My weight won't go below 146 lbs

ninerbuff

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.

Stick with ONE THING for 4 weeks. By changing so much, your body isn't getting time to adapt. Yes you want your body to adapt to certain routines for a period of time.
If you slept 8 hours one week, then 4 hours the next, and 12 hours the next, the body isn't adapting and you're not going to really see what CAN WORK for sleeping habits. Same with weight loss.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
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Phaedra2014

ninerbuff...I will. I strength train (along with metabolic workouts thrown in) 4 times a week at the gym. The other two days I jog 3 miles and do yoga or a stretching DVD to get some good muscle stretches and on the 7th day I rest.

i hope this darn thing budges. I'm learning a lot from all of you

SLLRunner

Have you had your thyroid checked?

KellyJean73189

It is possible increasing your calories intake will work.

I only say this because I had the same issue about 2 months ago. I was stuck right around 150-151lbs for about a month. My weight would go up to 154 and then drop back to 151....and that continued and continued. I would exercise more and eat less and could not fall below 150 no matter what I did. I was eating a 1200 calorie diet at that point. Finally, my father who is kind of a health and exercise nut pointed out that maybe i need to stop stressing out about it so much, not focus too much on ONLY eating 1200 calories per day, and start eating some higher calories meals a few times per week. Basically, what I did was this.....a few nights per week I ate closer to 1400-1600 calories. A few nights per week i still maintained the 1200 calories per day diet. About one night per week I didn't even really focus on what I was eating....just ate until i was full. (That doesn't mean i pigged out on a bunch of junk, no...i still ate healthy, but didn't focus much on counting the calories.) I continued to exercise as usual. I am NOT kidding you, within a week....the weight started coming off again. 2 weeks later I was down to 145. Now a month later I am 137:)

Give it a try!!! Good luck:)

KellyJean73189

Strength training is also important.......

mo7882

I hit a plateu for 5 weeks - then doubled my cardio to an hour a day, while eating the same amount, didnt see any results for 3 days... then doubled my cardio again .. the weight loss jump started again. Im back on my original 30 min cardio plan and im losing consistently again.

Phaedra2014

Have you had your thyroid checked?

Yep. Every year when I get my physical. I don't have any skewed blood work numbers. I've also never been on any prescription medication (aside from the occasional antibiotic) so there is no med interference.

KellyJean: i was reading that thread on what to do when weight loss stalls. The majority of those who replied said they broke through plateaus and were successful again as soon as they INCREASED their calories. I tend to stick to 1200 - 1300 usually and maybe hit 1400 some days so I know 200 cals a day could help me out.

I strength train 4 times a week but this is only my 7th week so I'm fairly new to it. I plan on continuing because I enjoy it a lot.

mo7882: I agree that the trick is to change something up. Maybe more cardio for me?

I will try zig zagging or carb cycling in a month. I wish I knew a surefire way to figure out my macros AND get my BF% measured. That would be a good start.

QuietBloom

Have you had your thyroid checked?

Yep. Every year when I get my physical. I don't have any skewed blood work numbers. I've also never been on any prescription medication (aside from the occasional antibiotic) so there is no med interference.

KellyJean: i was reading that thread on what to do when weight loss stalls. The majority of those who replied said they broke through plateaus and were successful again as soon as they INCREASED their calories. I tend to stick to 1200 - 1300 usually and maybe hit 1400 some days so I know 200 cals a day could help me out.

I strength train 4 times a week but this is only my 7th week so I'm fairly new to it. I plan on continuing because I enjoy it a lot.

mo7882: I agree that the trick is to change something up. Maybe more cardio for me?

I will try zig zagging or carb cycling in a month. I wish I knew a surefire way to figure out my macros AND get my BF% measured. That would be a good start.

OK. We'll be still be here when that doesn't work out for you. :laugh:

Phaedra2014

Are you saying I should not increase my cals by about 200?

Mr_Knight

Are you saying I should not increase my cals by about 200?

What would you do if you wanted to gain weight?

Since you want to lose weight, do the opposite.

Phaedra2014

Are you saying I should not increase my cals by about 200?

What would you do if you wanted to gain weight?

Since you want to lose weight, do the opposite.

I don't think I want to go below 1200 calories. it's not sustainable nor do I think it is healthy. I feel even 1200 is not that healthy or sustainable.

Mr_Knight

Are you saying I should not increase my cals by about 200?

What would you do if you wanted to gain weight?

Since you want to lose weight, do the opposite.

I don't think I want to go below 1200 calories. it's not sustainable nor do I think it is healthy. I feel even 1200 is not that healthy or sustainable.

I didn't say anything about 1200 calories.

I said that if you know what to do to gain weight, you automatically also know what to do to lose weight.

Phaedra2014

I do. I've lost 115 lbs. Now the loss has stalled and I'm asking for suggestions from MFP users. I'd appreciate any input from you also

WalkingAlong

I believe he's saying if your current intake isn't causing loss, that number plus 200 (or any positive value) logically wouldn't.

I think a lot of people believe it does because they try that and it coincides with when their plateau would've broken anyway. Or because they relax enough at the higher value to track more honestly, even if the prior undertracking wasn't done consciously. Or sometimes it seems like just changing anything has an effect.

You seem to know what you're doing, you certainly have lost well so far, but I wonder if your 1200 is maybe closer to 1500. Weighing everything isn't foolproof. If you are using database entries that aren't great, that's going to affect things. If you're using restaurant values that aren't great, that too. Sometimes even our measuring cups aren't actually a cup or a teaspoon a teaspoon. My only point is I wouldn't be too afraid of trying to go lower than what you log as 1200 if you wait longer and try more things and they don't work. If you truly maintain at 1200, you're super efficient or you underlog and eating less is the only way to lose.

Though I still think it's water from a new-ish weight training regimen. And whatever you try, it's going to come off soon.

QuietBloom

Are you saying I should not increase my cals by about 200?

What would you do if you wanted to gain weight?

Since you want to lose weight, do the opposite.

I don't think I want to go below 1200 calories. it's not sustainable nor do I think it is healthy. I feel even 1200 is not that healthy or sustainable.

Are you saying that you are at 1200? Because your diary doesn't support that. I am trying to lose those last stubborn few lbs myself, and am at 1380. My measuring is super strict. The weight is coming off ~ 0.5 lbs per week, which is perfect.

If you are staying around the same weight, logic would dictate that you are eating at maintenance. You are going to need to create some kind of calorie deficit again in order to start lose more weight. However you do it, and whatever deficit you decide on is completely up to you. I don't recommend dropping below 1200.

Phaedra2014

I go above 1200 when I have exercise calories to use and even then, I don't eat them all. Yeesterday I did weights but don't know how to log those exercise calories so I left it blank. I'm sure I burned at least a couple hundred while lifting. I only track cardio calories (running or bootcamp exercises) because I rely on my HRM.

I tend to stay between 1200 and 1300. The foods I eat are pretty filling so I'm not exactly hungry but I still think it is too little.

When you say super strict measuring do you mean you use a digital scale? I do that too. I'll be even more careful I guess. I honestly do things correctly because it's idiotic to cheat while logging etc. The only person who would not benefit from it is me. I mean, I have lost 115 lbs so far so I've been doing something right.

QuietBloom

Obviously, you have done an outstanding job. :drinker:

I saw one day where you logged 1200. Then a couple that were quite over, like 1700 and 1400. I don't know if you are eating your exercise calories back or not.

You have lost so much weight that your body needs a lot fewer calories than it used to. This is likely a difficult adjustment mentally. Also I think what is adding to the confusion is you are changing things up too quickly and you can't really tell what might working and what might not. It does sound like are logging honestly, which is great. The only solution I see is to drop your calories.

Best! :flowerforyou:

WalkingAlong

If you're not hungry why do you think your eating level is too little? Because of things you read here about BMR and lean body mass and such? I think the fear of undereating is overblown here, thanks to MFP's starvation message, several forum myths and a bunch of well-meaning bodybuilders who do know their stuff overall but seem to not understand how low some of us smallish females over 30 with sedentary jobs have to go to lose.

Phaedra2014

If you're not hungry why do you think your eating level is too little? Because of things you read here about BMR and lean body mass and such? I think the fear of undereating is overblown here, thanks to MFP's starvation message, several forum myths and a bunch of well-meaning bodybuilders who do know their stuff overall but seem to not understand how low some of us smallish females over 30 with sedentary jobs have to go to lose.

Yes. I read threads and wonder wtf I'm doing wrong.

Phaedra2014

Is going from months of being at 146 to 145.8 called breaking the plateau?! My body is making fun of me :laugh: