More plateau advice

cross2bear

Just FYI - I'm in Canada and absolutely lovelovelove the bar code reader thingy on my phone - it works a treat with everything with a bar code, not just in the US. I use it constantly in the grocery store to check nutrition on things like prepared salads that folks can grab for a quick lunch, or sandwiches too.

carnivalnights

bendis2007 wrote: »

You can try getting a more accurate body fat percentage estimate. Getting a DEXA scan is pretty expensive but the BOD POD is within a reasonable margin of error for body composition. Most of the major universities that have an exercise physiology program will have a BOD POD that can be accessed by the public (the one in my state will do a scan for $50).
The scan will be able to give you a more accurate reading of your fat percentage compared to handheld devices, electrical impedance, and scales. Your estimated TDEE will be assessed from a sedentary standpoint based on your muscle and fat composition.

That will give you far more accuracy for what YOUR calorie intake should be everyday then just the Harris-Benedict equation and MFP calculations. I thought I read you were doing low impact exercises so while you have lost an awesome 70 pounds, you may not have built up much more muscle mass with the exercise routine and your TDEE might be lower than the calculations.

That's awesome info - thanks! Didn't even know there was such a thing as these scans for the public. Thank you again. That could certainly be very helpful!

CharlieBeansmomTracey

cross2bear wrote: »

Just FYI - I'm in Canada and absolutely lovelovelove the bar code reader thingy on my phone - it works a treat with everything with a bar code, not just in the US. I use it constantly in the grocery store to check nutrition on things like prepared salads that folks can grab for a quick lunch, or sandwiches too.

if you mean the MFP barcode thing its often off as well. so you have to cross reference those things as well,not to mention packaged food can be up to 20% off. I had a protein bar yesterday, 88grams according to the package,weighed it out of the package and it was 100g.I dont scan anything unless Im out and it has a barcode(if I cant weigh),because I know otherwise it could be more or less. if you dont mean the MFP barcode thing what barcode reader are you talking about?

cross2bear

No I mean the barcode reader through the MFP app on my phone - I know its not perfect, but it gives me a good idea as to whether or not I can afford the calories on my budget.

carnivalnights

ivylyon wrote: »

Firstly, it must be very frustrating so well done on sticking with it and don't give up.
I read this recently and found it very interesting (link below).A study on Biggest Loser contestants found that their metabolism after losing weight is significantly lower than might be expected even years after losing weight, which means to maintain they need less calories than usual for someone their size.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html

It may be that for you what MFP sets as a deficit is actually your maintenance level.
Maybe try setting your goal to be maintenance for a few weeks if you start to gain then you'll know that your levels of maintenance/ deficit are lower than MFP calculates (sorry)

I'd also suggest that you take a break from rigid dieting (I'm not saying give up) but maybe set yourself some non-diet goals, like C25K/ 10k/ half marathon or whatever your exercise of choice and make that the focus rather than weight. Keep eating well, and don't go crazy but maybe give yourself (body and mind) some time off from focusing on the scales and set some goals in other areas.
Anyway, hope some of this helps!

That makes really good sense. Just a slight change of focus. Thanks.

Spliner1969

carnivalnights wrote: »

ivylyon wrote: »

Firstly, it must be very frustrating so well done on sticking with it and don't give up.
I read this recently and found it very interesting (link below).A study on Biggest Loser contestants found that their metabolism after losing weight is significantly lower than might be expected even years after losing weight, which means to maintain they need less calories than usual for someone their size.

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html

It may be that for you what MFP sets as a deficit is actually your maintenance level.
Maybe try setting your goal to be maintenance for a few weeks if you start to gain then you'll know that your levels of maintenance/ deficit are lower than MFP calculates (sorry)

I'd also suggest that you take a break from rigid dieting (I'm not saying give up) but maybe set yourself some non-diet goals, like C25K/ 10k/ half marathon or whatever your exercise of choice and make that the focus rather than weight. Keep eating well, and don't go crazy but maybe give yourself (body and mind) some time off from focusing on the scales and set some goals in other areas.
Anyway, hope some of this helps!

That makes really good sense. Just a slight change of focus. Thanks.

I'd also have to agree about your metabolism slowing. The only way I kept from having really long term plateaus was to change the way I eat not only in respect to what or how many calories but in respect to when I eat. I never ate breakfast before, I'd simply get up, go to work, and eat mid-morning or not at all until lunch. At lunch I'd gorge myself because I was starving. I was never a morning eater at all before. Now I make sure after my workout and before work that I eat a good breakfast full of complex carbs and fiber (IE: Bran Cereal with Almond Milk). I add fruit if I have it, and keep my breakfast at or under 500 cals. Then mid-morning I eat a protein bar, one with low calories and high protein. Then at lunch I eat a sensible lunch also with high protein. Mid-afternoon I would also sometimes eat another protein bar (we're talking snack size, not the large ones for mid-afternoon) or just wait until dinner. Then at dinner I would eat half vegetables half protein and as little carbs as I could get away with. I went at that for several months then realized that eating more often (not more, just more often) really increased my metabolism. Now at maintenance I eat over 2500 calories most days, still work out six days a week, and I certainly am not gaining weight. I am a voracious eater, and I eat six times a day. Breakfast, Mid-Morning Snack, Lunch, Mid-Afternoon Snack, Dinner, and sometimes a late snack if there are calories left. When I was on a deficit I skipped the afternoon snack a lot of times and went for a larger dinner and no late snack unless there were extra calories. I ate back 50% of my exercise calories assuming that they were over estimated. I weigh everything, even something I scanned with a bar code to make sure it weighs what the package says it does.

Keep up the fight, you'll find something that works. Try eating less at a sitting and more times per day if possible and increase the exercise. Force your metabolism to increase and the pounds will start to drop again.

The only mistake I can think of I made early on, was not logging oils like olive oil or canola oil that I was using to cook with. It was adding a couple hundred calories to my food that I wasn't logging. I figured it out early on though and switched to cooking sprays whenever possible but still added calories in for those even though they say 0 calories.

realcalm

Here's one thing I haven't seen in this thread (I admit I have read a lot of the posts but probably not all) - have you been ill? Taken a course of antibiotics during your plateau? Changed medications? Any of these things could influence metabolism. Just a thought . . .