My weight won't go below 146 lbs

Phaedra2014

It hits that number and starts to go up until it gets to about 149 and then goes down. On and on for the last few months.

My diary is open so you can look at what I eat. I work out practically every day with varied routines from circuits, to HIIT, to strength, to jogging, to yoga and long walks.

I sleep 8 hours per night. I drink plenty of water. I eat clean foods only and I think I eat enough.

When I have posted here regarding this issue, people suggested I track calories even more carefully so, I did.

Then some suggested I change my work outs so, I did.

They suggested I eat more, I did, and that I eat less, I did.

WHAT AM I MISSING?

Please don't tell me this is the weight my body wants to be because I've weighed a lot less in the past so I know I can do this. I am losing weight in a healthy way but I feel I am missing something.

Please, please, help me out.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Are you using a food scale to weigh your food and measuring cups for free pouring liquids?

Do you enter your own recipes? Use the database entries with no asterisk for the most accurate numbers?


eta: I see a lot of quick add calories. Don't do that, actually enter what you ate.

brown46545

I have been stuck before and I know how frustrating it can be. Recently I moved from measuring all of my food to actually weighing it to be more precise. Also, when I am stuck, I just start exercising more. There is no way that your body can be stuck at a weight forever - you just need to adjust what you are doing.

I also wear a fitbit to track my steps and calories burned (from steps). Maybe try something like that? Or if you wanted to be precise, a tracker that has a HRM that can accurately determine your calories burned. It has to be a case of not tracking your calories consumed (what you are eating) or calories burned (you think you are burning more than you are via exercise). I see some people post they have burned 600 calories from 2 miles walked. That is impossible.

Good luck. Hopefully you will get some good advice!

healthygreek

You're not eating at enough of a deficit or there is something medically amiss.

Phaedra2014

Yes I use a digital scale. The quick add calories were for foods whose calorie amount was listed on the packet i.e. roasted almonds and some vegetables. I am very faithful to measuring on a digital scale because cups and spoons are equivalent to eyeballing for me.

I use a HRM when I work out to track calories burned. I know that these are approximations so I don't eat back ALL my exercise calories even after working out.

Yes I enter my own recipes, but as you can see, I don't eat many recipe-based foods, just the food itself, so it's even easier to measure.

I do want to adjust something as I know I'm missing a piece of the puzzle. Problem is I don't know what!

Yesterday I did a home workout and used fitnessblender. It was a challenging 1000 calorie (supposedly) burn workout. My HRM said I burned 570 calories...that's good, right? This morning the scale was up by 1.7 lbs. I understand it could be water weight, hormones, etc. but it is the story of my life these last few months.

caramia311

How tall are you? Have you had your thyroid levels checked?

Phaedra2014

You're not eating at enough of a deficit or there is something medically amiss.

How can I eat less that 1200 calories? That will mess up my body. I refuse to go below that. I've had blood work done and my numbers are all great. I've never had diabetes, high blood pressure, hormonal issues, thyroid problems, etc.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Yes I use a digital scale. The quick add calories were for foods whose calorie amount was listed on the packet i.e. roasted almonds and some vegetables. I am very faithful to measuring on a digital scale because cups and spoons are equivalent to eyeballing for me.

I use a HRM when I work out to track calories burned. I know that these are approximations so I don't eat back ALL my exercise calories even after working out.

Yes I enter my own recipes, but as you can see, I don't eat many recipe-based foods, just the food itself, so it's even easier to measure.

I do want to adjust something as I know I'm missing a piece of the puzzle. Problem is I don't know what!

Yesterday I did a home workout and used fitnessblender. It was a challenging 1000 calorie (supposedly) burn workout. My HRM said I burned 570 calories...that's good, right? This morning the scale was up by 1.7 lbs. I understand it could be water weight, hormones, etc. but it is the story of my life these last few months.

It's water weight for repairing your muscles. It's very common for weight to go up a couple of pounds after an especially strenuous workout.

How long have you been stalled? Have you taken any diet breaks?

Phaedra2014

How tall are you? Have you had your thyroid levels checked?

I'm 5.3" and my thyroid levels (as well as everything else) gets checked a couple of times a year. All within normal. I'm totally puzzled over this stalling aspect.

Phaedra2014

How long have you been stalled? Have you taken any diet breaks?


It's been this way since August of this year. What do you mean by diet breaks? Like eaten as much as I've wanted to for a while? No, I don't feel hungry enough to eat more than I need to. I mean, I haven't tried that as yet.

A nice person suggested I increase my calories as that may be the problem. It's possible.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

How long have you been stalled? Have you taken any diet breaks?


It's been this way since August of this year. What do you mean by diet breaks? Like eaten as much as I've wanted to for a while? No, I don't feel hungry enough to eat more than I need to. I mean, I haven't tried that as yet.

A nice person suggested I increase my calories as that may be the problem. It's possible.

A diet break is a 2 week period where you eat at maintenance. Here's an article:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

I did it when I was stalled (around the same weight as you actually) and it was very helpful.

Phaedra2014

Perfect! Thank you. I will read it now.

I just want to get past this stuckness. I know it is mostly a mental game because I have lost a few inches but overall, I want to move past this number.

PinkNinjaLaura

You mentioned that you get plenty of water. One thing that always helps me when I am stuck is to dramatically increase the amount of water I drink a day. I usually drink 80-100 ounces a day and will bump up to 150 ounces a day. After several days to a week of doing that the scale typically starts moving again.

Also having just one day where I go over on my calories helps. If you don't want to eat more volume, eat foods with more calories. I don't know the science behind it but having a day that surprises my body always gets things moving again.

Good luck. Hope you can break the plateau!

Phaedra2014

Thank you, Laura. Will add a few cups of more water. I will also increase calories by 100 to see if that helps. I've been reading up on carb cycling and wondering if I would do well on it.

SherryTeach

One problem with using the Quick Added calories instead of scanning or entering the information off of a package is that you can't analyze your nutrients. Practically the only time I use the Quick Add entry is for grazing at Costco.

Phaedra2014

One problem with using the Quick Added calories instead of scanning or entering the information off of a package is that you can't analyze your nutrients. Practically the only time I use the Quick Add entry is for grazing at Costco.

I agree. I've used it twice only for things I knew but didn't want to have to search while using my phone. I agree that it can derail a person from goals.

Arbeidslyst

How long have you been stalled? Have you taken any diet breaks?


It's been this way since August of this year. What do you mean by diet breaks? Like eaten as much as I've wanted to for a while? No, I don't feel hungry enough to eat more than I need to. I mean, I haven't tried that as yet.

A nice person suggested I increase my calories as that may be the problem. It's possible.

A diet break is a 2 week period where you eat at maintenance. Here's an article:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html

I did it when I was stalled (around the same weight as you actually) and it was very helpful.

This. If you've been doing the same thing for a long time, shaking it up a little will usually help.

Arbeidslyst

personally i don't really look at any other nutrients then calories, and for a few quick adds it doesn't really matter.

pinkiemarie252

First off, I can't see how tall you are so it's possible that 146 is a healthy weight for you and that's where your body feels comfortable (personally I'm 5'7" and my body seems to like to stop right between 140 & 145). Second, if you've been exercising a lot it's possible that you've been gaining muscle and it's been hiding the fat loss from you. Have you measured yourself or noticed that your pants are more roomy?

bonjalandoni

Do some serious weight training. What I mean by serious weight training is a weight training PROGRAM with progression. There are a lot of them on the internet (SL 5x5 etc) or better yet get a personal trainer if you are new to lifting. (new means you have less than 6 months experience of consistent weight training program.) Hope you get off your plateau.

Phaedra2014

First off, I can't see how tall you are so it's possible that 146 is a healthy weight for you and that's where your body feels comfortable (personally I'm 5'7" and my body seems to like to stop right between 140 & 145). Second, if you've been exercising a lot it's possible that you've been gaining muscle and it's been hiding the fat loss from you. Have you measured yourself or noticed that your pants are more roomy?

Yes, I have. I've dropped a pant size and I'm tighter and stronger. I'm 5.3" (not tall) and I carry weight all over so not any particular shape. I'm either all big or all small!

Phaedra2014

Do some serious weight training. What I mean by serious weight training is a weight training PROGRAM with progression. There are a lot of them on the internet (SL 5x5 etc) or better yet get a personal trainer if you are new to lifting. (new means you have less than 6 months experience of consistent weight training program.) Hope you get off your plateau.

I hope so too.

Been weight training for 6 weeks now and have seen a big difference. I go 4 times a week and use TRX, ropes, do deadlifts, weighted squats, leg presses, etc. I love it. I am curious to see what my body will look like in 6 months.

I guess persistence and patience are key but I am positive it is my eating that needs some tweaking. I probably need to eat a couple of hundred calories more but I'm also nervous about it undoing my hard work so far. I've lost almost 115 pounds and I really need to remember that.

Seesawboomerang

Is there a problem with maintaining between 146-149?

Because it sounds like you've nailed it to me.

Phaedra2014

Is there a problem with maintaining between 146-149?

Because it sounds like you've nailed it to me.

It's not the appropriate weight for me at 5.3" and by that I mean I really do need to get down another 15 lbs to just feel healthier, run longer distance, and get more stress off my joints.

I'm not pursuing vanity; that never was my objective. I want to be in the best shape I can be to protect my joints, mobility, energy, etc.

Seesawboomerang

I'm not sure what to say about your diet except it looks pretty good (perhaps get in a little more fruit and veg each day?).

I see you don't track sodium so ensuring you're not too high in salt, and upping your water intake a bit seems to be the way to go.

Also recalculate your calorie goals every 5 lbs or so.

Phaedra2014

I'm not sure what to say about your diet except it looks pretty good (perhaps get in a little more fruit and veg each day?).

I see you don't track sodium so ensuring you're not too high in salt, and upping your water intake a bit seems to be the way to go.

Thank you. I needed the encouragement:flowerforyou:

bonjalandoni

Do some serious weight training. What I mean by serious weight training is a weight training PROGRAM with progression. There are a lot of them on the internet (SL 5x5 etc) or better yet get a personal trainer if you are new to lifting. (new means you have less than 6 months experience of consistent weight training program.) Hope you get off your plateau.

I hope so too.

Been weight training for 6 weeks now and have seen a big difference. I go 4 times a week and use TRX, ropes, do deadlifts, weighted squats, leg presses, etc. I love it. I am curious to see what my body will look like in 6 months.

I guess persistence and patience are key but I am positive it is my eating that needs some tweaking. I probably need to eat a couple of hundred calories more but I'm also nervous about it undoing my hard work so far. I've lost almost 115 pounds and I really need to remember that.

Awesome! Losing that much weight is an incredible feat! Weight training is definitely the way to go then. I did cardio to lose most of my weight too and now I am switching to weight training to lose the last 10. People will say "you are gaining muscle therefore you are not losing weight" that is NOT true. You cannot gain 1 lb of muscle per 1 lb of fat lost. If you are doing that then you have discovered a million dollar bodybuilding secret! Seeing your discipline (you are a lot better at it than me) you will succeed. Good luck!

WalkingAlong

Do some serious weight training. What I mean by serious weight training is a weight training PROGRAM with progression. There are a lot of them on the internet (SL 5x5 etc) or better yet get a personal trainer if you are new to lifting. (new means you have less than 6 months experience of consistent weight training program.) Hope you get off your plateau.

I hope so too.

Been weight training for 6 weeks now and have seen a big difference. I go 4 times a week and use TRX, ropes, do deadlifts, weighted squats, leg presses, etc. I love it. I am curious to see what my body will look like in 6 months.

I guess persistence and patience are key but I am positive it is my eating that needs some tweaking. I probably need to eat a couple of hundred calories more but I'm also nervous about it undoing my hard work so far. I've lost almost 115 pounds and I really need to remember that.

Awesome! Losing that much weight is an incredible feat! Weight training is definitely the way to go then. I did cardio to lose most of my weight too and now I am switching to weight training to lose the last 10. People will say "you are gaining muscle therefore you are not losing weight" that is NOT true. You cannot gain 1 lb of muscle per 1 lb of fat lost. If you are doing that then you have discovered a million dollar bodybuilding secret! Seeing your discipline (you are a lot better at it than me) you will succeed. Good luck!

You're probably not gaining muscle but if you're like a lot of us, introducing weight training caused water retention. You did say you're losing inches. I say be patient and keep doing what you're doing. The scale will 'catch up' soon, if you're like me. And if you've lost that much weight, sometimes the body just wants to plateau for a while. Things will change. Pay attention to the numbers. You don't necessarily need to eat more due to adding resistance training, unless you feel like it.

Phaedra2014

I increased my carbs by way more than I am used to and I feel sick. I upped my calories by 200 also. I'm willing to try and change my diet to make this budge. I'm not used to eating 250gr of carbs in one day; my stomach is so distended

I wish I knew what macros to set then I'd just follow IIFYM and be done with it.

gigglesinthesun

I would eat at maintenance for the festive period and then start afresh next year.

djpro1337

Are you getting enough sleep or under a lot of stress. Those are two things that can affect weight loss. Also, I've heard of people consuming too much sodium.