Help - my weight is STUCK

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  • SorchaEilis
    SorchaEilis Posts: 99 Member
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    The same thing happened to me. I plateaued after losing the first 6 pounds. I went and had a body fat assessment done after a few frustrating weeks, and I discovered that while I hadn't lost any scale pounds, I'd gained 3 pounds of muscle and lost a total of 9 pounds of fat since my initial check. Since you've recently started exercising, you will likely gain some muscle mass and continue to lose fat. This is a good thing, but if you only watch the scale, it can be frustrating.

    Keep up with the exercise, eat back some of your exercise calories to net at least 1200, and you will see the scale start to move again soon. It took a few weeks for me, but now I've lost 8 more pounds!


    *edited for typos
  • tryinghard71
    tryinghard71 Posts: 593
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    Eat back your exercise calories...

    If you are EATING 1200 cals and then BURNING 250 then you are only NETTING 950 calories a day - your body needs fuel to live. Stop starving your body and it will start performing the way you want it to - you should always NET at least 1200 calories a day.

    :drinker: :flowerforyou:
  • simonlcube
    simonlcube Posts: 73 Member
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    It depends on a lot of things.

    Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale though: water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose weight when they eat more because of these fluctuations.

    I Ignore exercise calories because they are over estimated. Most people underestimate calories so give it 10% less in the total. Also packaging will underestimate because legally they can put more not less so they will error on the more side.

    If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for women over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I am a living breathing example of that. I went from obese to now under 12% BF and I've maintained for one year and built muscle the whole time. You don't BUILD muscle in starvation mode, so I proved everyone wrong. And I learned it all from The Venus Index Workout manuals and the Anything Goes Diet.

    I am a big fan of progress pictures, front, side, and back to see progress that metrics does not show.
    I hope this helps you.

    blog bobbiesfitness.com

    Very well said.
  • celtic_girl
    celtic_girl Posts: 13
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    is 1300 cals your TDEE minus 20/15 or 10%?

    It was minus 20%.
  • celtic_girl
    celtic_girl Posts: 13
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    Have you taken pictures?
    I have been at the same weight for about 3 weeks now, and I take pictures to check my progress. Even though the scale is not moving down, I am clearly getting slimmer! Maybe that is happening with you, also I highly recommend eating back exercise calories, that way your body is getting enough fuel for the day.

    I took pictures at the start when I was 8 pounds heavier but haven't taken one since. I will do this now and then in a couple of week's time and see if I look slimmer.
  • celtic_girl
    celtic_girl Posts: 13
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    I checked on the site scoobysworkshop and it has given me 1300 calories to eat if I want to lose weight and 1620 to maintain my weight.
    are you netting 1300? Just because you are eating 1300, doesn't mean you are netting that much. if you eat 1300, burn off 400 with exercise and don't eat those back then you are only netting 900, which is below the 1300 you need to lose weight.

    I am netting less on the days I exercise (which is at least half the week).
  • celtic_girl
    celtic_girl Posts: 13
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    The same thing happened to me. I plateaued after losing the first 6 pounds. I went and had a body fat assessment done after a few frustrating weeks, and I discovered that while I hadn't lost any scale pounds, I'd gained 3 pounds of muscle and lost a total of 9 pounds of fat since my initial check. Since you've recently started exercising, you will likely gain some muscle mass and continue to lose fat. This is a good thing, but if you only watch the scale, it can be frustrating.

    Keep up with the exercise, eat back some of your exercise calories to net at least 1200, and you will see the scale start to move again soon. It took a few weeks for me, but now I've lost 8 more pounds!


    *edited for typos

    How do I work out my body fat ?
  • tenaheff
    tenaheff Posts: 88
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    I don't think your problem is that 1200 is too low. I think you are building muscle because you are now exercising.
  • celtic_girl
    celtic_girl Posts: 13
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    well I just checked the scaled and I have lost 1.5 pounds this week! Hurray!

    I think part of the problem was too many carbs. I also have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and when I eat too many carbs, not only do I not lose weight but I start feeling ill again so I need to try and keep my carbs to less than 120g per day, otherwise my Chronic Fatigue comes back and I need to go to work. I also get terrible bloatedness and constipation when I eat too many carbs for several days in a row.
  • Prahasaurus
    Prahasaurus Posts: 1,381 Member
    Options
    It depends on a lot of things.

    Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale though: water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose weight when they eat more because of these fluctuations.

    I Ignore exercise calories because they are over estimated. Most people underestimate calories so give it 10% less in the total. Also packaging will underestimate because legally they can put more not less so they will error on the more side.

    If you have a lot of body fat reserves you would be surprised at how little you can eat (unless you have emotional eating issues or disorders). The leaner you get the less your body has to draw from and then you have to taper up your calories. There is no such thing as starvation mode for women over 12% body fat or men over 6% body fat. I am a living breathing example of that. I went from obese to now under 12% BF and I've maintained for one year and built muscle the whole time. You don't BUILD muscle in starvation mode, so I proved everyone wrong. And I learned it all from The Venus Index Workout manuals and the Anything Goes Diet.

    I am a big fan of progress pictures, front, side, and back to see progress that metrics does not show.
    I hope this helps you.

    blog bobbiesfitness.com

    This is such a great post on so many levels. Please reread this, OP.

    --P
  • aprilangel485
    aprilangel485 Posts: 6
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    If anyone can help me, that would be awesome. I have lost over 150 lbs from my highest weight and now, in the home stretch, find myself plateauing like crazy. I am on WW and count points. I logged in my food intake here and it says that with my exercise today, I should eat 1731 calories and I logged in 1200. Does this mean that I am undereating by all of those exercise calories or should I aim for somewhere in the middle. My BMR is only 1176 cause I am really short...I am cofused! I burned 531 calories today so should I eat part of those? Help!!

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