Hrumph!

joyfuljoy65

Well, here we are a year of maintaining.... and I have put on half a stone verrryyy slowwwllyy and now am stuck here. No matter if I eat less, eat more, eat a deficit, eat 2000 calories the scale goes up and down a couple of pound but my average weight remains 173.5lb. Now at 5'9" that makes me JUST into the overweight BMI category and a size 12 (UK) and I have still lost 61lb in total.... but I am starting to feel a failure - which is ridiculous really as I have achieved a lot. I think part of it is losing that 'hit' of excitement of losing.... that feeling of achievement has dissapated over the past year.... this 'new' me is now the 'normal' me and I have forgotten how far I have come.

Am I the only one? Does anyone else relate to this - and how do you keep going? I have logged everyday for 790 days - and plan on getting to 1000 - and I know if I stop logging it is likely the weight will prob pile on even more.....

Who said getting to the goal was the end of this journey and that life would be so much easier then.....

sijomial

My bet would be that you have a natural feeling calorie allowance which just happens to be a very slight surplus. I know I do but mine isn't very slight! My natural / intuitive amount of food works out at about half a pound a week weight gain unless I consciously keep my calories in check. I address that with one very low calorie day a week but that's not something that suits everyone.
I also bet if you really concentrated on your food logging for a period of time with a small deficit you would lose that extra half stone. It's very easy to slip into estimating food and those little extra bits and pieces add up.

As for getting to goal and losing the drive, well for me weight was only ever one of my goals so I always have something to strive for. Body composition, strength, fitness etc. etc.

Francl27

You're just eating too much... sorry. You've probably overestimated your maintenance calories by a bit... cut down by 400 or so for a while, and once you're back to your old weight, eat less than what you have been. Maybe you've just relaxed your logging too much and are not logging as accurately anymore too.

TavistockToad

you're not maintaining, you're eating about 100 cals too much per day.

nxd10

Joy - Have you looked at your macros? You were quite overweight for a while (congratulations on your loss btw!!!!) so could well be a little insulin resistant. For me, if I don't keep my carbs under 40% I have a really hard time losing or maintaining. More calories get stored as fat than they should because of how my body reacts to higher blood sugar.

Others could be right and you're eating too much. But if you don't think that's true, try dropping down to 35% on your carbs and upping your calories from protein and fat and see what happens in a month. You'll also probably be less hungry.

joyfuljoy65

Francl27 wrote: »

You're just eating too much... sorry. You've probably overestimated your maintenance calories by a bit... cut down by 400 or so for a while, and once you're back to your old weight, eat less than what you have been. Maybe you've just relaxed your logging too much and are not logging as accurately anymore too.

no - still log everything no matter how naughty it is.... and am about 1600 calories on average a day..... but i guess that could be too much

LivingtheLeanDream

If its not food logging, have you stopped or changed your exercise routine?

joyfuljoy65

I started a new job 10 months ago where I walk a lot more than before, but apart from that not really. And its not miles, my average is about 8000 steps a day, depending on the number of meetings!!

I have been told that this is perhaps my body's preferred weight (I was also told I was looking 'haggard' at max weight loss, but I thought that was just envy!), and I have been stuck here for 5 months, regardless of eating on average 1600 calories (sometimes 2000 sometimes 1300 depending on day) - I weigh every day and post the average as my weekly weight on a Sunday. this average has not moved for 5 months but I have gone up and down 3lbs - salt, water, TOM all play their part.

pkw58

You might have a temporary stall due to the stress of your new job, lack of sleep, etc. I found that just getting to 10,000 steps helps tremendously as well as adding some weight lifting (nothing crazy, just two thirty minute sessions a week with a PT)

lisaabenjamin

If you're logging your calories in and calories out correctly then the only other part of the equation that could be wrong is the number of cals you need to maintain weight. MyFitnessPal is only a tool remember, it's not 100% accurate, so try reducing the number of calories you eat by a very small amount (say 100) and see how you get on for 3-4 weeks. If you're still gaining, drop it again slightly. If you lose no weight, bingo - there;s your maintenance allowance so drop it slightly to lose the half a stone and then go back to that level.

VickiLynn1101

I think that walking probably isn't enough and you need to increase your workouts and add strength training.

ianthy

sijomial wrote: »

My bet would be that you have a natural feeling calorie allowance which just happens to be a very slight surplus. I know I do but mine isn't very slight! My natural / intuitive amount of food works out at about half a pound a week weight gain unless I consciously keep my calories in check. I address that with one very low calorie day a week but that's not something that suits everyone.
I also bet if you really concentrated on your food logging for a period of time with a small deficit you would lose that extra half stone. It's very easy to slip into estimating food and those little extra bits and pieces add up.

Totally agree. My weight can start to drift up easily and I have to really watch the cals in/out carefully. Logging and weighing foods helps. I don't need much of a deficit to loose - maybe 100 cals a day plus some deficit from working out seems to tip things back in the right direction. I also have a fitbit but never eat to amount that it states - it's an estimate/guide and I know if I did I would gain weight. Like Sijominal I also have a low cal day a week just to keep things in check - seems to work.

Patttience

I agree that 1600 calories does seem pretty low but maybe you do need to be lower for weightloss. But you can't afford to feel like a failure. Don't start giving yourself a hard time because that could send you down the hole. I have realised its important to maintain optimism if you want to maintain a low weight.

If you do have to lower your calories further to lose weight, there must be some insulin resistance going on. But I think that condition is reversible.

If you do have insulin resistance still (and you can test for it), then you should be more focused on the types of foods you eat. Indeed i agree with eating less carbs but i am inclined to disagree that eating as low as 40% is a good idea. I just think it must be so very hard to stick with for most people who would have to do it.

Are you also aware of the value and importance of high fibre for conditions like diabetes. If not then check out this program on you tube Catalyst - gut reaction Parts 1 and 2. Its an eye opener.

High fibre foods best for someone with insulin resistance would have to be considered: fruit and vegetables, lentils, beans, chickpeas, - these are the foods highest in fibre. also nuts and seeds. Then any grain foods you eat like breakfast cereals and breads should be very low carb or low GI as much as possible. I hear steel cut oats are great but i haven't tried them. As for bread, look for rye bread and whole grain bread especially spelt flour bread.

And still keep a lid on the amount of those grain foods. It helps to eat more vegetables and more protein food such as eggs and fish and more oil.

In fact when you cut carbs, you need to increase oil in order to have enough energy.

Maybe you know all this already since you've lost a fair bit of weight.

As to the weight gain when you increase carbs from a very low amount, i have seen that effect and its not fat gain its only water weight but everyone seems to fall for it and gets into a panic about it. The water weight gain is normal and unavoidable because carbs are stored in the body with water in the form of glycogen before they are either burned off or turned into fat if not used with a certain period of time. So sudden increase in weight should be discounted after an increase in carbs but calories are the same. Yes of course your weight is higher but its not that your body fat percentage has gone up which is what really matters isn't it?

scrittrice

Good for you for recognizing the issue early and getting on top of it. I let my weight drift upward slowly and gradually for years--that's how I ended up here. It's still surprising to me to think that the difference between maintaining and gaining is a handful of almonds per day.

You wrote, "No matter if I eat less, eat more, eat a deficit, eat 2000 calories the scale goes up and down a couple of pound but my average weight remains 173.5lb." But then you explained that you vary the calories and average 1600 a day, so it's not that your weight stays the same no matter how much you eat; it's that your weight stays the same when you average 1600 calories, meaning that 1600 calories is your maintenance at 173.5 pounds. Pick something and do it more or less consistently for a while--I'd suggest a full month--then assess the results (you sound like you keep good data) and adjust. I'm positive that you know all of this after losing 61 pounds.

I don't think anyone has said that getting to goal is the end and everything gets easier then. Lots of people find maintenance more difficult than losing. Most people note that having non-weight goals once they're in maintenance is really helpful. Any sports you've wanted to try? And strength-training will increase the amount you can eat. You can do it at home with dumbbells or even using your own body weight with very little equipment.

The whole "set point" or "preferred weight" theory has been widely debunked, by the way. That makes me both happy and sad. You're in control (yay) but it's your responsibility (boo).

cosmichvoyager

yeah, add something new and challenging to your exercise regimen! It will also give you that feeling of accomplishment.

Also, this may be weird but my nutritionist told me that not only should I try to avoid eating carbs that don't contain a lot of fiber, when I do eat these fiber-containing carbs I should be eating them alongside a protein. So even if I am snacking I try to have protein+fiber snacks for example a wasa grain cracker with peanut butter and half a banana, greek yogurt with a bit of nuts and granola, cheese stick with a cucumber or carrot. For most meals my plate is: protein, fiber (either whole grains, beans, a sweet potato) and always some kind of veggie.

I do way better with more calories following this model than less calories not? Maybe it's psychosomatic but I find that this trio of macro-nutrients keeps my weight going down or not up at least. She told me that all these food groups work together better than eating them alone.

gothchiq

I think that lifting weights 2 or 3 times a week would probably help.

dopeysmelly

I notice that you comment others thought you looked "haggard". Did you feel haggard, or did you feel great? Even though we know others' opinions honestly aren't worth a whole lot (um, can they see inside your body, are they doctors?..), but we can take that on board subconsciously and replay it. It may have influenced how you see yourself at your goal weight.

When I hit my target weight range, I immediately switched to a whole bunch of other goals, mainly related to fitness, but also health. I haven't given myself the opportunity to sit back and "enjoy" reaching The Goal, because I'm just too excited about all the other goals, which include.. lifting and increasing weights at the Y 3x week (I joined when I reached my goal weight), getting knee surgery (DONE), going through rehab for it and getting it back up to strength (IN PROGRESS), starting running so I can do a 5K in July 2015 (scheduled to start December), minimum 10,000 steps a day but aim for 15,000 steps (ONGOING, but doing well), and doing unassisted chin-ups and dips (HOLY COW, that's a real stretch). I also want to get my blood pressure and cholesterol both within healthy (blood pressure is done - YEAH!, cholesterol I'll know in May).

Seriously, you've lost a load of weight, you know what to do to shift it.

pkw58

dopeysmelly wrote: »

I notice that you comment others thought you looked "haggard". Did you feel haggard, or did you feel great? Even though we know others' opinions honestly aren't worth a whole lot (um, can they see inside your body, are they doctors?..), but we can take that on board subconsciously and replay it. It may have influenced how you see yourself at your goal weight.

When I hit my target weight range, I immediately switched to a whole bunch of other goals, mainly related to fitness, but also health. I haven't given myself the opportunity to sit back and "enjoy" reaching The Goal, because I'm just too excited about all the other goals, which include.. lifting and increasing weights at the Y 3x week (I joined when I reached my goal weight), getting knee surgery (DONE), going through rehab for it and getting it back up to strength (IN PROGRESS), starting running so I can do a 5K in July 2015 (scheduled to start December), minimum 10,000 steps a day but aim for 15,000 steps (ONGOING, but doing well), and doing unassisted chin-ups and dips (HOLY COW, that's a real stretch). I also want to get my blood pressure and cholesterol both within healthy (blood pressure is done - YEAH!, cholesterol I'll know in May).

Seriously, you've lost a load of weight, you know what to do to shift it.

Thanks Dopeysmelly - I think I am going to aim for the 15,000 steps as well. I have been at 10,000 for about three years. Upper body strength is a huge goal of mine right now. (sorry OP, for the slight hijack of your thread - I have been looking for new fitness goals and I really like pushing for the daily 15k of steps and chin-ups)

dcarter1020

Wow, we have almost the same stats! I'm 5'9" and 168. My weight loss started off great last January and I've stalled/maintained for the last 3 months. I know exactly why though. I'm just not putting as much effort into it as I used to because I'm comfortable:( I do want to be at 160 sometime soon, but I've been lazy. I know what works for me: avoiding sugar, at least 45 min of cardio 5 days a week, lifting at least 3 days, weighing everything and getting adequate sleep. I've been slacking (Halloween anyone?), but I plan on getting back on track with it all soon. I just want these last few pounds off so I can finally reach maintenance. After that, it's new fitness goals like other people have said. I hope you can get yourself back into the groove and get to your goal weight soon! Good luck (for you & me both;)