Calorie deficit not working

The clue is in the phrase ‘when I’m dieting…’

For a method of weight loss to be called ‘successful’ it has to be sustainable.

Obviously if you consistently eat fewer calories than you burn you will lose weight.

The reason this often doesn’t work is not because they’re not counting accurately. It’s because you have to reduce your calories so low in order to lose weight your life becomes miserable and obsessive, so as soon as you reach your target weight you think ‘hoorah’ and creep back up to a higher calorie intake. Your body (which now has a slower metabolism) then thinks great, let’s store some of this for next time she decides to starve us. So you put on weight again (and more). And so it goes on.

THAT is why calorie counting doesn’t work.

Easier way is to bulk out your meals with lots of vegetables, Don't put the chips on the plate. (they're usually not good anyway).
Skip the pudding unless you will really enjoy it.
Skip the biscuit and cake unless you will really enjoy it. One biscuit or half a slice of cake is just not worth it because you are giving yourself bad messages.

Cakes, biscuits and puddings are hardly ever as nice as you think they'll be. If you know they'll be wonderful, eat it, enjoy it, and cut back some other time.

Meals out pick wisely and leave some of those tempting chips on the plate and miss the pudding (or small portion), biscuits and cake at work, one biscuit, half a slice of cake.

Why is it so complicated, if you have reduced the amount you eat, but you're not losing weight reduce a bit more, four potatoes on your plate to three. Whole chicken breast to 2/3, two slices of bread to one. Exercise good. Simples.

It's not surprising to feel hungry if you reduce the amount you eat, your body will get used to it and then you won't want to eat more, that's the whole point, you are trying to build an eating less habit to avoid yo-yo dieting.

You are right that people don’t understand BMR and TDEE properly. People think they are an accurate representation of how an individual functions. It isn’t. It is a calculation like. BMI that is based on population AVERAGES

They are only useful as very rough guidelines not the exact figures for an Individual body

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) calculations are widely used tools for estimating calorie needs, but it's important to understand their accuracy and limitations.

• BMR: This is the number of calories your body burns at rest to perform basic life-sustaining functions like breathing, circulation, and organ function. It's the largest component of your TDEE (60-75%). BMR is influenced by factors like age, sex, height, and weight.
• TDEE: This is your BMR plus the calories burned through all other activities, including:
• Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): Energy used for digesting, absorbing, and metabolizing food (approx. 10% of TDEE).
• Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): Calories burned from everyday movements not considered exercise (fidgeting, walking to the car, standing, etc.). This can vary significantly.
• Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): Calories burned during intentional exercise. Accuracy of BMR and TDEE calculations: While useful as a starting point, BMR and TDEE calculations derived from equations are estimates, not precise measurements. Here's why: Equations are based on averages: These formulas are developed from population-level data. This means they provide a good general guide, but individual variations can be significant*. * Individual metabolic differences: Two people with the same age, sex, height, and weight can have different BMRs due to variations in:
• Body composition: Muscle mass burns more calories at rest than fat mass. Equations often don't fully account for individual differences in lean body mass.
• Genetics: Some individuals naturally have faster or slower metabolisms.
• Hormone levels: Hormonal imbalances (e.g., thyroid issues) can significantly impact metabolism. Adaptive thermogenesis*: The body can adapt its energy expenditure in response to changes in calorie intake (e.g., metabolism might slow down during prolonged calorie restriction).
• Activity level estimation is subjective: The "activity multipliers" used to calculate TDEE are broad categories (sedentary, lightly active, moderately active, etc.). People often underestimate or overestimate their true activity levels, leading to inaccuracies. NEAT, in particular, is difficult to quantify precisely. * Real BMR/RMR measurement: The most accurate way to determine BMR or RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate, which is often used interchangeably with BMR in practical settings) is through indirect calorimetry in a laboratory setting. This involves measuring oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. Direct calorimetry is even more accurate but is primarily used in research.
• Daily fluctuations: Your energy demands can fluctuate daily based on stress, sleep, illness, and even small changes in activity.

No when i’m dieting I don’t constantly switch, i’m always in a deficit when on a diet. But when I stop dieting I end up gaining as i’m short and weight goes on easily if I don’t track and stick to maintenance. Few meals out, biscuits and cakes in the office. I know i’m in a deficit without tracking as I eat similar meals so don’t need to count. I find if counting I could eat more if I saw I had 200 cals left for example.

Well you need a calorie deficit. I’m not counting as I know i’m in a deficit, eating around 1100-1200 and burning 2000 per day. If you’re new to counting calories best to track them, but I don’t need to.

Wait what? How do you deduce that, the posted admits they don't track all the time, that's why they are yo-yoing, they're inconsistently switching between a calorie surplus and deficit.

All weight loss involves calorie deficit though whether you count them consciously or not. All weight maintenance involves calorie balance, again whether you consciously count them or not

The poster you replied to isnt counting though.

I am commenting on the regular posts that tell people like the OP that she will be getting 'spikes' after eating. Everyones blood glucose goes up after eating, that is my point, you cant or wont avoid that.

You can feel hungry and binge eat without it being related to that. OP can lose weight so that is also not relevant.

This post is the exact proof I was talking about that counting calories is not a sustainably effective way to lose weight.

Wow. I’m 5f 2 and have to be on 1200 to lose weight. I’m trying to lose a few lbs now and it’s only started to worn now I’ve gone to 1200. It’s quite easy with zillions of eggs, chicken, steak and veg tho to be fair

Sounds like you need to drop calories a bit. Make sure you’re logging absolutely everything, as a few calories here and there makes the difference. I am always gaining and losing the same half stone. Currently dieting and have lost half a stone in 45 days. I am not logging as I eat similar each day when on a diet, but eating around 1100, bit more on the weekend. Only exercise is walking and a few weights. I do 15k steps a day though, 20-25 on the weekend. That makes a big difference to what I burn.

Sounds like you've successfully lost a lot of weight already and to lose more you have to have very low calories.

either way, accurate calorie counting always works, but if you're not actually being correct with your serving size and how many calories you're actually getting, it's easy to underestimate.
These apps have a tendency to massively overestimate calories burnt from exercise too. Unless you're very active, I would honestly not count exercise at all.

OP advice re higher protein etc here is not bad. However what I really wanted to say (others may have already but not RTFT) is that I think you are being very critical of what you've achieved in a month and could do with being kinder to yourself.

One month is not very long, and 3 lb doing something that is sustainable long term is fine! Comparing it to what you achieved on Slimming World which you yourself say doesn't work for you long term is beside the point and setting yourself up to fail.

FWIW I lost 3 stone four years ago at the average rate of one lb a week and have not put any of it back on. Doing very much what you describe.

Eat instant porridge or cereal, pasta, biscuits and go for a brisk walk or a jog. As long as you use up more calories than you take in, the weight will drop off.

There you go, a myth for you.

Also, ‘it’s not problematic unless you know’?

Since when was that a thing?

It’s problematic if you’re craving sweet food, or getting energy crashes, or feeling hungry all the time, or binge eating, or can’t lose weight.

Regularly experiencing unstable blood sugar also leads to pre-diabetes. And you just feel crap.

Saying it’s a ‘myth’ is incredibly misleading. Why do you think there is such a huge problem with T2 diabetes?

Surely it would be hard to get to 10k steps with just pottering and a 2 mile walk though? If I'm on 6k then it'd take me another 40 minute walk on top of that to get to 10k. 40 minutes a day walking (personally I do a rather brisk walk) I'd decent activity.

Besides the sort of people who are going to count pottering for 6k steps as exercise are probably exactly the ones who need that kick up the bum to go out for a walk for 40 mins to get up to the 10k. No one who regularly runs 5k or does 3 spin classes a week is going to be counting 10k steps as their quota filled for exercise.

I have specified that everyones goes up. That bit is not the myth. The myth is that it is problematic for everyone. Its not, unless you know because you have had it measured and assessed (like my OH who is type 2).

Not a myth. There is TONNES of evidence of this.

Everyones glucose levels go up after eating, they tend to go up more after eating carbohydrate

Of course they do! And it’s the role of insulin to deal with it - some glucose gets used for immediate energy, some gets stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver - but if you’re eating a lot of carbs, there will be glucose ‘left over’, and that’s what gets stored as fat.

Also a repeated myth on these threads is about carbs of some kind 'spiking the OPs glucose levels'

Everyones glucose levels go up after eating, they tend to go up more after eating carbohydrate but that is not always problematic, it depends on your biology and you wont know if its problematic without having it measured and assessed by a medical professional.

I do weights several times a week, go jogging (run half-marathons and 10Ks), and do various gym classes.
None of those have made me lose weight and none of them have made me bulk up. They have made me stronger, fitter and leaner.

No, any movement is good for body, (notwithstanding any special conditions)

But my point isnt that, its that people will think that their 6k pottering around the house and garden, to be supplemented by a 2 mile walk, is 'activity'

Its not really. Moving from room to room unless you live in Buckingham Palace is not 'activity' in the way its meant to be. Nothing wrong with it but lets not dress it up as something it isnt. And believe me, no one walks for 3 miles in their home.

But then the 10k steps is arbitrary anyway