calories a day to lose 2 lbs a week. He told me that fat cells burn little to no energy and I need to use the BMR about 15lbs more than my goal weight x my fitness level - my desired deficit 1000 for 2 lbs a week and 500 for 1. I am on a 1700 calorie diet and have been losing weight very consistently. I work out everyday and hit my step goal and beyond most days. I was on weight watchers for awhile but I didn't understand the new smart point system. I am down 30lbs and 3 in the last week. You should never be eating less than 1200 calories as a woman.

[Heybales]

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@hjrutledge wrote:
I spoke with my doctor about calorie adjustment because my Fitbit was allowing me 2700 calories a day to lose 2 lbs a week. He told me that fat cells burn little to no energy and I need to use the BMR about 15lbs more than my goal weight x my fitness level - my desired deficit 1000 for 2 lbs a week and 500 for 1. I am on a 1700 calorie diet and have been losing weight very consistently. I work out everyday and hit my step goal and beyond most days. I was on weight watchers for awhile but I didn't understand the new smart point system. I am down 30lbs and 3 in the last week. You should never be eating less than 1200 calories as a woman.

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I would suggest finding out why your Fitbit is thinking you burn close to 3700 calories so you can use it as intended.

Because if you have it set to hardest weight loss (which is reasonable if you have over 60 lbs to lose and don't want to lose muscle mass), then it thinks you are burning 1000 more than the eating goal.

Because frankly in the US, a general Dr only takes 1 course in nutrition, and even that is likely outdated by the time they took it - and unless they personally have kept up on research - they should be referring you to a specialist just as they would with a foot issue or hearing issue or vision issue - a dietician with specific education.

Otherwise you have no idea if their comments have any basis in accurate knowledge - far too many just go for mantra you are overeating if not losing, and to keep eating less and less, which is not always a good idea either. And they start with arbitrary figures that are totally for averages, not individual. At least yours wasn't that bad.

Because while true fat doesn't burn much - your Fitbit is basing a foundation of calorie burn on that fact already, your BMR.

Because BMR is merely estimated calorie burn if sleeping deeply all day - which even at 15 lbs more than goal weight isn't realistic either. Look it up and compare the difference between goal weight and 15 lbs more at BMR.

And you are no where near sleeping all day.

Because unless it's the first week and major water weight loss - over 2 lbs weekly is almost always going to be including muscle mass - you'll regret that big time later when you repeat this effort next year after gaining the weight back easier than before, and harder to lose next time - with less muscle mass.

Reasons Fitbit could be inaccurate for you, without knowing which model you use.

Step count is very inaccurate and inflated and that effects all models daily burn estimate - certain activities may be creating many many false steps.

- Review your daily 5 min graph of steps and confirm they occur when they should, and don't when they shouldn't.

Step distance is very inflated and that makes daily calorie burn higher than reality.

- Do you have the means to start an activity record by button press on device (some devices) and walk a known distance? Compare later when activity record is finished if the distance matches with 5%. This should be average daily pace - not exercise fast pace, not grocery store shuffle pace, but inbetween and probably closer to the slower side of range.

Calorie burn for exercise is very off.

- If HR-based device it can take 2 weeks to get modified for your body system for better estimates, if step-based device some workouts are supposed to be manually entered if not step-based, like swimming obviously, rowing, lifting, elliptical, climbing, biking, ect.

And then the eating side of the equation - accuracy of logging not just what you ate but the amount.

Calories is per gram, or weight. Not per spoon or cup, which is volume.

Labels usually give a volume measurement for ease of use, and it's usually very inaccurate, especially since weight is right there to be used. (serving size, about 1/4 cup (75 g) for example).

Lastly, you sure Fitbit was showing eating goal 1000 or 500 less than what you had currently burned up to that point in the day?

If bouncing between settings could have set the weight loss goal back to 250 or maintenance.

[hjrutledge]

I'm confused on your response? I was not asking for help as I have my goals in place based on my doctors advice. I am not the original poster, I'm following the orders of my doctor. I am very overweight and very active. I honestly do believe I burn 3700 calories a day as it matches with my intake and weight loss. I am aware three pounds a week if considered faster but I lost 60lbs in 4 months when I decided to diet vs making a lifestyle change. When you have 90 lbs to lose, weight comes off a little faster. I do have the charge hr, I do start my exercise timer when I workout. Not sure what you are trying to tell me here?

[Dibbies]

So all I can asume from what you are saying, is that your body and mind will adapt to whatever you change, either too much or too few, and that will become the new norm, and nothing will change.

So how do people gain and loose weight.

We are all looking for answers, and if nothing is happening, simply doing the same will not change it, so you have to change something to see if it works yes ?

[jlippincott]

IF what you and your Dr are in agreement and it is is working for you, keep on doing it.

I have 11 lbs to lose so if I lose 1-4 lbs a month at this time is to be expected.

And yes, the more you have to lose, you can expect to lose more than someone that is closer to their goal weight.

So, you can look at what works for everyone else, see if you want to add to or ignore it because everyone is different and what works for someone else, does not work for everyone.

When you have weeks you gain or don't lose anything at all or lose very little, don't get discouraged. Just keep working your plan.

[jlippincott]

for me, I didn't eat enough food, I was eating healthy but I couldn't get enough calorie intake that way and along with my Thyroid causing a serious metabolism problem, I gained weight and could not lose it.

I have found that my best sucess has been with weight watchers, I started out online and then I started going to go to meetings for the support and to keep myself accountable.

For exercise, I do the Power of 10 workout once a week and the rest of the week, I walk, I rollerskate, and hula hoop ie I have fun.

recipes I use, come from online and from cookbooks, ie, Rocco Dispirito for healthier meal alternatives, Zone Diet Meals in seconds, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

So how do I lose weight? I eat, I eat real food. I make sure that I eat my protein, so I take my weight divided by 2 and add a g to the answer. 145/2=72.5g protein a day. plus 3 servings of fruit, 4 servings of veg, fluid for me 108 oz

How I start out is 2 scoops protein powder, 1 c Mootopia, 1 c Plain Greek Yogurt, 2 cups Spinach, 1 banana, 1 cup berries. blend and drink throughout the day.

this is just me, find something to try, stay away from fad diet stuff. and commit to it for 90 days. If you get results stick with it. Keep tweaking until you find what is right for you.

I know this can all be overwhelming, but please don't give up.

If you can cook just a little, I suggest the Zone Diet, it has lists of food that you can just pick and eat and has a simple schedule to follow. No hard thinking.

[john-is-my-name]

First, be clear on your goals!  Losing weight is what many people say they want to do but their goals are something that is measured with a tape measure, not a scale.  For example, according to the Metropolitan life height/weight tables (http://halls.md/met-life-ideal-weight/) I am obese.  You would not know that to see me. My high degree of muscularity and low body fat makes my body weight a useless indicator.

Men put on excess body fat around their waistline. With women, its their thighs and triceps.  I would contend that your quantifiable goal is to lose girth around these areas.  Thus, this should be your goal. If you insist on tracking your body weight, you should be measuring your bodyfat too.   I use plastic skinfold calipers to measure the fat by my navel and a table that approximates my percentage of body fat. I bought a scale that measures body fat by electric impedance over a decade ago, which was useless. In fairness, the technology might have improved.  By multiplying your percent of bodyfat by your weight, you can determine how many pounds of fat you have.  Therefore, I don’t like body weight as a metric for a physical appearance goal; it is an approximation.   I am 6’1” and went from wearing Levi jeans with a 34” waist when I graduated from high school to 44” in my mid 30s – I was fat!  I went back to my 34-inch waist, which I have maintained for a decade.  (I am 52 years old.) I don’t know my weight and I don’t care as it is irrelevant.

Second, change your diet.  Carbohydrates are what your body converts into fat – the fruit and the oates. Bread is one of the worst things you can eat.   Is the yougurt plain?  Is the turkey/ham processed? 

Good for you doing “8 to 10km a day and within this distance I run for 25 mints everyday”!   Do your running/aerobics first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.  Your blood sugar level will be low and you will force your body to burn fat to fuel your exercise.  This is not fun to start. Your body will whine in protest before entering ‘fat burning mode’. Your Fitbit is useful here because it displays if you are in the fat burning zone of pulse rate.

After exercise in the morning you’ve put your body into a fat burn mode.  This is the best time for a piece of fruit.  Fruit digests in your small intestine, so it can go through your empty stomach and get digesting.  While your fruit is digesting, make breakfast, a meat (ground beef is my favorite), eggs, and a complex carb -  I alternative between oatmeal, yams and potato.   For lunch and dinner a meat and leafy carb – and a vegetable.   Through my work day, I sip on protein shakes.  My premise is to be taking in a small amount of calories constantly.  This keeps my blood sugar level constant through the day – no hunger cravings.

Take your bodily measurements at the most weekly at least monthly and set your calorie goal based on this by increments of 500 calories.  FitBit has changed by thinking on this.  It might make more sense to base caloric adjustments on a percentage above or below what FitBit’s algorithm calculates for you daily.

I created about a half-dozen day of different diets that hall had the same number of calories and carb/proteins/fat.  This takes the guess-work out.  I simply decide to follow my “day 3” diet.

Finally, cheat on your diet a bit.   If you have three meals a day and there are seven days in a week, that’s 21 meals.   If you allow yourself one meal a week of whatever you like (without over eating) and one dessert a week, it is not going to make any difference.  

As you will be losing inches (not pounds) and feeling better physically and emotionally, you deserve this little indulgence 🙂

Normally I have yogurt for breakfast, or oats, or a slice of bread with turkey ham
For lunch I always have 50g of brown rice with either turkey, chicken, salmon, lettuce, etc
For dinner, or soup or just yogurt or just protein (chicken, turkey) with a piece of fruit.

[Heybales]

While you have many good points (body composition more important than just plain weight), some are based on myth and misunderstanding of what the body does.

For instance - body doesn't just convert carbs to fat - anything in excess is finally converted to fat.

Carbs first go to refill liver stores to be used to keep blood sugar up, then sent to refill muscle stores if you've used any with exercise. Then used for immediate energy needs (if sleeping not much, if working out then there ya go).

Only after those things, in the 3-5 hrs that insulin in elevated, and no other places for carbs to go, is the inefficient process of converting to fat done and stored.

Protein also during that time is sent off for use by the body, same method after many hours if not used and needed - stored as fat.

Your body's selected fuel source has much more to do with intensity than your blood sugar levels. Unless you just ate - then it's the carbs used.

But guess what, if you ate in excess for what you needed, then it won't be stored as fat since being used - so if you merely think of the time of the workout, you are missing the fact of it being a net-zero gain.

The ONLY reason to workout fasted is if you are doing endurance aerobic training for a long race, and the fasted morning session is short and you need to train the body to spare the carbs and start with slightly higher % of fat first. But you are only talking about maybe a 5% difference - no big deal for weight loss - potentially big deal for a 4-5 hr endurance event.

And even if you do it fasted - if you do it intense enough - you are still using primarily carbs.

The whole fat-burning zone myth for calorie burn has been busted as a fad for years. Even though it's always been understood to be a myth before it became a fad to "stay in the fat-burning zone".

Did you know that during the day for average activity level, like leading up to exercise level - you are about 90% fat burn already.

Except for the 3-5 hrs after a meal, depending on how many carbs and protein, how large a meal it was, your personal insulin effect from eating carbs/protein, ect.

As you get more intense, that % fat goes down as energy source, and carbs goes up. Up to anaerobic point of 100% carbs.

You having low blood sugar being fasted doesn't change that fact. It merely changes the % a tad in the first 20-30 min.

So good advice on being realistic with the body and what is lost as weight, giving more attention to measurements instead.

[shipo]

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@Heybales wrote:

...The whole fat-burning zone myth for calorie burn has been busted as a fad for years. Even though it's always been understood to be a myth before it became a fad to "stay in the fat-burning zone". Did you know that during the day for average activity level, like leading up to exercise level - you are about 90% fat burn already...

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Thank you for taking this myth on!  I've written on this subject before and had my tail feathers soundly flamed; hopefully your words will not be dismissed out of hand just because the urban legend of the fat burn zone is so strong.

[Heybales]

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@shipo wrote:

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@Heybales wrote:

...The whole fat-burning zone myth for calorie burn has been busted as a fad for years. Even though it's always been understood to be a myth before it became a fad to "stay in the fat-burning zone". Did you know that during the day for average activity level, like leading up to exercise level - you are about 90% fat burn already...

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Thank you for taking this myth on!  I've written on this subject before and had my tail feathers soundly flamed; hopefully your words will not be dismissed out of hand just because the urban legend of the fat burn zone is so strong.

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Like so many things diet and fitness related - it has it's purpose, and for that good, but it's applied to other things incorrectly and spouted as truth because it became so popular as advice.

Like the Fat-Burning HR zone used to be called the Active Recovery HR zone long before, and still is on some charts.

And the name gives the clue as to it's usefulness.

Did a hard workout yesterday, and need to allow recovery today to help the healing and not ruin it - then workout in the Recovery zone.

The fact you may be burning less calories but a higher % of fat is immaterial to the reason for the workout - you want to recover so you can have another hard workout tomorrow.

Or you need to train your fat burning aerobic system for some endurance bike or run event - so if going for 2 hrs or more then pick the Recovery HR zone, which will train the body better for that.

Now it matters that you are burning more % of fat than if going more intense - you'll need to spare the carbs so they don't run out in the longer event. But this is still about the workout and the event - not the body composition.

If you have limited time for workouts though, say 20 min, and don't need either of the above, then go as hard as you can that will allow you to recover to do it again tomorrow.

Obviously this won't be all out or you won't recover in time, but go ahead and burn higher % of carbs, and many more calories than if going in "fat-burning" zone.

Now after your next meal - all your carbs are going to refill those muscle and liver stores, blood sugar drops faster than normal after eating, insulin goes back down - and you have now entered normal daily fat-burning more faster than normal after eating!

Now you are burning more fat when you look at the day as a whole - rather than just the fasted 30 min workout time.

And for those that want a Dr's opinion on this based on research studies :

http://www.lookgreatnaked.com/blog/?s=fasted+cardio&submit.x=65&submit.y=12

Last paragraph of first discussion has another study link of possibly a detrimitent to doing it:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21411835

[john-is-my-name]

I made some generalizations here and may have attributed my results to the wrong thing.

"For instance - body doesn't just convert carbs to fat - anything in excess is finally converted to fat."  I am not denying the boldily process that happen first. Sooner or later, the body gets cornered into fat-burn mode. 

By my own logic, eating fruit after my exercise should cqause a blood sugar spike and stop the fatburn process.

Does my morning ritual of exercise on an empty stomach contribute signifcantly to fat loss?   Maybe, a bigger factor is that with early morning weights and aerboics, my attenance is near perfect as it is the best time fit for my schedule.

[Dominique]

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@john-is-my-name wrote:

Does my morning ritual of exercise on an empty stomach contribute signifcantly to fat loss?   Maybe, a bigger factor is that with early morning weights and aerboics, my attenance is near perfect as it is the best time fit for my schedule. 

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I think the timing of your eating and exercising doesn’t matter much: you could eat a heavy breakfast and exercise in the evening, or exercise in the morning on an empty stomach and eat your meals later in the day. If your eating and exercising are the same, their impact on fat loss will be the same. Fat loss is driven primarily by your deficit over time (e.g. daily/weekly/monthly level), not so much by what happens intra-day.

[jlippincott]

Unless you are a diabetic, the sugar in fruit is not that big of a concern.

some fruits like watermelon, eaten in excess can trigger a binge in some people as it is high in sugars BUT I would rather fill up on fruit on my way to someones house party so that I am to full to graze.

I lowered my glucose levels and I eat a lot of fruit and veg and I am also at risk for TYPE2.

we have this fear of fruit but in reality, we should not.

anything in excess can be a problem.

eating vs smoothies:

Eating your fruit and veg actually takes more energy to digest than if it is pureed into drink.

Also, if I am filling up on fruits and even veg and I am not balancing it out with helathy proteins and fats, it will cause a slowing down of the body's ability to lose wieght.

FYI, I am 5'1", I was 190, and I am now 145 on my way to 132. my cholesterol was near the mid 200's and it is now 190. My A1C is great, glucose is great, waist is below 135", and my last risk is my belly and I am working on that. I started out on the ZONE Diet, and went to 167 form the 190. Back in Feb, I joined back up with WW (I still use ZONE, Rocco Dispirito recipes). ALL My Doctors have stressed slow and steady weight loss ie, lose 1 lb a month, maintain that loss and move on and that is the success they want to see.

I do the Power of 10 workout for 30 min a week and my weight load on the Nautilus and MedEx machines varies from 50 to 820#s depending on the body part. so yes, I need my protein!

I hope this clarifies my view. You Do You!

everyone loses differently, take what works for you, be willing to try new things and stay away from the lose weight quick crap.

[jlippincott]

good statement.

Also, you can actually do medical damage over time by not prepping your body with proper food and fluids before you workout. Eating beforehand, will allow you to workout harder and longer if need be rather than running out of steam. Feed the body with real food.

[A_Lurker]

@jlippincott- loved seeing your response.  Like you said, fruits and veggies are not the enemy.  I'd got as far as saying carbs aren't the enemy.  I personally find that I crave less with higher protein and fat intake, but it's not usual for me to eat a large amount of fruits and veggies every day.  I do take a smoothie in the morning as I just find it easier to digest.  However, I still toss fruits (at least 2) into my lunch bag with some kind of salad/veggie mix as well as whatever the protein/lunch of the week is.  I was in the bad zone for A1C but have managed to bring it back down simply with weight loss.  I don't (in general) pay attention to my fruit intake.

[garrowa]

Any suggestions for me since you say you are a foodie? I have been walking daily and get my 6500 steps which is about 3 miles. I go to the gym 2-3 times a week and do cardio and some weights. I try to watch what I eat, (I have been told by a nutritionist I don't eat enough) and still do not lose weight. I am single and guilty of eating out more than I cook at home, so any suggestions of ways to eat better at home. (and suggestions on weight?)

[Dominique]

@garrowa: there are two factors affecting weight loss: the energy you expend and the food you eat. It strikes me you provide relatively detailed information about your activity, but describe your eating as "I try to watch what I eat". This is where I would put my attention. It looks like you are trying to wing it, but it doesn’t work for you. Your nutritionist probably didn’t spend an entire day behind your back watching you eat, so I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on her/his recommendation.

How much your Fitbit says you burn in average at your current activity level? If your weight stays the same, it means it’s also what you’re currently eating. You either need to eat less than that, or increase a bit your activity level. For instance, you could try to turn your 6500 steps into the standard 10,000 steps (generally considered as the minimum level to maintain good health and fitness). For the nutrition side, take a critical look at what (and how much) you are eating and try to identify the items that account for the largest amount of calories in your diet. Once you’ve done that, you can either control portion size (a kitchen scale is invaluable for that) or make replacements with more nutritious and less caloric items (fresh veggies are always your friend). 

[IrinaKasper]

If you want a beautiful body you have to do exercises, and most importantly do it correctly. Look at examples of workour   http://happybody.tv/air-squats/

[Moosebreath74]

Did Fitbit help me lose weight? Yes. Did I need to use it as a tool to help
me lose weight? Yes. Did FitBit take the weight off me? No. It is a great
tool to use as exercise, but it's worthless if you don't use the info it
gives to exercise and eat right. The sleep function also helped.

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*Live your life like you will die someday*