Willing to do whatever it takes...but stuck!

brensjourney

History: I started my pregnancy overweight, gained 50+ lbs, left the hospital at 311. I got down to 278 with little effort, but after 15 months of that, I started a low carb way of eating. This was great for me to get started because I had major carb cravings which are now under control. Unfortunately, after losing 50-55 lbs in 6 months, it stopped working despite tracking everything obsessively. So, at the end of February I decided to join a gym and after two solid months of 3x a week (-400 calories per class) paired with low carb I STILL haven't lost anything. This is insane! In May, I decided to add a few more carbs in the form of veggies and fruits and count calories, in an effort to work toward a more manageable long-term way of eating, but so far it has had no effect one way or the other.

I have been taking a hydro class 3x a week (I have a HRM which confirms it burns 400 calories) and keeping my calorie intake between 1200-1500 calories/day. I have a desk job, so according to MFP this is what I should be consuming. I have been bouncing between 227 and 230 since January. I am determined to get this weight off, and for once in my life I am actually willing to do whatever it takes and put the work into it... I'm just at a loss as to what that is. I have also added some cardio on my "off" days, trying to keep active -- but still nothing. I am 100% dedicated, no desire to cheat or binge, I just need some help because nothing is working right now and a 4 month plateau is ridiculous.

In researching on the internet every single thing I read contradicts something else I have read, so any advice from people more successful than I will be greatly appreciated.

sue_stef

is there a reason besides cravings that you are limiting carbs?
I am diabetic I need to limit the refined carbs
sugar is not the enemy even for a diabetic
you just have to watch it that sugar is not the mainstay of your diet

are you weighing and measuring everything you eat?
are you careful about the serving sizes
at first I was using a cheapo analog scale I got at the grocery store for $5
it broke after 2 months and I got a decent little digital scale to weight things

RawIndian

I recommend that you take a serious look at eating raw - Things to research on are 80/10/10 , raw till 4, raw vegan etc.,

lrmall01

Hi. If you want to go down the path of logging all your food using MFP, I'd suggest you read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=logging+accurately

and this:

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

livinatthegym

It sounds like your calorie intake is a bit low to me. Also try mixing up your workouts by: doing them at different times of the day, doing one am and one pm for a brief time to shock the body, try weight training, try different cardio, up your calories a bit one day or maybe two (healthy choices still) and then drop them another day (never below 1200), only eat 1/2 of the calories you burn during exercise, drink water (super important), and vary your food as much as you can. The point here is to trick the body. Our bodies are quick to adapt so if you do a class that seemed hard as hell two weeks ago, assess it now and maybe you will find its not so challenging any more. Switch it up and if you really enjoyed that class, go back a few weeks later and watch what happens! best of luck!

LFDBabs

Bumping for responses. I'm in the same boat as you. I weigh and measure everything and get conflicting advice.

nancybuss

Congrats on the baby.

Yes, you will probably get conflicting information here too. Can you open up your diary for us to see?
Are you cutting ALL carbs?
Are you eating Enough? If you're not eating enough the body is going to hold on to what it can


Good luck!

livinatthegym

@ LFD I posted earlier based on what advice I have gotten from a nutritionist and my trainer (who was a all natural competitive bodybuilder). For me it has worked better than I could imagine! You will prob get conflicting views here as well. My best suggestion is take what advice seems sensible and google it to do your own research. That way you can find what you think will work for you...after all no one knows you like you do.

psuLemon

do you use a food scale and can you open your food diary? And do you have any medical conditions?

krawhitham

I'm experiencing a bit of stall myself, and Ive asked help of the MFP community too. The things you need to do is open your diary so everyone here can see what you are eating, and let us know if you're using a food scale.

I bought a food scale and it helps me when I'm eating meat, fruits and veggies. I have been logging them in the past like "1 banana" or "2 tomatoes" but in reality, doing that, I've been overeating by 50-150 calories per day! So, food scales are necessary for some.

Also, if you are eating sodium laden foods (or add a lot of salt to your foods) you may be retaining a lot of water. I think that's part of my issue...

And, one more, take your measurements if you haven't already. At least do your waist, hips, and thighs. Measure yourself once a month to see if there has been any change. Sometimes that is a better indicator of whether or not your body is losing fat than the actual scale.

33Freya

I'm with you on being irritated by long plateaus!!

The reasons you get so much contradicting advice out there is because it is all written for different goals. The person who wants to build muscle is going to eat and workout differently from the person who wants to lose fat, or transform, etc.

Maybe you need to mix up your workouts some? Perhaps do the hydro and add 30 minutes of walking each day? Perhaps get into the weigh room at your gym and start lifting weights? bodybuilding.com has tons of great programs for that.

Are you getting enough protein? Are you getting enough food? I was eating around 1200 calories per day, and once I started eating 1500 to 1800 calories per day, and concentrating on getting more protein, my plateau broke. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle is a great book to read, and what caused me to make that change...

Good luck. We are all different and our bodies will react to various programs differently. Just make little tweaks here and there- up your protein, change your workouts, and/or bump your calories or carbs. :flowerforyou: