Completely stalled out

jvaldo

Hello,
When I set up my Goals, I used the guided method as recommended by MFP:
1,650 calories/ day --> which should result in a loss of 1.0 lbs/ week
My 1st weight goal is to weigh 170lbs, (I'm a 40-year-old male, 5' 9").

I currently weigh 179.4lbs and my body fat amount is 19.1%. These 2 numbers have basically stayed the same for about the last 2 months. I'm pretty frustrated and at a loss as to what I need to do to start making things happen. I'm pretty diligent about filling in my nutrition diary: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/jvaldo and generally remain around the recommended daily caloric intake.

I weight train 3X/week, do yoga 2-3X/week, go to spin class 1-2X/week and sometimes spend 20 mins on the elliptical machine after a weight training workout.

I have no idea as to why it's so difficult for me to make any progress, as it seems like I should be doing all the right things. If anyone has any tips or recommendations that would be greatly appreciated!

--Jesus V.

aclark6818

Are you making sure that you eat at least 1200 net calories each day--to account for all of your exercising? I found that my weight loss stall if I don't eat at least 1200 net calories/day. Keep working on it!!!

RachelJE

Have you done measurements? I'm betting you are building muscle and losing fat. The most important thing is - how do you feel? Are you healthy? If so, burn the scales!! They will only bring you down!

makena78

with all the fitness you've got going you might need to eat some more. I was having trouble at first eating more when my goal was to lose. But, I'm working out a lot and I really need those calories to keep me going and to lose weight. Try slowly adding more to find your right balance. good luck.

Swimgoddess

I've stalled too and chalk it up to MFP overestimating my caloric burn at the gym. That's why I'm investing in a HRM next payday. Don't get me wrong, I TOTALLY support eating all your exercise calories back; but until my HRM shows up, I'm only eating back 50%.

I'm meticulous about recording my intake too, so exercise calories were the most obvious variable.

Mads1997

What is your sodium levels like per day? I notice you aren't tracking it.

infosynth

Looked at your diary for the past week or so. Here's what I see:

1. Too much alcohol. These are like empty calories from regular soda. On 5/28, alcohol was 1/3 of your total calories for the day! Try stopping entirely for a few weeks and see what happens.

2. Too many carbs and not enough protein. The alcohol is contributing to the extra carbs. You need more than 60g protein daily for weight loss, especially as a guy, and especially if you're working out. Aim for 100g per day.

3. Are you logging everything? Some days seem very sparse and others more complete. Might want to display the Sodium and Sugar columns in your diary as well as Carbs, Protein, and Fat. Alcohol also has sugar.

4. Try logging your exercise. If you're not keeping track and eating at least some of those calories, you might not be eating enough.

HTH.

taso42_DELETED

Are your pants fitting better or anything to indicate forward progress? Sometimes people stall out even for a couple months at a time.

One think you might try is bumping up your food intake a little bit, by 200 calories/day or so. At this point your deficit should be around 250 cals/day (not 500 which is the most typical setting).

FWIW, I'm shorter and smaller than you and I was doing 2000 calls/day net to lose weight. So you probably have some leeway to eat a bit more.

bizco

Do you log your exercise in MFP and eat those added calories back? At least half of them? If not, you must. Sounds crazy but you need to eat enough to lose weight. Your body will rebel and hold onto every last bit of fat if it feels undernourished. I broke through a 2-month plateau by upping my calories slowly. Went from 1200 net calories (the bare minimum for women), to 1300 for 2 weeks and then to 1350 which is what MFP recommended for me to lose 0.5lb per week. (I'm within 5lbs. of reaching my goal).

Also, if you've lost 10lbs. or more since you started, you need to reset your goals. Your daily allowed calories will be lower the less you weigh.

Are you drinking 8-15 cups of water per day? Are you getting 7-8 hours of sleep most nights? Do you use a digital food scale to accurately measure and log everything you eat? Most people drastically underestimate food portions/servings plus nutrition panels are usually way off when measurements are given by volume (cup) compared to weight (grams). This can easily add 100-300 extra calories per day. Are you logging everything you drink and use to cook with (butter, oil, etc.)?

You could try customizing your goals and eating fewer carbs and more protein. You need more protein than MFP's default (15% of total calories), especially since you exercise regularly. To change them go to My Home>>Goals>>Change Goals>>Custom. I would aim for 30% protein since you're lifting 3x per week. Save your changes. I lift 3x per week and have my macros set to 45/30/25% (carbs, protein, fat). I know many other successful MFPers have their goals set to 40/30/30. But definitely eat more protein than MFP's default.

Good luck!

jvaldo

Have you done measurements? I'm betting you are building muscle and losing fat. The most important thing is - how do you feel? Are you healthy? If so, burn the scales!! They will only bring you down!

No--I should be measuring my arms, chest, etc.. I've been using an Escali scale that measures body fat and water % along with weight and it looks like my weight and body fat % have remained pretty much constant for about 2 months (179.5lbs w/ 19.1% body fat).

My energy level tends to be on the low side. I'm still trying to figure out if I've put myself into starvation mode, or if my protein/fat/carb ratio isn't as good as it could be.

Thanks again for your feedback!

jvaldo

Looked at your diary for the past week or so. Here's what I see:

1. Too much alcohol. These are like empty calories from regular soda. On 5/28, alcohol was 1/3 of your total calories for the day! Try stopping entirely for a few weeks and see what happens.

2. Too many carbs and not enough protein. The alcohol is contributing to the extra carbs. You need more than 60g protein daily for weight loss, especially as a guy, and especially if you're working out. Aim for 100g per day.

3. Are you logging everything? Some days seem very sparse and others more complete. Might want to display the Sodium and Sugar columns in your diary as well as Carbs, Protein, and Fat. Alcohol also has sugar.

4. Try logging your exercise. If you're not keeping track and eating at least some of those calories, you might not be eating enough.

HTH.

Thanks for your feedback. How do I track for sodium and sugar?

jvaldo

I own 34 waist jeans and they do seem to be looser (even though my Escali scale says there's been no real change in my weight and body fat %). As I'm reading everybody's feedback, it's becoming clear to me that I may not be eating enough and my food ratios may not be ideal to my goals and activity level. I've changed my ratio to 45/30/25 and I'll try that for a couple of weeks to see if that makes a difference. I'll also try eating more often during the day in an attempt to kickstart my metabolism.

Thanks for the feedback!

jvaldo

Do you log your exercise in MFP and eat those added calories back? At least half of them? If not, you must. Sounds crazy but you need to eat enough to lose weight. Your body will rebel and hold onto every last bit of fat if it feels undernourished. I broke through a 2-month plateau by upping my calories slowly. Went from 1200 net calories (the bare minimum for women), to 1300 for 2 weeks and then to 1350 which is what MFP recommended for me to lose 0.5lb per week. (I'm within 5lbs. of reaching my goal).

Also, if you've lost 10lbs. or more since you started, you need to reset your goals. Your daily allowed calories will be lower the less you weigh.

Are you drinking 8-15 cups of water per day? Are you getting 7-8 hours of sleep most nights? Do you use a digital food scale to accurately measure and log everything you eat? Most people drastically underestimate food portions/servings plus nutrition panels are usually way off when measurements are given by volume (cup) compared to weight (grams). This can easily add 100-300 extra calories per day. Are you logging everything you drink and use to cook with (butter, oil, etc.)?

You could try customizing your goals and eating fewer carbs and more protein. You need more protein than MFP's default (15% of total calories), especially since you exercise regularly. To change them go to My Home>>Goals>>Change Goals>>Custom. I would aim for 30% protein since you're lifting 3x per week. Save your changes. I lift 3x per week and have my macros set to 45/30/25% (carbs, protein, fat). I know many other successful MFPers have their goals set to 40/30/30. But definitely eat more protein than MFP's default.

Good luck!

Thank you very much for your in-depth recommendations. I've updated my ratios as you recommended. I'll try that for a couple of weeks to see if that has any effect, as well as eating more meals during the day to up my metabolism.

bizco

Thanks for your feedback. How do I track for sodium and sugar?

Go to "Settings" at the very top of page. Click Diary Settings. It's important to track sodium but it's up to you whether to track sugar or fiber. MFP's fiber setting is dreadfully low, I aim for 25-30g per day and customized my goal to reflect that. When it comes to sugar, there a big difference between natural sugars found in whole, raw foods (fruit, milk) and refined sugars found in everything else. Don't worry too much about natural sugars.