I need help

Paul699

Ive been going for 7 months now, and had a mostly good result, steady weight loss right from the start. Better at the beginning of course, 3-4lbs per week, then steadied out at 1-2 then in more recent weeks 1lb.

I could live with that, as slow and steady made more sense to me, and made me think it will stay of easier and be easier to maintain..

In total, Ive lost 34 lbs, and have 5 to go, I started slowing right down and wet a couple of weeks with no loss, I couldn't understand it but someone on here that I should double check my calorie count at the weekend and be completely honest

I did this, and I think that was part of the issue, but now though its happened again, I cant seem to lose the last 5lbs, I counted obsessively, went to the gym every day, upped my CV work out. And this friday was weigh in day.... I put a pound on, my counting was spot on, to say Im gutted is an understatement, to the extent that I have had a weekend of, not going to gym tonight. Not really sure what to do now, its frightening enough to not have lost anything, but thinking that i am not losing when in deficit, what will happen if I ever dd reach my goal, going to maintenance would be impossible, and i could not maintain this gym activity.

Desperate

DeguelloTex

For how long have you not lost?

KateTii

If you have upped your exercise, your muscles are probably retaining more water to assist in repair - which could be the reason for the pound increase.

Have you checked that your calorie goal has adjusted to your new weight?

However, weightloss stalling for a week isn't something to be worried about. Bodies are weird and weightloss isn't linear. You'll probably see a bigger drop next week.

Machka9

Yep ... as I get closer to my goal, I have more weeks where everything remains the same or where I might gain a little bit. And then all of a sudden I drop a kilogram. And then for the next week or two things more or less remain the same. And repeat. But the general trend is downward ... just a bit slower and less definite than it was in the beginning.

Also do check your BMR. It will decrease as you decrease. I have slowly dropped my max calories to about 60 cal/day lower than it was about a month ago. But don't go below 1200 calories, of course.

Paul699

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Paul699

just re read my previous, apologies if its reads at all confrontational, im just so mad, upset, confused and desperate. I really believe my cals are low, i cant reduce them more.

KateTii

Paul699 wrote: »

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Open your diary so we can have a look?

Machka9

Paul699 wrote: »

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Have you checked your BMR?

MFP has an app that will let you do that ... go to Apps ... click on BMR.

Paul699

Opened up my diary, just redone my settings and it says I should be on the below, when im doing 1550 roughly.

Net Calories Consumed* / Day 1,740 Calories / Day

LivingtheLeanDream

The last 5lbs are the slowest to go....I use to find after a 3 week stall then I would see a small whoosh on the scale. Tighten up your logging and you'll find those remaining pounds will go.

jgnatca

Maybe decide you have reached your goal. If I weigh myself several times a day (not recommended) I go up and down three or four pounds in a single day.

Please don't let a scale disembowel you.

Paul699

Machka9 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Have you checked your BMR?

MFP has an app that will let you do that ... go to Apps ... click on BMR.

Is that BMR - Basic Metabolic Rate, yes ive done that, and it was 1800 or around that If i remember rightly, thats before i started going to gym daily, i do CV mon/ weds/ Friday, resistance Tues/ Thurs.

WBB55

Paul699 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Have you checked your BMR?

MFP has an app that will let you do that ... go to Apps ... click on BMR.

Is that BMR - Basic Metabolic Rate, yes ive done that, and it was 1800 or around that If i remember rightly, thats before i started going to gym daily, i do CV mon/ weds/ Friday, resistance Tues/ Thurs.

Do you "eat back" exercise calories?

Paul699

jgnatca wrote: »

Maybe decide you have reached your goal. If I weigh myself several times a day (not recommended) I go up and down three or four pounds in a single day.

Please don't let a scale disembowel you.

Several times a day ? . I do it once per week, i thought your weight could fluctuate daily, and weighing yourself more than once per week could give you very misleading results ?

Paul699

WBB55 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Have you checked your BMR?

MFP has an app that will let you do that ... go to Apps ... click on BMR.

Is that BMR - Basic Metabolic Rate, yes ive done that, and it was 1800 or around that If i remember rightly, thats before i started going to gym daily, i do CV mon/ weds/ Friday, resistance Tues/ Thurs.

Do you "eat back" exercise calories?

no never, more deficit, more weight loss.. or not in this case lol

Machka9

Paul699 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Have you checked your BMR?

MFP has an app that will let you do that ... go to Apps ... click on BMR.

Is that BMR - Basic Metabolic Rate, yes ive done that, and it was 1800 or around that If i remember rightly, thats before i started going to gym daily, i do CV mon/ weds/ Friday, resistance Tues/ Thurs.

Yes ... and have you checked it recently? Just pop over to the Apps page here and give it a go.

Also, are you still weighing your food?

Paul699

Machka9 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Have you checked your BMR?

MFP has an app that will let you do that ... go to Apps ... click on BMR.

Is that BMR - Basic Metabolic Rate, yes ive done that, and it was 1800 or around that If i remember rightly, thats before i started going to gym daily, i do CV mon/ weds/ Friday, resistance Tues/ Thurs.

Yes ... and have you checked it recently? Just pop over to the Apps page here and give it a go.

Also, are you still weighing your food?

Thanks for that, Ill have a look, I had done BMR from other sites (NHS one and one other, but I will do it again, as that was months ago.)

And yes I weigh obsessively. To my wifes distraction

jgnatca

Paul699 wrote: »

jgnatca wrote: »

Maybe decide you have reached your goal. If I weigh myself several times a day (not recommended) I go up and down three or four pounds in a single day.

Please don't let a scale disembowel you.

Several times a day ? . I do it once per week, i thought your weight could fluctuate daily, and weighing yourself more than once per week could give you very misleading results ?

Yes, that's good. IF YOU DID weigh yourself several times a day you might see your weight fluctuate several pounds a day. Which is why you can't allow yourself to be gutted over a single pound.

DeguelloTex

Machka9 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

Paul699 wrote: »

thanks for the responses guys.

I havent lost for 3 weeks now.

No I havent redone my goal either, im doing 1550 cals a day, if thats not in deficit, i will not be dieting much longer. I cannot reduce more, in fact I'd decided to go up 100 cals. To see if i could trick my body into something, then downing the cals again.

Have you checked your BMR?

MFP has an app that will let you do that ... go to Apps ... click on BMR.

Is that BMR - Basic Metabolic Rate, yes ive done that, and it was 1800 or around that If i remember rightly, thats before i started going to gym daily, i do CV mon/ weds/ Friday, resistance Tues/ Thurs.

Yes ... and have you checked it recently? Just pop over to the Apps page here and give it a go.

Also, are you still weighing your food?

How, exactly, is an online BMR estimate going to be useful information here?

PinkPixiexox

First of all, are you correctly weighing your food? I re-iterate this because I too struggled with the last few pounds but the moment I purchased my scales, I realised I was seriously under-estimating my portion calories before which really effected my deficit! Make sure your logging is really, really tight! Those last 5 lbs are going to be stubborn and slow anyway - so being 100% sure that everything is accounted for is vital!

Also - are you measuring yourself? I did find I was losing very little weight toward the end but was losing some impressive inches. I've recently started tracking body fat percentage too - I'm not losing 'pounds' but I am losing body fat. Non scale victories are awesome!

TracyeS4

Don't freak out over the single pound. Just keep eating right and exercising. Your are so close to your goal that the weight is going to come off much much slower. But, it will come off! In addition, a pound might be a normal body fluctuation. You know... bath room stuff and such. Just keep going.

Paul699

thanks guys, im beginning to see the last 5 or so lbs can be a struggle for a lot of people.. I didn't know.

I went down 1lb again last friday, and have also upped my cals to 1740 for a week or so, but am still training, im hoping to maintain at least this week, and then will look to dropping again. Just mixing it up a little, partly to give myself a controlled break, and partly to try and make my body change again.

ahoy_m8

Ditto on the last 5 lbs requiring a much higher level of accuracy. Smaller deficit=less margin for error. Also ditto re: the whoosh effect--3 weeks steady then down 2 lb. Personally, for those last pounds with a small deficit and slow loss, it really helps me to weigh every day and use a rolling average. Mentally, I can think I'm making much less progress than I actually am. Then I look at the trendline, and ah.... it is exactly the slow loss predicted but not obvious day-to-day. More data points leads to more accurate data, generally speaking. If you weigh only once a week, and one week is a low hydration day and the next week it's a high hydration day, you will be bummed when actually, you might be right on track. If you weigh every day, the high & low hydration days average out. Best of luck with the last 5!