Breaking the Plateau

esjones12

My fitness journey began in July 2012. To date I’ve lost 32 pounds, close to 6% BMI, and over 35 inches. I am 5’8, 196lbs and around 32%BMI. I could easily stand to lose another 20-30lbs and 10% BMI to be considered healthy by the people that determine those things. My philosophy is changing my lifestyle so that I can maintain the weight loss for the rest of my life. My goal is to be thin, healthy and fit. I play soccer, ride horse and do mud runs. I want to do those better, and losing weight will help me tremendously.

Currently I am on 1650 calories a day and eat back my exercise (daily intake averages 2k-2,200cals). This should in theory give me -1lb a week. I exercise 5-6 times a week for 30-60+ minutes (soccer, group classes, lifting, running, etc). I’ve been using MFP religiously for 35 days with only 2-3 “cheat” meals and have barely seen any results. In fact this entire year I have only seen some inches lost and a slight decrease in BMI. My frustration level is through the roof, I’ve been working with PT’s and nutritionists spending lots of $ and working so hard and I feel like I am getting absolutely nowhere. No one seems to be able to give me solid advice or a change in plan to make a difference. I am very active and eat fairly healthy, so most of the “make this simple change” things do not apply – I’m already doing them. I average 7hrs of sleep a night and could probably drink another 16oz of water a day.

I don’t really want to compromise my philosophy (I refuse to take pills, eliminate a certain type of food, etc) but I am soon ready to just throw in the towel. I am honestly just miserable over my lack of progress and have started being overly judgmental of my body. Any and all suggestions welcome! How did you break through your big plateau?

I_Will_End_You

So you have no medical conditions that make weight loss more difficult?

If not, a plateau is just a word for eating at maintenance, and thinking you're in a deficit. Try a food scale if you haven't, you may not be using correct portions. Try only eating half of your exercise calories back.

SezxyStef

Plateaus are where you are actually at maitenance.

What does "barely" mean? 1lb? 5lbs?

The key to losing as you well know is staying in a deficit...your diary is closed so can't comment on specifics but

Do you weigh your solids? measure your liquids?
Do you log everyday? consistently using the correct entries?
How are you calculating your burns?

The issue is your CICO calculation is off somewhere...you are either eating more than you think or your burns are over esitmated.

Based on your calculations above your maitenance is 2700 calories a day? considering your height, weight, being a female etc ,where did you come up with that number?

eldamiano

Weight loss plateaus are make-believe. There is no such thing. They basically represent eating at a level to maintain their weight, contrary to the beliefs of the person trying to lose weight.

esjones12

No medical conditions. Passed a full physical and bloodwork with flying colors three months ago.

Yes I weigh and measure my food portions and enter them into MFP as correctly as possible. I have been logging every day for over a month and dropped one pound.

I entered my info into MFP to lose 1lb a week and it spit out the 1650 (which I double checked in that fancy equation). I've been using MFP's exercise entry to do calories burned. It's been suggested I get a heart rate monitor to determine the number of calories I burn. Do others use them? Are they accurate? I could be over or under the "magic number" by a few hundred calories which results in maintaining instead of losing...?

Dawmelvan

When you say "some inches" how many? That is actually a huge "loss." And just like many have said, now you know what you have to eat and exercise like to maintain your current weight. I found that switching calories for whole food calories helped me get to the next level. I.E. fruit/veggies instead of processed food to get to calorie intake.

garnerish

Oh man, the MFP "calories burned" stuff is really inaccurate. That's probably where the lack of deficit is coming from.

I_Will_End_You

esjones12 wrote: »

I've been using MFP's exercise entry to do calories burned. It's been suggested I get a heart rate monitor to determine the number of calories I burn. Do others use them? Are they accurate? I could be over or under the "magic number" by a few hundred calories which results in maintaining instead of losing...?

A few hundred calories could definitely be putting you at maintenance. MFP's calorie burns are usually really high. Try a heart rate monitor for steady state cardio, or just use half of what MFP tells you. Another option is to try, say, 1800 per day flat. Ignore exercise calories, just stick with that number regardless of your activity.

sodakat

I'd try a full week of eating 1650 calories without recording exercise. When I started MFP I didn't realize I could "earn" more calories by exercising so I never entered any exercise. If it happens that in fact your TDEE is closer to 2000 then eating 15% less or 1700 a day should result in some weight loss.

esjones12

Are heart rate monitors accurate/get results?

Last fall I did flat rate calories with success. I was training for a triathlon and a nutritionist bumped me up to 2000 calories a day and I started losing weight. May make my body happier right now since some days I am starving. My one or two rest days a week are 1650 while most days are 2k+, that's like an entire meal my body is deprived of on rest days. It technically doesn't know I'm not going to exercise that day. Or am I being dramatic? Haha.

How do you figure out the flat rate? Just kind of guess and check at first? Lower in like 100 calorie segments each week till you get results?

I_Will_End_You

Figure up how many calories you burn per day on average. (a weekly average, including both workout and non workout days, divided by 7). You can try a TDEE calculator if you haven't already. Subtract 10-15% (depending on your goals) and stick with that number.

EDIT: I know I just threw that 1800 goal out there as an example, but reading your original post, it may be a good number for you to start with.

Liftng4Lis

Are you eating ALL of your exercise calories? MFP overestimates and its a good idea to eat only half.

esjones12

Technically I've been shaving off the time I do the exercise. My soccer games are 50min but I've been entering 25min which is about 370 calories, and my PT said that might actually be too low. I feel like I'm trying to be too exact/obsessive...however, obviously something isn't quite working. Or maybe a month hasn't been long enough for my body to adjust and start burning?

I agree 1800 might be a good place to start for a flat count. I'll definitely try to figure out my average weekly burn by finding calories burned doing activities online? Then again intensity makes a huge difference so I should probably get a HRM...

Does everyone else go through this many problems figuring out the "magic" numbers or do you just plug it in, eat what your allowed and bam - weight comes off!

SezxyStef

esjones12 wrote: »

Technically I've been shaving off the time I do the exercise. My soccer games are 50min but I've been entering 25min which is about 370 calories, and my PT said that might actually be too low. I feel like I'm trying to be too exact/obsessive...however, obviously something isn't quite working. Or maybe a month hasn't been long enough for my body to adjust and start burning?

I agree 1800 might be a good place to start for a flat count. I'll definitely try to figure out my average weekly burn by finding calories burned doing activities online? Then again intensity makes a huge difference so I should probably get a HRM...

Does everyone else go through this many problems figuring out the "magic" numbers or do you just plug it in, eat what your allowed and bam - weight comes off!

Well the HRM idea is great for steady state cardio...not so much weights, games etc.

I didn't have an issue as long as I used a kitchen scale for weighing portions..and choosing the correct entries...

When I started with MFP I ate all my exercise calories and had no issues...used a formula to get my TDEE then did 20% off and it was MFP + exercise calories so I started that when I was starting my weights...and yes great success.

The Exercise calories for MFP can be over estimated for some...it wasn't for me.

Suggestion from me (who has really not had any issues except pre kitchen scale days)

Take a chunk of time where you have lost weight (about 3-4 weeks) and use this formula from the ETP group

Total calories consumed+(total lbs lost x 3500)/#days (21 or 28 depending on number of weeks) I always use 3 weeks.

That is your actual TDEE then take 20% off that eat that amount everyday regardless of exercise...

kimny72

esjones12 wrote: »

Does everyone else go through this many problems figuring out the "magic" numbers or do you just plug it in, eat what your allowed and bam - weight comes off!

Sometimes you do just have to play around with it! BMR, TDEE, calories burned, calories in food... they are all estimates and sometimes you have to tweak them a little. I think some people are just lucky and their metabolism works in what is considered the "average" for their height weight, age, and gender. Others of us have to go through a little trial and error...