Losing Weight Too Slowly?

abramerickson
abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Started out my journey 134 days ago and have lost 35 lbs. My lean body weight fluctuates between 200 and 205. I won my company's Biggest Loser contest on Oct. 4th at 298 lbs and since then I have dramatically increased my exercise while maintaining a balanced diet of around 1600 calories per day. I only lost 2 lbs (down to 296) since then. So frustrating to go from losing nearly 3 lbs per week to 2 lbs in a month and a half. I religiously keep track of all my calories and exercise and based on the concept that each lb of fat is 3500 calories I should be down 50 lbs by now (instead of 35.) My body is being stubborn, perhaps it thinks there is a famine.

Should I increase my calorie intake to try to boost my overall metabolism? What are some common methods people use to break through these plateaus?

Replies

  • FJDodd
    FJDodd Posts: 140 Member
    I am not sure about your daily nutritional intake, but I hit a plateau last month after dropping 17lbs, and when I went back to look at the numbers, I was WAY over on my sodium intake, and the feedback I got was that my body was basically retaining more water weight because of it. Also, if you are working out more, your body may be holding onto more water to repair the muscles. Thats just the feedback I got when I stalled out. Maybe it will be helpful to you :)
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    You can take a diet break but at your weight as you mentioned you should be moving.. So in that case try these!

    1. Use a scale, and use it for everything
    2. Stop drinking your calories
    3. Stop going out to eat for a bit until the scale and your numbers are under control
    4. Stop eating back exercise calories for now
    5. More protein, less carbs

    Follow those for a bit, and I bet that scale moves.
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    While you are losing at a slow rate, you ARE still losing, so it is not a plateau. I am not quite sure sure if adaptive thermogenesis could be the cause of your slow loss (which averages to a half pound per week), but it is possible.

    Are you eating back your exercise calories? Or is 1,600 your gross calories consumed?

    Have you been weighing your solid good and measuring the liquids and logging as such?
  • jabarih
    jabarih Posts: 65 Member
    Man, I'm in the same boat! I can't lose weight for anything!! I know mine has to do with controlling my appetite. So does anyone have any more ideas on how I could control my appetite??
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    With 75 lbs left to lose you should definitely be seeing movement of somewhere between 1.5 - 2 lbs per week (or more). A few things I have noticed from looking through your diary for a while:

    - You do not seem to own a kitchen scale or don't use it if you do. There’s a great you tube video on the differences between weighing and measuring food here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY it may not seem like a big thing but trust me those extra calories add up! Also, this is a good read: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    - I can't tell how your water intake is as you either don't drink water or don't log it when you do. Drinking plenty of water helps a ton to keep your body from retaining water, keeps your skin supple and the bags away from your eyes too :)

    -Try to stay away from drinking your calories as others have suggested. Instead of a smoothie for breakfast eat a big pile of eggs - I guarantee they will keep you fuller longer then the juice ;)

    Keep doing what you're doing but just start weighing your food. Also keep in mind that if you have just started a new program - or ramped up an old one you might be retaining water - there is such a thing as too much exercise ;)
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/595473-why-the-scale-goes-up-with-a-new-workout-program-must-read
  • FJDodd
    FJDodd Posts: 140 Member
    Man, I'm in the same boat! I can't lose weight for anything!! I know mine has to do with controlling my appetite. So does anyone have any more ideas on how I could control my appetite??

    Veggies. Lots and Lots of veggies, all throughout the day. Also, eat less complex carbs like pastas and breads. I have found that after eating a sandwich I am hungry again much more quickly then if I had eaten a salad or chicken etc.
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    1. Use a scale, and use it for everything
    ---I weigh everything. Accurate data entry is not the issue.
    2. Stop drinking your calories
    ---I only drink water.
    3. Stop going out to eat for a bit until the scale and your numbers are under control
    ---I never eat out (at least since the diet started!)
    4. Stop eating back exercise calories for now
    ---I guess I will stop eating back some of my calories (never eat back all of them)
    5. More protein, less carbs
    ---Definitely going to go back to a carb. cycling routine. Lost the most weight on low carb. days.
    THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
  • stormcarey
    stormcarey Posts: 5
    body flucuates with water..so there may be a time where you lose alot of weight then your weight stops or your just loseing a little at a time .....it depends how your metabolism is reading it....another thing could be have you changed anything in your diet or exercise i know if you try a new food your body will try to react and store it ..but it just could be your metabolism have you had your thyroid checked?... and make sure you stay in your suger range because suger puts weight on not off and that is my hardest range to stay in because everything has suger good luck
  • stormcarey
    stormcarey Posts: 5
    eat smaller eals but eat more in the day small meals will help what help me wasv special k products and it works especially the protein drinks one in the morning and another at night but only 2 the pastery crisps ar good and so is there k chips and it will help alot better but again more water since your body needs water you need to have it but how much water do you drink? to much water is not good for you i drink at least 2 liters a day or 4 bottles of water 8ounce bottles a day try cutting back on your water intake for a month see if that helps
  • Cheeky_and_Geeky
    Cheeky_and_Geeky Posts: 984 Member
    I went from 167lbs to 140lbs from July 13 to beginning Oct 13 then only lost 1lbs in 4 weeks. Then I changed up my workout routine from stationary bike/ elliptical + weight lifting to HIIT, using my own body weight exercises & yoga. A week & a half later, I've dropped 3lbs so now I'm 136lbs. Changing up my routine helped a lot. I haven't really changed my diet at all. Good luck!
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    Thanks for the advice everyone! My mother has thyroid issues / diabetes (and is very fit) so I get that checked with my annual physical. So far so good. I looked back at my logs and it looks like my high sodium day are when I eat processed foods (which is a rare occurrence these days.) Looks like it is time to completely eliminate those "foods" from my life. I mostly eat plants anyway. I know after I do a big endurance activity (such as hiking 20 to 30 miles) I GAIN 5 lbs as my body absorbs water to repair.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Started out my journey 134 days ago and have lost 35 lbs. My lean body weight fluctuates between 200 and 205. I won my company's Biggest Loser contest on Oct. 4th at 298 lbs and since then I have dramatically increased my exercise while maintaining a balanced diet of around 1600 calories per day. I only lost 2 lbs (down to 296) since then. So frustrating to go from losing nearly 3 lbs per week to 2 lbs in a month and a half. I religiously keep track of all my calories and exercise and based on the concept that each lb of fat is 3500 calories I should be down 50 lbs by now (instead of 35.) My body is being stubborn, perhaps it thinks there is a famine.

    Should I increase my calorie intake to try to boost my overall metabolism? What are some common methods people use to break through these plateaus?

    :huh:

    If eating more calories could make a person lose weight, then how do people gain weight?

    Your body doesn't "think there is a famine". Unless your BMI is in the Very Underweight range, you're not in the semi-mythical Starvation Mode™. The only people who are ever really in Starvation Mode™ are people who are LITERALLY STARVING. If you just want permission to eat more, knock yourself out, see what it gets you. But if you're frustrated with your progress now, you'll be really frustrated when you stop losing altogether, or worse yet, start regaining weight.

    Before you "up your calories", maybe you should take a closer look at your calorie counting. I suspect your numbers are off. The equation only works if you quantify the variables as accurately as humanly possible.
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    Then I changed up my workout routine from stationary bike/ elliptical + weight lifting to HIIT, using my own body weight exercises & yoga. A week & a half later, I've dropped 3lbs....

    I like this idea as well. I have been doing couch to 5K to increase intensity but even jogging is becoming easy as I become more fit. Going to try to change things up this week by trying Body Works, Boot Camp and Step classes at the gym this week and see if my body is just asking me to change my diet / exercise program before it let's go of more fat.
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    If eating more calories could make a person lose weight, then how do people gain weight?

    Your body doesn't "think there is a famine". Unless your BMI is in the Very Underweight range, you're not in the semi-mythical Starvation Mode™. The only people who are ever really in Starvation Mode™ are people who are LITERALLY STARVING.

    I believe in Homeostasis. The question re-framed is that now that my average workouts are burning at-least 7K calories per week, is my body adapting to this change by modifying metabolic rate to retain weight? So starvation mode only happens to people that are very underweight? What about people who are ship-wrecked and in an emergency boat for weeks....do their bodies not slow down to compensate for the lack of food? Chris Powell recommends to Carb Cycle so that on the 3rd day your eating approx 1000 calories more than on low carb days. Why is he advising this?

    P.S. I am happy to stick with my 1600 calories per day plan. Just curious other peoples thoughts on best practices to breakthrough plateaus. So far the advice I intend to follow is to eat more protein and less processed food and to change up my workout routine.
  • Brad805
    Brad805 Posts: 289 Member
    How tall are you? A lbm equal to 200lb suggests you are a fairly tall guy. 6'-4" +?

    Your lean mass does not really fluctuate over a short period of time. That is a device error and not a true sign of changing lean mass. Best you can do is track a trend in your lean mass.

    Adding lots of exercise in hopes of increasing your daily deficit is not always the best plan. The goal now should be to maintain your lean mass with weights, and make some improvements on the cardiovascular system. Trying to accomplish much more on such a restricted calorie diet may not work out the best.

    I do suggest you re-visit your logging methods and make sure there are not things slipping thru the cracks. I went thru a time (2mo) where I felt I was stalled also, but once I looked a little closer I realized I had been sabotaging my efforts with a couple of bad habits. At your size the fat should be dropping off quite consistently. You still have a ways to go before you are at the stubborn fat zone.

    Good luck
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    Great article on weight-loss plateau:
    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss-plateau/MY01152

    Definitely NOT going to increase my calorie consumption. Instead I am going to workout even harder and not eat back any calories.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    If eating more calories could make a person lose weight, then how do people gain weight?

    Your body doesn't "think there is a famine". Unless your BMI is in the Very Underweight range, you're not in the semi-mythical Starvation Mode™. The only people who are ever really in Starvation Mode™ are people who are LITERALLY STARVING.

    I believe in Homeostasis. The question re-framed is that now that my average workouts are burning at-least 7K calories per week, is my body adapting to this change by modifying metabolic rate to retain weight? So starvation mode only happens to people that are very underweight? What about people who are ship-wrecked and in an emergency boat for weeks....do their bodies not slow down to compensate for the lack of food? Chris Powell recommends to Carb Cycle so that on the 3rd day your eating approx 1000 calories more than on low carb days. Why is he advising this?

    P.S. I am happy to stick with my 1600 calories per day plan. Just curious other peoples thoughts on best practices to breakthrough plateaus. So far the advice I intend to follow is to eat more protein and less processed food and to change up my workout routine.

    Oh, so you "believe" in something, and you think "belief" will make you lose weight. Good luck with that! :drinker:

    The fact that you don't even want to look at your math and see if your numbers are off tells me that you really just want to eat more, and you'll look for anything that will support the belief that doing so will be beneficial. You'll dismiss out of hand the very solid, very sound scientific principle that CALORIE DEFICIT IS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL MAKE YOU LOSE WEIGHT. You'll throw MORE calories at the problem, because it's more fun than actually looking at your math and maybe seeing if you're estimating your exercise calorie burn accurately, or your food calories. Heavens to Betsy, it couldn't be a simple math error, could it? :huh:

    It's not complicated. You can workout like a fiend all the livelong day, but if you don't have a calorie deficit, you won't lose weight. And if you aren't losing weight, guess what? You don't have a calorie deficit. Or at least, not enough of one. But one thing that is almost certainly NOT the problem is that your calorie deficit is too great. A side effect of a dramatic calorie deficit is weight loss, or did the people in your ship-wreck emergency boat example gain weight in the absence of food? :huh:
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    Adding lots of exercise in hopes of increasing your daily deficit is not always the best plan. The goal now should be to maintain your lean mass with weights, and make some improvements on the cardiovascular system

    I am a very muscular guy (former college wrestler and football player) I am working each week to increase the weight I use to increase my strength / preserve my lean body mass. The 200 - 205 I quoted is basically water weight fluctuation. I am 6' 1" and super fit for me is 225 (11% body fat) My short term goal is to get back to 250 (20% body fat) and eventually 235 (15% body fat) I don't think I will ever get back to college wrestler fitness level again as a nearly 40 year old who needs to spend at-least a little time with my family.
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    Siansonea is a Troll. Simple question was if there was such a thing as body metabolism slowing down. Looks like there is not. I will stick with the calories in vs. calories out method that has lead me to 35 lbs of weight loss. Was just curious why I plateaued and I will just keep logging my food and exercise with MyFitnessPal and increase the deficit until the weight loss picks back up.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Siansonea is a Troll. Simple question was if there was such a thing as body metabolism slowing down. Looks like there is not. I will stick with the calories in vs. calories out method that has lead me to 35 lbs of weight loss. Was just curious why I plateaued and I will just keep logging my food and exercise with MyFitnessPal and increase the deficit until the weight loss picks back up.

    "So-and-so says something I don't like, therefore So-and-so is a troll". That attitude will carry you far in life. :huh:
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    No, I liked what you said. In fact its the basis of my decision to maintain my low calorie diet while increasing my exercise regime. You just like posting negative comments. Whatever.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    No, I liked what you said. In fact its the basis of my decision to maintain my low calorie diet while increasing my exercise regime. You just like posting negative comments. Whatever.

    What's negative about the truth? :huh:
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Losing 2 pounds per week instead of 3 is not a plateau. Your rate of loss will go down as you lose weight.

    I would encourage you to figure out your TDEE - 20% and compare that to what you are eating with MFP + exercise calories. A properly set TDEE -% goal should be in the same ballpark as a properly set MFP + exercise calorie goal. If you are increasing exercise, you may want to consider upping your calories a bit too. MFP does not include exercise in its calculations for how much food you need.

    Here is one TDEE calculator: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • smc864
    smc864 Posts: 570 Member
    Siansonea is a Troll. Simple question was if there was such a thing as body metabolism slowing down. Looks like there is not. I will stick with the calories in vs. calories out method that has lead me to 35 lbs of weight loss. Was just curious why I plateaued and I will just keep logging my food and exercise with MyFitnessPal and increase the deficit until the weight loss picks back up.

    Definitely not a troll... just trying to tell you how it is without the sugar coating.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Dang it, I keep forgetting the sugar coating. You try to save some calories… :bigsmile:
  • alexander_airey1
    alexander_airey1 Posts: 3
    Even if its for a few days, Just increase your calorie intake. Your body needs those extra hundred calories or so just to start moving that weight. I stopped losing weight for a week, I then went out on a night out drinking lots of alcohol and the day after, even though it was 1lb, the scale still moved.

    Just a few extra calories should do it :)
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Even if its for a few days, Just increase your calorie intake. Your body needs those extra hundred calories or so just to start moving that weight. I stopped losing weight for a week, I then went out on a night out drinking lots of alcohol and the day after, even though it was 1lb, the scale still moved.

    Just a few extra calories should do it :)

    You want to explain the science behind this suggestion? I'd like to hear it.
  • abramerickson
    abramerickson Posts: 14 Member
    Turns out I was just retaining water as my body repaired muscle after an Epic hike last Friday. After 3 days of recovery I stepped on the scale tonight nearly 5 lbs less than yesterday!

Categories