Help! I've Plateaud

BWadeRN

I'm stuck in a plateau! I've been stagnant for about a month and a half and I can't get things rolling again... any advice on how to break it?! I stick to a 1,000-1,200 calorie diet almost every day...

crb426

1. Are you close to goal weight? Your weight loss will slow as it doesn't need as many calories for its slimmer self.
2. Are you SURE you are eating 1,000-1,200 calories? Using a food scale and correct nutritional values? Your intake is pretty low, which makes me think you are eating a little more than you think if you're not losing weight.
3. Have you increased your exercise lately? You might be retaining water because of it.

There are a lot of reasons that you could have "plateaued", but basically: you're probably not in a deficit.

BWadeRN

I've had a lot of people tell me I'm probably taking in more than I realize...no, I'm not....I usually eat 1,050 or so so that I have some play room in case I am taking in hidden calories. I add in drinks, sugar, creamer, even my multivitamin gummies. I was eating closer to 1,200 at first but now I'm closer to 1,000. I have a cheat day once a week usually. I don't do a lot of exercising. Maybe once a week (30-45 minute walk) on top of working and generalized housework. My biggest problem is my schedule (or lack there of). I work 3 night shifts/week and flip flop back and forth on my nights(days?) off. So, sometimes I eat 1,200 calories in a 20 hour time frame and sometimes I eat 1,200 calories in an 8 hour time frame. I have no routine because of my schedule.

quiksylver296

If your deficit is really small, your cheat meal could be erasing it completely. Try cutting out the cheat meal for 4-6 weeks and see what happens.

kimny72

It looks like you only have 10-15 lbs to lose. What is your height and weight? This close to goal, the process will be slow and you need to be exact.

• If you aren't using a food scale for all solids (even packaged foods), commit to doing so for a couple of weeks to see if that is your problem. I discovered I was eating 200-300 cals per day MORE than I thought when I started weighing my portions.
• Double check the entries you are using in the database. Many are entered by other users and are rubbish. Try comparing entries you use often to the USDA site.
• Do you log your cheat day accurately? It's easy to eat back your deficit for the week with one cheat day.
• If you have been dieting for a long time, try taking a week or two off, sometimes mental fatigue can lead to dropped details without realizing it.

If you're up for it, opening your food log can help, sometimes fresh eyes can catch something you're missing, but I understand not everyone is comfortable doing that. Hang in there, and good luck!

jessiferrrb

what are your starting and current stats and goals?
if you don't have much to lose then your losses can slow down significantly, which is why so many people struggle with the last 10 pounds or so.
also, is it a complete plateau or have things just been slow?
do you log your cheat meals?

meal timing and schedule won't make much of a difference as your body doesn't really know what time it is. accurate logging however, can make a huge difference.

AverageJoeFit

You could try a re-feed week. I know it sounds crazy, but take a week and set you weight loss to maintain weight for a full week.

Then after the week go back to dieting. Since times you have to eat a little too get you body to realize it can still lose weight.

Give it a try

crb426

If you have a cheat day every week, then you could be undoing a lot of your hard work. Do you log that day? It's really not hard to eat 3,000-4,000 calories on a cheat day.