Something just isn't right.......

mikeswife04

Ok, I have been on this Healthy kick since March of 2012.... I have dropped a LOT of weight.... but now I am completely stuck.... And going up in pounds for some reason....

I am 5'6" and as of this morning i'm at 138 pounds...... (I got down to 134 not too long ago)

I workout 6 times a week at least 30 minutes a day (jillian michaels dvds) and I just signed up for the gym which I have only been to twice so far......

I try to keep my calories under 1400..... I try REALLY hard to do that lol..

My diary is open so feel free to look and give some advice.....


My husband thinks it could just be muscle gain because my jeans still fit fine and there in no noticeable difference....

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

rduhlir

Maybe try eating at maintenance for a few weeks then go back down. I hear a lot of people suggesting to do that.

datguy2011

It could be the gain in muscle, or your metabolic system has reached a bit of a impass. So... there's two things you can do for this....

1- Eat more, rise your calories up a bit... that should help your system speed things up and believe it or not... you'll lose more weight.

2- Don't like Cals, eat more carbs... that will make your system burn them off faster while working out.

Hope that helps!

kathyhull

I think you're not eating enough to support your exercise habits. I think you should increase your calories with a little more protein and see if that helps.

nturner612

maybe ur body has gotten used to jillian michaels? i believe that once u hit that gym ull start goin back down

NewMnky1

I by no means am an expert, but looking at your diary it could be water weight, possibly from your sodium intake?

sandradev1

My first thought, being 5ft 6in myself, is that 134/138 lbs in about right healthy weight for you. Other thought is that you are not eating enough calories to support your high output. If you body is not getting at least your BMR figure and you are asking it to do so much hard work, it is likely holding onto everything it can to keep it alive.

Have a look at the link below and check out how many calories you should be eating to keep your body healthy:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 <

BurtHuttz

You aren't eating nearly enough. It's a vast echoing refrain.

GCanha

5'6' and 138 lbs seems like a healthy weight to me, it might be that your body is comfortable in that range, especially if you've been working out and building muscle.

lawtechie

Eat more. MFP builds in your calorie deficit, so you should be eating most if not all the exercise calories. Take off the exercise calories from what you've been eating and you're fueling your body with 500-1000 or less some days. Not enough IMHO.

138 is also a reasonable weight for 5'6" unless you're a small frame build.

RunHardBeStrong

Eat more. MFP builds in your calorie deficit, so you should be eating most if not all the exercise calories. Take off the exercise calories from what you've been eating and you're fueling your body with 500-1000 or less some days. Not enough IMHO.

138 is also a reasonable weight for 5'6" unless you're a small frame build.

My thoughts as well.

_sottile

I would recommend changing your fitness routine and intensifying it. Often people hit plateaus because their body adapts to the rigor of their routine. Nothing so drastic that you'll hurt yourself of collapse in a few days, but make notable changes.

The other thing you could try is implementing a short term rigid diet change. Eg. Go raw or vegan or raw vegan for a week. You could also try a fruit-based/fruit-only diet. If well planned, it's possible to get all the adequate nutrition from such diets. Of course, if you're cutting protein intake massively and you're a power-lifter, adjust accordingly.

I'm not sure how much more weight you're planning to lose since the weight you're currently at is considered on the lower end of healthy in most western circles, but that may also play a role in how you should continue to lose weight.

footiechick82

You don't eat enough and when you do, you eat crap.

You need more whole foods, not stuff in cans and fried.

Fix your diet. Also, you're probably hit a plateau with your workouts, change it up and you will see progress.

Good luck!

trishmce

I looked at your diary. You might want to look at higher quality food, less processed and more vegetables, especially green leafy. Half of your plate should be veggies. If you aren't getting the right nutrients then your body is going to hold on. Try avoiding anything that comes in cardboard for a week (poptarts, overprocessed cerels, ready made rice etc) and see how you feel and do. Also, can you tolerate lactose? Low or nonfat dairy should be part of your day as well
good luck!

mikeswife04

I'm not really looking to lose too much more weight... my goal is 130... but if I stay at 135-139 I'm okay with that... I just do not want to gain any more... I want a flat tummy which is gonna be toneing...

This is still new to me... eating more is gonna be a bit difficult... lol I struggle to hit 1200 sometimes... but I'm gonna buy some Almonds and nuts... maybe that will help some.....

I appreciate all ya'll input too.... thanks a lot

lauren3101

I only looked at about 3 days on your diary and you were about 700 - 800 calories under your calorie goal for the day on every day.

You should be aiming to have as little calories left over as possible, especially if you are working out 6 days a week. You also have very little to lose (if any, to be honest) so you need to aim for a smaller deficit.

gsager

I just looked at a couple of days of your diary and you surely didn't eat enough on those days, if you keep your calories up you won't have trouble plateauing, You aren't eating enough to put on muscle. Triy eating a little more.

Still_Fluffy

I was stuck at the same weight for months. I was always under my calorie goal and I worked out up to 12 hours a week. I finally went to dietician and she looked at my food intake and exercise log and told me I was not eating enough. She told me my BMI and said to that amount of calories (MFP was off by over 500 calories) or a little less and then eat back my exercise calories. A month later and I’ve lost 5 pounds, and I not hungry anymore. I look at a couple of days of your diary and you skip meals, never a smart choice. Your body needs fuel to burn calories. My suggestion is to find out what you BMI is and then eat that amount of calories. If you work out then eat those calories back too. Good luck

Nanawarrior

Your snacks are junk. Pop tarts, kellogs bar, ..... I know you have a certain amount of calories you are allowed to eat but that doesn't mean we should go to McDonalds or dunken donuts and eat 1400 calories of junk. You can work out 3h daily 7 days a week and eat what you do and it won't make a difference. You have to get rid of all processed food. ALL. Buy a shake maker get some whey protein powder make sure the sugar is low, make a shake with soy milk protein and fruits. People don't understand that in the world of the fit the diet is 90% and work out 5 and sleep, rest 5%. Get rid of all three junk for a week do the same work out routine and then come back with the progress. Also your body could be bored of the same exercise non stop. Try something new so you shock your body. Go for a 3 mile run, jump rope for 20 minutes. There is so much to do every day.

yankeedownsouth

I agree with most of the previous posts. I don’t think you’re eating enough, but I also don’t think you’re eating the right foods.

Go for more natural foods (veggies, fruits, nuts, lean meats, etc.). Not only will you get to eat more food, but it’s much better for you. My diary is open, so you can take a look if you want to get some ideas. I definitely eat some yummy “bad” food, but I balance it with really healthy food too.

lauren3101

Your snacks are junk. Pop tarts, kellogs bar, ..... I know you have a certain amount of calories you are allowed to eat but that doesn't mean we should go to McDonalds or dunken donuts and eat 1400 calories of junk. You can work out 3h daily 7 days a week and eat what you do and it won't make a difference. You have to get rid of all processed food. ALL. Buy a shake maker get some whey protein powder make sure the sugar is low, make a shake with soy milk protein and fruits. People don't understand that in the world of the fit the diet is 90% and work out 5 and sleep, rest 5%. Get rid of all three junk for a week do the same work out routine and then come back with the progress. Also your body could be bored of the same exercise non stop. Try something new so you shock your body. Go for a 3 mile run, jump rope for 20 minutes. There is so much to do every day.

You do not have to give up ALL processed food at all. I hate it when people come on here and insist if you aren't eating clean you aren't doing it properly. Eating clean is better for you, without a doubt, but it's not needed for weight loss.

yoovie

i killed myself doing that same routine and landed myself in a 2 year plateau.

I finally broke through this past fall.

Here's what I did:

(I posted a little forum post here about it, so when I found other girls beating their heads against a brick wall, I could link to it)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833500-what-do-i-do-common-sense-cliff-notes

I hope you read it. It saved me. I thought cardio-ing my *kitten* off on 12-1500 calories was the way to go. Turns out that only works til a certain weight, once you're out of the 'overweight' category, you have to change things up. eat less move more pretty much only works when you're really overweight to obese.

GoneKona

Are you MEASURING yourself, rather than just weighing yourself?

yoovie

ps - there comes a point when you have to quit focusing on losing weight and losing anything in general and start building what you plan on replacing all you lost with something else.

otherwise, congratulations on achieving a void

mikeswife04

not measuring myself... (although I should!!!) I just called the woman who used to own Curves (where I started back in March) to see if she could give me all my numbers... then I can compare lol...

Yoovie.... I really appreciate your info.... I did the numbers and came up with 1828. So that is what I'm gonna shoot for now....

I am really gonna try to clean up my eating too... I'm not gonna lie.... healthy food is expensive... I went to buy some nuts and THAT WAS NUTS lol... I just gotta do it though...

yankeedownsouth

not measuring myself... (although I should!!!) I just called the woman who used to own Curves (where I started back in March) to see if she could give me all my numbers... then I can compare lol...

Yoovie.... I really appreciate your info.... I did the numbers and came up with 1828. So that is what I'm gonna shoot for now....

I am really gonna try to clean up my eating too... I'm not gonna lie.... healthy food is expensive... I went to buy some nuts and THAT WAS NUTS lol... I just gotta do it though...

Healthy food doesn't have to be all that expensive. If you have a Sams or Costco, you can get nuts for WAY cheaper! Chicken breasts are really cheap, as are frozen veggies. There are lots of great threads with hints on finding good deals on healthy foods.

Once you start eating healthy stuff, you'll find you don't mind spending money on it. You feel so much better!!

concordancia

Your snacks are junk. Pop tarts, kellogs bar, ..... I know you have a certain amount of calories you are allowed to eat but that doesn't mean we should go to McDonalds or dunken donuts and eat 1400 calories of junk. You can work out 3h daily 7 days a week and eat what you do and it won't make a difference. You have to get rid of all processed food. ALL. Buy a shake maker get some whey protein powder make sure the sugar is low, make a shake with soy milk protein and fruits. People don't understand that in the world of the fit the diet is 90% and work out 5 and sleep, rest 5%. Get rid of all three junk for a week do the same work out routine and then come back with the progress. Also your body could be bored of the same exercise non stop. Try something new so you shock your body. Go for a 3 mile run, jump rope for 20 minutes. There is so much to do every day.

You do not have to give up ALL processed food at all. I hate it when people come on here and insist if you aren't eating clean you aren't doing it properly. Eating clean is better for you, without a doubt, but it's not needed for weight loss.

Like it doesn't take a ton of processing to make whey protein powder!

yoovie

well nuts are always expensive, but ingredients are cheap. fresh produce, hummus, healthy grain snacks like Triscuits, etc - its about filling your house with snacks you CAN eat and having a pantry you can cook FROM.

If you always look for easy foods, yeah it will be expensive to grab handfulls of nuts - but if you look to your pantry for something to put together for yourself, which will also make it more likely tha tyou are getting more nutrition in your snack, it wont be as expensive. Like a little bt of cottage cheese and some grape tomatoes and olives and pita chips or something, a little of each. You dont have to buy a thing of nuts and eat them that day, measure out the right amount for a serving and that $7 can of nuts will last you two weeks.

A $4 bag of Tostitos will last what? a night?

youre smart, you can figure it out :flowerforyou:

lizziebeth1028

Ok, I have been on this Healthy kick since March of 2012.... I have dropped a LOT of weight.... but now I am completely stuck.... And going up in pounds for some reason....

I am 5'6" and as of this morning i'm at 138 pounds...... (I got down to 134 not too long ago)

I workout 6 times a week at least 30 minutes a day (jillian michaels dvds) and I just signed up for the gym which I have only been to twice so far......

I try to keep my calories under 1400..... I try REALLY hard to do that lol..

My diary is open so feel free to look and give some advice.....


My husband thinks it could just be muscle gain because my jeans still fit fine and there in no noticeable difference....

PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

Congrats on your weight loss, you look great!

At this point you need to eat more (15%- 20%) less than your TDEE and your protein is really low. YOu should shoot for 80 to 100 grams. Definitely give Jillian a break and try something new. Maybe some serious strength training with heavy weights? And don't fret too much over a couple of pounds...our weight fluctuates a few pounds all the time due to water, digestion hormones ect. It may not represent a true weight gain.

danasings

I'm a Mike's wife, too.

Congratulations on your weight loss!! I don't have anything to add except to say that there is a lot of great advice here. And eating more definitely works, especially if you feel exhausted all of the time. Best of luck!!

Meg_Shirley_86

Your snacks are junk. Pop tarts, kellogs bar, ..... I know you have a certain amount of calories you are allowed to eat but that doesn't mean we should go to McDonalds or dunken donuts and eat 1400 calories of junk. You can work out 3h daily 7 days a week and eat what you do and it won't make a difference. You have to get rid of all processed food. ALL. Buy a shake maker get some whey protein powder make sure the sugar is low, make a shake with soy milk protein and fruits. People don't understand that in the world of the fit the diet is 90% and work out 5 and sleep, rest 5%. Get rid of all three junk for a week do the same work out routine and then come back with the progress. Also your body could be bored of the same exercise non stop. Try something new so you shock your body. Go for a 3 mile run, jump rope for 20 minutes. There is so much to do every day.

You do not have to give up ALL processed food at all. I hate it when people come on here and insist if you aren't eating clean you aren't doing it properly. Eating clean is better for you, without a doubt, but it's not needed for weight loss.

I agree that you can lose weight eating processed food, and that preaching that one HAS to eat clean to do so is bordering on obnoxious. However, from my personal experience, it makes everything way easier. I simply feel shockingly better and my energy level is solid (this is really saying something). Also, my skin has greatly improved as has my mood. Call it psychosomatic, but I really didn't believe it would make that big of a difference and it did. That is the only reason I have maintained it. Simply because it's such an improvement that eating processed food (barring when I have my husband cook dinner) isn't tempting. I do not mean that to be preachy, as I was genuinely pleasantly surprised by the results.