Help - my weight is STUCK

celtic_girl

I had 16 pounds to lose, I thought it was 8 until I realised my own scales were broken and weighing me 8 pounds less than I actually was! So I ended up with 16 pounds to lose.

I have lost 8 pounds so far and have 8 more to go. The first 8 came off in about 6 weeks. Then I got STUCK.
I have been the same for 3-4 weeks now. I started exercising about 4 weeks ago. I don't eat back the calories I burn off.
I even walked 7 miles for 3 days in a row last week and still no change on the scales! It is very depressing.

I had a huge weight loss 5 years ago and got down to the size and weight on my profile picture and it depresses me as I am sure I didn't get stuck like this when I was dieting before.

I am going on holiday to Florida in 5 weeks and I wanted these 8 pounds off before I go. I am small at 5ft 2 and I think that is the problem

Is anyone else experiencing this? I am eating 1200 a day.

mormonmomma11

Eat back your exercise calories...

If you are EATING 1200 cals and then BURNING 250 then you are only NETTING 950 calories a day - your body needs fuel to live. Stop starving your body and it will start performing the way you want it to - you should always NET at least 1200 calories a day.

lizziebeth1028

Well.....I saw your post on the 1200 calorie people thread. Here's my opinion - 1200 is too low. You are most likely eating under your BMR (basal metabolic rate = the amount of calories you would burn while in a coma). The result of eating below your BMR - PLATEAU. The body gets so used to being under fed that your metabolism slows down and becomes sluggish, it runs at a minimum in order to conserve calories..not burn them. You should be eating somewhere between BMR and TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).....1500 is a good ballpark figure but for a more accurate number you can go to - http://scoobysworkshop.com/

This is especially true for someone like you who does not have a lot to lose. You should be eating more and lifting weights. Not 2lb dumbbells to a JM30 day shred DVD buts weights that are heavy for you and strength training.

Eat more, get at least 100g's of protein and lift weights, you'll see a change!

celtic_girl

That is interesting as I stopped losing weight since I started exercising!

erickirb

with so little to lose you should not have a goal to lose more than 0.5lbs/week or a large % of your loss will come from lean muscle, not just the fat you are looking at losing.

So, set your goal to lose 0.5lbs/week, lift weights, get enough protein, and eat back the cals you burn from exercise (or at least most of them). By doing this you should be able to make noticeable visible gains (losses) in 5 weeks, even if you only lose the projected 2.5lbs.

yarwell

That is interesting as I stopped losing weight since I started exercising!

Not uncommon, an excessive calorie deficit can be created by exercise as well as eating less.

schicksa

Plateaus are totally normal, but everybody is right you probably need to eat more (especially if you're working out and not replacing those calories). Also try changing up 1-2 things in your daily routine of what you eat, that always helps me a lot.

katamus

Step 1. Buy a measuring tape.
Step 2. Throw out scale.
Step 3. Eat more.

alison0511

Have you been taking your body measurements? Or have you only been using the scale to measure your progress?

I am a big supporter of doing both (I weigh once a week, and do measurements every 2-3 weeks).. but it seems to me, since you stopped losing weight around the time you started exercising, that it could be that you are still losing inches/body mass, but building lean muscle at the same time - which can show up on the scale as weight.

How are your clothes fitting these last 3-4 weeks? Have you noticed any difference there? I would suggest taking your measurements if you haven't yet, and then checking them in a couple weeks to see if there is any improvement. If there is, you are probably still heading in the right direction, and don't get frustrated by the number on the scale. If not, then you need to maybe tweak your diet in ways mentioned above.

celtic_girl

Thanks everyone. I lose motivation when I see nothing or very little coming off yet I put weight ON so easily. In a week I could easily put on 3-4 pounds but NEVER lose 3-4 pounds in a week

cwashkowiak

I'm using this advice! Thank You!

wendybird2

You "gain" weight when you start exercising because your body is retaining water. NOT fat. Water. You work your muscles, they develop lots of microscopic tears, so your body increases the amount of blood flowing into those areas to heal them... I think a lot of other sports people will agree with me, but I ALWAYS weigh more in the 1-3 days after a tough workout. That's due to WATER fluctuation, not because of fat. In fact, if you are eating really low calories and doing more working out, your body is going to hang onto everything it can, including the water and the food in your stomach. Like someone above said, if you don't feed your body enough, it will hold onto everything it can and make you feel tired and awful at the same time. For me, real *fat* loss takes up to 2 weeks after starting up a tough work-out plan before I see real results, not just water weight. Be patient, feed your body nutritious food, and you'll start to see change. And I absolutely agree that lifting weights is key! short term weight gain due to increased muscle will eventually lead to fat loss. But it doesn't happen overnight. Or over 3 days. Give it time.

~Wendy~

celtic_girl

Have you been taking your body measurements? Or have you only been using the scale to measure your progress?

I am a big supporter of doing both (I weigh once a week, and do measurements every 2-3 weeks).. but it seems to me, since you stopped losing weight around the time you started exercising, that it could be that you are still losing inches/body mass, but building lean muscle at the same time - which can show up on the scale as weight.

How are your clothes fitting these last 3-4 weeks? Have you noticed any difference there? I would suggest taking your measurements if you haven't yet, and then checking them in a couple weeks to see if there is any improvement. If there is, you are probably still heading in the right direction, and don't get frustrated by the number on the scale. If not, then you need to maybe tweak your diet in ways mentioned above.

Yes I did take measurements but I haven't checked them for a couple of weeks. I will check tonight. I wear a lot of loose fitting clothes at the moment so it's hard to tell if they're fitting me differently. I can't fit back into my jeans yet

santa_nethy

I'm in the same position and posted about this over the weekend. And I was so amazed by the responses - that I'm now doing the Eat More To Weigh Less, and aiming to reduce my body fat, so its not all about the scales. I went to that scooby site that somebody has posted for you to visit, did my BMR and TDEE, and I've no upped my calories to 1771 a day. Given, I've only done that for 3 days, but its nice not to feel hungry and knowing that I'm giving my body the fuel it needs to do a good workout. I've been SO tired recently, especially when I had a tough spin class, that it made me feel quite lethargic afterwards - but now I know its because 1200 calories wasn't enough!

So now I'm trying to adjust to eating more calories, but of healthier food. Don't think I've quite managed it yet. I need more protein snacks, but can't think of anything so going to post about it. I love these forums!

Good luck - hope you see the changes you're after by following the advice of these very knowledgable people!

celtic_girl

I checked on the site scoobysworkshop and it has given me 1300 calories to eat if I want to lose weight and 1620 to maintain my weight.

Ivana331

Have you taken pictures?
I have been at the same weight for about 3 weeks now, and I take pictures to check my progress. Even though the scale is not moving down, I am clearly getting slimmer! Maybe that is happening with you, also I highly recommend eating back exercise calories, that way your body is getting enough fuel for the day.

SoDamnHungry

Try putting a little butter on it and trying to wiggle it out.

Ivana331

I checked on the site scoobysworkshop and it has given me 1300 calories to eat if I want to lose weight and 1620 to maintain my weight.

are you netting 1300? Just because you are eating 1300, doesn't mean you are netting that much. if you eat 1300, burn off 400 with exercise and don't eat those back then you are only netting 900, which is below the 1300 you need to lose weight.

californiagirl2012

It depends on a lot of things.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale though: water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose weight when they eat more because of these fluctuations.

I Ignore exercise calories because they are over estimated. Most people underestimate calories so give it 10% less in the total. Also packaging will underestimate because legally they can put more not less so they will error on the more side.

If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for women over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I am a living breathing example of that. I went from obese to now under 12% BF and I've maintained for one year and built muscle the whole time. You don't BUILD muscle in starvation mode, so I proved everyone wrong. And I learned it all from The Venus Index Workout manuals and the Anything Goes Diet.

I am a big fan of progress pictures, front, side, and back to see progress that metrics does not show.
I hope this helps you.

blog bobbiesfitness.com

med2017

ive been stuck for like two months now and i is the worst in the world and i only have 5 pounds to loose... i do exercise as well.

santa_nethy

is 1300 cals your TDEE minus 20/15 or 10%?