Advice? I’ve lost 20lbs and have 20 more to go to my goal weight but I’ve plateaued for 3 months now

HaleyRiffle

I’m getting really frustrated, do I become more restrictive with my diet? I’m already pretty active I just don’t know what else to add to get past this hurdle. I’ve considered intermittent fasting, just looking for advice.

Lietchi

More info, we need more info... Current and goal weight, personal stats, settings on MFP... Are you exercising? And how are you measuring your food intake: are you weighing your food and making sure you are using accurate database entries?
Before your three month plateau, how fast had you been losing weight? Have you lost absolutely no weight in three months?

Lietchi

PS intermittent fasting won't do anything if you eat the same amount of calories. It can however make it easier to stick to a calorie goal, for some people.

nooshi713

If you are at maintenance, then decreasing your calories will help you lose weight. In the past when I had only a few lbs to lose, I had to be very restrictive with my diet and be extremely active to lose anything.

HaleyRiffle

So I started at 158, I’ve been ranging anywhere from 138-140 now, ideally I’d like to get to 122. I mostly eat around 1200 calories, I have a peloton so I try to do 30-60 minutes about 5 times a week, and I walk over 10,000 steps everyday. At the beginning I was really good at eating more fruits/vegetables in my 1200 calories but I have swapped that out for more carbs, so I think I need to be more restrictive as I get closer to my goal but I’m frustrated with where I’m at lol.

AnnPT77

HaleyRiffle wrote: »

So I started at 158, I’ve been ranging anywhere from 138-140 now, ideally I’d like to get to 122. I mostly eat around 1200 calories, I have a peloton so I try to do 30-60 minutes about 5 times a week, and I walk over 10,000 steps everyday. At the beginning I was really good at eating more fruits/vegetables in my 1200 calories but I have swapped that out for more carbs, so I think I need to be more restrictive as I get closer to my goal but I’m frustrated with where I’m at lol.

Um, fruits and vegetables are mostly carbs. Do you mean things like candy or baked goods? Either way, it shouldn't make a big difference for weight loss, at equal calories. Calories are the direct determiner of body weight. Nutrition or food choice can make a difference indirectly, if sub-par eating makes you feel fatigued so you do less, or spikes your appetite so you can't stick to a calorie goal.

At an accurate, consistent 1200 calories, I'd expect you to be losing fat (it might be hidden on the scale for a while, maybe a long while, by water retention, though).

Would you be willing to open your diary, if only temporarily, so some of the old hands could take a look, see if any explanation jumps out? This is not a dig: Logging can be a surprisingly nuanced skill, one that it takes all of us time to learn. Some of us have been logging for years, so have already stumbled over almost every pitfall ourselves at some point.

AZrising

Don’t be frustrated. The path has fast and slow days. Think of the positives your seeing daily even if it isn’t showing on the scale. Maybe clothes fitting better, mind feeling better, etc.

I’ve loved mixing in IF in the fast. Just makes me feel good and I get great energy while doing it. Maybe shaking things up by adding in new routines will help jump start you.

You got this. And feel free to add me if you ever need to chat or some support!

LiveOnceBeHappy

Just for sure don’t give up! You’ve got this!