Haven't lost in 3 weeks! HELP!!

ldrechsel60

I have been dieting and exercising since May 9. I've lost 18 lbs but nowhavent seen the scale move in 3 weeks! I've been eating 1200 calories, use a recumbent bike for 30-40 minutes going 6-7 miles at 12-14 mph 4X a week. I've been eating healthy, drink 32 oz+ water a day. I've just added weights to my routine this week and a resistance band. Can't seem to lose anymore. I started at 307lbs and now at 289. I have about 100 lbs to lose. What can I do to get the scale moving again??

diannethegeek

1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Especially with a new exercise routine in the mix. 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.

JDixon852019

Are you eating back your calories or only eating 1200 per day? Are you using a scale to weigh your portions?

thiosulfate

Graphs are always better

diannethegeek

@thiosulfate I love lemonlionheart's flowchart but I stopped using it when I discovered it was hard to read on a smaller mobile device (the app/mobile site won't let you zoom). Surely a multitude of advice-giving techniques can coexist here without one of them having to be declared superior?

tl;dr Stop putting down my advice.

ldrechsel60

I guess I forgot to mention I'm 55 years old. I'm not eating calories burned. I set a 1200 diet for myself and I have a fitness tracker that shows my calories burned and that I'm way under that daily number. 6 years ago I was on Herbalife with the 2 shakes/1 meal a day plan and lost 80lbs. I keep thinking I should go back on that for a few weeks and see if it helps jumpstart the weight loss.

thiosulfate

diannethegeek wrote: »

@thiosulfate I love lemonlionheart's flowchart but I stopped using it when I discovered it was hard to read on a smaller mobile device (the app/mobile site won't let you zoom). Surely a multitude of advice-giving techniques can coexist here without one of them having to be declared superior?

tl;dr Stop putting down my advice.

it was a joke, hence the winky face

apullum

I hear you on the frustration of plateaus. I hit my first one around where you are now. If you have just recently started doing strength training, keep that up and give it a bit more time. I think it will help. Make sure you're getting enough protein so your body can build muscle mass.

punkette78

You could be just gaining muscle. You did say you've added weights right? Muscle weighs more than fat. I would get off the scale & use measurements.

CMB1979

Weight training tends to increase fluid retention due to muscle repairing itself. At 1200 calories, it's doubtful you're gaining any muscle (that requires additional calories, not fewer). Keep at it. Check everything. Weigh everything you eat. Don't trust package labels.