I'm stuck and I can't get down!

Geekyfatgirl

Alright, so I've hit that annoying plateau and I really have no idea how to get down! I started this whole weight loss thing in June of last year and I was 230lbs. Then in January of this year I hit 174, which was my first goal. I want to be at 155lbs, so I thought it wouldnt be too hard. Well from Jan to april I took a break from working out and exercise, mainly because things changed and I couldnt work out with any amount of privacy. The good thing was even in that down time, I maintained much of my weight ranging from 175-177lbs. Well from april to now ive been stuck, I cant seem to pass 174, and on an odd day I hit 172, but the next I was back up to 174. Ive been eating my calories and working out a lot more.

I try to maintain my mfp calorie goal of 1340, which I can do pretty easily. I eat back my calories when I work out and for a month and a half im still at 174 and sometimes 175. I went to look up ways to beat this online, and I get a lot of sites saying I should drop cals, or change up my workout. But any lower than 1340 would be pushing dangerously close to the minimum of 1200. As for my exercise, I do the treadmill with incline and speed changes, I do yourshape fitness evolved 2012 for xbox and do different types of exercises there too, so im not just sticking to one side or anything like that. I do cardio and strength teaining and ive been doing this for weeks.

I dont know what to do anymore, im still eating healthy, staying away from highly processed foods. So im at a stand still smd its driving me nuts. My fitness level is active because I work at a buffet and im constantly running, carrying and lifting for 6 hours a day,5 days a week, plus eexercise 3 days a week for about 30 min.

What am I doing wrong? T.T

tinytemple

Hi, I had a quick look at your food diary and it looks pretty good and you seem to have a great determined attitude!
I few things that occurred to me to break your plateau (without being extreme):
- change your macros so that you increase your intake of protein and good fats and decrease carbs,
- introduce heavier weights to your resistance training, by doing so you may not see a change in the scale but resistance workouts will definitely help remove inches and give a more toned appearance
Most importantly though keep up your great work because it will ultimately pay off in the long term!

ThomasRGrady

You are probably doing everything right. I went through nearly two months of plateau, but tried very hard to remain consistent - working out and eating. Finally this past week - 3.5 lbs disappeared. I've seen all of the suggestions in the past and even asked for help the same way and I think the truth of it is simple. Stay on course and it will go away. Sadly, weight loss is a long distance race, but to paraphrase a silly proverb - the turtle always seems to win. and the rabbit just sort of crashes.

One thing that has been suggested to me is to eat a little more for a while - sometimes your body simply thinks you are starving it and you will actually lose weight if you add a few calories to your daily. Also, if you are exercising a lot (and it looks like you are) muscle weight is heavier than fat weight - so you might just be putting a bit of muscle on ... nothing wrong with that.

It will come ... I am certain of that ... and feel free to holler at me if it doesn't.

970Mikaela1

You are weighing and logging accurately ?
People will tell you to eat more.
Im at 1800 a day at 162 but Im a guy so that might make a difference.
@ 1800 i lose about 1/2 lb a week.

TorrieFagan

First off, Congrats to you for the success you have had.

VERY hard work went into it the first round. You did it then and I know you can do it now. Don't give up and try not weighing in for two weeks. it could just be a psychological bock you are having. bottom line keep at it and you can do it. I have been working out since Feb and I am just now seeing results and I have only lost 7lbs, talk about being discouraged, however, I am not giving up. You got this girl! Good luck!!
Torrie

Geekyfatgirl

Thanks guys. I think I'll try to eat a bit more. Im not going to give up, I'm just frustrated at this level.

minizebu

You have been doing it the MFP way for a year and have been successful, but you are now at a plateau.

Perhaps to shake things up you could try the TDEE-20% route?

Go to this site (link immediately below) and calculate your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) and then your TDEE based on how much you think that you are exercising. Then subtract 20% of that TDEE and eat that amount each day.

http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

Or, if you really want to make it simple for yourself, just calculate your BMR and then add 300 to 350 calories. You can then adjust this amount up or down each week until you arrive at a level that is allowing you to lose 1/2 to 1 pound per week.

When you switch to using BMR+ or TDEE- you will not eat back exercise calories, because your exercise is already factored into your goal. You will eat a fixed caloric intake every day (adjusting as necessary based on your current level of exercise and/or desired rate of loss).

lovemitch125

My plateaus die when I use the zig zag method! :bigsmile:
Try to net your goal cals averaged over a week instead of everyday. Eat more one day, and eat less others. This helps speed up your metabolism and keeps your body from getting too used to the same thing. Your body starts to believe that you will be doing this everyday forever so it tries to maintain even at a low caloric intake, but if you throw your body a curve ball and eat a lot one day, and then slightly less and then a lot more again and then under and so forth, your body will start to shed weight again. But also I'd start strength training too to shed inches Good Luck!

Geekyfatgirl

I heard about the TDEE-20% thing, I was thinking aboit trying it, but I didnt know if I should change it after losing a pound or after every5 or 10 poinds lost? I need something new to try so I can be closer to my goal.

Francl27

I'm sorry that sounds very frustrating. I totally sympathize and it's my worry every time I hit a plateau (once a month) that I'm not going to get out of it... Yeah I'd try the TDEE -20% for a month to see. After you can adjust every 5 lbs lost I think... it shouldn't be a huge difference either way.

Keep us posted!

minizebu

You will need to recalculate periodically, as you lose weight. You don't have to do it after every pound lost or after every week. But as we lose weight our BMR lowers and hence our TDEE lowers in turn (unless we increase our exercise).

I was only suggesting adjusting up or down each week until you have arrived at the loss rate that you are looking for.

The problem with TDEE calculators is that it is hard to know what is the appropriate Physical Activity Factor to use (lightly active, moderately active, etc.). If you start off with a particular activity factor and then find you are losing over two pounds a week, then you probably chose too low an activity factor. If you are only losing 1/4 pound a week or not losing (or worse, gaining), then you probably chose too high an activity factor.

Edited to add:

This is why I think starting off with BMR + 300 or 350 calories might be a good place to start. For example, if you are a 47-year-old, 5'2" woman who weighs 146 pounds (like me!) then your BMR is around 1250 calories. If you add 350 to that you get 1600 calories. That is a start. Now eat at that level every day for a week and monitor your results. If you lose too much increase your calories a bit higher than 1600 the following week and then reassess at the end of the following week, until you arrive at a one-pound-per-week loss rate. Or, reverse things if you are not losing.

(All of this being said, this is only as accurate as your logging. I assume that you are weighing food on a food scale and are accurately and completely logging the food you eat in your food diary.)

susanswan

Cut out your processed foods. Special K and cheese are doing you no favors. Oils (even olive oil) go STRAIGHT IN AS FAT STORAGE, too! Eat nuts and avocados for fat.

Geekyfatgirl

Hmmm I use oils for cooking so my eggs dont stick to the pan lol. If butter is better I could try that. And thanks to everyone for the support! Im going to switch things up and try eating a bit more. Maybe I was eating too little for my activity level. I will keep trying.

watfordjc

When you took the exercise break were you still eating at a deficit? I ask because two things I usually suggest are an exercise break and eating at maintenance for a week or so. Since reducing exercise didn't help, perhaps try eating at maintenance for a week and then go back to a deficit and see if that helps.

Other possibilities are calorie cycling, carb cycling, or eating clean. Not sure if you've tried or are doing any of these things. If you haven't re-evaluated your numbers since you reached that weight (i.e. BMR/TDEE/MFP guided goals) it might be you don't have a deficit, although the numbers don't sound like that's the case unless your body has adapted to your activity level (not sure on this part) and exercise routine.

It could also just be a matter of needing more time, and/or that your weight is staying the same yet body composition is changing. You might also try being more diligent with your counting and logging, if you haven't already double-checked that.

Try something for a couple of weeks, and if that don't work try something else. I believe most plateaus are broken by trying something different to what you're currently doing, but making too many changes at once will make it hard to determine what worked if you want to stick with the change or to go back to it again if you hit another plateau.

MissaBeth

I started to lose weight last summer and have lost 2 stonex since then I have been stuck, so don't worry you are not the only one :-) keep up the hard work I'm sure it will pay off eventually! (I have recently lost a few pound and decided to join this website today))X maybe as you are working out more you are putting weight on, in the form of muscle? X good luck with reaching your goal :-)
Don't be too hard on yourself - think how far you have come! It's amazing! Xx

Francl27

Cut out your processed foods. Special K and cheese are doing you no favors. Oils (even olive oil) go STRAIGHT IN AS FAT STORAGE, too! Eat nuts and avocados for fat.

That's totally ridiculous! Excess calories make you fat, not any kind of food. Olive oil is healthy.

You could cut out processed foods, I know I couldn't live without cheese personally.

lori_gooch

Good job so far! I checked out your nutrition and recommend some changes. Cut out the cheese and maybe less carbs, Add more lean protein, fruits and veggies. Also eating out a lot isn't wont help. This is a 1400 calorie meal plan to help you get an idea. Feel free to try it and see if it helps. Good luck and keep it up!


4 egg whites
1 egg
1/2 red pepper
1/2 cup oatmeal
1 cup strawberries

1 cup plain greek yogurt
1/2 apple

4oz grilled chicken
4 inch sweet potato
1 cup steamed broccoli

1/8 cup walnuts
banana

Pick one fish- bake or non-stick pan- I used salmon to figure calories for the plan for the day
4oz salmon
8oz swai
8oz cod
4oz tuna-
1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup asparagus

Casein protein- 1 scoop with water

Francl27

Ok one thing that I noticed on your diary... do you weight your food? I'm asking because you have a lot of pretty high calorie foods showing as '1 serving', and you could be totally underestimating how much you actually eat because 1 serving will never be the same depending on who you ask. Same with 'egg salad sandwich', there are a ton of different ways to make egg salad and the bread is not always the same either... Or 'lightly sauteed broccoli'... what does that even mean?

Obviously if you entered those values yourself, it's fine though! But I'm guessing you're overeating.

And yes, less eating out... You can make much healthier food at home and by measuring everything, know exactly what you're eating.

FlowersInTheDirt

You've got some really good advice on here! A massive well done for dropping the amount of weight that you have! Best of luck :happy:

Geekyfatgirl

Lol yes I plan to eat out less, my boyfriend and family often take me out to treat me and I try to eat healthy while eating out. I'll try any plan I can. And the egg salad sandwich was one I made myself calculating the recipes.

Francl27

I'm thinking the eating out is what's sabotaging you honestly. A lot of sodium, and often you can't find the nutrition info online and have to guess.

Geekyfatgirl

Im going to try to eat out less. Just got to avoid it as my boyfriend loves to go out. XD

CristinaL1983

I looked through your diary and it looks like you aren't weighing your foods and I see a lot of generic entries.

The food database has a lot of inaccurate entries and it's pretty easy to underestimate your intake if you aren't weighing your food. (Measuring by volume is notoriously inaccurate).

I think that tightening up on logging accuracy might be a good place to start. Make sure you weigh everything and make sure that you're using accurate entries in the database. It also looks like you eat out quite a bit. There can be a good bit of variance between published calories and actual calories in food.

Geekyfatgirl

I need to invest in a scale. And I'm going to crack down on eating out.