Frustrated, frustrated and frustrated

stefanie18810

5'2 female, 138lbs, trying to lose the last 15...

I go to a boxing class 5-6 days a week. I just added running at my lunch hour (C25K program) this week. I've been hovering between 137-141 for weeks now. I'll go up, then down and the cycle continues. I ate 1550 calories yesterday, burned 150 running and another 600 at boxing and I gain .4lbs. WTF!!! Did I say I was frustrated???

I think I eat clean, and although I'm guilty of a small handful of granola around 9pm every night, I've been sticking to my diet otherwise. I haven't been using a scale for all of my foods, and will start doing that based on suggestion, but any other advise to get out of this slump would be great!

My diary is open, so feel free to pick it apart. I pretty much eat the same thing every day, so you won't have to do much investigating.

aprilmerritt434

Hi there!

Sooo... I am gonna take a stab at this. 1st I am also 5ft2 - so us short girls kinda get the crap end of the stick on calories. I feel ya. I will make a couple of suggestions for things I noticed in your diary based on my personal experience.

#1 - I personally think you don't eat enough at breakfast. From the few days I see, you are eating a kind bar every day. I would switch that up a couple days a week to something higher in protein like scrambled eggs or a sandwich (lite wheat bun, 1 egg scrambled/pan fried, slice of ham/bacon/2oz lite smoked sausage, slice of cheese). While the kind bar isn't bad, its processed and does have sugar. Breakfast helps set the tone for the rest of the day try to stay away from bars. You could even premake burritos and freeze them. Or if you have time, scramble some eggs - I use frozen peppers and onions and cut up precooked bacon to toss in there. Top with some feta and hot sauce.... it really is fast and tasty.
#2 - your exercise program looks pretty intense. When you eat less with that type of intensity, it sometime has the opposite effect. Throw in a hard boiled egg here and there and some full fat yogurt for a boost in your metabolis as well as increase your fat and protein intake.
#3 - You specifically state that you eat the same thing every day. Your body adjusts and settles. You are going to have to start adding more variety. If you get stuck in a routine with the wrong mix of nutrients, its counter productive to your weight loss. Same goes with your exercise. Your body adjusts. The only way to get out of it is to change. Not saying add more intensity, sometimes the opposite is true. Throw in some non-intense exercises, like yoga, stretching, or a plain ole long walk a couple days a week instead of high intensity. Your body actually needs days off to heal.

For me... I am at 128lbs. I eat on average 1800-1900 calories a day. Mon-Fri in the AM (about a mile and a half), do yoga one day a week, and walk a lot (I have 3 dogs, they make me). I actually refuse actual exercise on the weekends... I do walk 3-4 miles Sat-Sun with our dogs and do a lot of cleaning. I average about 15,000 steps a day.

As for nutrition... I did recently switch to FULL FAT dairy because according to MFP I don't eat enough fat and eat too much sugar. Also, I notice there isn't any oil in your diary. I know we have been taught since the 80's that fat is bad - I am starting to learn those were lies. Try adding in some olive oil or coconut oil. Your body needs it to absorb the nutrients in your food. Try to incorporate 2 tsp of oil in there somewhere. Saute your chicken and veggies in some olive oil.

Good luck! I hope SOMETHING here helps. Again.. I am not a professional, just a reformed food addict trying to have a healthier relationship with food! I have actually found the myfitness blogs really helpful on education. I am really liking these modern takes on healthy weight loss. Educating yourself is key to losing and maintaining. Good luck!

stefanie18810

Thanks for such a thoughtful response!

For point #1, my breakfast is greek yogurt, mixed fresh berries with the KIND protein granola on top for crunch. I seriously love this breakfast, but could change it up though and do eggs a few times a week.

For point #2, I keep hearing about CICO, so I assume if I'm at 1550 calories or so and have a deficit, I'm doing what I should be. I did my TDEE and entered in my own goals in MFP to match with that based on a desire to still lose. The thought of eating even more (I struggle with the mind set that anything over 1200 calories isn't dieting) scares the crap out of me!

#3 - I get what you're saying though about mixing it up. I can definitely add some variety - I just did this because a) it was easy and b) it was easy. lol. Looks like I'll have some cooking and prep work this weekend!!

Thanks again for all of your input. It really does help.

dogs_n_wine

This was a great read for me and very informative for us women!
http://www.simplyshredded.com/the-ultimate-female-training-guide.html

tarabole

I found that adding HIIT training in the am to my workout regime did wonders for getting rid of that last bit of fat. I was already working out daily with weights, plyometrics circuits and spin classes. But every couple months I take a week off and stick to yoga and sometimes that when I would see the scale really move (suggestion for my sports dietician). I also started eating a massive amount of vegetables after I was doing some research on longevity diets which really helped as well. The combination of a ton of non starchy vegetables, some starchy vegetables, lean protein and fats from foods versus oils (nuts avocados) was a change that helped me drop fat, get a better complexion and feel more energized. Getting rid of dairy which is highly inflammatory was also instrumental for me. Everyone is different but this is what worked for me:)

DorkothyParker

Unless boxing is important to you as a hobby, I would definitely look into HIIT. A combination of HIIT and weight training is better for fat loss overall.
Your current form of exercise can raise cortisol levels which would slow weight loss.

I know CICO is important, but keto has changed my world for the better. I do keto within my calorie needs.

annherrin

This blog is pretty good at explaining things. http://www.jerseygirltalk.com/2013/10/26/weightlifting-strength-training-routine-workout-women/#.VQj4kL-9KnO

I've read that sometimes you can reach a plateau and once you do, you have to actually eat more food (cleaner) to see the results you're looking for. You are probably training too hard for the amount of food you are eating. Train very hard=eat more.