calorie allowance help.

[Loseitleigh]

Do you stick to the same calorie allowance daily or adjust it to your calories burnt?
I've lost 3 1/2 stone sticking to a 1700 (ish) calorie allowance but since buying the fit bit and choosing a 500 cal deficit I have only lost 2lb (in 3 weeks)
Help and recommendations welcome

[JohnRi]

Hello,

There are so many factors in weight loss.  Including muscle gain, fat %, and genetics.

I choose to still to a 1800 calorie diet every day, regardless of my activity level during my weight loss.  By doing this I'm usually have a 1300 to 600 calorie deficit depending on if I exercise or not.

Now once I'm maintaining my weight, and not losing it, I will increase my calorie intake to match my calories burned. 

I find it easier to setup a diet with the same calorie amount each day.  When I tried to just follow my 1000 calorie deficit, I was always chasing calories at the end of the day to get my goal. 

In theory I should be losing 2.5 to 3.5 lbs, but Ilose 1.5 to 2.5 lbs a week.

So either I'm wrong about how much I'm eating, or my fitbit is wrong about how many calories I burn.

So keep in mind, there is a lot of ART with using a fitbit.  It's not an exact science.  The fitbit gives you and idea of how much your burn, but it's never going to be 100% accurate.

If you were not hungry on the 1700 calorie diet, stick with it.  Even if your fitbit says you need to eat 500 calories left.  If 1700 left you hungry, consider going to 1800.  You can also make changes to your diet that more filling over time.  Try 3 meals , with 3 snacks between meals.

[Cindy_Phyfer]

@Loseitleigh: Welcome. 🙂 i have my fitbit calorie counter set to a 750 calorie deficit. I have been "on plan" since Dec 28th, 2015. Since that time, I'm down from 420 to 396 lbs (at last weigh in a couple of weeks ago). You can try setting the calorie deficit a little higher, or increasing your activity level a little (or a lot).

There's also an option to choose between "sedentary" or "personalize". When I first started off, i was very sedentary (think couch potato). I changed it to "personalize" once I started walking, because I started feeling more hungry. This gave me a few more calories to work with.

You have to find what works best for you. I use the food log part of fitbit to track everything I eat and drink. It really helps me stay accountable to myself.

Hope this information was helpful to you. 😄

Cindy

[Cindy_Phyfer]

@JohnRi: I agree with you that using the fitbit is an art. I also agree with you that there are many factors in weight loss. I sometimes have to "chase calories at the end of the day" also. Like last night, I had 450 calories left over, on top of my 750 deficit. I was just not hungry any more, so I didn't eat the calories.

Fortunately, I have a kid's birthday party coming up this Saturday. I'm going to "bank" the leftover calories for that event so that I can eat whatever I want (within reason). I'm finding that if I don't allow for special occasions, I won't be able to hang with this long-term.

😄 Cindy

[emili]

when I was losing I did not adjust for any activity- unless I was significantly under and feeling it. Then I would bump it up usually with fruit to maximize good carbs. Today, I eat within a range and burn within a range so I stay at my goal number. I have also been doing this for two years, so I "know" where my numbers should be for the day to ensure no gains. Right now since you are just starting out you should be adjusting, manipulating and keeping track of everything so you know where your loss spots are and replicate them everyday. its science with a whole lot of experimenting before you figure out what works for you. Good luck!

[Loseitleigh]

Thank you for all your information, I am quite active and regularly go over my 10,000 steps and cycle ever second day weather permitting (I'm in Scotland lol) so have decided to try a 750 calorie deficit from today. I am re-reading the GI diet and looking to fill up on good healthy foods. Update to follow.
Many thanks L x