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MyFitnessPal Community

kitten - vent

ZhivagosGirl

Been cruising along from January to September - lost 70 lbs. For the past month I've been losing and gaining the same 3 pounds over and over again.

If I use BMI as a point if reference I still have at least 50 lbs to lose so it's not like I'm in the vanity pound range by any means.

I don't get it, it's not like I all the sudden started using a pitch fork and a snow shovel to eat with.

I'm just frustrated...

Oh well, slow and steady (with emphasis on slow) wins the race.

Replies

aeloine

OH MY GAWD ME TOO.

It's literally been 5 weeks of the same two pounds. Hit a "new" low and then right back up and it's REALLY FRUSTRATING.

Kullerva

I have been gaining and losing the same 5lb for months.

Congrats on the 70 lb loss! Have you adjusted your goals recently? You'll need a lot fewer calories at this weight than you did 70 lb ago...I try to reset my goals every 10lb or so. Good luck breaking out of the stall!

aeloine

Haha we should make our own support group - Stallers Anonymous!

kristen8000

Grr...so frusterating.

Advice? You'll need to change something. Either add different exercises or eat less. Tighten up on logging (start using a food scale if you aren't already).

You are probably eating at maintainance level without really knowing.

If something isn't working, change it. And I think it sounds like it's time to do just that...

What has helped me to is to weigh daily and put the info into a trending app like Happy Scale and Libra, so you can see the trend, not just the scale jumping around.

junodog1

Take a look at your long term chart and it will make you feel better. I really slowed down in August and have had some swings up that were substantial, but I fight it back down and keep the overall progress in mind.

Some people find success if they eat at maintenance a week or tow, then get back on deficit, others find that their logging just needs some tightening up.

Just stick with it, you can do this.

ETA: I support daily weighing!

ck2d

Look up "whooshes and squishy fat" - it's quite an eye opening explanation for stalls.

tinkerbellang83

kristen8000 wrote: »

Grr...so frusterating.

Advice? You'll need to change something. Either add different exercises or eat less. Tighten up on logging (start using a food scale if you aren't already).

You are probably eating at maintainance level without really knowing.

If something isn't working, change it. And I think it sounds like it's time to do just that...

What has helped me to is to weigh daily and put the info into a trending app like Happy Scale and Libra, so you can see the trend, not just the scale jumping around.

Agree with this, if it's been going on for a few weeks, you have probably just got to the point where you have a lower margin of error for logging. Tighten up the logging give it a couple more weeks.

ZhivagosGirl

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I have adjusted my calories, I'm down about 200 from when I started on MFP in July.

I also do weigh everyday - that's how I know about the constant up and down in agonizing detail.

We have a recumbent bike I haven't been using, guess it's time to start giving that a go.

I haven't resigned myself to a kitchen scale yet but I do log everything. I'm having a hard time making peace with being that laser focused on every single thing I put in my mouth. I'll see how the added exercise goes and re-evaluate after that.

Tacklewasher

ZhivagosGirl wrote: »

I haven't resigned myself to a kitchen scale yet but I do log everything. I'm having a hard time making peace with being that laser focused on every single thing I put in my mouth. I'll see how the added exercise goes and re-evaluate after that.

Get a scale.

seska422

ZhivagosGirl wrote: »

I haven't resigned myself to a kitchen scale yet but I do log everything. I'm having a hard time making peace with being that laser focused on every single thing I put in my mouth. I'll see how the added exercise goes and re-evaluate after that.

You don't have to be laser focused, especially while you are getting comfortable with the scale. Just weighing calorie-dense foods can really help with calorie accuracy.

I find the kitchen scale much easier to use (and easier to keep clean) than measuring cups and spoons.

junodog1

Tacklewasher wrote: »

ZhivagosGirl wrote: »

I haven't resigned myself to a kitchen scale yet but I do log everything. I'm having a hard time making peace with being that laser focused on every single thing I put in my mouth. I'll see how the added exercise goes and re-evaluate after that.

Get a scale.

^^^ This.

maura_tasi

I highly recommend the kitchen scale! I felt the same way you did about not wanting to get laser focused or rely too much on a scale, however, I have found it to help me tremendously! When I first started using one I would only weigh calorie dense foods (nuts, avocado, cheese, peanut butter) or foods that are easy to go over in a serving by just eyeballing (pasta), and any snack food I put in my mouth that wasn't during a meal that wasn't pre portioned. Once I got comfortable with that is when I started weighing meats, veggies, and other various items. I'm now able to eyeball what an actual serving size is of these various foods and don't even have to pull out the scale most times. Don't think of it was getting hyper focused with what's going in your mouth, think of it as a learning tool that will help you for the rest of your life!

kristen8000

I know you are on the fence on a food scale but it does make a ton of difference. And it's easier to log if you know EXACTLY what and how much you are eating. I love mine, probably too much. It made certian that I lost at the rate I wanted to (even if it wasn't steady every week, in the end, it all averaged out the way I wanted it too).

What I'm guessing is that 200 calories you "dropped" you are making up for in inaccurate logging. It happens to everyone.

Keep up the great work - try a trending app that uses all those daily recordings and gives you a trend...it really does help the mental part of it...

JoLightensUp

Another vote for trying a scale. I'd never weighed food during weight loss before joining MFP because it always seemed a bit obsessive really. But I've found it really helpful.

This is the least hungry I have ever felt while losing, and I think it may be at least partly because previous times I was unknowingly serving myself portions of things like rice and pasta that were actually too small. And then I was over-eating things like nuts because I didn't realise how small a reasonable portion was.

I am surprised to find that, rather than being stressful and a pain, using a scale has actually made me feel more relaxed and confident about what I am doing because it has reduced the guesswork.

I don't weigh everything all the time, but I usually check most things once so I get an idea of portion size. I re-check regularly as well, just not every time.

All the best with whatever you decide anyway, and I hope you have a breakthrough soon!

KarenJean81

I weigh food too, it really does help. The last time i plateaued I looked at fat, sugar and sodium rather than my calories and discovered my sodium was crazy high. Cut that and started losing again.

gribbo37

As stated several times above...weigh the food...also noted above, once you weigh enough times you start to get a good feel for portion sizes and it becomes less “laser” like and more natural. Good luck!

mcafton

ZhivagosGirl wrote: »

Been cruising along from January to September - lost 70 lbs. For the past month I've been losing and gaining the same 3 pounds over and over again.

If I use BMI as a point if reference I still have at least 50 lbs to lose so it's not like I'm in the vanity pound range by any means.

I don't get it, it's not like I all the sudden started using a pitch fork and a snow shovel to eat with.

I'm just frustrated...

Oh well, slow and steady (with emphasis on slow) wins the race.

lol. pitchfork and snow shovel.

mcafton

I seem to be kind of stuck too. I have been slacking on the calorie count. Still watching what I eat, but not as closely. Get a decent amount of exercise, so I'm maintaining, but not losing like I want to.