Plateaued for a month and ready to give up

cmnold
cmnold Posts: 11
in Motivation and Support
At the beginning of January I decided I was gonna make a serious effort at losing weight and getting in shape. I decided to use MFP to help me on my journey and after checking out the app my boyfriend decided he was going to use it too

For the first 3 months we were both doing great losing 1-2 pounds a week on average, working out and eating healthy.

Mid way through march my weight loss just hit a brick wall. All of a sudden I stopped losing and even started to gain small amounts of weight back. I haven't changed my diet and I'm working out 3-5 times a week for 40-90 minutes. I'm changing up my cardio by switching between interval training, elliptical machines and an occasional aerobic class (DVD). I'm doing approximately 45 minutes of weight training (both free weights and machines) each time I'm in the gym.

My boyfriend has gone on to keep losing an average of 2-3 pounds a week. My weight hasn't decreased in a month.

I'm so depressed. I feel like giving up. I know I should be happy for him (and I am) but I'm also resentful that he's doing so much better than I am. It feels - insensitive - for him to keep posting all these successes when he knows I'm struggling so much.

I have been on a 1450 calorie a day plan until a couple days ago when I raised my calories up to maintenance level. I don't know what else to do.

Replies

  • tatd_820
    tatd_820 Posts: 573 Member
    No, no, no. You do not give up. You do not quit. You keep on and it will come. Eat at maintenance for a week or have a few splurge days and then get back to it. Stick with it...and when that scale starts to move again you will be SO PROUD of yourself for not giving up. You've got this!
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    From looking at your diary, you need to look at what you are eating and try to incorporate new foods. For example one day, you had muffin, rice and tortillas for lunch. Regardless of what others may say, that is a lot of starch. I love bread to death, but I only eat it once per day. You should also watch your sodium and sugar (sugar from fruit it ok, but not from Hersey's) that 's something else.
  • griffga1
    griffga1 Posts: 31
    I too have plateaued for the past month. Not letting it get me down. I know eventually it will break and I will be back to losing again.

    Hopefully sooner rather than later :indifferent:
  • cmnold
    cmnold Posts: 11
    Looks like I did have a lot of carbs on that day, but they were all good carbs. Brown rice, 100% whole wheat muffin, etc. Nevertheless I shouldn't have had the tortilla shell.

    As far as the little treat of chocolate, yes I do sometime eat one small nugget of dark chocolate to ward off cravings and because dark chocolate contains flavanols/antioxidants. I'm going to try to reduce or eliminate that.
  • floydgasm
    floydgasm Posts: 6
    I'm doing a low-carb diet and it works very, very well. It's great that you're sticking to complex carbs, as they are much healthier than simple, but if you try reducing the amount you eat for a few days and cut out some sugar, you may be able to break your stall. It's worth a try :)
  • dgljones
    dgljones Posts: 89
    Looks like I did have a lot of carbs on that day, but they were all good carbs. Brown rice, 100% whole wheat muffin, etc. Nevertheless I shouldn't have had the tortilla shell.

    As far as the little treat of chocolate, yes I do sometime eat one small nugget of dark chocolate to ward off cravings and because dark chocolate contains flavanols/antioxidants. I'm going to try to reduce or eliminate that.

    I'd keep the dark chocolate and exchange the muffin every day of the week. Whole wheat or not.
  • MotivatedBeka3
    MotivatedBeka3 Posts: 81
    Bump, I'm having the same problem :( .. it REALLY sucks.
  • Improvised
    Improvised Posts: 925 Member
    I'm doing a low-carb diet and it works very, very well. It's great that you're sticking to complex carbs, as they are much healthier than simple, but if you try reducing the amount you eat for a few days and cut out some sugar, you may be able to break your stall. It's worth a try :)

    Me too, to an extent. try salads with protein added, and broth based soups, maybe. Helps me a lot.
  • kariberi84
    kariberi84 Posts: 186 Member
    Maybe try a cleanse?
  • jadeyq1
    jadeyq1 Posts: 178 Member
    Do not eliminate your little treats! If you're anything like a lot of us on here, if you completely deprive yourself of food you enjoy then you will be more likely to slip up in a big way. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a little bit of chocolate. Everything in moderation is a motto I think everyone should live by :)

    As for your weight, have you worked out your BMR? I've just upped my cals so that I'm eating at least my BMR as my weight loss has started to slow down too. Only just started but from what I've read on here and elsewhere it's the best way to keep losing consistently.

    Good luck and don't give up, you'll only grow more resentful towards your boyfriend's continued success and you'll kick yourself! You can do it :)
  • NEOA910
    NEOA910 Posts: 11 Member
    I'm in the middle of my second major plateau during my weight loss journey. When I was in the middle of my first (I was doing WW at the time), it was suggested to me to try to eat my activity calories for a week. For example: you burn 300 calories doing aerobics one day, eat an additional 300 calories. It seems like it wouldn't work, but within a week I broke through my plateau! Good luck and stick to it! You'll get through eventually!
  • AllergicToExercise
    AllergicToExercise Posts: 436 Member
    Just one suggestion - when you've been doing well for a while, sometimes it's easy to slack off a little in terms of weighing/measuring things. You may think you know how much you're having but gradually a bit extra keeps creeping in until it starts making a difference to your results.

    Other than that I have also heard people say to have a week off, eat maintenance and then try again and it may just move things along.

    Best of luck!!
  • saraedens
    saraedens Posts: 54
    Don't give up! I've been plateaued for a month also I was down to 224 and last week 226 this week 225 it really stinks not seeing a lower number but you gotta be happy for your bf! I hope he is supporting you and telling you not to give up!

    I'm just upping my workouts and trying to eat better! Don't have any good advice for you otherwise I wouldn't be on one too.

    Keep going it will get better!! :)
  • ClearNotCloudyMind
    ClearNotCloudyMind Posts: 238 Member
    Just one suggestion - when you've been doing well for a while, sometimes it's easy to slack off a little in terms of weighing/measuring things. You may think you know how much you're having but gradually a bit extra keeps creeping in until it starts making a difference to your results.

    This is so true. I have hit plateaus in the past. Frustrating but then it ends and I ALWAYS experience really good drops in weight after. I've concluded that a plateau is my body changing from its old state to a new better one so weight loss can continue.

    Don't give up. Think about how you'll feel a year from now. It works.
  • helendoyle18
    helendoyle18 Posts: 9 Member
    This could have been a copy of my post today! I am in the same boat (although hubby not following - he just eats my leftovers! but that's another story). Also ready to give up even though have been on 1200 calories a day religiously and now only lost 100 grams in 5 weeks. I have another 10kgs or more to go and want to see something happening! It is indeed very depressing and I understand your pain entirely. I am trying to latch onto the thought that my health is much better after the small amount I have lost and that I feel better in myself. It is only the scales that are telling a different story! Good luck and keep going.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    Any chance of Hyperthyroidism or PCOS? Or have you recently been on a very low cal diet that may have done some damage to you metabolism?
  • KodAkuraMacKyen
    KodAkuraMacKyen Posts: 737 Member
    Are you thinking you plateaued just based on what the scale says pound wise? What about measurements? BF%? How are your clothes feeling? What about pictures? Notice any changes in the mirror? I've stayed at almost the same number on the scale since January but measurement, BF% and clothes all tell me i'm still making progress. Looking at the number on the scale is only 1 way, and not the best way, to determine progress. Fat loss requires a hell of a lot of patience. Eat right, exercise and be patient, it will happen.
  • cmnold
    cmnold Posts: 11
    Update: - ok so I decided to do a metabolism reset so I upped my calories to 1850 for 2 days, then 2K for 2 days to get up to maintenance level where I planned on staying for 2-6 weeks till my metabolism recovers.

    I got on the scale this morning fully expecting to see an increase because of my depressed metabolism since I've been eating so much food. I was just hoping I'd gained less than 2 pounds - and - I lost .4 pounds?!?!

    Is this likely water (I've been drinking 8 glasses of water a day since I started) or is my body saying "Ok, I'm not starving anymore, it's ok to give up a little fat." ? Is it normal to see an immediate loss and should I expect a gain to follow? Should I continue on the metabolism reset at maintenance level?

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