Frustrated and Stuck - what do I try next?

mamayoga

I've been stuck at 153 lbs for months and months. I'm 5'3" and I would really like to get down to 135 or so.

I'm trying to eat 1200 to 1600 calories depending on if I worked out that day. But I'm kind of used to eating in that range now, it seems normal to me. Perhaps it's not enough.

It seems like I'm used to that amount of calories now and I'm not losing at all.

So maybe I have to do something to trick myself into losing again. Do I eat more? How much more? And for how long?

Or, do I keep calories the same and try some kind of high protein low carb thing? And again, how much for how long?

When the weather gets warm, I plan to increase my exercise by walking outside & things.

Trying to figure out what I should do next.

Argh.

cacrat

You could definitely try a high protein/low carb "thing". Or a high carb/low protein "thing". Or a cyclical diet that changes your calorie, or macronutrient, intake daily/weekly. Or try switching up what kind of cardio you're doing. Trying running, spinning, yoga, pilates, weights, P90x, whatever you haven't tried yet.

Atlantique

Have you tried shaking up the exercise routine? Over time, we tend to not realize that any given workout has become 'easier' for our bodies to complete. So I'd suggest either trying a new fitness routine or increasing the intensity of the one you're now using and see if that gets that darned scale moving again.

LeonaB17

I have heard that mixing up your calorie intake can get things going again. It has worked for me in the past. For instance one day eat 1200, the next day 1500 etc. I've heard that if you're consuming the same amount of calories every single day your body gets used to it and won't move on with weight loss. I'm no expert but I've heard of lots of people having success breaking through a plateau this way. Also - do an occasional super challenging exercise. Not every day but two or three days a week to jolt your metabolism and get your muscles burning more calories.

MaryTheIceCube

Hi I've been stuck right around the 162-164lb mark for the past month or so. I'm 5'1" and I'm aiming for around 130. I too have been sticking to around 1200-1600 calories a day, and exercising 6-7 days a week.

I've come up with a few things I'm going to do to tweak my routine enough to (hopefully!) get the weight loss going in the right direction once again. I've been SO hungry throughout the day, so I think I'm going to aim for eating a little more throughout the day and fewer in the evenings, but I plan to keep the calorie intake around the same.

I'm definitely going to be bumping up the cardio, especially when the weather is warmer. I'm planning on restarting Bridge to 10K and formulate some sort of reasonable workout schedule that I can stick to.

Not sure what else to do, either, except keep experimenting along the way, making little adjustments here and there as best I can. Best wishes to you!

BTW, I love your profile photo!

00trayn

I'm with ya on this (it's accidental maintenance, right? hahaha). Personally, I'm doing the higher protein, low carb thing. It's not a crazy ratio, I think I have it at 45/25/30 C/F/P, but it's manageable. And I'm changing up my exercise by adding in running regularly once I get my inhaler. So, I think both have their merits. Your body gets complacent and I'm thinking that kicking it up a notch will move things in the right direction again. Also, be honest with yourself. I've been nibbling on things and not recording what I've really been eating and that adds up too.

vaavamom1

I've been stuck at 153 lbs for months and months. I'm 5'3" and I would really like to get down to 135 or so.

I'm trying to eat 1200 to 1600 calories depending on if I worked out that day. But I'm kind of used to eating in that range now, it seems normal to me. Perhaps it's not enough.

It seems like I'm used to that amount of calories now and I'm not losing at all.

So maybe I have to do something to trick myself into losing again. Do I eat more? How much more? And for how long?

Or, do I keep calories the same and try some kind of high protein low carb thing? And again, how much for how long?

When the weather gets warm, I plan to increase my exercise by walking outside & things.

Trying to figure out what I should do next.

Argh.

I am 5'3" 153 right now would love to be 135lbs... recently i have started doing yoga and have started eating very clean...lets see where this goes. a few yrs back i have lost 50 lbs doing the same.. gonna try my luck again..

MaryTheIceCube

Also, be honest with yourself. I've been nibbling on things and not recording what I've really been eating and that adds up too.

Me too!!! Argh, why do we do that to ourselves? It's not like we're cheating anyone but ourselves! LoL

SiltyPigeon

Every time I hit a plateau I go on a binge for a day. I return to my "normal" calorie range the next day and instantly start losing again. I don't know why, but it works for me EVERY TIME. I don't mean eat 3000 calories or anything, just 500 more calories or so. My "theory" is that it resets my metabolism, but who knows? Could be worth a try!

reecy73

I have been on the Scared Heart Diet and I have lost 21lbs. in 3 months. I also do at least 160 minutes of cardio and strengthing exercises per day. The P90x is great for both.

CrazyC8

1200-1600 calories is a large range. I would try to narrow the range to stay more consistent. If you want to weigh 135, I would think 1300-1400 calories a day should be good. I see a nutritionist and she told me that I don't need to be increasing my calorie intake when I'm working out unless it's for more than an hour...and in that case she reccomended only increasing it by having a snack of 100-150 calories. Also, even if you are counting your calories you need to make sure you are eating healthy things. When I first started counting my calories I wasn't losing any weight (I was eating chik-fil-a for breakfast and eating out at a lot of restaurants). Even though I was under my calorie limit I wasn't putting the best stuff in my body. Once I started eating healthier, that's when I started seeing results.

vaavamom1

1200-1600 calories is a large range. I would try to narrow the range to stay more consistent. If you want to weigh 135, I would think 1300-1400 calories a day should be good. I see a nutritionist and she told me that I don't need to be increasing my calorie intake when I'm working out unless it's for more than an hour...and in that case she reccomended only increasing it by having a snack of 100-150 calories. Also, even if you are counting your calories you need to make sure you are eating healthy things. When I first started counting my calories I wasn't losing any weight (I was eating chik-fil-a for breakfast and eating out at a lot of restaurants). Even though I was under my calorie limit I wasn't putting the best stuff in my body. Once I started eating healthier, that's when I started seeing results.

So true.... when i started out i was doing the same thing,was staying under cals but not eating the healthiest things.i am not for eating all the excercise cals ,maybe some not all....

mamayoga

Eating Healthy is an interesting side-topic. I mean, if you at 1200 calories per day of snickers bars, or, 1200 calories per day of veggies/leanmeat/etc. would your body react differently? It would be interesting to perform this experiment.

Another idea I had is something simple like ELIMINATING SUGAR.

reneehend

Have you tried strength training? Maybe building some muscle will provide an an extra metabolism boost.

cacrat

Yes. Eliminating sugar, or even to a larger extent carbs, will change your diet and the hormones attached.