The weight just isn't coming off

PhDmom2three
PhDmom2three Posts: 1 Member
in Getting Started
I am 290/5'8"/44 yo. My long term goal is 180.

I have been back to MFP after having fallen off the wagon over a year ago and in the past I have found great success here. This time though....not so much.

My calories have been consistently between 1200-1400 for the past 3 weeks and I have lost a total of 5 lbs. More specifically, I lost 5 lbs. in the first 10 days and now I’ve stalling. I am eating Paleo/keto, very little sugar or carbs, mostly protein and fat. I have a high stress, long hours, desk job. We are in a Covid “hot spot” so I am nervous about returning to Planet Fitness and the weather here is HOT so walking outside is miserable. So I am pleading my case to the wise MFP community…what ideas do you have for me to get this weight loss jumpstarted? Thanks!

Replies

  • whoami67
    whoami67 Posts: 297 Member
    Are you happy with your calories set so low? At 290 lbs, 1200 seems very low, and it doesn't give you anywhere to go as you lose weight since 1200 is the lowest.

    As for the weight loss, it does seem like you are losing at a normal rate although three weeks is much too early to determine that.

    Are you weighing everything you eat? Are you using correct entries to log the calories? Have there been any big instances of overeating (one bad meal at a restaurant can undo all the work of a week for me, i.e. eat under my maintenance by 500 calories a day for a week then eat one 3500 calorie meal at a restaurant - see Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, etc).

    Does Paleo/Keto make you feel good and satiate you? Does it help your weight loss? Personally, when I am in ketosis, I lose less than when I eat carbs. My body just kind of shuts down and I also get a lot of fluid retention. Many other people seem to have the opposite reaction, but you may be more like me.
  • psny22
    psny22 Posts: 2 Member
    I feel you. I’ve had a similar trajectory (lost at beginning, plateau-ing a bit) and gather we have a similarly cerebral and sedentary work life. But I think is just how it goes after a certain age (I’m in my early 40s).

    I’ve found Obe Fitness to be great for at home workouts for busy folks. Variety of classes and most classes are 28 minutes. You can watch live or on demand. They have 8-10 min express classes too (sometimes I do a quick stretch one after a long time in front of the computer). When I started 1 28-minute class was plenty, now I can do 2 in a row (2 diff types usually, like a strength and a cardio) so that progress is reassuring when the scale is not. Last I checked, they are offering a free month trial (longer than their usual 2 week) right now so you can see if you like it. If that has expired, most of their instructors have the month free discount codes linked in their bios on IG.

    The other rec I’ve seen repeatedly on here is to get a food scale as other forms of measurements can be surprisingly inaccurate, even for packaged/pre-cut food. I plan to invest in one.

    Hope that helps! Good luck!

  • Tazaria87
    Tazaria87 Posts: 604 Member
    I started at 270. I eat mostly Paleo and do IF while counting calories. My calories to start we're set at 1650, are you sure your calories are high enough? Also, I too lost weight in the first week and then for week 2 my weight stayed absolutely the same. It was frustrating but the body needs to adjust to the changes. I kept going and saw a pound loss for week 3. It's been over 2 months now, some weeks I lose a pound, this past week I lost almost 4, it always varies. Keep at it, the weight will come off!
  • annliz23
    annliz23 Posts: 3,740 Member
    Its frustrating I know but keep at it if your not losing at least by exercising you will be getting stronger.

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