Help me save my left foot

terence

I've plateaued! I really need to lose another 3 kg or so but it just won't go.

The objective set by this site is a net 1200 cals a day (BMR approx 1800). I'm regularly 300 - 500 cals below that (in other words, I'm averaging 900 cals a day net). I'm really putting in on aerobic exercise.

But in spite of all this effort, I've just see-sawed across a 2kg range for the past 3 weeks.

What do I need to change?

If I don't get the answer, I'll hack off my left foot to mid-shin level with a McDonalds menu ... unsterilised..

That should do it.

:explode:

Flyntiggr

you aren't eating enough. You're body is starvation mode, causing it to store instead of lose. You NEED to eat more! 1,200 NET is the lowest you should go daily. Below that and you may start doing damage....

Happy0326

I'm not for sure but I think because your not eating all your calories your body is going into starvation mode. Try eating more as crazy as that sounds. Your body needs fuel.

ClareB1974

you aren't eating enough. You're body is starvation mode, causing it to store instead of lose. You NEED to eat more! 1,200 NET is the lowest you should go daily. Below that and you may start doing damage....

^^^^ This describes your problem exactly. Up your calories

starracer23

You need to eat ALL your calories or as close to your target as possible (some days i can't possibly eat anything else).
Are you drinking water until you are floating?
Think about mixing up your exercise routine. Your body gets used to it after a while and it's no long as effective as it once was.

kthom

Eat more, your net shouldn't be below 1200.

vim_n_vigor

If your diary is up to date, you are not getting enough protein, whole grains, veggies or fruits (in fact, almost no veggies or fruits). You need to get the proper nutrients in your body for it to be able to funtion well.

rankailie

I've plateaued! I really need to lose another 3 kg or so but it just won't go.

The objective set by this site is only a net 1200 cals a day (BMR approx 1800). I'm regularly 300 - 500 cals below that (in other words an average of 900 cals a day net) as I'm really putting in on aerobic exercise.

But in spite of all this effort, I've just see-sawed across a 2kg range for the past 3 weeks.

What do I need to change?

If I don't get the answer, I'll hack off my left foot to mid-shin level with an laminated McDonalds menu ... unsterilised..

That should do it.

:explode:

You're eating too little.

Your BMR is what you would burn by staying in bed all day. So in actuality you burn way over that based on your activity level. By eating under what MFP suggests you're going into starvation mode.

If your BMR is 1800 use the following to calculate your daily caloric need based on activity level: (this is the harris benedict equation)
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

So lets say you are sedentary at a desk job, you would calculate 1800x1.2 = 2160 calories.

So you would need to eat 1200 calories or more a day to not go into starvation. Thats why its important to meet the MFP calorie goal it sets for you AND to eat back your exercise calories.

Kagard11

EAT MORE!!

JustMichelleB

Sounds like you aren't eating enough. Aim for net of 1200cal/day. Do more strength training in addition to cardio.

ashlinmarie

I've heard from many people close to reaching their goal weight that they usually have to up their calories further than the 1200 minimum set. Try setting your goal to a 1/2 pound (or whatever the equivalent is to a kg) per week loss instead and eat those calories. It may take a week or two for your body to adjust, but you should start seeing results.

Stephaniebingletastic

boost your metabolism, your body is retreating to storing any fat you consume as you are below a natural intake with your net cals. Increase so you balance out your cardio work more with more protein which kicks the metabolisms butt, keep sugars low, drink a huge amount of water.
Change your meal plan if you are stuck in a rut, try out new recipies.
Try a protein shake which will replenish your body with nutrients lost in exercise plus protein and carbs to balance you out.
ForGoodnessShakes are ace.
I sincerely hope the foot survives!

terence

you aren't eating enough. You're body is starvation mode, causing it to store instead of lose. You NEED to eat more! 1,200 NET is the lowest you should go daily. Below that and you may start doing damage....

But should I be eating at least 1200 cals or 1200 cals net of exercise? I'm eating at least 1200 cals a day. Exercise is expending approx 300 cals.

I neever go hungry. If I can manage to stuff myself with another meal a day, will that cause me to lose weight? Really??

terence

Sounds like you aren't eating enough. Aim for net of 1200cal/day. Do more strength training in addition to cardio.

Oooooh!! My skinny little biceps just squealed.

mowu

What the others said....

Also remember that when you are within your goal range, you really can't expect to lose 1kg/week anymore.

I'd suggest you raise your net caloric intake to somewhere just above your BMR - perhaps do it incrementally with 250 cal/day added each week until you are about 1900 cal/day.

Also when you are close to the goal many have experienced great results with switching up the exercise a bit. Perhaps do some strength training and drop some of the cardio.

rankailie

you aren't eating enough. You're body is starvation mode, causing it to store instead of lose. You NEED to eat more! 1,200 NET is the lowest you should go daily. Below that and you may start doing damage....

But should I be eating at least 1200 cals or 1200 cals net of exercise? I'm eating at least 1200 cals a day. Exercise is expending approx 300 cals.

I neever go hungry. If I can manage to stuff myself with another meal a day, will that cause me to lose weight? Really??

Yes, it will.

If you burn 2160 on average + 300 calories or exercise you should be eating a minimum of 1460 calories a day. And its helpful to let that number change periodically. Some days eat even more then that just to keep your body from hitting a plateau.

terence

^^^^ This describes your problem exactly. Up your calories

Up your calories too, Claire!

Oh ... sorry ... now I know what you meant. :laugh:

terence

Your BMR is what you would burn by staying in bed all day. So in actuality you burn way over that based on your activity level. By eating under what MFP suggests you're going into starvation mode.

If your BMR is 1800 use the following to calculate your daily caloric need based on activity level: (this is the harris benedict equation)
If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9

So you would need to eat 1200 calories or more a day to not go into starvation. Thats why its important to meet the MFP calorie goal it sets for you AND to eat back your exercise calories.

1800 cals seems like a lot of food. If I ate 1800 cals (even with exercise) I have no doubt that my weight would take off. I've always found it difficult to accept the BMR they've calculated for me ... experience tells me that it's closer to 1200 (maybe lower). I just can't make sense of it.

yanicka

BMR is you being in a coma all day. As soon as you get up, you spend more calories . So imagine eating even less then your BMR and then exercising.... You are trying to kill yourself and your body won't let you (surprisingly!!!)

I am 123 pounds, 4'11'' and I eat 1400 calories then eat my exercice calories. I lose weight fine

terence

Ok. I'll give it a go. I'll be my own guinea pig (or maybe just a pig).

For the next two weeks, I'll eat a net of 1200 cals but maintain my exercise program. That means approx 1500 cals a day. I'll also increase fruit and veg considerably.

Two weeks ... if it doesn't work, you'll see 3 left work shoes going cheap on eBay.

I'll post my progress.

Flyntiggr

you aren't eating enough. You're body is starvation mode, causing it to store instead of lose. You NEED to eat more! 1,200 NET is the lowest you should go daily. Below that and you may start doing damage....

But should I be eating at least 1200 cals or 1200 cals net of exercise? I'm eating at least 1200 cals a day. Exercise is expending approx 300 cals.

I neever go hungry. If I can manage to stuff myself with another meal a day, will that cause me to lose weight? Really??

YES, your NET should equal 1,200. So you start with 1,200, burn say 300 for example, eat 1,500 to NET back to 1,200. As I've gotten closer to my goal, but also increased my activity level (significantly), I've upped my calories quite a bit to keep losing. You need fuel. If you don't feed yourself, you have no fuel. No fuel - engine stops cranking. period!

Ladytulip

This has been a hugh insight for me, I have learnt alot.

pa_jorg

Remember that it takes calories to burn calories! Definitely try to eat more.

terence

Ok. I'll give it a go. I'll be my own guinea pig (or maybe just a pig).

For the next two weeks, I'll eat a net of 1200 cals but maintain my exercise program. That means approx 1500 cals a day. I'll also increase fruit and veg considerably.

Two weeks ... if it doesn't work, you'll see 3 left work shoes going cheap on eBay.

I'll post my progress.

Ok, Day 1 was easy.

Day 2, I burned lots of calories walking, so I needed to eat up big. I feel disgusting. Wind! WIND!!!

I even had a few squares of Dove dark chocolate to get me over the 1200 net. Funny thing is, that was even a chore. I've lost the lust.

See how I feel after a good night's sleep. I won't weigh in for a few days.

Maggie_Pie1

Try adding some weight training to your routine, or change your aerobic activity. I've found that changing up my activity helps.

yanicka

Ok. I'll give it a go. I'll be my own guinea pig (or maybe just a pig).

For the next two weeks, I'll eat a net of 1200 cals but maintain my exercise program. That means approx 1500 cals a day. I'll also increase fruit and veg considerably.

Two weeks ... if it doesn't work, you'll see 3 left work shoes going cheap on eBay.

I'll post my progress.

Ok, Day 1 was easy.

Day 2, I burned lots of calories walking, so I needed to eat up big. I feel disgusting. Wind! WIND!!!

I even had a few squares of Dove dark chocolate to get me over the 1200 net. Funny thing is, that was even a chore. I've lost the lust.

See how I feel after a good night's sleep. I won't weigh in for a few days.

try adding calorie dense food (olive oil, avocado, nuts) it's alot better than to stuff yourself

terence

Ok. I'll give it a go. I'll be my own guinea pig (or maybe just a pig).

For the next two weeks, I'll eat a net of 1200 cals but maintain my exercise program. That means approx 1500 cals a day. I'll also increase fruit and veg considerably.

Two weeks ... if it doesn't work, you'll see 3 left work shoes going cheap on eBay.

I'll post my progress.

It's now Day 4 and I couldn't avoid the scales any longer. I've felt fatter every day since I began, but it could be psychological. Unfortunately, it's real. I've put on 1kg. I'm fast losing faith in the group consensus. I'll persist for a couple more days but if my weight continues to go up, I'll abandon ship.

fudgebudget

It's now Day 4 and I couldn't avoid the scales any longer. I've felt fatter every day since I began, but it could be psychological. Unfortunately, it's real. I've put on 1kg. I'm fast losing faith in the group consensus. I'll persist for a couple more days but if my weight continues to go up, I'll abandon ship.

Maybe it's easier for a man to panic about small scale changes since as a woman I can watch the scale fluctuate 5+ pounds in a week depending on how much water I'm retaining, and I'm not alone in that by any means.

If your calories had been too low, then your body would have been in storage/starvation mode - 4 days isn't a whole lot of time to convince your body that you're not going to starve it. What's the worst case scenario for you here? You're not going to let yourself get all the way back to square one again - you've obviously got too much commitment to being a lighter healthier person for that to happen.

If you go more than a few weeks without losing while keeping your net calories above 1200 then seek help for the plateau from either a physician or nutritionist (in person or online, whatever works for you). The fact that you're posting here about it proves that you know you don't have to do this all yourself. Give yourself some breathing room and focus on the good things - have you taken your measurements? Maybe those are changing while the weight stays stagnant, depending on what kind of exercise you're doing.

Chin up

Flyntiggr

Few insights:

1) there are goodvand bad calories. Eating Dove chocolate just to beat the threshold is useless. Aim for good, and less evil.

2) Rome wasn't built in a ay, and 4 days isn't long enough to pass judgement. I didn't lose anything in the first four days I dropped my calories, so did that mean I should have just bailed?

3) how are you calculating your calories burned? Are you using the MFP estimates, gym machine estimates, or a HRM? That may have an impact as well.....

terence

All good advice. My grandmother would have called me a nervous Nelly (with politically correct apologies to all the Nellies out there). I've put in so hard to get where I am, so I'm guarding it jealously.

I'll soldier on.

Thanks.

chevy88grl

All good advice. My grandmother would have called me a nervous Nelly (with politically correct apologies to all the Nellies out there). I've put in so hard to get where I am, so I'm guarding it jealously.

I'll soldier on.

Thanks.

You have to give your body a chance to adjust. It is normal to see a rise in your weight when you begin eating more because your body is adjusting to getting more food. Give it time (at least the full 2 weeks - possibly even as long as a month) to catch up. Right now, it is going through the "Holy crap! We are getting more food!" adjustment. Patience is key here.

BTW, if it makes you feel any better -- I eat 2200-2500 NET calories a day and I am maintaining 143-145lbs. Gotta eat to lose! Your body can't function and won't be comfortable burning fat and losing weight unless it is receiving proper nutrition.

My BMR is 1330. I work on my feet 4-5 days a week/ 5-9 hours a day. While at work, I am in constant motion. I don't count it towards my exercise for a day - but it doesn't mean I'm not burning calories while I'm doing it. I also go to the gym 2-3 days a week for 60 mins each time. Right now, I do either straight cardio (running), strength training or circuit training.

I burn A LOT of calories and I HAVE to replace the ones I've burned or my body freaks out and starts to gain weight. Like last week, I just wasn't hungry and was way under every day but one. Guess what? I slowly gained weight over the last 10 days. I'm now making a conscious effort to eat my calories every single day - even if I'm not hungry.. because I know I NEED to eat.