Plateauing for a long time, could use some help.

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PandaCustard
PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been plateauing for what seems like forever. I got down to 201, then gained 4, then lost 3, then gained 2, etc. I used to have extreme fatigue problems, but my energy has been coming back and I've been working out again. I don't know what the problem is with my diet, though. Is there anyone that would mind looking at my diary and tell me what I might be doing wrong? I know my diary isn't perfect, but maybe there is something that will jump out at you. Thanks!
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  • elvensnow
    elvensnow Posts: 154 Member
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    I'm definitely no expert so all things with a grain of salt.

    Your diary looks pretty good but two things I noticed:

    1) Your macro for protein seems a little low, and carbs a bit high. I'm not sure what your % breakdown is at (did you just do what MFP set?) but you could try adjusting it in the goals>custom settings. A 40/30/30 split for carbs/protein/fat is pretty standard, but there's also information all over about what macros you can use. For women though I would recommend having at least 120-150g of protein a day. (Not that I hit that goal myself very often but I am trying!). You may have to figure out what % that is for MFP settings.

    2) You look to be doing about 14-1500 calories a day but eating back exercise? If that's the case I would point out that the MFP calculators for exercise tend to overestimate a LOT so I usually don't like "eating back" exercise. I tend to prefer the TDEE method, which you can find a lot of info about on these boards or just google it =)

    In regards to #2 as well, I would ask how accurate you think you are with your measurements. Usually we find we are eating way more than we think because of innacurate measurements. Buy a food scale and take a week or two to measure EVERYTHING you eat, and see if it is coming out as accurate as you thought. Some info here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    Well that's about the best info I can give without being a cert. nutritionist or anything, hope it helps =)
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
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    Thank you for your advice. I do have a lot of trouble with protein in the fact that I don't eat a whole lot of meat (and no red meat at all as recommended by my doctor). Do I have to start eating more meat in order to get more protein, or are there other options that aren't really high-calorie?

    Also, a question about the TDEE method... that really confuses me a lot. It says my TDEE is 2586, but MFP has my max set at 1650. I just... don't get it, haha.
  • elvensnow
    elvensnow Posts: 154 Member
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    Are you a vegetarian or just don't like meat much? I don't think I'd be much help in that regard :laugh:

    But for protein sources yes meat's about the best. And there are plenty of lean options like turkey and chicken that can give you a lot of protein for little calories. For example, a 2 oz serving of turkey deli meat is about 60 calories but 11g protein. That's pretty good really!

    Aside from meats though there's nuts - but they are calorie dense. Also beans - again can be calorie dense depending. Edamame is a great source for protein, I also like hummus - it doesn't have a ton of protein but its super yummy anyhow. There's also dairy, so drinking milk, eating greek yogurt, cheeses.

    I have been trying to incorporate protein shakes into my diet since I am now doing weight lifting. They can get you anywhere from 20-50g of protein for equivalent calories (protein is average 4 calories per g).

    Usually I just google the interwebs for "high protein snacks" or things like that and you can find tons of ideas.

    As for MFP, they use rough estimations and also assume you will "eat back" exercise calories. I don't follow MFP's settings, I do my own custom goals using the TDEE calculators (in which case you DONT "eat back" exercise). Either way should net you about the same, I just find the single TDEE method to be a lot simpler. It also removes the risk of over-estimating exercise calories and thus over-eating and ruining your deficit. Point is, MFP will always be a lot lower than TDEE calculators.

    Edit: Also a note about TDEE: TDEE calculators will give you maintenance calories (so the 2500 figure you got should be maintenance, if the calculator didn't already calculate deficit). To lose weight you take off a %, usually between 10-20, to create the deficit. So 2500*0.8 = 2000 is roughly what you would eat every day.That's why you see people refer to TDEE-20%.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,300 Member
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    if you are looking for veg protein you could be thinking, peas, beans and pulses these are lentil family, none of these are high in calories. Nuts on the other hand are higher in calories and some are high is fats.

    all the best
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
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    Not a vegetarian; I eat fish and poultry every once in a while. It's just not a big thing for me. I'll give TDEE a whirl. Thanks for all your input!
  • wordstill
    wordstill Posts: 16 Member
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    I was hovering around 201-203 for a few weeks and just couldn't get under 200. I used TDEE and it got me to 198 in a few days. If you have a spreadsheet program you can use the one in this thread. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/813720-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones to find out and adjust your TDEE when need be.
  • jeromykaplan
    jeromykaplan Posts: 205 Member
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    Try paleo for a while when i was plateauing for a long time and tried paleo and lost 20 lbs this year
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    I've had issues myself with protein and what has worked for me has been including a protein powder. I am lactose intolerant but use Optimum Nutrition Gold Whey isolates and do just fine on it. It's a good price and a scoop gets you 24g of protein for 120 cals.

    And are you using a food scale to measure out your food?
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    Thank you for your advice. I do have a lot of trouble with protein in the fact that I don't eat a whole lot of meat (and no red meat at all as recommended by my doctor). Do I have to start eating more meat in order to get more protein, or are there other options that aren't really high-calorie?

    Also, a question about the TDEE method... that really confuses me a lot. It says my TDEE is 2586, but MFP has my max set at 1650. I just... don't get it, haha.

    TDEE method includes some exercise calories. For instance. If you had a BMR of 1600 and a moderate TDEE level of 2000 cals - that means about 400 cals of exercise are included.

    MFP's formula doesn't include exercise calories. So if they give you a calorie goal of 1650, that means that you need to eat this plus exercise calories back.

    Doing that will mean you are netting 1650. You can find the formula on the goals page.
  • PandaCustard
    PandaCustard Posts: 204 Member
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    Thanks so much for all of your input. I'll work on the protein thing. I should have mentioned as well: I have celiac disease, so what I can eat is pretty limited (so sadly, no pastas, and most protein powders are off-limits). I will also incorporate more exercise. The circuit training that is logged is the 30 Day Shred; I have an exercise bike and some cardio DVDs, so I'll work that in, too.

    @ Joy_Joy: I don't have a food scale. I measure everything in measuring cups, but I buy my meats at a butcher who weighs out things individually for me, so I know those are accurate at the very least. You're right though; I think it's about time to invest in a scale for all other things. And thanks for the TDEE explanation!

    I appreciate all the input!
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
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    Well, in spite of the personal trainer's statement, dairy can be a good source of protein. 4 ounces of plain non-fat greek yogurt (fage brand) provides 10 grams of protein and only 4.5 grams of (natural) sugar. Add your own fresh or frozen fruit to control the amount of "added" sugar. 30 grams of cheddar cheese (a slice and a half or so) is 7 grams of protein and no sugar. Legumes/pulses are also good sources of GF protein, but also provide a substantial amount of carbs, so getting enough protein from vegetable sources can be a balancing act if you want to keep carbs relatively low. Fish is a great source of relatively low fat protein and some kinds (like wild caught salmon) are also a good source of omega 3's. A 2.6 ounce pouch of low sodium tuna provides 17 grams of protein.
  • FitnessBeverlyHills
    FitnessBeverlyHills Posts: 189
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    Well, in spite of the personal trainer's statement, dairy can be a good source of protein. 4 ounces of plain non-fat greek yogurt (fage brand) provides 10 grams of protein and only 4.5 grams of (natural) sugar. Add your own fresh or frozen fruit to control the amount of "added" sugar. 30 grams of cheddar cheese (a slice and a half or so) is 7 grams of protein and no sugar. Legumes/pulses are also good sources of GF protein, but also provide a substantial amount of carbs, so getting enough protein from vegetable sources can be a balancing act if you want to keep carbs relatively low. Fish is a great source of relatively low fat protein and some kinds (like wild caught salmon) are also a good source of omega 3's. A 2.6 ounce pouch of low sodium tuna provides 17 grams of protein.

    Over doing the cheese in place of protein is a huge no-no. Fat free greek yogurt is not a problem, but stay away from cheese. A little sprinkle is ok but unless its fat free, the majority of calories from cheese is from fat (obviously sugar is not the problem with cheese). The best source of protein for weight loss and gaining muscle are from eggs and lean meats( vegetables just don't count they are not complete proteins). I've studied nutrition and fitness for 10yrs, I know what it takes to lose weight.

    Instead of potatoes.... legumes, quinoa, and even sweet potatoes are better alternatives.
  • FitnessBeverlyHills
    FitnessBeverlyHills Posts: 189
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    do you use free weights or exercise bands in your fitness program? If not I think you will see great results from adding in some type of resistance training. A simple resistance band can work every muscle group efficiently and muscle mass makes a huge difference in overall weight loss, long term weight loss, and calorie burning.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    Over doing the cheese in place of protein is a huge no-no. Fat free greek yogurt is not a problem, but stay away from cheese. A little sprinkle is ok but unless its fat free, the majority of calories from cheese is from fat (obviously sugar is not the problem with cheese)...
    A couple questions for you, since you're a personal trainer and have studied nutrition for 10 years:

    What exactly is the problem with dietary fat?

    Why should cheese be entirely avoided?
  • jetlag
    jetlag Posts: 800 Member
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    Over doing the cheese in place of protein is a huge no-no. Fat free greek yogurt is not a problem, but stay away from cheese. A little sprinkle is ok but unless its fat free, the majority of calories from cheese is from fat (obviously sugar is not the problem with cheese)...
    A couple questions for you, since you're a personal trainer and have studied nutrition for 10 years:

    What exactly is the problem with dietary fat?

    Why should cheese be entirely avoided?

    *Pulls up chair, grabs popcorn*
  • shadus
    shadus Posts: 424 Member
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    *Pulls up chair, grabs popcorn*

    Yeah, this should be fun.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
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    Not a vegetarian; I eat fish and poultry every once in a while. It's just not a big thing for me. I'll give TDEE a whirl. Thanks for all your input!

    Elven has some very good points.

    I find I lose better with more protein and less carbs too. If you don't want to eat alot of meat, try eggs, cottage cheese, tofu etc. When prepared with spices and fresh herbs, I like them alot as alternatives.
  • FitnessBeverlyHills
    FitnessBeverlyHills Posts: 189
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    Over doing the cheese in place of protein is a huge no-no. Fat free greek yogurt is not a problem, but stay away from cheese. A little sprinkle is ok but unless its fat free, the majority of calories from cheese is from fat (obviously sugar is not the problem with cheese)...
    A couple questions for you, since you're a personal trainer and have studied nutrition for 10 years:

    What exactly is the problem with dietary fat?

    Why should cheese be entirely avoided?


    The problem is Cheese contains Saturated Fats, which are not healthy fats. Unless you are doing enough cardio to burn this fat, it will sit in your body as gained fat...which I am guessing is the main thing everyone here would like to lose.

    Now lets take the fats you get from Salmon and avocados for example. These foods are high in fat, but contain good fats like Omega Fatty Acids. These fats your body can utilize and have a better chance of being absorbed and used by the body instead of just sitting in your fat cells and adding to weight and body fat.

    This is all pretty common knowledge, stay away from saturated fats found in cheese, milk, butter, and meats. Instead opt for fat free, like fat free cottage cheese, skim milk, and lean cuts of meats like the filet. This is also why you want to skin your chickens ad avoid eating the skin.
  • FitnessBeverlyHills
    FitnessBeverlyHills Posts: 189
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    For the record, this isnt a competition. I am here to help, I;ve been in the fitness industry for many years, I;ve worked as a model for Nike. I am here to help give advice and encourage my clients to use this program so they can track their diets which I can also check on through their profiles. No one has to take my advice but its what I do everyday and I personally know what it takes to lose weight and most importantly keep it off. As far as cheese is concerned, I advise my clients to keep it to a minimum, ask for light cheese when eating out, and stick to fat free versions whenever possible. Each Fat gram has 9 calories, making it incredibly easy to over eat and not realize the amount of calories you are taking in.
  • SkepticallyFit
    SkepticallyFit Posts: 71
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    Over doing the cheese in place of protein is a huge no-no. Fat free greek yogurt is not a problem, but stay away from cheese. A little sprinkle is ok but unless its fat free, the majority of calories from cheese is from fat (obviously sugar is not the problem with cheese)...
    A couple questions for you, since you're a personal trainer and have studied nutrition for 10 years:

    What exactly is the problem with dietary fat?

    Why should cheese be entirely avoided?


    The problem is Cheese contains Saturated Fats, which are not healthy fats. Unless you are doing enough cardio to burn this fat, it will sit in your body as gained fat...which I am guessing is the main thing everyone here would like to lose.

    Now lets take the fats you get from Salmon and avocados for example. These foods are high in fat, but contain good fats like Omega Fatty Acids. These fats your body can utilize and have a better chance of being absorbed and used by the body instead of just sitting in your fat cells and adding to weight and body fat.

    This is all pretty common knowledge, stay away from saturated fats found in cheese, milk, butter, and meats. Instead opt for fat free, like fat free cottage cheese, skim milk, and lean cuts of meats like the filet. This is also why you want to skin your chickens ad avoid eating the skin.

    I can see from your pictures that what you recommend works for you, but everyone's body doesn't work exactly the same. Further, there is no evidence that saturated fat causes weight gain on a caloric deficit. In fact, that's quite impossible. So telling people to avoid saturated fat is pointless in a discussion about weight loss. There is some evidence that links saturated fat to cardiovascular disease (some of which has been disputed), but there is no indication that it causes weight gain independent of caloric intake.
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