The Plateau of Shame

VaporeonSugar

Alright, so like many, if not most of the people who try to get to goal - I've plateaued. Yes, this is a normal experience in weight loss and I've been told this by everyone from friends to family to health professionals. Though I know something is wrong because I have not been able to lose for the last three weeks. Not even an ounce. I thought my scale was broken, so I tried a different one -same exact results. So, can anyone help me with tips on how to actually lose weight at this point so early in the game. I've only lost seven pounds in the first week and before joining MFP I lost thirty in the one month I tried. Now I'm just really stuck and really need help. I'm doing the same things before, if not better. I've add more fruits and vegetables in favor of other snacks. I eat waaay less processed foods and I even exercise a few minutes a day. I eat about 1200 calories a day, always have when I was in the right mindset, give or take 100-300 either way.

Firefox7275

You are not eating enough, net above your basal metabolic rate. If you starve your body you risk losing water weight, muscle mass, reducing your metabolism and ending up with nutrient deficiencies. Every time you cycle through this you risk losing muscle and gaining fat so you get bigger and wobblier for the same weight and the fat becomes harder to drop because your metabolism is shot.

You should be aiming to lose half to two pounds a week of fat, depending how much you have to lose. Fruit and veg are healthy so it's great you are eating more but they do not supply all the nutrients you need for health - protein, essential fatty acids, carbs, fibre, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Eat a balance of all the food groups including stuff like oily fish, reduced fat dairy, nuts and seeds.

ETA looking at your diary ... I would class Slim Fast as junk food, it should fall under your 10% of daily calories on sugary/ refined/ processed stuff. You are having maybe 80% of calories as rubbish. Don't see the fruit and veg you say you are eating? You should be having seven to nine servings, you are logging zero to two!

VaporeonSugar

I've been eating the calorie amount I use to when I was a little below my goal weight, though I'm guessing I should probably up it a tiny bit since I'm heavier now. I do eat low fat dairy, good carbs... though protein is an issue. I have two shakes a day, but I still need about half from meat / nuts. I think I've only managed getting my protein right once because meat is so expensive and nuts are even pricier. I take a woman's multivitamin on top of everything else. So the basis that I can take from that is protein and more calories. I'll try to think on that seeing as I'm not exactly sure what to add when I'm not hungry...

Edit: I haven't been logging everything in my diary for the last probably week and there was next to no fruit in the house yesterday. As for the slim fast, I don't really think of it as junk though it might be. I was told to eat three servings fruit and three servings veg, though I think I've got two of each on one day. I didn't know you were supposed to eat that much.

Firefox7275

I've been eating the calorie amount I use to when I was a little below my goal weight, though I'm guessing I should probably up it a tiny bit since I'm heavier now. I do eat low fat dairy, good carbs... though protein is an issue. I have two shakes a day, but I still need about half from meat / nuts. I think I've only managed getting my protein right once because meat is so expensive and nuts are even pricier. I take a woman's multivitamin on top of everything else. So the basis that I can take from that is protein and more calories. I'll try to think on that seeing as I'm not exactly sure what to add when I'm not hungry...

No please read my post properly, I don't appreciate you cherry picking what you want to hear instead of what I actually said. The basis you can take is to stop eating processed junk, start eating wholefoods and get a balance of ALL the nutrients I listed not just protein. The foods you are purchasing at present are a total waste of money, they will make you sicker and fatter in the long run and add little to no valuable nutrients. A multi does not sub for a poor diet, the sugar and refined carbs are pro inflammatory, suppress immune function, feed bad bacteria in the gut and many other negative effects.

Meat is not the only source of protein, canned oily fish and organ meats like liver are cheap: there are many threads on eating healthy for cheap. Much fruit is pricey and again you are adding sugar to your diet, frozen and fresh root vegetables are very reasonably priced. Nuts and seeds are low in water so solid nutrition, portions are therefore modest and good value for money because you are not just buying water or sugar. You don't eat good carbs - beans, lentils, wholegrains and plenty of them - look at your own diary again.

VaporeonSugar

Your initial post did not have "remove processed junk" anywhere in it and I edited my post after you edited yours. I also wasn't picking. You said balanced food groups, I saw that. I was just saying the only thing I thought I wasn't getting was protein. I've never heard get seven to nine servings of fruits and vegetables before, though if it would help that's great. I eat what I can buy or am given by other family members who get something and say "I don't like this, want it?" which makes up most of my actual food supply. For myself, I probably only have $50-55 a month for food that isn't given to me so a can of fish for $1 that is only enough protein for one day is a little high in my mind, let alone thinking about purchasing other meats.

The slim fast was mostly do to it being okayed by so many people I talked to and the fact that for a week it's only the cost of it ($7 where I live) and a gallon of milk ($2.50 here) which in my mind was a good idea for price on both breakfast and lunch every day compared to other options that equaled out to $1 or more for just one meal.

Edit: I'll have to look for the budget food idea threads to see if they are of any help.

mrsricta

I did take a quick look at your diary, I'm not going to pick it apart because I am not a nutritionist but I will say that there are some definite changes that could be made to help the scale budge. Reduce (if not cut out completely) processed sugars, bleached flours, etc. The general rule is cut out "white" products, aka eat whole wheat, whole grain, unprocessed items! If you read the label of a product and it has a long list of things you cannot pronounce you shouldn't eat it (or at least eat it minimally). You can make easy switches to start, such as wheat bread instead of white (or any other kind) of bread, whole wheat or whole grain pastas, baked whole wheat chips instead. The key is going to be as close to WHOLE FOODS as possible and far less processed foods.

VaporeonSugar

I'll have to stop accepting food from people for the less processed, though I know that would be healthier. I'll check out what I can find for whole wheat and try to make the switch. I use to eat it all the time, though I never got use to how bad it tasted and was completely turned off from this.

bearwith

Not shameful, just normal. Get on that treadmill or do some resistance work, you need to up the exercise and drink lots of water

yuckidah

I have plateaued on & off for 12 fecking months (& moaned about it on here several times, lol) but I never gave up and, if you look at my ticker, the result over the past year isn't too bad at all

TheRealParisLove

I'm in the same position. I've increased my calories to just under maintnenace and try for very slim deficits. Ive increased saturated fat consumption to about 20-40 grams a day and am trying to keep away from wheat as much as possible. Potatoes, especially sweet potatoes are a super carb when eaten with skin on.

Saturated fats will allow the body to release fat deposits, or at least that's what I'm hoping. Body builders swear by whole milk and coconut oil.

I began this new eating plan two weeks ago, and although I haven't lost any additional weight, I am losing inches and getting some awesome muscle definition.

If only that 6 pack would reveal itself!

VaporeonSugar

If I can find time or the money to go to a gym, that would be great. I do walk to work which is about 30 minutes one way, though I don't log it because I have no clue what my actual pace is and I feel like a turtle next to everyone else, so I assume it's too slow to really count. The only thing I count is a workout / dance I do three times a week for about 10 minutes. 14 minutes is the farthest I've been able to get without wheezing like a smoker since I have asthma.

I'll have to try the coconut oil. I've heard good thing about it, but the only thing I use any coconut products for so far is my hair. Is saturated fat really good for you? I've heard that from a few people, but it seems kinda wonk to me seeing as fat is what I thought was the bag guy in weight loss.

nturner612

look "closely" at ur diary. are u being 100% honest? i had the same thing happen to me...im at 1200 cal as well. exercisin and everything and no loss. guess what? that handfull of cheetos or lays chips i was swallowing...they count. candy. chocolate. those minatures are the devil. or cookies that u are not loggin in. evry little thing makes a diff. i have started trackin everytin down and im losin again. nfrined request comin ur way!

VaporeonSugar

I track everything before it even touches my lips. The 2 cups of grapes I logged today - I've been working on them for the last hour and still have about five left. I even logged that pecan cookie I was trying to keep away from. I always remember that when I track I have to track everything. My shame days that I didn't track were the ones where I only had a salad - nix toppings - and a few grapes and nothing else the entire day. I really do not like eating, so it's hard to find things that I'm willing to actually put near my mouth and even then, I sometimes come under 1200 and sometimes by a lot. I think the last week and a half besides the last three days I've maybe eaten 200 to 400 calories a day because I just wasn't hungry.

elsinora

I have found that when I plateau, changing the type of exercise I usually do and eat as little refined carbs and less fruit, less starchy veg always help and I break it. unlike most people hear , I've never upped my calls, just changed around types of foods and exercise have done the trick.

pkw58

Well, as some one who plateau'd, didn't change a darn thing I was doing, and got to goal slowly in, all I can say is hang in there. Eating and exercising and plateauing is good practice for.... maintenance! So maybe instead of Plateau of Shame we could call it Plateau of Early Maintenance Training?

Good job watching what is happening with your fitnees and hanging in there!

VaporeonSugar

Alright, thanks for the tips. I think I'll up my calories a little, though not much and see what happens. Less fruit? How many servings of fruit should I eat a day then? And green beans - are they a starchy veggie? That's about all I eat besides salad (spinich leaves and different types of lettuce)

KenosFeoh

No, green beans aren't starchy. It doesn't look like you're eating too much fruit, either. I think it might help you if you could replace more of your "treats" (like the cookies/empty calories) for wholesome food.