New Member, stuck

khaatrebert

Hello, I a have been using MFP for about 4 weeks now.I am 5'6, when I started I weighed 165. I put my settings on loseing 2lbs a week. The first too weeks I dropped 10 pounds and an inch or two everywhere. For the past 2 weeks I haven't lost an ounce. I have not cheated at all, if in question I put more. I have been under almost everyday and if I'm over it is less than 100 calories. Why am I stuck? Will I ever lose more?

talaluna

Everyone hits a plateau eventually. So your calories are under? Maybe change up your exercise just a little (do one more days of strength training, or focus on a new muscle group). Throwing your body a loop like that will kick start your weight loss.

slybaby

Keep it going...you can do this!
Make sure to eat alot of protein and drink water! It'll come off!

dnnmccloud

Are you drinking water and how's your activity. Is there too much sodium involved. Is there too much sugar involved. You may want to try low carbs for about 2weeks. Also it may help to add more cardio to your workout. Good luck.

spaingirl2011

Often what happens the first week or two is that you lose a lot to begin with--much of that will be water because your body is adjusting to a new calorie level. After the first two weeks, the losses will be slower or might stop for a week and then continue. Don't worry about stalling right now. Keep eating your allotted calories, incorporate exercise and you will start losing again.

Hang in there!

drakeshattuck

Hi, I've been at this game most of my life. I know that when I am working on the goal I watch time very closely and when I'm not paying attention all of a sudden 6 months have passed. It's a long term thing and your body will never respond in a linear fashion. Stay with it and you'll make progress again. You might try staying within your caloric goals and change the kinds of foods you are eating. I know when exercising people plateau all of the time and they have to change their workouts so that their body doesn't adapt to one thing too well. Remember, your body is programed to store fat for survival so it will fight you on this from time to time. Maybe try a new type of exercise over what you are doing now. If you do tread mill, swim for a week or play basketball etc. JUST HANG IN THERE! Maybe this helps, I don't know but good luck! ... Drake

khaatrebert

I'm recoverig from a broken back (which started my weight gain) so my exercise is limited. I walk, ride horses, and bike.

jamk1446

First, congratulations on that first 10 pounds!

Your diary is private so I can't see your food choices but there could be a couple of things going on here. People don't always lose weight evenly. And usually when people lose a lot up front, it is "water weight", a marker of inflammation. Your food choices seem to have reduced some inflammation, which is really good. Also, you don't mention if you have been exercising, sleeping well, are stressed or working odd or long hours. While exercise is very good for you, your muscles will hold onto water in the process of repairing themselves, making it seem like you aren't getting anywhere. Keep doing it, your muscles will adjust. Excessive stress can stall your weight loss efforts. If that could be a possibility, look for ways to reduce your stress- get more sleep, unwind with friends, etc. And use the mirror and tape measure to more reliably track your progress than the scale. It sounds like you are on the right track but it can be easy to doubt yourself when it seems like your progress is stalling.

khaatrebert

I am under a ton of stress and lacking on sleep. I have been walking, swimming, riding (my horse), and biking for exercise. I am constantly on the go and always on my feet. I am recovering from a broken back and have only been walking for a month and a half.

jamk1446

I am under a ton of stress and lacking on sleep.

These are the 2 biggest killers for me. The less sleep I get, the more I drag and I get food cravings. It also makes it hard to recover from work outs & even to be motivated to work out at all. If all those activities are what you do to unwind and you really enjoy them, keep doing them. If you are pushing yourself to do all these activities to lose weight faster, you may want to consider scaling back a bit. Never getting off the couch is obviously not good for you, but a little downtime is still necessary. I have a hard time keeping stress under control too, it's a never ending battle. Try to remember you are worth taking the time to take care of yourself and getting and staying healthy, you're still recovering from a very serious injury. And congratulations for getting back on your feet!

khaatrebert

UPDATE: Thanks everyone, I just droped 4lbs in like two days. So I am no longer stuck, thank you for all the help and encouragement.