Opening up a can of worms!

MadeToCraveHIM

I've been using MFP since Jan 2011 and have lost 15 pounds so far. However, I haven't seen the scale move much in the past couple of weeks. I'm trying not to get frustrated at this point and drink lots of water, continue to exercise (probably could be more consistant), but I feel like I should be losing more. I do realize my sodium is out of control some days, so thankfully I do realize it's an area that needs to be worked on.

The subject line says that I'm "opening up a can of worms" because I need some good, healthy advice on how to get me out of this rut. I want to be productive in my weightloss journey and not get frustrated and begin to doubt my success so far. I've opened my diary to the public (which was tough for me as I'm a pretty private person) and hope that I can gain friends and help during this stage of my journey.

Natnat7788

Hey there! Are you switching up your exercise routine? The body gets used to doing the same thing over and over and certain exercises will become less effective. It's best to do something different every day. Maybe alternate weights/cardio one day and yoga/pilates another. I've also found that if you eat the same things all the time you won't lose much. Having one "bad" day helps me. I pick a day and eat what I want. Not in excess, but enough to get rid of any crazy cravings I've had that week. Gives you something to look forward to.

yanicka

Do you know what make me start losing weight when I hit a plateau......eating!!!! For 3 days straight, I eat 2000 calories a day. At first, I see a small gain but at the end of the week, I will see a huge lost. Don't quit. This is a journey, not a race.

meggonkgonk

I'll get the can opener!

So looking at your diary, the thing that occurs to me is that you eat to mostly the "grains" side of the food pyramid- not a lot of fruits or veggies.

I find that as much as the calories in calories out equation works, it works much more consistently if I eat more balanced foods. And sometimes going a bit over your calories can be a good thing - especially if you can do it healthily. I pick 1-2 days a week and give myself an extra 100-200 cals.

Hope this helps!

FoodCop

Have to agree with Yanika. I hit a plateau and could not figure out how to go lower, I ate a few more calories and shot down in a few days. I have hit that plateau again and will do the same thing.

JulieBoBoo

My suggestions (and keep in mind I am not a nutritionist or trained professional in any way)

-cut down the processed foods.
-increase your veggie consumption (it's quite low imo)
-eat 6 times a day (breakfast, am snack, lunch, pm. snack, supper and evening snack).. you can even throw in a second afternoon snack in there if you need it.
-decrease your sodium (if you really can't try getting extra water and some potassium in every day)

Good luck!

nehushtan

I've been using MFP since Jan 2011 and have lost 15 pounds so far. However, I haven't seen the scale move much in the past couple of weeks.

You say the scale hasn't moved much lately which makes me think you mean it HAS moved but not as much as it did at the beginning. Don't fret! There are going to be slow weeks and months. It's not surprising to lose a lot at the start of your diet and lose slower as your body adjusts.

MadeToCraveHIM

Thank you for all your responses!

I am switching up my exercise routine by using various workout DVD's because unfortunately I'm over 20 miles away from my gym. I'm hoping that my vegetable intake will increase once my garden begins to take-off in the early summer. Until then I think I'll try to add more salads and roasted veggies in my diet.

I'll still be checking this throughout the day, so if anyone else has any ideas feel free to post or shoot me a message.