when is a plateau really a plateau

dammitpatrice

Hi everyone,

I'll start with stats: 5'7 138lbs, trying to lose 8-10 more after losing about 12lbs since May. I've been hovering between 137-140 for about 2 months now. For the most part I eat healthy, but I love dessert at night and will factor this in to my count on days I know I will be having it. At this point, getting under my calories is more of a priority than making sure my fats/proteins/carbs are exactly where they should be. I usually eat within +/- 50 calories what MFP recommends. I'm eating 1490 cal/day and call myself sedentary. I'm a nurse and on days I work, I bump myself up to lightly active- where I get about 1600 calories. On my 'sedentary' days I usually run 3-4 miles and strength train (nothing super heavy, I have 10lb weights at home and I'll do a youtube video) and I eat back those calories burned.

So.. am I plateauing because I'm not eating enough? Eating too much? Is 2 months not really a plateau? Should I go to 1200 calories? Help!

dammitpatrice

Anyone?

donthesitate

You should calculate your bmr, which is the calories you burn to survive, do not go below this, I went below mine and my weightloss stalled because I was not eating enough. I would call this a stall and not a plateau, from what I have heard plateaus last longer. There is also a tdee calculation on this website which is the total amount you burn in a day with activity and such, you want to be lower than this but higher than your bmr.

elainematto

I have a very similar story. Like you I don't have a vast quantity to lose. And like you, I'm stalled. The first 5 pounds was pretty easy! But now... My belief is that as you lose you have to further ratchet down the calories and/or up the activity. Think about that 5 or 10 pounds you are no longer carrying around. That means you don't need as many calories as you did before just for purposes of carrying yourself around. Another thing: I think the calorie expenditures for exercise that MFP lists are too generous. Definitely do not eat those calories back!

ccritchie2

Im 5'7, and lost 10 pounds but the same thing is happening to me. I was eating about 1200 calories for 12 weeks or more with no results. so I've started IIFYM (google it :P) so they told me to go about 1800 calories, and told me how many carbs protien and fats to eat a day. So im going to see if i was under my bmr. that might be the same thing for you. give it 2-4 weeks change up your work outs aswell as your intensity hope that helps.

haymancm

Gotta create a bigger deficit. Play with the numbers and try different things. I weigh myself everyday to make sure I'm on track or not. I'm 5'7" also and usually give the scale less than 2 weeks to behave. HIIT workouts usually work for me and monitor my cals burned on my hrm.

Add me if you'd like!