dont know what i am doing wrong.

Rilke

I disagree about dropping fiber. It's so important. Unless you're taking in a lot of sweets and refined stuff, I would stop tracking sugar instead.

chevy88grl

I'm going to plagiarize myself. I just wrote this on another thread about a similar situation...

Plateaus are just evil. I was on one for 6 weeks. I've only lost 2 lbs in the last 2 months. It's incredibly frustrating and hard to stay motivated and not just throw in the towel. I just kept researching and finding ways to tweak my diet. Then I'd try them out for a week or two and monitor my results. I don't want to jinx it by saying I've broken through it, but I'm currently trying something else that I hope will work. At least I was down to a new number this morning after a few days of it.

You just have to keep researching, learning about your own body, and figuring out what works for you. Problem is, what works for one person may not work for another.

My opinion is, if you're stalling, whatever you're doing is no longer working. Your body has adapted. Your body is getting along just fine thankyouverymuch with what you're doing. You have to change it up. But figuring out how to change it is not always easy.

This is spot on.

I personally don't think you are eating enough. There were days when you had 800-900 calories leftover for the day and a very small net (around 1000). Every single time I've raised my calories - I have lost weight. I know it sounds silly, ridiculous and goes completely against what we know as the way to lose weight - but you HAVE to eat in order to lose weight. Having a small calorie deficit is one thing - but when we raise that deficit too far our bodies freak out, think they are starving and get very stubborn about losing weight. In order to lose weight, we HAVE to make them comfortable. We have to eat enough that they know they aren't starving to death.

Try upping your calories FIRST but do so in a healthy way. Do not eat those calories in junk - eat fruits, veggies, protein - stuff that is good for you. Nuts are a good way to boost your calories AND get some of the good fats that we need.

Keep working. Figure out what YOUR body wants. If what you're doing isn't working - don't be afraid to switch things up. I've said it a thousand times and will say it again - weight loss is NOT a one size fits all journey. Our bodies are ALL different. They want and need different things. The key to success is figuring it out. Is it easy? Absolutely NOT.

Also, I should tell you that I've learned if I go under 2200-2500 NET calories a day - my body will gain weight. Is it a quick overnight gain? No. It is a slow, but steady gain. As soon as I up my calories back to the 2200-2500 range any weight drops off within a week or so. I've been asked over and over and over "How can you GAIN weight when you eat less?" my answer is "I do not know. But, I know that in the last 18 months of struggling to lose weight - I have learned that this is how my body works". I do not have a carb sensitivity - I could eat carbs all day and be fine. I don't have an issue with sugar - I can eat sugar every single day and be fine. For ME, it is ALL about the calories in/calories out.

teamnevergoingback

I went back on your diary to April and there are WAY too many days where you just do not eat enough calories, but the little calories you do eat are from sauces, dressings, and bacon and sausage! Just because your calories for the day are low does not mean you had a good eating day. Also I noticed there is hardly any fruit at all (which is also my problem). Do you have a food scale and actually measure out your portions? Because you could be totally off and consuming a lot more calories than you think a serving size really is. Drop the buffalo wings, cheese cake and sausages and add more sandwiches and salads with fruit.

psuLemon

I keep quoting myself, but the simple fact is, with insanity, you will burn 600-1000 calories. You need to fuel the fire and if you are only eating 1200 calories, you are netting very low numbers which is slowing you metabolism. Part of that program (along with all beachbody programs) is to eat like crazy. Below is the method I have used with great success (lost 33% of my body fat so far) and you should try the same. I bet you should be eating 2000+ calories a day. Check out both links, they should help you out.


http://www.scientificpsychic.com/fitness/diet.html

Here is my perception on the matter. I actually use this site just to track my calories. I use a different method to determine how many calories I should be eating and suggest it to many. According to this website, if you use their calculations, if you workout and burn 300 calories, than you should eat an extra 300 calories that day because the site has already built in a deficit for you. The more you have to lose the bigger an acceptable deficit is but the closer your goal is, the smaller your deficit should be. This is because the more muscle you have, the lower the body fat, the more fuel you body needs to sustains it's functions. Also, a deficit is should never been more than 1000 calories a day (which would allow for 2 lbs per week loss) but it more acceptable to do 1 lb a week or 500 calorie deficit. Additionally, a woman should eat not less than 1200 net calories. This is the amount of calories after you workout. So if you burn 500 calories, you need at least 1700 calories; men should be no less than 1500-1700 after workout calories from my research. Also, a large part of these calories should be driven by protein based sources. The ammino acids in the protein is what stimulates muscle growth. The more muscle your body has, the more calories you burn at rest.

My approach looks at Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR); BMR is the amount of calories you would burn if you slept 24 hours, for me, my BMR is 2000 calories. I then mutliply it by my Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE); how many calories I should eat to make up for daily activities (walking, working out, etc) to get a total number of calories. Because I do a program like p90x, I multiply my 2000 calories by 1.725 which equals 3400 calories. This amount of calories is the amount I need to eat to maintain weight. I back off 500 caloires as my deficit and eat 3000 calories in a day. This is the website I use.


http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

I then go into a custom setup under my goals and set my daily intake for 3000 calories (well I will starting sunday, right now it's 2800 because I haven't officially started p90x until sunday). Additionally, to follow the p90x food guide, I set up custom ratio's. I do 45% of carbs, 35% of protein and 20% for fats. As I progress, I will lower protein and increase carbs. This method has worked for me and others I have worked with on the site. MFP just makes it simple for anyone to come on and lose weight. I take more of a scientific approach to weight loss. When I started I was 210 & 18% body fat. Now I am 189 and 12% body fat and hoping to break single digits within 3 months.

Cliff notes: if you go by the sites calculations, you absolutely should eat back your workout calories as they preload the deficit. If you go by the more scientific method, you don't have to worry about it, it's already figured in your number.

Good luck everyone.

kutterba

OK, after reading what the others have said I agree #1 you're not eating enough. #2 You could be gaining muscle which weighs more than fat and is slimmer than fat. Eat all your calories. If you eat all your calroies and do not exercise you should still see a tiny loss. Women have a mechanism built in that STOPS losing weight if you don't eat enough. Choose a balanced snack that brings up your calories but is low in sugar. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

tetra85

Hi.

I've just used mfp for one month.... so I havent hit an plateau yet

But I do belive eating moore is the right way to go. Try it for a couple weeks. Don't give up.... you have done a fantastic job so far!!!

One thing that nobody has mentions in this tread is "zigzagging"
I havent tried this myself, but try searching the forum. Ive read many use this when they hit an plateau.


Good luck to you, and hang in there!

boomboom011

bump

FairyMiss

i have upped my calories, to 1490. that is was mfp gave me when i changed my goal from 2pounds a week(which wasnt happpning anyway) to 1 pound, and my activity from sedentary to to lightly active which is more acurate with my job.

I am still a little doubtful as i lost the first 50 eating much less, but, even though my work hasnt changed i went from a 1 hour belly dance class , to joining a gym the begining of year, and going several days a week, now doing classes (spinning,zumba) and this past month Insanity daily, and still doing gym stuff several days on top of that, or running.

so maybe i do need to increase to match activity? its still very nerous.

as far as some of the foods, well i don t do the cooking or the main shopping, i will often go buy things I want and make them but have been a little short the extra funds, would love to be able to add more veggies, fruits well afraid to eat to many fruits, though been eating a few more. and I used to love fruits.

and on the insanity i only tend to burn about 300 cals, hoping for a bigger burn in month two

wildkiger

bump--Thanks for the article, Banks

psuLemon

i have upped my calories, to 1490. that is was mfp gave me when i changed my goal from 2pounds a week(which wasnt happpning anyway) to 1 pound, and my activity from sedentary to to lightly active which is more acurate with my job.

I am still a little doubtful as i lost the first 50 eating much less, but, even though my work hasnt changed i went from a 1 hour belly dance class , to joining a gym the begining of year, and going several days a week, now doing classes (spinning,zumba) and this past month Insanity daily, and still doing gym stuff several days on top of that, or running.

so maybe i do need to increase to match activity? its still very nerous.

as far as some of the foods, well i don t do the cooking or the main shopping, i will often go buy things I want and make them but have been a little short the extra funds, would love to be able to add more veggies, fruits well afraid to eat to many fruits, though been eating a few more. and I used to love fruits.

and on the insanity i only tend to burn about 300 cals, hoping for a bigger burn in month two

Trust me, the last 20 lbs are NOTHING like all the rest of the weight. The last 20 will be harder and probably take longer to lose than the first 54 lbs. But don't stress about that. I can tell you, that if you are going to the gym/doing insanity 5 days a week, you are under estimating your activity. You should be no less than moderate. I would seriously check out the link below and see where it puts you in terms of moderate exercise. Also, keep in mind, at this point, you should be aiming to turn fat into muscle. You want to do this because muscle burns fat. And the more muscle you have, the more food you can eat; the better your body is able to control weight, insulin... increase your immune system and so forth. Under eating will only harm your metabolism and harm your Basal Metobolic Rate (BMR). I can tell you from pesonal experience and working with others, that increasing your calories is the right thing to do but do a search of threads on here and they all point to severely undereating. Good luck, if you have other questions or need more information please let me know but please look at the link below.


http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

FairyMiss

i have upped my calories, to 1490. that is was mfp gave me when i changed my goal from 2pounds a week(which wasnt happpning anyway) to 1 pound, and my activity from sedentary to to lightly active which is more acurate with my job.

I am still a little doubtful as i lost the first 50 eating much less, but, even though my work hasnt changed i went from a 1 hour belly dance class , to joining a gym the begining of year, and going several days a week, now doing classes (spinning,zumba) and this past month Insanity daily, and still doing gym stuff several days on top of that, or running.

so maybe i do need to increase to match activity? its still very nerous.

as far as some of the foods, well i don t do the cooking or the main shopping, i will often go buy things I want and make them but have been a little short the extra funds, would love to be able to add more veggies, fruits well afraid to eat to many fruits, though been eating a few more. and I used to love fruits.

and on the insanity i only tend to burn about 300 cals, hoping for a bigger burn in month two

Trust me, the last 20 lbs are NOTHING like all the rest of the weight. The last 20 will be harder and probably take longer to lose than the first 54 lbs. But don't stress about that. I can tell you, that if you are going to the gym/doing insanity 5 days a week, you are under estimating your activity. You should be no less than moderate. I would seriously check out the link below and see where it puts you in terms of moderate exercise. Also, keep in mind, at this point, you should be aiming to turn fat into muscle. You want to do this because muscle burns fat. And the more muscle you have, the more food you can eat; the better your body is able to control weight, insulin... increase your immune system and so forth. Under eating will only harm your metabolism and harm your Basal Metobolic Rate (BMR). I can tell you from pesonal experience and working with others, that increasing your calories is the right thing to do but do a search of threads on here and they all point to severely undereating. Good luck, if you have other questions or need more information please let me know but please look at the link below.


http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

heh much more to lose then 20 more like 80 more

tetra85

and on the insanity i only tend to burn about 300 cals, hoping for a bigger burn in month two
[/quote]


Are u sure you only burn 300 cals...? My experience was burning about 600-700 cal from the first workout... Just thinking - if your burning moore.... u should eat even moore exercise calories.

Good luck.

psuLemon

and on the insanity i only tend to burn about 300 cals, hoping for a bigger burn in month two

Are u sure you only burn 300 cals...? My experience was burning about 600-700 cal from the first workout... Just thinking - if your burning moore.... u should eat even moore exercise calories.

Good luck.
[/quote]

That was a surprise to me too. Everyone I know who does insanity burns a ton of calories.

twistedsista0408

I am having the same problem and there are a few things I'm going to try, I'll share with you.

1. First of all, are you getting enough sleep? You need at least 6 - 8 hours per day. This is a problem for me..I never sleep, so I'm trying to get more sleep and hopefully that will help.
2. Secondly, how is your stress? Stress causes you to retain fluid. Relax!
3. Add fiber to your food. I started drinking one glass of metamucil per day. I hate it, but it's true that there could be 5 pounds stuck in your colon!

I hope this helps, I"ll let you know if it helps me...add me to your friends list if you like

FairyMiss

just going by what my heart rate monitor says. and its not like i got at it half assed either, as gross as it sounds i have pushed myself to the point of vomitting (justa little). so you would think more. i don't kmw
but the the hrm is all i have to go by

psuLemon

just going by what my heart rate monitor says. and its not like i got at it half assed either, as gross as it sounds i have pushed myself to the point of vomitting (justa little). so you would think more. i don't kmw
but the the hrm is all i have to go by

i would make sure it's setup properly. If you don't, they can be vastly inaccurate. if you do insanity every day, i generally put people in the very active category, so just keep that in mind. The same goes for a program like p90x.


Just for a reference point, when I do chalean extreme I eat 2600-2800 calories. When I do p90x, I eat 3000-3200 calories.

meowmily

maybe you're already doing this.. but I find I won't lose a single pound if I eat past 8pm, even if I eat really healthy and exercise. I'm trying to quit eating right at 6 or 7 and it has really sped up my weight loss.

KathyEarhart

I commented on this on Monday when it was posted, because I was in the same spot, on a plateau. I had tried getting even stricter with myself and making sure to measure every little piece of food, logging obsessively and etc. On Monday I kept reading over and over people saying eat more on these topics. I upped my calories from 1,200 to 1,580 and have already lost .7 lbs this week (that's with no exercise). I was scared to do it too, thought I would gain; but so glad I tried. It's nice having more leeway and being able to eat more and to be able to lose while doing that is icing on the cake.

psuLemon

I commented on this on Monday when it was posted, because I was in the same spot, on a plateau. I had tried getting even stricter with myself and making sure to measure every little piece of food, logging obsessively and etc. On Monday I kept reading over and over people saying eat more on these topics. I upped my calories from 1,200 to 1,580 and have already lost .7 lbs this week (that's with no exercise). I was scared to do it too, thought I would gain; but so glad I tried. It's nice having more leeway and being able to eat more and to be able to lose while doing that is icing on the cake.

That is awesome news... Keep up the good work. Now just think how much you can eat with exercise. lol

FairyMiss

so far upping my cals i have not lost any, only been what 5 days, but have not gained which ofcourse was my bigger fear.



oh and thanks for all the advice an help

psuLemon

so far upping my cals i have not lost any, only been what 5 days, but have not gained which ofcourse was my bigger fear.



oh and thanks for all the advice an help

It takes time. Keep in mind you will NOT always lose a lb or two one week or another. When I went off my diet for two weeks (well between 4th of july and my bday celebration) I gained 6 lbs. No biggy. So i got back on the horse, started to eat right again and lost 3lbs in a week. Your bodies weight will fluctuate. The biggest thing you want to do is convert fat into muscle so you can burn more calories and eat more food! This way, even when you go off your diet, your body can adjust to the additional calories a lot easier.

Now if you don't lose weight in a few weeks (yes weeks), UP your calories. I highly assume you are burning more calories than you think. Chalean Johnson has a good say "if you want to be an athlete, you have to train and eat like one" And athlete's eat a lot of food. It's generally why they gain weight after they stop playing sports. Below is a quote from sleepy texan which I love. And it sums it all up. It's simple, look at those who are at their goal and see how they eat. I am doing a MFP study on body fat and the amount calories consumed (below link) and from the 33 woman I have collected data from so far, those that are below 20% body fat (considered athletic), the average person eats 1800 calories. it's just a reference point and doesn't necessarily mean all eat that, but something for you to think over.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/282320-caloric-intake-body-fat

SleepyTexan
You may encounter many people who will tell you NOT to eat exercise calories, but when you encounter those people, check to see if those are people who are at goal and have been at goal for an extended period of time. Find out if they are athletes, or if they have been fit throughout their lives. Chances are, the people who will tell you not to eat exercise calories are in fact NOT fit and healthy, and unfortunately, they just don't understand.