Eating below TDEE but not losing weight

[andybb23]

With Monday 7th left in, you are gaining 0.5lbs a week

It could be an outlier though.

If I put 178.2 in to Monday 7th and it shows you are very slight deficit (1/8th lbs a week). Certainly not 500 cals.

This is why we need more data than that.

It seems that during the week I was trending downward but on the weekend it went back up. I use Saturday and Sunday as cheat days where I don't really track my calories. Could these two days be throwing off all the progress I made throughout the week?

There's a fundamental concept you're not grasping. The only way to determine your caloric balance is from your weight change. Every method you've used are generic estimates that are only useful to guide you in the right direction.

I've looked at many TDEE calculators and for a sedentary person with my age, height, and weight, it's around 2090. I workout 5 days a week so I imagine I burn some calories there too, but I put sedentary just to be on the low-end.

I feel that eating at ~1600 is pretty low already, so I'm not quite sure why I'm not in a deficit. Unless, it's the weekend eating that's throwing everything else off in which case I'll have to be more strict on the weekend.

[Ghawk21]

It seems that during the week I was trending downward but on the weekend it went back up. I use Saturday and Sunday as cheat days where I don't really track my calories. Could these two days be throwing off all the progress I made throughout the week?



I've looked at many TDEE calculators and for a sedentary person with my age, height, and weight, it's around 2090. I workout 5 days a week so I imagine I burn some calories there too, but I put sedentary just to be on the low-end.

I feel that eating at ~1600 is pretty low already, so I'm not quite sure why I'm not in a deficit. Unless, it's the weekend eating that's throwing everything else off in which case I'll have to be more strict on the weekend.

Yes of course they can and obviously are...It completely changes your weekly average and since you have no idea how many cals you have no idea how much you're throwing it off by. You could be in a deficit 5 days and any level of surplus the other 2. You should nail down the weekend or be fine with spinning your tires. I would start by tracking one weekend of your cheat days, then you can see the impact its having. If you feel the need to cheat and have a free for all every weekend then you're either lacking in commitment or restricting yourself too heavily during the week.

[Tommy W.]

So thanks to everyone here, I've got a little more data now that I've been tracking my weight and measuring my food intake with a scale. Based on this, does it seem like I'm losing weight at all? I'm on a 500 cal deficit at 1600 cals. My main goal is getting to ~15% bf.

Weight history over the last week at 11am before eating:
Tues. 9/1: 178.7 lbs, 23.5% bf
Wed. 9/2: 178.1 lbs, 23.6% bf
Thu. 9/3: 177.4 lbs, 23.8% bf
Fri. 9/4: 177.6 lbs, 23.3% bf
Sat. 9/5: 177.2 lbs, 23.6% bf
Sun 9/6: 178.5 lbs, 23.3% bf
Mon 9/7: 179.5 lbs, 23.8% bf
Tues. 9/8: 178.0 lbs, 23.5% bf

After weighing my food for about a week, here is a more accurate representation of my diet. This is what a typical weekday looks like. I don't normally count calories on the weekend, but I might start needing to:

Breakfast: 472
- 1 eggs (70)
- 1/3 cup egg whites (44)
- 1/2 cheese slice (18)
- 1 English muffin (120)
- 2 tbsp coffee creamer (70)
- 1 scoop of protein (150)

- Workout -

Lunch/Smoothie: 405
- 1 cup mixed fruit (55)
- 1/2 cup almond milk (30)
- 2 tbsp PB2 (60)
- 2 scoops whey (260)

Snack: 120
- 1 greek yogurt (120)

Dinner: 405
- 6 oz chicken breast (180) OR 6 oz salmon
- Side of salad (105)
- 1/2 cup rice/quinioa (120)

Nighttime snack: 190
- 1 Protein bar (190)

Total Cals: 1592
With this, I'm at: Carbs: 138g, Protein: 183g, Fat: 39g

I typically try eating ~50g protein per meal.

I'm a little concerned that this diet has my cholesterol at 535mg per day and the recommended is 300mg per day. Does anyone think this is a reason for concern? Two eggs have nearly 300mg already, so I imagine it would be difficult to hit the protein goal without going over.

Any feedback would be great

Your body doesn't know numbers. It only knows if you're in a deficit or surplus. Your perceived calorie numbers are meaningless in the big picture. No fat loss lower calories no matter what your calculations show as they're probably wrong. You can post 1 days worth of food but what do the other 6 days look like?

[xsquid99]

It seems that during the week I was trending downward but on the weekend it went back up. I use Saturday and Sunday as cheat days where I don't really track my calories. Could these two days be throwing off all the progress I made throughout the week?

I feel that eating at ~1600 is pretty low already, so I'm not quite sure why I'm not in a deficit. Unless, it's the weekend eating that's throwing everything else.

*Facepalm*. You can’t just eat in a deficit 5 days of the week and completely throw the plan away on the weekends. No wonder you’re having problems.

OP, get rid of the cheat days/meals.

[andybb23]

Your body doesn't know numbers. It only knows if you're in a deficit or surplus. Your perceived calorie numbers are meaningless in the big picture. No fat loss lower calories no matter what your calculations show as they're probably wrong. You can post 1 days worth of food but what do the other 6 days look like?

This is what I eat Monday - Friday. On the weekends, I usually eat out at restaurants for dinner so it's much harder to track calories. I guess I'm eating more calories than I thought on the weekends, so I'll have to start counting them too. I didn't realize one or two cheat days can throw off progress like that.

[Luclin999]

This is what I eat Monday - Friday. On the weekends, I usually eat out at restaurants for dinner so it's much harder to track calories. I guess I'm eating more calories than I thought on the weekends, so I'll have to start counting them too. I didn't realize one or two cheat days can throw off progress like that.

Do the math...

Five days of a 500 calorie deficit (-2500 calories) + Two days eating 1250 each day over maintenance (+2500 calories) = you spinning your wheels pointlessly.

And "eating out" isn't a reason to throw your progress out the window. Go to restaurants that have calorie and/or nutrition information available for their menu items. The numbers probably won't be perfect but they will at least give you some idea as to how much you are eating while you are there.

[SuffolkPunch]

It seems that during the week I was trending downward but on the weekend it went back up. I use Saturday and Sunday as cheat days where I don't really track my calories. Could these two days be throwing off all the progress I made throughout the week?

Bingo. That is exactly your problem.

[Tommy W.]

This is what I eat Monday - Friday. On the weekends, I usually eat out at restaurants for dinner so it's much harder to track calories. I guess I'm eating more calories than I thought on the weekends, so I'll have to start counting them too. I didn't realize one or two cheat days can throw off progress like that.

counting them won’t help but eliminating them will. Stay away from restaurants If you can’t go and keep your deficit intact there. When you lose the fat just understand that you can’t go back to restaurants and eat how you want. You’ll put all the fat back on quickly. Staying lean takes work and if you don’t think you can have the discipline to stay low cal then you’re wasting your time by losing the fat

[ExpSaysItAll]

Yes... the power of cheat day...
I'm wondering if the meaning of cheat day/meal for some people is like this...

cheat meals = calories magically will not be count !!!!

[Luclin999]

Yes... the power of cheat day...
I'm wondering if the meaning of cheat day/meal for some people is like this...

cheat meals = calories magically will not be count !!!!

More like...

"I've done so well with my diet all week...one full day of eating nothing but pizza and doughnuts can't possibly make a dent in my amazing weight loss progress!"

[Tommy W.]

More like...

"I've done so well with my diet all week...one full day of eating nothing but pizza and doughnuts can't possibly make a dent in my amazing weight loss progress!"

Along with "I just worked out for an hour so I think I'll hit burger King for a double Whopper fries and a diet coke because of the calories in regular Coke are too high"

[Ghawk21]

Along with "I just worked out for an hour so I think I'll hit burger King for a double Whopper fries and a diet coke because of the calories in regular Coke are too high"

I worked at a Mcdonalds during highschool, we had a number of obese(very obese in most cases) regulars come in to order Double Big Mac Meals but wanted unsalted fries and diet coke. I specifically remember one very large older man, had to have been over 400lbs because he made the same joke every time. " Can't have salted fries, doctors worried its bad for my health" Uh huh sure dude, ever looked at the burger patties.

[RobertAu1990]

Do yourself a favour.
For just one week, 7 days, monday-monday pick 3 meals. All adding up to your macros and calories.
Simple meals you can weigh, with little variation in what they can contain.
Then you'll understand how adherence and weighing your food(mainly adherence.) Is the deciding factor.

If you do this properly i really do think you'll come to appreciate how a "diet" comes together.

[Luclin999]

I worked at a Mcdonalds during highschool, we had a number of obese(very obese in most cases) regulars come in to order Double Big Mac Meals but wanted unsalted fries and diet coke. I specifically remember one very large older man, had to have been over 400lbs because he made the same joke every time. " Can't have salted fries, doctors worried its bad for my health" Uh huh sure dude, ever looked at the burger patties.

Most people like that who order "unsalted fries" just do it because it forces the place to make their fry order special for them and that way they are certain to get a fresh batch of fries (that they then go and put salt on themselves) rather than potentially getting fries that have been sitting under the warming light for 1-2 hours.

[andybb23]

It's been awhile since I posted but after measuring my food and eating consistently everyday, I've definitely noticed a decrease in weight in 5 months.

September 2020
BF - 23%
Weight - 182 lbs.

January 2021
BF - 18%
Weight - 160 lbs.

I'm still looking to get under 15% bf before I start bulking up, but at this rate it seems that I'd need to be close to 150 lbs which is very skinny for 6'0.

Does this seem right?

[AdamWW]

It's been awhile since I posted but after measuring my food and eating consistently everyday, I've definitely noticed a decrease in weight in 5 months.

September 2020
BF - 23%
Weight - 182 lbs.

January 2021
BF - 18%
Weight - 160 lbs.

I'm still looking to get under 15% bf before I start bulking up, but at this rate it seems that I'd need to be close to 150 lbs which is very skinny for 6'0.

Does this seem right?

If your BF% numbers were accurate you'd be around 152 at 14%

[Luclin999]

It's been awhile since I posted but after measuring my food and eating consistently everyday, I've definitely noticed a decrease in weight in 5 months.

September 2020
BF - 23%
Weight - 182 lbs.

January 2021
BF - 18%
Weight - 160 lbs.

I'm still looking to get under 15% bf before I start bulking up, but at this rate it seems that I'd need to be close to 150 lbs which is very skinny for 6'0.

Does this seem right?

Based on the numbers you gave, you've lost basically 14 pounds of fat and 8 pounds of muscle over the time in question. Which may be true but if so is a pretty terrible fat to lean mass loss ratio.

[xsquid99]

Based on the numbers you gave, you've lost basically 14 pounds of fat and 8 pounds of muscle over the time in question. Which may be true but if so is a pretty terrible fat to lean mass loss ratio.

Nobody loses "just fat", you always lose LBM when you cut, LBM also includes water, blood, etc. Generally I have to lose 3-5 lbs to lose 1% of my bodyfat, from what I've seen personally.

Good example on YouTube is Alan Thrall who documented his cut via Dexa on his YouTube channel. He started at 245 lbs and 22% bodyfat, and finished at 198 lbs and 11% bodyfat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r15lVqam9dk

[Luclin999]

Nobody loses "just fat", you always lose LBM when you cut, LBM also includes water, blood, etc.

I am aware of that however as I said, to lose eight pounds of muscle to fourteen pounds of fat is over 36% of his "22 pound weight loss" coming from lean mass which is a pretty terrible ratio overall.

[xsquid99]

I am aware of that however as I said, to lose eight pounds of muscle to fourteen pounds of fat is over 36% of his "22 pound weight loss" coming from lean mass which is a pretty terrible ratio overall.

Assuming his BF numbers are somewhere in the ballpark of correct, he lost 22 lbs and his bodyfat dropped by 5%, so 4.4 lbs for every 1% drop of bodyfat - which is almost exactly what I usually see myself.

My last cut was around the same, started somewhere around 21-22%, ended up around 16%, and I lost 23 lbs (221 down to 198).

In line with Alan Thrall as well, 47 lbs to go from 245 to 198, dropping 11% in the process, so also just over 4 lbs of loss for every 1% bodyfat drop.

So what exactly is your point again?

[Luclin999]

So what exactly is your point again?

My point is exactly what I have said.

He lost 22 pounds in total, eight of which were from lean mass.

That is way too much lean mass for as little actual fat loss as he has seen. Meaning, he likely isn't stressing his muscles enough while in a deficit.

Conversely, last year I started cutting at 180.4 pounds, lost 23 pounds of weight, (while working out 3-4 times per week) dropped from 21-22% BF to about 12% at 157.8 pounds and only lost about 2-3 pounds of lean mass overall.

If I had lost lean mass at the same rate overall during my cut as the OP, I would have had to drop down to something like 146 pounds to get to 12%.

[andybb23]

Thanks for all your replies. Is the high fat to muscle ratio just a result of me not having that much muscle to begin with? Ideally I want to be below 15% to start bulking.

Perhaps this warrants another thread, but I previously tried bulking and just got overall fat when eating at 2600 cals/day. My TDEE is ~2000 cals and I’ve been eating at a deficit of 400 for the last 5 months, so 1600 cals/day.

What would be the best way to bulk while not trying to get fat. I was thinking of bumping it to 2400 cals/day. Do you think this would be sufficient in trying to put on muscle?

[Tommy W.]

Thanks for all your replies. Is the high fat to muscle ratio just a result of me not having that much muscle to begin with? Ideally I want to be below 15% to start bulking.

Perhaps this warrants another thread, but I previously tried bulking and just got overall fat when eating at 2600 cals/day. My TDEE is ~2000 cals and I’ve been eating at a deficit of 400 for the last 5 months, so 1600 cals/day.

What would be the best way to bulk while not trying to get fat. I was thinking of bumping it to 2400 cals/day. Do you think this would be sufficient in trying to put on muscle?

when you’re in any surplus you need to constantly watch your weight gain and how it related to waist size. If the waist starts growing too much you need to dial back the calories. 1” is about 5-7 lbs of fat gain. It doesn’t matter what you THINK is your TDEE and that you’re being accurate with your calorie counting. Results will be the guide. Also a surplus with sub par training may result is little to no muscle gain

[Tommy W.]

Assuming his BF numbers are somewhere in the ballpark of correct, he lost 22 lbs and his bodyfat dropped by 5%, so 4.4 lbs for every 1% drop of bodyfat - which is almost exactly what I usually see myself.

My last cut was around the same, started somewhere around 21-22%, ended up around 16%, and I lost 23 lbs (221 down to 198).

In line with Alan Thrall as well, 47 lbs to go from 245 to 198, dropping 11% in the process, so also just over 4 lbs of loss for every 1% bodyfat drop.

So what exactly is your point again?

for “at home” rough calculations a formula I’ve always used is the 5-7 lbs of fat loss for every inch your waist goes down. That has always been fairly accurate so say I lose 10 lbs and the waist goes down an inch then I lost 3-5 lbs of muscle. I don’t think the machines can be much if any more accurate due to LBM being more than muscle.

[fattofame3]

Shiet, I have not posted on the forums for a while but the advise given here is very solid OP and what was given to me when I started on these forms but a lot more nicely here hahaha.