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2.5 years ago I stepped on the scale and was shocked I had gotten up to 163. Within 6 months of doing that I got my weight down to 135...I basically just started back in the gym for 3-5 days a week and watching what I ate (meaning I cut down on certain foods). Long story short, I was dealing with some things and stopped going to gym for over a year, moved to a much colder climate and started eating whatever I wanted every day.
There's been some ups and downs since then...I'm averaging between 137 and 139 now. Goal is 120 (I'm in no rush and ok with the weight coming off slowly).
The last ~6-7 weeks my weight has remained the same between the 137-139 mentioned above. I've been going to the gym 5-6 days a week consistently. I figured I must be in a caloric surplus so I started tracking my calories 2 weeks ago. But over the past 2 weeks I seem to be creeping up in weight...I'm now about to be back in the 140 club really quickly, as my weekly average is inching up just a bit every week and keeps getting closer to 140. I know I should be patient since I just started tracking but I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong.
According to MyFitness Pal which is the app I use, I should be netting 1500 calories to lose about 0.5 lbs a week. I don't have a scale to weigh food but I usually scan in the food using the barcode feature, and I double check the calories that scan in to ensure it's accurate. I also measure out things like salad dressing, how many cups of vegetables I'm eating, little items like olive oil when cooking with it since those things can add up, and items like how much no sugar almond milk I'm putting into my oatmeal. So I don't think my counting is 'too' far off.
The one thing I think maybe I'm doing wrong is eating back my calories. Are you not supposed to do that?
For example, yesterday I ate 1400 calories before going to the gym. I burned 600 calories in the gym. That's a net of 800 calories. The remainder of the day I ate 500 more calories. That's 1300 calories net for the day. I've been doing this (my best to net close to but no more than 1500 calories per day) since tracking my weight for the past 2 weeks so I'm unsure of why I'm steadily creeping up a bit.
You are eating back your calories - stop doing that, or you will keep gaining.
But going the gym is great. You just really have to watch what you eat, and make sure the food you eat is healthy and balanced (few or no processed type grains, etc.)
You are eating back your calories - stop doing that, or you will keep gaining.
But going the gym is great. You just really have to watch what you eat, and make sure the food you eat is healthy and balanced (few or no processed type grains, etc.)
See...this is why I'm confused.
The MyFitnessPal app deducts whatever exercise you enter into the app. So you are supposed to log the calories you burned and it subtracts it from the calories you ate for the day. This feature alone led me to believe I am supposed to eat back calories burned...as long as it still keeps me under the 1500 calories per day I need to reach to lose 0.5 lbs of weight per week. (My maintenance calories are right around 2000 per day, thus the 1500 is my daily net goal of calories.)
If I did not eat back my calories yesterday I would have netted 800 calories for the entire day. The 1400 I ate before going to the gym minus the 600 I burned while at the gym.
As someone who works out often, I can tell you with certainty that it is very easy to "eat back the calories". You may not be working out as hard as you think and you admit that you are eating too much. Exercise is complementary. It can give you SOME wiggle room with your diet but if you really want results, I'd largely ignore the fitness apps' "exercise deduction" and eat 1500 calories period. That's what I did. I never used calories burned as a ticket to substantially more food.
Is 120 a realistic goal for you? As we get older our bodies change, and maybe your set point for weight might be something closer to 130 or 135. Either way, the number on the scale is only one small part of your overall health and fitness. If you feel healthy and strong and are eating well and exercising, going overboard just because of what the scale says is only going to drive you crazy, and what you need to do to get there might not be something you can stick with for a lifetime.
Last edited by fleetiebelle; 06-13-2017 at 09:32 AM..
Is 120 a realistic goal for you? As we get older our bodies change, and maybe your set point for weight might be something closer to 130 or 135. Either way, the number on the scale is only one small part of your overall health and fitness. If you feel healthy and strong and are eating well and exercising, going overboard just because of what the scale says is only going to drive you crazy.
Good/fair question. And I'm definitely trying to avoid the 'going crazy' part as that's when I know I'll totally give up on this whole thing...
Well my 'first' goal is actually 130 and then eventually I'd love to be 120 but my primary goal is to get to 130 first.
I figure that 'should' be relatively easy because I stayed 130 for so long...I was approximately 130-135 from ages 23-30. In high school I was 115 so I get that 120 may be unrealistic for me but then again I'm not sure...maybe it was never realistic for me because I ate so bad for so long and that's what kept me from reaching a more ideal weight. Who knows.
Anyways, FWIW my clothes 'are' fitting better (tighter/more shapely in areas where I lift heavy like butt/thighs and lighter/smaller in areas like my waist/tummy where I should be losing fat). I know only so much attention should be paid to the scale but I guess for the sake of vanity I'd like to easily fit a size 4 instead of just barely fitting into a 6 and sometimes a size 8...I just look best at that size for my age, height and body shape and feel that 130ish (or just below 130) is what will get me there.
A lot of people do not realize the effect of a starbucks foo foo desert style coffee or the sugary / carb filled calories of a simple Gatorade or a simple glass of wine or beer or 2
Its easy to consume 400-500 calories or more daily from a couple simple beverages that most peeps don't consider when calorie crunching their stats
Water is the go to zero cal - zero sugar zero fat drink of choice
The MyFitnessPal app deducts whatever exercise you enter into the app. So you are supposed to log the calories you burned and it subtracts it from the calories you ate for the day. This feature alone led me to believe I am supposed to eat back calories burned...as long as it still keeps me under the 1500 calories per day I need to reach to lose 0.5 lbs of weight per week. (My maintenance calories are right around 2000 per day, thus the 1500 is my daily net goal of calories.)
If I did not eat back my calories yesterday I would have netted 800 calories for the entire day. The 1400 I ate before going to the gym minus the 600 I burned while at the gym.
You have to keep in mind that calorie-counting (both burning and consuming) are not precise; nutrition labels are only required to be 80% accurate in their calorie count, and there even is a margin of error for unpacked foods like fruit and veggies (your idea of a medium apple, for example, might actually be a large apple on My Fitness Pal). The same holds true on the calorie burning side: you could be overestimating how intense your workout was, plus it's not easy to estimate the number of calories burned during weight-training, for example. You could easily be eating back your calories if you are relying too much on calorie counters being accurate.
A lot of people do not realize the effect of a starbucks foo foo desert style coffee or the sugary / carb filled calories of a simple Gatorade or a simple glass of wine or beer or 2
Its easy to consume 400-500 calories or more daily from a couple simple beverages that most peeps don't consider when calorie crunching their stats
Water is the go to zero cal - zero sugar zero fat drink of choice
I only drink water. Every day.
IF I were to have an occasional smoothie type drink from the grocery store which is very rare, I can scan the barcode in to log the calories consumed.
Because I don't really have any calories to spare I am not drinking any of my calories. I dislike sodas and don't drink so this is not hard for me.
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