Talk me down

jmparis65

Very disheartened and frustrated right now

I've been stuck for 2 months, not lost a pound

I've tried eating a little more, eating a little less, I'm still in the gym on the threadmill 5-6 days a week

While I will say I "feel" better than 70+ pounds ago, it is very hard to do all the right things, watch, what and how much you eat, go to the gym regularly and not see a single pound come off

:bummed out:

quirkytizzy

I've been stuck for two months myself. It is mad frustrating but there is nothing else to do but keep doing the right things. What's the alternative? Give up and six months from now have even more weight to lose? I do not want to have to ask myself "If I hadn't given up, where would I be NOW?"

Patience is the best council. You are doing the right things. That puts you in the win column.

bunnymum150

2 months is quite some time to be "stuck". You must be close to your goal weight! so good for you!

Please try to focus on how far you have come, your accomplishments, knowing that you are so much more healthy than before and have greatly reduced your risk for heart issues, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia - the list goes on and on my friend!

If I may share a quote I found the other day on MFP with out minimizing your struggle

"don't wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain"

or as is the case out my window - learn to swim or grab a floaty:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

cheers

jonnythan

Eat a lot less. You're eating 2500+ calories on days you don't work out.

Do you work? What kind of job do you have?

What is your height, weight, and age?

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Have you taken any diet breaks or have you been eating at a deficit the whole time?

Do you use a food scale to weigh everything you eat?

jmparis65

MY net calorie intake is in the 1800 range

I'm 5' 8"' 192, 47 y/o Production Manager up and down all day

I do have food scale, I measure and weigh everything I can

I've been at deficit the entire time.

I started out at 1200 calories, worked right until this plateau, since I have been stuck, so I've been trying the TDEE

BeachIron

Try cutting down to 1700 calories and stick to it rather than being "around" that range.

That said, if you need constant weight loss for motivation, then find exercise that you enjoy or learn to enjoy the way you feel rather than staying constantly focused on the scale.

jonnythan

MY net calorie intake is in the 1800 range

I'm 5' 8"' 192, 47 y/o Production Manager up and down all day

I do have food scale, I measure and weigh everything I can

I've been at deficit the entire time.

I started out at 1200 calories, worked right until this plateau, since I have been stuck, so I've been trying the TDEE

1800? So you think you're burning 700+ calories a day just walking around at work?

I'd suggest you drop your calorie goal by at least 500.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I'd consider trying the full diet break, especially since you started out with your calories so low. Read more here:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html


Edit: I also think if you've been stuck for two months you're likely overeating/overestimating calorie burn. But since you seem so frustrated I'd try taking a break first.

rabies

Your diary says you're going for 2.5k-3k kcal/day? That is A LOT. Start by cutting that down by 500kcal/day and see what happens.

hbrittingham

If you are using the TDEE method, you need to figure out your TDEE - 20% and eat that every day, whether you work out or not. Make sure you are figuring it correctly, based on your actual activity level. You need to be sure you are above your BMR. It can take a couple of months for your body to reset, so just hang in there.

Ophidion

I'm not sure of your workout routine but from what you mentioned you do treadmill quite often...I can only suggest you start mixing up your exercises, as your body tends to adapt quite quickly.

Kudos on the progress so far.

jonnythan

BMR is around 1830 or so. Here's what I'd specifically recommend:

Set your calorie goal to 1750. Add back actual exercise calories, but more conservatively than you're doing. Walking 3.5 mph at an incline isn't burning 600+ calories. Probably more on the order of 300-350.

Hit your calorie goal every day. Your calorie intake is all over the place and I can't see any rhyme or reason to it. Some days you're under by 1000+ some days you're over by hundreds. Your calorie goal seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with your actual intake.

sijomial

On face value it looks like you are eating too much but your daily totals are all over the place.
You are eating way more than I did when I was losing weight. (I'm 5'9")

Are you eating back exercise calories ("the MFP way") or TDEE minus a cut?

dutchman24

I do know that as you approach your goal weight, the weight comes off slower. I'm in that area now. My suggestion would be as some of the others...drop your calorie intake by at least a couple of hundred...at least to start.

Ophidion

BMR is around 1830 or so. Here's what I'd specifically recommend:

Set your calorie goal to 1750. Add back actual exercise calories, but more conservatively than you're doing. Walking 3.5 mph at an incline isn't burning 600+ calories. Probably more on the order of 300-350.

Hit your calorie goal every day. Your calorie intake is all over the place and I can't see any rhyme or reason to it. Some days you're under by 1000+ some days you're over by hundreds. Your calorie goal seems to have nothing whatsoever to do with your actual intake.

nail on the head about logging.

meredith1123

I agree with most everyone here. I would definitely try cutting your calories back by 300-500 daily. That outta help.
also if all you have ever done is walk on the treadmill, mix up your cardio and work outs a little by adding new stuff. that may stimulate your body and help out with losing more weight.

lovemitch125

Use the zig zag method!!! Helps break plateaus, and worked for me

Say your average cals a day should be about 1500, which I would say would be best for you. (I'm no expert though)
Well instead of eating 1500 cals a day, every day, spread it out so you come to an AVERAGE of 1500 cals a day over a week span.

For example, I have an average of about 1450 a day.
Monday 1200
Tuesday 1650
Wednesday 1350
Thursday 1700
Friday 1250
Saturday 1450
Sunday 1550

In this way, your body won't become too accustomed to eating so little everyday and think it is your norm that you will be doing forever and you are still netting a low amount over a week's time. Try it out! (I made up those numbers, but theres a site online that will do it for you)

jmparis65

Thanks all.

Looks like the bit "freedom" I thought I'd have as I opened up my calorie intake a bit has caused more problems than it solved.

Time to get back into being far more consistent about it

lovemitch125

Also, 2,500 calories a day may have helped you lose weight when you were heavier, but now that you are 70 lbs lighter, this will not help you lose. You have to reevaluate when you've lost a sufficient amount. You probably can only maintain at 2,200 at this point or so, with exercise of course. So, I suggest you lower to in the one-thousands range.

Also, agreed. Mix up your cardio, also I found it helpful to lessen my cardio as I got closer to my goal and add in abs, weights and benching. (Weights and benching helps you burns cals all day, while cardio only helps you burn as you workout) After a while, it starts to make a difference :bigsmile:

bpotts44

You may want to look at the exercise calories and see if they are realistic and instead of cardio work in some resistance training.

Byrdsong1920

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."

Thomas A. Edison

KEEP GOING.... I was stuck for 4 months! I was over training! Did the metabolic testing at my gym for $200 ( well spent) and figured out I was eating too less and working out too much.was eating 1560/ day and burning 600-1000/ day. Had to eat more or burn less... Up to 1800/ day now. My body was protecting itself from myself saw results in two weeks and been dropping ever since.Checkout EAT RIGHT FOR YOUR BLOOD TYPE online or the book. will give insight on foods to avoid for blood type.

Good luck, keep pressin !

Shan, Atl

GamerLady

Have you been measuring yourself? Honestly, the scale is not your friend when you're losing weight. You lose a lot of inches losing fat and gaining muscle, depending on your exercise routine. Remember also as you lose weight to recalculate your calorie intake for losing as well.

jonnythan

Have you been measuring yourself? Honestly, the scale is not your friend when you're losing weight. You lose a lot of inches losing fat and gaining muscle, depending on your exercise routine. Remember also as you lose weight to recalculate your calorie intake for losing as well.

He's not gaining muscle. Pretty much no one gains muscle while losing weight, least of all people who are losing weight while doing cardio alone.

OneDimSim

Use the zig zag method!!! Helps break plateaus, and worked for me

Say your average cals a day should be about 1500, which I would say would be best for you. (I'm no expert though)
Well instead of eating 1500 cals a day, every day, spread it out so you come to an AVERAGE of 1500 cals a day over a week span.

For example, I have an average of about 1450 a day.
Monday 1200
Tuesday 1650
Wednesday 1350
Thursday 1700
Friday 1250
Saturday 1450
Sunday 1550

In this way, your body won't become too accustomed to eating so little everyday and think it is your norm that you will be doing forever and you are still netting a low amount over a week's time. Try it out! (I made up those numbers, but theres a site online that will do it for you)

This....I am a fan of this - confuse your body with the food and the exercise a bit!

retiree2006

I was within 15 lbs. when I stalled for 8 months and kept just moving up and down the scale a couple pounds. I figured at 63 y.o. that might be my "set" weight. Then after reading about 30 Day Shred (Jillian Michaels' program) on MFP I figured I'd give it a try. I had to modify several of the exercises but after a couple weeks the pounds began to drop again and I lost another 11 lbs.

So switching up the kind of exercise you do might be something that will help. Before I'd basically been walking for most of my exercise.

hendinerik

Ultimately you will need to talk yourself down... BUT do this for your health, not just for the number on the scale - the number is just a number - you will feel better, look better and have a better outlook with regular exercise and a decent (not perfect) diet.
I am struggling too if it's any consolation, with much less time to exercise than I used to and quite stressed...
We all do what we can each day, and that just has to be good enough.
Good luck!
Erik

SGSmallman

For me,

Cardio helps you get fitter/ ups stamina

Lifting weights/ resistence training helps you lose weight

Work out your TDEE - no more than 20% and do at least 3 sessions a week of lifting heavy weights

I am on a 1850 TDEE after taking my 20% off I lift 3 times a week do a number of cardio class (spin, circuit training) and the weight is going down 2 lbs exactly every week but the inches are flying off, as i'm gaining muscle.

Do it for 6 weeks and see if you have any results. But please as someone of your height/ weight NEVER eat below 1400 calories again!!!

carolyn0613

You've done brilliantly so far and are still keeping yourself on track, even if there is no movement on the scales.

I agree with the posts above about making sure that your TDEE is accurate when doing TDEE-20%. I was directed to a site that seems excellent for accurately entering your activity:
http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced
I know a lot of people also like this site:
http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
So perhaps you can start by working out your average TDEE from these. ANd making sure you are consistent at logging. And if you include your workouts in TDEE, don't eat back the calories. I'm also recalling that the advice is TDEE-15% if you have less than 20lb to go

What about your measurements? Inches lost? I found that to be comforting when my scales didn't move for 6 weeks.

chellec23

My suggestion is to change up your workout routine. I've always heard about muscle memory and that if you stick to one workout your body gets used to it and doesn't burn as much. If you always do the treadmill, try doing bike and/or elliptical every other day. Maybe some circuit training a couple of days a week. (I'm no expert! Just going off of things I have read and been told)

loriq41

Zigzagging got me off my plateau...still eating on average 1500 cals but at different levels..it may help!