Calorie Deficit

Nebb · January 2010

My weight loss is stalling again, and I need to switch something up in order to get things going again. Ive lost 30lbs, but I still have 26 to go to meet my goal and I would like to meet it by June (I am in a wedding).
Currently I work out 4 days a week, burning an average of 2100calories overall (counted on my heart rate monitor) and my BMR is 1576. I generally eat between 13-1500calories, though some days I suck and eat less and I know thats bad.

I dont "understand" how to create a proper calorie deficit to lose though. By my math, I am creating a weekly deficit of around 3500calories, and according to this website - http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/calorie-intake-to-lose-weight.php that should result in a weight loss of 1lb/week. That is not happening. Should I start working out more to create a bigger deficit? Should I start eating less? Im not really sure what I am doing wrong.

Any input or tips would be greatly appreciated.

FavoriteOne · January 2010

How much healthy fat do you have in your daily diet? I know at WW, we're advised to have 2 tsp of healthy oil every day. Often times when people plateau at meetings, they're advised to eat their daily healthy oil & that helps break the plateau.

Nebb · January 2010

I generally have 25-35g of fat in my diet - I dont eat a lot of junk, it will be from eggs, pb, whatever.

FavoriteOne · January 2010

I'd suggest adding a tsp of olive/canola oil when you cook something, or add a tsp to one of your protein shakes. It's a good way to get some in. Just try it a few days a week at first to see if it helps.

Also, how often do you relax and have a "cheat meal"? Often times when I'm in a plateau and I eat one meal (just one... not the whole day) with something that's not quite so healthy as my strict plan, it helps kick up my metabolism because my body's not used to the extra calories. Then it's back to the grind. I only do this on rare occasions.

Nebb · January 2010

I normally do cook with canola oil, sometimes olive but not often. I had a "cheat" type of meal on Saturday - I had a whole bunch of cheese appetizers as well as pop corn ontop of everything else I had eaten that day. I will have less than stellar food once in a while, but not since saturday at this point. Since then I have been eating well, I had a pasta meal lastnight but it was whole wheat and measured out and calculated into my calories and I didnt go over. Maybe I should have?

raynes · January 2010

Are you still lifting heavily? I've seen some stuff over on the Forum for the New Rules of Lifting about people having success in breaking a plateau if they increase their calories.

I know you're a supporter of the whole "lotsa protein" way of thinking, so there's not much to be done there.

Maybe take a swing by TN's Health and Fitness board. There are a lot of girls there lifting, and some have lost a lot of weight doing it. They might be able to giv eyou some tips.

Nebb · January 2010

Yeah still lifting heavy though not as often as I was before my injury, which my trainer actually told me wasnt good for me. I think the problem is that I dont understand how eating more will make me lose because that will make the deficit even smaller, it just doesnt make mathematical sense to me. Im willing to change things around but im not sure how comfortable I am with eating more, I worry it will slow things down more or make me gain. The calories I burn working out are during weight lifting as well. The Nest scares me :P

raynes · January 2010

Some of the Nest is scary (like TIP, S&R, and Relationships) but H&F is a really good board. Waaaay less "how do I loose 70 lbs in 2 weeks?" stuff.

(Loose was on purpose....)

Nebb · January 2010

I posted and slightly edited this over there... so far no responses but quite a few views.

raynes · January 2010

Gah, of course no one is answering. That's gotta be because I suggested you do it. ha.

There are a few people who are RD's over there, so hopefully one of them will step up!

Nebb · January 2010

14 views an nothing... Great idea raynes, great idea :P

raynes · January 2010

There! A reply!!

Nebb · January 2010

Im just going to wait a few minutes to reply because i dont particularly want to look like a loser whos been sitting here waiting for replies... even though I have been. Im a sad case.

desertsun · January 2010

My mom has worked in the nutrition field for 30 years. She isn't a registered dietician, but her training and experience make her knowledge pretty comparable. So, a few pieces of advice she gives me:

Eat berries, nuts, and dairy! 1 small serving of nuts, 1 cup of berries, and 2-3 servings of dairy (low fat varieties preferably, of course)

Hydrate!

Get plenty of whole grains and fiber -- 2 servings a day of whole grains is good

And, a few tips I've picked up from the WW boards:

Add a couple hundred extra calories to what you're "supposed" to eat in a week, and try eating unequal amounts of calories -- like 1200 one day, 1700 another, etc. (WW folk refer to this as the "Wendie" plan)

Try doing weights in between cardio intervals, for example do 10 minutes on the elliptical, and then do lunges and bicep curls for 5 minutes at a fast pace.

Hope that helps!

smokeybailey · January 2010

When I was working out and in SUPER good shape, I was eating more calories than you. Maybe it's not the calorie count but the split of the type of calories?

I am of no help. I have my new journal with nothing written in it. I suck all kinds of ways from Sunday.

swim1011 · January 2010

I saw someone yesterday suggest increasing your cals by 100 per week, eg- extra 100 this week, then 200 next week.. and see what happens. I've actually gained weight because I'm a bigger girl (5'9", 183 lbs) and I've worked out regularly for years, but I tend to actually not eat enough calories. Just try increasing them a little bit, and see if that makes a difference. It may jumpstart your metabolism and get it going again.

SwedishChick2011 · January 2010

From what I've heard and read, it's very common to plateau for a while after you've lost a certain amount of weight. A lot of people give up at the plateau, but you haven't, and if you keep up the good work, you'll eventually move past it.

When you work out, do you make sure to reach your target heart rate? That range will burn the most calories. Also, doing intervals of varying intensities can be very good (I'm sure you know this). Lifting weights is important, but in my own experience, intense cardio has given me the best results. Try working out one more day a week if you have time (easier said than done, obviously). Finally, give yourself a cheat meal every week to rev up your metabolism. You're doing great!

I need to visit this board more often - I just wish it was a little more active over here.

hayleymajayley · January 2010

The reason you may need to eat more is that if your deficit gets too big your body will think you are starving and it will actually hold on to more fat. You need to let your body know that you are still feeding it enough. Do you eat clean? (no processed foods) That should help a lot too.

Lifting heavy is best for weight loss because it raises your metabolism for much longer than cardio does, and it increses muscle mass which raises your BMR.

I would suggest not eating a "cheat meal" per say, but definitely allot yourself more healthy calories on certain days to keep your body guessing. Some people do what's called zig zagging, they alternate days with bigger and smaller deficits, keeps the body guessing.

Calorie Deficit

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