Stuck!

roswyn80

I've been stuck gaining and losing the same 1-2lbs for the last two weeks or so. They go, they come back, they go again, they come back... I can't seem to shift them permanently!

For the last three weeks or so, I've been eating at my BMR, which is around 1800. My diary's set to 1770, I eat back whatever I've burnt off.

There have been one or two slip-ups where I've binged and gone over; is that why I've been fluctuating?

Could it be because I've been lazy with exercising? I've not really done much other than my typical daily walking.

Should I drop back down to fewer calories in a day (I'm happiest around 1400, in terms of the actual amount I'm eating for that), to see if that helps?

My diary is set public, so anyone can take a look. I don't log my water, but I drink a minimum of 3l a day.

All suggestions are welcome!

morganadk2_deleted

Diary is not visible

thriftycupl

I know it may seem counterintuitive but try upping your calories by 100 or so for a week and see what happens. Sometimes our bodies get stuck and we need to swtich it up some.

Another suggestion, go to the search in the message boards here and search for plateau. Lots of information out there from others who've been through similar situations.

painauxraisin

Your diary is closed.

roswyn80

Oops! I thought my diary was visible. Fixed it now! Sorry!

JesterMFP

I would give it another couple of weeks and see what happens. If you're still not losing, consider raising or lowering your calories. If you are eating pretty much bang on your BMR, I would personally try raising them slightly. The answer could just be that weight loss is not linear. Not everyone loses a noticeable amount every week. For the past few months, I have found that I stay the same (fluctuating like you) for 2 or 3 weeks, and then suddenly drop a few pounds over 1 or 2 days (which is a lot now I'm close to goal). It doesn't always come off smoothly. If anything has been making you retain water (increased sodium, increased carbs, intense exercise, hormonal changes) then that water retention could be masking fat loss on the scale.

Sweetsugar0424

I would give it another couple of weeks and see what happens. If you're still not losing, consider raising or lowering your calories. If you are eating pretty much bang on your BMR, I would personally try raising them slightly. The answer could just be that weight loss is not linear. Not everyone loses a noticeable amount every week. For the past few months, I have found that I stay the same (fluctuating like you) for 2 or 3 weeks, and then suddenly drop a few pounds over 1 or 2 days (which is a lot now I'm close to goal). It doesn't always come off smoothly. If anything has been making you retain water (increased sodium, increased carbs, intense exercise, hormonal changes) then that water retention could be masking fat loss on the scale.

^ This

I just spent the last 2 weeks basically fluctuating and then all of a sudden yesterday I went down 0.6 lbs and another 1.2 lbs today.

MinnieInMaine

I would suggest adding sodium to your food diary - didn't go back far enough to see your "oops" days but at least in my experience, if I'm way over it's because I've had restaurant food or too many treats and in most cases, that means extra sodium too.

And as Jester said, it could just be one of those times where your body is playing catch up. I go through the same thing where I just start getting frustrated and think about trying to change things up and bam, I lose 1 or 2 pounds. No one ever tells us that patience is key with weight loss, but it really is!

Might not hurt to up your exercise, it's good for you anyway so try to do more if you can.

Good luck!

kellicci

I agree just give it time.

I also second the watch your sodium. I gain 2 pounds form water weight when I have 2 much soduim....but at least I know it's temporary.

Looking at your diary you are almost always under protein and close to or over on carbs. Have you thought about changing up your macros to a slightly higher protein setting. I did and I found I really like it I concentrate ongetting all my protein in and carbs and sugars are just low by default.

roswyn80

Thanks everyone for the advice!

Kellicci, I'm a sucker for my carbs... and not such a big fan of most protein sources. I'm not a big meat eater (though I will occasionally crave a slab of steak!), I don't like fish, and the only time I really eat eggs is if I cook them on a weekend. Dairy and I aren't always best friends, either. Are there any other ways you'd suggest I add more protein to my diet?

mulderpf

Can I suggest that you start properly weighing your food (especially the calorie-heavy things like carbs!).

You will be surprised what a big difference it makes when you weigh your food vs just measuring it (a cup of rice can vary quite a bit and that can vary a LOT in calorie numbers).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

Have a look at this video.

Also, be careful - 1 cup of sauteed vegetables? I'm not sure if that's in your recipes, but if its just something you found on MFP, do you know what's in that cup vs your cup - any hidden calories in yours like oil? Or maybe you used starchy vegetables?

Things like 1 slice of garlic bread, I can't understand how it can contain only 100 calories (if it's made the way I make garlic bread).

And then "Generic Fried Spring Rolls". I don't think there's anything too generic about spring rolls. Your diary says that you had 2 springs rolls containing only 80 calories? Again, it's a "generic" food and we don't know what the "author" intended, but I don't know of many single spring rolls containing only 40 calories!!!

Some other things, while I'm looking at your diary - how did you only have 9.9g of onion, 12.21 g of brocolli - these measurements seem very small and strange too.

And then, I'll stop clicking through your diary now, because you have enough to go on I think - I see more things like "Generic - Arab Cheese Pastry" - pastries differ and it's very possible that you could have easily under- or over-counted calories when using a generic entry. Try to get the most accurate figures possible.

Things to look out for is to go through your diary and look at the "larger" number of calories first and ask yourself if this was 100% accurate or if you could have been more accurate with it. "French Fries - Medium, 1 medium" - well, medium differs depending on how hungry I am (and usually how many calories I have left for the day, if I have little left, I'm more inclined to guess medium rather than large and this could make a HUGE difference).

Good luck!!

roswyn80

Can I suggest that you start properly weighing your food (especially the calorie-heavy things like carbs!).

You will be surprised what a big difference it makes when you weigh your food vs just measuring it (a cup of rice can vary quite a bit and that can vary a LOT in calorie numbers).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

Have a look at this video.

Also, be careful - 1 cup of sauteed vegetables? I'm not sure if that's in your recipes, but if its just something you found on MFP, do you know what's in that cup vs your cup - any hidden calories in yours like oil? Or maybe you used starchy vegetables?

Things like 1 slice of garlic bread, I can't understand how it can contain only 100 calories (if it's made the way I make garlic bread).

And then "Generic Fried Spring Rolls". I don't think there's anything too generic about spring rolls. Your diary says that you had 2 springs rolls containing only 80 calories? Again, it's a "generic" food and we don't know what the "author" intended, but I don't know of many single spring rolls containing only 40 calories!!!

Some other things, while I'm looking at your diary - how did you only have 9.9g of onion, 12.21 g of brocolli - these measurements seem very small and strange too.

And then, I'll stop clicking through your diary now, because you have enough to go on I think - I see more things like "Generic - Arab Cheese Pastry" - pastries differ and it's very possible that you could have easily under- or over-counted calories when using a generic entry. Try to get the most accurate figures possible.

Things to look out for is to go through your diary and look at the "larger" number of calories first and ask yourself if this was 100% accurate or if you could have been more accurate with it. "French Fries - Medium, 1 medium" - well, medium differs depending on how hungry I am (and usually how many calories I have left for the day, if I have little left, I'm more inclined to guess medium rather than large and this could make a HUGE difference).

Good luck!!

My diary this week has been a lot of estimated food, as I've been too busy/tired to cook, and out of my office a lot, meaning I've had to order in. So the spring rolls, the sauteed veggies, the beef stroganoff and more are just approximations based on what I had from the restaurant, and are therefore not 100% accurate.

The majority of restaurants here do not display their calories, and are not listed on MFP - unless I choose international options such as McDonald's, Subway and so on. Even then, the local Subway calories will vary to what the US site says, so that's just an approximation.

Normally, I cook my own lunches. I weigh everything meticulously.

The '9.9g of onion, 12.21 g of brocolli' are from a bulk meal I made, which I entered into my diary as a 'meal' rather than saving it as a 'recipe'. It was vegetable rice, enough for three days, therefore that shows a full amount split into three: 9.9g of onion was 30g originally, and 12.21 was 37g.

So... yeah. I do weigh everything. My scale is my most-used kitchen tool. I'm aware that my diary isn't 100% accurate at the moment, but the approximations are the best I can manage until work dies down and gives me the chance to breathe, let alone to cook.

emtjmac

Judging by what you have been eating, your sodium is through the roof. Add sodium to the things you track and stay under the macro if you want to avoid water retention.