I need the know-it-alls for this one please help me!

kickivale
kickivale Posts: 260 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

I was committed to MFP a couple years ago, then I stopped (thinking I was 'finished')...

I'm back now, 90 days logged, feeling great.
BUT.
Once I got under 130 lbs 3 weeks ago, I stopped losing weight. I've been hovering at 129, on a random day it will say 128.6 or something irritating like that :)

Does anyone have suggestions for what to change in my settings?
More gym time? (about 1 hr, 6 days a week plus walking about 45 minutes per day)
Less calories? (I'm at 1360/day)

Am I just being stupid impatient?


I need y'all!

Replies

  • jayres67
    jayres67 Posts: 28 Member
    I would just give it a couple more weeks before cutting back calories... Your calories seem spot on.


    Are you drinking enough water? Did you just start working out or have you been throughout your weightloss?
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
    In times like these it helps to remember the fundamentals. Calories in vs calories out.

    The first question to ask yourself is how accurate are your calorie burns and the measurements of your food.

    Secondly, it is not uncommon to stall for a few weeks. Give it some more time. I would say this is especially true for women who should give themselves a full month on any given intake level to truly measure their progress - fluctuating levels of water retention can mess with the scales (and your head ;)

    So overall, if your logging habits are good and within a reasonable degree of accuracy, you'll be fine. Give it another week (to make a full month) then if there is no movement on the scale (or other measurements - tape measure, how your clothes fit), then drop your calories by 10%. Remember that you do not have much weight to lose, so you can't be too aggressive with your caloric deficit.
  • gogo8478
    gogo8478 Posts: 4 Member
    I had this same problem, but then I realized I had been doing same routine every day, just running around my neighborhood for 7-9 miles 6 days a week, I decided I needed to switch up my routine and shock my body in doing something differnt, so I started trail running which is harder cause there are a lot of steep hills, and I started doing lunges/squats and weights everyother day which I hadnt done in a long time. So maybe try switching up your workout routine, it really helped me.
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
    i will be the devil's advocate here.... i say schedule a REFEED... where in you consume 2 grams of carbs x bodyweight once a week, keep protein low 1 gram per bodyweight, fats no more than x .4 or .3 of you bodyweight, i will strategically do this on your leg day or the most hardest training day you have for the week and the rest go back to you usual 1320 calories per day... see how you go....
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I play a know-it-all sometimes! 60% of the time I'm right every time.

    From looking at your diary, it seems you eat most of your exercise calories back, which is the first thing I would adjust in trying to get the calories in/calories out formula back into a deficit. Try only eating back half the calories and see if that gets the scale to move. Other than that, I would recommend adjusting your macros to increase your protein intake and decrease your carbs (a little, not going low carb) and doing some resistance training if you are not already for a bit of body recomp and fat burning if that fits with what you are looking for in your goal body.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Like posted above. Accurate logging is crucial the closer you get to goal.
  • joan23_us
    joan23_us Posts: 263 Member
    i will be the devil's advocate here.... i say schedule a REFEED... where in you consume 2 grams of carbs x bodyweight once a week, keep protein low 1 gram per bodyweight, fats no more than x .4 or .3 of you bodyweight, i will strategically do this on your leg day or the most hardest training day you have for the week and the rest go back to you usual 1320 calories per day... see how you go....

    I just checked your diary for the last 3 days... i take it back, NO REFEED, just re-adjust your macros, 45 percent coming from protein you seem to be consuming little protein, 35 percent coming from carbs you seem to be consuming more carbs than protein, 20 percent coming from fats... your fat intake seems fine... TRACK MACRONUTRIENTS as oppose to tracking calories for a more optimal results....
  • kickivale
    kickivale Posts: 260 Member
    Thanks everyone, I needed a little external feedback.


    I think I'm going to start with not eating back so many of my workout calories...I eat them back mostly because I am the ultimate rule follower so I try to net right at 1360....but it seems the general consensus on MFP is eat back half....goodbye 10pm snack :/
    Switching up my routine is a great idea, I have the urge to join a class actually.
  • popsicklestar
    popsicklestar Posts: 166 Member
    How tall are you, and what is your goal weight? Are you eating back exercise calories? When you are already at a low weight, weight comes off really slowly. I only lose like 1 or 2 pounds a MONTH now that I am close to my goal weight. Because women's weight fluctuates so much with water weight, sometimes it is hard to see the losses on the scale for awhile. If you've calculated your TDEE, and you're eating 10-20% less than amount, you will lose. Yes, you need to be really patient, and really accurate in your logging. Weigh things when you can.
  • kickivale
    kickivale Posts: 260 Member
    How tall are you, and what is your goal weight? Are you eating back exercise calories? When you are already at a low weight, weight comes off really slowly. I only lose like 1 or 2 pounds a MONTH now that I am close to my goal weight. Because women's weight fluctuates so much with water weight, sometimes it is hard to see the losses on the scale for awhile. If you've calculated your TDEE, and you're eating 10-20% less than amount, you will lose. Yes, you need to be really patient, and really accurate in your logging. Weigh things when you can.

    I'm just under 5'6.
    My goal weight is anywhere btwn 115 and 120 lbs because that's what i weighed 10 years ago :/ Stupid reason but I had to pick something to shoot for.
    I have never been overweight, I just noticed some changes and a real feeling of being 'unfit' after the age of 25.
    I haven't calculated TDEE...I looked on a few threads about it and it seems both confusing and varied. As in everyone says "I got 4 different numbers from different sources when trying to find out my TDEE"
    I'm glad you mentioned patience...its hard to remember that it's not a sprint its a marathon.
  • Filmlotus
    Filmlotus Posts: 54 Member
    Hey there, I just looked at your diary and just wanted to put in my two cents. I lost 66 lbs a couple of years ago by cutting out a lot of processed food and refined carbs. My source of carbs now come from vegetables and fruits. You had a bagel and a chocolate bar yesterday, which is probably not going to help with your body's hormonal balance. Its more complicated than calories in vs calories out. Calories is how much energy it takes to heat up water by 1 degree, it says nothing about how your body processes it and stores it.
    People who see it so simplistically will be missing out of the fact that everyone's body, genes and hormones are different. I know for certain that humans have no eaten bagels and chocolate bars with grams and grams of refined sugar for 99% of our evolution. So instead of just focusing on calories, focus on the quality of the calories. I hope this helps :)
  • kickivale
    kickivale Posts: 260 Member
    Hey there, I just looked at your diary and just wanted to put in my two cents. I lost 66 lbs a couple of years ago by cutting out a lot of processed food and refined carbs. My source of carbs now come from vegetables and fruits. You had a bagel and a chocolate bar yesterday, which is probably not going to help with your body's hormonal balance. Its more complicated than calories in vs calories out. Calories is how much energy it takes to heat up water by 1 degree, it says nothing about how your body processes it and stores it.
    People who see it so simplistically will be missing out of the fact that everyone's body, genes and hormones are different. I know for certain that humans have no eaten bagels and chocolate bars with grams and grams of refined sugar for 99% of our evolution. So instead of just focusing on calories, focus on the quality of the calories. I hope this helps :)

    I totally agree. We have the same logic, but I'm still allowing myself to eat things I know I could cut :/
    I'm in it for WELLNESS and for the long haul. I can tell you it's not typical for me to eat chocolate bars or ice cream or chips etc, but I do get treats on the weekends. I eat a bagel every day at work in the A.M. and I don't think I will ever stop because I'm in Brooklyn. It's a New Yorkers duty to make bagels and pizza fit in LOL. Because of that bagel, I cut out lots of other high calorie foods. It's a fair deal for me.
    I'm def a work in process, I grew up in a house with a mother who fed us healthy home cooked, and a father who did the food shopping and STOCKPILED packaged snacks like it was his job. Juices, candies, cakes, junk food in the truest sense.
    I am working on upping my protein and lowering carbs, just changed my macros last night.
    Thanks for looking out!

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