Needs help with Plateau!!!!!!!!!!

CarrieD2012
CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I am 30 years old,recently lost 40 lbs since January. but the past few months my weight has stopped moving. I am completly stuck!!!! I drink protein shakes for breakfest and lunch and eat a healthy dinner. I use protein shakes because i have a hard time eating 3 meals a day. I snack on fruits,vegetables,green tea or coffee. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME break this plateau. I have no idea what i am doing wrong,or where to start to get rid of the rest of my weight. Thanks.:sad:

Replies

  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 637 Member
    How many calories are you eating? Do you exercise? How much water do you drink daily? What else do you drink? A protein shake for breakfast and lunch is not healthy every day. You need foods to get all your nutrients, shakes simply won't do it. It could be that you need to eat more. Your snacks sound great but without being able to look at your diary, it is very hard to tell.
  • RainbootsToBikinis
    RainbootsToBikinis Posts: 465 Member
    Open your diary, otherwise we really can't help. Height and weight will be helpful too.
  • CarrieD2012
    CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
    how do i open my food diary? im a noobie...lol and i am excerising..jillian michaels dvd and situps every night...i drink lots of water on most days...im just really stuck!!!
  • babymine55
    babymine55 Posts: 127 Member
    You can open your diary by going into your settings.

    I found, when I hit a 3 month plateau, that upping my calorie intake from 1200 to 1400, worked! So, first, I would check all the standards...are you drinking your water, how much sodium are you intaking, etc.. If that's all good, then maybe change things up a bit, change up your diet..

    Best wishes! :)
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    my home ..settings...to open your diary ..u may not be stuck at all
  • Domi_BTGfit
    Domi_BTGfit Posts: 149
    Go into your settings, go into diary settings, adjust privacy (at the bottom) to friends only - then you only have MFP friends gaining access, not the whole world.

    I agree, we would need to see your diary to give an educated evaluation of what you could change.

    I'm a few months from 30yo, but I've lost 64lb/29.2kg over the past year and I also plateau every few weeks. When this happens, I only go to the gym every 2-3 days and I do a combination of both cardio and strength, instead of just cardio days and strength days. I also have shots of espresso (2) in my morning protein shake, I eat some high fibre oatmeal (made on water) mid-morning and then a double shot of protein mid-afternoon. This should boost the metabolism if you are also eating a healthy dinner and a high protein lunch. Like you, I struggle to eat much during the day but you HAVE to in order to lose weight. Keep a MINIMUM of 1000 cals per day (it should be 1200 at least, but that can be hard, I know).

    Are you drinking 2-3 litres of water per day (about 10-12 glasses is best) and cut out all "white" foods - potato, white rice, white bread and pasta. No refined sugars - basically nothing from a packet that isn't a protein supplement.

    I'm not a nutritionist, I just know what works for my body so that is all I can suggest. I'm 172cm and I now weight 67.5kg (148.5lbs).
  • CarrieD2012
    CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
    thank you so much. i just opened my food diary and this is my first day tracking,im trying this to see if i can lose the extra pounds. i do need to up my water intake,i can see that. im finding it to make up my calories and been eating this way for a very long time. it will be a year in january and still only 40 lbs gone. im srtessing about it and can take all the advice i can get.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    Ok so you opened your diary then closed it ..your diary showed a day filled out totally summing up 767 calories I believe which is why your stuck ..not on a plateau but definately hungry...not sure if you have eating disorder, under Dr supervision or just seeking help..but give MFP 2 months and log everything and hang in there...you have no previous entries because you havent been here long enough...I dont think anyone here can reallly offer sound advice unless you give a sample of a weeks menu and daily workout etc activity level..40lbs is great I dont know how much u currently weigh and what you current height is..but you can friend me if u want and send those detais in a private message
  • CarrieD2012
    CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
    i do not have an eating disorder i assure u...but this is the amount i eat. so i will give it a few weeks on MFP to see if it will budge at all. I find it hard to eat large amounts as i get full very fast,but i am trying. before my diet i was only eating dinner and nothing else. now with protein shakes i am able to get in 3 meals a day which got me to lose the 40lbs. but i still have 20 more to go and its not budging at all. hopefully if i can drink more water and do more exercise it will move.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    i do not have an eating disorder i assure u...but this is the amount i eat. so i will give it a few weeks on MFP to see if it will budge at all. I find it hard to eat large amounts as i get full very fast,but i am trying. before my diet i was only eating dinner and nothing else. now with protein shakes i am able to get in 3 meals a day which got me to lose the 40lbs. but i still have 20 more to go and its not budging at all. hopefully if i can drink more water and do more exercise it will move.

    As you lose scale weight, your BMR will go down too. Your BMR could be so low that the only way for you to go any smaller is if you eat less food or exercise more intensely. Example: My wife has another 10 to 15 lbs to go, but her BMR is at 1200. The only way she can lose any more weight is if she eats 1000 or less calories so she has a deficiency again. But if she does eat at 1000, she would have to eat there forever because her BMR is going to go down to that and if she eats 1200 or higher, she will be at an overage again and packing on the weight (if she isn't doing heavy weights). So check http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee to see where you're at.
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    You aren't hungry because you have been eating this way for so long. If you choose to add calories, and I think you should, add them little bits at the time. Don't want to double your intake all of a sudden. See if maybe you can eat a meal at breakfast or lunch instead of the protein shake. Something small is fine to start. I started with just a 6 ounce yogurt for breakfast after not eating breakfast for almost 30 years. Now I eat from 200-600 calories every day for breakfast. Not everyone needs 3 meals a day, but you won't know what you need unless you try different things. Apparently your body has adjusted to what you are doing, so confuse it.

    Good luck, and feel free to friend me if you need encouragement.
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
    Hi there!

    What really worked for me was to drop carbs to less than 75 grams....I cut out grains and sugars and most fruits...

    BUT I added more fats...fats don't make you fat - carbs do. We all know that I guess. Fat though fill you up and satisfies you moree than carbs. Also make digestion and eliminationmuch easier AND it makes you a fat burner rather than a carb burner. Fat burning is better.

    Also, once you reduce carbs, your body puts out less insulin and everything gets alot easier.

    Best of Luck.

    Do some research at Marksdailyapple.com
  • AngelaKoder
    AngelaKoder Posts: 24
    I've done some research on plateau. A few suggestions were cut out salt, another was have an apple day where all you eat for a day is 6-9 apples, then go back to your diet. I know that seems hard but ifyou can just make it one day. Not sure if either of those things work, but just what I've read.
    Also, I know a lot of people loose weight fast if they cut out carbs/sugar. Maybe just for a couple days you could cut out breads and your fruit or soemthing just to jumpstart weight loss again?
    Good luck. 40 pounds since Jan great job!
  • girlykate143
    girlykate143 Posts: 220 Member
    before my diet i was only eating dinner and nothing else. now with protein shakes i am able to get in 3 meals a day which got me to lose the 40lbs. but i still have 20 more to go and its not budging at all.
    ^ This might be the problem. I would guess that your metabolism is a bit slower because your body was used to little amounts of food, and all at dinner. My guess is that's why you can't pack it in (so to speak), because your stomach has been used to small amounts of food. Try eating bulkier veggies, greens, and as someone else mentioned, try to stay away from white foods. Eat low-glycemic index fruits. sorry, you'll have to look that one up.

    Just keep doing what you're doing, but log everything. Everything. Especially your water! It will be eye-opening to know how many calories you're actually taking in. Believe me, I was under-eating by 5-600 calories.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    Hi there!

    What really worked for me was to drop carbs to less than 75 grams....I cut out grains and sugars and most fruits...

    BUT I added more fats...fats don't make you fat - carbs do. We all know that I guess. Fat though fill you up and satisfies you moree than carbs. Also make digestion and eliminationmuch easier AND it makes you a fat burner rather than a carb burner. Fat burning is better.

    Also, once you reduce carbs, your body puts out less insulin and everything gets alot easier.

    Best of Luck.

    Do some research at Marksdailyapple.com

    ^This^

    Sadly, no one on these forums consider insulin sensitivity and resistance in their diet, but insulin is responsible for fat retention so the timing of your foods is important. And the kinds of foods you're eating is just as important.
  • EDesq
    EDesq Posts: 1,527 Member
    If you DO whatever any/every one says, your Body will still "move" when it gets ready. Go ahead and pick one...Your Body will "adjust" in 2-3 weeks or 2-3 months. People do not get it...losing weight and eating lower calories than the Body Requires IS A TRAUMA! The Body knows what it needs to "heal" , so DO what you will, eat more, eat less, exercise more or less, try something different whatever. If you could not eat more than 1 meal a day, then clearly you did not have a weight problem...or did you "snack" all day on bad choices...you might try eating 2 or 3 times a day since in this society eating once is really not sustainable, you might try getting off of your diet and try a sustainable eating plan. Your Body may be telling you it is Ready for Stability.
  • EccentricDad
    EccentricDad Posts: 875 Member
    In defense of the "eat more, lose more" though, I did increase my calories from 1200 to 1600 and I was still able to lose 2 lbs. in the last week. The thing is though, men "should never eat below 1500" because of our resting metabolism. Women "should never eat below 1200" for the same reason. But listen to your body and if you stop feeling hungry, then it's your body's way of saying it wants substance instead of to eat fat. You can eat at an overage for 3 days and then return to your diet to kick it out of Famine mode. Good luck.
  • CarrieD2012
    CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
    thank you so much!
  • CarrieD2012
    CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
    i do not have an eating disorder i assure u...but this is the amount i eat. so i will give it a few weeks on MFP to see if it will budge at all. I find it hard to eat large amounts as i get full very fast,but i am trying. before my diet i was only eating dinner and nothing else. now with protein shakes i am able to get in 3 meals a day which got me to lose the 40lbs. but i still have 20 more to go and its not budging at all. hopefully if i can drink more water and do more exercise it will move.

    As you lose scale weight, your BMR will go down too. Your BMR could be so low that the only way for you to go any smaller is if you eat less food or exercise more intensely. Example: My wife has another 10 to 15 lbs to go, but her BMR is at 1200. The only way she can lose any more weight is if she eats 1000 or less calories so she has a deficiency again. But if she does eat at 1000, she would have to eat there forever because her BMR is going to go down to that and if she eats 1200 or higher, she will be at an overage again and packing on the weight (if she isn't doing heavy weights). So check http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee to see where you're at.

    thanks so much!!:smile:
  • butterflycutie
    butterflycutie Posts: 43
    I know exactly what you're going through! Most people will probably not agree but what I did was fast for a day and that worked for me!!
  • CarrieD2012
    CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
    I've done some research on plateau. A few suggestions were cut out salt, another was have an apple day where all you eat for a day is 6-9 apples, then go back to your diet. I know that seems hard but ifyou can just make it one day. Not sure if either of those things work, but just what I've read.
    Also, I know a lot of people loose weight fast if they cut out carbs/sugar. Maybe just for a couple days you could cut out breads and your fruit or soemthing just to jumpstart weight loss again?
    Good luck. 40 pounds since Jan great job!

    Thanks so much. im gonna have to try different things i guess...i eat mostly berries in fruit and apples. and i dont eat breads,pasta,rice or potatoes. so im totally just stuck
  • CarrieD2012
    CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
    If you DO whatever any/every one says, your Body will still "move" when it gets ready. Go ahead and pick one...Your Body will "adjust" in 2-3 weeks or 2-3 months. People do not get it...losing weight and eating lower calories than the Body Requires IS A TRAUMA! The Body knows what it needs to "heal" , so DO what you will, eat more, eat less, exercise more or less, try something different whatever. If you could not eat more than 1 meal a day, then clearly you did not have a weight problem...or did you "snack" all day on bad choices...you might try eating 2 or 3 times a day since in this society eating once is really not sustainable, you might try getting off of your diet and try a sustainable eating plan. Your Body may be telling you it is Ready for Stability.

    I gained the weight from medication i was put on by my doctor for seizures. and it made me hungry so i would snack on things like crackers. now im off my meds and need to get the rest of the weight off as well. i am down to the weight i was before the medication but want to lose another 20lbs. and i had a child 3 yrs ago which didnt help my weight any eaither.
  • CarrieD2012
    CarrieD2012 Posts: 9 Member
    I know exactly what you're going through! Most people will probably not agree but what I did was fast for a day and that worked for me!!

    fast? as in dont eat at all? not even my protein shakes??
  • butterflycutie
    butterflycutie Posts: 43
    I know exactly what you're going through! Most people will probably not agree but what I did was fast for a day and that worked for me!!

    fast? as in dont eat at all? not even my protein shakes??

    I drank lots of water and ate something very small at 6pm. I only did this maybe 2 times in 18 months, but it always helped me when I was stuck.
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