How has my weight barely changed at all when I am tracking calories?

[GeneralSerpant]

My overall point is if OP doesn’t lose weight after receiving the advice to keep everything he’s doing the same, just to eat less of it, then it isn’t helpful. His situation doesn’t seem like one where it would be successful, but of course I could be mistaken.

They raised the calories because their weight wasn’t changing and found their weight gaining, then they put it back to what it was. There’s no advice to keep things the same unless they start moving around more, which is an option.

[air2fakie]

They raised the calories because their weight wasn’t changing and found their weight gaining, then they put it back to what it was. There’s no advice to keep things the same unless they start moving around more, which is an option.

Dude I’m not sure what your point is. You interjected yourself into a conversation where someone else was saying that any advice other than to simply eat less of exactly the same things OP is already eating and according to the exact same schedule is both stupid and would lead to failure.

As if, as an example, it’s impossible to replace chocolate mousse for breakfast on some mornings with a suitable amount of another food item (let’s say proats and fruits so OP has some legit grains and fruits in his diet). And as if eating a more substantial breakfast and actually eating something else before dinner (all meals adjusted in suitable amounts) can’t possibly result in eliminating some of the “mystery calories” that don’t seem to appear in OPs daily diet.

Doing a 6-day week PPL is hardly sedentary. It’s more activity than most office workers.

[GeneralSerpant]

My overall point is if OP doesn’t lose weight after receiving the advice to keep everything he’s doing the same, just to eat less of it, then it isn’t helpful. His situation doesn’t seem like one where it would be successful, but of course I could be mistaken.

You and I could probably eat 1,600 cals for lunch every day and still manage the rest of our diet to lose weight consistently if we wanted to.

Op hasn’t lowered their calories yet. They were raised then lowered back to what they originally were.

The same thing you’re saying about lowering calories can be said about your suggestion. If it doesn’t work then it isn’t good advice.

As far as a sedentary lifestyle and running ppl 6x week, it really depends on the quality of the workout.

[air2fakie]

Op hasn’t lowered their calories yet. They were raised then lowered back to what they originally were.

The same thing you’re saying about lowering calories can be said about your suggestion. If it doesn’t work then it isn’t good advice.

Again, I was responding to a specific statement made by another poster. And you responded to my response to him, but you keep steering the discussion away from what was actually at issue. I know you know that I'm not saying that "lowering calories" wouldn't work, and it's not the statement I was taking issue with.

But yes, I do think given that it's not even accomplishing what OP wants, there are easy improvements that can be made to his diet and eating schedule that might help him succeed in "lowering calories", whether you want to think of it in terms of correctly & honestly counting 1,600 calories or correctly & honestly eating less... in this case they're both the same thing.

If you're not losing weight with a plan that (supposedly) consists of eating 150 cals for breakfast & then not eating anything else until dinnertime, you might just want to switch that up a bit too while also trying to eat less.

[GeneralSerpant]

Again, I was responding to a specific statement made by another poster. And you responded to my response to him, but you keep steering the discussion away from what was actually at issue. I know you know that I'm not saying that "lowering calories" wouldn't work, and it's not the statement I was taking issue with.

Fair enough I'd say. But tbh, I didn't know that .

But yes, I do think given that it's not even accomplishing what OP wants, there are easy improvements that can be made to his diet and eating schedule that might help him succeed in "lowering calories", whether you want to think of it in terms of correctly & honestly counting 1,600 calories or correctly & honestly eating less... in this case they're both the same thing.

I would say everyone's on the same page there at the end of the day.

Personally I would encourage OP to understand nutrition, and ultimately I agree with your prognosis to an extent. Teaching nutrition and fitness to the caliber of our understanding is just another story, and it happens to not be what OP is asking, which I take somewhat seriously more than others for better or worse.

If you're not losing weight with a plan that (supposedly) consists of eating 150 cals for breakfast & then not eating anything else until dinnertime, you might just want to switch that up a bit too while also trying to eat less.

What I see, is that if the workout sucks and they go there and do 15 sets of the big 3 per week plus some fluff isolations, that still doesn't necessarily mean they are towing the line above a 2,000 calorie diet. It's not at all where I'm at now, but I've done 90 minutes a day in the gym with utterly consistent body fat levels and achieving a masters in yo yo dieting as a result.

I think that a serious workout would make the difference between keeping and losing fat, but that doesn't have to do with which workout you chose but how much you work in order to own the workout. Really, despite the breakfast, OP is definitely getting enough protein at the end of the day, which should do fine for losing fat on IF at the very least.

[air2fakie]

Fair enough I'd say. But tbh, I didn't know that .



I would say everyone's on the same page there at the end of the day.

Personally I would encourage OP to understand nutrition, and ultimately I agree with your prognosis to an extent. Teaching nutrition and fitness to the caliber of our understanding is just another story, and it happens to not be what OP is asking, which I take somewhat seriously more than others for better or worse.



What I see, is that if the workout sucks and they go there and do 15 sets of the big 3 per week plus some fluff isolations, that still doesn't necessarily mean they are towing the line above a 2,000 calorie diet. It's not at all where I'm at now, but I've done 90 minutes a day in the gym with utterly consistent body fat levels and achieving a masters in yo yo dieting as a result.

I think that a serious workout would make the difference between keeping and losing fat, but that doesn't have to do with which workout you chose but how much you work in order to own the workout. Really, despite the breakfast, OP is definitely getting enough protein at the end of the day, which should do fine for losing fat on IF at the very least.

Agree with "should" do fine, but that was my point in OPs particular case. Here, there's no necessity to stick to such repetitive food choices & full-day fast schedule if he's not losing weight doing it.

I do suspect that some foods/beverages are making their way into his belly at some point on certain days between his meager breakfast & dinnertime, and such incursions may be more rare if he ate a varied diet with more traditional meal portioning/scheduling (including some fruits & whole grains for good measure). Just a hunch that IMO doesn't hurt to try in OPs case.

Agree with your comments about workout in the sense of fat loss (in a body composition context), but not necessarily regarding the lack of weight loss OP is complaining about. I already assumed his 6-day PPL probably looks like a 2 hour jazzercise session that burns similar calories to typical desk/WFH workers who go to the gym regularly. I doubt his maintenance cals are truly 1,600 but as it seems like we agree, one way or another he needs to eat less than whatever calories he's eating now if he's going to lose weight.

[megonbertra]

When it comes to tracking calories, it might be difficult to see benefits, especially when your weight barely fluctuates at all. But don't let that discourage you; you're still making strides. Keeping tabs on your caloric intake is a fantastic way to watch what you eat and make sure your body is getting what it needs. If you watch your caloric intake, you can make sure your body is getting all the fuel and nutrients it needs to thrive. Calorie counting can give you a sense of mastery over your health and nutrition, even if the weight doesn't budge.

[Guyfawkes1010]

lmao at all the cope and bro advice in here. Eat less. The end. Whatever method helps you do that, do it.

If you're not losing you're eating too much. PERIOD.

[air2fakie]

lmao at all the cope and bro advice in here. Eat less. The end. Whatever method helps you do that, do it.

Not sure what you find so funny when that was my exact point. There's no point eating the exact same thing everyday on a IF-ish schedule if it's not actually helping you eat less (especially when you think you're eating less).

Same for people who do keto, OMAD and other restrictive diets and can't lose weight. If being in a specific restrictive state isn't helping one eat less, try something else (perhaps a normal eating schedule or less restrictive food choices).

[GeneralSerpant]

It’s only restrictive if their body needs the calories. If everything is staying the same then it’s not technically restrictive yet. Health matters are a different issue of course.

not to argue, just aligning communication.

[EliKoehn]

lmao at all the cope and bro advice in here. Eat less. The end. Whatever method helps you do that, do it.

If you're not losing you're eating too much. PERIOD.

Yeah, well if certain approaches to that are more effective than others and sometimes more complex than a two-word sentence, then conversations about them are warranted.

If OP literally just ate half a dry measured cup of oats and 2-3 eggs for breakfast with a piece of fruit, it would hardly be more calories than the dessert he's eating and substantially better from a satiety and gym performance standpoint. When advice like that is likely to make an actual difference in his case and since he really does want to improve, making that suggestion is helpful and what the forum is for. There's a difference between referencing the cold fact of CICO to posters who deny that they're in a surplus when they gain weight and then dismissing talking about other factors of diet, nutrition and training as irrelevant.

[GeneralSerpant]

Yeah, well if certain approaches to that are more effective than others and sometimes more complex than a two-word sentence, then conversations about them are warranted.

If OP literally just ate half a dry measured cup of oats and 2-3 eggs for breakfast with a piece of fruit, it would hardly be more calories than the dessert he's eating and substantially better from a satiety and gym performance standpoint. When advice like that is likely to make an actual difference in his case and since he really does want to improve, making that suggestion is helpful and what the forum is for. There's a difference between referencing the cold fact of CICO to posters who deny that they're in a surplus when they gain weight and then dismissing talking about other factors of diet, nutrition and training as irrelevant.

Personally I think a big culprit in the diet involved having only most of the bare minimum amount of protein you need for a meal at the start of the day. I've picked up from the more academic side that you want a hefty amount at the start of the day. IME it's a pretty consistent effect, in that your metabolism seems to kickstart harder and appetite is much more consistent to your activity level rather than stress. Those eggs added would help, but they are expensive in fat, especially for the limited benefit of protein amount. Add more lean meat at the start of the day, and it is a guilt-free addition. Nobody has ever pointed specifically to protein and dared claimed it turns to fat when eaten in excess.

[EliKoehn]

Personally I think a big culprit in the diet involved having only most of the bare minimum amount of protein you need for a meal at the start of the day. I've picked up from the more academic side that you want a hefty amount at the start of the day. IME it's a pretty consistent effect, in that your metabolism seems to kickstart harder and appetite is much more consistent to your activity level rather than stress. Those eggs added would help, but they are expensive in fat, especially for the limited benefit of protein amount. Add more lean meat at the start of the day, and it is a guilt-free addition. Nobody has ever pointed specifically to protein and dared claimed it turns to fat when eaten in excess.

True - in my own training, when I'm following a diet with discipline, eggs and oats in the morning are pretty much a guaranteed combo to kill hunger for half of the day. I agree with what you're saying about the relatively low protein yield for the fat in the yolks, but it's still vitamin-loaded, wholesome fat and likely to keep you full for several hours, especially when combined with oats. 30-40g in the morning a couple hours before training is enough IMO, and then I eat a chicken breast for lunch after lifting, which is basically pure protein.

It's definitely a "my own experience" thing, but that pattern has worked really well for me when I'm being deliberate about nutrition.

[GeneralSerpant]

True - in my own training, when I'm following a diet with discipline, eggs and oats in the morning are pretty much a guaranteed combo to kill hunger for half of the day. I agree with what you're saying about the relatively low protein yield for the fat in the yolks, but it's still vitamin-loaded, wholesome fat and likely to keep you full for several hours, especially when combined with oats. 30-40g in the morning a couple hours before training is enough IMO, and then I eat a chicken breast for lunch after lifting, which is basically pure protein.

It's definitely a "my own experience" thing, but that pattern has worked really well for me when I'm being deliberate about nutrition.

It's just that those vitamins will do relatively little for OP's goal compared to structuring your protein right calorie per calorie. As also changing around fats and carbs will disrupt the habituated energy levels compared to changing the protein. I think it's generally agreed that getting it as soon as possible yields best outcome, right before training or not.

Protein's the only thing I track cumulatively, whereas fats and carbs I choose piecemeal, based on how I feel if I'm training and for when I'm cutting a combination of feeling and a degree of whether I've had any that day or not.

All and all, structuring your macros right will align your diet more to your training. As the training gets better then appetite appreciates as well.

Some of those guidelines start to become excessively optimal so to speak, but it's also a condition of low calories (if the calorie count is accurate).