1 month at the same weight - help needed
carolyn0613
Posts: 162 Member
I am 5'10' 199 lb large frame female. I have been tracking calories since January on here but been trying to lose weight since August. I have been doing well and lost 30 lb in total. Pleased with that.
However this last month I have been at 199lb and not moving. I have been eating an average of 1900 cals a day and exercising by walking briskly and aerobics classes. This is about 45 mins 5 times a week. According to MFP, my BMR is 1,638 and my TDEE 2,050 is when set at sedentary and 2,210 when set at lightly active. Does the fact that I haven't lost weight mean that my energy needs are lower than what MFP has calculated? That I use 300 or so fewer calories than average?
I am very conscientious about logging my calories - I'd only be cheating myself. I am tempted to reduce my calories to see if that makes a difference. Advice please.
However this last month I have been at 199lb and not moving. I have been eating an average of 1900 cals a day and exercising by walking briskly and aerobics classes. This is about 45 mins 5 times a week. According to MFP, my BMR is 1,638 and my TDEE 2,050 is when set at sedentary and 2,210 when set at lightly active. Does the fact that I haven't lost weight mean that my energy needs are lower than what MFP has calculated? That I use 300 or so fewer calories than average?
I am very conscientious about logging my calories - I'd only be cheating myself. I am tempted to reduce my calories to see if that makes a difference. Advice please.
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Replies
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Are you losing inches? If you are, I'd stick with it as something's working!!0
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Put your numbers in for the weight you want to be, not the weight you are. If you eat for the weight you want to be, then eventually you will get down to that weight.0
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Try changing your workout.0
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I am 5'10' 199 lb large frame female. I have been tracking calories since January on here but been trying to lose weight since August. I have been doing well and lost 30 lb in total. Pleased with that.
However this last month I have been at 199lb and not moving. I have been eating an average of 1900 cals a day and exercising by walking briskly and aerobics classes. This is about 45 mins 5 times a week. According to MFP, my BMR is 1,638 and my TDEE 2,050 is when set at sedentary and 2,210 when set at lightly active. Does the fact that I haven't lost weight mean that my energy needs are lower than what MFP has calculated? That I use 300 or so fewer calories than average?
I am very conscientious about logging my calories - I'd only be cheating myself. I am tempted to reduce my calories to see if that makes a difference. Advice please.
Have you recalculated your calorie goals since you've lost the 30lbs? If not I would try that. You aren't burning as much as you did when you were heavier.0 -
I'm not losing inches either. I don't drink a lot of water so am trying to up that.0
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I have recalculated everything!0
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Put your numbers in for the weight you want to be, not the weight you are. If you eat for the weight you want to be, then eventually you will get down to that weight.
This is exactly what I do. I calculated maintenance for my goal weight (1500-1800cals) and eat around 1500 plus exercise. its slow--.5-1lb a week--but steady and this way i am learning the healthy habits and lifestyle changes necessary once i get there!0 -
Put your numbers in for the weight you want to be, not the weight you are. If you eat for the weight you want to be, then eventually you will get down to that weight.
This is exactly what I do. I calculated maintenance for my goal weight (1500-1800cals) and eat around 1500 plus exercise. its slow--.5-1lb a week--but steady and this way i am learning the healthy habits and lifestyle changes necessary once i get there!
I tried this - it said 2010 cals :noway:0 -
Carolyn, I have been stuck at the same weight for a month also. I lost 4 pounds the first month and now NOTHING. Right now I am just trying to keep motivated. I know eating right and exercising will pay off. I wish I had some advice for you. Hang in there.0
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Put your numbers in for the weight you want to be, not the weight you are. If you eat for the weight you want to be, then eventually you will get down to that weight.
This is exactly what I do. I calculated maintenance for my goal weight (1500-1800cals) and eat around 1500 plus exercise. its slow--.5-1lb a week--but steady and this way i am learning the healthy habits and lifestyle changes necessary once i get there!
I tried this - it said 2010 cals :noway:
This is the formula I use--this is what dietitians use determining what to give coma patients to ensure they get enough nutrition and maintain weight.
Calculate your goal weight in kg (divide by 2.2). Multiply this by any number from 25-30. This will give you a range. Obviously this formula does NOT include, height, bf%, age, or frame....but thats why it does a range. then you may have to test it a bit to find the right fit for you.0 -
I started at 210 and droped to 180-183. Then I was at my same weight for two months even thouugh I had a calorie deficit. So this is what I did...I changed my diet to Protein only to kick start the next round of fat burning. Within a week I saw my weight reducing. I measure body fat and I see fat reduction and an increase in muscle mass. I do strength training three times a week just so that I dont lose muscle mass.0
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Please dont get discuraged! sometimes our bodies need to adjust. change it up and try some new exercises! keep up the good work@!0
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Outside of weight...
What about body fat%, visceral fat%, skeletal muscle% and all the inches that can be lost from the neck, waist, hips, both arms, abductors, wrists, forearms, and both thighs?
Are you keeping track of that as well? It's more complex than just a simple scale weight number which is always in flux even as you lose.
You still need carbs and fats, too. A high protein diet can be a good thing, but you still need the rest.
Also, hows your exercise program? Is it tough enough to force your body into burning? Strength, circuit, endurance and all that? You mentioned aerobics, but what about calisthenics? You know, push ups, squats, burpees, and other related body weight lifting?
Also, why not pick up some free weights and lift those?0 -
Calculators can only give you an estimate of your TDEE based on averages of other people. You can determine better what your ACTUAL TDEE is, by your own experience. If you are logging all your food accurately, then add all the cals you have eaten total for the past month of maintaining and divide by the number of days. This number may be closer to your actual maintenance level now, so you would need to refigure a deficit from that number. When you lose weight, your BMR decreases, as well as how many calories you are burning thru exercise.
So either eat less, or exercise more.0 -
"I am 5'10' 199 lb large frame female. I have been tracking calories since January on here but been trying to lose weight since August. I have been doing well and lost 30 lb in total. Pleased with that. "
You have lost 30 lbs in 2.5 months. I would say you are kicking *kitten*!
Your goal should be something like 8 lbs per month max, so you are well ahead of the curve. I say don't freak out just yet.
(and I'm speaking as someone who freaks out with a degree of regularity)
Also, when I reached plateaus, I switched up my exercise. It is possible that your body has adjusted to what you are doing and you can add a bit more intensity to it... whatever that would mean for you.
ETA: or did you mean 30 lbs since august.
Either way, I don't think it is time to freak out. And i would still advocate for increasing the intensity of exercise (not the amount of time, but the intensity).0 -
Carolyn, I have been stuck at the same weight for a month also. I lost 4 pounds the first month and now NOTHING. Right now I am just trying to keep motivated. I know eating right and exercising will pay off. I wish I had some advice for you. Hang in there.
I am going through this EXACT thing and it's SO frustrating! I think I've decided to move my focus off the scale and back to just getting healthy, and start weighing myself only once a month.0 -
I agree with the others that you might want to add some new exercises or you might want to try adding some light weights into your routine somehow. You might see a temporary gain on the scale, but you end up getting over the plateau. I'm at a plateau right now and I know what I need to do - lift heavier weights during my workout dvds, but I've been putting off getting them! Try not to get discouraged!0
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If you've been losing the weight then you are probably eating about the right calories, but your body may have gotten used to your exercise routine so is not burning the same number of calories as it was before. Try doing something at the beginning and maybe middle of your walk that spikes your HR up a bit, or consider doing a 10min body-weight workout (find something on youtube) right before you walk. Once you get your HR up and then start walking your HR will stay up longer then if you were just walking alone.
Also definitely up your water intake - I am horrible at drinking water and every time I fall behind in my water intake I stop losing weight.
Don't give up! Just keep tweaking things every couple weeks - you will get there!0 -
Sometimes if we are over exercising or burning more cals than we are eating you kinda just stay the same ~ its your body going into starvation mode so its holding onto everything, i had this problem for ages, so sometimes i eat a little extra to incorporate for my calorie burn its just finding the balance. I do workouts 7 days a week & im a busy mum of 3 some days im just chilling at home & others im out and about or on my feet alot ~ however i feel if i cut my workouts down this wont help me as im finding im toning up alot & losing inches & not always losing lbs so im looking better & i feel better in myself.0
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I didn't read the other replies, so if I repeat something, my bad : )
I talked to a personal trainer last week who told me that the most efficent way to burn calories during cardio is interval training. For instance, say you're used to walking about 3mph. You would warm up as usual, then, push a bit harder for 30 seconds (however fast you are able to go), then come back to 3mph for 1 min. Finally, slow down for 30 second. Do it again in the other direction. From your slow pace, go to the medium pace for a minuet, then fast for 30 seconds.
However, when you first start, you'll probably need to take longer "breaks" between to catch your breath. That's absolutly fine. What I did was set a time of 30min (after warm up). I counted the number of intervals I actually did. It was only 3 : ( Now, I try to beat that number. I'm up to 5 intervals. Ideally, there are 20 intervals in 30 minutes but if I get to 15, I'll be ecstatic!
Good luck and Keep your head up.
If all else fails, go see your own personal trainer or a nutritionist. With a personal trainer, just let them know you want more of an instructional session rather than a bust-your-hump kind of thing.0 -
I would LESS out 20% off of your TDEE which you calculated at either 2050 (sed) or 2210 (light) - so less 20% off that and you should eat either 1640 (sed) to 1768 (light) cal / day.
The roadmap thread states unless you are literally in bed all day and not moving, put in light. If you are eating 1900 cal / day, you might be eating at the "maintenance" level as 1900 is 200-300 more then the appropriate TDEE less 20% calculation which could be why no loss is happening.
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Not sure if this info helps or not....
I know some people that are doing MFP, are entering EVERY single thing they do as exercise. For example....standing for 3 hours, washing the dishes for 10 min, etc. I don't think you are really supposed to do that on here. I think if you enter all of that, you will be at a stand-still. I don't know... Just a thought!!
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I stalled out for a week, when I was about a month into it, and I totally freaked out. I couldn't understand why, and all I wanted was to find a fix. I was working out 3-4 a week, doing high intensity boxing training. I was usually in the gym for 1.5 to 2 hours every time. I would add my workouts to MFP, and then eat the calories that I needed to get back to the intake number. I was getting so many different opinions on what to do with those workout calories, that I decided to test it out. I took one week, and ate half of the workout calories. The following week, I didn't eat any of the workout calories. This definitely kick started the fat burning process once again. Not eating any of the workout calories gave me the best results, and I am continuing to do that.
There are different opinions on what to do with workout calories, as you will find, but this is what worked for me. At any rate, it certainly helped me subconsciously change things up. Hope this helps!!0 -
I am in the same boat - the last time I had a loss was Feb. 18! Very discouraging; but I am still here and still sticking to it.
I started at 1200 calories and wasn't losing ANYTHING! so I read the following post and changed my numbers. I think it has helped but I have just stalled; like I do everytime I lose weight.
Read this it explains it all and how to customize your MFP page
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12:
Try it out for 2 weeks like I did, if it helps continue with it - if it doesn't go back to the way you were doing it; it can't hurt. :ohwell:
Don't give up, keep at it. We are all here for the same reason and to help support .:flowerforyou:0 -
Were you steadily losing weight eating at this same calorie range the month before you stalled? My husband and I both lost a significant amount of weight our first month dieting, but then both stalled out at the same time and for an entire month with no weight loss. I used a LOT of online calculators, and ended up increasing our calories last week, and we both started losing steadily again. I'm 5'4 female and was eating 1200/day getting nowhere. Increased to 1300-1400/day and am now losing steadily again. My husband is 5'10 and increased from 1200-1300/day to 1700-1800/day and he's dropped over 2lbs this last week. I'm not saying that you need to increase your calories, just that it might be a possibility. If you are doing a lot of cardio and not eating back those calories or at least some of them, you may have a greater calorie deficit than you think and that can have an effect on your metabolism and fat loss. Plug your information into several calculators, and see if you're eating back your exercise calories so your net calories are in your range.
And congrats on the 30lbs! That's great!!!!!!!0 -
Hi
I would try to eat a little more protein and a little less carbs. Also try adding weight training to your excercise routine.
Are you drinking enough water? Drinking water is essential to losing weight. If your not drinking enough, your body thinks its dehydrated and you won't lose as much weight, if at all.
Good luck and hang in there...this is not an easy thing and we all need to have patience with ourselves. Sometimes our bodies just need to adjust to the new weight.0 -
Hi
I would try to eat a little more protein and a little less carbs. Also try adding weight training to your excercise routine.
Are you drinking enough water? Drinking water is essential to losing weight. If your not drinking enough, your body thinks its dehydrated and you won't lose as much weight, if at all.
Good luck and hang in there...this is not an easy thing and we all need to have patience with ourselves. Sometimes our bodies just need to adjust to the new weight.
I was going to say this as well. I know people say the type of calorie doesn't matter, but I just anti le a thing eating lots of crabs.0 -
Carolyn, I have been stuck at the same weight for a month also. I lost 4 pounds the first month and now NOTHING. Right now I am just trying to keep motivated. I know eating right and exercising will pay off. I wish I had some advice for you. Hang in there.
Me too. But I'm sticking to it. I didn't gain that weight in a few months so I'm starting to realize I'm not going to lose it as quickly as I hoped.0 -
I'm still looking at having lost just 2lb in the last 2 months. I have looked at my calories for that time and it seems that they have crept up a little - not more than 100 cal a day on average though. I've put all the data in a spreadsheet and fear now that I am over analysing things....
I have been going to gym and doing cardio plus in the last two weeks, a couple of weights sessions. I have been trying to eat more protein but I'm finding it hard to cut back the carbs - my energy levels dip and I am super hungry and grumpy!
I will keep going though and hopefully things will change soon0 -
An update:
I've been eating more protein and drinking more water, but kept my cals about the same (c1800-2100 depending on the exercise I've done). I've been lifting some weights in the gym. Still exercising by walking and elliptical and I'm still enjoying a few not-so-healthy treats (Easter Chocolate anyone??). In the last three weeks I have lost 5 lb. Yay! Thanks for all help and advice0
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