Weight Loss Plateau

mypeep

I started the Paleo diet on 7/23/16 but had to add a low amount of carbs a week later because of muscle spasms. Prior to the diet I have been eating lots of unhealthy carbs. I am 5'6 weighed 225 on 7/23 and now weigh 217. I have now converted to the DASH diet because I just wasn't tolerating such high protein and low carbs. I usually consume around 1200 cal/day and am diligent journaling on Fitness Pal. I weighed 217 on 8/1 and 217 today. This is a bit discouraging. Why have I not lost any weight since last Mon?

diannethegeek

When you changed your diet did it include an increase in carbs? Dietary changes like that often come with larger water weight fluctuations, which can look like a stall or slight gain on the scale.

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.

jemhh

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

mypeep

Thank you diannethegeek! This helps

mypeep

Thanks jemhh for the link. Good info

meritage4

1200 calories a day might be a bit low given your weight of 217.

mypeep

meritage4...Thanks for the input. Would appreciate your thoughts on calorie intake. Due to some problems with my knee replacement, my activity is pretty light.

extra_medium

Most likely you are eating more than you think or you are not burning as much as you think. If you're really only eating 1200 cals it is just about impossible to not lose weight. Like Dianne said, get a food scale and weigh everything you eat/drink.

You will probably be able to lose weight on well over 1200 calories for that matter, that's why it's important to log everything as accurately as possible.

meritage4

what does MFP suggest for calories at your weight?

kshama2001

mypeep wrote: »

meritage4...Thanks for the input. Would appreciate your thoughts on calorie intake. Due to some problems with my knee replacement, my activity is pretty light.

What's your goal weight?

What about asking your doctor for a referral to a physical therapist who can help you with an exercise program that will work with your knee issues? Note: exercise is not necessary for weight loss. But it's very important for health. I have knee issues and made a ton of adjustments so that I no longer have 'pain with activity.' But I didn't have a replacement, hence my suggestion to get advice from a medical professional.

mypeep

kshama2001---my goal weight is 200 pounds.
I definitely want to lose around 70 pounds, but am taking it in incremental goals at a time. I will be very diligent in logging my food intake. Thanks everyone for the advice so far