Not losing weight, but losing the will..!

schninie82

Wow, influx of responses then, ok...thank you for replying everyone so far... Yes my mfp is set to sedentary as I do have a desk job, I recently swapped it from lightly active..

I just started insanity, I'm on the 2nd week so I don't really want to quit it now for just walking or just running as it fits into my life style at the mo, I can do it in the mornings as the rest of my day is just too busy with work/dad/school/kids/hubby... It's my only me time and I hate starting something and not finishing it...

I've done my best to make sure I get my protein in...

The time I ate once a day for about a week was when dad was really bad, food was last on my mind...

Erm.... Yes diary is open and I am up for suggestions!! )

jimgatewood

We all have plateaus, but usually it goes back to how many calories go in and how many calories go out, assuming you have good daily eating habits. When this happens to me I go back to counting every calorie, that's right I use a scale and if I don't know how many cals are in it...then I don't eat it. Never skip breakfast or any meal. I personally eat 5 or 6 times a day (the right foods). Making sure that you are never hungry goes a long way towards losing weight. Exercise is great! However, running a mile eats up around 100 calories, the same as two Oreo Cookies. My choice is not to eat the two oreo cookies. I workout twice a day six days a week, but it still comes down to how many good calories you are eating a day. I suggest you go back to your original plan, work hard and have fun with it. Good Luck.

Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

schninie82

Did you know that water is the most important food that you put into your body? If the water is off everything else will be off too!

Please read what I said. I said, I drink 7-9 cups daily, I just don't update my food diary to show the amount of cups drank.

And I'm just saying that you need to make sure that you log you water in too...so that you will know exactly what is happening with your body...Changes in your water intake WILL affect your metabolism!

I understand, and thank you for keep coming back to me. I know exactly how many glasses of water I have everyday is the same, 1 big 1.5litre bottle to work and 1-3 glasses at home... I always have it, i just don't physically enter it on the diary. For food etc, I have 2 scales so I know exactly how much of what goes thru my mouth to the gram )

Evenstar2012

If you have reached a plateau it probably means that your calories IN and calories OUT are breaking even. There are three ways to keep losing weight:

1) Lower your calories IN
2) Higher your calories OUT
3) A bit of 1) and a bit of 2)

I understand that it is hard to keep pushing, especially when you are SO CLOSE. However, instead of giving up when you are SO CLOSE it should be the best encouragement ever. Look where you came from and what you already achieved. So how hard can it be to make that final last step, right?

You do not have to lower or higher your calories in or out too much, just a little and take your time to make that final step to reach your goal!

I hope that in a few months I can look back and be as close as you are to reaching the set goal! Let the fact that you are so close be enough to push for those final few lbs.

kubyshechka

I sometimes hit plateau as well. When it happens I start taking weekends off. I do not completely go bonkers with food, but I do allow myself to go over and only do light exercise or none at all. Also my daily calory intake varies a lot.

Switching exercise is a good idea as well. I mix them all the time because when you do the same video for a while - you keep working the same muscles. Going from resistance exercise to aerobics to kickboxing will keep your body challenged all the time. You don't have to quit Insanity but one or two days a week you can do a different exercise. and then go back to Insanity.

KeriLoy

You may have accidently put your body into starvation mode which can take weeks to months to snap out of. By skipping breakfast after slumber (6-8 hours)...the body will react to this and hold onto any calorie intake. Never skip meals, even if it is something like a pack of crackers or protein bar...this will stop your body from hording calories. Hope this helps...don't give up, eat often, even if you don't think you have time, pack healthy snacks that won't go bad when toting around in your bag. Pretzels, crackers, protein bars, snackwell packs, a bottle of water is always a must. Don't give up!!

schninie82

Have you taken measurements other than weight? It might be that your body has found it's set point and you shouldn't be trying to go any lower...that number is different for everyone and people tend to set random goals of how much they "want" to weigh without considering what your body wants you to weigh. If you are exercising and eating well you may be losing inches instead of pounds. I personally am more interested in what size I wear and how healthy I feel than what the scale says.

On another note, cutting back on more calories could cause you problems. It is generally recommended that a woman (especially one that is exercising) not eat less than 1200 calories a day. I did that once (cut my calories back to 850 on the recommendation from a Weight Loss Center) and it made my hair start falling out, my period stop and I ended up at the doctor's office after about 6 weeks. (And I STILL wasn't losing any more weight.) So be careful with that.

Thanks for replying... Yeah I have measurements taken monthly, recently not seen much of a difference, 0.25" here or there, I know they all count but not much going on there...

Nah, I couldn't eat less than 1200 even if I tried, I'm always hungry that's why I'm here haha... I find what my diary says at the mo to be my net is good for me, I can eat 1600-1800 easy with exercise and not feel stuffed or feel empty..

schninie82

You may have accidently put your body into starvation mode which can take weeks to months to snap out of. By skipping breakfast after slumber (6-8 hours)...the body will react to this and hold onto any calorie intake. Never skip meals, even if it is something like a pack of crackers or protein bar...this will stop your body from hording calories. Hope this helps...don't give up, eat often, even if you don't think you have time, pack healthy snacks that won't go bad when toting around in your bag. Pretzels, crackers, protein bars, snackwell packs, a bottle of water is always a must. Don't give up!!

I've been stuck at this weight since October, it's not a recent thing... When I hardly ate for about a week, it was only about a month ago, and trust me, I don't make a habit of it, it was once and my dad was very sick, I was at the hospital... I only mentioned it to show that I have broke the 147 Plataeu and gave the reason...that's not what has been happening this whole time so really, it's kinda invalid..sorry..but thanks for replying tho! X

beansprouts

Did you know that water is the most important food that you put into your body? If the water is off everything else will be off too!

Please read what I said. I said, I drink 7-9 cups daily, I just don't update my food diary to show the amount of cups drank.

And I'm just saying that you need to make sure that you log you water in too...so that you will know exactly what is happening with your body...Changes in your water intake WILL affect your metabolism!

I understand, and thank you for keep coming back to me. I know exactly how many glasses of water I have everyday is the same, 1 big 1.5litre bottle to work and 1-3 glasses at home... I always have it, i just don't physically enter it on the diary. For food etc, I have 2 scales so I know exactly how much of what goes thru my mouth to the gram )

Okay...so 1.5 litres (is roughly 6.4 glasses of water)at work....I get that...But do you do the same exact thing on the days when you are not working? The only point I am trying to make is that little things (like water) can screw you up...You need to stop guessing and be specific...especially since you are so close to reaching your goal.

VisBella

You've done an awesome job to lose 33 pounds! That alone is no small achievement. I know how tough it is to work hard and the scale not show the results of your efforts. However, the scale is a little bit like a fun house mirror, it shows your general image, but very imperfectly. If you are doing the work, things ARE changing inside.

Personally, low carb has been the ONLY way I’ve ever experienced success at weight loss. I know that a lot of good people swear it is just a matter of calories in-calories out. And that might work for some people. However, reducing fat loss to a matter of calorie math doesn’t take into account the biochemical complexities of the human body. You’ve been through a lot of stress with your dad, and stress releases hormones that make weight loss more difficult. This you know from personal experience. Switching to a low carb diet controls insulin, which in turn allows your body to burn more fat. Perhaps low carb is exactly what your body needs to break through this plateau. I would encourage you to give it a try. It’s worked for me, and millions of others.

Oh, and one other note about a low carb lifestyle, after the first few days, you don't feel hungry all of the time. When your blood sugar level is normal, you are not plagued with hunger pains, in fact, you start feeling satiated to the point that you have to remind yourself it’s time to eat.

venusinprogress

HI, I'm not certain, but because you restricted your calories while your dad was ill, that meant your metabolism slowed down. It may take a while for your metabolism to kick back to where it was before. I would not give up, try doing a different exercise, eating more veg , or even splitting meals into 6 snacks a day to boost your metabolism. This is just an idea. I 've only been on this site for 3 weeks but am finding it brilliant at motivating me and keeping me going. I hope that this makes you think again and gives you the will to carry on. I'm going to. I need to lose 60 lb by January and am not going to give up. I know that I'll need some motivation at some point but will be on here every day, looking at all the positive comments while reply to any like yours. Keep your chin up, think positive, and I'm sure you'll see a difference soon.x

Cookiepusss

Sometimes stress can derail even the best diet and exercise plan. Losing sleep also affects weight loss. There is a delicate and intricate balance of chemicals in the body that can be thrown off balance during stressful times and sometimes we just don't have complete control over it.
Ever see that happen on the biggest loser? A contestant my have a rough week emotionally and they don't lose as much weight as they expected. Stay on track with diet and exercise, but go easy on yourself if you plateau for a bit.

AlicynH

You also need to remember that with your father being in the hospital, that probably caused a lot of stress. If you're anything like me, stress causes me to not loose or even gain. Don't loose the will. You can do this.

schninie82

Did you know that water is the most important food that you put into your body? If the water is off everything else will be off too!

Please read what I said. I said, I drink 7-9 cups daily, I just don't update my food diary to show the amount of cups drank.

And I'm just saying that you need to make sure that you log you water in too...so that you will know exactly what is happening with your body...Changes in your water intake WILL affect your metabolism!

I understand, and thank you for keep coming back to me. I know exactly how many glasses of water I have everyday is the same, 1 big 1.5litre bottle to work and 1-3 glasses at home... I always have it, i just don't physically enter it on the diary. For food etc, I have 2 scales so I know exactly how much of what goes thru my mouth to the gram )

Okay...so 1.5 litres (is roughly 6.4 glasses of water)at work....I get that...But do you do the same exact thing on the days when you are not working? The only point I am trying to make is that little things (like water) can screw you up...You need to stop guessing and be specific...especially since you are so close to reaching your goal.

Does 1 or 2 glasses of water really make that much of a difference tho? I mean I'm getting 2 litres every day, sometimes maybe one more maybe one day 1 less... Weekends are the same as I take my water bottle home..

Josie_lifting_cats

Based on my experience, give it more time. Doing Insanity has similar results to many of the Jillian DVD's - when I did 30DS and Ripped two months in a row, I didn't lose a single pound. I was eating 1,400 calories (I'm shorter than you!) and working my tush off. But my measurement changes were ridiculous. I couldn't believe it.

That said, it was infuriating. Absolutely infuriating.

Now I'm similar to you, about 10 pounds from goal, and that weight just isn't moving. So while I'm not taking a break from things completely, I'm trying to take a break from the pressure mentally. Part of it is because my work is overwhelmingly busy and I'm already only getting 4-6 hours of sleep a night due to my workload, and mentally I need to cut myself some slack somewhere, but part of it is that I'm stalled and I'm going to just relax and then attack it again when the time is right.

schninie82

Ok, I understand that the stress of my dad maybe effecting me recently, but that's just it, it's recent...this problem goes back to october when I was stuck at 147 also... Having a week off hasn't ever eloped as I've gained and I had to spend more time just to stift it off again, hence going up and down the same 5lbs every couple of weeks... how much more time since October do I really need to give it, it's been 8 months..

Hey, thanks for all your responses guys, I dunno what to do any more, I've literally tried everything mentioned and I still get to this point right here so I guess this is me.

Thanks for the responses
Peace
)

schninie82

Hi guys, just a follow up really to let you know I lost 1.8lb this morning bringing me to 144.8lb. The only thing I can think of is this week I have been eating more...maybe this was the answer I needed...we'll see..:))

JennetteMac

One trick I always do when I am plateauing.....I tend to eat the same type of things for breakfast, lunch and dinner when I am watching my calories as I feel safe that way. When I hit a plateau, for 1 week, I just completely change the foods I eat. I mean literally do not eat 1 thing the same as the previous week. Still keep within my calories but if I was having porridge for breakfast then I would have egg on toast, swap out the dinners and just completely change it, dont even have the same snacks.

This has always worked for me, my plateau gets a kick and I start to drop a lb or 2 again. It has the added bonus of shaking up the drudgery and when I start back after the week then I find I am re-weighing things and double checking my portions etc so am in full control (which I suspect was probably the cause of my plateau in the first place). It also helps to find new things to eat and adds variety.

Hope this helps in some way x

JennetteMac

One trick I always do when I am plateauing.....I tend to eat the same type of things for breakfast, lunch and dinner when I am watching my calories as I feel safe that way. When I hit a plateau, for 1 week, I just completely change the foods I eat. I mean literally do not eat 1 thing the same as the previous week. Still keep within my calories but if I was having porridge for breakfast then I would have egg on toast, swap out the dinners and just completely change it, dont even have the same snacks.

This has always worked for me, my plateau gets a kick and I start to drop a lb or 2 again. It has the added bonus of shaking up the drudgery and when I start back after the week then I find I am re-weighing things and double checking my portions etc so am in full control (which I suspect was probably the cause of my plateau in the first place). It also helps to find new things to eat and adds variety.

Hope this helps in some way x

Thanks for this suggestion. Actuyally sounds positive and really possible. I have been on my plateau for months, so will happily try your idea.