stupid scale won't move...help!!!

whobuddy

My husband and I struggled with infertility for 4 years. So you can imagine how the stress affected my weight for years. Thankfully our little angle decided she was ready to arrive and came in April of this year. After peeking at 308lbs while at the end of my pregnancy including pregnancy induced hypertension, you can imagine how uncomfortable I had become after having baby in April. After having a c-section, I started walking little bits each day and now 14 weeks after having my little one, I'm now up to 5km in 60 minutes. I've also started the 30minute shred by Jillian Michaels in the last week, but the scale is NOT moving! I've managed to lose all the "baby weight" but want to get back to the old days of days 220lbs.

I've plateaued for over 2 months now and am really frustrated. Every day I step on the scale and it fluctuates up and down and up and down...I'm ready to throw it out the window! My very supportive husband has been by my side this whole time and has been walking with me and baby and he's seeing the effects of our diet change and walking, he's lost 15lbs and he didn't really need to (however the beer belly is a bit smaller now). talk about frustrating.

I guess what I need support is with how to keep going, and get past this plateau. I'm eating around 1500 calories each day, doing the 30 minute shred and a 60 minute walk 5 days a week. My diet consists of the basic cereal/milk/coffee in the morning, a frozen steamer meal for lunch with a salad, and a large salad at dinner with lean meat, potatoes and a light italian salad dressing. Evening snacks are fruit like cherries and if I get more hungry and am looking to eat out of bordom I go for a hot bubble bath and drink a litre of water and then go to bed.

Help!!! I'm really frustrated with the way my body has changed since having a baby (however I would do it all over again). please help!:happy:

sjlockyer912

Up your speed on your walks and or run a few sprints...i use my ipod and of its a song with a good beat i run my heart out to it, then walk again ( just try not to walk super slow while catching your breath, keep up your walking pace) .it also helps me to set a timer and have a goal for how fast I will do my walk. Even if you cut back the length of your walk and increase speed sometimes an other days go for an extra mile! I vary between 2 and 6 miles depending on how I feel, the heat, and how much time I have....or do your regular 3 but with the extra speed or sprints and then after dinner go for a family walk, even if it Is only a mile or two, but still try and keep up a good pace ( where you can talk but not have a full conversation easily) If you use a gym you could do intervals of slow and high incline, fast and smaller incline, fast and higher incline, slow an little incline to recover and repeat! Or try an elliptical and do the same with resistance and speed intervals, a well as peddling backwards. Or try a class, I have found that I truly love cycle class, for a long time I was too shy and scared to try it because of difficulty, I realized its a wonderful way to get motivated, make friends, set goals, and push your limits, you set your own pace, resistance and can take breaks when you need to! Also try to up your protien and fiber intake...helps build muscle and keep you full longer! Drink tons of water! I am not a big protien eater and I crave chocolate so I found that drinking a muscle Milk chocolate flavor in the morning or before bed helps me get extra protien, keeps me full through the night, and fixes my cravings:). As far as work out videos, I love all of Denise Austin's videos, you can find most of them for free on YouTube! As well as the slim in 6 series by beach body! I just bought 3 Jillian michelas tapes, I love the workouts but I find her annoying and some of the moves I could use a little more instruction on form... Good luck and don't give up!!!:)

sjlockyer912

To add one more thing to my rant: if you are able to find the time ( even once in a while) by splitting your cardio into 2 parts morning and little walk at night, or splitting up weights and cardio through out your day, you keep your metabolism up longer:)

lisanorman6

Holy cow can I relate!

Couple thoughts....I am wondering if your caloric intake is actually too low. I hit a plateau recently and actually took the advice of my trainer and upped my calories. Low and behold after a week, the scale moved! Also, it's all about muscle confusion. Vary your workouts and their intensity. I would also suggest evaluating your protein intake. Protein aides in fat burning and muscle recovery.

Something I had to remember is that the scale doesn't always reflect the actual changes happening in our bodies. In my plateau, the scale didn't move but I continued to lose inches. One pound of fat is the equivalent in size to a grapefruit. One pound of lean muscle is equivalent to a lemon. We're trading grapefruits for lemons sister and some times it takes awhile for the lemons to be seen amidst the grapefruits! Don't give that silly old scale more power in your head than it deserves.

Don't give up!

DanceForever904

i didnt lose any weight on 30 day shred...BUT i toned up considerably

whobuddy

thank you for all the great suggestions! Yesterday I took Lexi for a jog/walk and wow was it tough! But I'm going to keep it up and I know it will get easier! And thankfully the scale moved down the past 2 days so I'm really getting motivated to keep going! I'll definately try the shakes, those sound great!
Thanks again for the support!

satxtrap

open your diary to public view so folks can see all the variables and provide informed feedback.

amyford25

Holy cow can I relate!

Couple thoughts....I am wondering if your caloric intake is actually too low. I hit a plateau recently and actually took the advice of my trainer and upped my calories. Low and behold after a week, the scale moved! Also, it's all about muscle confusion. Vary your workouts and their intensity. I would also suggest evaluating your protein intake. Protein aides in fat burning and muscle recovery.

Something I had to remember is that the scale doesn't always reflect the actual changes happening in our bodies. In my plateau, the scale didn't move but I continued to lose inches. One pound of fat is the equivalent in size to a grapefruit. One pound of lean muscle is equivalent to a lemon. We're trading grapefruits for lemons sister and some times it takes awhile for the lemons to be seen amidst the grapefruits! Don't give that silly old scale more power in your head than it deserves.

Don't give up!

THIS^^^

I've lost inches but no weight yet in 2 weeks.... so don't give up! Many of us have been there

whobuddy

Thank you! I've taken a look at my protine consumption, and actually in really looking at it, it's kinda low! I've made a few changes and will continue with that. I've also up'ed my caloric intake by an additional 200 calories. It was actually kinda hard the first few days, funny how you get so used to eating so few!
Thanks again for the tips! I'm starting to feel a difference in my waist, I've actually taken mesurements at the begining, but forgot about them, so it was nice to see a few inches down on my problem areas!

erinnstreeter

Are you breastfeeding? For many moms, this helps the weight loss.

DeterminedRealist

Please consider reading Bob Harper's book "The Skinny Rules"

I'm still reading but have learned OH so much!

additionally, I add my recent past experience:

Am I starving myself?

At one point I think I was doing just that, starving myself.

I started my calorie journaling/counting at or near 1400 calories, which is what a registered nutritionist measured as my daily needs. The test was a done while at rest and it was a breath test of some sort. Anyway, I had to start somewhere. Along the way I would reasearch and see that most "experts" supported women consuming no less than 1200 calories per day, while other experts say that is erronious nonsense. I began experimenting with keeping my calories above 1200 daily.

So, when I hit a plateau in my journey, I learned through more research, that Jillian Michaels, former BL trainer, that we should be eating seven times our current body weight when we hit a plateau - to convince our bodies we weren't starving. She didn't say how long to do that in the article I was reading, so I just gave it a try. I began losing again at a rate equal to 4 pounds a month. When my body stalled again, and I noticed a slight increase pattern on the scale, I gradually dropped my daily calorie intake by 100 until I was losing again. It didn't take long at all. I now try to keep it under 1600 calories each day and I'm not that worried about my metabolism as long as I keep it fairly close to that number.

My exercise varies and I don't eat all of those calories back. I try to get at least 30 minutes of brisk walking in each day no matter what else may be going on. If I've been working out really hard and I find myself exhausted and hungry - that is a clue that I'm not fuling properly. I'm not one of those folks who will be trying to burn 2K to 3K calories in a day. I like the idea of losing at a slow and steady rate.

Mallornleaf

Thanks!! I love your grapefruit/lemons analogy....I am feeling better because of it!

Jasmineb333

Also, I'd like to add, your calories seem a little low for all the activity you're doing. Try upping it to 1700 for a week or two to see if the scale budges.

mservetter

Hi,
I had a similar problem where the scale was up & down all the time and am just now beginning to lose weight. First, are you tracking everyone, including coffee, a bit of milk, tea, etc? If so, great! Then I would try to cut out the cereal in the a.m. and eat protein. What is a steamer? Also, the coffee if not clear, seems to affect my weight lose. So drink it black, no sugar. Which is another thing. Fruit is sugar, so cut the fruit in the evening. See if that helps. Little changes can make a big difference. Good luck.

whobuddy

thanks, I've just done that!

Lesa_Sass

If you are breastfeeding, you need to up your calories big time and I would suggest talking to a nutritionist about how to do that properly. If not, I would suggest upping them by adding more protein and some low glycemic index carbs, such as quinoa and sweet potatoes to your diet, even some steel cut oats in the morning.

If the potatoes you are eating at night are white, I would consider cutting them out if I were you.

It took me a while to wrap my head around the whole eat more to weigh less thing and I can say with 100% certainty is rang true for me. I not only hit my goal weight, I seem to keep losing the more I eat. A spike day always helps too.

Good luck and congrats on your beautiful baby! I did not get that lucky.

L

35khris

I could not budge my scale for months! Last week I switched to one ingredient foods: fruits, veggies, eggs, meat!! I lost 6.5 pounds last week!

TheRoseQueen

Know how you feel.....the scale can be an evil depressing thing at best.....HOWEVER, there are many, many posts that address "don't look at the scale...rather look at the inches lost and/or how your clothes are starting to fit".... And this is so true. Just as an FYI, I am in the 65+ category and am looking to drop about 50-60 pounds so I can have both my knees replaced. I have been doing some "serious" workouts at the YMCA over the last several months, and since joining MFP about 2 1/2 months ago have met some really great friends and read some fantastic insprirational stories. I am not seeing the scale move but about 5 to 7 pounds in the last couple of months.....but when I read this story this morning I realized how much things can change in the body when you consistently workout and watch what you are eating. I will share the thread to this link, and hopefully this will inspire you as much as it did me.

WHAT I DO KNOW IS: 1.) I have seen a great deal of toning in my derriere (I can tell how my pants fit in that area, they are baggy) 2.) My bras are fitting much nicer underneath the mid-drift and are not as tight as they used to be 3.) I am feeling fit and more energetic 4.) I have met some fantastic "support friends" on MFP and am so glad I stumbled upon this program of accountability. Here is the link, and if you want to "friend" me, please feel free to do so....and together we can accomplish and win!!! http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/683364-stupid-scale-won-t-move-help

P.S. DON'T compare yourself to your husband, he is a man....and has a totally different body makeup than us girls!!! Don't forget we were designed to be the nurturers of future generations by being a "mom"....and our female body types were made to make sure that the human race can carry forward - just like any female in the animal kingdom. There is no way a man could nurse or make sure a young baby is given nutrition in the real world (except for pre-made formulas that are now available to them)....Just think about that, and be proud you are woman with those capabilities!!!!!

TheRoseQueen

OOPS... I accidently linked back to your page..... Here is the link of great inspiration of what a 5 pound difference made on this gal who did workouts, but did not see the scale move either.

Be inspired: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/689150-wow-this-pic-just-brought-me-to-tears-before-after