2 MONTH PLATEAU HELP!!!

amanda07425

So I have lost ZERO lbs in over 2 months!!! I started MFP in April and from April 12th to July 15th I lost 14 lbs which I was soooo excited about!!! During this time I was doing the 30 day shred and walking. After completed the 30 day shred I was looking into a new exercise to do so I decided on doing the C25K. I figured that a good way to lose weight would be to run.. or so I thought. I am going on week 7 of the program this week and I have lost absolutely NOTHING! I've been eating well except for a few slip ups on the weekends but for the most part I still remain under or near my calorie goal. I used to have my calorie goal at 1200 but I was told I wasn't eating enough for how much I was working out so for awhile I had my calories set at 1350 until recently someone told me to increse my calories to help me get through this plateau. So last Tuesday I increased to 1420 and I still have zero results. I run 3 days a week and on the other days I go on walks because the program says to use those days as "rest" days so I dont want kill myself and not be able to do my runs. I'm just really frustrated and ready to break down and cry because I really want to lose these lbs! I'm 5'7 & 22 years old and i thought it was a lot easier to lose weight while your young. I started at 177 and I'm down to 164 lbs but my goal is 145! So as you can see I still have awhile to go, I know my body isnt done losing weight, so how can I get this weight off!!!!! HELP!!

morganadk2_deleted

I think you may need to eat more -When you exercise this puts you at a deficit. It seems like a lot of people do better when they eat their recommended allowance PLUS their exercise calories.

So now we can figure out where your goal should be.
Go to the tools section and figure out your BMI:

Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle building, and reducing fat. This means it is EXTRA important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode).


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

nananie2

I soooooooooo wanna see the answers for that one! I'm the exact same boat! Halfway in week 6 of C25K, and lost NOTHING since July.... boohoo...

jellybaby84

Why are you INCREASING your calories in response to not losing weight??

You were eating healthily to start with.

I would eat less not more.

moylie

Ah, the dreaded plateau.... I've been there MANY times. I found zig-zagging to really help. You can get a profile at freedieting.com. You have some really high caloric days, along w/ some low and medium ones. You most likely are netting enough. And, as you get closer to goal it gets harder. My base is 1500, and I always have at least one day of the weekend I go quite a bit over. If you are really active, you really need more calories. Sometimes the increase or zig-zag might take a couple weeks to register, but you WILL lose doing that.... it shakes up the metabolism really well! GOOD LUCK!!!!

russelljclarke

This happened to me too. Just for a few weeks though as as soon as I found out why, I was able to get back to my losing ways. Please see my blog (link below) to demystify. Available should you have any other questions)

naomirog

Remember that if you are exercising you have to take in to consideration increase of muscle mass? Weighing is not always best because you might be losing inches?..Just a thought! Good Luck

moylie

And I meant to say you're likely NOT netting enough. Seriously, if you eat more, you will lose!!! Check out forums on the subject here.

Hirundo

did you mesure yourself ? waist, hips, thighs, arms ???
If you are doing everything you say you do you might have lost fat and gain muscles...

Are you drinking enough ?

Could try to change the % of the nutrient you're getting your calories from, like increses the amount of proteins...

Try something new like Zumba, weight lifting or something like Kayaking .. anything would do...

those are suggestion ...
Don't give up, you,ll find something

4theking

Ah, the dreaded plateau.... I've been there MANY times. I found zig-zagging to really help. You can get a profile at freedieting.com. You have some really high caloric days, along w/ some low and medium ones. You most likely are netting enough. And, as you get closer to goal it gets harder. My base is 1500, and I always have at least one day of the weekend I go quite a bit over. If you are really active, you really need more calories. Sometimes the increase or zig-zag might take a couple weeks to register, but you WILL lose doing that.... it shakes up the metabolism really well! GOOD LUCK!!!!

What she said. You need to eat 1400-1500 for six days and one day a week eat 2800-3000.

gillleeman

I think you may need to eat more -When you exercise this puts you at a deficit. It seems like a lot of people do better when they eat their recommended allowance PLUS their exercise calories.

So now we can figure out where your goal should be.
Go to the tools section and figure out your BMI:

Generally someone with a BMI over 32 can do a 1000 calorie a day (2 lbs a week) deficit
With a BMI of 30 to 32 a deficit of 750 calories is generally correct (about 1.5 lbs a week)
With a BMI of 28 to 30 a deficit of 500 calories is about right (about 1 lb a week)
With a BMI of 26 to 28 a deficit of about 300 calories is perfect (about 1/2 lb a week)
and below 26... well this is where we get fuzzy. See now you're no longer talking about being overweight, so while it's still ok to have a small deficit, you really should shift your focus more towards muscle building, and reducing fat. This means it is EXTRA ,important to eat your exercise calories as your body needs to KNOW it's ok to burn fat stores, and the only way it will know is if you keep giving it the calories it needs to not enter the famine response (starvation mode).


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo
[/Absolutely agree with this. Look again at your lifestyle are you on the right one. Eat all calories back. Running burns a lot of calories, and does a lot of damage to muscles so needs all the nutrients it can to rebuild and make fitter and stronger.quote]

CrazyDaisysMommy

Some people lose with running, but when I trained for my marathon, I only maintained (scale wise). However, my body shape changed and I looked more toned. I think running is excellent for building endurance, and for me it is a fantastic way to de-stress. But for weightloss, it might help for you to mix it up a bit. Maybe on your rest days, do a bodysculpt class or Ashtanga or Vinyasa yoga. Or try another form of cardio like Zumba or the elliptical trainer on your rest days. Stick with it!

ignatiusreilly

When you post a question like this, you should make your diary public so the MFP community can give more informed advice.

servilia

When you talk about the cals you eat, are you talking about NET calories?

I wouldn't increase your calories. I can't see your diary but what is your macro ratio like? Carbs/Fat/Protein? A lot of people benefit from decreasing their starchy carbs ie bread, pasta, potatoes and from getting their carbs from fresh produce instead.

AI1108

When you post a question like this, you should make your diary public so the MFP community can give more informed advice.

Yeah if you make your diary public we may be able to see what you haven't really tried that some of us have. I've been through a few plateaus and a few times where I've GAINED from dropping calories. A few things that I tried that have now gotten me to start losing again:

1. Give myself one or two refeed days a week where I exceed not just my goal but sometimes maintenance. I'll hit like 2,000 calories but of mostly clean foods and then work out extra those days. Those are the days I also feed any cravings I'm having during the week.
2. Lowered sodium.
3. Went completely sugar free for a while. I don't eat any sugar substitutes either. They're just nasty to me. If I'm going to have something sweet, it's either with natural sugar or honey.
4. Played around with my macros / increased protein or good fats.
5. Stopped working out or minimal working out for a couple of weeks. I also increased how much I worked out for a while & included strength training when I wasn't running.
6. Stopped eating late for a while. I'd eat dinner at like 6/7 and then that was it. It helped my weight loss jump up again.
7. Increased coffee intake.
8. Started drinking more green tea.
9. Forced myself to drink 8+ glasses of water.. seriously it has worked for me. Everyone's different but for me it took some getting used to and I pretty much had to force myself for a while cause it's not something I was used to thinking about.

You could try any of these things. If your weight loss has stalled, it may be either your activity or food intake that needs some shaking up. Good luck!

stephyy4632

Ah, the dreaded plateau.... I've been there MANY times. I found zig-zagging to really help. You can get a profile at freedieting.com. You have some really high caloric days, along w/ some low and medium ones. You most likely are netting enough. And, as you get closer to goal it gets harder. My base is 1500, and I always have at least one day of the weekend I go quite a bit over. If you are really active, you really need more calories. Sometimes the increase or zig-zag might take a couple weeks to register, but you WILL lose doing that.... it shakes up the metabolism really well! GOOD LUCK!!!!

What she said. You need to eat 1400-1500 for six days and one day a week eat 2800-3000.

^^^ yep this and are you doing any strength training?

amanda07425

I have made my diary public now & no i do not do strength training. I'm trying to stick to the C25K because I want to run a 5k at the end of the program. but i'm willing to do anything to get the scale moving again!

amanda07425

I also get soooo confused because some people say increase calories while others say to decrease. Also when I do workout, i usually eat some of my exercise calories back.. should I stop doing this?

I'm also not sure what macro goals are and how much of carbs/fat/protein i should be eating?!

Lahdidahdah

Look at the kind of calories you are eating. I found that if I kept the 50% Carbs, 25% Protein and 25% Fats, I would not lose as much as when I did 33% of each type. Most trainers tell you that to lose weight , you have to do the 50/25/25, but for me, monitoring *which* carbs I ate, and not going over on sugars, etc jumpstarted me.

AI1108

I also get soooo confused because some people say increase calories while others say to decrease. Also when I do workout, i usually eat some of my exercise calories back.. should I stop doing this?

I'm also not sure what macro goals are and how much of carbs/fat/protein i should be eating?!

I originally wasn't eating back my exercise calories and lost my first 8 lbs that way but then it all stopped. It was really discouraging so I started eating them back and it helped. Now I eat only some of them back again and I'm still losing but slower. When you're at a lower BMI (which from your picture it looks like you may be) its really tricky cause your body wants to hold on to every last lb of fat for a rainy day. If you've been eating them back you may want to try not eating them back or try going the other way and eat all of them and see which one works better for you.

For macro goals, everyone's different but if you're running you want to keep carbs the highest because that's what your body will use to fuel your runs. It's hard to run on a low carb diet. On cardio days, I go anywhere between 40-50% carbs. I try to get 1 gram of protein for every lbs of my goal weight so that's about 35 % for me and the last 25ish% I put into (healthy) fats. You'll want to play around with this ratio to suit your needs.

Lahdidahdah

Also, I looked at your diary for the past week; I urge you to watch your sodium, that causes you to retain water and you definitely will need to up your water intake.

amanda07425

Should I start drinking protein shakes to help myself get more protein? I eat meat for dinner everyday which is where most of my protein comes from but I'm still probably not getting enough.. Although, I have taken protein before when I was lifting to help my muscles but that also means a lot more calories!!

amanda07425

sodium is something I DEFINITELY struggle with but I don't think it should stop me from losing weight completely. I know it holds in water but it can't be holding onto fat too. I started c25k so that I would start losing fat but i've lost nothing! ughh soo frustrating!!

PLEASE KEEP YOUR COMMENTS COMING, I REALLY NEED HELP!

graysmom2005

Should I start drinking protein shakes to help myself get more protein? I eat meat for dinner everyday which is where most of my protein comes from but I'm still probably not getting enough.. Although, I have taken protein before when I was lifting to help my muscles but that also means a lot more calories!!

If you're trying to lose weight I wouldn't really recommend protein shakes. Just have some good lean protein in your diet. I would really watch the sodium. I see a lot of deli meat and high, high sodium days. That can count for a lot! Drink lots of water and keep the sodium down..that may do the trick! :-)

jellybaby84

If people now look at your diary I doubt you'll get anyone saying 'eat more'. You are generally within a couple of hundred either way of eating your goal (incl all your exercise calories) so probably averaging your exact goal, more or less.

I sometimes think it's people's default on here to say 'eat more' if someone isn't losing weight. Which seems totally bizarre to me, unless it is clear that someone is massively undereating - which you aren't.

morganadk2_deleted

Why are you INCREASING your calories in response to not losing weight??

You were eating healthily to start with.

I would eat less not more.

jellybaby84 i just looked at your diary you seem to always eat under 1200, that not good for your health.

Acg67

so you raised your cals to 1400ish and still not gaining but still not losing either?

Fern39

So even though I've just begun, I was worried about this as well and based on what I researched your body adapts quite easily so you can try changing the following:

1. Zig zag your caloric intake (lower one day, higher the next)
2. Change your exercise routine (high intensity one day, lower intensity the next OR do completely different exercises walk, run, ride the bike, elliptical etc.)
3. Alter your macronutrient intake (reduce carbs one day and increase protein) i.e switch up your regular snacks for a protein shake
4. Work out twice a day (if you have the time)

jellybaby84

Why are you INCREASING your calories in response to not losing weight??

You were eating healthily to start with.

I would eat less not more.

jellybaby84 i just looked at your diary you seem to always eat under 1200, that not good for your health.

That's irrelevant, we are talking about HER diary, not mine and she is not undereating.

amanda07425

Not gaining or losing. I'm sooo irritated, I mean I'm glad I'm not gaining but I want to lose!! I'm looking into zig zaging calories and I think I might try that next, b/c I'm at a loss of what to do.

Also, I do have sandwiches everyday b/c its the easiest and quickest thing to take to work.. but if anyone has other suggestions on lunches that will keep me full, I'll be glad to hear them!!

amanda07425

If people now look at your diary I doubt you'll get anyone saying 'eat more'. You are generally within a couple of hundred either way of eating your goal (incl all your exercise calories) so probably averaging your exact goal, more or less.

I sometimes think it's people's default on here to say 'eat more' if someone isn't losing weight. Which seems totally bizarre to me, unless it is clear that someone is massively undereating - which you aren't.

Yeh, I'm usually around my goal but idk if I should adjust my goal or not.. b/c I dont know what's going to help me lose.