Plateau & General Thoughts

undermyskin242

I am stuck and just curious as to thoughts or suggestions from anyone out there. When I started I weighed over 350lbs and am now hovering around the 300lb mark. In the past, this is always the end weight for me, I never seem to be able to get under it by any real degree. Maybe its mental, I don't know. So here I am, once again hovering +-10 lbs around 300. I go up, I go down. I have a personal trainer that I work out with 3 days a week and have started a run training program that is also 3x a week. My trainer does not "like"/want us to eat back exercise calories. When I first started with him I was only eating around 1000 calories, he told me I was crazy increased me to 1800 and my weight loss per 2 week check in was 2-3x better than eating less calories. So I was obviously not getting enough before. Then it just stopped, I don't really seem to be losing any, in fact I seem to be gaining. I dropped my calories to 1600, thinking maybe I was getting to many calories. I keep hearing that muscle weights more than fat and that is great, but at some point I have to start losing again right?!? It has easily been 4 months with no real progress and my frustration level is at an all time high. Has anyone else gone through this? Any ideas to get past it? Should I add more calories back into my diet? Less Carbs?? Any thoughts at all would be appreciated, I have a long way to go and I don't want to stop now. Thanks!!

smn76237

How are you measuring your food? Eyeballing or food scale?
For example, yesterday you had a snack of 1.5tbsp of peanut butter. Did you use a food scale to measure that out? If not, eyeballing portions of calories dense foods is a fast way to unwittingly eat 100s more calories than you thought.

undermyskin242

Yes I use scale and measuring items most of the time. I will admit that on occasion I do eyeball things, but 95% of the time I pull the scale/measuring spoons out.

diannethegeek

Do you know your BMR and TDEE? (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) That's a good place to start to determine whether you're eating too much or not enough.

undermyskin242

Its funny that you mentioned that. I was just looking over a post where some who has lost and kept off 130lbs was talking about that. I am not sure how intense/long the workouts they are asking about are. I do 1hr with trainer and my run training is 40 mins 2x a week and then varies on the long runs. I am not 100% sure how the math works. But to lose 2-3lbs a week, it looks like I would need to eat 2341-1841 calories, if my workouts would be considered moderate based on their calculations. I was eating 1800 before and maybe I just need to get back to that and see what happens. I really like this idea because it takes into account, not eating back exercise calories. Humm. Do you do it this way?

sallyleebooks

I just went through this. I realized that I was getting cream in my coffee every morning at McDonalds, not half and half. I have been doing this for 20 years! Sometimes habits are so imbedded, it takes a while to see them. I have changed that for two weeks now and really see a difference. Maybe this will help. Is there something you are eating that you don't even notice?

freshmenthesis

Does your trainer have an opinion on your current situation?

psuLemon

Based on your weight, it may be more beneficial to up your calories. High deficit can prevent weight loss but so can mis measuring. Being consistent with measuring will help.

I would ask why if your pt just getting you to do cardio? Why not some strength training? Really, you dont need a trainer for a running routine as you can do that on your own.

Also, do you have any medical conditions?

yarwell

Less carbohydrates are seldom a problem and often beneficial. Losing 100g of them a day (400 calories) is at least worth trying.

Your diary is closed so we don't know what you're eating.

undermyskin242

My PT does a good bit of strength training, that is what the circuit training is on my exercise. I do put it in under cardio. Maybe I need to fix that. Normally I do 10 mins of cardio and the rest of the hour a circuit with various exercises and weights, but because its a circuit, it's normally cardio too. I then do my run training on my own. I think I also need to add calories, which if I go by the method mentioned above, I would. I changed my diary settings, so it should be open now. Hey Sam, he is not sure himself, I printed my MFP for him so he could look it over and maybe have some advice.

alyhuggan

Just saying, you will be retaining way more water which can cause a fairly high fluctuation in body weight, I can easily carry an extra 6lb from water weight with low sodium levels (I usually have between 1000-2000) so you could be holding onto a lot of extra water weight

undermyskin242

Ha!!!!!!! That's great! I know, I am working on it! Thanks so much for all the suggestions and help. I think I am going to try the TDEE approach and yes! Yes! Watch my damn sodium!!! 1000-2000, that's great. I may check out your diary if its public!!