I always get stuck in the 330s... Help?
emmylootwo
Posts: 172 Member
So I was looking through my weigh-ins on MFP and came to the realization that this is my fourth time trying to lose weight in the past year and a half. Each time I start at around 350 (I'm 5'8'', female, and sedentary for reference). The first 10-15 lbs comes off in a few weeks, then I get stuck somewhere in the 330s for weeks on end. I get discouraged, give up, and gain back the weight I lost -- only to try again a few months later.
And I think it's happening again! I've been hovering around 338 for ten days -- with the exception of a single 335 thrown in there. My trend line of daily weigh-ins has stopped moving downward. I'm eating 1900 NET calories this time -- trying to do it the right way instead of starving myself. Everything seemed promising given that I still lost that first 10 lbs. (And I know 10 days isn't that long, but I don't want it turn into another 10 and another and another at the same damn weight.)
I just feel like giving up again. I didn't have the greatest week last week, but I still was in a deficit. Plus I weigh all my food down to the gram and round up when feasible. What am I doing wrong?
And I think it's happening again! I've been hovering around 338 for ten days -- with the exception of a single 335 thrown in there. My trend line of daily weigh-ins has stopped moving downward. I'm eating 1900 NET calories this time -- trying to do it the right way instead of starving myself. Everything seemed promising given that I still lost that first 10 lbs. (And I know 10 days isn't that long, but I don't want it turn into another 10 and another and another at the same damn weight.)
I just feel like giving up again. I didn't have the greatest week last week, but I still was in a deficit. Plus I weigh all my food down to the gram and round up when feasible. What am I doing wrong?
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Replies
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You may not be doing anything wrong. Sometimes, during the first week or two, there's a big water weight loss and then a stall. Don't get discouraged. This will pass.19
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A few things:
First, make sure that your logging everything correctly and weighing all your food.
Second, you're right. Ten days isn't enough. You aren't truly stuck until you get past six weeks with no movement.
Third, make sure that you aren't making too many changes at once. If you're trying to totally overhaul your diet plus get the hang of logging plus trying to move more more, it can get overwhelming. Maybe focus on just perfecting logging. Then move to eating less if what you normally eat. Then, if you feel like your overall dirty could be better, maybe make some small swaps. Like instead of for slices of pizza, have two slices and a salad.
Fourth, and this one is probably the most important and the hardest: you have to dig deep and figure out why you give up on yourself. You know how to lose weight (eat at a calorie deficit). We all know it's simple but not easy. You have to figure out your why. Both why you want to do this and why you give up on yourself. Once you figure that out, we can help you move past it.15 -
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My only advice is don’t give up. If you feel you slipped, chuck it off and keep going. You won’t be perfect. Perfect doesn’t win this game. Consistency does.15
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Do you have an activity tracker?
I kept losing the same 20 pounds, gaining and losing multiple times. I got an activity tracker and realized I was under eating. I upped to 2400 calories (burning 2900 a day) and have been losing a pound a week, slow but steady.24 -
@Chunk2Chuckk selling and advertising isn't permitted on the boards.1
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Thanks guys... but I'm like 2 seconds away from deleting my account, throwing away my Fitbit, and never trying to lose weight again. I'm downright depressed.23
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emmylootwo wrote: »Thanks guys... but I'm like 2 seconds away from deleting my account, throwing away my Fitbit, and never trying to lose weight again. I'm downright depressed.
Hang in there! It’s tough sometimes, but you CAN push through this. You just have to trust in the process and believe in yourself. Take it one day at a time. You will get there and you’ll look back one day on how much you accomplished through patience and hard work. Lots of hugs!
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Don’t give up. I know it’s easier said then done but just keep at it. Choose a healthier lifestyle and stick with it. I know you want those weight but focus on being healthier. Also make sure you are exercising and challenging yourself. Get a workout buddy and hit the gym. Make sure you workout with someone who is going to push you to do your best and hold you accountable when you slack off. Good luck.1
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Do you have an activity tracker?
I kept losing the same 20 pounds, gaining and losing multiple times. I got an activity tracker and realized I was under eating. I upped to 2400 calories (burning 2900 a day) and have been losing a pound a week, slow but steady.
nope if a person isnt losing weight eating more isnt going to cause weight loss,if you are undereating youre still going to lose weight albeit dangerously and with lean mass/muscle being burned as well.14 -
emmylootwo wrote: »Thanks guys... but I'm like 2 seconds away from deleting my account, throwing away my Fitbit, and never trying to lose weight again. I'm downright depressed.
nothing worthwhile is going to be easy. you have to keep going for you and your health. im usre you know that. you think you have it bad for some reason It tok me more than three years just to lose 45 lbs. The first year and part of the second year I wasnt weighing my food but I was uisng measuring cups until I started gaining again.
I was ready to give up and I came here. I was told to get a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING solid and semi solid. I did and I was shocked that I was eating more than I thought I was.once I started weighing everything I started losing again and then some.
I started my journey aug 3 2013. for the last 2 years(up until 6 monts ago) I maintained that loss. took many diet breaks along the way and kept trying to lose and no matter what for me the weight comes off super slow(almost not at all) I mean less than a half lb a month even with counting/weighing everything and eating even less than what MFP gives me and without exercise calories,yet all my bloodwork comes back normal.
Ive gained a good bit of it back(around half) and cannot figure out why that is. Im weighing everything, Im eating a lot less because IM burning less,yet it wont budge so I gave up trying to lose,trying to maintain the best I can and workout and lift weight hoping to change how my body looks and gain some muscle along the way.Its been a tough roaf and usually long before now I would have given up too.
but my life and health depends on me being as healthy as I can. I will try losing again in the late spring and see how it goes. But dont give up! weight loss for some is slow and sometimes you wont see the scale move,use a tape measure or gauge how your clothes fit. I lost inches before I saw the scale budge. see how much better you feel over time,are you becoming more active? can you do a little more than you could before? etc etc. all different things to look forward to. you will see your health improve if you just keep going Im just glad that you are eating at a healthier calorie level.5 -
Weight loss is a long journey. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. You know why you keep getting stuck, you keep giving up when the weight loss slows. But if you keep giving up it takes even longer! You just have to keep going and the weight will come off.
I used to always get “stuck” at the same number too. I’d stick with it while the weight loss seemed easy/fast and as soon as it slowed, I’d get frustrated and quit. Then in a couple months I’d be back where I started and I’d be starting over. But last year it finally clicked for me that if I just kept with it, I wouldn’t have to keep starting over. Yeah, maybe I’d be stuck at one number for awhile but at least I wouldn’t be right back at square one and of course I never really got stuck because when I stuck with it - through weeks with no loss or even weeks with a gain - the overall trend was down. I’m now at a weight I haven’t been at since college (10 years ago!).
It takes patience but you will get where you want to be if you keep at it.11 -
There might be something that triggers this response to specific situations. You may just have some kind of mental roadblocks. Pay attention, or even take notes, or your circumstances, thoughts, and feelings, and see where the similarities are. If you can figure that out, you may be able to develop techniques to overcome whatever's stopping you.4
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You have an advantage now over the last few times. You know the pattern. Continue logging and eating as you have been - if you really have been logging correctly then the weight will come off. You might be due a woosh in the next few days - and when that happens, you'll be so glad you didn't quit.6
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You might benefit from weighing less often to avoid fluctuations. It seems like you've had some success, so make your goal to log correctly and eat at your calorie goal rather than what the scale says. Weight loss is painfully slow and scale weights can be super unpredictable due to water weight. What you can control is the food you eat and how you log it. It'll come off if you are accurate, and because you're able to have a large deficit, you have some wiggle room to have a little inaccuracies and still lose. I only weigh once a month, after my period flow has ended, as that's when I tend to be the least bloated.
Since I remember you from previous threads, I also want to re-emphasize expectations. Don't be too ambitious, trust the process of logging food and deficit eating, and get back to your life. Don't let weight loss take over your mind, because again, it's so slow that it's only going to lead to disappointment.10 -
Read this article, @emmylootwo. Maybe it will help quell the freak-outs.
http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/6 -
I was SO ANGRY with myself that I had to lose weight. So angry.
But it had to be done, so I did it.
It's really worth it, keep going. You are not stuck at any weight. Keep doing the right things, it will come off.
Sometimes quickly sometimes slowly - but it will.9 -
What was your motivation for starting your weight loss journey? Maybe write down your "whys" and post them somewhere you will see them everyday. My dad always used to say "If you are tired of starting over, stop giving up.". You will slip up. You will have good days and bad days. The important thing is that you keep trying.3
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emmylootwo wrote: »Thanks guys... but I'm like 2 seconds away from deleting my account, throwing away my Fitbit, and never trying to lose weight again. I'm downright depressed.
I feel like that when I'm depressed too (and also when my anemia is not controlled.)
Have you seen a doctor about depression? I tried a number of anti depressants before settling on Wellbutrin, which I love. It is a tiny bit stimulating, which really helps me get out of my chair and go exercise.
Speaking of exercise, this has been shown to be just as effective as anti depressants for mild to moderate depression. I often have to force myself to start exercising, but am always glad I did.
At your weight it is important to start slow. "Just" walking is a great way to start. Invest in some good shoes.
You might find this thread helpful: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10721471/can-t-get-excercising-depressed/p14 -
A few other things I thought of that everyone here jogged my brain about:
Do you have a support system? Anyone you can talk to about this in your life? Anyone to cheer your successes? If not, let me know. I would love to be your cheerleader.
It's really easy to have a slip up meal and feel like the whole day is ruined. Or have a slip up day and feel like the week is ruined. Or slip up well and feel like the month is ruined. It's not. I promise. People slip up all the time and it doesn't mean you failed, you just feel down. If a musician plays one wrong now, they don't give up being a musician. It's party of learning how to be a musician. They don't off, start playing again, and learn how to be a better musician. In the same way, your learning what works for you. If you have a day where the stress gets to you and you overeat, it doesn't mean your not still trying to lose weight. You just found a way to deal with stress that doesn't work for you, and a way of eating that doesn't work for you. So your fist yourself off and find another way, make a new plan, and start over at the next meal.
You can lose weight. You've done it before. Even if it was "just" water weight, you can't lose water weight without making changes. Now you just need to work on creating habits around those changes. So really, when you think about it, your not trying to lose weight. You're trying to create positive habits that let you live the kinds of life you want to live. You can do it.4 -
No it isn't, but lots of people report this phenomenon.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Do you have an activity tracker?
I kept losing the same 20 pounds, gaining and losing multiple times. I got an activity tracker and realized I was under eating. I upped to 2400 calories (burning 2900 a day) and have been losing a pound a week, slow but steady.
nope if a person isnt losing weight eating more isnt going to cause weight loss,if you are undereating youre still going to lose weight albeit dangerously and with lean mass/muscle being burned as well.
I wonder if what's happening is that at the lower calorie intake they end up reducing their activity level to compensate, without noticing.
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10 days at the same weight isn't long enough to be a plateau but I totally understand your frustration. I'm wondering how long you have been dieting this time around. If you are comfortable that you are logging every calorie and if you stay stuck for another 3 weeks or so then I suggest the diet break. That doesn't mean quitting it means eating at maintenance for a couple weeks. I was stuck after a year of dieting and couldn't get the scale to budge. I took a diet break and although I gained a couple pounds during the break after I went back to dieting it came right off along with the last 20 lbs I needed to lose. But it was slow. I was stuck for 3 months tho so again give it more time. Lots of folks get stuck and many things cause your weight to stall. Sometimes it's just food still in your digestive system if things aren't moving along normally. Could be water due to exercise, hormones or if you aren't drinking enough. The more you drink actually the more your body lets go of the water. Hang in there my friend. I know it seems like a long way to go and may even feel hopeless but trust me it's not and you CAN do it. Go check out the success thread and picture yourself there one day.4
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HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
No it isn't, but lots of people report this phenomenon.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Do you have an activity tracker?
I kept losing the same 20 pounds, gaining and losing multiple times. I got an activity tracker and realized I was under eating. I upped to 2400 calories (burning 2900 a day) and have been losing a pound a week, slow but steady.
nope if a person isnt losing weight eating more isnt going to cause weight loss,if you are undereating youre still going to lose weight albeit dangerously and with lean mass/muscle being burned as well.
I wonder if what's happening is that at the lower calorie intake they end up reducing their activity level to compensate, without noticing.
That does indeed happen. Also this - they are intending to eat too few calories, but are hungry and over eat, and end up eating way more calories per day than if they had a sustainable calorie allowance.
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
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Ah yes. Unattainable goals never lead anywhere good.kshama2001 wrote: »HeliumIsNoble wrote: »
No it isn't, but lots of people report this phenomenon.CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »Do you have an activity tracker?
I kept losing the same 20 pounds, gaining and losing multiple times. I got an activity tracker and realized I was under eating. I upped to 2400 calories (burning 2900 a day) and have been losing a pound a week, slow but steady.
nope if a person isnt losing weight eating more isnt going to cause weight loss,if you are undereating youre still going to lose weight albeit dangerously and with lean mass/muscle being burned as well.
I wonder if what's happening is that at the lower calorie intake they end up reducing their activity level to compensate, without noticing.
That does indeed happen. Also this - they are intending to eat too few calories, but are hungry and over eat, and end up eating way more calories per day than if they had a sustainable calorie allowance.
https://www.aworkoutroutine.com/1200-calorie-diet/
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One thing that kept me going this go around: Think about where you could be a year from now if you don't give up today. Would you rather look back a year from now and think " I should probably start up again" or would you rather look back and think "Wow, look how far I came?"
Think about this. If you stick with the process <---(Key words here) What is the worst that could happen in a year's time? What if you lose less then what you were going for? It's still MORE then what it would be if you stop now. It's still progress. It still gets you one step closer to where you want to be. Chances are you'll lose more then you think if you just stick with it. Within 1 year, You'll mess up. You'll want to quit. You'll get frustrated. This is all normal and happens to us all. BUT You'll also continue to learn what works for you. You'll learn what doesn't work too. You'll adapt. You'll evolve. If anything a year from now you'll have gained a knowledge base you didn't have before if you stopped now. All which adds progress to your goal.
Another quote that keeps me going:
Perfection is the enemy of Progress
So the scale is being a jerk this week? Focus on the other areas you are making progress. The Non-Scale victories. (A thread I HIGHLY reccomend checking out BTW) Counting your calories (even after a big meal), meeting your calorie goal, Getting in your workouts, these are all things within your immediate control that you can continue to work on even if the scale is not moving at the moment.
Best of luck. You've got this! :flowerforyou:13 -
Here are 2 of the tricks I used to help me through the first few months:
1) Ignore the bathroom scale as much as possible. The scale had been my biggest enemy in my previous attempts so I didn't weigh my first time until I had already been in a deficit for 6 weeks. It took months for my relationship with the scale to get where it is now.
2) I shifted my thinking from weight loss to just eating a healthy amount of calories. I tried my best not to think about losing weight and put it out of my mind as much as possible. I wanted weight loss to be a side bonus of doing things the right way not my primary focus... I still do. I started heavier than you and I knew it was going to take a really long time and I didn't want my weight to drag me down mentally like it had in the past.14 -
Just piping in to say that aside from all the other incredibly good advice already given, for me, in moments of low morale I find coming to MFP and reading threads like this is a huge boost to my commitment to stay on track. Everyone has moments, days, weeks of self doubt and there are so many people here who really know what they are talking about, have great advice and the support is fantastic.
There have been a lot of days where I too have wondered if I'm doing things correctly, but then I read a great thread like this one and it brings me back to knowing I am, and remembering how much better I feel than I did 3-1/2 months ago and how much better I'll feel 3-1/2 months from now if I just keep doing what I'm doing, which IS working.
Even if it you aren't in to one-on-one communication with anyone, the group vibe is enough to help get you over those moments when you are feeling hopeless with your progress. So a big thank you to everyone from another person here who finds these words extremely helpful on a daily basis in keeping me going too!6 -
emmylootwo wrote: »Thanks guys... but I'm like 2 seconds away from deleting my account, throwing away my Fitbit, and never trying to lose weight again. I'm downright depressed.
I found it very helpful when I first tried to lose weight to focus on a variety of goals, not just weight loss. In fact, I didn't believe I could lose weight, kind of superstitiously, so I told myself that if I couldn't be thin, I'd be as healthy and fit as I could be. So even when the scale didn't move I could focus on my exercise/training goals, on getting in a certain number of steps, on eating really healthfully (on getting in my vegetable goals). With MFP, I'd add with logging really well and maybe trying to improve on some factor like fiber or protein.
That can help you realize you are doing good things and making progress even when the scale stalls, and it gives you something to focus on that you can control directly.5 -
I'm in a similar boat as far as weight & goal rate - something that i've found to be helpful to myself is to look at the calories i need to eat to maintain my current weight and keep it in mind as i go. Right now my goal is 1730, but to maintain my current weight i need to eat about 2350. I've promised myself i will log honestly, and log everything i eat, and know that even if i blow past my 1730 goal for today, if i eat under 2350, i'm still doing SOMETHING toward losing, however slow it may be. I don't know if that will help you, but knowing that number helps me.
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You have an advantage now over the last few times. You know the pattern. Continue logging and eating as you have been - if you really have been logging correctly then the weight will come off. You might be due a woosh in the next few days - and when that happens, you'll be so glad you didn't quit.
I can honestly say for me i have NEVER had the whoosh effect1
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