Plateau

Lifetimestruggle

Help! How do you break a plateau, I have been eating 1200 or less calories a day, I walk 2+ miles a day. I have a lot of weight to lose but for the last year I have been unable to get below where I am! For the last year I have been up and down the same weight and I know my body is changing but the scale will not. Any advice?

4legsRbetterthan2

1. Don't eat less than 1200 calries.
2. If you were actually eating 1200 calories then you would be losing.

My guess is you are not logging accurately or consistantly.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

This is a great post that covers most of the commonly made mistakes and gives great tips for success.

p.s. if you open your diary people can give you more specific advice

~Best wishes

Lifetimestruggle

I opened it. I log everything except my coffee in the morning and I use splenda. A couple of weeks ago I cut back on my carbs as I noticed that I was going over daily. So I made adjustments and I never eat past seven and I have not had one cheat in two weeks. I feel like my body is stuck.

MinnieInMaine

Do you actually weigh your foods or are you eyeballing and guesstimating? Weighing is much more accurate even than measuring - for instance, 1/2 a cup of cheese is pretty iffy. You can cram a lot of cheese into a half cup. Much better to weigh something like that.

Have you checked with your doctor about this? Maybe you've got a thyroid imbalance or something like that?

P.S. Meal timing doesn't matter. Weight loss is about staying within your calorie goal. You also should be eating back at least half of your earned exercise calories. And 1200 is likely too low of a goal.

4legsRbetterthan2

Yes, weigh your food, I see lots of nuts and cheese in your diary which are great but also calorie dense, so if eyeballed can lead to alot of extra calories

I also am seeing 1-2 days a week of not logging or only logging partially

I had very little success with MFP until I was logging every day, everything, and weighing my food. You just can't determine what you should be losing if you do not know what you are eating.

Lifetimestruggle

I measure everything. I went to my Dr last year because I have been at this exact weight within 4 lbs either way for the last year so I went and had a full work up done and everything was perfect! I have lost inches because I am pushing myself harder during my exercise as I began adding small jog then walk etc.

Breena_Bean5

Looks like you should be eating more than that, 1200cal seems something to do for a short period of time, not a year. Try eating more, I bet that will help Also, try setting a realistic goal a week instead of 2lbs a week, try 1lb a week, just a asuggestion.

LydiaShackelford

Based on your diary, I have a few suggestions.

If you are indeed measuring and weighing your food (I highly suggest buying a food scale. It is worth it.), then I see one major thing you should work on: sodium intake. I'm not saying you can't eat all of the high sodium foods you are eating, but I would suggest you counteract eating all of those high sodium choices with a lot of water. How much water do you drink? I aim to drink at least 3 liters of water a day. On days where I have hefty workouts, I aim to drink a gallon of water.

When I first started losing weight, I was struggling losing, even though I was weighing my food and staying within calories limits. When I upped my water intake, I started shedding what was a dreadful amount of water weight. After I started drinking more water, I found my cravings for certain foods went away. And I found myself to be much less hungry, so sticking to smaller portions was not an issue. Water also helps digest your food and lubricate your body from the inside. Give it a go. Purchase a 32 oz water bottle (mine is from Target), and fill it up and drink it at least 3x a day. If you hit 4, then you've consumed a gallon of water. It may seem like a lot, and you're going to pee a lot at first, but It gets easier and becomes second nature.

Hopefully the water helps. There is one additional thing I would suggest, and that is taking down your diary intake. For people who are TRULY weighing their food and measuring accurately and still not losing, you may have a food allergy you are unaware of. Unlike a gluten intolerance, where you become ill or have actual body aches, a dairy intolerance is typically hidden much more easily. It can cause an insane amount of inflammation (general puffiness) and be harmful to your digestive tract if you have an allergy. Try cutting out dairy for a week and see how things go.

Otherwise, I would go back to your accuracy of calories in v. calories out. Weigh your food. Eat ONLY that amount of food. Track everything.

Good luck!

ETA: I have lost 30 pounds in ~7 mons, and I am now aiming to lose my last pesky 10-15 lbs. I have reset my tracker to focus on my new goals, and I have found taking it bit by bit instead of CHUNK BY CHUNK helps me mentally. Maybe something else to try!

Francl27

I measure everything. I went to my Dr last year because I have been at this exact weight within 4 lbs either way for the last year so I went and had a full work up done and everything was perfect! I have lost inches because I am pushing myself harder during my exercise as I began adding small jog then walk etc.

You didn't confirm or deny that you weigh your food. If you're indeed weighing (and not measuring with scales), you should be losing because you're not eating enough. So wait it out a bit longer or go see your doctor.

BeckyMBisMe

OP, I could have written your post. I have been scouring the threads for weeks for an answer. Including the ones that accuse people like me of not logging correctly, not weighing my food, etc. None of these accusations are true. :grumble:
However what I don't do is eat back enough of my exercise calories. In my mind it seems counter productive. :huh: But over the last year I have increased my activity level so much that I am only netting maybe 300 calories or so. I have decided to trust what MFP and so many people have said and try to "net" more because the way I'm doing things right now is not working anymore.
I could sit back down on my fanny and cut back on activity but I love how much fitter I am so that's not going to happen! My only choice is to try eat more calorie dense foods because I don't think I can comfortably ingest more volume. Sounds good to me, real cheese, real butter, real sugar, real bread, etc.
Maybe you could try this also and good luck to us both!

Lifetimestruggle

I don't weigh my food. I only use measuring cups. Thanks everyone for the advice. I really do appreciate it. I admit my water intake is not that great. I do get 64 oz in but for my weight I think it said 100+ oz a day. I am on the go a lot and eat a lot of pre-packaged foods because I am in my car a lot for work. I know when I have eaten a lot of sodium because my hands will swell when I walk. I am going to change up a few things and see how this works. Thanks a bunch!

eldamiano

No such thing as a plateau. This is a make believe word. When you were losing weight, you were eating at a calorie deficit. The rules of science dont change that easily. If you are not losing, you are not eating at a deficit.