plateau for 2 MONTHS. what gives?!?!

babykell19

i am BEYOND frustrated. i have been battling the same 3 pounds for 2 months! 2! I noticed some things in my eating I could work on (ie fatty dressings, cheese etc..) and made adjustments. To shake up my work out routine I started doing boot camp 4x a week. Last I week I was at the lower end of those 3 poinds.. 0.9 oz away from breaking into the 150s! How is it this week I have gained?? I don't get it. I work out. I make healthy decisions. I work my *kitten* off. I log EVERYTHING. I eat at a deficit. I usually dont eat back all my exercise calories. I don't even log the calories I burn on wicked busy nights at the restaurant when I'm running up and down stairs/waitressing/cleaning etc..What gives?? I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't think I'll EVER get to my goal. I'm opening up my diary so you guys can give me some pointers and insight. And I will say that I DO drink a looot more water than is listed, I just forget to log it all. Please help! I feel like I'm drowning over here! Thanks!

spaingirl2011

i I eat at a deficit. I usually dont eat back all my exercise calories. I don't even log the calories I burn on wicked busy nights at the restaurant when I'm running up and down stairs/waitressing/cleaning etc..What gives?? I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't think I'll EVER get to my goal. I'm opening up my diary so you guys can give me some pointers and insight. And I will say that I DO drink a looot more water than is listed, I just forget to log it all. Please help! I feel like I'm drowning over here! Thanks!

Maybe you need to eat back those exercise calories. Try eating back half. If that doesn't work, try eating them all back. It could be that your body isn't happy because you're not giving it enough to work off of. Eating at a deficit is great and all, but you still need fuel to do boot camp and to work. To say nothing of needing fuel to walk up a flight of stairs, clean your house and brush your teeth. Try eating back half or all of your exercise calories. Make you sure give yourself some time. Do it for a couple of weeks before you give up and go back to the huge deficit (remember that MFP builds one in for you at the get-go, you don't need to add to it).

Best wishes!

babykell19

its always so confusing with eating back calories or not eating back calories. i took before pictures and measurments. maybe i'll do some half way ones to see if there is progress..but that damn scale is just mocking me!

dorkboi

Put the scale away. You'll feel better friend How do you feel? How do your clothes feel? I bet your losing inches and gaining muscle! Hide the scale, finish boot camp and step on at the end. I bet you'll see a change Keep your chin up! We're all rooting for you!!

spaingirl2011

its always so confusing with eating back calories or not eating back calories. i took before pictures and measurments. maybe i'll do some half way ones to see if there is progress..but that damn scale is just mocking me!

Look, it can't hurt to try. Bodies aren't standardized, so it's all about experimenting to find out what works best for you. Clearly overexercising and creating a crazy-huge deficit isn't working for you, so why not try to eat more? Be patient and keep working out-- just make sure to eat! :-)

ElleBee615

Take your measurements Kel!!! At least that will ease some of the frustration! I don't have any suggestions because I'm battling something similar with the scale :grumble:

But I can say seeing my measurements go down keeps me in the game!!

babykell19

thanks guys..maybe i will try to always eat back my exercise calories. and i DO feel better and less bloaty, and i guess my clothes fit better. and i understand its all about inches and how you feel and how the number on the scale doesnt always matter..but still..i would like to see it moving south! im just gonna keep on truckin and shake off these annoying couple of pounds one way or another!

Renae_Nae

Just looking through a few days of your diary I'd say EAT MORE! The other day you only had 1,000 calories...your body is trying to hold on to every oz it has because it's scared your starving. I'd lower your goal of weight loss to .5 pounds a week or even put it at maintenance for a couple weeks and see what happens

died4u

i have done MFP for 2 weeks and have lost zero! It has been a huge change in my life and all other times I have pd for diets it worked. I have been so proud of my eating habits but no reward...I dont understand..

mcarter99

You said you log everything but I see a lot of days with little to nothing logged, and I only clicked back a few weeks. I don't know if you really need to log everything but I know I do, and it's hard to diagnose what you're doing wrong if you only have a week or two of data.

Do you work in a restaurant? I recall a lot of eating when I did that... a few fries here, some bread there, a shot and a beer...

babykell19

i have 2 weeks left of boot camp. i think i am going to start by eating back alllll my exercise calories and see how that works. in 2 weeks i'm going to weigh myself (because i am putting my scale in time out until it decides to cooperate) and if im stillllllllll not over my plateau..i think i will try to up my calories in general. heres hoping!

tryinghard71

Measure Measure Measure!!!!! The scale does not tell the whole story. Log your measurements weekly. My scale did not move for 2 months but I was losing and inch to a half inch a week. It's more important to be losing fat, gaining muscle and shrinking than worry about a number on a scale.

babykell19

You said you log everything but I see a lot of days with little to nothing logged, and I only clicked back a few weeks. I don't know if you really need to log everything but I know I do, and it's hard to diagnose what you're doing wrong if you only have a week or two of data.

Do you work in a restaurant? I recall a lot of eating when I did that... a few fries here, some bread there, a shot and a beer...

i tend to not log on sundays..so i should probably correct what i said earlier. buut on sundays i do try and make healthful choices. and i half own the restaurant, so i always have a supply of healthy, better food for me to cook up which is really helpful..especially when i see everyone eating such delicious-ness!

babykell19

thanks guys for all your feed back. im going to kick these pounds if it kills me!

spaingirl2011

i have 2 weeks left of boot camp. i think i am going to start by eating back alllll my exercise calories and see how that works. in 2 weeks i'm going to weigh myself (because i am putting my scale in time out until it decides to cooperate) and if im stillllllllll not over my plateau..i think i will try to up my calories in general. heres hoping!

Sounds excellent! :-)

mcarter99

I only mention this to help. It looks like a lot of Saturdays don't get logged, too. I think if I didn't log on weekends, I would think I was doing fine and my actual intake would probably be double what I figured. Good luck!

Chasenificent

i am BEYOND frustrated. i have been battling the same 3 pounds for 2 months! 2! I noticed some things in my eating I could work on (ie fatty dressings, cheese etc..) and made adjustments. To shake up my work out routine I started doing boot camp 4x a week. Last I week I was at the lower end of those 3 poinds.. 0.9 oz away from breaking into the 150s! How is it this week I have gained?? I don't get it. I work out. I make healthy decisions. I work my *kitten* off. I log EVERYTHING. I eat at a deficit. I usually dont eat back all my exercise calories. I don't even log the calories I burn on wicked busy nights at the restaurant when I'm running up and down stairs/waitressing/cleaning etc..What gives?? I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I don't think I'll EVER get to my goal. I'm opening up my diary so you guys can give me some pointers and insight. And I will say that I DO drink a looot more water than is listed, I just forget to log it all. Please help! I feel like I'm drowning over here! Thanks!

One of my former instructors told me to reach new levels I have to apply new methods. The food may not be the issue. It may be a good idea to find a new workout method in addition to the boot camp. Your body may be used to the boot camp by now. Try a kick boxing class or something which has your body performing exercise but in different ways. Shake it up....but keep the boot camp in there to maintain yourself. Good Luck and Keep at it!

Chase

sloanie1

I plataeued for 7 months! I maintained at least, but I tried almost everything!!! I work out like a demon, I eat healthy most of the time, I threw my scales out in the bin a few months ago, I refuse to be determiined by a number! I have since realised that the scale is the smallest measure of success....I know how I want to look and when I see that in the mirror then I'm at my goal...so after gettng really down about not shifting any body fat I have been eating clean, not just clean but CLEAN! its been an experiment more than anything and its working! I can't believe it, and the best part is I'm retaining all the muscle I have worked SO hard to build over 20months!! I set myself a 40 day challenge, no alcohol, no dairy, no breads or rice etc....just lots of protein and veggies......so I have 14 days to go and I feel amazing....I won't lie its been TOUGH! mentally it has been the biggest challenge ever, so I will keep pushing forward and am hoping to get some fantastic resutls! hang in there, its a life journey, I'm sure you won't have to wait 7 months like I did!!!

70davis

Bump

CWatermelon

I plataeued for 7 months! I maintained at least, but I tried almost everything!!! I work out like a demon, I eat healthy most of the time, I threw my scales out in the bin a few months ago, I refuse to be determiined by a number! I have since realised that the scale is the smallest measure of success....I know how I want to look and when I see that in the mirror then I'm at my goal...so after gettng really down about not shifting any body fat I have been eating clean, not just clean but CLEAN! its been an experiment more than anything and its working! I can't believe it, and the best part is I'm retaining all the muscle I have worked SO hard to build over 20months!! I set myself a 40 day challenge, no alcohol, no dairy, no breads or rice etc....just lots of protein and veggies......so I have 14 days to go and I feel amazing....I won't lie its been TOUGH! mentally it has been the biggest challenge ever, so I will keep pushing forward and am hoping to get some fantastic resutls! hang in there, its a life journey, I'm sure you won't have to wait 7 months like I did!!!

I love the idea of a 40 day challenge and CLEAN eating!

Ashly744

I'm battling with the same few lbs too. I'm waiting to break under 117 (my goal is 110. I'm short) and its been a battle between 117-119lbs, those same couple lbs. Doh. I'm not sure if I need to eat more or less. I'm trying to figure out how to break my plateau as well.