2 year plateau and confused about differences in calories
sunshinesoprano
Posts: 66 Member
Hello, MFP friends!
So, in 2012 I lost 50 lbs. Per my doctor's advisement, I strictly adhered to a 1200 cal/day regimen with exercise and I started at 298lbs.
The weight came off quickly and then....BOOM...plateau I can't break AND I gained 9 lbs back.
I've done my research and while some sites say I should eat 2080 cals/day to lose 2 lbs/wk, this one and MyPlate say in the 1300s.
What is the differnece and what am I doing wrong?
So, in 2012 I lost 50 lbs. Per my doctor's advisement, I strictly adhered to a 1200 cal/day regimen with exercise and I started at 298lbs.
The weight came off quickly and then....BOOM...plateau I can't break AND I gained 9 lbs back.
I've done my research and while some sites say I should eat 2080 cals/day to lose 2 lbs/wk, this one and MyPlate say in the 1300s.
What is the differnece and what am I doing wrong?
0
Replies
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A plateau means you are eating at maintenance. Either eat less (which could also mean you are currently not trackign calories correctly and eat more than you think) or exercise more. Unless there is some health issue and you need to check with your dr.0
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Last year when i went back to the doctor she said, stay at 1200 and exercise 5 days/wk. Unfortunately, I just don't have time to do that with other cmmitments. She's a really skinny person and an OBGYN so I'm not sure this is really her forte. I was starving and tired at 1200/day.
I've played around with all sorts of calorie numbers and nothing seems to make sense.0 -
She's a really skinny person and an OBGYN so I'm not sure this is really her forte.
Dat reverse discrimination0 -
An OBGYN probably isn't a skilled nutritionist or dietician. Neither am I, for the record! So my 'help' may not be any better than hers but it also might not be any worse?
What have you been doing recently & how long have you been at it? How active are you (in your current profession), what is your current height/weight & goal? What calorie range have you been eating in, if you've been tracking it. If you have, how? I mean how do you determine what calories you are consuming?0 -
Let me also note that...
I eat very little bread.
I eat very little candy and junk.
I can't eat fried crap because it hurts my stomach.
I drink coffee and water and that's about it...other than diet coke.0 -
An OBGYN probably isn't a skilled nutritionist or dietician. Neither am I, for the record! So my 'help' may not be any better than hers but it also might not be any worse?
What have you been doing recently & how long have you been at it? How active are you (in your current profession), what is your current height/weight & goal? What calorie range have you been eating in, if you've been tracking it. If you have, how? I mean how do you determine what calories you are consuming?
I use MFP all the time and track everything I eat. I have a desk job but I work out at least 3 days/wk for 45-50 minutes. I've been eating at around 1740 and nothing. I've ranged from 1200-1800 trying to figure it out, however.0 -
She's a really skinny person and an OBGYN so I'm not sure this is really her forte.
Dat reverse discrimination
No, that's being realistic that an historically thin person has no idea what it's like to have a lifelong weight struggle.
If I said I hated her because she was skinny, that would be discrimination.0 -
How do you track all you eat? Do you use a digital food scale for everything (except liquids)?
HOw long eating at 1740?0 -
You are eating at maintenance (or a little above) and need to eat less0
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How do you track all you eat? Do you use a digital food scale for everything (except liquids)?
HOw long eating at 1740?
Several months. I don't use a digital scale but when I eat at work I ask them what the measurements are...it's a cafeteria so that's pretty easy for them. The rest is a pretty good estimate, and I know I tend to overestimate the portions because I'm afraid to underestimate.0 -
No, that's being realistic that an historically thin person has no idea what it's like to have a lifelong weight struggle.
(1) I'm not trying to upset you, since I really hope you find what works for you, BUT... How do you know she's historically thin. A lot of people make that assumption about me and assume I have no idea what it's like to be morbidly obese or how hard it can be to lose 100+ lbs. They're wrong. I was obese for my entire adult life until I figured out what I personally needed to do.
(2) Buy a digital scale. Weigh every morsel you put in your mouth. 1700 or so calories should be fine, if that's truly what you're eating. My guess is you're not being accurate.0 -
No, that's being realistic that an historically thin person has no idea what it's like to have a lifelong weight struggle.
(1) I'm not trying to upset you, since I really hope you find what works for you, BUT... How do you know she's historically thin. A lot of people make that assumption about me and assume I have no idea what it's like to be morbidly obese or how hard it can be to lose 100+ lbs. They're wrong. I was obese for my entire adult life until I figured out what I personally needed to do.
(2) Buy a digital scale. Weigh every morsel you put in your mouth. 1700 or so calories should be fine, if that's truly what you're eating. My guess is you're not being accurate.
1. Because we've spoken about it....
2. I measure cereals and milk and things like that and most everything else I can get the calorie count from the package.0 -
Using a food scale can be a real eye opener. What you assume is 4 ounces chicken could be 6, what you think is 150 grams rice is 200. Logging a medium piece of fruit at 50 calories when its really 125grams @ 100 calories. Part of the problem is there are so many MFP entries, its easy to pick low #s. A 500 calorie deficit, gone - just like that!
Without weighing its impossible to get accurate #s. And I suspect the people working in the cafeteria mean well, but probably are wrong also. Not to mention if they're serving items that have multiple ingredients its hard to keep it all straight.
If what you're doing is not working for you, it might not hurt to pick up a $10-15 food scale and give it a try. Personally I use the postage scale at work. Small office, and I got a few odd looks but I got over letting that bother me. I do try to take it back off the gram setting when I'm done though...0 -
How do you track all you eat? Do you use a digital food scale for everything (except liquids)?
HOw long eating at 1740?
Several months. I don't use a digital scale but when I eat at work I ask them what the measurements are...it's a cafeteria so that's pretty easy for them. The rest is a pretty good estimate, and I know I tend to overestimate the portions because I'm afraid to underestimate.
If you're not weighing your food then you have no real way of knowing exactly how much you're eating. 'Underestimating'/'overestimating' is no good either because (a) it will be wrong (b) you won't hit your macros (c) eating much under your goal long term is not ideal - it's a goal to hit, not to see how far under you can be.
If you're stuck at a plateau and not weighing you food, the answer is going to be to weigh them, because you can't start jiggling around your calorie goals or your macros until you know how much you're eating currently (nor will you be able to make accurate adjustments until you start tracking accurately).0 -
One thing to be aware of: packages are not specific.
Read carefully and you'll often see something like: one serving, 85 grams; servings per package, about 2. Then its 200 grams so its actually 200/85 = 2.35 servings.
And measuring solid food in measuring cups is inaccurate. What fits into 1/2 cup may or may not be a 'serving' depending on how it settles. Need to go by weight. Cups are for liquids.0 -
1. Because we've spoken about it....
2. I measure cereals and milk and things like that and most everything else I can get the calorie count from the package.
1. ok, i see.
2. you measure with a cup? or a scale?
Honestly, I know you're doing a lot. And you should feel good about it. But if you 100% serious about losing more weight, you need to buy a digital scale and weigh your food. You are eating more calories than you think you are.0 -
Using a food scale can be a real eye opener. What you assume is 4 ounces chicken could be 6, what you think is 150 grams rice is 200. Logging a medium piece of fruit at 50 calories when its really 125grams @ 100 calories. Part of the problem is there are so many MFP entries, its easy to pick low #s. A 500 calorie deficit, gone - just like that!
Without weighing its impossible to get accurate #s. And I suspect the people working in the cafeteria mean well, but probably are wrong also. Not to mention if they're serving items that have multiple ingredients its hard to keep it all straight.
If what you're doing is not working for you, it might not hurt to pick up a $10-15 food scale and give it a try. Personally I use the postage scale at work. Small office, and I got a few odd looks but I got over letting that bother me. I do try to take it back off the gram setting when I'm done though...
I don't cook at home s what I eat either comes out of a package (like a frozen item) or something that already has a calorie assignment. I've discussed things with the chef at work and they actually weigh out and measure their portions because they are health-conscious...it's a large chain of cafeterias that services my employer.
I know you all think I'm making excuses, but I'm not. Im very careful and generally don't use most of the MFP entries...I find them inaccurate and figure it out myself. If I go to an eating establishment, I ask how much the meat weighs or whatever.
I've been doing this for a long time so I've become very good at eyeballing how much a half cup or cup is, and I'm pretty accurate within a small range of error.
The other thing that comes into play is that I have a lot of muscle mass. My legs are large but very muscular and at one time I could press 500lbs with them. My family is all built this way (like a defensive line for a football team) and we have large legs, wide hips, and broad shoulders.0 -
One thing to be aware of: packages are not specific.
Read carefully and you'll often see something like: one serving, 85 grams; servings per package, about 2. Then its 200 grams so its actually 200/85 = 2.35 servings.
And measuring solid food in measuring cups is inaccurate. What fits into 1/2 cup may or may not be a 'serving' depending on how it settles. Need to go by weight. Cups are for liquids.
Yes, I understand all of that.0 -
Using a food scale can be a real eye opener. What you assume is 4 ounces chicken could be 6, what you think is 150 grams rice is 200. Logging a medium piece of fruit at 50 calories when its really 125grams @ 100 calories. Part of the problem is there are so many MFP entries, its easy to pick low #s. A 500 calorie deficit, gone - just like that!
Without weighing its impossible to get accurate #s. And I suspect the people working in the cafeteria mean well, but probably are wrong also. Not to mention if they're serving items that have multiple ingredients its hard to keep it all straight.
If what you're doing is not working for you, it might not hurt to pick up a $10-15 food scale and give it a try. Personally I use the postage scale at work. Small office, and I got a few odd looks but I got over letting that bother me. I do try to take it back off the gram setting when I'm done though...
This! It's so important to accurately log what your eating.0 -
Could there be a sodium issue? I know high sodium leads to a lot of water retention but I don't know if it creates issue w/ actual weight loss. Eating a lot of pre-packaged foods would be mega-high sodium.
If what you're doing isn't working - and there is no medical reason for the stall - then look for what you can change. Food scale is one. And perhaps less processed, more prepared food. I'm not saying there is a right vs wrong but the nutritional value of prepared is bound to be better than processed. And some people have found success with majorly changing up their macros. Cutting down on carbs or up protein. Just examples.0 -
some sites say I should eat 2080 cals/day to lose 2 lbs/wk, this one and MyPlate say in the 1300s.
What is the differnece and what am I doing wrong?
Now with all of your other answers, I'm going back to your original question and reiterate. Please know that we all support you and want you to find success. I know when you're on a website like this it can feel like people are attacking you. So, <hugs> ok?
The websites are estimating your TDEE to be anywhere from 3080 to 2300 calories per day. They're just websites using formulas. They don't know you. We don't know you. We're just guessing.
But I can tell you this for sure, what you're doing wrong is you're eating more calories than you think you are. You haven't lost weight in two years because you:
(1) don't know how many calories per day your body uses
(2) don't know how many calories per day you're consuming
But the good news is it's possible to figure these things out! You can buy a FitBit! You can learn how to cook for yourself! You can actually do what you need to, if it's something you really want.
I really hope you're able to figure out what changes you need to make. Best of luck, ok? And we're here to try to help
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then you need to eat less. You asked for suggestions then get defensive when people offer advice. If what you are doing isn't working you need to try something else.Using a food scale can be a real eye opener. What you assume is 4 ounces chicken could be 6, what you think is 150 grams rice is 200. Logging a medium piece of fruit at 50 calories when its really 125grams @ 100 calories. Part of the problem is there are so many MFP entries, its easy to pick low #s. A 500 calorie deficit, gone - just like that!
Without weighing its impossible to get accurate #s. And I suspect the people working in the cafeteria mean well, but probably are wrong also. Not to mention if they're serving items that have multiple ingredients its hard to keep it all straight.
If what you're doing is not working for you, it might not hurt to pick up a $10-15 food scale and give it a try. Personally I use the postage scale at work. Small office, and I got a few odd looks but I got over letting that bother me. I do try to take it back off the gram setting when I'm done though...
I don't cook at home s what I eat either comes out of a package (like a frozen item) or something that already has a calorie assignment. I've discussed things with the chef at work and they actually weigh out and measure their portions because they are health-conscious...it's a large chain of cafeterias that services my employer.
I know you all think I'm making excuses, but I'm not. Im very careful and generally don't use most of the MFP entries...I find them inaccurate and figure it out myself. If I go to an eating establishment, I ask how much the meat weighs or whatever.
I've been doing this for a long time so I've become very good at eyeballing how much a half cup or cup is, and I'm pretty accurate within a small range of error.
The other thing that comes into play is that I have a lot of muscle mass. My legs are large but very muscular and at one time I could press 500lbs with them. My family is all built this way (like a defensive line for a football team) and we have large legs, wide hips, and broad shoulders.0 -
then you need to eat less. You asked for suggestions then get defensive when people offer advice. If what you are doing isn't working you need to try something else.Using a food scale can be a real eye opener. What you assume is 4 ounces chicken could be 6, what you think is 150 grams rice is 200. Logging a medium piece of fruit at 50 calories when its really 125grams @ 100 calories. Part of the problem is there are so many MFP entries, its easy to pick low #s. A 500 calorie deficit, gone - just like that!
Without weighing its impossible to get accurate #s. And I suspect the people working in the cafeteria mean well, but probably are wrong also. Not to mention if they're serving items that have multiple ingredients its hard to keep it all straight.
If what you're doing is not working for you, it might not hurt to pick up a $10-15 food scale and give it a try. Personally I use the postage scale at work. Small office, and I got a few odd looks but I got over letting that bother me. I do try to take it back off the gram setting when I'm done though...
I don't cook at home s what I eat either comes out of a package (like a frozen item) or something that already has a calorie assignment. I've discussed things with the chef at work and they actually weigh out and measure their portions because they are health-conscious...it's a large chain of cafeterias that services my employer.
I know you all think I'm making excuses, but I'm not. Im very careful and generally don't use most of the MFP entries...I find them inaccurate and figure it out myself. If I go to an eating establishment, I ask how much the meat weighs or whatever.
I've been doing this for a long time so I've become very good at eyeballing how much a half cup or cup is, and I'm pretty accurate within a small range of error.
The other thing that comes into play is that I have a lot of muscle mass. My legs are large but very muscular and at one time I could press 500lbs with them. My family is all built this way (like a defensive line for a football team) and we have large legs, wide hips, and broad shoulders.
I'm not getting defensive at all...if you'll go back and read, even another person noticed that it sounded a bit like an attack. I asked for advice and said what I was doing. Nothing I said was defensive.
If I didn't have a struggle with losing weight I wouldn't be here.
Thanks for your encouragement and assistance.0 -
some sites say I should eat 2080 cals/day to lose 2 lbs/wk, this one and MyPlate say in the 1300s.
What is the differnece and what am I doing wrong?
Now with all of your other answers, I'm going back to your original question and reiterate. Please know that we all support you and want you to find success. I know when you're on a website like this it can feel like people are attacking you. So, <hugs> ok?
The websites are estimating your TDEE to be anywhere from 3080 to 2300 calories per day. They're just websites using formulas. They don't know you. We don't know you. We're just guessing.
But I can tell you this for sure, what you're doing wrong is you're eating more calories than you think you are. You haven't lost weight in two years because you:
(1) don't know how many calories per day your body uses
(2) don't know how many calories per day you're consuming
But the good news is it's possible to figure these things out! You can buy a FitBit! You can learn how to cook for yourself! You can actually do what you need to, if it's something you really want.
I really hope you're able to figure out what changes you need to make. Best of luck, ok? And we're here to try to help
I eat very little salt, believe it or not. I rarely salt my food and to be honest I don't eat a lot of packaged food, either. It's hard to explain, I suppose. We eat out but I always choose good options like lean meats and again, little fat, fried, etc.0 -
Y'all just forget about it, okay? No one seems to be able to help, even my doctor, when I explained that there was a history of hypothyroidsim in the family. She just snurled and said it was my food. It cannot just be my food. There has to be something else.
Thanks to those who really tried to offer advice. For the rest of those who think they know it all, good luck.
Sorry, I didn't come here to be attacked.0 -
If you are hypothyroid, and it's not controlled, get it controlled. If you don't know if you are hypothyroid, find out. If your OB won't do this, get a different doctor.
If you are certain your tracking is accurate and you are maintaining or gaining, eat fewer calories, consistently, for a long time.0 -
We eat out
*Sits you down, takes you by the hand, looks you dead in the eyes*
THIS is why you aren't losing weight the way you think you should.
There's ways to fit dining out into a healthy lifestyle. It's true. Now, I don't know you, but from what you've told us. THIS is why YOU specifically aren't losing weight the way you think you should.0 -
I measure cereals and milk and things like that and most everything else I can get the calorie count from the package.I rarely salt my food and to be honest I don't eat a lot of packaged food, either
Am I the only one shaking my head and going, "Huh? I'm confused."?
My original comment was going to be that I don't put salt or seasonings on food, either, but I am constantly battling a problem with too much sodium, it goes way over what MFP says I'm supposed to be getting, so sodium might be the culprit. But with the two statements above, I'm just scratching my head now.
Sorry you're feeling attacked.0 -
I hate to break it to you, but it's likely your food intake. If you aren't losing weight, and you aren't weighing food, that is the first place for you to start. If you've never done it, how would you know you're guesses are pretty accurate? If you think there is a medical condition involved, get tested and find out, so you can get proper meds and nutrition advice.
And....someone who has been thin all of their life is actually a perfect person to take advice from. They're obviously doing something right.0 -
One alternate thought... Is your OBGYN the only doctor you've discussed this with? I'm only asking as that was the doctor you indicated suggested 1200 calories per day to lose weight. It might be in your best interest to consult someone else regarding hyperthyroidism, etc. as its clearly not the OBGYN's specialty.0
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