Advice... anyone?!?

christa96

Happy almost Friday, everyone! I have been stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks now. I exercise. I drink my water. I measure everything! I am extremely stressed right now and not sleeping well and I'm wondering if my body is just "messed up". Please add me if you'd like. My food diary is open so take a peek. Would love some suggestions!

Thanks,
Christa

Stephisonaroll

Hi there! Lots of people will probably tell you that you aren't eating enough calories. However, I feel that if you are eating enough to where you don't feel hungry then you shouldn't push yourself to gobble up a ton of food. I've been going at this consistently for 6 months without eating or eating very little of my work out calories and have lost over 30lbs. I would just say maybe have a snack that is higher in calories. I try to eat close to 1200 calories without eating my calories back. 600 does seem a bit low, just try to add in a high calorie snack. I hope this helps!

Add me if you'd like :flowerforyou:

TonyStark30

Keep going, watch sodium, drink even more water,dont eat as much of the Zumba Calories back, it will go 3 weeks isnt that long its just little things mean you are perfectly balanced.

amberdc

I have been stuck at twice during my weight loss and I have found that increasing my calories by 100 or 200 if I am going to work out that day and then changing up my workout....if I have been doing a certain maching for awhile then I switch to another. Also I have found that crossfit exercise are really helpful to jump start your body into more weightloss! Hang in there!!

Becky_Boodle

I noticed that you're eating under 1200 net cals a day...
maybe your body's not getting enough food...
I also noticed that your sodium levels were extremely high...
that is probably causing you to retain water...
it seems you prefer processed food rather than whole foods...
I would try to encorporate more lean meats, and more veggies...

UsedToBeHusky

Stress plateaus are very difficult to overcome. I just experienced one myself and did not regain momentum with my weight loss until the stress had resolved itself. I suggest finding some relaxing ways to take your mind off the issue. I didn't try it while on my plateua, but daily meditation might help.

knjantz

Your body probably just hit a wall. I lost 50 pounds in about 8 months then stopped, didn't lose anything again for 4 more months, not even a pound! I went back to my nutritionist who told me my body was used to what I was doing and eating and to change things up. I always did 45 mins of elliptical at the gym and took in around the same caloric intake a day. I changed to an ARC machine interval training at the gym which is similar but still different, changed up my caloric intake by just 50-100 calories a day difference and although I was drinking about 80 oz of water a day, i upped it to 100 oz and added a little powder fiber to about 60 of those oz a day. I just made this change on 2/26 and have lost 12.6 pnds since then. it is totally normal for your body to 'figure you out' which means it stops responding for awhile. change it up and you should see some results again. Good luck!

P.S. anyone can add me if you want

bug1114

What is your BMR? You shouldn't eat below the calories it takes for your body to function. I would use this equation to figure out your BMR: 655 +(4.35 x weight)+(4.7 x height)-(4.7 x age) .

Then take that number, and multiply it by your lifestyle:
1.2 Sedentary Little to no exercise
1.375 Lightly Active Light exercise (1 to 3 days/week)
1.55 Moderately Active Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days/week)
1.7 Very Active Hard Exercise (6 to 7 days/week)
1.9 Extremely Active Hard daily exercise and/or physical job

Once you get that number, you can then minus 500 from it and that's the calorie level you should look at eating around

christa96

I noticed that you're eating under 1200 net cals a day...
maybe your body's not getting enough food...
I also noticed that your sodium levels were extremely high...
that is probably causing you to retain water...
it seems you prefer processed food rather than whole foods...
I would try to encorporate more lean meats, and more veggies...

Thanks. I know last week I didn't eat enough but what I did eat I had to force myself because it was an emotional roller coaster and I didn't want to eat. I've tried so very hard to keep from binging and eating fast food or unhealthy foods because of my emotional state right now so some of the things with the higher sodium have been my "comfort food" for now. Yes... more veggies. I do agree.

amuhlou

What really sticks out to me is that you mentioned stress and lack of sleep. Work on those and you may just break through your plateau.

bethvandenberg

it's probably stress related. Take some deep breaths, calm down and this too shall pass. Hang in there and know you have lots of support.

tialynn1

I agree that you probably aren't eating enough food a day. I do eat back a lot of my calories. I do change up my exercises everyday. I have consistently lost weight every week since beginning of January. And only 2 of those weeks were 1 pound weight losses. One week I even lost almost 5 pounds.
I don't eat the healthiest of diets. But, it is a work in progress.
The stress probably doesn't help either.

txsgirlK

I hit a plateau for 2 weeks. So I read some others advice and upped my calories. Weird, I know. Healthy calories of course. 1200 just is not enough. This last week I lost 2 pounds. When I checked my BMR and did the math I should be eating about 1783 calories a day for weight loss. Google BMR and you can find the equation if someone hasn't already posted it. Also, you need more protein so you can lose fat but keep the lean muscle. Try eating peanut butter on your bagels instead of butter. Or if you need help with calories and protein but just don't feel like eating, try a protein shake. They have pre-made ones that are pretty tasty and easy for on the go. I hope this helps and I pray that whatever has you stressed eases soon! Feel free to add me if you like!

psuLemon

First, you are within 20 lbs of your goal, so you should aim to lose .5 lbs per week and you should set your goal. Over extending your goal will stop weight loss as your body fights harder to maintain fat. Below are guidelines on what you can lose per week based on your goal. Next, when you are stressed or your body is stressed (as demonstrated by a caloric deficit), it can release cortisol which can lead to conservation of calories. It's a mechanism (IIRC) that will maintain your body fat. Additionally, hunger signals can be suppressed so it's not a good indicator of your diet. So you need to eat more. I have gotten out of three pleateaus and each time it was because I increased my calories. I have also used this method with 100+ people on this board with a 97% success rate. Another way to beat the plateau is set your calories at maintenance for a week and don't exercise. It will let your body recover.


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 -25 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.

mjf0461

Stress and lack of sleep will cause your body to shut down on weight loss. You have to get those under control before you can really lose your weight dear.. Good Luck

christa96

Thanks for everyone for the advice. Taking it one day at a time and with everyone's suggestions and my hard work I will kick this plateau!