Unexpected stalling

jamilahlax

Hi everyone! I'm new to MFP-- just joined a month ago. At my highest weight I was 515 lbs. I got down to 325 before joining, and was at 313 after two weeks on MFP. But today, four weeks in, I'm still at 313 and I don't know why. The program calculated my daily target at 1810 (I have a sedentary lifestyle). But I've been doing 65-105 minutes on the elliptical at high intensity with mid-intesinty cool down six days a week for the past month, plus 20-40 minutes of walking per day. The exercise has upped my daily target to 3,000-4,000 calories a day, but I eat nowhere near that-- usually between 1900 and 2400.

I'm generally careful about avoiding processed foods. I drink at least 68 oz of water every day. The only things I know I can do differently are to be strict about not eating late (I try not to eat after 7 but didn't stick to that so well these past two weeks) and to build strength training back into my exercise program along with the cardio.

I guess I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this kind of stalling. On the journey down from 515 I've had plateaus before, but I never worked out this hard in my life, so I wasn't expecting to stall out so soon. Also, I guess there is a chance that I'm not eating enough (I usually have 1500-1700 calories remaining at the end of the day). But honestly I am terrified to eat more than am already. I feel satisfied during the day, for the most part. I've even built in a weekly cheat day, and even on my cheat day I don't come close to my calorie goal.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

J

alanlmarshall

You're definitely eating enough. You should ignore anyone who says otherwise, and someone will.

I'd reccomend less and/or more varied exercise. Not because it affects fat loss, but because it could lead to injury.

You are probably underestimating your calories. Do you log everything? Do you use a food scale for everything?

Ninkyou

How are you calculating your exercise burns? Is it from machine, MFP or a heart rate monitor?

Also, yes, you need to eat more for the extra work your body is doing. The reason I asked the questions above, is to get a better idea of how many calories you should be eating back. If you're using a machine or MFP's calculation, I would eat about half of the exercise calories back. If you're using a HRM, eat all or most back.

Think of your body like a car. A car won't go anywhere without gas, will it? So you have to fuel it up. Same thing with your body. Your body is going to hold on to everything it can if it's not getting the amount of calories it needs, and therefor won't let go of the fat, hence the stall. Give it some calories and it will start releasing it's stores because it's now being properly fueled.

Good luck!

ETA: how are you measuring your food portions? Are you weighing your food or guessing? If you're estimating, you could be underestimating/overestimating your calorie intake.

medic2038

At 300lbs+ you eating around 2k calories is definitely a deficit.
Fat loss is non linear and it drives people crazy. Different people hold on to fluid differently. Fluid is the primarily what throws off the scale.

Give it a while longer. I've stalled up to 6 weeks before. If you're at a deficit, you ARE losing. What the scale says really doesn't matter much.

auddii

At 300lbs+ you eating around 2k calories is definitely a deficit.
Fat loss is non linear and it drives people crazy. Different people hold on to fluid differently. Fluid is the primarily what throws off the scale.

Give it a while longer. I've stalled up to 6 weeks before. If you're at a deficit, you ARE losing. What the scale says really doesn't matter much.

This. It sounds like eating around the level you're at is good for your activity level. Give it more time and see. Weight fluctuates a lot with sodium, menstrual cycle, stress, etc. It's not the best method for tracking because it can vary so much. Also try taking measurements and pictures once a month. And keep in mind if the scale goes up a little or sits in the same place, it's likely not fat you're getting back.

alanlmarshall

At 300lbs+ you eating around 2k calories is definitely a deficit.
Fat loss is non linear and it drives people crazy. Different people hold on to fluid differently. Fluid is the primarily what throws off the scale.

Give it a while longer. I've stalled up to 6 weeks before. If you're at a deficit, you ARE losing. What the scale says really doesn't matter much.

^^Good advice

Also, get a food scale if you don't have one and be sure you are actually eating 2k calories and not more.

You are not stalled because of not eating enough. You're not a car, but if you were you would have huge, completely full extra gas tanks. If you are tempted to eat more calories, please read this:

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

Francl27

Stalls are normal. I'd definitely buy a food scale to make sure your calories are 100% accurate though. And buy a heart rate monitor with strap to calculate your workout calories... it will be well worth the investment.

Papillon22

Honestly, I think you might be eating too little. I'm 5'3" and at 230lbs I'm eating 2200 calories...

medic2038

Also, get a food scale if you don't have one and be sure you are actually eating 2k calories and not more.

You are not stalled because of not eating enough. You're not a car, but if you were you would have huge, completely full extra gas tanks. If you are tempted to eat more calories, please read this:

http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

Love the article!
I agree usually the biggest reasons for stalls are...
1. Overestimating exercise calories (gym equipment is notoriously off).
2. Underestimating what you're actually eating.

Personally I eat about 800 calories per day on a PSMF (and 100% don't recommend anyone here attempt this WITHOUT buying the book), and I'm absolutely not getting fatter. Even with me being at such a huge deficit it can take weeks to notice anything.

bridgie101

Eating 'too little' is NOT going to make you fat, or if it does you don't obey the laws of physics and will be stolen away by the government and dissected for science. They will work out what makes you tick and feed it to the starving people in Africa. You know: the ones who aren't plateuing because they're not eating enough.

Watch out for people who say this stuff.

anyway: everyone's said really good things: be patient, trust the process, weigh your food and give it time. If I read you right all you're saying is you haven't lost anything in 2 weeks. That's time for a menstrual cycle.

If you have been very overweight you might have had polycycstic ovarian syndrome? Did you have regular periods? You may find as you come back into normal weight range that your body comes on line and starts doing annoying things it has never done before, like retaining water.

jamilahlax

Thanks, medic! One question: what's a PSMF?

jamilahlax

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I really appreciate it. I've been measuring my food pretty carefully w measuring cups, but haven't invested in a food scale yet. Doing that tonight. When I do have to guesstimate, I try to be pretty generous with my estimations to make up for any potential errors. As for exercise calories, there's usually a 500 cal discrepancy between the machines at the gym and the MFP count (the MFP count is the higher of the two). That's partly why I've been hesitant to eat anywhere close to the full calories MFP recommends. I will invest in a strap on heart rate monitor, since folks are saying those tend to be more accurate.

And thanks for the suggestion to take photos as a way of tracking progress. I'm going to make that a new ritual.

red99ryder

I had something like that , I went on a long motorcycle trip a few weeks ago ,, went off diet and just ate normal , but not bad by any means .. I road 5000 miles in a week so was in the saddle a lot . and had plenty of activity .. I was kind of disappointed that when I got home I had gained a pound I figured I would loose . the following week after I got home I lost 6 pounds . The only thing I can figure is I stayed very hydrated to keep cool on the road and had retained the extra water ..

jamilahlax

One last question-- does anyone have recommendations for a heart rate monitor with strap? I've never bought one before. I have a 45" chest-- and not a ton of money to spend, although I'm willing to invest in a monitor that will be effective and last a while.

Thanks again!

medic2038

Thanks, medic! One question: what's a PSMF?

Protein Sparing Modified Fast.
It's VERY technical, and also VERY difficult.

I have some extremely specific goals, and I'm stubborn enough to stick to it. I was just throwing it out there to illustrate that I eat far less then most people around here, but do just fine.