How do you know if you have plateaued?

jezahb

ChristopherWhite1 wrote: »

For instance What are your macro %'s be really useful to know. What is your weekly activity routine. These can be offered without disclosing your diary which I can understand reluctance to do. Judgement can sometimes be harsh and swift from neggers! on the net) .

Embarrassed to say, but what do you mean by Macro's? Like my fat, carbs, sugar per day? I generally stick to the MFP guidelines rarely going over their daily recommended amount for me. What other numbers and details did you need?

PAV8888

@jezahb, is your stall one where you are bouncing up and down, or one where you are only going up?
Is it continuing?

Once you exclude the usual culprits (sodium, TOM, exercise routine, logging errors, stress, not enough time, and your weight continues to consistently go up even though your logging leeds you to expect otherwise), then it would be appropriate--I am not being facetious here--to go see a Dr. There do exist medical conditions where your body can retain water and/or your weight can increase: some are not so serious, some may be more serious.

jezahb

It is going up and down but still hasn't gone below where it was June 6th. I was down to 232 June 6th, and now my weight has been bouncing around a bit but staying around 235-238 depending on the day/time of day.

Sued0nim

Sorry did you say up thread you have a thyroid condition? When did you last have your bloods run?

Sued0nim

Standard advice for Macros is

Protein (0.64-0.82g per lb bodyweight) - as a minimum
Fat (0.35g per lb of bodyweight) - as a minimum
Carbs - can fall where they may

If you want to translate that to percentages then fat=9 cals per g, protein and carbs =4 cals per gramme

jezahb

Interesting, MFP has my goals for those are set below what I calculated out. They have my "goal" for fat 66g and calculations you gave me says my minimum would be 82g. Protein is even worse, MFP has it set at 100g and my calculations show it at 150g-192g. Fat I usually hit the 66g goal mark (this week my average was 72g) or a little over, protein I don't get anywhere near even 100g, I average out at about 45g of protein each day.

jezahb

rabbitjb wrote: »

Sorry did you say up thread you have a thyroid condition? When did you last have your bloods run?

Yes, I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis (essentially autoimmune where your body attacks your thyroid) and had my last tests in April. At the point they were ok, but the issue with Hashi's is it does tend to fluctuate greatly since it depends on how badly it is being attacked at the moment.

Sued0nim

jezahb wrote: »

rabbitjb wrote: »

Sorry did you say up thread you have a thyroid condition? When did you last have your bloods run?

Yes, I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis (essentially autoimmune where your body attacks your thyroid) and had my last tests in April. At the point they were ok, but the issue with Hashi's is it does tend to fluctuate greatly since it depends on how badly it is being attacked at the moment.

It definitely does make life more difficult ...you can be continuing to do everything right but your condition can change the calories out part of the equation

Unfortunately it makes the generic stall advice and water weight fluctuation knowledge somewhat, though not entirely, irrelevant in your specific circumstances

It's still only 2 weeks though, I think I'd give it another 2 and head back for blood tests if it doesn't stabilise

Sued0nim

jezahb wrote: »

Interesting, MFP has my goals for those are set below what I calculated out. They have my "goal" for fat 66g and calculations you gave me says my minimum would be 82g. Protein is even worse, MFP has it set at 100g and my calculations show it at 150g-192g. Fat I usually hit the 66g goal mark (this week my average was 72g) or a little over, protein I don't get anywhere near even 100g, I average out at about 45g of protein each day.

The macro splits I gave you are based on research for those who do bodybuilding eg for a dedicated professional athlete the research showed that over 0.82g protein per lb was not really needed ...although there's, as always, some debate there and many say 1g per lb.

I do resistance training ...but I'm an older woman just enjoying it and the results so I focus on trying to hit the minimum 0.64g as a protein minimum to support muscle repair etc

As for fats, I seem to fall short but fat is an important macro for nutrient absorption and supporting systems

I also tend to eat a fair amount of carbs cos yum

I try not to get obsessive and use it as a general guide ...my macro splits are not even set to that on here because of how much exercise impacts on the actual grammes... I just keep an eye on it

PAV8888

So your thyroid's current condition could be affecting your actual TDEE making it lower than your calculated one.

At 200+ lbs you have a good amount of lean mass on you. Preserving the most of it that you can while losing fat seems (to me) to be a good idea.

High protein intake (absent kidney problems) helps preserve your lean body mass. 45g a day is certainly NOT very high...

FitForL1fe

editorgrrl

jezahb wrote: »

I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis (essentially autoimmune where your body attacks your thyroid) and had my last tests in April. At the point they were ok, but the issue with Hashi's is it does tend to fluctuate greatly since it depends on how badly it is being attacked at the moment.

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease), and I lost more slowly than most MFPers—so be patient! But I did it just like everybody else—by learning to log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly. I followed the advice in the Sexypants post: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

A healthy, sustainable loss is .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight, but weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you do everything right but maintain—or even gain. Others you lose a whole lot in a "whoosh." Take measurements and progress photos, too. And have other metrics—like strength or endurance.

lazydaisy88

victoria_1024 wrote: »

I recently went about 2 weeks without losing any weight after very steadily losing 1-2 pounds every week for a few months. I knew I was doing everything right and just kept at it. Then I suddenly dropped 3 pounds. That seems to be happening for me more, where I hover around the same weight for a while and then drop weight suddenly overnight.

^^ this is me all the time! I don't move on the scale for several weeks, then, BAM! Down a couple. A few days later a couple more. Then the stall happens again. Ugh! The stalled weeks can make it difficult to stay positive, OP. Hang in there a bit longer.

jezahb

It has been 3 weeks now, still no loss except my weight hasn't gone above 235 now for a few days. 235.6 yesterday and 235.2 today, so maybe it is going the right direction? Still 3 lbs over my weight at the start of June. Trendweight is saying based on my weight graph so far I am eating 500 calories a day OVER maintenance and frankly that is impossible. That would be 2300 calories which I have a hard time even hitting on those days (rare now) that I get angry and say "screw it" and eat all the things I denied myself in massive quantities (like half a box of oreos or half a pint of Ben and Jerry's...ugh). Last cheat day when I ate a TON of crap I only hit 2,100 calories and felt really sick. My body cannot handle that amount of calories without me physically feeling it. So since I am not feeling it and logging myself at around 1400 calories a day or less I don't know how it would be possible to mis-log the 3-4 meals I have a day by nearly 1000 calories. So frustrated.

editorgrrl

jezahb wrote: »

It has been 3 weeks now, still no loss. Still 3 lbs over my weight at the start of June. Trendweight is saying I am eating 500 calories a day OVER maintenance.

My body cannot handle that amount of calories without me physically feeling it. So since I am not feeling it and logging myself at around 1400 calories a day or less I don't know how it would be possible to mis-log the 3-4 meals I have a day by nearly 1000 calories.

Trendweight has been 100% accurate for me—I lost the weight & have maintained for a year by logging everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly and using a Fitbit to calculate my TDEE.

If you're not losing and Trendweight is saying you're eating at a surplus, your "gut feeling" is probably wrong. Open your diary for personal advice, but it sounds like you're underestimating your food.

Do you weigh everything—even packaged food? Do you choose verified entries whenever available, then USDA values? Do you use the recipe builder whenever you cook?

Logging is simple, but it ain't easy. Logging works.

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jezahb

I log my fitbit info manually as I don't have a fitbit, so I am just inputting my weight from my weigh ins each morning. No exercise right now, besides some strength training yesterday which I am crazy sore from. So my maintenance is based off of what MFP, and a bunch of other sites say my BMR is (not my TDEE as I have my settings set as sedentary so anything I burn with daily activity which can be a lot since my job is standing/walking for 5 hours a day on weekends isn't counted). My BMR is around 1800 on every site, minus or plus a couple hundred calories. No way can my logging be THAT off, I generally eat the same things every day (one or 2 PB+J sandwiches and a protein shake, maybe a few pepperocinis as a snack or feta) so I am not even consuming enough different items to make up an extra 1000 calories A DAY (not a week, A DAY). I don't weigh my food every time I eat, I generally weight out how much a TBSP, 1/4 cup etc of whatever brand of food I am eating is and always use the same measuring spoon/cup when I make it. Less time consuming.

jezahb

I also logged before I started dieting, I logged how much I normally at each day for a week just eating 100% normally for myself and wasn't even hitting 2300 calories THEN.

editorgrrl

jezahb wrote: »

I don't weigh my food every time I eat, I generally weight out how much a TBSP, 1/4 cup etc of whatever brand of food I am eating is and always use the same measuring spoon/cup when I make it. Less time consuming.

What you're doing right now is not working. Weigh everything you eat (even packaged foods), and you'll break through your plateau.