What am I doing wrong?!?!

AsaThorsWoman

Hey MFP.

I've been stalled out in the 180's since the end of January.

I can't figure out how to get it to budge.

I averaged out my calories per day over the last five weeks, it came to 1,733 on average daily.

I weigh and measure religiously, so without very rare exceptions the entries should be accurate.

I log everything and log daily.

I workout, lifting 3x a week, slow paced cardio 3x a week.

Swimming, walking, elliptical, Parkour, Sword fighting, lifting, something called Centurion Method which is kind of like do-it-yourself Cross-fit, but obviously not as intense, Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred, jump rope... I like variety.

So... At some point I tried low-carbing for almost 6 weeks. That did nothing, no gains, no losses.

Everything has been the 180's!

I know I'm getting body re-comp because I DID go down two sizes (from size 16 getting loose to 12 a bit snug).

I don't mind slow progress when I know I'm shrinking, but this whole "six month plateau" thing is starting to drive me crazy.

I just want to see the scale budge into the 170's!

Any advice?

(PS feel free to pull my full extended report from 1/1/2014-current, it's all there. All the bad habits, all the good habits, all the patterns and notes and accomplishments and failures.)

ETA: I have a hard time believing at 5'7", 183lb, and exercising as much as I do, that my BMR or TDEE is BELOW 1733. The obvious answer is just eat less. But exercising daily and reducing what seems to me to be an already reduced intake seems counter-intuitive. But if that is the simple answer I'd be open too it.

mzco14

Try changing up your meals too. Maybe even protien shakes. Seems like your doing everyting right. Just keep trying... Great job thus far!!

AsaThorsWoman

Thanks MZCO. My heart is there, I'm not going to just give up.

The 65lb already lost has been since June of 2012, so I'm here for the long haul.

But I've never had a six month plateau before.

KerryITD

Going from a 16 to a 12? Wow! My advice is to throw your scale out, keep doing what you're doing, and CELEBRATE.

After all, isn't the whole goal to be smaller and more fit? Who cares about weight when that's obviously happening?

techgal128

I know I'm getting body re-comp because I DID go down two sizes (from size 16 getting loose to 12 a bit snug).

Holy #$%^ woman. This is HUGE! Who cares about the pounds, this is something you should be proud of! I had about a 6 month plateau where I lost 11 inches and didn't lose a pound. I really think you are replacing fat with muscle. I eventually started dropping off weight. I think after you build up enough muscle, you will start losing again. Keep it up! You are doing great.

Edit: I don't know what slow paced cardio is. I would recommend you do some high intensity training since that burns calories nicely.

fivethreeone

"In the 180s" is not necessarily a plateau. You could have gone from 189 in January to 181 in June and that would be significant progress. Can you be more specific?

DYELB

Have you tried paleo?

DavPul

i'm confused. you're weighing and measuring religiously? i thought you weren't counting and were eating paleo or low-carb? am i mixing you up with someone else on the forums?

mayfrayy

this might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWstBwOUOVc

3dogsrunning

You say you weight and measure everything but a lot of entries in your diary are cups and tablespoons. Like your cereal one day. Another entry was a piece of brisket that didn't specify size or weight. You have .06… cup of cheese often. Weigh everything you can.

Are you eating half a banana? Most are closer to 110-120 calories than 70something you have logged.
You have a few generic "homemade" items in your diary as well.

Keep in mind, no matter how diligent you log, it is still all an estimate and numbers can be off. If you are logging everything, and logging accurately, I might try dropping even 100 calories at first and see how that goes.

Cranquistador

Thanks MZCO. My heart is there, I'm not going to just give up.

The 65lb already lost has been since June of 2012, so I'm here for the long haul.

But I've never had a six month plateau before.

losing several sizes is not a plateau. Good job.

Cranquistador

You need to weigh your food on a food scale too.
Bet that would help right there.

3dogsrunning

Going back a little farther, you eat take out a lot. Not that I believe that will hinder your weight loss as long as you stay under you calorie goal, but it makes it far more difficult to get a good estimate on your calories.
Maybe consider cutting down on it for a bit to see if that helps.

ETA -
There are also more than a few days in May alone where you were considerably over in calories.

leggup

Congrats! You have found your maintenance. Drop your calories by 100 cals/day or up your exercise burn by 100 cals/day.

If you think your BMR is higher, then you are either 1. Wrong 2. Your calorie counting is off.

zoeysasha37

Are you eating back exercise calories? if so, how are you estimating those burns? I'm on my cell so it's a pain in the butt to try to view your diary, so that's just a guess. for a long time last year I wasn't losing, and was only eating back a, portion of my earned calories. Well it turned out, I was over estimating big time (and was using my polar too!) So it can happen.
Also, food scale is my best friend. it's very easy to under estimate when using cups or spoons.
Either way, your doing good. Losing sizes is great!! I'd much rather drop sizes then weight anytime. Nobody will ever know your weight by looking at you, so why should it matter so much?
Last week I read a thread that women my height where posting their weights and pants sizes. Most where about 115/125 lbs. I weigh 135 but wear the same exact size that they did, even though I weigh more. I posted that I wear a size 4, weigh 135 and am 5"8. So what that they weigh less.

LiftAllThePizzas

i'm confused. you're weighing and measuring religiously? i thought you weren't counting and were eating paleo or low-carb? am i mixing you up with someone else on the forums?

This.

missomgitsica

Going from a 16 to a 12? Wow! My advice is to throw your scale out, keep doing what you're doing, and CELEBRATE.

After all, isn't the whole goal to be smaller and more fit? Who cares about weight when that's obviously happening?

THIS!!!

AlyssamR6712

maybe try lifting heavier, and doing some HIIT (High intensity Interval Training). You body may be used to what you have been doing for a long time. Time to up your game!

AsaThorsWoman

You say you weight and measure everything but a lot of entries in your diary are cups and tablespoons. Like your cereal one day. Another entry was a piece of brisket that didn't specify size or weight. You have .06… cup of cheese often. Weigh everything you can.

Are you eating half a banana? Most are closer to 110-120 calories than 70something you have logged.
You have a few generic "homemade" items in your diary as well.

Keep in mind, no matter how diligent you log, it is still all an estimate and numbers can be off. If you are logging everything, and logging accurately, I might try dropping even 100 calories at first and see how that goes.

Yes, I weight the bananas by gram, the last several have been 77, 84 etc... Yes, they are small bananas and I tear off the bruised pieces and trash them so the weight is accurate.

The homemade items you're seeing are my recipes (with the exception of June 21st, that was a holiday and I did do my best to guestimate).

I weighed the cereal, on a scale, by grams. The box displays the cup measurement and the grams, I use the scale up to the amount of grams that is a serving size. MFP may not list the grams as a serving size, but if the box does and the entry is correct then the numbers should be correct.

I am really diligent about the weighing, I'm all about numbers and accuracy. I weigh the cheese entries. I pull out 28, 14 or 7 grams of cheese to suit my fancy.

This is why I emphasized at the beginning of post that I believe the logging is very accurate. Of course nothing in %100, there are those days like the holiday 6/21/2014 Mid-Summer. Who the hell knows how much kcal is in a horn of homebrewed mead? Me neither. So I guesstimated 1,000.

But the day-in-day-out stuff is solid.

AsaThorsWoman

i'm confused. you're weighing and measuring religiously? i thought you weren't counting and were eating paleo or low-carb? am i mixing you up with someone else on the forums?

I tried low-carb, it didn't help. I still logged and counted calories.

I try to eat Primal style but I also do calorie counting, and have been for quite sometime now.

I cheat a lot, but I feel like I meet the 80/20 rule, or at least enjoy the theories behind striving to do so. But I'm about to drink a Wild Cherry Diet Pepsi, so whatever on that. LOL's.

I think you may have me confused with someone else. I've been logging all year at the very least. I believe it stretches further back, but I don't know for sure.

AsaThorsWoman

Are you eating back exercise calories? if so, how are you estimating those burns? I'm on my cell so it's a pain in the butt to try to view your diary, so that's just a guess. for a long time last year I wasn't losing, and was only eating back a, portion of my earned calories. Well it turned out, I was over estimating big time (and was using my polar too!) So it can happen.
Also, food scale is my best friend. it's very easy to under estimate when using cups or spoons.
Either way, your doing good. Losing sizes is great!! I'd much rather drop sizes then weight anytime. Nobody will ever know your weight by looking at you, so why should it matter so much?
Last week I read a thread that women my height where posting their weights and pants sizes. Most where about 115/125 lbs. I weigh 135 but wear the same exact size that they did, even though I weigh more. I posted that I wear a size 4, weigh 135 and am 5"8. So what that they weigh less.

I try really hard not to eat them back, but if the workout is hard and I'm feeling the need I will eat back %25-%50 of them.

I don't go off what MFP says for the logging.

They advise way, way, too much for each exercise.

I do 100 kcal per mile.

100 kcal per 20 minutes swimming, sword fighting, lifting, Parkouring... etc... not the 396 calorie burn MFP will try to give me.

But I do use the scale, religiously.

I even carry to my boyfriends house on the weekends, bring it too the table and hide out like a freakin' weirdo waiting to be the only one in the breakroom at work to use it if I need too.

It's actually kind of embarassing.

AsaThorsWoman

I know I'm getting body re-comp because I DID go down two sizes (from size 16 getting loose to 12 a bit snug).

Holy #$%^ woman. This is HUGE! Who cares about the pounds, this is something you should be proud of! I had about a 6 month plateau where I lost 11 inches and didn't lose a pound. I really think you are replacing fat with muscle. I eventually started dropping off weight. I think after you build up enough muscle, you will start losing again. Keep it up! You are doing great.

Edit: I don't know what slow paced cardio is. I would recommend you do some high intensity training since that burns calories nicely.

It's really comforting to know someone else has gone through a six month Plateau. I really was starting to think I was the only one.

I know, I'm usually one who will gladly not worry about the pounds, and after a couple months the scale moves and that's all fine and dandy.

But it's really hard to shake that mindset after six months.

Dear body, please just drop into the 170's, even if it's 179 so the logical part of my brain can rest well at night knowing some progress has been made. I know you're working hard and burning fat and getting us compliments, making us have more energy, run faster, jump higher, swing swords harder, add more weights to the barbell, but somehow I cannot push it through my think skull that progress has been made when the numbers don't reflect that.

Also, I really suck at measuring myself with a tape measure. The tape measure actually says it's went up. I've had multiple people do it with multiple tape measures, and each time the numbers are wildly random. I am curvy, so there is a lot of room for inperpretation on what exactly is a waist line, bust line, thigh area for measurement. That's why I've been focusing on the clothing sizes.

AsaThorsWoman

Thanks for all the advice. Everyone. I'll stay with it.

I need to explore the HIIT thing, possibly sprints.

I can dig what Alyssa says about it being time to up my game.

AlyssamR6712

Good Luck with everything!

sandy_taylor13

Are you eating back exercise calories? if so, how are you estimating those burns? I'm on my cell so it's a pain in the butt to try to view your diary, so that's just a guess. for a long time last year I wasn't losing, and was only eating back a, portion of my earned calories. Well it turned out, I was over estimating big time (and was using my polar too!) So it can happen.
Also, food scale is my best friend. it's very easy to under estimate when using cups or spoons.
Either way, your doing good. Losing sizes is great!! I'd much rather drop sizes then weight anytime. Nobody will ever know your weight by looking at you, so why should it matter so much?
Last week I read a thread that women my height where posting their weights and pants sizes. Most where about 115/125 lbs. I weigh 135 but wear the same exact size that they did, even though I weigh more. I posted that I wear a size 4, weigh 135 and am 5"8. So what that they weigh less.

I agree with this, I'm 5'8" and just at 139/140 and I'm a size 4. I used Medifast to help slim down initially (I was stuck at a plateau too, and this worked for me) and then really hit my Insanity videos and running (3-8 miles 3 x a week) I went from 174 to 138 and I cant imagine being able to get to 115. I think we all have different body types, and that accounts for it too.

zoeysasha37

Are you eating back exercise calories? if so, how are you estimating those burns? I'm on my cell so it's a pain in the butt to try to view your diary, so that's just a guess. for a long time last year I wasn't losing, and was only eating back a, portion of my earned calories. Well it turned out, I was over estimating big time (and was using my polar too!) So it can happen.
Also, food scale is my best friend. it's very easy to under estimate when using cups or spoons.
Either way, your doing good. Losing sizes is great!! I'd much rather drop sizes then weight anytime. Nobody will ever know your weight by looking at you, so why should it matter so much?
Last week I read a thread that women my height where posting their weights and pants sizes. Most where about 115/125 lbs. I weigh 135 but wear the same exact size that they did, even though I weigh more. I posted that I wear a size 4, weigh 135 and am 5"8. So what that they weigh less.

I try really hard not to eat them back, but if the workout is hard and I'm feeling the need I will eat back %25-%50 of them.

I don't go off what MFP says for the logging.

They advise way, way, too much for each exercise.

I do 100 kcal per mile.

100 kcal per 20 minutes swimming, sword fighting, lifting, Parkouring... etc... not the 396 calorie burn MFP will try to give me.

But I do use the scale, religiously.

I even carry to my boyfriends house on the weekends, bring it too the table and hide out like a freakin' weirdo waiting to be the only one in the breakroom at work to use it if I need too.

It's actually kind of embarassing.

Good. Those things are all very important. Your on the right track, since your still losing inches. It will happen for you!!I really do remember how discouraging it was and frustrating. The struggle is real! :-)

AsaThorsWoman

this might help
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWstBwOUOVc

Do you recommend certain macros?

Can you tell me what they are and why you recommend them, and perhaps provide links for further research?

AsaThorsWoman

Are you eating back exercise calories? if so, how are you estimating those burns? I'm on my cell so it's a pain in the butt to try to view your diary, so that's just a guess. for a long time last year I wasn't losing, and was only eating back a, portion of my earned calories. Well it turned out, I was over estimating big time (and was using my polar too!) So it can happen.
Also, food scale is my best friend. it's very easy to under estimate when using cups or spoons.
Either way, your doing good. Losing sizes is great!! I'd much rather drop sizes then weight anytime. Nobody will ever know your weight by looking at you, so why should it matter so much?
Last week I read a thread that women my height where posting their weights and pants sizes. Most where about 115/125 lbs. I weigh 135 but wear the same exact size that they did, even though I weigh more. I posted that I wear a size 4, weigh 135 and am 5"8. So what that they weigh less.

I try really hard not to eat them back, but if the workout is hard and I'm feeling the need I will eat back %25-%50 of them.

I don't go off what MFP says for the logging.

They advise way, way, too much for each exercise.

I do 100 kcal per mile.

100 kcal per 20 minutes swimming, sword fighting, lifting, Parkouring... etc... not the 396 calorie burn MFP will try to give me.

But I do use the scale, religiously.

I even carry to my boyfriends house on the weekends, bring it too the table and hide out like a freakin' weirdo waiting to be the only one in the breakroom at work to use it if I need too.

It's actually kind of embarassing.

Good. Those things are all very important. Your on the right track, since your still losing inches. It will happen for you!!I really do remember how discouraging it was and frustrating. The struggle is real! :-)

I honestly can't wait until Aldi has the food scales again, I'm going to buy three, a spare for home, one to keep at my boyfriend's and one for work.

Toting the scale around is for the birds, but I'll do what I have to do, for now.

They carry them for only $10, but you better buy it when you see it because it will be gone next time you go in.

I've had one from there that's lasted years.

AsaThorsWoman

Bump Bump Bump for info on Macros

Michelle_Padgett13

I knew you were struggling with the scale numbers, but I didn't realize you had dropped so many sizes! That is awesome!

If you know you're in a deficit (no matter what you're eating), and you're getting smaller but stronger, just BREATHE and tell your brain to shut up about the 170s because it will happen.

AsaThorsWoman

Bump, bump, bump to see if I can get any feedback during business hours.