Well Beyond a Plateau

Val_from_OH

I have been an MFP member for a couple of years now. Sometimes I am very diligent, other times not so much. But... I haven't lost any significant amount of weight in over a year. I have tried changing my exercise routine, and have both increased and decreased my calories, with no results. Not in size or weight.

For the past several weeks I have been very diligent about logging the good, the bad, and the ugly. The fact is, I am eating at a deficit every week. Most days I am over my calorie limit for the day, but still, I am netting a 1750 - 3500 deficit per week. And I am not losing at all. Not gaining either. I am just stuck.

This happened to me before I got pregnant with my daughter (almost 5 years ago now). I discussed it with my doctor, and she basically told me not to worry about it, as all my bloodwork looked good, and I seemed fit enough.

Does anyone have any ideas for what I can do to kickstart my loss? Just so you know, I have actually lost a lot of weight before, over 50 lbs before my first pregnancy. I kept it off until my second preganancy, but now I am still carrying around 40 lbs of "baby weight".

Val_from_OH

A little help? Anyone?

saeede83

I saw your diary, most days you are over your carb. you should go lower on carbs. Have more veggies and protein. Also try to get a food scale and weigh your food. It's very common to understimate the calories you are eating. Do you excercise as well? If so, change your excercise plan.

rowanwood

I'd guess you weren't eating enough. Have you figured out your TDEE?

GamerGirly

You are consuming a LOT of carbs. I don't see your sodium intake but I can be certain that it is too through the roof.
I would limit your carb intake to about 100-150 daily. Limit sodium intake to about 2000-2500.
Limit calories from 1200-1600
Depending on your body of course..

Just my advice..

Val_from_OH

Thanks all. Good suggestion on the carbs. I do try to limit them during the day, but I have a sweet tooth that is out to get me I will strive to be more diligent about this. I really struggle with the protein, as my budget is tight, and lean cuts of meat are expensive! I usually buy 1 1/2 lbs of meat to feed my family of 4 for dinner, and I need enough leftovers for 2 of us to eat for lunch the next day.

I do use a food scale & measuring cups regularly, so I have moderate - high confidence that my portion sizes are correct. I also use a HRM to try to get the most accurate calorie counts for exercise.

Rowanwood: I have calculated my TDEE, which is 1965. 20% deficit puts me at 1572 + eating back exercise calories. I have my diary set to 1300, but in reality, I eat closer to 1550 most days. Do you think I need to increase this a bit more? I'm not too worried that I will gain, as last year I bumped all the way up to 2000 calories per day and still maintained.

bwogilvie

If you calculated your TDEE online, what you calculated was an estimate based on the average of a large number of people. Your actual TDEE might be significantly lower or higher, based on how efficiently your gut and its resident bacteria extract energy from food, your normal body temperature (mine is about a degree F lower than 98.6, which means I use less energy keeping my body warm than others), and a range of other factors, including how much you fidget. If you're not losing any weight, it suggests that you are eating your TDEE, with no deficit.

Since you use a scale and measuring cups, the most likely culprit (other than your metabolism) is the HRM. They are often inaccurate, especially for women. One study showed that they overestimated calories by 27-28%! (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21178923) Another showed a 12% overestimate for women, but not for men. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15292754)

To add anecdotes to the studies: I've owned three HRMs, and two of them have systematically overestimated my energy output. One of the inaccurate ones did a lot better when I set my weight to my estimated lean body mass, rather than my total weight.

Try recording only 75% of the calories that the HRM claims you burned, and see what happens. I bet you'll start to get results.

On the food side: Veggies have carbohydrates too - just not as many simple carbohydrates (sugars) as baked goods tend to have. A lot of times people recommend cutting "carbs" and replacing them with vegetables--that doesn't necessarily cut carbs, though veggies give you a lot more fiber and water, which helps you feel full faster.

The cheapest lean meat I've found is boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I also advise eating more vegetable protein; I'm a big fan of rice and beans, which give you complex carbohydrates (starches) and complete protein (neither rice nor beans is a complete source of protein by itself, but combine them and you get all the essential amino acids). If your family is used to eating more traditional meals, chili con carne with onions, beans, and green peppers is a great gateway food to eating more veggies!