Weight Loss Support - Finding a New Plan

So last week I re-hit 154 pounds (after initially getting there pre-summer and right before thanksgiving. Great right Well I've been stuck since. Now usually that wouldn't be a big deal, but I've noticed a strange patterrn. Days where I've binged I've either lost (say bounced down a .2 or .4) and days where I'm on plan I tend to gain.

After further analysis, I've noticed even if I don't binge but have a treat, I lose. So I have a couple theories as to why. 1). It is completely a fluke (I definitely am not underestimating this), 2). after being somewhat off-plan during the summer my calorie needs have shifted up or 3). after getting so low I need to drastically cut calories.

The reason 1 or 2 may have just started is most of what I've lost since post-summer was water weight and thus came off easier.

I've tried lowering my calories from 1500 to 1300, with no success. I've tried doing 1500 and increasing exercise with no success. I do eat a lot of (healthy) carbs but I don't want to, and can't afford anyways, to eat more meat and I'm not big on protein shakes so that would only be a last resort to me.

So I'm going to use this space to track any changes to my plan, which will be daily. I need to figure out if this is just me making nothing something or what.

So today I ate only junk (yeah I know...this has been stressing me out) and even being conservative I came up with 1520 calories (probably seriously low). Exercised at low intensity for 15 minutes. And this morning I weighed in at 154.0 pounds after 1300-1350 calories and no exercise (no junk food).

Tomorrow's plan depends on tomorrow's weigh in. If I gain I will do 1300 caloriees with 20 minutes of moderate exercise and if I maintain/lose, 1550 calories withh 15 minutes of low intensity exercise.

For a long time I didn't exercise consistently, so I still haven't found the right mixture yet of calories and exercise, except I know if I do too much, even if I add calories it tends to stall me. So for purposes of experimentation I will first try moderate exercise + lowering calories or less exercise + more calories to figure out if I need more or less calories.

I'll also start tracking into fitday again to see if carb/fat/protein levels affect anything. (I always track just write it on a note on my computer though as entering every single little thing was burning me out as I tend to eat meals with a lot of compenents, but I'll make an excception till/if I break through this dreaded 154).

Sunday (12/11)
weigh-in: 153.8 (junk day before weigh-in)
food type: healthy
calories: 1330
exercise: none


Monday (12/12)
weigh-in: 154.0
food type: junk
calorie: 1520 (minimum)
exercise: 15 minutes (low intensity)

Your experiment is going to fail. Why? There is no possible way you can precisely account for all the variables which affect weght loss.

Even if you could exactly track your calories and macro breakdown (which you can't) you would still not be accounting for things such as sodium/potassium, hydration levels, or stress levels.

Fat loss is fairly linear. Weight loss is not. Unfortunately there is no easy way to track fat loss in the short term.

Solution? Don't over complicate things.

Track calories. If you're feeling especially zealous track your macro breakdown.

Over time track your weight. Over time means weekly and monthly.

Over time track your measurements.

Over time track your appearance in photos.

If you're sticking to your plan and you're not making progress you can make adjustments.

Ultimately - this is all you can do.

Have you thought of trying calorie cycling? You don't have to eat junkfood for calorie cycling. Also, remember that every day your weight fluctuates, so your experiment is slightly flawed.

I agree with John. There are just too many variables that we just can't account for.

The other issue is that you're assuming a 1:1 correlation between your calorie intake & outtake one day and your scale weight the next. It doesn't quite work that way--it takes your body time to process the calorie deficit, and the amount of water weight you're carrying will depend on factors other than calories in and calories out.

For me weight loss is fairly linear, I've lost 35 pounds with it being so. So it is fine if you think this is pointless, but I know my body and I know if I do X I tend to get Y. A deviation from that tells me I need to adjust. When a pattern develops, I analyse it. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right, but I won't know if I don't try.

When my body talks, I listen. It is something I've been practicing in my journey. It is fine for you to believe it's hogwash. If it suits me, that's good enough.

I see a lot of focus on numbers, variables, scientific equations.

This is just my opinion, but it makes a lot more sense to focus on why you are eating just 'junk' in a day or binging.

Getting wrapped up in the numbers is a very easy distraction from the real issues that make people fat and keep them fat - junk and binging.

Yes, numbers matter. But numbers are not real life either.

IThis is just my opinion, but it makes a lot more sense to focus on why you are eating just 'junk' in a day or binging.

I agree. If you can analyze that and figure out how to change it, you won't need to focus on individual tweaks so much.

I apologize if you feel I"m attacking you. I'm not.

You can't predict weight loss in the short term. If you could you wouldn't have made the first post on this thread. If you could there would not be thousands of posts on this topic.

Having said that - best of luck with your experiment but remember that the numbers you're tracking are only a few of the variables that go into weight loss. (Not to be confused with fat loss)

My take is that you need to focus on eating better quality food in general. When I started following Michael Pollan's Food Rules, it became much easier for me to stick to my daily intake goal (esp as someone in the healthy BMI range). I lost my weight with WW where you get weekly points to spend, and I save those for "junk" so I still get to have some of the things I really love (though I desire them a lot less when I'm eating well). That has been the key that got me out a rut I've been in for quite some time. I have a friend who claims once she started eating "clean" she didn't have to track what she ate anymore. I'm not quite that brave, but eating well really does make a difference in my success and how easy it comes (unlike when I first started losing weight).

Tracking can be a useful way of picking up patterns and looking at trends. I can recommend the Medhelp weight tracker (you can see mine if you follow the signature link), as you can see your weight and calorie intake graphs on the same page, and note down other factors up to a point. I'd suggest using that, or creating a simple graph in a speadsheet programme where you can see calories and weight on the same page. The thing I'd suggest doing differently, however, is to look at trends rather than focusing on individual days. As everyone has mentioned, weight loss does not occur evenly, and it's rare to be able to predict how your weight will react the day after something. I get water retention after taking painkillers, for instance, and by now I'm used to seeing my weight hop up a pound the day afterwards, but even that doesn't happen every single time.

Where I think this will be useful for you is in helping you to see the wood for the trees with regard to weight loss, and most importantly, in finding a calorie level which you can maintain easily and without bingeing. Bingeing does stand out from your post as the main thing to think about here. It's very common, and I'm sure you will be able to get lots of useful advice if you post about it.

Hello Esopihia, stumbled upon this thread and wondering how hi we're able to get all you medhelp tickers to appear on one page? I have gone there and cannot figure it out, I do like that website! Thanks!

Did you add food diary? That's the only one that I see that tracks calories. I was interested in tracking calories and weight.