Can't seem to lose anymore weight

kevinritt

Hi everyone,
I joined My Fitness Pal a the end of January 2012 and to this point have lost about 11 pounds. However that came off within the first few weeks and I've been the same weight for the past several weeks. I am exercising 3-4 days a week and my caloric intake is about 2000 calories/ day. (I'm a 45 year old male - went from 256 -> 244. My goal is 225) Any suggestions/ advice on what I might be doing wrong. This is the frustrating part of weight loss I guess

psuLemon

You are still eating below BMR and that will only lead to a slower metabolism. Set your goal to around .5 lbs per week and eat back some of your exercise calories or add another 300 calories a day to see how that goes. But I am 5'11 and 200 lbs and I eat 2750 calories a day and that is for weight loss.

chachalita8

BUMP!
I AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM!!!

SilentRenegade

I'm a female, but I just upped my calories to average about 1600/day, and that is not always exercising... and I'm losing pretty steadily now. Sometimes more of quality foods is better. Sometimes I play the zig zag game too which seems to really trick my body so I go 1200 one day and then 1600 another day. But don't let plateaus discourage you! Keep going! Think how you will feel when you finally hit that 225 and are in much better shape from working out!

animatej24

i would have to know what your food intake is what types of food what type of work outs and then i might have some ideas

MzNeecie

you may also try switching up your work out. if your like me i am a creature of habit so i tend to do the same work outs on the same days ( i.e. mon/thur weight train; tue/sat cycle etc) so others have told me that my body becomes use to the workouts thus i don't get the same results as i did in the beg. long story short switch it up a bit do something different for a week and then slowly incorporate your old work out favorites into the mix.

InTenn

Eleven pounds is six weeks is nothing to sneeze at. My weight drops in chunks then stabilizes for 2-3 weeks. Yeah, it's frustrating, but eventually more comes off.

You may only be 10 weeks from your goal. Play with the diet and exercise if you must, but a process that lost 11 pounds right off the bat may be a pretty good one if you give it time.

Just an alternative to think about.

HLeAnn

It would help to be able to see your food diary. But along with the other responses, I would maybe try switching up your workouts and / or making sure you're not eating too little based on BMR.

kevinritt

I have been switching up my workout - cardio and weights. Cardio is either elliptical or treadmill and weight work is super sets or straight sets.

frosty73

Ditto here! Started in January, and the weight was falling off nicely, but now the progress has mostly stopped. Someone suggested I re-evaluate my "goals" and reset my calorie limits. I realized that I was overestimating my activity level. Also, if you don't have a food scale you are probably underestimating your calorie intake. I had to drop my calorie intake by 100 but last night miraculously I lost weight again!

Here's my 4 suggestions:
1.) If you are exercising vigorously, you could very well be gaining muscle and losing fat. You won't lose weight on the scale, but you *will* tone up and look better.

2.) Avoid caffeine or cut down for a few days and see if that helps. More water, less other drinks!

3.) Reevaluate your calorie limits goals on MFP. Make sure MFP uses your current weight to create your goals. Make sure your HRM is set with your *current* weight to give you accurate calorie burn.

4.) Reevaluate your food intake. Are you guesstimating the amount of calories in something, instead of knowing for sure? Don't rely on MFP's calorie guide because it isn't always accurate. Find out for sure. Weigh your food so you know exactly how many grams you are eating. It is easy to sneak in extra calories without meaning to.... maybe you just grab a couple of pistachios sitting in a bowl, and don't log it. Maybe you forget about the protein bar you ate in the car. Little things do add up.

Relax a little, this is a long process. The fitter you are, the harder it is to lose weight. This is normal. Your body is going to try to fight this change, and that's normal, too. Commit to getting through the plateau, whatever it takes, without giving up. You can do this!

sunshine638

I had a baby on Thanksgiving of last year and have been trying to lose the baby weight ever since. Most of it came off with no problem, but the last fifteen pounds are a BEAST! I've only been keeping track of my calories for a week, but I can't ever get lower than 139.5 and end up bouncing between that and 142. I feel your pain.... I don't have any suggestions for you since I'm stuck in the same place myself, but perhaps bouncing between calorie limits is the answer?

kevinritt

It just seems strange to add more calories to lose weight. I am using the MFP calorie counter faithfully daily. (the foods I eat match up with the nutritional info on MFP) I follow its limits for calories, carbs, protein, etc. I do not drink soft drinks or eat meat. I have about 2-4 cups of coffee a day. Don't drink alcohol either. My BMI indicates I'm obese at my current weight. (I take that with a grain of salt)

kevinritt

BTW - thanks for the words of encouragement

terrellc1

I keep losing and then gaining the same 2-3 pounds. But my muffin top is smaller, and my jeans are getting a bit looser. My butt is also looking better. So as long as that is all happening, 2-3 pounds isn't going to make me fret.

RonnieBigGunz

-Reduce your calorie intake.

-Reduce your carb intake (if you are an endomorph, you may be more carb sensitive)

-Be very careful if you have any cheat meals not to overdo it

-Measure everything precisely, and don't forget to add in small things like condiments