Stuck in my 160s!!!

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Lishia1283
Lishia1283 Posts: 20 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm getting really REALLY frustrated with my weight at this point. Don't get me wrong I still work out religiously (I work out 6 days a week, at least 30 minutes per session). My workouts consist of doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution 90 Day Program and doing the 5K to 10K running program. This past week, I will admit that I had some cheat days here and there but I still logged it in to be held accountable. But despite my crazy workout sessions, the scale will not let me get past my 160s. I drink at least 6 cups of water a day, most days it will be 10. I also have stayed under my caloric goal of 1200 to see if that would work but still nothing. I have not let it discourage me and I have still managed to push through it but it's getting really disappointing to see that it's not moving. Granted, I did a weigh in yesterday which had me at a loss (normally my weigh in is every Monday) but then I weighed in today and I gained weight! I try to eat fruits and vegetables and I measure all of my food but still no results. Someone please provide some insight on what I'm doing wrong. My diary is open for everyone to see.
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Replies

  • Irkalla
    Irkalla Posts: 9 Member
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    How long have you been in the 160s?

    While it could be that you need to mix up your diet a bit more, maybe eat more smaller meals throughout the day to kick your metabolism awake, it could just be that you've been replacing fat with muscles.

    A lot of the time the scale doesn't give you an accurate picture of your health. Focus on if your clothes are looser! You could also try taping yourself to get your BMI (the height/weight formula is majorly outdated).

    Hope this helps!
  • Lishia1283
    Lishia1283 Posts: 20 Member
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    Thanks for your input. I actually have been in my 160s for approximately three months now. It's almost like the scale is teasing me saying, "lololol I know you see the 157, 158 and 159 after your workout but you won't see me on your weigh in day." It's so annoying. I'm going to try to change up my diet routine and see if that helps. I try to aim to have my meals go from biggest to smallest, having breakfast being my biggest meal. That meal will be like around 500 calories or a bit over. I have a WW scale that measures my body fat, body water, bmi and all that stuff which definitely tells me I'm still overweight for my height (which I already know lol) but which is why I'm trying to lose weight in the first place. I'm 5'2 1/2 so it's a must that I get this weight off. But I'm at my wits end trying to get into at least my 150s. My overall goal is to be at 140 and I feel like it's so close but it's getting more difficult by the day.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    It was a hard 'decade' for me too. It took me 26 weeks to go from 169 to 159! the 150's seem to be moving much faster now. I aim for 1240 net calories and over the last 4 weeks have switched to only recording 65% of my workout calories to eat back. That seemed to get the scale moving again.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    While it could be that you need to mix up your diet a bit more, maybe eat more smaller meals throughout the day to kick your metabolism awake,

    Mixing it up is good as your body does get used to what you are doing after a period of time. Eating more, exercising more, higher intensity, etc.

    Eating more often throughout the day will not increase your metabolism though.
    it could just be that you've been replacing fat with muscles.

    First, you don't replace fat with muscle... and when you are a calorie deficit you will not gain muscle. Muscle needs calories. When you go on a deficit to lose weight part of those losses will be muscle along the way. The muscle loss increases if you don't lift heavy, don't get enough protein, and have too high of a deficit (and eating under 1200 cals a day is too high of a deficit).

    OP, switch up your exercise. Eat more. Research BMR and TDEE and eat somewhere between that.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
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    Thanks for your input. I actually have been in my 160s for approximately three months now. It's almost like the scale is teasing me saying, "lololol I know you see the 157, 158 and 159 after your workout but you won't see me on your weigh in day." It's so annoying. I'm going to try to change up my diet routine and see if that helps. I try to aim to have my meals go from biggest to smallest, having breakfast being my biggest meal. That meal will be like around 500 calories or a bit over. I have a WW scale that measures my body fat, body water, bmi and all that stuff which definitely tells me I'm still overweight for my height (which I already know lol) but which is why I'm trying to lose weight in the first place. I'm 5'2 1/2 so it's a must that I get this weight off. But I'm at my wits end trying to get into at least my 150s. My overall goal is to be at 140 and I feel like it's so close but it's getting more difficult by the day.

    Keep in mind, those at home scales that measure body fat and such are not accurate. They are great to be used as a guide but don't think the numbers (minus your weight) are accurate. My body fat will go up when I have just drank some water.

    If your goal is 140, switch your weekly weight loss goal to 0.5lbs per week. The less you have to lose the smaller of a deficit you need to have.
  • tazzy2805
    tazzy2805 Posts: 25
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    i stuck in the 190s so i know how u feel just cant break that barrier at all ;(
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    1200 calories with so much exercise doesn't seem anywhere calories to me. If you're burning 500 calories in your workouts, it means you're surviving at 700 calories net. You're ruining your metabolism, and it's holding on to fat. Eat more.
  • tinak33
    tinak33 Posts: 9,883 Member
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    I have been stuck in the 160s for 1.5 years.
    The ONLY time it moved into the 150s and I finally broke through that, was when I set my calories around 1500 and I eat my exercise calories.
    I try to exercise 5-6 days a week and am about to start (for the 2nd time) the C25K program and I will be doing that every other day and weight lifting every other day.

    Maybe you should reevaluate your calorie intake. I lot of people have had better results when they eat more, especially if they are working out a lot.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • cmcoyle776
    cmcoyle776 Posts: 20 Member
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    You need to bump up your calories. Your body is holding onto the weight because it's starving. I'm 5'2, 164 and I'm doing Insanity 5 days a week. My scale wasn't really moving when I was eating only 1200 or 1300 calories. The calculations in the Insanity Nutrition Guide showed that I should be having about 1850/day! I couldn't believe that could be right, but my coach told me to bump my calories up for a week & see what happened. Went up to 1500...lost 1.6 lbs that week. I bumped up even more & am still losing weight. Let's say you are burning 3-400+ calories per workout, and you're only eating 1200, you are left with 8-900 calories to fuel your body. Your body needs a minimum of 1200 per day...so, you are in a deficit, aka starvation mode. Bump up the calories....keep them clean (meaning, don't eat 300 calories worth of junk) this week & see what happens. I was hesitant to do this, but I feel SO much better & have the energy I need formy workouts, AND I'm losing weight. Good luck!
  • jreeves628
    jreeves628 Posts: 123 Member
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    I am also 5'2 1/2 and stuck in my 160s. I must admit I havent been super strict on my diet but it has been hard getting through these ten pounds. I totally understand how you feel! Today I start working out with a trainer. I hope that helps.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
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    First of all, you need to cut back on the sweet. You are having honey and then 3 tbs of sugar for breakfast - that's a lot of sugar, and then sodium from the prepared foods. I would seriously cut by sodium to 2000 per day and reduce the prepared food, drink lots of water to release some of the sodium in your body.
  • lauren3101
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    Read this:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912920-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013?hl=road+map+2013

    And eat 20% below your TDEE. You are eating far too little, that's why you aren't losing weight.
  • Ghlt4
    Ghlt4 Posts: 241 Member
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    I have been stuck in the 170,s for over 6 months. Like you I was eating 1200 calories. Three weeks ago I did a lot of reading and decided to increase my calories. The first week I went to 1300, the second week 1400, and now I eating 1500-1600. I plan on increasing again to 1700, but while I appear to be losing again I'm staying at 1500-1600. I did it slowly because I didn't want to see weight gain. This last week I lost a pound, and I'm showing I've lost another one, but I don't want to log it till weigh in day...lol.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
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    I don't see any reason for you to UP your calories. You're eating at 1200 NET, but on your workout days, eating up to 2,000 gross. For me at least, eating at 1240 NET is very close to the same thing as eating TDEE-20%. So just keep doing what you're doing. Switch up your exercise a bit, try to make better food choices, and hang in there.
  • alisonsurf
    alisonsurf Posts: 92 Member
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    I am 5'4" and stuck between 160-162 since April 28th. I do 30DS and ran a 5k for the first time in years on May 5th. I totally feel your frustration - I'm trying to clean up my eating a little and make sure I get my water in, but after a lot of reading and research I upped my calories to 1950 on Friday. It is too soon to tell if that is having any effect yet, But I measured this morning since I am halfway through 30ds and I have lost a lot of inches.
  • ktully93
    ktully93 Posts: 160 Member
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    Bump to read later.
  • justwanderful
    justwanderful Posts: 142 Member
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    Looking at your diary, you appear to be eating back your exercise calories.
    When I did that, I didn't lose any weight. It was very discouraging.
    When I adjusted my calorie intake back to pre-exercise numbers, I began to lose again.
  • Dfracassa
    Dfracassa Posts: 318 Member
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    I've been stuck in my 160s for about a year and a half now, and I am almost resigned to just being this weight forever. I started doing Intermittent Fasting, particularly 5:2, and I have lost three pounds in two weeks, which is huge for me. I'm of the impression that unless I simply go without food, I will not lose weight, and that appears to be true. I have tried upping my calories and working out more, changing them from day to day, eating back exercise calories, not eating back exercise calories...nothing. IF has worked for me, and I think you should give it a try, too! Friend me if you want, and we can encourange each other. Also, there's a great 5:2 group on here that is really helpful. And if it's anything, here are my stats: 29 years old (as of this July 31), 5'7", current weight of 155.6 (lowest in for frigging ever).
  • Lishia1283
    Lishia1283 Posts: 20 Member
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    Wow! Thanks everyone for all of your input. The thing is I am eating back my exercise calories. For example on Saturday, I burned a 1,000 calories (I only did this because I was having dinner at a friend's house and she had some indulgent foods). I ate those calories back and even went over that amount. But most of the time I will have between 250-600 calorie burns on my workouts and I will eat most of them back. I will sometimes purposely be between 10-50 calories under so I can lose weight but there will be times where I will be at my NET goal or go a little bit over that goal. But I remember there was at one time where sometimes I would go 100 or 200 calories over my NET goal and I still wouldn't lose weight which was also very discouraging. Someone also mentioned about me having too much sugar, it's raw sugar and the honey I will have half a tablespoon. But my sugar intake for the most part is very low. The sodium I'm still working on though lol. But I'm trying to drink more water. I have (on a good day) 10 cups of water to flush out all of the toxins and sodium in my body. Maybe I should try slowly (and I do mean slowly) increasing my calorie intake. I will probably start with 50 calories and continute to increase by 50 calorie increments and see if that works. I just appreciate everyone chiming in and offering their advice. Thank you so much!
  • staplebug
    staplebug Posts: 189
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    The closer you get to your goal weight, the harder it is to get the pounds off! I know exactly how you feel. Jillian Michaels wrote this book called Making the Cut that is great if you can find it at a library or on amazon. You should probably up your calories (I know everyone here freaks out that you HAVE to eat your exercise calories back, but I don't...I just make sure I'm eating more than 1700 calories a day and the exercise calories are just a bonus).

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