Weight loss

[Barnbio]

Hi

I run 4miles 3 times a week and last week did a half marathon. I log everything I eat and have my goal set at -500 calories. I am always in the yellow but have not lost a lb. What can I do? Should I set a maximum of 1500 calories or something? Does anyone else not lose weight despite tracking weight and food. I measure using the aria scales so I am not lying to myself. 

[Megzzzx]

There are a few factors. First I go off of my TDEE. Sometimes fitbit can over estimate your calories burned. So it is important to find what calories you need to eat to maintain your weight and then minus that by 500. Then if you work out, you can or don't have to eat some of those calories back but not all. Also, it is really, really, really important to make sure you are super strict with the foods you log. You have to measure out everything. Cereal for example. Most people just fill up a bowl and think okay 1 serving, no that is more like 3 to 4 servings. So that is a huge calorie difference.

Here is a link to a TDEE calculator. https://tdeecalculator.net/

[Jenaht]

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@Megzzzx wrote:

There are a few factors. First I go off of my TDEE. Sometimes fitbit can over estimate your calories burned. So it is important to find what calories you need to eat to maintain your weight and then minus that by 500. Then if you work out, you can or don't have to eat some of those calories back but not all. Also, it is really, really, really important to make sure you are super strict with the foods you log. You have to measure out everything. Cereal for example. Most people just fill up a bowl and think okay 1 serving, no that is more like 3 to 4 servings. So that is a huge calorie difference.

Here is a link to a TDEE calculator. https://tdeecalculator.net/

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@Megzzzx I just went to that TDEE calculator and it seems a bit different in terms of caloric goals than what Fitbit (or even MFP in the past) has shown me. Do you find that to be more accurate? The TDEE??

[Megzzzx]

@Jenaht it was pretty close to what myfitness pal put me at. This says to maintain I would be 1899 and so minus 500 is 1499. Myfitnesspal has me at 1480. I have always gone off of TDEE. And have lost weight without even really increasing activity levels much. Last year I lost 14lbs this way. Unfortunately I gained it all back and am trying again. So even though I am exercising more I go off of that and only eat some of the calories I burn from exercise, depending on how extreme it was. For me it feels safer to stay around that number and not risk over eating because I know I will for sure be in a deficit even if exercise calories are way off.

[Jenaht]

@Megzzzx hmmm maybe I'll grab the MFP app again and see what numbers it gives me. I keep trying to have just "one app to track it all" and use only the Fitbit. But that is more about my hyper-focus and need to keep stuff as clean and simple as I can! Thanks.

[Megzzzx]

@Jenaht I get you. I hate having multiple apps too. But I had MFP long before fitbit and it is already set up. I have meals already saved that I eat frequently so I can easily log them. Plus I have a million friends and great support on there. Add me if you like, Megzchica23

[josephz2va]

Generally I try to find out what I am missing in order to start losing weight. For example, I know I need to follow my signature's schedule daily. Versus "3 times a week" I do "7 times a week" to keep it consistent.

[Dominique]

@Jenaht: Fitbit, MFP and most calculators (my personal favorite is this one) should use the same value for BMR, as they all rely on the same equation (Mifflin St Jeor), which is based on gender, age, height and weight. There are other equations that can be used, but Mifflin is generally considered to be the most accurate for most populations.

Now calculators have no way to know about the energy you expend through activity, which is why they use standard activity levels ranging from sedentary (very little activity) to extremely active. Fitbit, OTOH, has a way of estimating your actual activity on a day-to-day basis, especially if you’re wearing your tracker 24/7. If you’re very active one day and not so much the next day, this will show in the numbers (calories burned) for these days. With calculators, you need to assume an average activity level. Just because Fitbit estimates your actual activity doesn’t mean it’s 100% accurate doing so. The stress here is on "estimates": measuring energy expenditure with a little thing around your wrist (or clipped on your waist) isn’t an exact science. Several community members have found HR-enabled trackers tend to overestimate calories burned, while non-HR-enabled tend to underestimate them. If you track your intake and weight yourself, you should be able to determine (after a few weeks) whether Fitbit’s numbers (calories burned) are spot on, too high or too low. You can adjust your intake accordingly (if needed).

[Jenaht]

@Dominique Oh I do understand that. For sure. I actually have changed my Fitbit's calorie estimation to "sedentary" so it isn't using the previous day's burn ratio as a factor. I just find it interesting that with the same information put into more one database, the calories guideline to lose does vary. I'm going to be paying much closer attention than I have in the recent past - more like I did when I was actively dropping weight several years ago.

thanks!

[ShaneGraves]

@Barnbio Diet is the key, truly 80% of successful weight loss.

Try structuring your diet on a weekly rather than daily basis. Cut or strictly limit sodium and carbohydrates on days 6 and 7. Log your weight and add 1000 calories to your diet for day 1 of your second week. That's cheat day!

Learn about macronutrients and prepare all of your meals in advance. I like to food prep on Sunday, everything ready for the coming work week. Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day with three hours between each meal. Divide your calories and macros as evenly as you can. Be religious about this. If you miss a meal don't try to make it up, it's gone, let it go. Don't eat after 8 pm, try not to eat after 6 pm.

Drink half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. Again, be religious about this, water is like steroids for weight loss.

Limit target heart rate cardio to 40 minutes 5 to 6 days a week. Incorporate 30 minutes of strength training 3 to 5 days a week to achieve better results.

Most of all, keep on keeping on!

[Dominique]

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@ShaneGraves wrote:

Eat 5 to 6 small meals a day with three hours between each meal. Divide your calories and macros as evenly as you can. Be religious about this. If you miss a meal don't try to make it up, it's gone, let it go. Don't eat after 8 pm, try not to eat after 6 pm. 

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Meal frequency is mainly a question of personal preferences: for some people, smaller meals scattered across the day work better (e.g. proponents of intermittent fasting), others prefer fewer, but larger meals. Everyone has to find out what works best for them, and also best fits their schedule/life. In the end, if you are going to eat 2000 calories, it doesn’t matter how you split them within the day. Same if you are going to eat 14,000 calories on a weekly basis: you don’t have to eat 2000 calories each and every day (I agree with you on this one). Having a regular meal schedule (whatever that schedule is) is likely more important to prevent over-eating.

As to late eating: if you need to eat no more than 2000 calories in order to create the deficit needed for your weight loss and you’ve already eaten that much by 8pm, then everything eaten after that time will prevent the deficit from being created. OTOH, if you will have room for more calories (e.g. you’ve only eaten 1700 calories by 8pm), eating the "missing" calories later in the evening won’t do any harm. It’s not like calories eaten after 6pm have 30% more energy and calories eaten after 8pm have 50% more. A calorie is a calorie, regardless of when you eat it (yes, I know some people believe training fasted has some special benefits of its own).

[ShaneGraves]

@Dominique I disagree. If you're overweight or obese and you want to lose weight, you need to schedule your meals. It's not the same for maintenance of weight or the 'I need to lose 5 lbs' folks. Timing your macros and eating a little healthy fat at the right time conditions your metabolism for success with weight loss.

[A_Lurker]

@ShaneGraves- I don't even look at macros anymore.  I fall naturally into 20% protein and usually end up with the carbs and fat even.  The only meal I pretty much schedule is my before bed snack (300-500 cals) which I definitely eat after 8pm.

To be fair my daily eating is fairly standard:

10am - morning snack (usually some kind of baked egg dish + fruit)

noon - lunch (meat, veggies, fruit)  <-- 2pm on weekends

afternoon snack - varies (sometimes nothing, protein shake on lifting days, various items)

7pm - dinner (meat, veggies, sometimes pasta/rice/potato, sometimes a sauce)

9-10pm - 300-500 calories of something

That last one could be veggies/hummus, cheese/crackers, potato chips, trail mix, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, fruit gums.  If I'm doing the junk food night I stick to pre-packaged items to control portions,

[Dominique]

@ShaneGraves: the hierarchy of weight loss goes as follows (from more important to less important):

1. Adherence
2. Calories
3. Macronutrients
4. Micronutrients
5. Nutrient timing

Whether you’re obese or not, you may have the perfectly designed diet, with optimal timing and all, if you can’t adhere to it (because it doesn’t fit your schedule, your personal preferences etc.), it won’t work for weight loss. 

You may have dumped all junk food from you diet and switched to 100% "healthy" foods, if you are eating at a surplus, you won’t lose weight.

You may have the perfectly optimized ratio of lean protein, "good" carbs and "healthy" fats, again, if total calories are above your expenditure, you won’t lose weight.

You may be eating only healthy food that covers all your needs for vitamins, minerals, fiber etc., and take the right supplements to address any potential deficiencies, it won’t result in weight loss if you’re not in a deficit.

You may have the perfect timing for your meals, have them exactly every third hour, eat the right type of fat (or protein, or whatever) at exactly the right time, it still won’t help if you’re not in a deficit.

When you say "you need to schedule your meals", I would agree with this if you mean having a regular schedule (whatever that schedule is). This is because sticking to a regular schedule makes it more likely you’ll adhere to your diet. If you mean you have to eat a certain number of meals during the day, and/or eat certain foods at certain times of the day, and/or not eat certains foods after a certain time, then I’d disagree with that. These aspects may play a minor role, but are far less important than the other factors higher in the hierarchy.

@A_Lurker said she’s having dinner at 7pm (with carbs in it) and eating an extra 300-500 calories later in the evening, which contradicts your rule of not eating after 6/8pm. That didn’t prevent her from losing 100 lbs in a year. Not as extreme as your own loss, but I’m sure many overweight people would be more than happy if they could achieve that. Other people are having success with intermitted fasting, which contradicts your rule of having 5-6 meals evenly spread across the day. Again, if calories are in check and intermittent fasting better suits their schedule and make it easier to adhere to their diet, why not? There’s no one-size-fits-all, and it’s possible to achieve the same results with different approaches.

[ShaneGraves]

@Dominique I totally agree. There definitely are many different ways to lose weight and we all have our own opinions. Opinion being the key word. You're opinion isn't anymore valid than my own and vice versa.

I had a big weight loss, really fast and an international audience watched it happen. I'm sure you understand, thousands of people have asked how I did it.

Fitbit is capable of tracking a number of different variables. The reason I am talking about macros, sleep and meal scheduling is to point out the many features Fitbit offers. Features that may help someone that feels they have hit a wall with their progress.

[A_Lurker]

Oh, and technically on Saturday I do intermittent fasting (used to do it both days on the weekend, but now I have a family commitment for lunch on Sundays).  I never planned it that way.  I probably eat at 9pm on Friday night, then I get up late on Saturdays (usually, if not working) and it's not unusual for me to either have a really late lunch high in calories at 3 or 4pm.  Then I might not bother with dinner and just do a snack before going to bed.

So I plan, but don't plan.  LOL - I'm not really a great example, but it works for me.  Today I skipped breakfast, morning snack, had brought in lunch.  I control the snacking options by bringing in two-bite items (which I haven't touched) and fruit (which I have).  And this is where I talk about tracking, but not tracking.  Our food came from a local supplier with calorie counts on their website.  So at the moment I'm around 800 calories in, but I'm showing 3035 burned (I worked out at 5am before work).  This is actually where I go badly - I under eat and don't lose weight (and as I mentioned I tend to compromise my immune system).

I know enough that I'm also low on protein.  I also knew that my food would be this way today so I'm going to go home and have a big salad and some kind of grilled meat.  I have frozen vac-sealed cooked pork and chicken but the local store has NY strip on sale so I might swing in there and buy some on the way home.