Plateau before I even started.
annetteb80
Posts: 9
Hi Guys, I started to exercise 2 mths ago after approx 1 year off. I have been doing Zumba twice a week and body pump two-three times a week as well as eating 1200 calories Mon - Fri (Weekends I don't count and eat/booze what I want). I am trying to eat low carb however I am not losing weight. Could this just be my body getting used to exercise and eating healthier most days? Unfortunately I didn't take my measurements but I think I still look the same.
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Replies
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You are not losing weight because you are eating too much on the weekends. It adds up. To lose weight, you have to weigh/measure everything and count everything. You aren't eating in a deficit.
ETA: you are not at a plateau0 -
Even if I eat so little Mon - Fri? I eat 1200 but then burn off approx 300-500 off that at the gym?0
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Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us to help?
The first thing I would look at are your cheat days. It's really easy to wipe out a week's worth of calorie deficit with two cheat days if you aren't careful. You might try either logging them or cutting down to one or two a month.
Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes? Most people can be off in their estimates by a whole lot when they eyeball portions. Measuring cups are better, but a food scale is always going to be the most accurate.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale
And make sure that you've calculated your calorie goals appropriately. Remember that these are just estimates. You may need to play around a little to find what works best for you.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
If you're exercising and eating back your earned exercise calories, be sure that you're using accurate estimates of your burn. MFP and gym machines have a tendency to overestimate certain activities, which can cause you to eat back more calories than you need to. Even a heart rate monitor isn't 100% accurate. If you're eating those extra earned calories it might be a good idea to eat only 50-75% of those.0 -
Without logging your weekends you will never truly know if your deficits during the week are outweighing your care-free weekends.
And are you weighing your food during the week?0 -
How do I open my diary? Sorry - I am very new to using this properly!0
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My guess would be that 1) you are probably underestimating your intake during the week; and 2) your weekend excesses combined with number 1 are leaving you with no energy deficit.
Personally I'd suggest establishing a more modest calorie deficit and reasonable calorie goal that you can stick to throughout the week as well as the weekend...this doesn't have to be torture. I would also suggest that you weigh most solids with a food scale and measure everything else...underestimating intake is a huge problem with calorie counting...most people think they're good at estimating, but really, most people suck at it.0 -
How do I open my diary? Sorry - I am very new to using this properly!
Go to settings at the top, then diary settings, and scroll down to select public.0 -
The thing is - I am not hungry eating 1200 as I eat all day. My day typically is:
egg and banana - 10.30am
Lunch - 12.30am
banana/apple & egg - 3.30pm (sometimes chocolate)
dinner - 8pm - large bowl of roasted veg
snack in front of tv - nuts
And sometimes I don't log the nuts
On weekends my problem is more booze as I love my white wine and could easily put back a bottle without sharing
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Thanks! It is public now0
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On weekends my problem is more booze as I love my white wine and could easily put back a bottle without sharing
You seem happy about this... do you want alcohol calories or do you want weight loss? You just need to make up your mind.0 -
The thing is - I am not hungry eating 1200 as I eat all day. My day typically is:
egg and banana - 10.30am
Lunch - 12.30am
banana/apple & egg - 3.30pm (sometimes chocolate)
dinner - 8pm - large bowl of roasted veg
snack in front of tv - nuts
And sometimes I don't log the nuts
On weekends my problem is more booze as I love my white wine and could easily put back a bottle without sharing
Nuts are high calories, and you're not logging those. Combine that with not logging your weekends, and you are easily eating away your deficit.0 -
Eat breakfast
Eat your veggies0 -
Oh and restaurants on weekends - I am a bit of a foodie so like all that stuff - and I don't weigh my food so I try to put sizing in by cups as I can visually see that0
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Eat breakfast
Eat your veggies
Neither of these have anything to do with losing weight.0 -
The thing is - I am not hungry eating 1200 as I eat all day. My day typically is:
egg and banana - 10.30am
Lunch - 12.30am
banana/apple & egg - 3.30pm (sometimes chocolate)
dinner - 8pm - large bowl of roasted veg
snack in front of tv - nuts
And sometimes I don't log the nuts
On weekends my problem is more booze as I love my white wine and could easily put back a bottle without sharing
So you know how so many people say yo-yo diets are what causes crashes and then eventually long term weight gain?
THIS IS WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO YOUR BODY, just on a shorter-term scale.
When you only eat what you mentioned above Monday-Friday and then go on a bender Saturday & Sunday your body simply just does not know what to do or how to handle it. If you're going to eat "junk" or whatever you want to call it - DO IT but do not save it all up for the weekends. Denying yourself the things you want is what causes rebounds and falling off the wagon, or whatever. I don't deny myself the foods I want, I eat them in moderation. Also, my weight loss has been slow - a snail's pace at some points - but it's because I am not throwing my body from a 2,200 calorie diet down to a 1,200 calorie diet, I am working my way there.
For example, last night my SO brought home this devilish thing - Chocolate & Banana ice cream . . . I wanted some, so I had some . . . but that's the key SOME!!!
Your results aren't showing because you're mini yo-yo dieting - if you want results, long term sustainable results you have to make your intake a consistent thing, not just Monday - Friday.0 -
It's NEVER a plateau if you're not consistent.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
Ok thanks guys - seems with all your advise I need to pay more attention to weekend rather than assuming that it is not bad enough to ruin my good weeks work (as for the wine - I have stopped my weekday drinking but will make sure to limit on weekends also!)0
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The thing is - I am not hungry eating 1200 as I eat all day. My day typically is:
egg and banana - 10.30am
Lunch - 12.30am
banana/apple & egg - 3.30pm (sometimes chocolate)
dinner - 8pm - large bowl of roasted veg
snack in front of tv - nuts
And sometimes I don't log the nuts
On weekends my problem is more booze as I love my white wine and could easily put back a bottle without sharing
That's not low carb, that's high carb. You're eating more than you think, log all your food, and you'll see.
ETA: Weigh your food, if you're not weighing, you're guessing.
Rigger0 -
Yeah I didn't think I was yo-yoing (hence having chocolate when I want it) but maybe my weekends needs to be less extreme food/booze wise in that case - I guess it makes sense. As I am not someone who has liked exercise or fitness and happily eaten whatever it is hard setting habits initially so that you have a consistent healthier lifestyle. Especially now that in my 30's my body doesn't seem to want to be how it was my 20's!!! haha0
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Ok thanks guys - seems with all your advise I need to pay more attention to weekend rather than assuming that it is not bad enough to ruin my good weeks work (as for the wine - I have stopped my weekday drinking but will make sure to limit on weekends also!)
See what Rigger just posted as well - but you'll need to pay attention ALL week. Start logging and weighing/measuring.0 -
You don't weigh and log everything... That's not a plateau.0
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Oh and restaurants on weekends - I am a bit of a foodie so like all that stuff - and I don't weigh my food so I try to put sizing in by cups as I can visually see that
Do you know what makes restaurant food just so damn good - like as in you couldn't make it this good if you knew the recipe?
SODIUM!!!
I took my dad out for father's day and I calculated what he and my brother ate and in ribs alone - just ribs, no drink, no fries, just the meat - the restaurant we were at comes in at 5,400+ mg of sodium in a rack of ribs . . . that's insanity.
So my point is that if you're eating out, it's not just about calories. . . actually any time you eat, it's not just about calories because if you eat a lot of "low-calorie" things, they often jam pack them with others things (bad, bad things - usually sodium) to keep the taste where you'd expect it to be.
Also, if you're eating a lot of carbs but aren't active on the weekends then your body converts the carbs to sugar - even though they are meant to be used for energy, your body only gives you so long to use them and then they're sugar and eventually fat.0 -
25.4 ounces per 750mL bottle of wine.
Calories per ounce ~approx 25
635 calories in drinking alone :drinker: goodbye deficit
Nuts unmeasured while watching tv is a dangerous combo. I love nuts! But 23 whole, unflavored, almonds is 163 calories.
You can eat a lot of crunchy munchy nuts while watching tv because you're not paying attention. Unless you're sitting down with a pre-measured snack, even though it's a very healthy fat source and you should eat nuts everyday (if not allergic), it can get away from you calorie wise.
It irks me when people say they eat 1200 calories a day and they're not hungry, but in some magical, mysterious way they gained weight or can't lose weight. You're either eating at a deficit (created through calorie reduction, exercise, or both) or you're not.0 -
The best advice is to start weighing/measure everything that you eat and drink. Even in diary it seems that you maybe underestimating calories since you are not weighing properly. Also you have not been consistent in your weekly logging either.0
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Oh and restaurants on weekends - I am a bit of a foodie so like all that stuff - and I don't weigh my food so I try to put sizing in by cups as I can visually see that
With all due respect, but you are not a foodie at all. Foodies are people who like to eat a wide variety of good quality foods and none applies to what I can see in your food log.....sorry.
It is very difficult to give you any advise, because your log is not very ordered and I wonder if that is also the way you eat. It is impossible to figure out if you skip many meals or if you just don't log them. I went back a few weeks and was surprised to find almost no vegetables ( the last significant veggie intake was on June 11th ). You log the same things over and over again and I can't imagine that you eat for example meat ( almost exclusively ) or fish down to the same gram each day. Protein is a good thing....but nothing but....I don't know.
I see no complex carbs ( no grain, bread, pasta, rice, legumes, pulses), no vegetables, no dairy and just the occasional apple or banana. Also, are three bottles of non-alcoholic beer really just 156 calories total ?.
My advise would be to figure out a varied and somewhat healthier menu to eat during the week and measure and weigh everything. Otherwise you will have no idea what you are doing and tweaking becomes impossible, because you have no personal date base. On the weekend I would not go all-out-crazy, because it is very easy with just a couple of high calorie meals, plus that bottle of wine you mention and maybe even a few other alcoholic drinks to destroy all the gains you have made during the week.
Good Luck !
PS: Why is it that so many people say they eat certain things, but their log shows something completely different ? I personally don't care all that much. But not taking responsibility for what we eat and not mentioning the daily candy and beer ( for example ) often keeps us from actually losing weight, because weight is lost in the real world where everything we eat counts, not just the things we think we ate, but really didn't.0 -
Definitely log what you eat and drink on the weekend. You can still go a little lower on the weekday, so you have more room for weekend indulgences, if that is your preference. I don't use it, but I understand the app has a weekly total you can use instead of daily total. However, if you don't measure/log your weekend calories you have no way of knowing when you overindulge. Take the guesswork out of it!0
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Would you be comfortable opening your diary for us to help?
The first thing I would look at are your cheat days. It's really easy to wipe out a week's worth of calorie deficit with two cheat days if you aren't careful. You might try either logging them or cutting down to one or two a month.
Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing your portion sizes? Most people can be off in their estimates by a whole lot when they eyeball portions. Measuring cups are better, but a food scale is always going to be the most accurate.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale
And make sure that you've calculated your calorie goals appropriately. Remember that these are just estimates. You may need to play around a little to find what works best for you.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
If you're exercising and eating back your earned exercise calories, be sure that you're using accurate estimates of your burn. MFP and gym machines have a tendency to overestimate certain activities, which can cause you to eat back more calories than you need to. Even a heart rate monitor isn't 100% accurate. If you're eating those extra earned calories it might be a good idea to eat only 50-75% of those.
This. This and more this.
and just for good measure...
It's about moderation not deprivation. There are no good/bad foods, only bad eating habits. Do or do not, there is no try. You have to want it, you have to work for it, you have to realize that only you can do it.
Read these:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13
TL:DR the link right above this one then ->http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet
Excuses??? http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/06/02/the-no-excuses-play-like-a-champion-challenge/
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal
Want to lift heavy things?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/
Stronglifts Summary
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary
Stronglifts Womens Group
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women0 -
Ok so all the comments here are along the same lines so hopefully you'll be able to work it out from here. You can't "plateau" before you start, what you're doing is just not losing. If you're not losing, you're probably doing something wrong somewhere.You need to start at the basics before you even start looking at macros or methods or plateaus.
BASICS:
1. Measure everything you eat - even if it feels like you're overdoing it, you'd be surprised to find out how much you'll learn by doing this.
2. Double check calorie content of everything. No guesswork and no taking MFP calculations at face value. Find out the full truth.
3. Make sure you eat 1200 minimum daily. If you exercise, then it has to 1200 PLUS whatever you burned off. I think this one might be a huge problem for you at the moment, you're not eating enough on weekdays, and then overdoing it on weekends.
4. Stop having weekend blowouts. Unfortunately losing weight doesn't work like that, you have to be committed and that does mean making sacrifices. Alcohol will be a big one but if you're determined, just make some rules for yourself and learn how to self control.
4. Log consistently - every day, every meal. Save your favourites and create your recipes. You need to keep doing it to make sure it becomes second nature. Once you do..
5. Plan your meals. Don't just grab what takes your fancy. KNOW that if you work out on Saturday, you have 1900 calories to play with. Work out if you want some of those to go on wine and block those out. Plan your meals so you don't spend all the rest on one meal.
Start with that. Come back in a few weeks and let us know how it went.0 -
Oh and restaurants on weekends - I am a bit of a foodie so like all that stuff - and I don't weigh my food so I try to put sizing in by cups as I can visually see that
With all due respect, but you are not a foodie at all. Foodies are people who like to eat a wide variety of good quality foods and none applies to what I can see in your food log.....sorry.
It is very difficult to give you any advise, because your log is not very ordered and I wonder if that is also the way you eat. It is impossible to figure out if you skip many meals or if you just don't log them. I went back a few weeks and was surprised to find almost no vegetables ( the last significant veggie intake was on June 11th ). You log the same things over and over again and I can't imagine that you eat for example meat ( almost exclusively ) or fish down to the same gram each day. Protein is a good thing....but nothing but....I don't know.
I see no complex carbs ( no grain, bread, pasta, rice, legumes, pulses), no vegetables, no dairy and just the occasional apple or banana. Also, are three bottles of non-alcoholic beer really just 156 calories total ?.
My advise would be to figure out a varied and somewhat healthier menu to eat during the week and measure and weigh everything. Otherwise you will have no idea what you are doing and tweaking becomes impossible, because you have no personal date base. On the weekend I would not go all-out-crazy, because it is very easy with just a couple of high calorie meals, plus that bottle of wine you mention and maybe even a few other alcoholic drinks to destroy all the gains you have made during the week.
Good Luck !
PS: Why is it that so many people say they eat certain things, but their log shows something completely different ? I personally don't care all that much. But not taking responsibility for what we eat and not mentioning the daily candy and beer ( for example ) often keeps us from actually losing weight, because weight is lost in the real world where everything we eat counts, not just the things we think we ate, but really didn't.
Totally Agree!
This diet:
egg and banana - 10.30am
Lunch - 12.30am
banana/apple & egg - 3.30pm (sometimes chocolate)
dinner - 8pm - large bowl of roasted veg
snack in front of tv - nuts
And sometimes I don't log the nuts
On weekends my problem is more booze as I love my white wine and could easily put back a bottle without sharing
Is not in her diary . . . . so somewhere something else is happening.
Also OP - for lunch one day, you had meatballs, chicken and crabsticks all in one meal . . . you need balanced meals. The basics is to eat from each of the four food groups - start there with a emphasis on fruits and veggies, especially veggies.
The fact is, you are not eating the above mentioned diet monday - friday or if you are, you are logging a lot of extras you didn't mention and not logging the things you did mention. This fight, journey, challenge, whatever you want to call it is tough and it's hard to wrap your mind around the things you body actually needs vs. what your mind thinks your body needs. There's this book out call Fat, Sugar, Salt (or a combination of those 3) and it's all about how these 3 ingredients cause us to be addicted to food - your brain wants that rush it gets when you consume fatty, bad foods. It's as much psychological and it is physical - also, approximately 80% or more of your results will come directly from what you put in your mouth, period.0
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