I've not lost any weight for about a month. I really don't know why. I am counting/measuring all liquids (other than water) and weighing all my food. I am keeping a log of everything I eat. In addition, I am exercising for about one hour a day (intense), doing two interval training sessions per week, and walking about 6-10 miles a day. I have a BMR of 1786.1. I had been eating 1500-1600 calories, but was advised to up my calories due to my exericse - this week I have eaten 1850 on average. The exercise I'm doing should be burning at least 700 of that off per day. Technically, I am at a 2lb deficit and yet I am losing nothing. In fact, this week I have gained 1 lb. I have always found that I can lose 1-2lb per week on a diet of 1300-1400 calories a day, but because this is significantly below my BMR, I do not do it.
I have made sure to drink a lot of water. It's not TOTM. What on earth could be going on? I'm trying so hard and seeing zero results.
Go back to the calorie level that let you consistently lose 1-2 pounds a week. Don't worry about what a calculator says you should be losing or what it says your BMR is. Calculators are notoriously inaccurate! Your body is telling you that your calories in are equaling your calories burned and that's why you're not losing. So drop them back to the level where you were losing and you should see results again.
Also, have you lost inches? A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle but takes up more room so your weight may be staying the same while you're still getting smaller.
Go back to the calorie level that let you consistently lose 1-2 pounds a week. Don't worry about what a calculator says you should be losing or what it says your BMR is. Calculators are notoriously inaccurate! Your body is telling you that your calories in are equaling your calories burned and that's why you're not losing. So drop them back to the level where you were losing and you should see results again.
I have been wanting to drop it back down to 1400/1500 ish for a while now, but my BMR has been stopping me. However, you are right. Calcualtors can be very inaccurate! I strongly suspect that my BMR is a fair bit lower than the caulators say. I would be curious as to what my true BMR is, but I don't think there is any way I can have it professionally tested. I have read so many scare stories on the internet about starvation mode/muscle wasting that it made me very concerned about lowering my calories. But as long as I'm losing 1-2lb per week, and no more, am I right in thinking that whatever I'm doing is probably healthy?
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Originally Posted by Vladadog
Also, have you lost inches? A pound of fat weighs the same as a pound of muscle but takes up more room so your weight may be staying the same while you're still getting smaller.
I have lost 2 inches off my hips lately and my size 14 trousers have been falling down - haaha. So that's a good indication, I suppose.
Autumn, I don't know any way to test BMR outside of a lab, so it's probably not something we can know for sure. Regardless, 1 -2 pounds a week is a safe weight loss and I think you can go back to that level without worry, especially because your calories at that level sound just about right to me.
The way to be sure we aren't losing muscle while we're losing weight is to be sure we're eating adequate amounts of protein and to include weight training in our exercise routines. Eating high calorie by itself isn't going to do anything to protect muscles, except by preventing us from losing anything! Are you getting lots of protein in your diet and are you including weight training in your exercise?
The only calculator that is ever going to be accurate for our own unique bodies is -- our bodies. They will tell us whether we're in a calorie surplus, calorie deficit, or calorie equilibrium by whether we gain, lose, or stay the same. It sounds like you may have lost some fat and added some muscle this month -- yay! -- but to get the scale going down again, you need to bump up your calorie deficit by either dropping calories or increasing your exercise. I think you have a lot of room to drop calories, so would suggest you look there first.
I was having the same issue. Got a go wear fit and found on a normal day I burned maybe 2000 calories. I dropped back down to 1200-1300 a day and I'm losing again. So drop down to a calorie level you lose your 1-2 pounds a week. Add in some weight training to prevent muscle loss. Move on with your weightloss goals. Add a multivitamin if you are worried about nutrition.
I think my main concern w/ going lower is my age - I'm only 18 and so I've been consistently told that I shouldn't go below 1900/2000 calories etc. And I'm tall - 5 ft 8. If I were a forty-year-old, 5 ft 2 woman I wouldn't have any concerns at all about lowering my cals, but it's been drummed into me that I need nutrients. I do think my metabolism has significantly slowed due to eating too little over time. I should, technically, be able to lose 2lb a week on about 1900. But I don't think that is going to happen. I am trying two weeks of 1800 and continuing my exercise. If this doesn't work, I'm then going to lower my calories to what I was losing 2lb a week on. I'm worried I'm going to gain weight doing this (probably will) but I feel that it's one of those things I've got to try.
As for my protein - I get at least 100g most days - not every day, mind you. I am currently weight traning twice a week.
Skimping on calories does NOT mean skimping on nutrients. Get your grains, proteins, dairy, vitamins, etc. You can get all of the nutrients you NEED without going above your recommended calorie count. You're 18. Chances are you're probably not going to grow much taller. Maybe an inch or two at the most. You don't need as MANY of the "nutrients" as you did when you were 6-16. You still need your nutrients, yes, but that just means eat less of the chocolate and cakes (which I'm sure you're doing already from the look of it... ), and more fruits, veggies, and lean meats.
I have lost 2 inches off my hips lately and my size 14 trousers have been falling down - haaha. So that's a good indication, I suppose.
Just to establish the time line -- have you lost these inches this month while your weight has been steady? If so, I'd stick with your current calories for a little bit longer because you ARE losing weight on that amount of calories -- you are just also gaining muscle.
If your weight is stable yet you are losing inches, that is a good thing! You could certainly flirt with dropping your calories a hundred or so, but if you really are losing inches, I wouldn't think that you'd have to go all the way to the 1200 calorie level...
I saw a nutritionist and got my BMR "tested" by stepping barefoot on some sort of scale. She also tested my water needs and body fat. I was told my BMR was 1528 (kind of low) but this was a few years ago before i started weight training. Maybe see a nutritionist if you want a more accurate BMR value? (not sure how accurate they really are though!)
I also had my BMR tested last November. I had to lay down in a room for 30 minutes doing absolutely nothing. Then I had to breath into some machine for another 15 minutes, doing nothing else. It was weird, but it gave me a BMR of 2400 (sedentary). By using the standard calculation, it comes out to the same thing.
Staying the same/gaining weight. Ideas?
), and more fruits, veggies, and lean meats. 
