need advice from experienced MFP users!:)

ashleylarkin15
ashleylarkin15 Posts: 10 Member
edited December 2024 in Motivation and Support
hello everyone! i recently posted on here asking about how to get out of a weight loss plateau. i have lost 32 pounds so far - i am a 5'7 female, i started at 189 and have been stuck at 157 for about 5 weeks straight. i exercise 5-6 days a week (cardio + weight training) and i track everything religiously (weighing out all of my food). i drink 80+ ounces of water a day and get plenty of sleep.
my job is in an office so i sit a lot - maybe that has something to do with it, but i was able to lose weight at this job up until the last 5 weeks.
MFP says i should be eating 1200 calories a day to lose 2 pounds a week, however i haven't lose 2 pounds a week in months, so i changed it to 1.5 per week, eating 1340 calories a day.

my main question is this: i was able to lose the 32 pounds with eating basically whatever i wanted as long as it fit in my calorie range. to break out of this rut, i am thinking i might need eat super clean to lose the next 20 or so? at a certain point, does the quality of the food play a larger role in the quantity?

Replies

  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    First you have been trying to lose too fast:

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    Next... Calories are units of energy. In the Calories In vs Calories Out equation "clean" food is not a factor.

    How many of your exercise calories are you eating back?

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Do you use a food scale?
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    edited December 2019
    Yeah, slow your weight loss. I'd go to "Lose 1/2 pound per week." I am also 5'7.5" and when I was at your weight (with less than 20 to go) I was set at "Lose 1/2 pound per week," and I was eating 1600+Exercise cals, which meant around 2000 calories per day on most days. I needed that many calories, otherwise I get stuck in binge/restrict... I'm older and retired too, so not a lot of daily activity.

    The food choices you make are of course going to make a difference in the long run. You'll feel better and have more energy (therefore do more/burn more) if you are well nourished. I used a food scale and prepared 13 out of 14 meals myself in that last 20 pounds - but it's a slow process. You're at a healthy weight. The vanity pounds are a much different animal than the over-weight pounds.
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