okay i need a bit of help

time4jenn
time4jenn Posts: 35 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost 21 pounds so far and I am working out- 3-5 times a week. I am eating a low calorie diet and have been trying to stay away from bread, rice and pasta. I need new ideas to help me shred some more weight as I seemed to have reached a plateau and I still need to lose another 20. I am open for suggestions :), please also feel free to add me as a friend as I feel the more friends the more support and ideas :)

Thanks in advance~
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Replies

  • djk721
    djk721 Posts: 59 Member
    are you drinking diet soda or other "sugar free" drinks? If so, cut them out completely. It worked for me!
  • DoingItForME724
    DoingItForME724 Posts: 130 Member
    i'd say your next move would be to eat Pirmal/Paleo.

    Only plants and animals, no processed foods.

    And my favorite part is you can still eat carbs...potatoes(red).

    You really don't have to do it 100% but even 85%-90% will show great results. I've done it for 2 weeks and lost 9 pounds and i have a ton of energy plus im 12 weeks preg, have a 5 month old baby boy and a 2 year old boy.....energy was a faint memory 2 weeks ago.


    Good luck!
  • time4jenn
    time4jenn Posts: 35 Member
    Thank you for your suggestions, I drink green tea and crystal light and I have been avoiding processed foods. I struggle on the weekends when I am around my friends and family and I feel like all my hard work from the week is lost over the weekend.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Thank you for your suggestions, I drink green tea and crystal light and I have been avoiding processed foods. I struggle on the weekends when I am around my friends and family and I feel like all my hard work from the week is lost over the weekend.

    How long have you been stuck at your current weight?
    What is your average intake of calories over this period of "being stuck"?
    Do you weigh food with a food scale?
    Do you track EVERYTHING?
    What is your exercise program like?

    These are important. Diet soda and rice and pasta are irrelevant to your issue.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    Eat more food.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Eat more food.

    Do you know what her current intake is?
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    Thank you for your suggestions, I drink green tea and crystal light and I have been avoiding processed foods. I struggle on the weekends when I am around my friends and family and I feel like all my hard work from the week is lost over the weekend.

    How long have you been stuck at your current weight?
    What is your average intake of calories over this period of "being stuck"?
    Do you weigh food with a food scale?
    Do you track EVERYTHING?
    What is your exercise program like?

    These are important. Diet soda and rice and pasta are irrelevant to your issue.

    My thought was, "How long have you been doing the same exercise routine?" I know if I do the same routine for too long, my body adjusts to it and I'll stop seeing results. You might need to change up your routine a bit.
  • Cranktastic
    Cranktastic Posts: 1,517 Member
    Eat more food.

    Do you know what her current intake is?

    srsly...i cant see her food diary.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    Thank you for your suggestions, I drink green tea and crystal light and I have been avoiding processed foods. I struggle on the weekends when I am around my friends and family and I feel like all my hard work from the week is lost over the weekend.

    How long have you been stuck at your current weight?
    What is your average intake of calories over this period of "being stuck"?
    Do you weigh food with a food scale?
    Do you track EVERYTHING?
    What is your exercise program like?

    These are important. Diet soda and rice and pasta are irrelevant to your issue.

    My thought was, "How long have you been doing the same exercise routine?" I know if I do the same routine for too long, my body adjusts to it and I'll stop seeing results. You might need to change up your routine a bit.

    This sounds scientifically sound
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    Do you know what her current intake is?

    "A low calorie diet", so I'm making the calculated guess that she's probably under BMR.

    Hey OP! What is your daily caloric intake target?
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    My recommendation is go here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html and find out your "total daily energy expenditure" (TDEE). It is a value in calories of what you burn all day long based on your height, weight, age, and estimated activity level.

    Eat about 15% less than that. Do not eat below your "basal metabolic rate" (BMR) which is what you would burn all day if you were in bed watching TV. BMR is what your body needs to fuel life-sustaining processes like respiration and circulation.

    If you eat too little food, your metabolism gets a little funky, and you don't have the energy you need to fuel effective work-outs. You'll be tired and lethargic and end up burning less energy, and thus, seeing less weight-saving impact from the calories you *are* eating.
  • BritneysStuntDouble
    BritneysStuntDouble Posts: 849 Member
    Eat more food.
    Do you know what her current intake is?
    fortune_teller.jpg
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    You could be eating too little OR you may need to drop another 100 cals or so. If you have only been stuck a week or so, it may just be a body adjustment... If it has been 6 weeks or so then maybe change something. Measurement of food may help as well.
  • KStyleFitness
    KStyleFitness Posts: 46 Member
    Start changing things up! Whatever form of exercise you are doing, try something new. If its walking/jogging, try running. If it's cycling, try elliptical. If it's a certain tiem of aerobic class, try a new one. OR, increase the intensity and duration of your current workout to you are pusher yourself harder. As far as eating, there are always ways to look at your foods and clean them up more. Watch your macros more (carb/protein.fat).

    And keep the cheating on weekends to a minimum. I know for me, I just undo all the hard work I've done all week in one day sometimes, and therefore I stay at a plateau. Untill you have sufficiently passed your plateau, NO CHEATS!.
  • time4jenn
    time4jenn Posts: 35 Member
    Thank you everyone for your comments. I am currently eating 1000-1200 calories a day and I am doing Jillian Michaels videos 3-5 times a week, it varies as I go to the gym on my lunch break. I eat mostly veggies and fruit with protein. I am 5' and I am still 30 pounds overweight, I am still over 150 pounds . I was going to try and stop strengthening and start going on the treadmill I just find it boring.
  • cal_73
    cal_73 Posts: 77
    My thought was, "How long have you been doing the same exercise routine?" I know if I do the same routine for too long, my body adjusts to it and I'll stop seeing results. You might need to change up your routine a bit.

    This *might* apply to strength or fitness goals but has nothing to do with weight loss. Burning calories is burning calories.
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
    If you feel like you are undoing your hard work on the weekends, then you may just need to try and clean them up.
  • time4jenn
    time4jenn Posts: 35 Member
    Thank you , my weekends are the worst, i just cant say no and youre right, NO more cheat days until i start losing again :wink:
  • cal_73
    cal_73 Posts: 77
    Thank you everyone for your comments. I am currently eating 1000-1200 calories a day and I am doing Jillian Michaels videos 3-5 times a week, it varies as I go to the gym on my lunch break. I eat mostly veggies and fruit with protein. I am 5' and I am still 30 pounds overweight, I am still over 150 pounds . I was going to try and stop strengthening and start going on the treadmill I just find it boring.

    Keep up the good work. Don't stop strength training - do strength and cardio. Just watch yourself on the weekends :)
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    I definitely understand having a tough time on the weekends while being social. Here are some things that have helped me:

    1. Balance your calories weekly. I'm set at 1400, and during the week (Monday through Thursday) I try to stay under, around 1200, and on Friday-Sunday I can afford to go over a little bit. I still lose consistently this way, and I don't feel like I am depriving myself.

    2. Let your friends know you're watching calories. You don't want to tell them, then splurge on something and think that they're silently judging you! This is kind of silly but it honestly helps me. I want to stay true to my word.

    3. Ramp up your workouts on the weekends so you can afford some extra calories.

    4. Make sure you are "good" on at least one entire day on the weekend. If you know that Sunday you're going to a football party and will want to eat buff chicken dip, stay under your cals on Saturday. This takes time, I know. Slowly work on making it a cheat day instead of a cheat weekend. Then you can work into one cheat meal instead of cheat day.

    5. Try to stay active in general during the weekend. Cleaning the floors, raking outside, taking the dog for a hike, etc. helps a lot. Plus if you're like me and have a desk job, the last thing you want to do all weekend is sit on your butt in front of a computer.

    Hopefully these help!!
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    EAT!!!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I am currently eating 1000-1200 calories a day

    And this is more likely the culprit. Too little calories = angry body. Set you goal to 1 lb per week and lightly active. This will supply your body will more fuel and stop your body from preventing you from losing weight. More than likely, you shoudl be around 1600 calories a day or more.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    You are currently eating under your BMR.

    Please look at this group. Time and time again people have described plateaus like the one you describe and have actually fixed it and started losing by increasing their calories.


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less
  • firefoxxie
    firefoxxie Posts: 381 Member
    Thank you for your suggestions, I drink green tea and crystal light and I have been avoiding processed foods. I struggle on the weekends when I am around my friends and family and I feel like all my hard work from the week is lost over the weekend.
    I'd suggest skipping the crystal light completely. I recently had a talk with a nutritionist and she said crystal light and any other products that flavor water artificially are a big no no. Try different teas :) I like drinking all different types of green tea mixes(the teabags from lipton).

    Also, try switching up your calorie intake. Try a zig-zagging
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    One last thing. If you drop anything, drop cardio and add more weight training. This is much better for cutting fat and maintaining lean body mass. Additionally, do yourself a favor, take one week off from all exercise, and set your account to maintain. After that, come back, set it at 1 lb per week and lightly active. Then you do not have to eat back exercise calories and you can fuel your body properly. You can also adjust macro's to 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats.
  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    1000 to 1200 a day...

    Do people actually read the forums or even the big red text that MFP declares you're eating too little?


    Sheesh.
  • Tapdol
    Tapdol Posts: 2
    I like that site, thank you. I am eating at the BMR when on my plan. So, if I add in exercise, the weight should drop?
  • ashleydmassey
    ashleydmassey Posts: 106 Member
    I will add you. We are about the same height and weight. Maybe we can bounce ideas off each other. I noticed that my weight loss slowed down some, too, for a short time, but picked right back up and is coming off consistently again.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I like that site, thank you. I am eating at the BMR when on my plan. So, if I add in exercise, the weight should drop?

    If you exercise, it might be better to eat a few hundred calories above your BMR to help fuel your body.
  • ManEnMotion
    ManEnMotion Posts: 73 Member
    lots of ideas here.

    This is what works for me

    tell the friends your plans to lose some weight and ask them to support you during the weekend. My first week on my diet and I went to 2 BBQs. The First , I request my hamburger without the bun and on mustard. I had the salad they had available but I snuck in my own dressing.

    Most people kept asking about what I could and could not eat. Many thought I was crazy that I wasn't worried about the fat content of a hamburger patty and didn't believe me that bread was on my "bad list".

    When I go out eat I always find the healthiest choice to eat....Plain wings with sauce on the side

    Now that I lost 50 lbs in just over 2 months those friends are now asking for my notes.

    I also found that without rest my weight would not drop. Now I try to get 7-8 sleep at night and try to sneak a 1 hour nap in every now and then. Take a day off every now and then too

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