Tips for a plateaued weight?

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  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Alright, so I've been stuck on around 221ish pound for nearly a week now, whereas I lost at a much steady rate weeks before. At times I try to eat at LEAST 1200 cals, but sometimes I'm not that hungry and I eat less than 900 cals maybe once a week. Is there anyway to push beyond my stalled weight?

    I normally eat cereal for breakfast and for linner, I usually eat turkey sandwich or 8 cups of steamed eggplants/broccoli and after that I either eat 2 apples or 2 oranges for dessert.

    As of today, I've switched to a protein meal replacement shake, but that lowered my cal intake for breakfast from 300+ to about 120... Now I'm packing in all my nutrients by drinking protein shakes along with Nestle Carnations Breakfast Essentials, also took vitamin E softgel along with fish oil softgels to prevent malnutrition.

    P.S. - I'm not sure if what I mentioned about my food intake is completely accurate as I have a terrible sense of time and memory... You can check my food diary for an accurate intake. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/maxman190
    I started using MFP on November 18, 2012.

    You could try a fructose-fast. Since table sugar (sucrose) is 50% fructose (and 50% glucose) that means no sugar at all or anything that contains it. A tiny bit of dextrose is okay as dextrose is the food industry's name for glucose and it is fructose that presents the most problems. There is a book called, "The Fat Switch", by cardiologist, Richard J. Johnson, M.D., that basically discusses the most up-to-date research on the dangers of fructose (and it isn't just that it makes you fat). While you will lose weight by reducing your calorie intake, keeping large amounts of fructose in your diet will practically force you to regain the weight you lost. And it can also sabotage weight loss. If you go on a two-week fructose fast (easier than you'd think) you will knock your fructokinase (an enzyme necessary to the absorption and utilization of fructose in the liver) down to normal levels. If you eat a lot of sugar (and anything more than a pinch is too much) your fructokinase levels skyrocket and create all kinds of nasty effects in your body. Once you get your fructokinase levels back down, you can eat a small amount of fructose in a couple of servings of low-fructose fruit. The reason why sugar is so dangerous is that something that is sugar-sweetened gives you a LOT of fructose in one shot and messes up your bio-chemistry. One can of soda (sweetened with high fructose corn syrup) gives you the same amount of fructose as TWELVE oranges. Also, the soda doesn't have any fiber (which slows down the transmission of the fructose in fruit). Forever after that, you must keep your fructose down to 25 grams or less per day or you risk getting the Sugar Monster back on you---which basically means swearing off of sucrose, honey, molasses, maple syrup, etc. for the rest of your life. When you read what it does to you in terms of chronic disease, it isn't difficult to give up. I am in the middle of a two-week fructose fast and I must say that I really don't miss the sugar (although I will be glad to have fruit back in my life in another week). :smile:

    p.s. I have lost about three pounds this week just cutting out fructose, when before, my weight was just creeping down at the rate of about a pound every two weeks. My calorie count is about the same. I'm assuming that some of the weight loss is water. I feel great and have a LOT more energy. Dr. Johnson explains why eating fructose cuts your energy levels way back. It is pretty technical but if you did okay in high school biology, it shouldn't be too difficult to understand.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    Up your calories a bit. I'm female and I was eating 1200. I was losing, but once I upped to 1500 I lost at a faster rate.

    Also, eat more protein and don't skip meals.

    Make sure you exercise around 5 times a week and do strength/weight training as part of that.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Yikes! I just looked at your food diary. Going low-fat and eating simple carbs is absolutely the worst thing you can do to your body! Get Dr. Johnson's book and you will see why.

    You can take a look at my food diary to get ideas on how to nourish your body. My 1,500 calories is VERY different from your 1,500 calories in terms of nutrition. Three CUPS of white rice??? :noway: Seriously, there is not much but empty carbs there. I'm assuming you are a man and there is no way that your 1500 calories is enough to nourish a man's body--it isn't even enough for a child's body.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Yikes! I just looked at your food diary. Going low-fat and eating simple carbs is absolutely the worst thing you can do to your body! Get Dr. Johnson's book and you will see why.

    You can take a look at my food diary to get ideas on how to nourish your body. My 1,500 calories is VERY different from your 1,500 calories in terms of nutrition. Three CUPS of white rice??? :noway: Seriously, there is not much but empty carbs there. I'm assuming you are a man and there is no way that your 1500 calories is enough to nourish a man's body--it isn't even enough for a child's body.

    Whoa..now hold on. Let's not bash the rice. He's Chinese. Asians take their rice seriously. Granted, I don't eat 3 cups in one meal..but I think that there is NOTHING wrong with the rice in your meal.

    He needs to work on portion control. Of course, I think he needs to also not skip lunch if he's eating that much at dinner because he's so hungry.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Yikes! I just looked at your food diary. Going low-fat and eating simple carbs is absolutely the worst thing you can do to your body! Get Dr. Johnson's book and you will see why.

    You can take a look at my food diary to get ideas on how to nourish your body. My 1,500 calories is VERY different from your 1,500 calories in terms of nutrition. Three CUPS of white rice??? :noway: Seriously, there is not much but empty carbs there. I'm assuming you are a man and there is no way that your 1500 calories is enough to nourish a man's body--it isn't even enough for a child's body.

    Whoa..now hold on. Let's not bash the rice. He's Chinese. Asians take their rice seriously. Granted, I don't eat 3 cups in one meal..but I think that there is NOTHING wrong with the rice in your meal.

    He needs to work on portion control. Of course, I think he needs to also not skip lunch if he's eating that much at dinner because he's so hungry.

    When you restrict calories, you must make every calorie contribute toward good nutrition. I like white rice and eat it sometimes too but I understand that it isn't really very nourishing so I keep it to an occasional treat and limit my portion to 1/2 cup or less. White rice, like white bread, is calorie/carbohydrate dense and contributes to high blood sugar problems without contributing much toward good health.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Yikes! I just looked at your food diary. Going low-fat and eating simple carbs is absolutely the worst thing you can do to your body! Get Dr. Johnson's book and you will see why.

    You can take a look at my food diary to get ideas on how to nourish your body. My 1,500 calories is VERY different from your 1,500 calories in terms of nutrition. Three CUPS of white rice??? :noway: Seriously, there is not much but empty carbs there. I'm assuming you are a man and there is no way that your 1500 calories is enough to nourish a man's body--it isn't even enough for a child's body.

    Whoa..now hold on. Let's not bash the rice. He's Chinese. Asians take their rice seriously. Granted, I don't eat 3 cups in one meal..but I think that there is NOTHING wrong with the rice in your meal.

    He needs to work on portion control. Of course, I think he needs to also not skip lunch if he's eating that much at dinner because he's so hungry.

    When you restrict calories, you must make every calorie contribute toward good nutrition. I like white rice and eat it sometimes too but I understand that it isn't really very nourishing so I keep it to an occasional treat and limit my portion to 1/2 cup or less. White rice, like white bread, is calorie/carbohydrate dense and contributes to high blood sugar problems without contributing much toward good health.

    I work my rice in to my meals and have done just fine. And on my mother's side that is Japanese doesn't have high blood sugar problems. I think that eating anything in moderation is key. And when I say that, they eat at least 2-3 cups a day with lots of veggies and good protein.
  • maxman190
    maxman190 Posts: 7
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    5'10", 150lbs, and no exercise, just sitting around watching tv.
  • importdude
    importdude Posts: 15 Member
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    Portion control. I am also chinese and family cooks rice or noodles everyday. Most of the chinese food on mpf is not too accurate to what it really is. but try your best to google/measure how much you eat.

    i use to eat 3 bowls of rice for dinner. Now i been eating 1 bowl at most. More veggies and meat. You can also limit noodle intake with more bean sprouts.


    Do not feel bad when you get -red calories. I use to do this and felt bad so the next day i would eat almost 500 under. This was bad. I stuck to 1500 cal a day for 3 months. While i lost some weight i plateaued . Now i have been eating 2200 cal and losing .

    stick in there!
  • maxman190
    maxman190 Posts: 7
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    Alright, I appreciate all your posts and tips! I'll try eating at least 2200 calories each day for a week and see what happens and I'll try to not overestimate my calories.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    5'10", 150lbs, and no exercise, just sitting around watching tv.

    No exercise at all? Well, I would suggest maybe taking a walk at least once a day or something...but that's just me.

    Okay, here is what I got for your #s and I put your CW at 221, just fyi.

    At sedentary you'd be at 2112. Since you want to eat -20% below your TDEE, you should set your calorie goal at 1600-1700.

    If you do decide to start exercising (for future reference) and you become Lightly Active, you'd need to set your calorie goal to about 1900.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Actually, I think I need to change your GW because it set off a warning that it would make you below your BMR (which is 2203).

    I recalculated with your GW at 170lbs.

    At sedentary - you are at 2262 and -20% below that means you should set your calorie goal at 1800.

    If you are lightly active, it is 2592 and your calorie goal should be 2000. Honestly, unless you literally don't move at all during the day, I'd go ahead and set yourself at lightly active at a 2000 calorie goal.
  • ChrisParz
    ChrisParz Posts: 2
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    5'10", 150lbs, and no exercise, just sitting around watching tv.

    No exercise at all? Well, I would suggest maybe taking a walk at least once a day or something...but that's just me.

    Okay, here is what I got for your #s and I put your CW at 221, just fyi.

    At sedentary you'd be at 2112. Since you want to eat -20% below your TDEE, you should set your calorie goal at 1600-1700.

    If you do decide to start exercising (for future reference) and you become Lightly Active, you'd need to set your calorie goal to about 1900.

    Agreed. I'd shoot for the 1600-1700 of clean foods. At least a much as possible. If there is good food around eat it, but watch your portions and eat the healthy stuff first (Like the veggies). I'd say it's doubtful you've plateaued given just one week. There are a lot of factors that could cause this, biggest one being just your fluctuation in water weight. It's also good to note that this calorie intake is at your current weight, as you lose weight this number will actually decrease, so if you do actually plateau it would be a good time to re-assess your BMR.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Options
    5'10", 150lbs, and no exercise, just sitting around watching tv.

    No exercise at all? Well, I would suggest maybe taking a walk at least once a day or something...but that's just me.

    Okay, here is what I got for your #s and I put your CW at 221, just fyi.

    At sedentary you'd be at 2112. Since you want to eat -20% below your TDEE, you should set your calorie goal at 1600-1700.

    If you do decide to start exercising (for future reference) and you become Lightly Active, you'd need to set your calorie goal to about 1900.

    Agreed. I'd shoot for the 1600-1700 of clean foods. At least a much as possible. If there is good food around eat it, but watch your portions and eat the healthy stuff first (Like the veggies). I'd say it's doubtful you've plateaued given just one week. There are a lot of factors that could cause this, biggest one being just your fluctuation in water weight. It's also good to note that this calorie intake is at your current weight, as you lose weight this number will actually decrease, so if you do actually plateau it would be a good time to re-assess your BMR.

    Well, don't listen to this post. When I put these #s down, I didn't see that he would be below his BMR. I redid it and he should be more around 1800-2000 calories
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    Options
    Actually, I think I need to change your GW because it set off a warning that it would make you below your BMR (which is 2203).

    I recalculated with your GW at 170lbs.

    At sedentary - you are at 2262 and -20% below that means you should set your calorie goal at 1800.

    If you are lightly active, it is 2592 and your calorie goal should be 2000. Honestly, unless you literally don't move at all during the day, I'd go ahead and set yourself at lightly active at a 2000 calorie goal.

    Ignore my first post with the 1600 and such. Follow this one ^.
  • maxman190
    maxman190 Posts: 7
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    Alright! So, my goal is 1800-1900ish. I'm going to only eat products that I'm confident that I know the accurate calories and have an accurate nutrition label, unlike the chinese products with inaccurate labels.... I found a package of fish ball that was 4 calories per serving and each serving is 10 fish ball.... Thanks for all your help.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    Yikes! I just looked at your food diary. Going low-fat and eating simple carbs is absolutely the worst thing you can do to your body! Get Dr. Johnson's book and you will see why.

    You can take a look at my food diary to get ideas on how to nourish your body. My 1,500 calories is VERY different from your 1,500 calories in terms of nutrition. Three CUPS of white rice??? :noway: Seriously, there is not much but empty carbs there. I'm assuming you are a man and there is no way that your 1500 calories is enough to nourish a man's body--it isn't even enough for a child's body.

    Whoa..now hold on. Let's not bash the rice. He's Chinese. Asians take their rice seriously. Granted, I don't eat 3 cups in one meal..but I think that there is NOTHING wrong with the rice in your meal.

    He needs to work on portion control. Of course, I think he needs to also not skip lunch if he's eating that much at dinner because he's so hungry.

    When you restrict calories, you must make every calorie contribute toward good nutrition. I like white rice and eat it sometimes too but I understand that it isn't really very nourishing so I keep it to an occasional treat and limit my portion to 1/2 cup or less. White rice, like white bread, is calorie/carbohydrate dense and contributes to high blood sugar problems without contributing much toward good health.

    I work my rice in to my meals and have done just fine. And on my mother's side that is Japanese doesn't have high blood sugar problems. I think that eating anything in moderation is key. And when I say that, they eat at least 2-3 cups a day with lots of veggies and good protein.

    One thing that oriental folks have going for them is that the traditional diets contain little to no sugar and they also do a lot of bicycling, walking etc. The reason why they struggle with weight when they come here is that they adopt our ways and our diet. High blood sugar problems happen to those who are genetically pre-disposed to them and who eat a diet full of simple carbohydrates and sugars. Someone who is not pre-disposed to diabetes may get fat from our diet and lifestyle, but they won't necessarily become diabetic unless they get morbidly obese.
  • firedragon064
    firedragon064 Posts: 1,090 Member
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    Congratulation on losing 23 lbs!
    Keep in mind, the weight loss rate is going to slow down. You are on the right track so just keep going with the same diet for another week to see if you still don't lose weight. If so then start play with your diet. When a person has lots of lose,he can eat
    below his BMR since the body will process differently than a person who has less body fat. There are several reasons that may cause a person not lose weight. When I eat chinese food, msg and sodium cause my body to gain water weight for 2 days.
    New exercise routine also cause the weight gain (swollen muscle). Also check out rice (renewal) diet and starch solution diet, both of these diet are focus on starch as main course. I'm doing the rice diet right now and it's easy for me to do since I like to eat rice & oatmeal.

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