Stalled Weight? Advice needed.

[Superplush]

Good morning everyone, o>

Now, I'm:

Male, 32, 5' 10", 15st (210lbs)

 I'm having a problem with my fitbit diet and I'd like some advice. Since getting my AltaHR ( I had a Charge HR until it broke ) back in april, I don't seem to have lost any weight. That is to say my weight seems to have stalled at 15st exactly and I'm not sure what to do about it. 

Weekly Avgs:

Calorie intake: 1900/day
Macronutrients: (Approx) 38 carb / 41 fat / 21 protein
Excersise : 5hrs 50 (5k runner 3 times a week)
Steps: 7,900
Avg Deficit -1100 (-1000 planned)

I was planning on eating and weighing in what Fitbit mentioned too but I don't seem to be getting anywhere on a 1000kcal deficit, admittedly I used to eat a lot less when dieting with my partner. I ate what she ate and since she's smaller and weighs less I was eating approx 1000kcal a day. I'm a little stumped as to what to do, in addition to Running 5km ( 3.5Mile ) I also do situps and push ups on a night. Every time I weigh myself it's always around 9am ( wake up time ) everyday and I look at the avg per week for weightloss.

Can anyone offer any advice or any questions are definitly welcome.

[DavidSchneier]

For me (and for most of us), the FitBit estimated calorie burn is off by several hundred calories. Based on the straight out FitBit numbers, I should be thirty pounds (a bit more than 2 stones) less than I am right now, factoring in numbers going back to February. I have adjusted the FitBit number by anywhere from 600-800 calories which factor in an error rate of calories consumed (based on human error and inaccurate label information) plus FitBit's estimated being off.

So, I assume a log error rate of 10% (I add whatever I record plus 10%) and then add an additional 600 to that number. I should also mention that I have hypothyroidism, which impacts my metabolism and so that 600 number is probably a bit higher than it should be for an otherwise healthy person. But with those adjusted numbers, I am within two pounds of my actual weight.

At the risk of being blunt, if the numbers you're recording aren't consistent with your results, the numbers are wrong. I have had enough experience with several people's weight loss journeys at this point to know that if you create an accurate and consistent calorie deficit, you lose weight.

[Mukluk4]

If you are maintaining with your current diet and fitness activities, then I would suggest either increasing the activity or tweaking your diet to be less calories.  

Personally, I have hit the plateau multiple times.  If I maintain the same weight (+/- 3 pounds) over a 2 week period then it's time to change it up.

[GershonSurge]

@Superplush,

Looking at your charts and what you have stated, you should be losing weight. Sometimes, it takes a bit to get started. As long as you haven't gained, it's a good thing. You may see a day where you lose a large amount in one day. Could be water, or whatever. It happens.

Two things do stand out. You were eating less before when you were losing weight. It's probably not wise to go back to that as you may have been eating two little. The other thing is a new tracker. The trackers do vary in the way they count calories. Your new one may be saying you burn more calories than you are. Looking at your data, I don't think your tracker is seriously over counting calories.

You may be a victim of improved running efficiency and not burning as many calories per mile. You can increase your running time by about ten minutes while running more slowly. 

Mostly, I suggest patience. You are doing the right things, and the results should come.

[Superplush]

@GershonSurge, @Mukluk4, @DavidSchneier

Thank you all for your advice, I wish to apologise for the late reply. Work has taken over this week so far!

I had the same thought as Gershon, to eat less or excersise more. Excersising obviously being the preffered route to take but I have upped my reps of sit-ups and push ups to 20 this week, so I'll steadily increase them.

On the topic of fitbits and calorie tracking I'd like to point out this thread which my partner started afew week back, something we noticed about the App not calculating the calories properly on the tiles.

I also had some doubts about our bathroom scales, specifically showing the same weight for afew weeks, I expected some fluctuation of a pound or two but the same weight? Thing that stumped us was that my partners weight was going down but mine wasn't. Some new digital scales to compliment our old analog ones showed my weight at 15st 4lbs (4lbs difference) this morning, so I'll continue on for a week or two weighing myself on both scales and track any discrepencies between them.

[MsGooch]

I've lost 50 lbs since December.  I'm not so sure the fitbit or any hrm really calculates the calories correctly.  But here is what I do know, you have to eat less and move more.

I googled my bmr, then multiplied it by the harris equation to find out my calories.

I also started doing hiit exercises.  I'm becoming a believer in those intervals burning more all day long.  

I tend to eat about the same thing for breakfast and lunch, then I rotate through about 15 - 20 different dinners.  I snack on virtually the same things as well - yogurt, nuts, cheese.

If something isn't working after 2 weeks, it's time to mix it up.  But remember food is 80% of the equation.  

[waffle1]

I would take a closer look at your diet. You mention that you would prefer to lose weight through exercise, but as @MsGooch points out (50 lbs since Dec is impressive btw!!), losing weight is almost all about diet.

Think about it this way: you can choose to run 1.5 more miles every day (~200 calories burned), or replace 1.5 cups of pasta or rice with vegetables. The fact that you're so active already is great, and if your schedule allows it, you could run 7 days a week instead of just 3 days a week. But for most people that schedule is too challenging to maintain, so changes to diet are easier to start with. All you need to do to lose weight is maintain a calorie deficit - exercise is good for your health, but it doesn't do anything for weight loss if you eat back those calories.

[Superplush]

@waffle1

I completely agree, usually we have the same Breakfast, Dinner and Tea. Changing the latter depending on the day, running days we obviously eat a little more. As for running sadly our shedule doesn't allow for it, being a live-in carer I need to get a replacement person in on my running days as well as the fact you're supposed to give your body at days rest from running inbetween runs ( That and who the hell put 7 days in a week and not 6 or 8 ? 😛 )

I could take a look-see at my diet, I suspect I'm eating too late on the occasion ( work again! ) but I don't snack at all during the day, just 3 meals and that's it. I never feel like snacking myself, however everything we have is homemade, right down to the bread we make once every 2 days. It is a little confusing as to whats happened as I'm starting to believe it isn't my scales. Dispite the 4lbs discrepency between them they do tell the same weight story, we'll have to see how that goes.

As for eating back those calories, I'm usually eating between 1900 - 2200 Kcal a day. My BMR is 1900Kcal so by that I should be losing weight if I factor in just moving and excersising, maybe it is something as simple as just changing meals so my body digests something else for a change?

[Dave001]

Eat less, move more!

---

@MsGooch wrote:

 But here is what I do know, you have to eat less and move more.

---

I agree with @MsGooch. Eat less (and better), move more. 

There are plenty of "diets" out there, but I prefer my new "lifestyle". There is much evidence to support the health benefits of a Mediterranean style diet. I'm living it now. Loss so far is 26kg. 

As for "move more", it doesn't have to be grunting, sweaty, painful gym work. 

Just go for a walk. Give yourself an hour each day and get out in nature. Seven hours of brisk walking each week will burn far more calories than seven hours of sitting in front of the telly or mindlessly surfing the web. 

[waffle1]

@Superplush hmm I suspect you may underestimating how many calories you're eating -- likely due to quantity, or underestimating calorie-dense foods. From my own experience, I did sporadic food logging and thought for the longest time I was eating a certain calorie level. But once I actually sat down and logged for a week or two, I was probably off by +600 cals/d....(mainly from forgetting about cooking oil, and also severely underestimating how much pasta I was eating). That helped me make some substitutions and changes, and I broke out of my weight plateau.

If I were you, I'd commit to just logging everything you eat (and taking the time to measure everything out!) for one week. Just to double-check that your intuition about how much you're eating is correct. If you actually are eating ~2000 cal/d, then that deficit should produce some observable results. Certainly you can try mixing things up a bit just for variety, but I don't anticipate that would change anything (unless the new foods you try also help you consume less!)

[Superplush]

@waffle1
See, I could be underestimating the calorie intake. Everything I have is weighed pre-cooking we don't use oil in our cooking either, most things are either grilled or oven cooked. Jacket Potatoes for example are usually weighed after cooking. The only thing that could possibly be underestimated is butter, which is a 'level' table spoon over 2 slices of bread and isn't really accurately weighed, everything else is. Our home-made bread was, I guess, roughly estimated by adding up the calories in all the ingredients and divided by the amount of slices we get out of it ( It's made, cooled then pre-sliced ) with all the same brands of cooking ingredients used.

It could still be my diet but, as usual any changes made are monitored for a week or two before any more changes can be made. It's always a long labourious process but I'm positive I'll get things sorted, it's just 'when' more than 'if' !


@ChangingRC
From a personal point of view, I don't trust processed stuff. Diet shakes, creams, medication, protein powders etc; heck even processed meats or other things, if I personally can't stick it in a pan or oven and cook it, then I don't like it. Even my microwave doesn't get used sadly 😞

 Thank you for your input though, anything helps me; or infact anyone like me reading this by finding it!

@Dave001
Excersising isn't too much of a problem but being a live-in carer I just can't "Go for a walk" because I'd be negligent in my job, I do try to get out or suggest going out however I don't consider walking 'exciersise' because it doesn't get your heart going enough to burn much, unless it's a brisk-pace which is something I can't do if I'm with my charge. Counter to that, if I am to do anything I need to get a replacement in so it does become a lot more of a hassle to do. So anything extra has to be something I can do 'in-house' so to speak.

 With that being said, if I am calculating everything right ( and that means Waffle1 isn't right 😉 ) the I am eating my BMR or 300Kcal over my BMR which means I shouldn't -really- be eating any less. I know BMR is a guideline but I'm all ready ( By Fitbit ) on a 1000Kcal Deficit. So I figure, everything else being alright, excersising is the only way forwards.