One year plateau... need words of encouragement

megbee617

Hi guys,

My weight has been stagnant for a YEAR after 30lbs lost. I switched up my exercise regimen 2 months ago. I go to spin class 2x week then general cardio/weights for 1-2x/week. I used to just do easy stuff like the elliptical for 30min 2x/week. I don't eat bad necessarily, but do eat back most of my calories after exercise because I genuinely am HUNGRY a lot.

I suppose now that I've said it, I could be doing better, but to have the scale not budge at all for a year is frustrating. Since starting spin 2 months ago, I have lost about an inch each in my hips and waist, which is cool because my clothes are a bit looser, but that's it.

I feel like I'm wasting my time at the gym and I'm starting to hate going (I used to love it).

uconnwinsnc1

Are you tracking calories accurately...?

Ninkyou

Are you weighing your food with a food scale? Have you updated your calorie goal after your 30 lbs loss? How are you calculating your exercise burns? Just a warning, MFP likes to overestimate calorie burns. If you're using MFP's calculator, only eat back half of those calories.

If you're hungry, eat more foods with protein, fat & fiber.

CorlissaEats

Um? You are losing inches....that's still loss. I would guess you are eating somewhere at maintenance and your exercise is helping you develop muscle while losing fat, hence the scale staying still but the measuring tape moving. I would suggest looking at weight loss at a holistic level and celebrating that success.

Either keep doing what you are doing a bit longer (its called body re-composition I believe) or shave off about 200-250 calories from your intake. Your TDEE burn changes as you lose weight and needs to be adjusted every 5-10lbs so that the deficit is still there.

rebeccaEsmith

A loss is loss, have you tried a personal trainer to help set a program for you, what about joining your local boot camp?? There are plenty of things you can do. You need to watch what you eat and still track. If you want it bad enough the scale will change. Good luck

Machka9

I would second (or third) the question ...

Are you tracking your calories accurately? Are you weighing everything?

Machka9

I'll add this as well ...

Enter your info into MFP.
Set yourself as sedentary.
Select an amount to lose each week (eg. 1 lb)
Look at what MFP gives you for maximum calories.

Then start meticulously weighing and logging all your food (with a food scale) to ensure that you remain under that maximum calorie limit.

And stick with it.

You might not notice any difference at all in the first couple weeks. But stick with it.

Make a plan that you will stick with it for 3 months. Nothing long-term ... just 3 months. At the end of 3 months, you can reassess the situation.

You'll likely encounter challenges along the way ... someone will have a birthday, friends will invite you out for dinner, your office will have a pizza day ...

Treat those situations like challenges not obstacles.
Prelog so you know what you're dealing with.
Look up restaurant and other information online to assist you with the prelogging process.
And exercise can offer you a helping hand. Get out and exercise and burn any extra calories you may have consumed.

But stick with the plan for 3 months.

Machka9

And I will also ask ... where are the veggies?

A bowl of steamed veggies is quite filling but low in calories ... it might help you fill up but not eat all your exercise calories back.

Ninkyou

Ok, so I looked at your diary and... it's inconsistent. You have lots of days you don't even log, and you don't appear to be weighing your food.

So the answer to your problem is to start logging consistently everyday and buckle down your accuracy after that. But until you do the first thing... you're not doing yourself any favors.