Plateau & General Thoughts

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undermyskin242
undermyskin242 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am stuck and just curious as to thoughts or suggestions from anyone out there. When I started I weighed over 350lbs and am now hovering around the 300lb mark. In the past, this is always the end weight for me, I never seem to be able to get under it by any real degree. Maybe its mental, I don't know. So here I am, once again hovering +-10 lbs around 300. I go up, I go down. I have a personal trainer that I work out with 3 days a week and have started a run training program that is also 3x a week. My trainer does not "like"/want us to eat back exercise calories. When I first started with him I was only eating around 1000 calories, he told me I was crazy increased me to 1800 and my weight loss per 2 week check in was 2-3x better than eating less calories. So I was obviously not getting enough before. Then it just stopped, I don't really seem to be losing any, in fact I seem to be gaining. I dropped my calories to 1600, thinking maybe I was getting to many calories. I keep hearing that muscle weights more than fat and that is great, but at some point I have to start losing again right?!? It has easily been 4 months with no real progress and my frustration level is at an all time high. Has anyone else gone through this? Any ideas to get past it? Should I add more calories back into my diet? Less Carbs?? Any thoughts at all would be appreciated, I have a long way to go and I don't want to stop now. Thanks!!

Replies

  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
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    How are you measuring your food? Eyeballing or food scale?
    For example, yesterday you had a snack of 1.5tbsp of peanut butter. Did you use a food scale to measure that out? If not, eyeballing portions of calories dense foods is a fast way to unwittingly eat 100s more calories than you thought.
  • undermyskin242
    undermyskin242 Posts: 9 Member
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    Yes I use scale and measuring items most of the time. I will admit that on occasion I do eyeball things, but 95% of the time I pull the scale/measuring spoons out.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Do you know your BMR and TDEE? (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) That's a good place to start to determine whether you're eating too much or not enough.
  • undermyskin242
    undermyskin242 Posts: 9 Member
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    Its funny that you mentioned that. I was just looking over a post where some who has lost and kept off 130lbs was talking about that. I am not sure how intense/long the workouts they are asking about are. I do 1hr with trainer and my run training is 40 mins 2x a week and then varies on the long runs. I am not 100% sure how the math works. But to lose 2-3lbs a week, it looks like I would need to eat 2341-1841 calories, if my workouts would be considered moderate based on their calculations. I was eating 1800 before and maybe I just need to get back to that and see what happens. I really like this idea because it takes into account, not eating back exercise calories. Humm. Do you do it this way?
  • sallyleebooks
    sallyleebooks Posts: 9
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    I just went through this. I realized that I was getting cream in my coffee every morning at McDonalds, not half and half. I have been doing this for 20 years! Sometimes habits are so imbedded, it takes a while to see them. I have changed that for two weeks now and really see a difference. Maybe this will help. Is there something you are eating that you don't even notice?
  • freshmenthesis
    freshmenthesis Posts: 36 Member
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    Does your trainer have an opinion on your current situation?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Based on your weight, it may be more beneficial to up your calories. High deficit can prevent weight loss but so can mis measuring. Being consistent with measuring will help.

    I would ask why if your pt just getting you to do cardio? Why not some strength training? Really, you dont need a trainer for a running routine as you can do that on your own.

    Also, do you have any medical conditions?
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Less carbohydrates are seldom a problem and often beneficial. Losing 100g of them a day (400 calories) is at least worth trying.

    Your diary is closed so we don't know what you're eating.
  • undermyskin242
    undermyskin242 Posts: 9 Member
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    My PT does a good bit of strength training, that is what the circuit training is on my exercise. I do put it in under cardio. Maybe I need to fix that. Normally I do 10 mins of cardio and the rest of the hour a circuit with various exercises and weights, but because its a circuit, it's normally cardio too. I then do my run training on my own. I think I also need to add calories, which if I go by the method mentioned above, I would. I changed my diary settings, so it should be open now. Hey Sam, he is not sure himself, I printed my MFP for him so he could look it over and maybe have some advice.
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
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    38783038.jpg

    Just saying, you will be retaining way more water which can cause a fairly high fluctuation in body weight, I can easily carry an extra 6lb from water weight with low sodium levels (I usually have between 1000-2000) so you could be holding onto a lot of extra water weight :)
  • undermyskin242
    undermyskin242 Posts: 9 Member
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    Ha!!!!!!! That's great! I know, I am working on it! Thanks so much for all the suggestions and help. I think I am going to try the TDEE approach and yes! Yes! Watch my damn sodium!!! 1000-2000, that's great. I may check out your diary if its public!!

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