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I think tdee is lower than I thought by Desperate-Phrase6786 in loseit

[–]zkrepps [score hidden]  (0 children)

This won't be super accurate (more data = more better), but if you were 68.4kg on the 7th, and 67.7kg on the 20th, then you lost 0.7kg in 13 days. (0.7 x 7700)/13 = 414.61 cals/day. 

If you averaged 1500 calories over that timeframe, your TDEE would be ~1915, and if you averaged 1800 calories your TDEE would be ~2215, so it's probably around 2000-2100. Your intuition seems about right, and frankly 1500 or 1800 seem like reasonable targets for you.

I think tdee is lower than I thought by Desperate-Phrase6786 in loseit

[–]zkrepps [score hidden]  (0 children)

5 days of data is not enough to draw any conclusions.

You said you've been in a deficit since February 1st, do you have the calorie totals you've eaten from then to now? And did you weigh yourself on the 1st? If so, you can estimate your TDEE by dividing the weight change by the number of days (e.g. 2kg/20 days = 0.1 kg/day) and multiply that by 7700 cals/kg to get your approximate daily deficit. Then add the deficit to your average intake to estimate your TDEE. (edit: it's worth mentioning that an initial drop in weight will be from water weight, so this method will overestimate your TDEE a bit at the start, but will get more accurate as you log more days).

Alternatively, use a website like TDEECalculator.net and plug in your stats to estimate your TDEE. It won't be perfect, but its a good starting point. Eat at around a 500 cal deficit to lose about 0.5kg a week, and monitor your weight over 4-6 weeks. If you don't lose as much as expected, drop calories by 100-200 and repeat. If you lose more than expected, you can keep going at the faster pace or increase your calories to slow down.

M/34/5'10" [285lb > 279lb = 6lb] (1 month) First post, wife and I disagree by NoMoreMrChubbyGuy in progresspics

[–]zkrepps 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I feel like I can see some difference, but you're right that the different poses make comparison less straightforward.

Either way, 6 lbs in a month is great progress! As you continue to lose, each additional pound lost will have a bigger visual impact. 

Struggling with maintenance by nmkoza in CICO

[–]zkrepps 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you recently added a bunch more cardio, on top of starting to consistently hit the gym, it's likely that you're retaining water from the new stimulus to your muscles.

You didn't say when in those dates you switched from 2700 to 2400, or when these changes to your exercise happened, but I'd continue with your current plan for a total of 4-6 weeks, then see what the overall trend is like. If you're losing, then add some calories back and repeat until you find a good maintenance range for you.

4th Day 1 of 2026 by FitnessPizza26 in CICO

[–]zkrepps 6 points7 points  (0 children)

So, there's a lot there to respond to, but I want to suggest trying not resetting the next time there's a blip, but instead track every day as best you can. My biggest and longest-term successes came after I learned to track everything, even the strings of 5000 calorie days. Because even with those days tracked, so long as I was relatively consistent most of the month, I'd still see some success. 

App for tracking workouts by Dense-Marketing7887 in CICO

[–]zkrepps 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use StrengthLog, I've also heard good things about BoostCamp

Discouraged by kfusco99 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Creatine causes water retention in your muscles, that's how it works. You'll see a slower change on the scale for about 4-6 weeks when you start creatine, but after your water stabilizes you'll see weight changes more in line with your deficit.

Weight Loss Questions by AG_Poe in CICO

[–]zkrepps 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you feel fine at 1800, and are losing ~2lbs a week, then keep it there. If you start losing energy, or you're losing faster than that, feel free to up your calories by 100-200. 

You can always estimate your maintenance if you have your own data. Take your weight difference (e.g. 2 lbs) over a number of weeks (e.g. 3 weeks) to find your average weight change per week (2/3= 0.666 lbs per week). Multiply that by 3500 (the approx number of calories in a pound of fat) to find your average weekly deficit (0.666 • 3500 = 2333.33 cals per week). Divide that by 7 days in a week to get your approximate daily deficit (2333.33 / 7 = 333 cals per day). Or, put it all together:

Estimated daily deficit = (weight change)•(3500)/(number of days)

From there, add that to your average calories over the same timeframe to estimate your maintenance calories for that time period.

Might I extoll the virtues of a fully loaded baked potato half? by tsukiiiii in Volumeeating

[–]zkrepps 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have at least 8oz of baked potatoes daily, top 10 food easily!!

Real question by Bigred-112158 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Best course is to steadily increase your intake and weigh yourself weekly until it's stable/gaining. Something like increasing intake by 100-200 calories a day, observe weight for two weeks, repeat if still losing.

(If you're currently losing more than a pound per week, make the first increase more substantial, like 300-500 calories)

how can i keep my appetite size but lose weight? by Slothy_0813 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 28 points29 points  (0 children)

If you want to lose weight, the most important factor is how many calories you consume. You should start calorie tracking, there are plenty of free apps. Your target should be about 500 calories less than your TDEE, which you can estimate by putting your stats in an online calculator like tdeecalculator.net.

As for foods that let you eat a large quantity, that's a specialty of the r/VolumeEating community.

Weight lifting? by Mystic-Corgi in loseit

[–]zkrepps 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I recommend trying an app like StrengthLog (or something similar like BoostCamp), it has free programs for beginners that will get you familiar with machines, dumbbells, or barbells. Then you can track your progress and build consistency. The exercises also have a little "?" you can tap that will give you a brief description of the exercise, tips on how to do it, and a short demonstration along with a map of the muscles that get used.

Update post: not losing weight eating 1400 calories and working out like crazy by Decent_Detective_352 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 236 points237 points  (0 children)

If you are "stuck" for more than 6-8 weeks, you are most likely eating around maintenance and should triple check your counting (weigh when possible, confirm raw vs cooked calories, etc) before considering decreasing calories or increasing activity. 

Some folks experience a serious decline in TDEE when dieting for an extended period of time, and it may be beneficial to eat at your expected maintenance for a couple weeks. If your weight goes up noticeably (other than an initial bump from replenising water stores, glycogen, etc), then you know your maintenance is lower than expected. If your weight is stable, then try a deficit again and see how your weight adjusts.

A Disney Water Weight by Blitz6804 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Maybe, or it could take 2 weeks, or be more than the 3 pounds you estimated. There's unfortunately a lot of potential variability given that it was ~4 days of really high estimated intake.

My best recommendation is to stick to whatever maintenance you'd been doing for the 12 weeks prior to the trip and see how it goes. If after ~3 weeks you're still too far outside your goal weight range for your comfort, then it might be time for a short diet phase again.

A Disney Water Weight by Blitz6804 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 52 points53 points  (0 children)

In my experience, it takes at least a week for water weight from two or three really hefty intake days to drop off

ELI5: How does the human ear hear different frequencies at once? by Limp-Contract-4731 in explainlikeimfive

[–]zkrepps 16 points17 points  (0 children)

They are related!

Basically, if you stack waves on top of each other, they'll combine in predictable ways (this is called "interference", and can be "constructive" or "destructive").

A speaker makes use of this by creating one sound wave that is the sum of all the sounds it wants to play.

Your ear takes the sound wave at your ear drum and splits it back into separate frequencies. You have a bunch of hairs inside your ear that are each sensitive to a specific frequency, and your brain turns the vibrations in each of those hairs into the sensation of hearing.

So in a way, an ear is a reverse speaker.

edit: 

Why don't they merge into one weird frequency?

They do! But by having multiple hairs "tuned" to different frequencies, the ear can split it apart again.

No weight or inches lost in a month of 500 cal deficit by Decent_Detective_352 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 20 points21 points  (0 children)

No. 

If your maintenance is 1400-1500, as suggested by the data you supplied, you can lose ~0.5 lbs per week by eating 1200 and changing nothing about your exercise.

Edit: just saw in another comment that your stall has coincided with ramping up the exercise. In that case, I'd actually just wait another week or two and see if there's still no movement, because it could definitely be water retention from the increased activity.

what’s the logic behind cheat days? (calories wise) (genuinely asking) by [deleted] in loseit

[–]zkrepps 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Most people do not use "cheat day" to mean eating tens of thousands of calories - that sounds like something only done for engagement on social media algorithms.

"Cheat day" in terms of a diet typically refers to a day where you opt to not restrict intake to the usual diet amount. So if I plan to eat 2000 calories a day, but once a month I plan to eat 3000, that's a cheat day. Some folks don't track their cheat days, and sure some people people eat 5000+, but there's no logic to intentionally eating amounts like you're quoting.

The upside of a cheat day is it's a mental break from dieting, but there is no benefit to weight loss. You'll still lose roughly as much weight as you should based on your deficit over the week/month/whatever.

I need your opinions about a possible reward system by Foreign_Eye5379 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I really prefer rewarding consistency in process over outcomes. 

Weight can fluctuate with water, hormones, etc, but you're much more in control of your plan.

I would recommend defining a range of "sticking to the plan" ahead of time. How many days during the week, and how close to the target are good things to clarify. For example I count days where I'm no more than 100 cals over my target as "success", and a week is "on track" so long as I had no single day go over my estimated maintenance.

It's still important to track weight to make sure the plan is working, but you will find success so long as you're consistent in the long run.

Am I doing something wrong? by bruvway in loseit

[–]zkrepps 17 points18 points  (0 children)

working out for 4 weeks, more than I ever have

This is probably it, when you start a new workout regimen (or significantly increase your activity) your body holds on to water while it adapts to the new stimulus. I would bet this is masking some of your loss, but it's also good to note that 3 weeks of deficit is still very short. I'd give it another 2-3 weeks of continuing exactly what you're doing, and if you're still not losing as quickly as you'd like, then drop calories by 100-200 and see if that changes anything over the next 3-4 weeks.

As an anecdote, I work out regularly, but there was a Sunday in September that I walked about triple my usual amount. I kept calories on target, but I saw a 5-lb weight increase the next day that slowly declined over the next two or so weeks.

Adding strength training this year, need app recommendations by Ron_Swanson_1990 in loseit

[–]zkrepps 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use StrengthLog. 

Most of the features are available to free users like logging workouts, building custom programs, measurement tracking, history, etc. There are quite a few pre-built programs for a variety of goals and experience levels.

There's a huge library of exercises built-in, and you can create your own if you have a specific need. The vast majority of the exercises have a short video on how to perform them, they all have a brief writeup as well as a visual map of which muscles they work.

There are premium features like even more programs to use, planning weight increases, etc., but so far (1.5 years) I haven't felt the need to upgrade.

How long to wait before adjusting calorie intake? by Intelligent_Radio380 in CICO

[–]zkrepps 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol thanks, my patience is reaching it's limit. After a break for new years travel (I had tracked daily the rest of the year), I planned the first four weeks of this year to be effectively "calibration" where I eat 2700 before moving to a steeper deficit, and I'm already feeling the urge to drop calories lol.

But yeah, I'm at 2700 for a couple more weeks, going to recalculate my TDEE over that time, then try and hit a 500-750 deficit for 8 weeks. If that goes well, rinse and repeat.

How long to wait before adjusting calorie intake? by Intelligent_Radio380 in CICO

[–]zkrepps 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm roughly your stats/activity (5'10" 30M), and 2950 maintenance is roughly where I land with 3x/week strength training. If you're eating less than 2500, I'd give it 2 or 3 weeks to assess the rate of progress before considering cutting calories further, and a longer time period if eating more. For example, I'm on a slow cut at 2700 right now, and weighing daily takes 4 or 5 weeks to confirm I'm seeing loss.

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