Riddle me this - weight loss

[EatingWormsMichael]

I've logged calories for past 2 weeks and been 1,000 daily deficit both weeks. I've jogged for 30 minutes 3 times each week. Have I lost weight ....no, no I haven't.

This cant be right. Presumably Im some kind of x-man?

What are you basing your deficit on? I’m sorry to say that sometimes those just don’t work. I’ve lost 6.5 stone and I did it eating 1000-1200 calories a day. Anything more than that and I gained. According to TDEE calculators, my maintenance calories when I started were almost 2500. I wouldn’t have lost on 1500 calories. MAYBE maintained at best.

Also what were your calories made up of? I know it goes against science but for me, 1200 calories of protein, fat and veg was a loss, whereas 1200 calories of carbs would be a gain.

Over the course of a week you need to be about 3500 calories in deficit to lose 1lb, so about 500 deficit each day.

You will lose with less of a deficit but it will be slower which isn't a bad thing, just need more patience.

If you are also logging your exercise along with your calories be careful it isn’t giving you exercise calories to eat back. MFP does this, along with overestimating calories burnt from exercise in the first place. Just log calories, don’t log exercise and you will lose.

Is it really a 1,000 calorie deficit? Because that sounds a bit strange.
And have you included exercise calories in that? Because presuming you're only covering about 5k in your runs, that's probably only 300 calories or so per run, so 900ish calories burned a week?

I'm using a fitbit, it tells me how many calories I've used that day and I log my food and it tells me my daily balance.

I think i do eat a bit more on exercise days cos I think I've earned it, but my daily average is still 1000 calorie deficit.

I do love a carb so maybe that's the problem. Sigh. It's quite disheartening.

I know it goes against science but for me, 1200 calories of protein, fat and veg was a loss, whereas 1200 calories of carbs would be a gain.

It doesn't go against science at all.

Although the food may contain the same amount of calories, your body is able to extract fewer cals from high fibre foods- so you get fewer cals from (what should be) 100 cals' worth of broccoli than from 100 cals' worth of chocolate.

High protein foods take more energy to process- approx a third of the calories in protein are used just processing the food. So again, 100 cals' worth of protein gives you fewer cals than 100 cals' worth of carbs.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/why-calories-dont-count/dr-giles-yeo/9781398704329#:~:text=ALL%20of%20the%20calorie%20counts,calories%20are%20not%20created%20equal.

This book explains it all.

My jogs are very slow, I'm doing couch to 5k, so I'm not burning that much. But going by my fitbit I'm in deficit. I just thought the science would be "eat less, move more" and shift a couple of pounds a week.

OK thank you I'll look at getting my calories from protein and see how that goes!

Your fitbit is overestimating the calories you're expending. They're notoriously inaccurate, so that's not really a surprise- my MILs used to tell her she was clocking up hundreds of steps, and burning extra calories, while she was loading the dishwasher.
What do you eat in a typical day and what exercise do you do? You've mentioned the running - how far do you go, how hard are you working, etc?

2 weeks isn’t long enough to know what’s happening. You will have different levels of water retention at different points in your cycle.

How many calories are you eating a day? Are you weighing all your food to calculate them?

Ah, cross post. Yes, that is the science - but it sounds like your Fitbit is the issue, and you won't be burning many calories from running (yet!)
Don't be disheartened about that though. If and when you get into running, and you can go much further and harder, you can up your food intake. I was overweight for years, but have now found running is a great way to eat a normal diet and stay slim.

Ignoring what your Fitbit is (most likely incorrectly) telling you you are burning, how many calories are you eating?

Sorry posted too soon - what is your current weight and height? You’ll lose weight a lot slower if you’re already a healthy weight

I'm trying to lose a bit at the moment for an event in a month, and know from experience that dropping carbs really does facilitate easy weightloss. It's also pretty effortless, without depriving yourself of anything (which makes me instantly not want to stick to a diet).

I've cut out bread (all baked goods), fruit, pasta, rice, potatoes etc, and am eating very well on salads, leafy veg, brassicas and lean proteins. Lots of water too. I weigh and record all meals on MFP. I don't have time to exercise, or it would be even more effective.

Applying intermittent fasting principles can also be a great way to bring a gentle routine to your diet.

Currently 10 days in, and I know I'm going to reach my target in good time, despite being fairly sedentary and middle-aged.

1,118 calories per day (average)
5'7
158 lbs

I'm at the top end of the 'healthy" bmi range. Three weeks ago I was 2lbs heavier. I dropped the 2lbs, continued my fitbit based logging and nothing happened.

I'm 46 and have a sedentary job and am a lone parent. It's been a real effort to fit in the couch to 5k. The idea of weight loss was very motivating but I've plateaued very early!

@EveSix I think dropping the carbs must be the clincher. I did slimming world a few years back and lost weight, that really rationed the carbs. But it was joyless, I do love bread.

Thanks @fellrunner85, I feel great after my little jogs so I can see the appeal, hopefully I'll get better at it!

On the tdee calculator with your stats - to maintain your weight you should be eating 1667 calories per day - so you're definately not in a 1000 calorie deficit

How are you calculating the calories you consume? Can you give a breakdown of a typical days intake?

@Cockle1234 there's a food logger on the fitbit app. So I type in everything I eat.

This is typical (I work a 6 hour day so don't get a lunch break)

8 x tea
Hot cross bun
Banana
Packet of twiglets
Salmon fillet, new potatoes, salad
Muller light yoghurt
Freddo
Slice of sour dough bread

Lol it's not amazing but I thought the calories be low enough to drop some weight. At least I'm not gaining...

Well it's approx 90% carbs and empty calories which won't be helping. Refined carbs like these can cause water retention and you're glucose levels will be up and down like a yo yo.

I think you could do with taking out a couple of the sweet things and replacing them with whole foods, ideally some veg, but honestly pretty much anything will have more nutritional value.

And make sure your getting plenty of water, hopefully your 8 x teas aren't the only fluids you drink, because you could do with something that doesn't have caffeine in it for at least a couple of your drinks.

I’ve just logged that on mfp, without the tea and the salmon meal and thats 820 cals (obviously give or take a few depending on sizes of each thing etc). I’d expect the salmon and potatoes to be atleast 500-700cals, obviously depending on the weight, cooking oils, salad dressing etc. Tea itself isn’t much but milk/sugar will add up.

I have 3 white coffees a day and that costs me over 200 cals with the sugar 😥

I don’t log exercise. Well I do to just get an idea if the exercise is worth it but I delete it off the calorie allowance, so I’m not overeating.

Bingo to all of this. Totally agree

Ok I've just calculated that at 1290 calories. Do you have butter/sauces/salad dressing with any of that, or sugar in your tea?
There's a lot of empty calories in there you could do with swapping out for something with more nutritional value. Why don't you swap say the freddo for a boiled egg, bread with a big scoop of veg?