More plateau advice
carnivalnights
Posts: 114 Member
I've made a post similar to this before but after trying all of the advice I received, the scale still hasn't moved. So I am hoping for some alternative advice or ideas.
I'm 32F and after losing 70lbs, the scale stopped moving for me. I know plateaus are common, but it's been about 5-6 months since I've lost a pound despite my aggressive efforts and I am nowhere near my goal weight. My weight is not moving up or now (obviously by a pound or two here and there but I always go back to exactly what I was). Every week, I am always over my plan deficit (more calories out than in) and should be losing at least 1-1.5lbs/week based on everything I am doing. Even my nutritionist is at a loss.
Here are the things I have already tried and that have not worked:
-changing up exercise
-exercising more (either increasing duration or number of days per week)
-adjusting macros (nutritionist-advised)
-adjusting daily calories (decreasing actually made me gain)
-had blood work checked (thyroid, testosterone, etc. all fine)
What I already do and have always done:
-use a food scale for precise measurements of EVERYTHING I eat
-record all foods/liquids via MyFitnessPal
-track steps and calories burned via Fitbit
-track all other exercise/calories burned
-workouts: combination of cardio/strength training 4-5x/week
-1 take-out meal per week, absolutely no junk (candy, chips, etc.)
Any alternative ideas out there? Especially from people who have lost a lot (like I plan to) and have probably experienced many plateaus... Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I'm 32F and after losing 70lbs, the scale stopped moving for me. I know plateaus are common, but it's been about 5-6 months since I've lost a pound despite my aggressive efforts and I am nowhere near my goal weight. My weight is not moving up or now (obviously by a pound or two here and there but I always go back to exactly what I was). Every week, I am always over my plan deficit (more calories out than in) and should be losing at least 1-1.5lbs/week based on everything I am doing. Even my nutritionist is at a loss.
Here are the things I have already tried and that have not worked:
-changing up exercise
-exercising more (either increasing duration or number of days per week)
-adjusting macros (nutritionist-advised)
-adjusting daily calories (decreasing actually made me gain)
-had blood work checked (thyroid, testosterone, etc. all fine)
What I already do and have always done:
-use a food scale for precise measurements of EVERYTHING I eat
-record all foods/liquids via MyFitnessPal
-track steps and calories burned via Fitbit
-track all other exercise/calories burned
-workouts: combination of cardio/strength training 4-5x/week
-1 take-out meal per week, absolutely no junk (candy, chips, etc.)
Any alternative ideas out there? Especially from people who have lost a lot (like I plan to) and have probably experienced many plateaus... Any help would be greatly appreciated!
0
Replies
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open your diary0
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that one 'cheat meal' a week could actually wipe out any deficit you would have had for the whole week....11
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Do you fit your cheat meals into your caloric deficit, or is it part of a "re-feed" where you consume MORE calories than maintenance..?? You may need "re-feeds" if you have been on a constant deficit.. How are your energy levels..?? Do you feel depleted..?? Have you been doing any HIIT..?? Any weight training.??2
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Do you record the cheat meal?
Do you eat back exercise calories after you track them?2 -
Are you taking body measurements? You may find you are changing shape; building a little bit of muscle perhaps, if your protein levels are high?6
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Agree with taking measurements. The scale can be deceptive and is not always a true reflection of your body composition.
How close are you to your goal weight? If you are within 20-25 pounds you may see a slow down from what you were accustomed to. Try changing your calories to 0.5 pounds loss per week and see if this helps.4 -
Not possible that decreasing calories made you gain... nope. Was probably a fluke due to water retention.
Without looking at your diary, my guess is that you're using inaccurate entries, using too many packaged foods (known for inaccurate labeling), or overestimating your exercise calorie burns,7 -
If you have not lost weight in 5-6 months then you are eating too much. Eat in a deficit and you will lose weight.9
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How long did you give each of these changes before declaring it a failure and trying the next thing? Did you make several changes at once?4
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »that one 'cheat meal' a week could actually wipe out any deficit you would have had for the whole week....
No, I still don't go over my calories with the cheat meal (which is just a take-out meal, nothing extreme).0 -
How did you adjust your macros? I would up protein significantly, cut out any foods that could lead to inflammation to see if they have that effect on you (I cut out dairy, gluten, added sugar - I also cut out most packaged foods because I'm allergic to a preservative in many of them). And weight train. I'm down about 80 pounds depending on the day.1
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The only answer is eating in a deficit. That is not happening right now as you are not losing. Open your diary, people will help you...3
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Do you fit your cheat meals into your caloric deficit, or is it part of a "re-feed" where you consume MORE calories than maintenance..?? You may need "re-feeds" if you have been on a constant deficit.. How are your energy levels..?? Do you feel depleted..?? Have you been doing any HIIT..?? Any weight training.??
I always stay within my calorie goal and my cheat meals pretty much always stay within that range, give or take a few instances where I have been a bit over. I have not tried eating exercised calories back since my goal is weight loss but why do you suggest this? I'm willing to try to understand! To shock my system? I've done some HIIT but it's still low impact because of my physical abilities right now. But I do have cardio programs that combine some HIIT that I do. I do weights within my cardio programs as well. As for energy... it's not the best! I get about 6 hours of sleep a night, drink lots of water, etc. so I don't really see any excessive reason for that. It definitely takes a lot of discipline and self-talk to workout after work. :P 0 -
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I think you might have to lower your calories, unfortunately
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Agree with taking measurements. The scale can be deceptive and is not always a true reflection of your body composition.
How close are you to your goal weight? If you are within 20-25 pounds you may see a slow down from what you were accustomed to. Try changing your calories to 0.5 pounds loss per week and see if this helps.
Nowhere near it. I need to lose another 100lbs or so. Lol. For sure I expect to see a slow down but not this soon. 70lbs is a lot to lose of course but I still have a long way to go. Thank you for the advice! I will continue body measurements.0 -
Not possible that decreasing calories made you gain... nope. Was probably a fluke due to water retention.
Without looking at your diary, my guess is that you're using inaccurate entries, using too many packaged foods (known for inaccurate labeling), or overestimating your exercise calorie burns,
I don't eat packaged, processed or canned foods. Could be inaccurate entries but I always try to use verified ones or double check them on a nutrition site if they seem off to me. In terms of calories burned, I am using the calories based on my body weight, height, etc. info that I entered into either MyFitnessPal or Fitbit. So if they are inaccurate, I am not sure what to do about that. It's the same way I would calculate them manually.1 -
trigden1991 wrote: »If you have not lost weight in 5-6 months then you are eating too much. Eat in a deficit and you will lose weight.
As noted in my post, I am always meeting/exceeding my deficit. That's why this is so confusing. And that's why I started weighing all my food on a scale in case alternative measurements were not accurate enough.0 -
How long did you give each of these changes before declaring it a failure and trying the next thing? Did you make several changes at once?
I made one at a time so that I would know which did/didn't work. For example, after decreasing my calories which didn't work (I think I gave that about 2-3 months), I was told by my nutritionist to try decreasing carbs and increasing protein again (which I tried for another month or so).0 -
carnivalnights wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »If you have not lost weight in 5-6 months then you are eating too much. Eat in a deficit and you will lose weight.
As noted in my post, I am always meeting/exceeding my deficit. That's why this is so confusing. And that's why I started weighing all my food on a scale in case alternative measurements were not accurate enough.
Calorie calculators are estimates based off of averages of the general population. They may not be accurate for you.
Another big thing is making sure the entries you select in the database are accurate. I find many entries that are so incorrect that it's ridiculous (including when I use the barcode scanner). Double check that the entries you log are accurate with the back of the package or the USDA.
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search2 -
carnivalnights wrote: »RunRutheeRun wrote: »that one 'cheat meal' a week could actually wipe out any deficit you would have had for the whole week....
No, I still don't go over my calories with the cheat meal (which is just a take-out meal, nothing extreme).
When it comes to take out meals we just cannot know the calories in for sure, MFP certainly is inclined to under estimate those in the database. I just know when I was trying to lose (and also had my fair share of plateaus) that it was because of that one take out in the week wiping out my deficit.
How many calories are you eating per day currently?
When you haven't lost weight in months it really does mean you are eating at maintenance calories, I know its hard to hear, but its true
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carnivalnights wrote: »trigden1991 wrote: »If you have not lost weight in 5-6 months then you are eating too much. Eat in a deficit and you will lose weight.
As noted in my post, I am always meeting/exceeding my deficit. That's why this is so confusing. And that's why I started weighing all my food on a scale in case alternative measurements were not accurate enough.
But you're not. You may be meeting/exceeding a calculator's deficit, but you're not meeting/exceeding your body's deficit.
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Consider eliminating anything that's 'cheat foods'. Eat for the body and lifestyle you want to maintain.
Have you been to a doctor to check-see if other things are going on?0 -
carnivalnights wrote: »Agree with taking measurements. The scale can be deceptive and is not always a true reflection of your body composition.
How close are you to your goal weight? If you are within 20-25 pounds you may see a slow down from what you were accustomed to. Try changing your calories to 0.5 pounds loss per week and see if this helps.
Nowhere near it. I need to lose another 100lbs or so. Lol. For sure I expect to see a slow down but not this soon. 70lbs is a lot to lose of course but I still have a long way to go. Thank you for the advice! I will continue body measurements.
Sometimes just taking a diet break can help if you have been in a deficit for a while. Maybe try not logging for a week and see what happens.
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you're not willing to open your diary?1
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How did you adjust your macros? I would up protein significantly, cut out any foods that could lead to inflammation to see if they have that effect on you (I cut out dairy, gluten, added sugar - I also cut out most packaged foods because I'm allergic to a preservative in many of them). And weight train. I'm down about 80 pounds depending on the day.
I was told by my nutritionist to decrease carbs and up protein, but that didn't seem to help. I have done that for about a month or so with no difference in loss. Because I don't eat red meat, I actually can't cut out something like dairy because it's where I get a lot of my protein (eggs, yogurt, etc.) but thank you for the tip. I could try gluten! You never know. I don't eat any packaged foods either. Congrats on your 80! 1 -
What RunRutheeRun said.
If you haven't lost any weight in months, nor gained it, then you are eating at maintenance. The calories you take in through food are the same as the calories you are expending through being alive, daily activity and exercising.
Now it may be that this seems unfair, that you feel you are not eating enough for it to be maintenance - but this does seem to be the case from what you are saying. And it may be that there is a medical reason for it or that you are one of the few who does have a slow metabolism, or another condition that means you have a very efficient body that does not need much food.
But even if that is so (and it may be), how would that impact you? Are you willing to increase your deficit more to lose more weight?
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Go back over the last 30 days in your Reports. Accumulate your total calorie deficit. If your monthly calorie deficit recorded with as much accuracy as you claim is less than 10000 calories, I will assert that you likely are experiencing water retention for any of the plethora of reasons that afflict women. If your monthly deficit totals up to 20,000 or more, I'm flummoxed.3
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Unless you have celiac disease there is no reason to eliminate gluten. Gluten free foods still have as many calories as the foods you would substitute them for. If someone has eliminated gluten and lost weight it is because of a calorie deficit and nothing else.5
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