Halfway and stumped

RunnerDench

Hey,

I've been on MFP since April 2015, and have lost about half of what I would need to lose to reach my GW. Started at 216 lb, currently around 171. There was a good 6-7 month period where I was losing almost to MFP specs (2lbs a week), but then I plateaued, and have lost very little since October.

During the whole process I would be very strict on Sunday to Thursday, and then have mega-workouts (burning close to 800-900 cals) on the weekends to balance out weekend family dinners. I am less able to do the mega workouts because they don't do well with my tendons, and I find myself struggling again with portion control and snacking, especially on the weekends. I haven't stopped logging (except when on Vacation, twice), but I suddenly find it way harder not to go over my calorie intake for the day. I exercise regularly (did a C25K program as well as long walks, and now started transitioning to a 10k) and do Iyengar Yoga for muscle restoration.

I eat very little processed food (Mediterranean climate and culture), try to swap carbs for veg and/or protein. Problem is I find myself with very little calories for dinner as I almost always run out from snacking.

In a way, I don't feel like this is a nutrition problem, more so that I might be tired of the work, but I am not ready to give up. Any advice?

Expatmommy79

Try a less aggressive goal like 1 / week so you can eat more calories. You may be less hungry and better able to avoid binging if you have more to work with?

I find even on "cheat" days when I plan to eat at maintenance - I still eat a few 100 cals less just because I don't feel deprived and know I am allowed to eat more if I want.

How are you logging your exercise calories? I would assume it is actually about 1/2 of what you think it is....

Could you try intermittent fasting? I skip breakfast to make calorie room for the rest of the day.

Look at your log and see where your densest calories are. Can you swap for a less caloric alternative? Or reduce your portion of your snacks?

RunnerDench

Hey, thanks!

I log exercise calories using a Fitbit HR. Took me a while to trust it, but I believe it has a pretty good estimation.

I'll think about changing my calorie goal. Feels counter-intuitive, but could work

kimny72

OP, as you get closer to goal, you will lose slower. As you get smaller, you need less calories, so your deficit is shrinking, which is why your rate of loss is slowing. If you are struggling, change your goal to half a pound per week for awhile to give yourself a little break. When you feel comfortable and successful again, maybe increase to 1 lb per week. With less than 50 lbs left to lose, Most people find that they would need to set their calories too low to continue to aim for 2 lbs per week. Good luck!