2 Month Plateau

lwagnitz

I've been stuck at a 2 month plateau. I keep felxing between 178.6 and 180.5 and can't get below it. It's difficult for me to use exercise to break a plateau with exercise because I have hip problems (one day I'll be perfectly fine, the next day I'm practically bed ridden)

Any suggestions on how to break it, and why the plateau is so long?

Could it possibly be that my body had been sitting at this weight for a long time? I was 180 for awhile, and reached highest of 190, and sat there only for a few months at that weight, and lost the first 10 lbs in a week in a half... and yes it was healthily. I'm not quite sure why I dropped it all that quickly but I was eating 1500 cals, and exercising 3x a week.

junebaby21

I am no doctor, but the other forums I have read about this topic say to "shock your body". Either change your workout (which you mention may be a challenge) or increase your calorie intake. I'm interested to see what other people say!

Gulzilly

I took a look at your diary. You don't have enough protein, way too much processed stuff and fast food. Eat clean, eat consistent, cut out processed, fast food, sugary treats(like your coffeemate/creamer) and do consistent exercise. If you have hip problems, walk at a brisk pace for 3-4 miles daily until your body can acclimate and then add interval runs and walks. Look at doing youtube clips of mat exercises for abs, arms, shoulders, etc...

Or try websites such as this to find workouts you can do/adjust for your hip issues: http://www.benderfitness.com/2012/01/all-about-abs-fitness-bender-workout.html

Just as you said, your hip issues may also be because of all the weight your carrying around> I know that since I've lost the last 20 lbs, I no longer have lower back issues.

clopez1987

I am no doctor, but the other forums I have read about this topic say to "shock your body". Either change your workout (which you mention may be a challenge) or increase your calorie intake. I'm interested to see what other people say!

If you have a routine you follow daily, you might want to change it, your body could have gotten used to it , i would say switch it up a bit..

Love_flowers

You need to change something. Maybe your eating

cedarghost

You just lowered your calorie goals this week, right? It usually takes me AT LEAST a month after changing my calorie intake to see the effect.
I have went 6 weeks without showing a loss then had 2.5 pounds in one week. I don't know why, just the way my body works. Two months does seem to be time to look at a change though and you did that by lowering your calorie goal.
How long have you been tracking calories and weight loss? If it has been over a month, figure your true TDEE by adding up all your calories for a month and comparing to your weight lost for that much then adding back in the calories for the weight your lost.
For example if you ate 28000 calories a month and lost 1 pound, you would add 3500 calories (1 pounds worth) into 28000 which would be 31,500 then divide that by 30 and there you have your TDEE. Eat 10% to 20% less than that depending on how much weight you have left to lose.
Or you could eat at that TDEE number for a week or so to give your body a break and let all your hormone levels (leptin, etc.) get back to normal.

firstsip

I took a look at your diary. You don't have enough protein, way too much processed stuff and fast food. Eat clean, eat consistent, cut out processed, fast food, sugary treats(like your coffeemate/creamer) and do consistent exercise. If you have hip problems, walk at a brisk pace for 3-4 miles daily until your body can acclimate and then add interval runs and walks. Look at doing youtube clips of mat exercises for abs, arms, shoulders, etc...

Or try websites such as this to find workouts you can do/adjust for your hip issues: http://www.benderfitness.com/2012/01/all-about-abs-fitness-bender-workout.html

Just as you said, your hip issues may also be because of all the weight your carrying around> I know that since I've lost the last 20 lbs, I no longer have lower back issues.

On this note, you don't track anything but the three main macros... try monitoring your sugar and sodium. Sodium could literally be causing bloat to keep your weight from moving, especially if you're not balancing with water and other electrolytes... and looking at your diary, you are ingesting quite a bit more sodium than you might realize.

kimosabe1

I read about this and it said that while working out, go for a huge effort that is like a 10 for you and then return to normal......It said to do this every 5 minutes.....

Crochetluvr

I agree with pretty much what has been recommended. I checked further back in your diary and you go over with your carbs a lot. Try lowering them consistently instead of once in a while. You may see a difference.

kenazfehu

Too much fast food.
Not enough fruits and vegetables.

I think if you prepare food for yourself more often and include a variety of fruits and vegetables, you will see a difference.

lwagnitz

I took a look at your diary. You don't have enough protein, way too much processed stuff and fast food. Eat clean, eat consistent, cut out processed, fast food, sugary treats(like your coffeemate/creamer) and do consistent exercise. If you have hip problems, walk at a brisk pace for 3-4 miles daily until your body can acclimate and then add interval runs and walks. Look at doing youtube clips of mat exercises for abs, arms, shoulders, etc...

Or try websites such as this to find workouts you can do/adjust for your hip issues: http://www.benderfitness.com/2012/01/all-about-abs-fitness-bender-workout.html

Just as you said, your hip issues may also be because of all the weight your carrying around> I know that since I've lost the last 20 lbs, I no longer have lower back issues.

I generally don't eat like that. Even with coffee mate I don't... only when I have a "sweet tooth" because that's enough to do it. The fast food and eating out is generally not my normal diet. The past few weeks my husband and I have rarely been home because we have a lot of work, school, interviews, etc, running to Milwaukee, etc, so it's really our only option right now. I try to get the best choices as possible...most of the time It's hard sometimes too, because I'm not really seeing results, so it's pretty easy to fall off course.


**Also the hip issue thing is a long term injury I've had since I was 13. I was in soccer and tore my cartilage, and it also have to do with how I'm buildt, and I'm due for another surgery on both hips, so it's not because of my weight. It's because of my hips that I've gained the weight (besides the unhealthy eating, obviously) because I went from extremely athletic , i.e. several sports at a time, which ultimately led to the injury, to almost sedentary. The "limping" and off balance has now caused an SI joint issue which aggrivates my sciatic nerve, so basically right now, all I can do is get cortisone shots, I've tried everything else. I'm not making excuses, and I almost always just push through it, but I'm learning the hard way that I need to listen to my body and my doctors.

ChristyRunStarr

Maybe increase your calories a bit-1250 seems a bit low. If you do change it, you need to give yourself a week or more for your body to get used to it. I hit a plateau for awhile and increased my calories and starting losing again. I've also found it helpful (for me at least, everyone is different) to make more food at home. If you want tacos have them, just make them at home so you get less calories and can add more of the things you love and less of what you don't.

cedarghost

I took a look at your diary. You don't have enough protein, way too much processed stuff and fast food. Eat clean, eat consistent, cut out processed, fast food, sugary treats(like your coffeemate/creamer)

This may help with the way you feel and may effect the speed of weight loss, but it won't stop it. Meaning, if your calories in are less than your calories out, you WILL lose weight, no matter if you eat Twinkies, Pizza or protein shakes.
Hormones, on the other hand can severely limit weight loss as can other issues like thyroid problems, etc.

Whatever you do, don't overthink and compound your problem. Maybe do a diet reset (eat at maintenance for a week or so) to let your hormones get back to normal. Then adjust your calories to about 10 to 20% below maintenance.
If your hormones are normal and you don't have any other medical issues and you eat less than you burn, you will lose weight. Doesn't matter what you eat (though it will affect the speed of weight loss and muscle gain), as long as you eat less than you burn.
If that doesn't work, don't listen to anyone on here. See a doctor and get some blood work done. Maybe even have your RMR tested.
Good luck!

donyellemoniquex3

try:
upping your calories
taking in more fiber
flip flopping your routine and go more intense

firstsip

I took a look at your diary. You don't have enough protein, way too much processed stuff and fast food. Eat clean, eat consistent, cut out processed, fast food, sugary treats(like your coffeemate/creamer) and do consistent exercise. If you have hip problems, walk at a brisk pace for 3-4 miles daily until your body can acclimate and then add interval runs and walks. Look at doing youtube clips of mat exercises for abs, arms, shoulders, etc...

Or try websites such as this to find workouts you can do/adjust for your hip issues: http://www.benderfitness.com/2012/01/all-about-abs-fitness-bender-workout.html

Just as you said, your hip issues may also be because of all the weight your carrying around> I know that since I've lost the last 20 lbs, I no longer have lower back issues.

I generally don't eat like that. Even with coffee mate I don't... only when I have a "sweet tooth" because that's enough to do it. The fast food and eating out is generally not my normal diet. The past few weeks my husband and I have rarely been home because we have a lot of work, school, interviews, etc, running to Milwaukee, etc, so it's really our only option right now. I try to get the best choices as possible...most of the time It's hard sometimes too, because I'm not really seeing results, so it's pretty easy to fall off course.

I expected a response like this (even though this isn't a direct response to me). You *do* normally eat like this. I went back to August, and you are ingesting processed food everyday, and fast food/restaraunt food an average of three to four times a week. You track infrequently... you'll have two or three days you don't track, which CAN add up.

So you've been having not the most conducive eating habits for weight loss for over two months.

And you've been on a plateau for two months.

Even if you don't "generally eat like this" or whatever you want to say, you've been doing so for 1/4 of the year and have clearly not made the progress you want, hence why you posted in the forums. So it doesn't matter if you eat like this all the time, or rarely--the fact is, you've been eating like it recently and it's prevented success.

If, like you asked, you want to know what to do to get past that weight point, try dropping out the things loaded with sodium, sugar, carbs, fat, etc.

Eating out is not the only option. It's just the "easy" option. You can prepare meals and snacks to take with you wherever you go (which is cheaper, too, something I'd think a young married couple going to school would be into!).

If you legitimately want to lose weight, and can't exercise frequently, you need to put the extra work into your diet in order to get results.

mdhummel

I noticed your food diary includes a lot of foods high in carbs, sugar and fat. Instead of just oatmeal and coffee for breakfast try adding a yogurt to the meal or makes a veggie omelette instead for protein and veggies. You aren't eating a lot of calories so you need to eat better food if you want to continue losing weight. Ditch the toast and jelly and the Taco Bell and add more lean chicken, fish, beans and vegetables to your diet. Veggies are your friend. They are low in calories, full of nutrients and fiber, and they are filling.

If you can't exercise then you have to be very, very careful about what you eat. Can you do any low impact sports? Swimming, walking, calisthenics? You can work around your hip injury if you only worked your upper body

psuLemon

Do yourself a huge favor and set your account to maintain for one week. This should help regulate your hormones and reduce the stress on your body (yes, a calorie deficit is stress). Then when you come off the maintenance, set your account to 1 lb. The closer to a normal weight, the more food your body needs as your fat stores can't store as much. And then on days your body feels like it can exercise, then eat either 50% of your exercise calories (if MFP is estimating) or at least another 200-300 calories to fuel your body.

lwagnitz

Do yourself a huge favor and set your account to maintain for one week. This should help regulate your hormones and reduce the stress on your body (yes, a calorie deficit is stress). Then when you come off the maintenance, set your account to 1 lb. The closer to a normal weight, the more food your body needs as your fat stores can't store as much. And then on days your body feels like it can exercise, then eat either 50% of your exercise calories (if MFP is estimating) or at least another 200-300 calories to fuel your body.

I think I'll try this. Do you recommend doing this throughout my weigh loss, or only when I'm hitting plateaus?

firstsip

I took a look at your diary. You don't have enough protein, way too much processed stuff and fast food. Eat clean, eat consistent, cut out processed, fast food, sugary treats(like your coffeemate/creamer) and do consistent exercise. If you have hip problems, walk at a brisk pace for 3-4 miles daily until your body can acclimate and then add interval runs and walks. Look at doing youtube clips of mat exercises for abs, arms, shoulders, etc...

Or try websites such as this to find workouts you can do/adjust for your hip issues: http://www.benderfitness.com/2012/01/all-about-abs-fitness-bender-workout.html

Just as you said, your hip issues may also be because of all the weight your carrying around> I know that since I've lost the last 20 lbs, I no longer have lower back issues.

On this note, you don't track anything but the three main macros... try monitoring your sugar and sodium. Sodium could literally be causing bloat to keep your weight from moving, especially if you're not balancing with water and other electrolytes... and looking at your diary, you are ingesting quite a bit more sodium than you might realize.

both of you are more than welcome to look at my diary....and tell me how wrong i am.

I'm assuming this is sarcastic as your diary is not open. I'm guessing you're primed to fight about 'IIFYM.' I agree with that, and don't think you need to eat clean all the time.

If you do that and have success, great.... the OP has not moved beyond a plateau she is frustrated with, and is ingesting huge amounts of sodium and not fitting her macros.

So... what were you saying?

psuLemon

Do yourself a huge favor and set your account to maintain for one week. This should help regulate your hormones and reduce the stress on your body (yes, a calorie deficit is stress). Then when you come off the maintenance, set your account to 1 lb. The closer to a normal weight, the more food your body needs as your fat stores can't store as much. And then on days your body feels like it can exercise, then eat either 50% of your exercise calories (if MFP is estimating) or at least another 200-300 calories to fuel your body.

I think I'll try this. Do you recommend doing this throughout my weigh loss, or only when I'm hitting plateaus?

I do this once every 90 days... And I have a rest week (mostly flexibility training once every 4 weeks). I have only had one weight loss plateau. Not only has it worked for me, it's worked for a bunch of others I have designed plans for.

lwagnitz

Do yourself a huge favor and set your account to maintain for one week. This should help regulate your hormones and reduce the stress on your body (yes, a calorie deficit is stress). Then when you come off the maintenance, set your account to 1 lb. The closer to a normal weight, the more food your body needs as your fat stores can't store as much. And then on days your body feels like it can exercise, then eat either 50% of your exercise calories (if MFP is estimating) or at least another 200-300 calories to fuel your body.

I think I'll try this. Do you recommend doing this throughout my weigh loss, or only when I'm hitting plateaus?

This is not entirely correct. The entire premises of metabolic regulation is false. Does this work? Yes, but has nothing to do with metabolism.

You can do what this person said, or just eat at maintenance one day, and 1000 calories under the next. This will also work. I think this method is better. You get consistant weight loss. Going high for a little bit then back down for a while can lead to stall outs. Then you have to go back up again.

What do you mean, one day, and then under the next? By that I'm asking, do 2,000 calories one day (which is maintenance for me), and then 1,000 calories (or 1,200 rather) the next ,and do this constantly? Or just do this for those TWO days to break it?

psuLemon

Do yourself a huge favor and set your account to maintain for one week. This should help regulate your hormones and reduce the stress on your body (yes, a calorie deficit is stress). Then when you come off the maintenance, set your account to 1 lb. The closer to a normal weight, the more food your body needs as your fat stores can't store as much. And then on days your body feels like it can exercise, then eat either 50% of your exercise calories (if MFP is estimating) or at least another 200-300 calories to fuel your body.

I think I'll try this. Do you recommend doing this throughout my weigh loss, or only when I'm hitting plateaus?

This is not entirely correct. The entire premises of metabolic regulation is false. Does this work? Yes, but has nothing to do with metabolism.

You can do what this person said, or just eat at maintenance one day, and 1000 calories under the next. This will also work. I think this method is better. You get consistant weight loss. Going high for a little bit then back down for a while can lead to stall outs. Then you have to go back up again.

Where did I even mention the word metabolism in there? And if you know it works, why would you not suggest it? Why would you force a larger deficit? I can tell you this method I suggest has worked for me and well as a large portion of the people that send me messages and I set calorie goals for. I can tell you that i have done increases as large as 800 calories and within 30 days have produces results as large as 3% cut in body fat. While you might not think it will work, I bet I could do the same for you.

firstsip

Lol, okay OP, looks like you're ignoring everyone that has pointed out your diary. Good luck upping your calories--just try not to make it all Taco Bell and frozen pizza -_-

lwagnitz

Do yourself a huge favor and set your account to maintain for one week. This should help regulate your hormones and reduce the stress on your body (yes, a calorie deficit is stress). Then when you come off the maintenance, set your account to 1 lb. The closer to a normal weight, the more food your body needs as your fat stores can't store as much. And then on days your body feels like it can exercise, then eat either 50% of your exercise calories (if MFP is estimating) or at least another 200-300 calories to fuel your body.

I think I'll try this. Do you recommend doing this throughout my weigh loss, or only when I'm hitting plateaus?

This is not entirely correct. The entire premises of metabolic regulation is false. Does this work? Yes, but has nothing to do with metabolism.

You can do what this person said, or just eat at maintenance one day, and 1000 calories under the next. This will also work. I think this method is better. You get consistant weight loss. Going high for a little bit then back down for a while can lead to stall outs. Then you have to go back up again.

Where did I even mention the word metabolism in there? And if you know it works, why would you not suggest it? Why would you force a larger deficit? I can tell you this method I suggest has worked for me and well as a large portion of the people that send me messages and I set calorie goals for. I can tell you that i have done increases as large as 800 calories and within 30 days have produces results as large as 3% cut in body fat. While you might not think it will work, I bet I could do the same for you.

I think I'm going to try this yours ^^. As far as I can tell, I have a decent metabolism, so it's not really what I'm worried about. Also will be watching carb and salt intake... I KNOW that has a lot to do with it...seeing as though those are my weaknesses. & yes, I've been eating out a lot, but that is not a hard habit to break.

Here goes nothing...

firstsip

I took a look at your diary. You don't have enough protein, way too much processed stuff and fast food. Eat clean, eat consistent, cut out processed, fast food, sugary treats(like your coffeemate/creamer) and do consistent exercise. If you have hip problems, walk at a brisk pace for 3-4 miles daily until your body can acclimate and then add interval runs and walks. Look at doing youtube clips of mat exercises for abs, arms, shoulders, etc...

Or try websites such as this to find workouts you can do/adjust for your hip issues: http://www.benderfitness.com/2012/01/all-about-abs-fitness-bender-workout.html

Just as you said, your hip issues may also be because of all the weight your carrying around> I know that since I've lost the last 20 lbs, I no longer have lower back issues.

On this note, you don't track anything but the three main macros... try monitoring your sugar and sodium. Sodium could literally be causing bloat to keep your weight from moving, especially if you're not balancing with water and other electrolytes... and looking at your diary, you are ingesting quite a bit more sodium than you might realize.

both of you are more than welcome to look at my diary....and tell me how wrong i am.

I'm assuming this is sarcastic as your diary is not open. I'm guessing you're primed to fight about 'IIFYM.' I agree with that, and don't think you need to eat clean all the time.

If you do that and have success, great.... the OP has not moved beyond a plateau she is frustrated with, and is ingesting huge amounts of sodium and not fitting her macros.

So... what were you saying?

No that's not my intention to fight the IIFYM. ha I don't even pay attention to my macros anymore. I am just saying the thing you said really aren't the issue. I think most important aspect for people who are over weight is to get down to their goal weight. Being over weight is the greatest health risk, it affects so many other things. Then if they want, clean up their diet. As i said weight loss is priority number 1. No need to add more variables to the equation, such as eat certain foods, or certain macro %.

She's not losing weight. Her macros and sodium are out of whack. She asked why she might be on a two month plateau. I said how out of whack macros and heavily imbalance electrolytes can cause serious bloat. How is what I'm saying "not really the issue"? I directly answered her question.

lwagnitz

Lol, okay OP, looks like you're ignoring everyone that has pointed out your diary. Good luck upping your calories--just try not to make it all Taco Bell and frozen pizza -_-

Just because I didn't reply doesn't mean I didn't take it into consideration. However, in my profile I state that I don't log EVERYDAY, because of my lifestyle, and generally use MFP as a guide. The days I don't log generally means that I knew I ate good that day. I feel more inclined to log on here when I ate badly. My life has been very busy and hectic lately and filled with a lot of stress. Unfortunately, my lifestyle right now doesn't allow me to eat exactly how I'd like to. A lot of times eating out is the only option for me, and I try to go with the best choices to make that I know how to. I still manage to meet my calorie goals. There's also been about 10 birthday parties in the past month, a long with several other celebrations that have occurred, so with these events I do what I can with what I have. Also, on a side note, I don't eat frozen pizza . Not everyone has the option to ONLY eat lean meats and veggies for everything, although that WOULD be my ideal, and actually prefer those foods. I like to be able to make it a lifestyle thing, not strictly a diet, therefore be able to able to eat so I can adapt to the "real world". I'm not trying to make excuses, but that's just how my life is, and probably will always be, at least while I'm in school. Are there changes I can make? Sure. There's not ignoring that. Specifically in the carb and sodium area. I just don't appreciate sny remarks when you don't understand my day to day life.

lwagnitz

I agree with pretty much what has been recommended. I checked further back in your diary and you go over with your carbs a lot. Try lowering them consistently instead of once in a while. You may see a difference.

Yes, I def need to work on that, thanks.

firstsip

I took a look at your diary. You don't have enough protein, way too much processed stuff and fast food. Eat clean, eat consistent, cut out processed, fast food, sugary treats(like your coffeemate/creamer) and do consistent exercise. If you have hip problems, walk at a brisk pace for 3-4 miles daily until your body can acclimate and then add interval runs and walks. Look at doing youtube clips of mat exercises for abs, arms, shoulders, etc...

Or try websites such as this to find workouts you can do/adjust for your hip issues: http://www.benderfitness.com/2012/01/all-about-abs-fitness-bender-workout.html

Just as you said, your hip issues may also be because of all the weight your carrying around> I know that since I've lost the last 20 lbs, I no longer have lower back issues.

On this note, you don't track anything but the three main macros... try monitoring your sugar and sodium. Sodium could literally be causing bloat to keep your weight from moving, especially if you're not balancing with water and other electrolytes... and looking at your diary, you are ingesting quite a bit more sodium than you might realize.

both of you are more than welcome to look at my diary....and tell me how wrong i am.

I'm assuming this is sarcastic as your diary is not open. I'm guessing you're primed to fight about 'IIFYM.' I agree with that, and don't think you need to eat clean all the time.

If you do that and have success, great.... the OP has not moved beyond a plateau she is frustrated with, and is ingesting huge amounts of sodium and not fitting her macros.

So... what were you saying?

No that's not my intention to fight the IIFYM. ha I don't even pay attention to my macros anymore. I am just saying the thing you said really aren't the issue. I think most important aspect for people who are over weight is to get down to their goal weight. Being over weight is the greatest health risk, it affects so many other things. Then if they want, clean up their diet. As i said weight loss is priority number 1. No need to add more variables to the equation, such as eat certain foods, or certain macro %.

She's not losing weight. Her macros and sodium are out of whack. She asked why she might be on a two month plateau. I said how out of whack macros and heavily imbalance electrolytes can cause serious bloat. How is what I'm saying "not really the issue"? I directly answered her question.

Sodium can play some role, but it's not that big. 2-3lbs or so, glycogen(carbs) can also play a role. Inflammation from workouts too. It's not like sodium is going to have you keep on gaining weight as you lose body fat. There will be a point a few lbs where the fat loss will be greater than the sodium bsaed water retention and she would be losing weight.

The issue you mentioned is macro balance. It doesn't matter. People will mostly talk about protein, i have seen studies where and dietry recommendations on protein from 60-120g. lower end being for women. Think vegans. Their muscles just don't dissapear. Carbs are protein sparing. So in the end it really doesn't matter, eating within reason, people are fine.

... She's been fluctuating 1 lb for two months. She hasn't gained, meaning she very well could be losing some body fat (or muscle, since she's on a low deficit and doesn't seem to be working out much), which means that YES, that amount of skewed macros and micros could lead to a 1-2 lb swing of water retention, especially if you add in two months of ovulation and menstruation (which I assume, OP, you are doing). She's a not super active nineteen year old woman. She is going to be predisposed to bloat. An excess of carbs and sugar can ALSO contribute to bloat, hence why I said macros that aren't very balanced often lead to bloat. So, I wasn't talking about protein at all... but an overall overabundance of carbs and sodium, both of which can lead to constant water retention until alleviated.

And also, in response to OP: lol, okay, did you just log pizza you got out somewhere as "frozen pizza" at one point, because you definitely had a few days back in August/September where you were eating it? I wouldn't have just made it up... just pointing out some of the culprits of super processed, super high sodium foods that can contribute to bloat you've eaten

EDIT: P.S., I wasn't being "sny" (whatever that means); you pointedly ignored the 2-3 people (me included) who critiqued your diary and pointed out how that could be a huge setback, and you commented pretty frequently in this thread... specifically in wanting to jump on the upping your calories by 1000, even though your actual eating habits could use some work.

And yes, you can track when you want... I'm pointing out that "estimations," or falling off track (which you admit you have a hard time with) are going to be possible setbacks in your weight loss.

Whatever you tell yourself, saying, "You don't know my day to day life..." or "I'm so busy..." or "I'm making this choice, it just might be the easiest..." are ALL excuses if you're using them justify an unhealthy choice over a healthy one.

Especially because YOU are the one who is dieting. You're eating processed, unhealthy foods in a very low calorie diet. Do you seriously view veggies and lean meats as "diet" food? A lifestyle change isn't eating 1200 calories of Taco Bell or trail mix in one sitting; that's not sustainable, but you've been doing it for months. Learning to balance foods like that WITH healthier, more nutritious options are what would fit more in your "I want a healthy lifestyle, not a diet" goal. I think some food behavior might need tweaking here ASAP.

You're not very new to the site Surely you know you're not the first person to come to the forums seeking answers, and get a bit defensive when your habits are noted as being a possibility of less than optimum success.

californiagirl2012

I've been stuck at a 2 month plateau. I keep felxing between 178.6 and 180.5 and can't get below it. It's difficult for me to use exercise to break a plateau with exercise because I have hip problems (one day I'll be perfectly fine, the next day I'm practically bed ridden)

Any suggestions on how to break it, and why the plateau is so long?

Could it possibly be that my body had been sitting at this weight for a long time? I was 180 for awhile, and reached highest of 190, and sat there only for a few months at that weight, and lost the first 10 lbs in a week in a half... and yes it was healthily. I'm not quite sure why I dropped it all that quickly but I was eating 1500 cals, and exercising 3x a week.

There is no mystery to weight loss, everyone thinks something is wrong, their metabolism is broken, they have low thyroid, they have menopause or whatever issue, they are as unique as a snowflake, whatever. I thought a lot of these things once too but once the doctor helped resolve the health issues for me I learned there is still no magic pill. Most people eat more than they need to and are not at good at estimating calories as they think they are. Most people have a lower BMR than they think they do. The only way to know for sure is to go to a lab and have it tested. It doesn't seem fair to have to eat less and feel a little hunger. It's hard to face the truth of it, very hard. It's not fun. It's drudgery at times. But if you learn to enjoy your smaller amounts of food (necessary to lose weight, since the reason we got fat in the first place was eating too much whether we knew it or not), and rejoice in your victories it can be done.

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 if 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; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

To say eat more is wrong.

To say eat less is wrong.

To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.


Also people play mental accounting games with calories just like with finances. Make steps to make sure you are making accurate measurements. Packaged foods can have MORE than they say but not less (they get in trouble if less so they would rather error with MORE).

If you typically intake sodium at a certain rate your body adjusts, but if you make a sudden change then you will see a spike.

Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

It really is about calories. I tell people this all the time and they say "Well if calories are all that matter why do you eat so clean???!!" Well, because it makes me feel better, sleep better, and perform better at my sports.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

The good thing is you don't have to worry about the starvation mode myth if you are fat. Only skinny people have to worry about starvation mode. It does not mean you have the capability to eat at a large calorie deficit if you have emotional eating disorders or other issues going on, but at least you don't have to be afraid of it anymore.

The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)

Even when you are overweight you can lift weights. Find a good program and start with a variety of dumbbells. Start at your level own level and don't compare yourself to others capabilities. You want to work hard enough for the set that the last few reps are hard and you NEED the break before the next set (approx 60 second break usually). It doesn't matter if it's less reps high weight, or more reps low weight, this rule applies. You don't want to be stuck doing 10-12 reps all the time, change it up.

Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Start lifting now, lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, and you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are female you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulky and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

There is nothing easy about this journey. Don't give up. Keep your eye on the prize. You do not have to be perfect to do this. You just have to have more good days than not. A bad day is not the end of the world. Tomorrow is a new day. Just pick it right up again. Be kind to yourself at all times and never beat yourself up.

Being on a calorie deficit is hard. You can't do this journey on will power alone. You must set up your environment for success. Have a team around you in your real life, not just online. Get trigger foods out of the house. It will take some sacrifice and it's not easy. You might have to say no to some social events sometimes.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.


For me it's all about a calorie budget. I had less of a budget available when I was losing weight, more to spend now that I'm maintaining and all the tools I used for weight loss come into play for the rest of my life maintaining.

When you have accumulated excess fat, you have accumulated a debt. It is hard to pay off the debt (you have less calories to spend). If you are sitting next to someone your same gender and height and they are not overweight and you are, they get to eat more than you (have more calories to spend) because they are debt free. You have less calories to spend because you are paying off your debt.

Wishing you the best! -Bobbie

psuLemon

Do yourself a huge favor and set your account to maintain for one week. This should help regulate your hormones and reduce the stress on your body (yes, a calorie deficit is stress). Then when you come off the maintenance, set your account to 1 lb. The closer to a normal weight, the more food your body needs as your fat stores can't store as much. And then on days your body feels like it can exercise, then eat either 50% of your exercise calories (if MFP is estimating) or at least another 200-300 calories to fuel your body.

I think I'll try this. Do you recommend doing this throughout my weigh loss, or only when I'm hitting plateaus?

This is not entirely correct. The entire premises of metabolic regulation is false. Does this work? Yes, but has nothing to do with metabolism.

You can do what this person said, or just eat at maintenance one day, and 1000 calories under the next. This will also work. I think this method is better. You get consistant weight loss. Going high for a little bit then back down for a while can lead to stall outs. Then you have to go back up again.

Where did I even mention the word metabolism in there? And if you know it works, why would you not suggest it? Why would you force a larger deficit? I can tell you this method I suggest has worked for me and well as a large portion of the people that send me messages and I set calorie goals for. I can tell you that i have done increases as large as 800 calories and within 30 days have produces results as large as 3% cut in body fat. While you might not think it will work, I bet I could do the same for you.

I didn't say it didn't work, i didn't say i don't suggest it either. I said it would work. Think of the method, you said to reduce stress. A lot of people see it as a metabolic reset. That it resets your metabolism. Implying the person's metabolism has slowed down. It does slow down a bit, but the drop isn't that significant. The reason why people stall out is mostly due to water retention. It's called dieters edema. The fat cells can suck up water, water has the same density of fat (well almost the same density) so your fat can actually be replaced with water. It can be a large amount such as 20-30lbs. Eating at higher calorie gets rid of the water. So does a full starvation (24hr fast). The bigger your calorie deficit the greater risk you are for dieters edema. This is why people stall out, ha nothing to do with metabolism. Or they're just eating too much.

The method i described above has every other day eating at maintenance. So this will prevent the entire dieters edema. The eat at maintenance thing would work, but if they cut back down, the dieters edema will start again causing them to eventually stall out, so they have to go up again for a week or so.

Ok, i see where you are coming from on this but I would say that before you did this method (aka calorie cycling), that you would be best off "resetting" your calorie deficit and help regulate your body first. I can tell you from person experience, that once I upped my calories from 1800 all the way up to 2600 and took a week off of exercise, that I have not had an issue with weight loss or even bulking. Additionally, this method (20% below TDEE) has helped me maintain all of my lean body mass (started around 18% body fat, now <12% body fat) and even gained 9 lbs of lean body mass during a bulk phase. I would be interested in seeing how that would play out in terms of recomposition changes through your journey but I haven't seen any scientific data that suggest calorie cycling is any better than a standard small cut from TDEE.

Also, keep in mind that macro adjustments are there to aid recomposition of your body and it may be possible to improve fat loss. High protein/ moderate carb/fat diets are much effective at creating fat loss and preserving lean body mass. That is why macro's are important.

Jackielyn17

I've been stuck at a 2 month plateau. I keep felxing between 178.6 and 180.5 and can't get below it. It's difficult for me to use exercise to break a plateau with exercise because I have hip problems (one day I'll be perfectly fine, the next day I'm practically bed ridden)

Any suggestions on how to break it, and why the plateau is so long?

Could it possibly be that my body had been sitting at this weight for a long time? I was 180 for awhile, and reached highest of 190, and sat there only for a few months at that weight, and lost the first 10 lbs in a week in a half... and yes it was healthily. I'm not quite sure why I dropped it all that quickly but I was eating 1500 cals, and exercising 3x a week.

walking is a good way to help hip issues, but the best type of exercise for anyone with joint issues is to get in a POOL. Take an aqua-fitness class or just walk in the water, you'd be surprised how beneficial it is. I wouldn't recommend swimming breastroke, however front crawl and backstroke would be appropriate types of styles you can do. Plus it helps immensely with muscle toning and good cardiovascular workout.