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derpderpderp1 12-28-2011 07:46 AM

I havent lost weight in 2 months but on a 488cal deficit
 
For the past 2 months I have not lost weight. The calorie deficit according to some of the reports is 488 and I believe that is an average for the past 4 and a half months that I have been using this(it calls it calorie restriction). I have been eating relatively the same amount of calories the past two months as I have the first 2 months the only difference is I stopped doing cardio in November however I only burned between 500-1000cal a week but I guess it could have some bearing on metabolism which leads me to this, I have recently had to start taking medication for thyroid and I know that will mess things up. It just does not seem like the loss of cardio and gain of thyroid problem could completely balance out a near 500 cal cut to make it maintenance(eating the amount of cals you need to maintain your body weight). So what I think has happened is because of the thyroid problem I have retained more water weight and one piece of evidence really leads me to believe this and that is during the past 2 months the lowest I have weighed is 206 near the beginning of November(if you check my profile it says 204 but that is just a guess of what I lost over that amount of time and I stopped doing that after that first one)then in the middle of December I started exercising. On Tuesday 20th I weighed 206 then on Friday 23rd I weighed 205. It was too quick of a weight loss to not be water weight.

I have had some people comment on this from Fitocracy but the majority of responses were aimed at what I have been eating saying I need to eat less and no junk of any kind when I have been maintaining a deficit so it doesn't matter that much. It couldn't be that I need to eat less in fact according to a TDEE calculator I need to eat more because I lift weights 3 times a week making it a "moderate activity 3-5 times a week" 3000cal TDEE. However this is a bit preposterous as I would have nearly a 1000cal deficit if this were true/accurate making me lose 2lbs a week when I have only ever lost about 1lb a week.

tl;dr
Why have I not lost weight the past 2 months?
What is my TDEE?

wildbeanerz 12-28-2011 07:50 AM

Maybe you have sodium sneaking into your diet somewhere. Processed meats are horrible for nitrates too.

derpderpderp1 12-28-2011 10:08 AM


Originally Posted by wildbeanerz (Post 66193)
Maybe you have sodium sneaking into your diet somewhere. Processed meats are horrible for nitrates too.

The meats I eat are chicken breast, ground beef and steak. Not sure if those are processed however for a long time I was logging a chicken breast that had a lot of sodium in it but then I found a different chicken breast that had very little sodium. I am not exactly sure of the sodium content of my chicken however I would imagine it is the lower one of the two.

And that is another thing that may cause this not losing weight is logging the wrong foods. I doubt that I could be exactly 500cals off to make my weight be at a standstill.

01gt4.6 12-28-2011 11:56 AM

derp x3+1 :D,
  1. First you need to figure out how many calories you burn on a "normal" day with no workout or cardio. Vito has some info here on how to calculate it.
  2. Log food accurately (weigh it if you have to!)
  3. Next log workout and cardio under the activities tab
  4. Log sleep
I think after you do this you'll probably see that you really weren't as deficient as you though. If you are that deficient, then you have something else going on. Either too much water retention from sodium, medications, etc, and something else. I'd assume that being regulated on thyroid meds would give you put you in the same boat as someone without a thyroid issue?

VitoVino 12-28-2011 03:39 PM

Also derpderpderp1, if you make your journal public we could take a look and see what's going on. You can access the settings from your User CP.

wildbeanerz 12-29-2011 12:07 AM

I second Mike on logging sleep. If you haven't done that before be sure to start. It is definitely more accurate that way. :)

kiltman 12-29-2011 04:40 AM

While you state your calorie deficit, you haven't stated your caloric intake. That may need to be adjusted. Depending on where you started with your weight, if you've lost a significant amount, your caloric intake should be adjusted down accordingly. I also strongly agree about watching your sodium intake--stay away from any processed foods--especially meats--eat the real deal--fresh chicken, turkey, etc. also, weigh and measure your foods, don't guess. I've found the foods you can select in fit day aren't always as accurate as customizing your own via the food labels of the products you are consuming.

derpderpderp1 12-29-2011 02:00 PM


Originally Posted by 01gt4.6 (Post 66211)
derp x3+1 :D,
  1. First you need to figure out how many calories you burn on a "normal" day with no workout or cardio. Vito has some info here on how to calculate it.
  2. Log food accurately (weigh it if you have to!)
  3. Next log workout and cardio under the activities tab
  4. Log sleep
I think after you do this you'll probably see that you really weren't as deficient as you though. If you are that deficient, then you have something else going on. Either too much water retention from sodium, medications, etc, and something else. I'd assume that being regulated on thyroid meds would give you put you in the same boat as someone without a thyroid issue?

I was using Fitdays Sedentary setting on the how many calories I burn on a normal day. I tried a couple of the calculators listed there and one said 2524 another said 2143 both on sedentary activity. I'm not sure if I'm sedentary because I lift weights 3 times a week and do some cardio here and there. I need help finding my TDEE(total daily energy expenditure) or w/e.

For a wile I did not log my workouts and I have never logged sleep.

But what is strange is I have not changed much of anything from September/October where I was losing 1lb/week to November/December where I haven't lost any.

I just started taking thyroid medications and it takes a month to see if it is a large enough dose or not so my thyroid levels are still not in a balance yet.


Originally Posted by VitoVino (Post 66222)
Also derpderpderp1, if you make your journal public we could take a look and see what's going on. You can access the settings from your User CP.

I think it is public now.


Originally Posted by wildbeanerz (Post 66227)
I second Mike on logging sleep. If you haven't done that before be sure to start. It is definitely more accurate that way. :)

I will log sleep.


Originally Posted by kiltman (Post 66268)
While you state your calorie deficit, you haven't stated your caloric intake. That may need to be adjusted. Depending on where you started with your weight, if you've lost a significant amount, your caloric intake should be adjusted down accordingly. I also strongly agree about watching your sodium intake--stay away from any processed foods--especially meats--eat the real deal--fresh chicken, turkey, etc. also, weigh and measure your foods, don't guess. I've found the foods you can select in fit day aren't always as accurate as customizing your own via the food labels of the products you are consuming. also, livestrong.com has great nutritional information--usually including labels.

I weigh meat and some vegetables and measure other things. Fitday automatically adjusts your calories burned per day when you lose or gain weight(if you log your weight) and it has only been a 50-100cal difference.


I feel like I might just be experiencing a lot of water retention because I am on other medications other than for thyroid and thyroid can make you retain more water. I take lithium, risperdal, doc-q-lace, levothyroxene and some herbal supplements/medications. And to me it sort of makes sense because right around the time I stopped losing weight the thyroid problem got worse enough for the doctors to prescribe medications because they had been monitoring it for a wile via a blood test for lithium levels so it had been questionable for a wile but not severe enough. But I'm just not sure if it's water weight. I hope its water weight or I have been spending the past 2 months thinking I was doing things to have me lose weight when they were just maintaining my weight. I also do not think that this weight stall is from gaining muscle as I have lost 10lbs on my bench press and stalled on my other lifts.

VitoVino 12-29-2011 02:20 PM

I'll PM you about some thoughts I have about your FJ after I take a closer look at it. :)

Do you take any Chromium or Fish Oil supplements?

derpderpderp1 12-29-2011 02:28 PM


Originally Posted by VitoVino (Post 66326)
I'll PM you about some thoughts I have about your FJ after I take a closer look at it. :)

Do you take any Chromium or Fish Oil supplements?

What is FJ? And yes I take fish oil, I forget to track it sometimes.

Fitness Journal?

derpderpderp1 12-30-2011 09:16 AM


Originally Posted by kiltman (Post 66268)
While you state your calorie deficit, you haven't stated your caloric intake.

It is according to the weight goal>progress>calorie budget

Calories Burned:
2,455

2,482
Calories Eaten:
1,976

1,999.1
Calorie Restriction:
478

483

Top number being goal bottom number being actual. So I burn a few more than the goal and eat a few more than the goal but it is not so off to make 2 of 4 and a half months of logging not lose weight.

VitoVino 12-30-2011 09:36 AM


Originally Posted by derpderpderp1 (Post 66328)
What is FJ? And yes I take fish oil, I forget to track it sometimes.

Fitness Journal?

Sorry. I meant Food Journal. You should take 3 grams of fish oil a day for some weight loss benefit. I was taking 5 grams a day when I hit a plateau and I think it helped. I've read studies that show 7 grams a day is effective for weight loss.

No Chromium? Chromium works to give you insulin sensitivity. The combination of Fish Oil and Chromium on insulin levels is remarkable. Especially if your doing some high glycemic stuff, which I noticed. ;)

01gt4.6 12-30-2011 09:43 AM

That's a lot of fish oil.:eek: I take 1g a day in supplementation, I'd imagine that my food doesn't have much of any.

VitoVino 12-30-2011 09:54 AM


Originally Posted by 01gt4.6 (Post 66420)
That's a lot of fish oil.:eek: I take 1g a day in supplementation, I'd imagine that my food doesn't have much of any.

Well, it's cheap and it doesn't have any side effects.


How Much Fish Oil Should You Take?

Based on the three studies cited above, it looks like 1.5 to 2.0 grams per day of combined DHA/EPA is the right dose when fat loss is the goal (although some suggest you should consider body weight when choosing the dosage, i.e., 1 gram total fish oil for each 20 lbs body weight, so a big guy might go with as much as 3.0 grams)

Most fish oil capsules come in 1,000 mg size at a 30% concentration, so if you took five 1000mg capsules a day (5 grams of total fish oil), that would give you 1.5 grams of EPA/DHA; about the same as you’d get in 3 ounces (85 g) of salmon.

Note: other studies on fish oil and fat loss tested 3.0 to 4.0 g/day of EPA/DHA, but the American Heart Association has warned against taking more than 3 g EPA/DHA per day without a physician’s supervision, as there may be some contraindications or side effects possible. Based on the research, more fish oil will NOT burn more fat, so be wary of the “mega dose gurus.”

derpderpderp1 12-30-2011 12:14 PM


Originally Posted by VitoVino (Post 66418)
Sorry. I meant Food Journal. You should take 3 grams of fish oil a day for some weight loss benefit. I was taking 5 grams a day when I hit a plateau and I think it helped. I've read studies that show 7 grams a day is effective for weight loss.

No Chromium? Chromium works to give you insulin sensitivity. The combination of Fish Oil and Chromium on insulin levels is remarkable. Especially if your doing some high glycemic stuff, which I noticed. ;)

How much Chromium should I take and what stuff is high glycemic. Like Pizza? But do you really think that I stopped losing weight because of insulin levels?

VitoVino 12-30-2011 12:41 PM


Originally Posted by derpderpderp1 (Post 66433)
How much Chromium should I take and what stuff is high glycemic. Like Pizza? But do you really think that I stopped losing weight because of insulin levels?


200 - 400 mcg of Chromium, in the form of Chromium Nicotinate, per day is sufficient.

What stuff is glycemic: GI Database

I suggest cutting out all white breads, sugars, and to limit processed food if you're serious about busting the plateau.

Here are some other suggestions that I've found worked which you can decide if you'd like to try some other things: http://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums...html#post62532

derpderpderp1 12-30-2011 01:04 PM


Originally Posted by VitoVino (Post 66437)
200 - 400 mcg of Chromium, in the form of Chromium Nicotinate, per day is sufficient.

What stuff is glycemic: GI Database

I suggest cutting out all white breads, sugars, and to limit processed food if you're serious about busting the plateau.

Here are some other suggestions that I've found worked which you can decide if you'd like to try some other things: http://www.fitday.com/fitness/forums...html#post62532

The link GI Database does not work.
I need help figuring out how many calories my body uses in a day. I have had varying results from different calculators and I am unsure of my activity level. I have lifted weights 3 times a week for over 4 months and done some cardio here and there. In September/October the value that Fitday gave seemed pretty accurate as I was eating around a 500cal cut and losing 1lb/week but that stopped in November/December. I was poking around with the activities and logged sleep and saw that it would make my cals burned nearly match up my cals eaten but it doesn't seem right because I didn't log sleep in September/October yet lost weight.

I almost feel like I have a fundamental problem such as eating too many calories wile thinking it is a cut but I haven't changed much in diet/exercise from September/October to November/December but perhaps you could look at my foods a bit more for me and see if you spot any differences and the activities tab is not accurate for me because I didn't log things all the time which I now regret.

There is so much information on the profile now that I feel like I should maybe start a new one so I can see more accurate and current statistics rather than a broken and incomplete 4 month log. I think I am good with logging foods correctly but now I have to log activities correctly as well including sleep which I had no idea about. I thought sleep was in the lifestyle/activity level.

derpderpderp1 12-31-2011 06:35 AM

I have been running for a week or so now and the week before Christmas I weighed 206 and on that Friday 205. I was running 30 mins a day fasted in the morning. This week I weighed 206 then 205 and today 202. I was running 60 mins a day fasted in the morning. It appears to be water weight but I won't really be sure that that was the problem until I get down to 198 which would be my projected weight loss I think. It definitely is water weight as I could not have lost 3 pounds in a few days from my diet/cardio. I just am curious if I could actually have had enough water weight to mask my weight loss. How much water weight can a normal person have and how much can someone with thyroid problems have (I read you can retain more with a thyroid problem).

I'm not sure about taking Chromium because I haven't really researched it and have not heard about it before. Plus it appears that my problem is water weight not insulin levels all tho it could still be beneficial and I will look in to it.

I'd like to thank everyone for your help so far.

VitoVino 12-31-2011 07:05 AM

Just want to let you know I'm still here. I've just been a bit busy attending to some things. But I'll get back with you soon. :)

derpderpderp1 12-31-2011 03:40 PM

I lift weights and I'm trying to log it, there is light and vigorous not sure what category mine falls in. I do:

A Day
Squats 40x5 80x5 120x5 160x5 160x5 160x5
Bench Press 25x5 50x5 75x5 100x5 12x50 120x5 120x5
Deadlift 70x5 120x5 170x5 220x5 270x5

B Day
Squats 40x5 80x5 120x5 160x5 160x5 160x5
Overhead Press 20x5 40x5 6x50 80x5 95x5 95x5 95x5
Pendlay Rows 25x5 50x5 75x5 100x5 125x5 125x5 125x5

Alternating A and B days 3 times a week AxBxAxx BxAxBxx. And it takes about 1-1.5 hours maybe 2, haven't really kept track of it but I did today and it was 1.5 hours.

01gt4.6 12-31-2011 04:02 PM

I log mine as vigorous b/c many times I feel like I'm about to puke either during or right after my workout. Even when I don't feel like that, I know I'm pushing myself as much as I can.

derpderpderp1 12-31-2011 05:11 PM


Originally Posted by 01gt4.6 (Post 66550)
I log mine as vigorous b/c many times I feel like I'm about to puke either during or right after my workout. Even when I don't feel like that, I know I'm pushing myself as much as I can.

I don't feel like I'm going to puke during or after my work out and I know I lift the heaviest that I can because I did/am doing Starting Strength for 4 and a half months but then I stalled a month or so ago so I haven't tried to up my lifts since then and for the volume I just follow Starting Strength. I'm not really sure if I'm pushing myself all the way. Back when I started out I would get DOMs but now I don't.

If you could take a look at my other post to see what my lifts are and give a comment on weather or not you think it is light or vigorous that would be appreciated as I am still unsure even after your post that I quoted.

og8997889 01-04-2012 08:13 AM

Sometimes our bodies don't want to lose weight and they hit a plateau and can't go any further. The cause of this is the body adjusting to your current workout and is kicking into survival mode and slowing down your weight loss manually. I lost about 10 pounds before I hit mine and had to come up with a different way to lose weight. After a while I came across [link removed] and watched their video and decided to give it a try to see what it could offer me. I started losing about 3 pounds a week and still use it today being 87 pounds lighter and with a visible 4pack of abs (working on the 6 pack). You just got to remember to never give up no matter how hard it gets when you’re trying to lose weight. With the right mindset and determination you can do it, I wish you the very best in your journey to lose weight.



Please review the FitDay Forum Rules

01gt4.6 01-04-2012 08:22 AM


Originally Posted by derpderpderp1 (Post 66552)
I don't feel like I'm going to puke during or after my work out and I know I lift the heaviest that I can because I did/am doing Starting Strength for 4 and a half months but then I stalled a month or so ago so I haven't tried to up my lifts since then and for the volume I just follow Starting Strength. I'm not really sure if I'm pushing myself all the way. Back when I started out I would get DOMs but now I don't.

If you could take a look at my other post to see what my lifts are and give a comment on weather or not you think it is light or vigorous that would be appreciated as I am still unsure even after your post that I quoted.

if you're giving it your best I would log it as vigorous.

jfinnert 01-05-2012 01:35 PM

The FitDay resting metabolic rate calculations can be way off, so that could be part of it, but by far the most likely explanation is that you are not measuring your food, and your belief about what a "serving size" consists of is much larger than what the product label says.

I remember the first time I weighed out what a single serving of my favorite cereal was, I was shocked! Get yourself a food scale, and weigh everything.

What I did a few years ago was to keep careful records of my weight and all my food intake and exercise. I fit a regression line to it, and found that I burned about 1740 kcal/day (which varies some with body mass), but this was several hundred calories less than was calculated by FitDay.

I don't know of anyone else who has taken the time to really tally up careful records to determine their RMR... if anyone else is out there, I'd be interested to hear what your experience was. But once you do it, then if you keep careful records of your food intake, you can measure your weight more accurately with your food log than with your bathroom scale.


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