When you get stuck on the plateau, what can I do?

nerva0729
nerva0729 Posts: 14 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello I'm not new at this but I'm having problems, I got rid of almost 40 pounds, but I got stuck on the plateau, I try to eat healthy, not fatty foods (hamburguers, tacos, hotdogs) and drink only water (sometimes but rarely, coffee), I don't drink soda or sweet water and I have to wait almost months to see some pounds droping, I even eat less than what my fitness pal recommend, and only white meat, I don't know what I'm doing wrong, I really don't I tried everything and I can't get rid of at least a pound since the last 3 weeks, sometimes when I do lose weight I drop 3 or 5 pounds in a row, but it's so hard for that to happen, I don't know what to do, should I eat more vegetables? Should I eat less? Or on the contrary more? I need help guys!! I wanna lose at least 5 pounds for halloween, and even when it sounds easy, it is not because I don't lose weight at all, sometimes I go months before droping only 3 pounds and it's getting annoying, any suggestions? Thank you for reading : )

Replies

  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    If you're not weighing your food, you're probably eating more than the calories you are logging.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    What you eat doesn’t matter for weight less, just how many calories you eat. From the sound of it, you might just be the kind of person who loses weight in whooshes - this isn’t unknown, especially for women. Halloween is only a few weeks away so you may or may not drop five pounds by then. It really depends on your body and how much of a deficit you’re maintaining. You said you’ve lost 40 pounds - that’s awesome! If you’re getting down to a lower weight, its just going to take longer to lose weight healthily. Be patient and keep up the good work!
  • alondrakayy
    alondrakayy Posts: 304 Member
    If you're doing all the right things (weighing all the food) then you just gotta wait it out.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    If you are consistently in a calorie deficit and know for sure your logging is 100% on point, it will drop. You stated 3 weeks, so I would wait a little longer.

    You asked about eating more..how many are you eating now each day? You stated you eat less than what MFP gives you and wondering how long you have been doing this?
  • nerva0729
    nerva0729 Posts: 14 Member
    Well I check the food I usually eat just a cup of everything, I do measure it, but I don't eat much, I'm not that hungry all the time, I can eat once a day and be fine, but I try not to so I don't get sick; I usually eat from 700 to 800 calories a day, and I was wondering if that's making my metabolism kinda slow, I came to visit my family and it's hard because they eat so bad, so I try to stay away as much as I can, so I eat very little, like egg white instead of the whole egg, if they make food I eat just a cup of it, and hamburguers, sweet bread, and stuff like that is a big No No, so I think I'm doing good, but I was wondering if I'm probably eating so little that it's causing my body to save more fat so it doesn't shut down, can that be a posibility?
  • tennetubbie
    tennetubbie Posts: 312 Member
    I am stuck on a plateau too for 7 weeks now, up and down 3 pounds I WAS losing a steady 2 pounds a week---93 pounds down. I AM weighing everything ( cut the cap off my strawberries and they go on the scale)and I have measuring spoons, cups, and a knife to scrape acress the top to make it level. I am tunning 5K twice a week in under 30 mins I swim 60 mins 5 days a week and 2 hours 1 day a week,--front crawl moderate to hard effort. I do weights with my trainer 4 hours a week. I do Pound, Bands, cycle, and JAcobs ladder, rowing machine and biking to work.

    I am 10 pounds away from "normal BMI".

    The inches are not dropping either--my legs are downright skinny!(well I did lose another 1 1/2 inches off my chest last month---your boobs give it up when the waist (only place I have left to lose)won't, but I am knocking time off my 5 K and my swim stroke is down by 4 strokes per length--I am lifting MORE weight --I started leg press at 70 pounds and am up to 260! I can recline leg press 580--lateral flys 95 pounds (started at 30)4x12....

    I am just going to keep going---trying to get more protein in--keep my deficit at 1000 caloreis a day keep my net intake at 1200-1500, and push on! My trainer says it can last for 4-6 months but that you keep on going and it WILL come off- He is upping my weights steadily--meanwhile I am LOVING the compliments, and that I can shop in regular stores now for a large instead of a 2-3X I'm wearing more fashionable clothes, and jewelry even (haven't worn any for 20 years). I'm just going to be patient, and enjoy the process--I LOVE feeling fit!!!
  • tess5036
    tess5036 Posts: 942 Member
    edited October 2017
    I'm not an expert, but a few posts on here have suggested upping calories slightly, going more towards maintance levels for a few weeks (several people said to do it gradually) and it may help, not sure if it's because it resets the metabolism, or something else.
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    #1 - Logging.
    #2 - Switch up your exercise routine (switch to a different cardio and/or strength regiment).
    #3 - Have patience; 4 weeks is considered the minimum for a true plateau.
  • Ozstriker1
    Ozstriker1 Posts: 2 Member
    Drink lots of water, aim for as close to a gallon a day as you can, eat your carbs through vegetables, up the cardio and make sure your doing weights.. legs are the biggest calorie burners of all, squats and dead lifts are great for that.. 800 calories is not enough.. it’s almost impossible to maintain yourself on that for a good strong healthy body that works out
  • nerva0729
    nerva0729 Posts: 14 Member
    Yes I've been eating that, I am COUNTING every portion of what I eat, at first I was droping 5 pounds a week, one time it was 4 in like 5 days, so I KNOW I'm eating the same as when I drop that much, but it suddenly stoped, and all of a sudden I check again and I'm like 4 pounds less, but it happens like random, not every week, I check my weight every week, this week I drop one pound and that's good, but it takes really a long time, I don't drink much water maybe that is a problem, but I am sure I don't eat the 1000 calories, I know it because I count portions, then I put the calories, I measure everything with cups, spoons, etc, and when I eat granola bars I only eat half of them, I cut then in half and then leave the other half for the next day and that would be my breakfast, half bar with some low fat milk, just a glass, (and I know because a cup it's 8 oz), so I do measure everything, and it was going fast at first but it suddenly stoped, so I was wondering if that's why, I just don't like eating much, I had an eating disorder when I was on high school and since then I don't eat much because I don't feel too hungry, but when you start eating at least a little you gain weight when you have that problem, so I was wondering if the reason is that, I was eating even a little less it was probably like 500 a day before because I was depressed, so it was like for example a toast with a glass of milk, two egg whites with a cup of 100% apple juice and that was all, and that because I forced myself, because I didn't wanted to get sick and start fainting like before (how embarrassing) then I felt better and started eating a little more going from 500 to like 700 or 800 (it's not an exact number just in between) so I was wondering if that's the reason, and the other thing is I'm scared, if I start eating all the 1200 I'm probably gonna gain the weight back, I think I mess it up : (
  • nerva0729
    nerva0729 Posts: 14 Member
    But I will do what you guys said, try to be as accurate as I can, but to be honest I am scared because I know I'm not eating all that because I haven't gain any weight, but it drops random, all of a sudden 5 pounds other nothing, then 3 more, then just 1, etc, but if I start eating the 1200 that MFP says am I gonna probably gain weight? I would like to know that :(
  • JRSINAZ
    JRSINAZ Posts: 158 Member
    Weighing is the most accurate method for me. Sometimes I find that the food values already in the MFP are inaccurate too. I don't always believe my fitbit for activity either haha
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    Eating very few calories can impact hormones such as estrogen, cortisol and thyroid function, and this can alter your metabolism. If there's any way you can see a registered dietitian to help you reach health goals, please, please make it a priority. You are young and beautiful and that 5 pound loss you want to see before Halloween might not seem that important to you a few years from now when you look back. Take a deep breath and tell yourself everything is going to be okay.

    It's so much more fulfilling to put effort into how you can make someone else's Halloween fun rather than focusing inward on what you would like to look like. I hope that doesn't sound like criticism or judgement. It's the type of advice I give my own kids and my students all the time: Happiness comes from looking outward at how you can show kindness, but life gets very limited and small when you dwell on your own perceived shortcomings.

    I understand wanting to reach a goal and how frustrating it can be when things don't go as fast as you want. Last week I posted my own "Help I'm plateauing!" thread, so I don't want to sound like a hypocrite! Just continue to eat a healthy diet and you will lose weight in time. Think of the journey as a gift - a great learning experience that will benefit you the rest of your life. Best wishes!
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    Personally I have never seen a plateau that can't be solved by logging more accurately. How's your logging? Are you using a food scale for ALL solids? Measuring cups/spoons for all liquids? Using the recipe builder? Using accurate entries? Being conservative with exercise calories? Logging EVERYTHING that passes your lips?

    Also since losing 40lbs have you re-calculated your calorie goal?

    I just don't have the patients for that. I weigh correctly to about 80 %. But the rest I over estimate when I put it in. So far it has worked out good.
  • nerva0729
    nerva0729 Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you everybody for your replies, I don't know maybe is that, I think I can get it under control, but I wasn't really looking for like a mental health advice, but to know what you guys think might be the problem I'm not losing weight, but yeah I might have to check myself with a nutritionist, and a therapist or something (how crazy is that xD) but no no, don't get the wrong idea I was just wondering what you guys thought was the problem what I was doing wrong, I hope I didn't made anybody feel uncomfortable, that wasn't my intention, thank you for the advice :)
  • nerva0729
    nerva0729 Posts: 14 Member
    Karintalley I didn't understand sorry n.nU
  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    nerva0729 wrote: »
    Karintalley I didn't understand sorry n.nU

    Sorry, I read it again, it sounds weird..lol
    You know how some people eye their servings...i do that sometimes. I weigh most of my foods, but sometimes I just grab a handful of grapes for instance, and eat. I'm too lazy to weigh it.

    Well, I still log it so I enter in that I ate X amount of grams of graps, usually I double what I actually ate. I only do this if I don't weigh something.
    So far it worked out well and has in the past as well.
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    The two things I could say is weigh your food and measure your body. You might not see the scale budge but you can be losing inches. I know what it's like to not be hungry, but girl you atleast gotta get 1,200.
  • nerva0729
    nerva0729 Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you everybody, I've been trying to eat a lot more, and I weight myself and lost almost 4 pounds!! It's good, but I do think if I'm not eating healthy then it might be back; I'll follow you advice and I'll check better my portions and try to eat a lot better, all the calories and more water, thank you specially Rickiimariie and Karintalley :)
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