Stalled after just 2 weeks. HELP
PamWOhio
Posts: 120 Member
I am extremely discouraged. I have been coming in under 1000 calories a day for several days because what I eat satisfies me. The scale has not budged since I weighed in Sunday morning. After losing so well the first 2 weeks, it has been very discouraging ...especially since I have been eating better....a LOT less food overall and staying under in all the categories. What I do eat is a lot of lean protein which is definitely causing me to be "bound up". I am having to take a few doses a day of metamucil caplets just to be able to "go" a little bit. I know I don't exercise much but it is a LOT more than I was doing before I started this. I just don't understand it. I was drinking almost 2 liters of my Soda Stream Cola before this and even cut down to just a few ounces a day. I eat very little fat compared to what I was eating which was MOSTLY all bad processed fatty foods. I just don't understand, the amount of calories I am taking in is a fraction of what I was taking in and all the food changes I have made have been for the better so why would I have totally stalled out after just 2 weeks? Can having very little in the way of bowel movements be part of this? At this point, I am seriously thinking about grabbing the McDouble Cheeseburger in my fridge for breakfast because when I was eating that stuff, I had no problem having to run to the bathroom several times a day. Any help here would be greatly appreciated because I feel like I am doing all this work just to maintain that initial 10lb loss.
I posted this in my news feed and am being told about starvation mode but so much of what I have read here in the discussions say that that isn't real and that it is all about CICO. I realize I should be eating more but with the drastic change in what I eat now REALLY does satisfy me. I am not feeling hungry and am not depriving myself of food. Frankly, I just can't POOP. All I can think to do is start eating some of the processed fatty food that I was eating so much of before to get my calories up but my brain tells me that is so counter productive. Is my body just going through an adjustment phase. People are telling me that I am not eating enough so my body is hanging on to everything I take in and not letting me lose.
Any help here is appreciated.
I posted this in my news feed and am being told about starvation mode but so much of what I have read here in the discussions say that that isn't real and that it is all about CICO. I realize I should be eating more but with the drastic change in what I eat now REALLY does satisfy me. I am not feeling hungry and am not depriving myself of food. Frankly, I just can't POOP. All I can think to do is start eating some of the processed fatty food that I was eating so much of before to get my calories up but my brain tells me that is so counter productive. Is my body just going through an adjustment phase. People are telling me that I am not eating enough so my body is hanging on to everything I take in and not letting me lose.
Any help here is appreciated.
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Replies
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Weight loss isn't linear. You will never lose every day or every week. Constipation means you're holding on to more waste.
And yes, please start eating more. You're risking muscle loss and other serious health problems eating that low. Did you cut out all fat sources? That's important to your diet.7 -
you know the answer to your own question. you know you're eating too little…we've all read this before. Also the guy up there is right.. weightloss is not constant.. the body doesn't lose on demand.3
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You are eating too little. Eating too little puts a good amount of stress on the body. Do not let the title below let you think that it is what it is in the title. This explains what happens when a person does eat too little when trying to loose weight. And although your situtation is only two weeks, I hope you do not continue eating like this for another two weeks or month, etc.
edited to add: and your situation is not "starvation".
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html/1 -
One quick note - eating fat is NOT bad for you and it likely plays a part in why you're not "going" like normal. Cutting fats is a great way to cut calories but fats are actually required for basic bodily functions from absorbing nutrients to making sure you get your waste out in a timely manner. You need to add healthy fats into your diet and you'll probably notice a huge change. And yeah, constipation can make you hold onto a little extra weight. Considering a "little extra weight" is all you could hope to truly lose in 2 weeks, it could be enough to make the difference. Focus on nutrition. Your macro goals for protein, fat, and carbs are set there for a reason. You need all 3 for your body to function properly.3
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I posted this in my news feed and am being told about starvation mode but so much of what I have read here in the discussions say that that isn't real and that it is all about CICO.
There really is no such thing. Here's a great article:
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/meal-patterning-part-1-book-excerpt.html/
You may also find this useful:
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Being overzealous in weight loss is why many people stall early. When you go on any deficit, your body responds by lower your metabolism. The higher the deficit, the lower it will go. Eventually it will start to compensate for the calories you are allowing in. This is to help prevent excessive catabolism of tissue (fat, muscle). Stalls aren't uncommon for high deficits and could continue for 2-4 weeks till the scale moves again.
Don't go under 1200. Find calorie dense foods (usually foods with high fat like avocados) to help reach the calorie limit.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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You need to eat more calories. Your body will "hold" on to weight if it feels it is is not being fed enough. Also, if you have drastically changed your eating habits, it will take your body time to adjust. Two weeks is not a lot of time. Your body will do what it needs to do when it is ready. It's a process not a race. Trust the process. Make sure that you are drinking lots of water (I drink 1 gallon per day) and eating healthy oils (avocado, coconut, olive) each day? This will help facilitate things in the bathroom. Hang in there!1
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You need to eat more calories. Your body will "hold" on to weight if it feels it is is not being fed enough. Also, if you have drastically changed your eating habits, it will take your body time to adjust. Two weeks is not a lot of time. Your body will do what it needs to do when it is ready. It's a process not a race. Trust the process. Make sure that you are drinking lots of water (I drink 1 gallon per day) and eating healthy oils (avocado, coconut, olive) each day? This will help facilitate things in the bathroom. Hang in there!
No, your body does not hold onto fat by undereating14 -
What others said about the science of weight loss.
You are not eying 1000 calories because you are not losing weight.
Stop the Metamucil and eat fiber.
Get some professional help because it sounds like you have some disordered thoughts and behaviors.4 -
1. Eating under 1000 cals a day is going to be too low for most people - there's no prize for cutting cals so low that you risk your health.
2. Being constipated is one of the factors that might mean the scale doesn't move every day or every week. Plus hormones, monthly cycle, changes in eating or exercise routine....
3. Cutting fat very low is probably contributing to your constipation. You almost certainly need to eat more to stay healthy, so it would be a great idea to add more fat - olive oil dressing in a salad or with roast veggies, avocado, nuts etc. Plus fruit and veg to give you fibre, make sure you stay hydrated - all these things should help keep things moving.
4. If you want and like cheeseburgers, by all means eat one from time to time as long as it fits in your calorie goal (personally I can't think of anything more revolting to eat than yesterday's cheeseburger out of the fridge... but I'm not the one in your kitchen!).
5. And there aren't only two ways to eat - "very healthy" vs "fatty processed"... I think you need to stop thinking in extremes and work on eating a good variety of food so you get enough nutrition to keep you healthy. And that can include "processed" stuff too!5 -
pebble4321 wrote: »1. Eating under 1000 cals a day is going to be too low for most people - there's no prize for cutting cals so low that you risk your health.
2. Being constipated is one of the factors that might mean the scale doesn't move every day or every week. Plus hormones, monthly cycle, changes in eating or exercise routine....
3. Cutting fat very low is probably contributing to your constipation. You almost certainly need to eat more to stay healthy, so it would be a great idea to add more fat - olive oil dressing in a salad or with roast veggies, avocado, nuts etc. Plus fruit and veg to give you fibre, make sure you stay hydrated - all these things should help keep things moving.
4. If you want and like cheeseburgers, by all means eat one from time to time as long as it fits in your calorie goal (personally I can't think of anything more revolting to earn than yesterday's cheeseburger out of the fridge... but I'm not the one on your kitchen!).
5. And there aren't only two ways to eat - "very healthy" vs "fatty processed"... I think you need to stop thinking in extremes and work on eating a good variety of food so you get enough nutrition to keep you healthy. And that can include "processed" stuff too!
I really agree with this. You seem to have this idea that to lose weight you need to eat only super healthy foods. You mention the cheeseburger as if eating it will make you instantly fail. You can eat a cheeseburger and still lose weight. Heck I eat ice cream, candy, and other foods you might think are huge no no's and I lose weight. The biggest thing to do is to eat no less than 1200 calories. Depending on how much weight you need to lose, you may have a goal that is too aggressive. Try setting your goal to 1 lb per week and eat that many calories per day. Add in fiber and you may see weight loss once you get everything moving.2 -
well, youre constipated cause your diet sucks. #sorrynotsorry
theres no fresh fruit or veg, a whole lotta processed crap, and inaccurate weights and logging.
forget where the freezer aisle is, go to the fresh meat, deli and produce sections, and buy real food.
Because of the inaccurate weights, I would also wager you are eating more than you think you are. Add that in with the literal s.hit stuck inside you, there's your weight.
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^^^^THIS^^^Weight loss isn't linear. You will never lose every day or every week. Constipation means you're holding on to more waste.
And yes, please start eating more. You're risking muscle loss and other serious health problems eating that low. Did you cut out all fat sources? That's important to your diet.
And ^^^This^^^Being overzealous in weight loss is why many people stall early. When you go on any deficit, your body responds by lower your metabolism. The higher the deficit, the lower it will go. Eventually it will start to compensate for the calories you are allowing in. This is to help prevent excessive catabolism of tissue (fat, muscle). Stalls aren't uncommon for high deficits and could continue for 2-4 weeks till the scale moves again.
Don't go under 1200. Find calorie dense foods (usually foods with high fat like avocados) to help reach the calorie limit.
There are numerous posts just like this on MFP, so do not feel like you're the only person eating too little and possibly stifling progress.
We all over-reach at times.
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Don't give up. Anything worth while takes time and effort. You got this!2
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Also, be patient. If not losing weight for 3 days is making you frustrated and discouraged it might be good for you to either weigh once a week or educate yourself about fluctuations and track your weight on another site like Happy Scale or Trend Weight.4
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I stalled a bit too. That flow diagram that PDM posed is awesome. I thought I was doing a good job at 'eating in the zone' but I wasn't. Once I started logging everything and then watching macro-nutrients in My Fitness Pal mobile (Nutrition from Menu and then 'Macros' tab) I could see that I was out of balance.
Eat enough (like others have said) and eat in the zone. Because I do about 90 mins of activity / day I am trying to stay around 2400 cals (most days less, but also leaving my exercise as my calorie deficit) with a balance of 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein. Others may want something balanced across the board.
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I also am plagued by constipation but only when eating at a deficit. I would swear that I eat exactly the same foods I always ate but smaller portions, yet I get plugged up every once in a while but only when restricting. My scale weight loss stalls for those couple if dsys. I can only conclude that it is related to the smaller quantity of food in my system.
The cure for me is a nice steak dinner and a glass of wine or some other fatty meal like wings and beer. On that day I eat at maintenance so it doesn't have a great effect on real weight loss. It does allow me to see the scale move.
Or maybe it's the wine and beer?1 -
You haven't stalled, you're being impatient.10
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Weight loss is not linear. You have not stalled. This takes time and patience.2
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »well, youre constipated cause your diet sucks. #sorrynotsorry
theres no fresh fruit or veg, a whole lotta processed crap, and inaccurate weights and logging.
forget where the freezer aisle is, go to the fresh meat, deli and produce sections, and buy real food.
Because of the inaccurate weights, I would also wager you are eating more than you think you are. Add that in with the literal s.hit stuck inside you, there's your weight.
I agree with all this except for the bold parts. Food type has nothing to with weight loss.1 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »well, youre constipated cause your diet sucks. #sorrynotsorry
theres no fresh fruit or veg, a whole lotta processed crap, and inaccurate weights and logging.
forget where the freezer aisle is, go to the fresh meat, deli and produce sections, and buy real food.
Because of the inaccurate weights, I would also wager you are eating more than you think you are. Add that in with the literal s.hit stuck inside you, there's your weight.
I agree with all this except for the bold parts. Food type has nothing to with weight loss.
no, but it does have to do with overall nutrition, and is quite likely contributing to the constipation5 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »well, youre constipated cause your diet sucks. #sorrynotsorry
theres no fresh fruit or veg, a whole lotta processed crap, and inaccurate weights and logging.
forget where the freezer aisle is, go to the fresh meat, deli and produce sections, and buy real food.
Because of the inaccurate weights, I would also wager you are eating more than you think you are. Add that in with the literal s.hit stuck inside you, there's your weight.
I agree with all this except for the bold parts. Food type has nothing to with weight loss.
I don't think they were saying her crap diet is preventing fat loss. But that her crap diet is causing her constipation and she should sort that out.2 -
SophieSmall95 wrote: »callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »well, youre constipated cause your diet sucks. #sorrynotsorry
theres no fresh fruit or veg, a whole lotta processed crap, and inaccurate weights and logging.
forget where the freezer aisle is, go to the fresh meat, deli and produce sections, and buy real food.
Because of the inaccurate weights, I would also wager you are eating more than you think you are. Add that in with the literal s.hit stuck inside you, there's your weight.
I agree with all this except for the bold parts. Food type has nothing to with weight loss.
I don't think they were saying her crap diet is preventing fat loss. But that her crap diet is causing her constipation.
ding ding ding and we have a winner
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Ok...I realize I have crap in my food diary but look back...it isn't all crap. I am eating extremely lean beef, freshly ground turkey, and a LOT Less processed freezer stuff than I used to. I used to LIVE on everything processed and fast food. I do realize I have to incorporate healthier food in there but compared to the way I used to eat, what I have been doing is a HUGE improvement for me. Thank you all for your help and I the flowchart was very helpful.
I also agree that YES...I am being impatient. Unfortunately that isn't a new character flaw with me. That has always been one of my downfalls. I was brought up a meat and potatoes girl so I incorporating the fruits and veggies is harder than a lot would think. I need to spread my wings and try some more. I know some I do hate but there are plenty that I have never tried so will try that. I had no problem "going" when I was eating more fat...it was bad fat but fat nonetheless. The leaner meats which I NEVER ate before was the biggest change in my diet. Yes, I love my deli cheese and I do like my sour cream on my potatoes but I have not been overdoing it.1 -
Are you constipated, or do you just have a slow digestive transit time? It might be both (slow transit can lead to constipation). If both, take something like miralax for a few days (to soften things up, helps keep water in the intestines), then up your insoluble fiber (metamucil is soluble, needed, but only keeps it soft, doesn't encourage the intestines to move things along and can actually reduce transit time). Insoluble fiber will improve transit time. And really up your fat intake (I never even worry about bad vs good, just get it from real foods - butter, olive oil, nuts, avocados, etc).
As one who suffers from very slow digestive transit, yes, it can appear as a stall. But like above, weight loss isn't linear, so don't get discouraged!
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It could be slow, jolybac but I have IBS D and before I started all this, I was running to the toilet a dozen times a day with NON solid results. Eating anything would set it off within a couple minutes of being done. That is why this is so weird. I will try your suggestions.0
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Ok...I realize I have crap in my food diary but look back...it isn't all crap. I am eating extremely lean beef, freshly ground turkey, and a LOT Less processed freezer stuff than I used to. I used to LIVE on everything processed and fast food. I do realize I have to incorporate healthier food in there but compared to the way I used to eat, what I have been doing is a HUGE improvement for me. Thank you all for your help and I the flowchart was very helpful.
I also agree that YES...I am being impatient. Unfortunately that isn't a new character flaw with me. That has always been one of my downfalls. I was brought up a meat and potatoes girl so I incorporating the fruits and veggies is harder than a lot would think. I need to spread my wings and try some more. I know some I do hate but there are plenty that I have never tried so will try that. I had no problem "going" when I was eating more fat...it was bad fat but fat nonetheless. The leaner meats which I NEVER ate before was the biggest change in my diet. Yes, I love my deli cheese and I do like my sour cream on my potatoes but I have not been overdoing it.
Try adding some high fiber foods with butter or olive oil:
http://greatist.com/health/surprising-high-fiber-foods
Also, where are you in your menstrual cycle? I gain at ovulation and right before my TOM. Because of this (and because Lyle McDonald said to) I compare myself to last month, not last week.
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What others said about the science of weight loss.
You are not eying 1000 calories because you are not losing weight.
Stop the Metamucil and eat fiber.
Get some professional help because it sounds like you have some disordered thoughts and behaviors.
If I read the original post correctly, the OP is EXTREMELY frustrated after not having lost weight in the last TWO DAYS. I don't think we can say this is a case of "not losing weight."
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I guess since I lost 10lbs in the first 2 weeks it was weird to totally stall for Sun thru Wednesday. I am new to all of this so learning as much as I can. kshama, I started this right at my TOM 2 and a half weeks ago and I am at ovulation time in the past couple days.
I realize I sound pretty damn stupid to a lot of you and I am sorry for that but I really am trying to learn so I can avoid any huge mistakes that will cause more harm than good. I have been completely sedentary for 6 years so at first I had a hard time even walking fast for 5 minutes. I have been able to double that and triple it a few times a week which, for me, is good. I know my food choices still have a long way to go.3 -
Please don't feel that you have to apologise or worry about sounding stupid. It's great that you are here, are seeking advice and are willing to listen to the advice given. Near the top of this forum are some stickied threads and one of them has links to useful threads. I've learnt so much by reading the forums and those useful threads. I really recommend, when you have time, doing some browsing around those linked threads.
I get your impatience. I'm an impatient type too. I think the worst thing about weight loss, or rather the hardest thing, is knowing it's going to take a long time before I hit my goal. But I also know that in a year's time I'll be so glad I started now.
Good luck:5
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