MAD AS HELL

shannieboo

I need help because I dont know what to do. Before I start, yes I know I am still losing inches and I should not pay attention to the scale but I have been on a plateau from hell for 3 months! :sad: I am eating right and stay in my calories for the most part. And now I am gained a total of 5 freakin pounds BUT I have lost another 4 1/2 inches and another pant size. Yes I know that is good and its muscle, but come on 3 months?

What should I do to get off this plateau? :huh:

kristinwalker

Double check your carbs. I just came out of a 3 1/2 month plateau by keeping my carbs between 100-120 a day. I also make sure my sugar and sodium is kept in control (hard for me) and upped my calories by about 200. I ended up losing 4 lbs in 2 days once I made the switch!
Good luck and it will come off quick!

shubra2

Don't give up, and be positive! Our bodies don't like to change, however I would suggest you try a new fitness class..Something completely out of your comfort zone! Boxing, or a new aerobics class. I hope this helps, and good luck! Don't lose faith! You're doing awesomely!

YellowStrawberry

I would be super mad too. I was mad with a 3-4 week stay. I do not have much advise, but just keep up the hard work. No need to just quit now! You can do it!

MinnieInMaine

Are you logging everything? I was just trying to check your food diary to see if I could offer some input and it looks like you're only eating 600-800 calories per day. If that's right, you need to try to eat at least 1200 calories a day to nourish your body or you'll end up losing muscle and slowing your metabolism WAY down.

if you're not logging everything, doing that alone may help you a lot becuase then you'll be able to use that as a great tool to see how you're doing every day and be able to pick out the things that need to change due to high carb/sugar/sodium/whatever you're trying to cut down on.

P.S. Way to go on your weight loss so far!!!! And another idea I thought of is to try switching up your exercise a bit - maybe add some strength training or some workout DVDs...

bjohs

Is your food diary up-to-date and completed for each day? If it is, honey... you need to EAT!!! Lowering your calories to an unhealthy is putting stress on your body and storing every last bit of fat to conserve energy. According to MFP, your daily caloric intake should be 1,500... that is a MINIMUM without exercise. As soon as you start eating and your body realizes it is getting fuel, it will start letting go of the stored fat. Good luck!

freerange

Ok, first you need to start logging your food, EVERYTHING YOU EAT. I looked at your food diary and it looks like you are not logging everything. There is no way to tell if you are staying in your calorie limit if you don’t log it, period. Start there, come back in a couple weeks.

bjohs

I also want to add that weight loss does not happen overnight. I have been working on the same 2 pounds for over 3 months. Is it frustrating? Yes! But don't give up.

countrydarling1

Don't give up, and be positive! Our bodies don't like to change, however I would suggest you try a new fitness class..Something completely out of your comfort zone! Boxing, or a new aerobics class. I hope this helps, and good luck! Don't lose faith! You're doing awesomely!

mrogers52

Have you changed up your exercise? I added Zumba recently and have begun to lose weight again. Just my thoughts!:glasses:

countrydarling1

Is your food diary up-to-date and completed for each day? If it is, honey... you need to EAT!!! Lowering your calories to an unhealthy is putting stress on your body and storing every last bit of fat to conserve energy. According to MFP, your daily caloric intake should be 1,500... that is a MINIMUM without exercise. As soon as you start eating and your body realizes it is getting fuel, it will start letting go of the stored fat. Good luck!

FL_Nettie

Everyone will probably slam me...but....I was getting frustrated so I kind of took a week off. I mean I didn't go and eat cake & ice cream everyday, but I relaxed my standards on what I ate for about 1 week and went up to about 1500 calories a day. I also laid off the exercise except for 2 days that week. I didn't put a lot of weight back on (maybe 2 pounds, I'm waiting a few more days to weigh myself). When I kicked it back into gear it was like jump starting a car! My body responded almost immediately. I have that feeling of renewed energy again and am actually craving healthy food.

It may be something that you want to try for just a few days and see if your body responds.

DeniseGdz

If you figure it out can you let me know? I'm bout to hit month 2 of the same plateu!! :sad:
So I've decided to burn more calories (at least 500 a day) to see if that will trigger it??

Good Luck to ya! :drinker:

gatorgirl7

do you eat the same things a lot? i know i do--i get in a rut b/c i know the calorie count off the top of my head. try switching up your foods. also, do you have a hrm? look into getting one if you don't, so you can see how much your actually burning, instead of an estimate. i just got one, and it's bee eye opening. hope this helps!

AngelsKisses75

I think everyones body works a little differently. You have put a lot of work into this, and you are seeing results. The results you see are not on the scale, but that will come too. Enjoy dropping sizes, and stop being so hard on my friend.

If you want to see change maybe try to twist things up a bit? You do a lot of walking, maybe add some cardio, yoga, or strength training? Twist up your menu, and chart it. If you feel better not letting people see your menu then lock it. It is a tool to help you see what goes in, and how it comes off. That is just a a little idea. Do what works for you sweets!

Did I tell you today how awesome you are?? Cause I think you arr a total rockstar!! :drinker:

stefraab

I went through your diary... for the last week or so your cals are either WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY under, or you didn't log. It's possible if you're eating so little your body could be holding on to what it's got... not sure though

Andee08

Everyone will probably slam me...but....I was getting frustrated so I kind of took a week off. I mean I didn't go and eat cake & ice cream everyday, but I relaxed my standards on what I ate for about 1 week and went up to about 1500 calories a day. I also laid off the exercise except for 2 days that week. I didn't put a lot of weight back on (maybe 2 pounds, I'm waiting a few more days to weigh myself). When I kicked it back into gear it was like jump starting a car! My body responded almost immediately. I have that feeling of renewed energy again and am actually craving healthy food.

It may be something that you want to try for just a few days and see if your body responds.

This for me is also the best way to kick start my body again. I will eat more than normal, watch the scale, and as soon as it goes up 2 pounds for a couple days I will start back into eating lower calories and exercising more. I have read (of course I cant remember where) that this is a good way to get over a plateau. If you dont feel comfortable trying that, then you can always try to zig zag your calories.

donnaeve8

Ditto what everyone else said. You have to eat to lose otherwise no wonder you aren't losing any weight! Your body is hanging onto every ounce of fuel (your stored bodyfat) that it can because it's starving!!! AT LEAST 1200 calories a day, honey! It ain't hard!

Good luck!

~Donna

Hollycat

Just read something by Jon Benson. He recommends focused relaxation...i.e. listening to meditative music or something like that, a couple times a day. STRESS can put and keep you in a plateau...stressing about the plateau can keep you there...

Relax...breathe....take time out for you...unplug the phone, don't answer the door, hide somewhere for 20 minutes where your family can't find you...try the car...parked around the block so they don't look out the window and see you sitting in it with your eyes closed. Sure as shootin'.....they'll be out there "What're you doing?"

I have kids. Can you tell?

Hollycat
:flowerforyou:

shannieboo

Thank you everyone for your comments. I have not been good at logging my calories for dinner. I do great while I am at work but by the time I get home and dealing with homework, dinner, gym, etc I just forget.

I stay between 1200-1500 calories a day. I have read books that said to get off a stall to go off your way of eating for a week to kickstart your body, I am just scared the cravings will come back. I do tend to eat a lot of the same foods and I know I need to change things up. I guess its just easy. You would think I would be tired of them by now

I did kickboxing for a while at the place across from work, they ran a 90 day special but after that they wanted $250 a month!!!! WHEW!

I will keep on keeping on, thank you all for your comments :drinker:

MinnieInMaine

You know, I don't log at home much either, mostly at work. Just make sure you're at least writing down what you have for dinner and you can log it the next morning. I do the same thing on the weekend - might get on here sometime Saturday but Sunday is usually so scattered that I don't log. So I just write it all down and log it on Monday. It's not the best way to keep within your calories but if you're eating the same things, as you say, you should have a general idea of how many calories per serving.

As far as the kickstart goes - I wouldn't try a whole week but maybe a day, or at least a meal (like going out to eat). I tend to go over by at least 500 caloires one day a week (usually on the weekends) and it seems to actually help as long as I get right back on track and stay there the rest of the week.

Good luck!!

imnotyourpal

Everyone will probably slam me...but....I was getting frustrated so I kind of took a week off. I mean I didn't go and eat cake & ice cream everyday, but I relaxed my standards on what I ate for about 1 week and went up to about 1500 calories a day. I also laid off the exercise except for 2 days that week. I didn't put a lot of weight back on (maybe 2 pounds, I'm waiting a few more days to weigh myself). When I kicked it back into gear it was like jump starting a car! My body responded almost immediately. I have that feeling of renewed energy again and am actually craving healthy food.

It may be something that you want to try for just a few days and see if your body responds.

This actually really works. I've done it (for two-3 weeks) and it does. Also, I don't think you will be slammed for saying it because I've heard certified dieticians suggest it several times.

Jaradel

. And now I am gained a total of 5 freakin pounds BUT I have lost another 4 1/2 inches and another pant size. Yes I know that is good and its muscle, but come on 3 months?

Having been in this situation in the past, it is helpful to remember that the changes taking place in your body are more than what the scale shows, as you've pretty much said above. If you're losing a pound of (fluffy, loosely packed) fat, but in exchange you're gaining a pound of (denser, tightly packed) muscle, the scale won't show a difference, but you will see and feel the difference in measurements and the fit of your clothes. The body also needs time to adjust to drastic changes; for me, there have been times that my body stayed at a certain weight for weeks or months during a weight-loss cycle because that was a weight I'd previously been at for a long time in the past. Eventually the body adjusts and realizes it doesn't need the extra fat and lets it go.

As long as you continue with a healthy, modest caloric deficit and exercise, and you are seeing positive changes, it might be good to ignore the scale for a couple of weeks and just focus on measurements. At least half of weight loss is a mental game, and sometimes we need to play mental games with ourselves to stay on track. Congratulations on the inches lost and the lost pant size! That is a fantastic NSV.