Hit the dreaded plateau yet again.

freespirit427

Hi all,

So I have hit that brick wall again. The dreaded weight loss plateau. I hit it at this weight before and last time gave up completely and put nearly 40 pounds back on. I am trying very hard to stay positive and push through but with exercise and strict eating and the scale just isn't moving...yet again. I feel like maybe I should change the cardio up or maybe push weights less? Maybe eat a little more often?

My question is: What do you guys do to help along this sometimes bumpy journey and to break through the sometimes tough to crack plateau?

Thank you for reading!

I_Will_End_You

If you've been stalled for several weeks, you're just eating at maintenance. Tighten up on your logging, make sure if you're eating back exercise calories you're using realistic numbers (like half of what MFP tells you you burned), try a food scale if you haven't already. If you stop losing weight, it's because you aren't in a deficit.

malibu927

How long have you been at this weight? How are you determining the number of calories you're eating?

freespirit427

I have been at this weight for about 2 months now. Losing .2, .5 etc. But bouncing around this weight for about 2 months now.

strong_curves

Tighten up your logging, if you're exercising and eating the exercise calories back try eating less of them. Try using a food scale to measure/weigh all food and drinks.

malibu927

freespirit427 wrote: »

I have been at this weight for about 2 months now. Losing .2, .5 etc. But bouncing around this weight for about 2 months now.

Then it sounds like you're eating more than you think. Tighten up your logging and it should start to come off again.

freespirit427

I am determining calories just by what the fitness pal says. I was at 1400, then dropped to 1300 and still havent lost. I exercise 4 to 5 days a week. And I do not count my exercise calories in. I zero them out.

I_Will_End_You

freespirit427 wrote: »

I am determining calories just by what the fitness pal says. I was at 1400, then dropped to 1300 and still havent lost. I exercise 4 to 5 days a week. And I do not count my exercise calories in. I zero them out.

How do you determine how many calories you're eating? For example, if you eat a turkey sandwich, how do you know how many calories to enter? It would be helpful if you opened your diary.

ahoy_m8

Use a food scale and use extra care in choosing the correct (verified) entries. It will make all the difference.

goldthistime

So you have lost 40 lbs already, right? Well done! Let yourself enjoy this accomplishment rather than feeling angry that the scales aren't moving down more. Google "diet break" to see f that's something you need. Personally, I'd just keep doing what I'm doing and ditch the scales for a while.

freespirit427

I try to only eat what I can scan and the fruit and veggies seemed to be available when I calculated and just typed in.

A typical diary day for me would look like:

9 amBreakfast : Protein shake 160 cal post workout.

2pm Lunch: Lean cusine pizza 360 cal
Chobani flip 200 cal

From 5 to 9pmDinner: pear 85 cal, dannon greek yogurt 130 cal, frozen berries 70 cal, baked tilapia plain 90 cal, kiwi 25 cal, steel cut oats 180 cal.

I work a 3 to 9 evening shift with no dinner break so I pack what I can grab and eat. I normally call those"snacks" dinner and start anywhere from 5 to 9 during.

My work outs are now treadmill: 3.5mph, 9% incline. Leg reps 30 lbs, 20 reps, leg lunges 20 reps, arm lifts 5 lbs 20 reps, hindu squats 20 reps. Mon thru Thurs. Then Fri thru Sun I try to get out for a nice long brisk walk.

freespirit427

I also drink atleast 2.2 liters of h20 daily but more like 2.5 to 3 liters daily.

cerise_noir

I_Will_End_You wrote: »

freespirit427 wrote: »

I am determining calories just by what the fitness pal says. I was at 1400, then dropped to 1300 and still havent lost. I exercise 4 to 5 days a week. And I do not count my exercise calories in. I zero them out.

How do you determine how many calories you're eating? For example, if you eat a turkey sandwich, how do you know how many calories to enter? It would be helpful if you opened your diary.

This. If you aren't weighing your food, you're eating more than you think. I've been there when I didn't have a scale for a couple months..big difference!

WifiresGettingFit

As previously stated, I would definitely make sure you verify the entries you are using ensuring they match the nutritional information on the package. Also, when i eat out, I compare the entry in the database with the restaurant website because all it takes is them to make one or two changes to the recipe or start using a different brand to change the nutritional panel. If I eat out at a place that doesn't have nutritional info, I try to hopefully overestimate my intake. (This has also been my deterrent for not eating out as much. Because I hate not knowing exactly how many calories I'm eating) And just a side note: The verified entries are nice but I have found some that are wrong and they won't let them be corrected it seems so definitely make sure you are using an accurate database entry.

crb426

It could also be that those pre-packaged foods have a lot of sodium that are helping you hold onto that water weight. Maybe?

I_Will_End_You

crb426 wrote: »

It could also be that those pre-packaged foods have a lot of sodium that are helping you hold onto that water weight. Maybe?

Even if there was water retention involved, there would still be a downward trend after two months.

diannethegeek

I hit a two month stretch of bouncing up and down between the same two pounds during my weight loss, and this is what I wish people had told me at the time. It would have saved me a lot of time floundering.

1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.

malibu927

You still haven't mentioned if you use a food scale. If you don't, please consider purchasing one.

freespirit427

malibu927 wrote: »

You still haven't mentioned if you use a food scale. If you don't, please consider purchasing one.

I do use a food scale, but just for food items from a bulk bag like frozen veggies or veggie straws etc.

I_Will_End_You

freespirit427 wrote: »

malibu927 wrote: »

You still haven't mentioned if you use a food scale. If you don't, please consider purchasing one.

I do use a food scale, but just for food items from a bulk bag like frozen veggies or veggie straws etc.

Again, you'd get better advice if you opened your diary.

bsbprincess

What confuses me here (MFP in general) is the mix of advice about this. I was once at a plateau for about 6-8 weeks. I was working out, on my feet for miles a day at a restaurant, and eating about 1200-1400 a day. People on another forum told me to eat more. I increased my calories to 1600 a day and lost that week. I'm not trying to tell OP to eat more. I am certainly not qualified to do so... but on this forum, and even in this post. You hear "try eating more!" and "you must be eating too much" at the same time. I'm getting close to a stall weight too, OP, and I know how annoying it is. I ALWAYS get stuck at 170. It's happened numerous times and only once did I break past it. I made sure I was eating well and started doing tougher workout videos. Then in the high 160s I got stuck again and was told to eat more... then I lost again.

It's just all so confusing to us that don't know what to listen to. I suppose all we can do, OP, is take each advice one week at a time and see what works for us.

freespirit427

Again, you'd get better advice if you opened your diary. [/quote]


I don't understand what opening my diary means?

bsbprincess

You can make your diary open for the public to see, so people can see exactly what you're eating

I_Will_End_You

bsbprincess wrote: »

What confuses me here (MFP in general) is the mix of advice about this. I was once at a plateau for about 6-8 weeks. I was working out, on my feet for miles a day at a restaurant, and eating about 1200-1400 a day. People on another forum told me to eat more. I increased my calories to 1600 a day and lost that week. I'm not trying to tell OP to eat more. I am certainly not qualified to do so... but on this forum, and even in this post. You hear "try eating more!" and "you must be eating too much" at the same time. I'm getting close to a stall weight too, OP, and I know how annoying it is. I ALWAYS get stuck at 170. It's happened numerous times and only once did I break past it. I made sure I was eating well and started doing tougher workout videos. Then in the high 160s I got stuck again and was told to eat more... then I lost again.

It's just all so confusing to us that don't know what to listen to. I suppose all we can do, OP, is take each advice one week at a time and see what works for us.

Usually when people think they lost weight because they ate more, it's because they payed more careful attention to what they were eating. People are afraid of eating more, so if they decide to up their calories, they'll generally log more accurately. Plus eating more can cut back on people going nuts on "cheat days" and such, because they're hungry as all hell from eating so little. Another factor can be that people may have more energy and increase their activity on more calories.

bsbprincess

Click on food (on the top bar) and then settings under that category and then at the bottom of that page you can change this setting from private to friends only or public, so everyone here can look at it and offer advice.

Thank you @I_Will_End_You Appreciate that post. It helps explain things more.

freespirit427

Okay. I made it public. Hopefully it works. Yes, great idea! Thanks! Will that also show my weight graph? I can take a screen shot of it too.

I_Will_End_You

If you aren't willing to use a food scale to check and see if you're entries have been accurate, I would suggest you just cut out a few snack items each day. You seem to eat a lot of the same foods over and over again. Look at your diary, and pick a couple that you feel aren't "worth it". Because bottom line, you're eating at maintenance. You may log 1400 calories everyday, but it doesn't mean that's what you're eating.

freespirit427

Very good point. I will try this out! Thank you, very helpful!

HutchA12

bsbprincess wrote: »

What confuses me here (MFP in general) is the mix of advice about this. I was once at a plateau for about 6-8 weeks. I was working out, on my feet for miles a day at a restaurant, and eating about 1200-1400 a day. People on another forum told me to eat more. I increased my calories to 1600 a day and lost that week. I'm not trying to tell OP to eat more. I am certainly not qualified to do so... but on this forum, and even in this post. You hear "try eating more!" and "you must be eating too much" at the same time. I'm getting close to a stall weight too, OP, and I know how annoying it is. I ALWAYS get stuck at 170. It's happened numerous times and only once did I break past it. I made sure I was eating well and started doing tougher workout videos. Then in the high 160s I got stuck again and was told to eat more... then I lost again.

It's just all so confusing to us that don't know what to listen to. I suppose all we can do, OP, is take each advice one week at a time and see what works for us.

Do you not recalculate your intake as you lose weight? Then smaller you are the less you need to eat.

HutchA12

freespirit427 wrote: »

Okay. I made it public. Hopefully it works. Yes, great idea! Thanks! Will that also show my weight graph? I can take a screen shot of it too.

Yeah, looking at it a scale can help. I see protein shakes. If you are using the scoop they can over scoop by up to 10 or 1/3 of a serving if is overly packed down. Also there is a chance you are using more creamer than you think. Fruits can also vary wildly by weight changing the cals. Do you only drink water other than a morning coffie?

freespirit427

I am unsure how to properly recalculate my cals based upon my weight loss. Besides coffee, just water.