Weight Loss stopped, Diet and Exercise did not. Why?

ArellD
ArellD Posts: 93
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey there!

I have a problem and I don't know how to solve it. I've been doing my 1200-1300 Kcal diet for almost three weeks now, and I've lost 9 kg, I still have 4 to go, but even though I did not change anything in my diet or exercise my weight loss stopped at 86 Kgs. I don't understand why it wont go any further. I look great (compared to what I looked like) right now but I still have about an inch thick fat on my stomach.

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions!

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,973 Member
    Because weight loss isn't linear and more than likely you're calorie deficit is too high.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Another possibility that actually includes above comment.

    You can do more wrong when you have more to lose, and still get results. (of course, you don't know what that weight was that you lost, do you, fat, muscle, water, little of all?)

    You could be inaccurate with food logging, now it matters.

    You could have taken too big a deficit, now it matters.
  • littleknownblogger
    littleknownblogger Posts: 67 Member
    Or maybe you just need to adjust your macronutrient ratio. Are you eating lots of protein and fat, or are you getting your calories from sugar?
  • ArellD
    ArellD Posts: 93
    ninerbuff: You say I should reduce my calorie deficit? Hmm.. I see, thank you. I hope progress will restart :D
  • ArellD
    ArellD Posts: 93
    Or maybe you just need to adjust your macronutrient ratio. Are you eating lots of protein and fat, or are you getting your calories from sugar?

    I don't eat sugar at all. The little that I take in is from fruits and carbohydrate rich foods... I'm eating more proteins than I should, but I eat very little fat.
  • Duchy82
    Duchy82 Posts: 560 Member
    Sometimes you can just plateau and get stuck for a bit just stick with it and the weightloss will continue, everytime i've been on a diet i got stuck at certain weights for a bit (and usually gave up). Now i just ignore it as I made changes to my eating i dont see it as a diet and after a while the weightloss continues. if it is too tough you can have a few weeks at eating around 1500kcal and then carry on at the level you are eating now it will eventually come off.
  • ArellD
    ArellD Posts: 93
    Thank you everyone! Your help is much appreciated! :)
  • littleknownblogger
    littleknownblogger Posts: 67 Member
    I don't eat sugar at all. The little that I take in is from fruits and carbohydrate rich foods... I'm eating more proteins than I should, but I eat very little fat.

    -Any carbohydrate that you eat, other than fiber, is sugar. Your body recognizes no difference between the carbohydrate obtained from organic whole-grain pasta, or a candy bar.

    -Reducing your carbohydrate intake and increasing your healthy fat intake (pastured meat and eggs, avacado, olives, coconut) will make it much easier to lose bodyfat.
  • ArellD
    ArellD Posts: 93
    littleknownbl: Oh, ok, thank you!
  • Thockey123
    Thockey123 Posts: 6
    I don't personally agree with what others have said except for your calorie deficiency is too low. What you're eating isn't really relevant at all, to be honest you can eat whatever you want and still lose weight as long as you have a calorie deficiency. I am currently 10% B.F. and still losing yet I still drink on the weekend and eat bad food because I fit it into my macros so you shouldn't really worry about what you're eating in terms of your macro split, other than for health reasons. Being healthy and losing weight are two different things. You should only have a deficiency of 500 max imo to lose weight at a healthy rate, the lower your body fat becomes the lower your deficiency should be. You should avoid going under your BMR. It sounds like your body has potentially gone into starvation mode from not getting enough calories and is holding on to any fat that it possibly can. 1300 calories at 86kg is pretty crazy. I am 72kg and eat 2400 calories to lose weight, mind you I have greater muscle mass than average and am relatively young, but still, it seems your calories are far too low. Try eating a little more each day. Also make sure you are tracking your foods weight with a very accurate scale. Increase your water intake, this will help speed up your metabolism, you can also try incorporate more spicy foods into your diet, if you like them, which will also have the same effect. Protein is also a thermogenic so you could try incorporating more meat into your diet as well as more fibre if you do so, to make sure everything is being digested nicely.
  • lawlorka
    lawlorka Posts: 484 Member
    You've lost 9kg in 3 weeks? That is A LOT of weight loss in such a small period of time. How long has your 'stall' been for because I know personally I lose 2-3lbs one week and then I don't lose at all for 2-3 weeks and then big loss again.

    Its normal to have a bigger weight loss at the beginning and then for it to slow down. This is a slow process - you'll drive yourself insane thinking your going to lose 3kg every week because it just isn't sustainable.

    Be patient, keep doing what you're doing and if in a few weeks of proper logging and consistently being in a deficit you still aren't dropping then it's time to reassess
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Patience
  • ArellD
    ArellD Posts: 93
    Thockey123: Thanks for your detailed and thorough feedback! I will do as you suggest. I didn't know 1200-1300 was so low that I could get into starvation mode...

    lawlorka: When it worked I've lost about 400-500g daily... I'm fairly active so that may have helped as well.

    fatdoob: That, I have. :) I just didn't know the reason.
  • allycolli
    allycolli Posts: 28 Member
    I don't have any specific advice, but just wanted to encourage you. I was coming to post something similar. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. We both just need to hang in there and keep plugging away :)
  • BeckyMBisMe
    BeckyMBisMe Posts: 215 Member
    I don't have any specific advice, but just wanted to encourage you. I was coming to post something similar. I'm glad to know I'm not alone. We both just need to hang in there and keep plugging away :)

    same here! this month has been a flat line! well not exactly but it's been up a lb down a lb; the same darn lb over and over! I'm wondering about that post from Thockey123 about not going under your BMR though. I assume you mean gross calories not net? And I've read other people boo hoo the idea of the body going into "starvation". Has anyone had experience/stats on this personally?
    In asking I'm just trying to get as much take on this as possible so I can get it right for me.
  • ArellD
    ArellD Posts: 93
    ...I'm glad to know I'm not alone. We both just need to hang in there and keep plugging away :)

    It's actually pretty easy to not eat that much... for the first time in my life I'm extremely determined to make a change, and it's good to see how it turns out to be fruitful.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    ninerbuff: You say I should reduce my calorie deficit? Hmm.. I see, thank you. I hope progress will restart :D

    Correct. When you have less to lose, you should try to lose slower, or you are just asking your body to fight you in this effort, and adapt, and it can win.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    same here! this month has been a flat line! well not exactly but it's been up a lb down a lb; the same darn lb over and over! I'm wondering about that post from Thockey123 about not going under your BMR though. I assume you mean gross calories not net? And I've read other people boo hoo the idea of the body going into "starvation". Has anyone had experience/stats on this personally?
    In asking I'm just trying to get as much take on this as possible so I can get it right for me.

    The phrase starvation mode isn't the best, because it makes people think of starving - 2 totally different responses from the body, but both possible. But not starving if eating 1200 or more.

    The starvation mode is more of the body adapting in several ways, some totally expected though undesired, especially as you think of future maintenance and issues there.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1077746-starvation-mode-adaptive-thermogenesis-and-weight-loss

    And no, that under BMR was referring to NET, not gross.
    BMR is what your body would like to burn if you slept deep all day.
    Unless you are in a study with lab tests and constant observation and no medical issues, a line has to be drawn in the sand somewhere as to healthy lower limit for you personally. So a decent line to start with is BMR to not NET under, though many find that even too low if you are exercising a decent amount and actually want the exercise to make some body improvements and not fight you tooth and nail for fat loss.
    And when I say healthy lower limit, I mean to minimize those effects in that link.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    You've lost 9 kg in 3 weeks and you're complaining?? Obese people are recommended to lose 1 kg/ week for safe and healthy loss.

    How long has this "stall" been, like 4 hours? Keep plugging along and if there's no change in, say, 4 weeks, that's when there's a plateau.

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