Advice on Plateau 25 lbs away from goal

7aneena
7aneena Posts: 146 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
I managed to lose ~55 lbs but now I need to lose 25 more and I am struggling. I am female 5 feet and 0.5 inch tall and my weight has been fluctuating between 160 and 163 for the past 4 months.
I started having "health diet" meals delivered fresh daily for the past month and only managed to lose 2 lbs in that time, the food is 1200 calories a day.
Whenever I go to BMR calculators I get a value around 1350-1400 (BMR) and I guess I am confused on what to do to lose these 25lbs.
P.S I am looking for something that is mainly managed by food, I realize exercise is important but I cannot afford more than light exercise for 3days/week

Replies

  • bostonultd1
    bostonultd1 Posts: 45 Member
    Are you drinking enough water? Usually "diet meals" are packed with sodium. Homemade meals are always better and can be prepared the night before. Plus you know exactly what amount of ingredients you're consuming. May I ask why you can only do light exercises? There's plenty of body weight exercises you can do at home. My guess would be that your daily calorie intake isn't correct.
  • 7aneena
    7aneena Posts: 146 Member
    The meals I get are made fresh daily, I don't think they would have more sodium than a home cooked meal.
    Regarding the exercise thing, it's a time issue not ability.
    I agree my calorie intake is probably wrong, but should I increase it or decrease it is the question
    I see a lot of people say they lose weight after they raise their calorie intake, it sounds counterproductive to me. Also, if it works, will it work for someone who does not exercise?
  • BioQueen
    BioQueen Posts: 694 Member
    The only thing I can think of is to prepare your own meals so you are sure of what is in them. I know it takes time, but there are some really quick meals and options that you can do. Exercise can help, and I personally try to do at least some a few times a week, but if you have 20 minutes you can do some pretty intense workouts. But if that still isn't an option then I think the best thing to do would be to prepare and weigh your own food. Congrats on the 55 pound loss so far! That's awesome!

    I have lost 44 so far, and I know that when you get closer and closer to your goal weight, your deficit has to be spot on. If you weigh and prepare your own food, it will probably help.
  • bostonultd1
    bostonultd1 Posts: 45 Member
    edited March 2015
    Well if your weight has stayed the same for the past 4 months it means whatever amount of calories your consuming on a daily basis is your "maintenance" level and you need to decrease calories by at least 200 a day. But, if you are truly only eating 1200 calories a day then I wouldn't recommend going below that. 1200 is already low. Your best bet would be to try your hardest to get some more exercise in somehow. Do you have cheat days? What does this app recommend your daily goal should be? And, do you drink enough water? I usually have around 120 ounces a day but that's because I go to the gym 6 days a week. Also just curious, if you're having meals delivered everyday, how to do you know the nutritional contents of the meals? Does the company provide them? Sorry, I don't mean to pry, just want to help.
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    It doesn't necessarily mean that she's taking in too many calories, though it could.

    OP, how long have you been eating at a deficit? Can you open your diary?
  • Petrapoo45
    Petrapoo45 Posts: 271 Member
    I always struggle with plateaus, so this is interesting...thank you!!
  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    I wonder if the delivered meals are accurate at 1200 calories a day. If they are, and you lost 1/2 pound a week on average for the last for weeks, then your TDEE is 1450. Since you are sedentary, more than likely your BMR is about 1200.

    I like this page for the calculations and TDEE/BMR/REE: http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee#tdee

    It may take a long time, but it seems as if you keep eating 1200 a day you will eventually reach your desired goal weight. If you walk just a little bit a day or eat just a little bit less, you may lose a tiny bit more each week.

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  • bostonultd1
    bostonultd1 Posts: 45 Member
    mamapeach910 wrote: »
    It doesn't necessarily mean that she's taking in too many calories, though it could.

    OP, how long have you been eating at a deficit? Can you open your diary?

    Well, actually it does. Unless she has a medical condition or is taking meds with adverse side effects then the only explanation is caloric intake. Plateaus are extremely common and can be conquered by adjusting your daily intake and getting your exercise in. Weight loss will be very slow if no exercise is incorporated. When I checked her BMR it came out to 1494.35 but I don't know her age so I put 30. 1200 should work fine which makes me believe her daily intake isn't correct. But, once she replies to my questions above then we'll have a better idea what the issue is.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    OP - do you use a food scale to weight all solids? do you log everything you eat? How long have you been eating in a deficit...
  • bostonultd1
    bostonultd1 Posts: 45 Member
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP - do you use a food scale to weight all solids? do you log everything you eat? How long have you been eating in a deficit...

    She doesn't have a scale, she has meals delivered everyday.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    bostonultd1 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP - do you use a food scale to weight all solids? do you log everything you eat? How long have you been eating in a deficit...

    She doesn't have a scale, she has meals delivered everyday.

    is she still doing that..it was not clear in her post ….
  • 7aneena
    7aneena Posts: 146 Member
    edited March 2015
    OK so I will be 35 in a month
    I drink 80 oz of water a day
    I used to have cheat days but I stopped hoping it would fix things
    I do not know the calorie break down of the meals, I just know they are a total of 1200
    Myfitnesspal recommends 1200 for 1lb/week loss
    Mamapeach: I would open my diary but I haven't been logging the meals since I am not making them
    I do have hypothyroid and possibly PCOS, went to the doctor and had blood work done to check my levels
    I have been eating at a deficit for a month now and yesy I am still doing that, I am trying to decide whether it's worth the money to continue having meals delivered I guess
  • bostonultd1
    bostonultd1 Posts: 45 Member
    I think so, her second post kinda insinuates
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    bostonultd1 wrote: »
    ndj1979 wrote: »
    OP - do you use a food scale to weight all solids? do you log everything you eat? How long have you been eating in a deficit...

    She doesn't have a scale, she has meals delivered everyday.

    is she still doing that..it was not clear in her post ….

    I think so, her second post kinda insinuates that she's still getting them.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    7aneena wrote: »
    OK so I will be 35 in a month
    I drink 80 oz of water a day
    I used to have cheat days but I stopped hoping it would fix things
    I do not know the calorie break down of the meals, I just know they are a total of 1200
    Myfitnesspal recommends 1200 for 1lb/week loss
    Mamapeach: I would open my diary but I haven't been logging the meals since I am not making them
    I do have hypothyroid and possibly PCOS, went to the doctor and had blood work done to check my levels

    if you have a medical condition then you probably need medication to balance out the CI or CO side of CICO ..

    how long have you been dieting?
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    If you've been dieting for a long time with no break, you could benefit from a diet break, which i believe is what a previous poster is trying to get at with the question "how long have you been eating at a deficit?"
  • bostonultd1
    bostonultd1 Posts: 45 Member
    7aneena wrote: »
    OK so I will be 35 in a month
    I drink 80 oz of water a day
    I used to have cheat days but I stopped hoping it would fix things
    I do not know the calorie break down of the meals, I just know they are a total of 1200
    Myfitnesspal recommends 1200 for 1lb/week loss
    Mamapeach: I would open my diary but I haven't been logging the meals since I am not making them
    I do have hypothyroid and possibly PCOS, went to the doctor and had blood work done to check my levels
    I have been eating at a deficit for a month now and yesy I am still doing that, I am trying to decide whether it's worth the money to continue having meals delivered I guess

    Ahh ok, well that makes more sense now. I'm not very familiar with those conditions so I can't really offer any further advice beyond what I have already. Your doctor would have better advice than us for healthy weight loss with your condition. Hopefully someone else with the same condition can chime in and offer their experience. Best of luck with your journey and stay strong. You can do it, it'll just take longer than you want.
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