Have I "plateaued" or my body just done losing?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I have already read the topics on plateauing and I still have a question-- hope that's ok and not considered rude.

I have lupus at a level of severity that was once considered terminal. Now I'm considered chronic thanks to a somewhat experimental treatment, but I still have a lot of symptoms, so I have some challenges with diet/working out that are somewhat unique. Anyway I have lost almost 25 lbs over the past few months. After my wedding I moved in with my parents while my husband went to boot camp, and I gained back some weight immediately because they're farmers who believe in BIG meals and I had stopped counting calories (plus my mom STILL makes me feel guilty if I don't eat some of everything she cooks. I've learned to live with the guilt :P). Once I started counting again the weight came off pretty fast but I hit a stopping point a few weeks ago and haven't moved. I can't really change up my exercise because I'm only cleared for walking by the doctor (I have been walking longer distances though). I'm willing to change up my diet (it could use some work anyway I'm sure) but I'm not sure what changes to make exactly. I know I have to keep up my potassium and iron levels because those have been problems for me.

Anyway I'm wondering if maybe I've just reached my stopping place. I'm on the high end of "healthy" BMI, but my doctor warned me at my last visit not to try to get down too low because I was built to be "in the low 140s." I'd like to get down to 135. Do you guys think this is a plateau and I should keep eating to lose, maybe change a few things up, or has my body just reached its naturally healthy weight and wants to stay there, in which case I guess I should go to eating maintenance calories? Thoughts? (I know what you're thinking-- I'm going to open up my diary now)

aqua_zumba_fan

If your doctor has advised against losing more weight just eat to maintain. If you're in the healthy range why risk doing something that could be bad for you?

erickirb

I am guessing your weekly goal is not correct for the amount you have to lose.
Here is a good reference for setting weekly goals
, if you have over 100 lbs to lose you can lose more than 2 lbs/week safely, that being said it is best to set a realistic safe weekly loss goal and:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -20 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

The reasons: the less you have to lose the less fat stores you have to pull from. The less fat you have to pull from the less your body wants to take any. So if your deficit is too large given your stats you will burn a large % of lean muscle. Doing the above also helps set you up for maintenance without a large increase in caloric intake all at once.

All of these goals assume you are eating back all of your exercise calories as well. If you do not eat them back then you may want to change your activity level to active to account for them without having to add them in when you do exercise.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Thanks. I do eat back my exercise calories but I will go change my settings to the .5 per week setting.

CMmrsfloyd

I know you said your dr. has only cleared you for walking, but have you asked if he's okay with you working with weights? If he's okay with it, you could do that to build some muscle (w/o having to work out vigorously as I'm assuming that's why he doesn't want you doing much more than walking) - the muscle will help out your metabolism and even if you don't lose pounds (as you would be building muscle while maybe burning some fat), it will help you lose inches. I would definitely discuss anything you can think of with your dr first since you have medical concerns to watch out for. I don't know much about lupus - is his concern with the exercise that he doesn't want you getting your heartrate up over a certain point? (I was just thinking you could get a heartrate monitor that monitors continuously and that you can set to sound an alarm if you get too close to a certain point, which could warn you not to work yourself too strenuously?) Is it b/c of the lupus itself or does it have something to do with the treatment you are on and possible side effects? I would just sit down and think of all the 'what if's' and 'whys' you can, write it all down, and make an appointment to discuss everything with your dr and get their view on the overall situation as well as the details. And you do always have the option of seeking out a second opinion, although I know sometimes people are weary of damaging the relationship with their current practioner if they do so.

ReadyMom

Thanks Erick! I am down to my last 20 and haven't really been sure how to go about it. I know I had no problem losing the first 62 but the last 20 is stressing me out lol!

doughnutwretch

You are most likely sitting at your bodies "comfortable" weight which is making it more difficult to lose, but that isn't to say you are done losing yet. You certainly face some challenges due to your lupus, but with proper nutrition and continuing your walking, you can break that plateau.

Looking at your diary, you get a lot of your calories from carbs. Since you aren't able to work out at a high intensity, your body doesn't need as many carbs and therefore will store the excess as fat. My recommendation would be to increase your protein consumption to over 100 g per day and keep your carb consumption below 100g per day. Fruits are good sources of carbs for energy because they are sucrose and give you energy quicker than complex carbs such as starches. Eggs (or egg whites to avoid cholesterol), lean meats and dairy are good sources of protein. Also, try including some good fats into your diet, such as nuts and peanut butter.

My last recommendation would be to eat more calories. Your goal is set at 1200 per day which is pretty low. I would say up it by 200 or so to jumpstart your metabolism again and aid in continued losing.

Best of luck!

siabevis

I would say Plateau. Your body is never done losing persay. People can lose so much till they become anorexic. Which is not good of course. Determine what is healthy for your height and age and stick to it!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Thanks everyone I have upped my calorie intake and I'll work on less simple carbs.

As for the exercise, here are some of my lupus symptoms-- severe joint pain, kidney function issues, heart problems, and pleurisy (lung problem). Oh and I have photosensitivity, which means if I'm out in the sun I get horrid rashes, fluid retention, and an increase in joint pain. Yay me. I'm not really sure why the doctor said walking only, except that it causes flare ups in my joint pain when I do anything strenuous. It can throw my whole immune system out of whack. He did mention swimming but I don't have access to a pool. I'll ask about weight training.