Stuck at the same place for about 6 months.

ssmaling

So, here's the thing. In about a year I got rid of 100lbs. From 313lbs to 213lbs. Now for the past 6 months I have been stuck between 213lbs and 217lbs. It's like I just cannot get past 213lbs! I have changed up my calories (eating more, eating less), done different work outs, tried to 'shock' my body and it seems nothing is working! I should mention that at one point I was down to 203lbs but then had some major medical problems and went back up to 213lbs but this was in March and I have been working so hard since then. I am SO frustrated. I just don't know what more to do. Please, be honest. I don't need things sugar coated. I have put on my big girl panties today. Thanks.

strongmindstrongbody

Rummaged through your diary...all I see is you could get in more protein. You said you've tried lowering calorie and upping calories, so I've got no other advice. Could your medical problem be related to the plateau?

celadontea

Are you on any medications for said medical conditions that arose? If so it could be caused from that. Maybe talk to your doctor.

NataBost

Rummaged through your diary...all I see is you could get in more protein. You said you've tried lowering calorie and upping calories, so I've got no other advice. Could your medical problem be related to the plateau?

Yup. I was about to say the same thing. Protein looks a bit low. Do you know your Body Fat %, TDEE and BMR?

ssmaling

Nope, no medications. Medical problem was a pretty serious miscarriage which left me in bed rest for about 2 weeks.

More protein....I've been thinking about that as well. I've thought of a plateau too but holy crow, that is one long sucka!

ssmaling

Rummaged through your diary...all I see is you could get in more protein. You said you've tried lowering calorie and upping calories, so I've got no other advice. Could your medical problem be related to the plateau?

Yup. I was about to say the same thing. Protein looks a bit low. Do you know your Body Fat %, TDEE and BMR?

My BMR is 1739, but I have no idea about my TDEE (no idea what that is actually) and my Body Fat %.

ShaSimone

get more protein, very carb heavy diet.

MFP allows you to customize and adjust your macro percentage setting however you choose. some people do 40-30-30.

bmskid

I only looked a few days back, but wondered what's happening on the days that you're not logging your food? Are you still conscious of what you're eating or are those "cheat days"? I think trying to be very consistent logging for a long period of time would help you see a little more clearly what you can do to overcome the plateau.

flannery2012

I agree, more protein.
And less sugar.

musicboxes

You are doing an awesome job!

There are 2 things I know about myself that hinders me from loosing the lbs.

1. Water....I know when I don't drink enough water, I won't drop the lbs. I just read a blog today to drink 1/2 of your weight of water in ounces, so this is my new goal this week.

2. Eating at night...When I don't eat anything in the evening, I loose the lbs.

Even though I know this, I don't always listen to myself. I have been bouncing 2-3 lbs the last month & can't seem to get anywhere. Even though I have not been loosing the lbs like I would like, I am loosing inches every week, have lost almost 2 sizes.

So I'm going to focus on these 2 goals this week.......I can already feel drinking the water is starting to make a difference.

Keep going...you're doing great...You can do it.

ssmaling

get more protein, very carb heavy diet.

MFP allows you to customize and adjust your macro percentage setting however you choose. some people do 40-30-30.

I am SO horrible with the micro macro thing. I honestly don't understand it at all.

ssmaling

I only looked a few days back, but wondered what's happening on the days that you're not logging your food? Are you still conscious of what you're eating or are those "cheat days"? I think trying to be very consistent logging for a long period of time would help you see a little more clearly what you can do to overcome the plateau.

Most times I am still conscious of what I'm eating but I do give myself cheat days. I am at the point where I am so frustrated it is honestly getting hard for me to keep plugging on with the logging. I know I need to, but some days I just don't.

ssmaling

I agree, more protein.
And less sugar.

I've thought about protein shakes, but honestly they freak me out.

ssmaling

You are doing an awesome job!

There are 2 things I know about myself that hinders me from loosing the lbs.

1. Water....I know when I don't drink enough water, I won't drop the lbs. I just read a blog today to drink 1/2 of your weight of water in ounces, so this is my new goal this week.

2. Eating at night...When I don't eat anything in the evening, I loose the lbs.

Even though I know this, I don't always listen to myself. I have been bouncing 2-3 lbs the last month & can't seem to get anywhere. Even though I have not been loosing the lbs like I would like, I am loosing inches every week, have lost almost 2 sizes.

So I'm going to focus on these 2 goals this week.......I can already feel drinking the water is starting to make a difference.

Keep going...you're doing great...You can do it.

I have been lacking in my faithful water intake. I should really focus more on that. Not eating at night would be way to impossible for me. I've tried it and ended up binging. So, that's not too awesome. Thanks!

popsicklestar

It's also possible you have a minor food allergy. I would try cutting out dairy, gluten, and soy for a month and see how your body responds. It can also really help to cut out sugar and artificial sweeteners for a month. Try adding some supplements and vitamins if you're not taking them already and make sure your doing strength training as well as cardio.

wamydia

So, here's the thing. In about a year I got rid of 100lbs. From 313lbs to 213lbs. Now for the past 6 months I have been stuck between 213lbs and 217lbs. It's like I just cannot get past 213lbs! I have changed up my calories (eating more, eating less), done different work outs, tried to 'shock' my body and it seems nothing is working! I should mention that at one point I was down to 203lbs but then had some major medical problems and went back up to 213lbs but this was in March and I have been working so hard since then. I am SO frustrated. I just don't know what more to do. Please, be honest. I don't need things sugar coated. I have put on my big girl panties today. Thanks.

I think we're long lost twins. I have almost exactly the same story (started at 316, got stuck between 217 and 214 after about 1 1/2 yrs). I actually stayed stuck for about 1 1/2 yrs and then regained a few pounds after gallbladder surgery. I have just recently started losing again (down about 15 pounds in 3 months). So, what I learned from my very extended plateau:

1. The number one cause of my problem is what I like to think of as Food Intake Perception Drfit (yes I totally made that up). I think we can get really good at this eating right thing by being dilligent for an extended period of time, but it is human nature to sort of loosen up after a while even though we don't mean to. I was sneaking a few more snacks then not quite getting around to logging them. I was eyeballing more things and not measuring and weighing them. I was over-guesstimating my exercise a bit and not exercising as much as I had been most of the time. I was slowly eating a bit more crap food and a little less healthy food. And the amazing thing was even after the weight loss journey I had been through to that point, I was still capable of deceiving myself that I was eating on my plan even though I was routinely not getting a deficit. It's a narrow gap between having a deficit to lose and have a surplus to gain and I think those of us that end up in extended plateaus find it by some strange sixth sense and settle in there. The only cure for this is to get serious with whatever was working with you before and stop BSing yourself -- make a meal plan, weigh and measure, log faithfully and honestly, say no to crap food when you need to, and say yes to crap food when you need to keep your sanity (just make sure you log it and make room in your calories for the day).

2. Stress plays a major role in plateaus, especially for women. The more your stress about it, the harder it is to break the plateau because you are hanging out in that sweet spot between losing and gaining. Give yourself a break about worrying over your weight as much as you can. Make your meal plan, stick to it, and don't think about your weight or about food for the rest of the day. Only weigh once a week so that you aren't driving yourself up a wall with the scale. Forgive yourself for getting stuck and be positive because this too will pass. Try some relaxation techniques or yoga or take long walks to help yourself relax.

3. Changing up exercise can help, but it only helps so much. If you aren't accomplishing #1 on my list and getting your food plan back on track, changing up the exercise won't help much because you still probably aren't creating a deficit. It can help when you know that you should be in a deficit though because your body can become more efficient and burn less calories doing exercises that it is used to. So I suggest adopting several different types of exercises that you rotate in order to help your body out, but don't kill yourself worrying about it or over-exercising. Overdoing it can stress you out and make #2 on my list worse.

4. Eating out and eating a lot of processed foods can make it easier to overeat more than you think you are, so it's important to do a no BS assessment of how you are doing in these areas. If you know that you are doing more of this than you were when you were losing weight, find some ways to cut back and eat healthier options. My personal experience has been that it's no problem to get away with eating out once a week and having a small treat every day, but the more of that stuff you add back in, the harder it is to lose weight even if you think you are still meeting calorie goals. I think this is just because we have to do a lot of guessing and trusting the restaurant or food manufacturer to tell us nutrition information and inaccuracies add up more quickly with the more eating out and eating processed stuff that we do.

5. Sometimes the body just needs a break. It can be beneficial to not stress about weight loss for a while and just go into maintenance mode for a few months before trying to lose weight again. I know it's frustrating, but if I had figured this out sooner I think I would have saved myself a lot of agonizing over my plateau. I eventually ended up taking a few months to not track and just "eat when i'm hungry and stop when i'm full." I ended up eating more than I thought I was and, when I went back to being really good about my eating plan (see #1), the weight just started coming off again.

I hope this helps and good luck! You will eventually get through this, so don't give up!

TheFangsKittie

I agree, more protein.
And less sugar.

I've thought about protein shakes, but honestly they freak me out.

I use a diet protein shake, by promax diet. It really helps on the days I can't get enough protein in - this one: http://www.maxishop.com/maximuscle/lean-definition/promax-lean

Plateaus are frustrating but you have come so far please don't lose hope. Try to log every day I know from my own experience after a long time not seeing much change you can get a bit fed up of it, but logging is the only thing to keep me on track. Also you may still be recovering from your medical condition, it can take a while for things to fully get back to normal (speaking from experience here, and I am sorry for your loss) and hormones can play haywire with everything including water retention.

Take care hun, and don't give up

themanda04

sorry about the weight not coming off as well as the miscarriage. that's a lot to deal with.

my advice would be to LOG EVERYTHING and stop allowing for cheat days. sounds like you're super frustrated and are allowing bad habits to creep in. i would treat this like the beginning of a whole new lifestyle change, like you did when you first started.

have you had your hormone levels checked since the miscarriage? you could be out of whack in that respect, which is skewing your body chemistry all up.

stop focusing on the number on the scale. don't weigh for a month.

mahanaibu

It's only been a few months since the medical issue and hormones take awhile to change. Give yourself a little time. Not that you shouldn't try some new things. I echo the call for more water. I've personally had a luck switching to a 5-2 intermittent fasting schedule, which my nutritionist wholeheartedly approved. But it sounds like maybe you've already tried that, when you talk about shocking?

ssmaling

It's also possible you have a minor food allergy. I would try cutting out dairy, gluten, and soy for a month and see how your body responds. It can also really help to cut out sugar and artificial sweeteners for a month. Try adding some supplements and vitamins if you're not taking them already and make sure your doing strength training as well as cardio.

I didn't even think about that! Thank you. I don't eat much artificial sweeteners, in fact none that I am aware of. I do need to take my vitamins again as I have stopped for awhile. Thank you.

ssmaling

So, here's the thing. In about a year I got rid of 100lbs. From 313lbs to 213lbs. Now for the past 6 months I have been stuck between 213lbs and 217lbs. It's like I just cannot get past 213lbs! I have changed up my calories (eating more, eating less), done different work outs, tried to 'shock' my body and it seems nothing is working! I should mention that at one point I was down to 203lbs but then had some major medical problems and went back up to 213lbs but this was in March and I have been working so hard since then. I am SO frustrated. I just don't know what more to do. Please, be honest. I don't need things sugar coated. I have put on my big girl panties today. Thanks.

I think we're long lost twins. I have almost exactly the same story (started at 316, got stuck between 217 and 214 after about 1 1/2 yrs). I actually stayed stuck for about 1 1/2 yrs and then regained a few pounds after gallbladder surgery. I have just recently started losing again (down about 15 pounds in 3 months). So, what I learned from my very extended plateau:

1. The number one cause of my problem is what I like to think of as Food Intake Perception Drfit (yes I totally made that up). I think we can get really good at this eating right thing by being dilligent for an extended period of time, but it is human nature to sort of loosen up after a while even though we don't mean to. I was sneaking a few more snacks then not quite getting around to logging them. I was eyeballing more things and not measuring and weighing them. I was over-guesstimating my exercise a bit and not exercising as much as I had been most of the time. I was slowly eating a bit more crap food and a little less healthy food. And the amazing thing was even after the weight loss journey I had been through to that point, I was still capable of deceiving myself that I was eating on my plan even though I was routinely not getting a deficit. It's a narrow gap between having a deficit to lose and have a surplus to gain and I think those of us that end up in extended plateaus find it by some strange sixth sense and settle in there. The only cure for this is to get serious with whatever was working with you before and stop BSing yourself -- make a meal plan, weigh and measure, log faithfully and honestly, say no to crap food when you need to, and say yes to crap food when you need to keep your sanity (just make sure you log it and make room in your calories for the day).

2. Stress plays a major role in plateaus, especially for women. The more your stress about it, the harder it is to break the plateau because you are hanging out in that sweet spot between losing and gaining. Give yourself a break about worrying over your weight as much as you can. Make your meal plan, stick to it, and don't think about your weight or about food for the rest of the day. Only weigh once a week so that you aren't driving yourself up a wall with the scale. Forgive yourself for getting stuck and be positive because this too will pass. Try some relaxation techniques or yoga or take long walks to help yourself relax.

3. Changing up exercise can help, but it only helps so much. If you aren't accomplishing #1 on my list and getting your food plan back on track, changing up the exercise won't help much because you still probably aren't creating a deficit. It can help when you know that you should be in a deficit though because your body can become more efficient and burn less calories doing exercises that it is used to. So I suggest adopting several different types of exercises that you rotate in order to help your body out, but don't kill yourself worrying about it or over-exercising. Overdoing it can stress you out and make #2 on my list worse.

4. Eating out and eating a lot of processed foods can make it easier to overeat more than you think you are, so it's important to do a no BS assessment of how you are doing in these areas. If you know that you are doing more of this than you were when you were losing weight, find some ways to cut back and eat healthier options. My personal experience has been that it's no problem to get away with eating out once a week and having a small treat every day, but the more of that stuff you add back in, the harder it is to lose weight even if you think you are still meeting calorie goals. I think this is just because we have to do a lot of guessing and trusting the restaurant or food manufacturer to tell us nutrition information and inaccuracies add up more quickly with the more eating out and eating processed stuff that we do.

5. Sometimes the body just needs a break. It can be beneficial to not stress about weight loss for a while and just go into maintenance mode for a few months before trying to lose weight again. I know it's frustrating, but if I had figured this out sooner I think I would have saved myself a lot of agonizing over my plateau. I eventually ended up taking a few months to not track and just "eat when i'm hungry and stop when i'm full." I ended up eating more than I thought I was and, when I went back to being really good about my eating plan (see #1), the weight just started coming off again.

I hope this helps and good luck! You will eventually get through this, so don't give up!

Thank you so much! I do find it hard for me to meal plan as often. I usually do good, but I've been soooo stressed about this lately! You gave some good advice and I really appreciate it. I'll admit that more often than not lately I've done totally awesome one day, saw the number on the scale the next day and then was like 'screw it' and ate stuff I really shouldn't eat a heap of. But, I don't want to give up. I don't want to stop making progress. Anyways, thank you for the time and advice.