Plateau? Where is my weight loss?

myers1920
myers1920 Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I am starting to get a little discouraged. I watch what I eat making sure I do not eat more than 1200 calories a day. I eat several small eals a day. I make sure that my meals are low in carbohydrates. I excercise 5 times a week doing both cardio and weight training, and I constantly change my excercise routine. All of this and I have not lost a pound or a single inch. I feel like quitting. What am I doing wrong? What should I do differently? I really need some help.

Replies

  • mmarcy7
    mmarcy7 Posts: 227 Member
    Need a little more info. If you want to open your diary we can take a look and maybe help more. How long have you been doing it? How much do you have to lose? (If it's a low amount it may be harder)
  • 18guyhornet
    18guyhornet Posts: 195 Member
    Need a little more info. If you want to open your diary we can take a look and maybe help more. How long have you been doing it? How much do you have to lose? (If it's a low amount it may be harder)

    ^^^This^^^
  • myers1920
    myers1920 Posts: 9 Member
    I am trying to loose 100lbs. I have been working out religiously for the last month. How do I open my diary?
  • sabgoe
    sabgoe Posts: 65 Member
    Maybe you are not eating enough?
  • irisheyez718
    irisheyez718 Posts: 677 Member
    Are you eating back your exercise calories? 1200 calories isn't enough!
  • mmarcy7
    mmarcy7 Posts: 227 Member
    I am trying to loose 100lbs. I have been working out religiously for the last month. How do I open my diary?

    Go to Settings at the top of the page and set your Diary Settings to public.
  • myers1920
    myers1920 Posts: 9 Member
    I do not eat back my calories, and I try to burn about 300 a day.
  • 18guyhornet
    18guyhornet Posts: 195 Member
    I am trying to loose 100lbs. I have been working out religiously for the last month. How do I open my diary?

    Without looking at your diary I have to say unless you're under the care of a physician 1200 cals a day is a bit extreme. If you are follow their plan and advice - always.

    if not take a look at this link - http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
    It' helped me understand how to feed my body and works for all body types and sizes.
  • myers1920
    myers1920 Posts: 9 Member
    My diary is open.
  • meeka472
    meeka472 Posts: 283 Member
    Wait before we start telling people to up their calories, I think we need more info such as:

    - View Diary
    - Current Weight
    - Height
    - Is this person weighing and measuring their food (maybe their portions are off)

    People should not jump to giving advice about upping calorie levels until this info is answered. Because if this person is short and depending on how much weight they are trying to lose 1200 calories might be fine.
  • Twomirrors
    Twomirrors Posts: 47 Member
    I bet you're not eating enough. I hit a plateau and was eating 1480. I bumped up to 1730, maintained for two weeks, and started losing again.

    Eat more. Be happier. Lose more. =)

    Good work sticking with the 1200. No way I could do it. You rock!
  • Oscbena
    Oscbena Posts: 5 Member
    With the little information you have posted, and without knowing your measurements (height, weight, and age) it sounds to me that you are not eating enough calories. As crazy at it sounds, when you are at too much of a caloric deficit, your body goes into starvation mode and it starts trying to save as much fat and as many calories as it can because it feels is not getting enough for the amount of work it is doing. When you feed your body enough calories, your body feels free to burn them because it knows they are getting replaced to some extent.

    The first thing you need to do is figure out how many calories does your body require to function right now and maintain weight (there are many online tools that can help you with this) then figure out how many calories you burn during a workout. Once you have those numbers you can subtract a few hundred calories from the total to be at a slight caloric deficit. This should kick start your body and allow it to burn more calories during the day.

    Just to clarify, I’m not a nutrition or fitness expert. What I tell you is based on many hours of research, reading, but most importantly based on my results. I was in a similar situation, and it took me a long time to believe that in order for me to lose weight, I had to eat more calories. But once I made those changes I started seeing the results.

    I would encourage you to do some research yourself so that you know that there is science backing up what I have told you here.

    The most important thing is not to give up. If what you are doing is not working, don’t just quit, find and try something different.

    Good luck with your goals, and keep up the work, results are around the corner.
  • mandymayhem6
    mandymayhem6 Posts: 10
    Always be sure to eat back what you worked off. Otherwise if all you eat all day is 1200 calories, but you work off 300, that means your net calories for the day is only 900. Not eating enough can hinder weightloss as much as overeating. Your body requires different nutrients for many different thingsthat. Do you check your daily/weekly nutrient intakes to see where youre lacking?
  • TheRealJigsaw
    TheRealJigsaw Posts: 295 Member
    Just curious, what is your sodium intake like?
  • obrendao
    obrendao Posts: 318
    I bet you're not eating enough. I hit a plateau and was eating 1480. I bumped up to 1730, maintained for two weeks, and started losing again.

    Eat more. Be happier. Lose more. =)

    Good work sticking with the 1200. No way I could do it. You rock!

    ^^This. I hit a plateau after I lost 20 lbs over 3 months eating about 1200-1300 and doing an hour of cardio or kickboxing every day. I had lost a lot of fat but still have a long way to go. I increased my calories by 400, dialed back the cardio, started lifting heavy weights x10 reps twice a week, and now I am losing again.

    Constantly changing it up will kickstart things. Also, this is a process, and it's a long one. It took me years to gain the weight so I know it takes patience. Good luck!
  • lmelangley
    lmelangley Posts: 1,039 Member
    I go into plateaus for weeks- even months - if I net only 1200 calories a day. Unless you're shorter than 5'4" (my height), I'd recommend eating/netting more. Try for around 1340 a day and see how that goes for a few weeks.
  • 18guyhornet
    18guyhornet Posts: 195 Member
    With the little information you have posted, and without knowing your measurements (height, weight, and age) it sounds to me that you are not eating enough calories. As crazy at it sounds, when you are at too much of a caloric deficit, your body goes into starvation mode and it starts trying to save as much fat and as many calories as it can because it feels is not getting enough for the amount of work it is doing. When you feed your body enough calories, your body feels free to burn them because it knows they are getting replaced to some extent.

    The first thing you need to do is figure out how many calories does your body require to function right now and maintain weight (there are many online tools that can help you with this) then figure out how many calories you burn during a workout. Once you have those numbers you can subtract a few hundred calories from the total to be at a slight caloric deficit. This should kick start your body and allow it to burn more calories during the day.

    Just to clarify, I’m not a nutrition or fitness expert. What I tell you is based on many hours of research, reading, but most importantly based on my results. I was in a similar situation, and it took me a long time to believe that in order for me to lose weight, I had to eat more calories. But once I made those changes I started seeing the results.

    I would encourage you to do some research yourself so that you know that there is science backing up what I have told you here.

    The most important thing is not to give up. If what you are doing is not working, don’t just quit, find and try something different.

    Good luck with your goals, and keep up the work, results are around the corner.

    ^^^This^^^
  • myers1920
    myers1920 Posts: 9 Member
    Age 38
    Weight 250
    height 5'6"
    I must say that i never believed that not eating enough would cause plateau. I measure my food and calculate everything.
  • mmarcy7
    mmarcy7 Posts: 227 Member
    I agree, after a quick look at your diary you don't seem to be eating enough calories. I didn't see many veggies or healthy fats. I just got over a plateau by upping my calories. Not saying it's for everyone, but if what you are doing doesn't seem to be working can't hurt to try something different.
  • myers1920
    myers1920 Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks for the advice I will up my calories, and eat more veggies.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    Age 38
    Weight 250
    height 5'6"
    I must say that i never believed that not eating enough would cause plateau. I measure my food and calculate everything.

    I am almost as close to you. When I started I was doing the 1200 calories and working out 6 days a week, I would lose the same 5 lbs in a course of one month, it was beyond frustrating, I looked into the eating more thing and upped my calories to 1744 and I'm consistently losing between 1-2 lbs a week.
  • gaylynn35
    gaylynn35 Posts: 854 Member
    I think you need to add more veggies and fruits to your diet. I also advice you to eat back some, maybe half of you exercise calories.

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