I've hit a plateau and need help.

hfbs616

I know this has been talked about before but I really need some encouragement and advice. I'm starting to get a little bummed out. I've been eating a calorie deficit for 345 days and lost 65 lbs, which is awesome. However, the past month I haven't lost anything. At first I thought it was that I started lifting weights (I don't log weight lifting because it doesn't play into the calories in the app) but I took a few days off from lifting because I hurt my triceps by over doing it. Then I thought it was my period however that is just about done. I got on the scale this morning and it read 131.7 lbs. So it is not the weights, nor that time of the month. I have recently upped my calories from 1200 to 1670 it was a slow progression and I have a hard time eating that much sometimes. Its not that I don't like eating but I was in a grove for a while and change is hard. My diet isn't the best but I do try to eat veggies everyday. I also noticed I wasn't eating a lot a protein so I'm trying protein powder while lifting weights. I've been falling a little off the wagon with my eating here and there but I don't think I've been so far off to not loss at all, over eating two days doesn't kill the whole month, or so I thought. I normally weigh 130.3-131.8 lbs and I'm 5'7 so i'm a health weight. My goal is to lost 5 more pounds but mostly I want to lose belly fat which I have a lot of. A good inch and a half of fat sticks out from my lower stomach; under it is no fat but I have a chin on my belly, its weird. When I go to the gym I do three ab machines; ab coaster, roman tower, torso rotator, seated ab crunch, cybex abdominal lean, ect. any combo of these. I also do legs, arms or back with the ab stuff and a little cardio. I read on one of the body building site that it takes three months to see results. I'm cool with that but I think I'm not doing this right. My diary is open and I'm pretty nervous about what everyone will have to say but all comments are welcome.

tracymayo1

- Did you recalculate your calories per day? You should update your information after each 10-15 pounds.
- You cannot spot reduce. You will lose fat overall, but you cannot target your belly. Yes doing the exercise will tone the muscle there, but it won't show until you have lost the fat over it - which will happen when it happens based on your calorie deficit.

I_Will_End_You

I've looked at your diary. Here is my thoughts on what your problem may be. All of your measurements are cups, "medium apple", slices, etc... While losing weight, you were likely eating more than 1200 calories (but still in a deficit), due to not accurately weighing and measuring your food. You've upped your calorie intake to 1600, but you're actually eating at maintenance and no longer in a deficit. Since you're at a healthy weight and don't have much to lose, you have to be very diligent with your logging. The cups and slices may have worked before when you had more to lose, but may be an issue now. I would suggest investing in a food scale, and check and see if your measurements have been off. Take what you thought was a cup of cereal, and see if the calorie match up. Even if you don't want to use it all the time (totally understand that!) maybe just check and see if that's the culprit. That is my theory on why you haven't lost scale weight. Also, you can keep lifting, eating at or slightly under maintenance and still cut fat without losing a lot of lbs. That's your choice, though.

Read this thread for more info on the logging: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

hfbs616

tracymayo1, I recalculated with myfitnesspal and a couple other sites several times. I know I can't spot reduce but the belly is the last place to go for me. I can see my ribs and spine when I stretch, I'm kind of boney everywhere else. Do you think I should drop my calories again? I'm eating to lose half a pound a week now.

hfbs616

I_Will_End_You wrote: »

I've looked at your diary. Here is my thoughts on what your problem may be. All of your measurements are cups, "medium apple", slices, etc... While losing weight, you were likely eating more than 1200 calories (but still in a deficit), due to not accurately weighing and measuring your food. You've upped your calorie intake to 1600, but you're actually eating at maintenance and no longer in a deficit. Since you're at a healthy weight and don't have much to lose, you have to be very diligent with your logging. The cups and slices may have worked before when you had more to lose, but may be an issue now. I would suggest investing in a food scale, and check and see if your measurements have been off. Take what you thought was a cup of cereal, and see if the calorie match up. Even if you don't want to use it all the time (totally understand that!) maybe just check and see if that's the culprit. That is my theory on why you haven't lost scale weight. Also, you can keep lifting, eating at or slightly under maintenance and still cut fat without losing a lot of lbs. That's your choice, though.

Read this thread for more info on the logging: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

Thanks! I need a food scale. I don't care about my weight as much as how I look so I'll keep working at it.

SueInAz

As you get closer to your goal weight it gets harder and harder to lose pounds. You're about my weight and 4 inches taller and I'm lucky if I can lose a half pound per week. I can actually always see my ribs, even at 10 pounds more than I weigh now; I have a big rib cage.

A food scale is a very good idea. From this point on, if you really want to lose those last 5 pounds, you're going to need to be more precise in your food logging. From your original post it doesn't sound like you have been up to this point.

Honestly, I think you're at the point where you should be worrying less about a scale goal and more about simply building muscle and getting that bit of stomach flab to go. You seem to be leaning that way already which is great. You'll definitely need to up your protein if you want the strength work you're doing to have any effect. Protein powder is good but you'll also want to add other sources of protein (meat, etc.) to help increase it. You should be aiming for .5 to 1.0 gram of protein for each pound of lean body mass so shoot for at least 65 grams per day, optimally 90-100.

Bony is not a good look. Grab a tape measure and start tracking inches and just use the scale occasionally to validate that you're eating the right amount of calories.

tracymayo1

hfbs616 wrote: »

tracymayo1, I recalculated with myfitnesspal and a couple other sites several times. I know I can't spot reduce but the belly is the last place to go for me. I can see my ribs and spine when I stretch, I'm kind of boney everywhere else. Do you think I should drop my calories again? I'm eating to lose half a pound a week now.

No, if you are already set at 0.5lbs a week don't drop your calories anymore. I know the last 10-15lbs are the hardest (im working on the same now...) so if you are sure about your logging etc.. other than there being much less room for error you may just need to be patient...

gothchiq

Reading your post I think the reason is revealed; you've gone off track on several occasions and you are also low on protein. Don't drop your calories, but stick to your plan carefully and get lots of protein.

I_Will_End_You

hfbs616 wrote: »

I_Will_End_You wrote: »

I've looked at your diary. Here is my thoughts on what your problem may be. All of your measurements are cups, "medium apple", slices, etc... While losing weight, you were likely eating more than 1200 calories (but still in a deficit), due to not accurately weighing and measuring your food. You've upped your calorie intake to 1600, but you're actually eating at maintenance and no longer in a deficit. Since you're at a healthy weight and don't have much to lose, you have to be very diligent with your logging. The cups and slices may have worked before when you had more to lose, but may be an issue now. I would suggest investing in a food scale, and check and see if your measurements have been off. Take what you thought was a cup of cereal, and see if the calorie match up. Even if you don't want to use it all the time (totally understand that!) maybe just check and see if that's the culprit. That is my theory on why you haven't lost scale weight. Also, you can keep lifting, eating at or slightly under maintenance and still cut fat without losing a lot of lbs. That's your choice, though.

Read this thread for more info on the logging: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

Thanks! I need a food scale. I don't care about my weight as much as how I look so I'll keep working at it.

It can be eye opening and help you get a better idea on portion sizes. Have you noticed any positive changes in your body in the past month? What lifting program are you doing?

Patttience

I know this is not the answer you are looking for but i think firstly you don't need to lose any more weight. You are skinny now. I know this because i am shorter than you, my goal was 132 and i was close to getting there. And in the not so distant past i've been quite a bit lower than this anyway.

I think you are being perfectionistic and are hitting the point where you goals are becoming less than sustainable.

that said, of course you can lose more weight and i agree with the others. You are currently not eating at a deficit.

Whether or not its the way you are measuring your food or just eating too many i don't know. I know that if you are measuring a level cup and using level proper measuring spoons, this should not be the cause of your over eating.

I haven't looked at your diary just yet but will take a peak a bit later.

You've lost a lot of weight this year and that's a great achievement. It is bound to be much noticeably slower at this end. And of course as you are trying to build some muscle now, this will slow your weight loss even more but not necessarily your fat loss.

I also think if you really do insist on being less then, allowing the loss to happen over a bit more time might not be a bad thing.

Have you thought much about how you are going to maintain this low weight into the long distant future. i know some people can do this indefinitely - like Jane Fonda and the like but is that achievable for you?

If you want to achieve it, then i think you are going to have to commit to eating near perfectly for ever. It would be easier to explain this verbally. I suppose the easiest way i can explain it is to refer to my own situation which is of course not the same as yours. I'm prone to overeating and weight gain. I have never naturally been a skinny person. My sister on the other hand is naturally leaner than me. She exercises a ton all the time and has done this forever. She eats pretty well all the time too but to be as skinny as she has been for the last few years has taken a great deal of effort and luckily she has found a way to make this her lifestyle and even to incorporate some major life changes - such as changing countries, jobs and available hours for exercise.

For me, I know from enough past experience that i can not keep up a lifestyle that rigorous and demanding and finally at my great age of 51, i have accepted that skinniness per se is not the best goal for me to aim for. Oh yea, i'd like to be able to maintain a steady 60kg for the rest of my life. I'd even like to be a skinnier than that but i know how hard it is to maintain with and without exercise.

But my main aim is not to get overweight again. I have recognised that the easiest and most achievable way for me to do this is to virtually eliminate the foods that cause me to lose control and lead to bad dietary practices. For me personally that is refined sugar. It also means being assiduous with regards to my intake of fruit, vegetables and protein. I have to work at eating right and as i enjoy these foods i am willing to make the effort on a regular basis. Like you i've been doing this weight loss thing for almost a year. It can get boring. I've recently stopped with the calorie counting and even food logging as i've reached dieters fatigue. It will probably happen for you at some point and you have to know what to do when that happens.

Never stop weighing yourself.
Don't allow yourself to get depressed and resort to over eating because of slight weight gains. Keep the bigger picture in mind. Maintain a positive attitude towards your healthy weight even if its not your ideal weight.
Commit to a lifetime of healthy eating. Keep sweets and high calorie eating events to a minimum. I'd say not more than once a month on average. Binge on fruit if anything at all. Its a much slower way to regain weight and is unlikely to lead to you falling off the wagon.
Be kind to yourself.
Keep your food tasty. Enjoy your cooking. Be organised in the kitchen and although you may have a busy life, it will be worth it to always have access to prepared healthy foods and fresh fruit and veg.

hfbs616

Thank you SueInAz! I think you're right. I took my measurements last Wednesday: under bust 30", waist 28", hip 36", bicep 10", lower stomach 34", thighs left 19 1/2" right 20", calf 14 1/2". I've really been thinking about this a lot. I'll take them again today and see if there is any difference.

Patttience

With regard to your food diary i would suggest the following:

Reduce your carbs and increase your fat. Read a book or two about low carb. Its pretty technical but try the art and science of low carb. I'm not suggesting you follow a strict low carb diet. But i am suggesting you would benefit from understanding more about the problem of low fat diets and how fat is not your enemy.

Second. you don't need to count sugars. You do need to keep refined sugar to a minimum but you don't need to count that in mfp. You should be counting fibre on the other hand and increasing your intake significantly. Watch this show on youtube: Catalyst - gut reaction, part 1 and part 2. Its about the importance of fibre and i guarantee you are not aware of the information you will discover in this tv show which has been put together by a reputable science show in Australia but based on a scientific project going on in America.

Your protein intake looks about right in terms of totals.

you need to eat more fruit vegetables and i'd suggest more dairy. I don't think your food looks very appetising either. If your food is not interesting and tasty you will find it hard to sustain over the long haul. You need to work at least as hard if not harder on your improving your daily meals as you are currently on your body building stuff. Honestly and seriously, i mean that.

hfbs616

Thanks Patttience, I really into this for the long haul. Honestly this is the most fun I have ever had. It is a little odd but I like measuring my food, counting the calories and hitting the gym. I use measuring cups and spoons for everything but meat and whole fruits and veg. I'm not naturally thin but the game plan is logging in one way or another for the rest of my life. I do love bread though so that is a little hard to keep from over doing.Two weeks ago my friend baked some bread with dinner and I ate way too much, it was awesome.... I'll check out the video that you recommended tonight.

I_Will_End_You

Low carb is not necessary for weight loss or overall health.