I'm stuck! In need of advice! <3

I'm Amy! I have been with my fitness pal since June 9th of last year (7ish months). In that time I have lost 77 lbs by walking, hiking, stairs, and calorie counting. I believe with all my heart that MFP has changed my life! I'm good at this weight loss thing, and I have begun coaching and encouraging others. So it makes me sad to say that I am stuck at this loss. I am 5ft7in and 213 lbs now, so still really overweight (altho I feel great!) I still have about 65 lbs to loose and I haven't lost anything for a month. In the past I have lost a steady 10lbs a month.

I am a pre-school teacher and get almost 18000 steps in a day. (I have a fitbit). I have again started coaching others, and I post mini challenges everyday (for about two weeks now) so I am even doing new things! The mini challenges that I post everyday I ask others to complete once during the day, but I do them every hour. (Things like planks, jogging, squats, ect.) I burn massive calories, and I eat around 1500 calories a day!

I was hoping that one of you awesome seasoned members can give me some tips!!

I work from 6am to 2pm, and I pick up my kiddos after that. My husband works second shift so I'm kinda on my own in the evenings (altho my kiddos have always walked and hiked with me! they love it) But it is winter right now and too cold to have them out), and my gym does not have babysitting (just a couple things I wanted to add in there.) Not excuses, just real life situations!

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me! I appreciate you taking the time to read this! <3

~amy
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Replies

  • FJMilner
    FJMilner Posts: 407
    Have you got any fitness DVDs you could do at home?
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
    Do you have stairs in your home? You could try running them and have the kids in on it too by racing and timing each other. The other things that gets a good cardio workout in is step-ups. A bench that you step up and step down on. Or some sort of obstacle course you could set up in your home to get the heart rate up there. Anything that can make it fun for you and the kids.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    Search Jillian Michaels on eBay, she has lots of DVD's that people here swear by.
  • harvo
    harvo Posts: 4,676 Member
    You may have to change things up a bit. Raise your calories for a couple or three weeks as your body may be settled on your routine now.
  • healthyKYgirl
    healthyKYgirl Posts: 272 Member
    If you are walking the equivalent of almost a half marathon every day (21000 steps) and doing exercises every hour throughout the day, and are only eating 1500 calories, you are not eating enough.

    Please calculate your TDEE and your BMR and please don't set yourself as sedentary but highly active in these calculations

    I did the same thing 4 years ago after losing 75 pounds, and I was working out all of the time and felt great, but I plateaued myself just like this and that plateau lasted for a year and finally I gave up and gained back all the weight.

    Edit: Link for TDEE - http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
    Either increase your calories by 100 or decrease activity. Monitor for 2 weeks and see what happens.
  • ApexLeader
    ApexLeader Posts: 580 Member
    you could try a lot of different things to jump start your weight loss again.

    you could switch your diet. for instance, if you have a lot of carbs in your diet, try increasing protein and fat and decreasing carbs. whatever your diet is right now try switching it to something different for a few weeks.

    you could also try to exercise more rigorously. buy a jump rope (they are usually fairly inexpensive) and work that into your routine (you can jump rope right outside your house or perhaps even inside your house if you have space). try to build up a really good pace during your jump rope exercise so that your heart is going faster than when you are doing any other type of exercise (as long as your doctor says this type of exercise is fine). which leads me to another point. do interval training. interval training would be something where you alternate high and low heart rates. you could walk for 5 minutes and then run as fast as you can for 15-30 seconds and then repeat that over and over again until you are tired. one of the reasons why your weight loss is stalled could just be that your exercise routines aren't doing it for you any longer. so you could look into changing that up as well.

    another thing could just be that you are retaining water. check to see how much sodium you have in your diet. our bodies need sodium to survive, but you can have too much so keep an eye on that.

    another possible culprit is that you are underestimating how much you are eating. given the fact you have been steadily losing 10 lbs a month and it suddenly stopped, i'm less inclined to think this is true, but it doesn't hurt to verify that you are measuring everything out carefully and tracking calories that you are consuming.

    there are, of course, other biological reasons why you may not be losing weight the same as before. i wouldn't get too worried about it. it has only been a month. you might want to go see a doctor and talk to them about it if it continues much longer.
  • Haley_Adele
    Haley_Adele Posts: 37 Member
    Hi I started around the same time as you. I weigh once a week and its seeing the numbers go down that keeps me going. I think iv lost 3lb since November :-/.
  • masfe
    masfe Posts: 17
    Try not to decrease your calorie intake more, or your metabolism will just adapt and make it even harder to lose more weight.

    I would try to change things, like exercise. Do some different workouts, maybe add some weight exercises (don't need to add a lot of muscle if you don't want to, but muscle usually helps raising your metabolism), try some HIT training.

    Also you could as someone said try to increase your calorie intake for a while just to see if your body adapts or change your macros.
  • easycure
    easycure Posts: 152 Member
    I haven't tried the workout dvd's yet. I'm sure I can get my hands on some of those (ill do some research on them) And in the past I have raised then lowered my calories to successfully continue on the weightloss journey (altho its not working this time).

    I have broken my lower back 3 times (in the same spot) so walking and hiking has always been easiest on my back. But you are all right, I think my body is just so used to that now.

    I do get anywhere from 10 to 30 flights of stairs a day, but I have no problem trying to get them all at once maybe?

    My kiddos are 5 and 7, so all of this is a game to them! They love it! lol <3 They are pretty awesome! lol
  • easycure
    easycure Posts: 152 Member
    I do want to start heavy lifting eventually, but I was hoping to start it closer to 180lbs to tone.
  • Check the library for workout DVDs that way you can find one you like and then buy it. Or keep changing things up with a new dvd every 2 or 3 weeks. I have used the walk away the pounds 3 mile walk. It is all indoors about 40 minutes
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    If you are walking the equivalent of almost a half marathon every day (21000 steps) and doing exercises every hour throughout the day, and are only eating 1500 calories, you are not eating enough.

    Please calculate your TDEE and your BMR and please don't set yourself as sedentary but highly active in these calculations

    I did the same thing 4 years ago after losing 75 pounds, and I was working out all of the time and felt great, but I plateaued myself just like this and that plateau lasted for a year and finally I gave up and gained back all the weight.

    Edit: Link for TDEE - http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    Agree with this. Eat halfway between your BMR and TDEE, and see how that works.
  • s50s
    s50s Posts: 138 Member
    Find the group Eat More 2 Loss Weight on here. It tells you why you need to add more calories.
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member

    The links aren't working due to a copyright claim :grumble:
  • easycure
    easycure Posts: 152 Member
    Thank you everyone for your suggestions!

    its scary to up your calories! Everytime I do it I freak out! lol <3
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Your diary shows that you are eating less than 1500 calories, but your calorie goal is just over 2000. Is 2000 supposed to be your TDEE?

    Try slowly increasing your calories. Add about 100 a day each week until you get to your TDEE. Eat at TDEE for 2 weeks, then cut 100 calories a day until you are at a 20% cut.
  • masfe
    masfe Posts: 17
    I do want to start heavy lifting eventually, but I was hoping to start it closer to 180lbs to tone.

    Don't need to start by heavy lifting, you can still lift and lose weight, just go for lighter weights and include cardio
  • bcumak
    bcumak Posts: 18 Member
    I agree with the posts that said to up your calories. If you are getting that much exercise you are not eating anywhere near enough. Up your calories for a few weeks and see what happens.
  • I am not going to give any advise, because I am a newbie and I really do need support and help with my weight lost.
  • prokomds
    prokomds Posts: 318 Member
    I do want to start heavy lifting eventually, but I was hoping to start it closer to 180lbs to tone.

    Congrats on all your success so far! That's super awesome

    That being said, why wait to weight lift? 180lbs seems arbitrary, weight lifting is great for burning fat, and if you're stuck it seems like a great thing to try. My two cents :)
  • Sheila_Ann
    Sheila_Ann Posts: 365 Member
    Good job on how far you have come. I took a look at your diary and you seem to be over in sodium just about every day. Sodium will make you retain water. Try to stay under if you can.

    Best of luck in your journey!

    Sheila :flowerforyou:
  • SailorSunira
    SailorSunira Posts: 8 Member
    Congratulations on coming this far.

    If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going - Winston Churchill

    Maybe it's time to analyze your macronutrients. Try and shake up your diet. Go Paleo. Or try Keto. Your body gets used to a pattern and becomes efficient at that pattern. It's one of our strengths to be able to adapt well. It can also be frustrating when it comes to weight loss. If you increase calories, make sure it's healthy, lean calories.

    Good Luck!
  • easycure
    easycure Posts: 152 Member
    I love you guys for taking the time our to give me a hand! And I love MFP! I don't know where I would be without it and all of you! <3
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    I'm down 80 pounds from my highest. Every so often, I found myself hitting a slow slope plateau. What I found worked for me was (1) pick a new sustainable eating goal -- like eating basically paleo for a while, or going vegan/raw for a while (while still counting calories) -- with the knowledge I wouldn't eat that way forever. Just maybe 6 weeks or 3 months. Then return to the previous eating habits that had been successful earlier in my weight loss. I think the main benefit I got was that each time, I learned new foods or recipes that I'd never tried before (since I was eating a restrictive diet for the shorterm, I was forced to learn how to make quinoa or something else I'd never tried or have to venture to new ethnic grocery stores) and made my nutrition tracking and meal prep "fun" again. And (2) change my main exercise routine. Changing from walking to weight lifting or running or swimming or whatever. Using new muscles, I guess, caused my metabolism to speed back up again.
  • you are up north as am I, where it is winter longer than summer. I found a local hotel that has an indoor pool, hot tub and sauna. It is a different workout and also helps to get the ache out. Check out places in your area a good winter swim is a nice change up to the workouts I am doing. The membership is normally inexpensive. I bring my friends kids with me sometime and we have pool toys and we race. It is a great work out.
  • do a you tube search for Jillian Michaels. I know there is the level 1 of 30 day shred on there. I just looked it up.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Pc-NizMgg8

    The links aren't working due to a copyright claim :grumble:
  • Hbazzell
    Hbazzell Posts: 899 Member
    I am not a great axample but everything I read says cardio queens (like me) will plateu for longer. Maybe it is time to add weights to your routine. Muscle burns fat! I just started weights even though I dont like them because they are heavy! haha. I do feel more accomplished though.
  • MightyDomo
    MightyDomo Posts: 1,265 Member
    You should recalculate your TDEE & BMR every 5-10 lbs to make sure you are getting enough for your activity/current weight. You may not be eating enough to continue to lose weight.

    Oh Hbazzell is right, add some weights too. You can use 3, 5, 8, 10lb to start and here is my routine for at home strength training....

    Strength Training
    2 Plank - 30 sec
    2 20 Leg Lowering
    2 20 Reverse Crunch
    2 20 Shrugs
    2 20 Bent Over Rows
    2 20 Deat Lifts
    2 20 Hammer Curls
    2 20 Standing Calf Raise
    2 20 Chest Press
    2 20 Chest Fly
    2 20 Push up
    2 20 Bridge
    2 20 Leg Curls
    2 20 Squats
    2 20 Jump Squats
    2 20 Lunges
    2 20 Lying Side Leg Raise
    2 20 Front Raise
    2 20 Lateral Raise
    2 20 Standing Row
    2 20 L-Lift
    2 20 Overhead Extensions
    2 20 Tricep Kickbacks

    2 is sets and 20 is how many you do each set.