Stuck at 190

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AmandaForKeeps
AmandaForKeeps Posts: 47 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I haven't been below 190 (I'm 5'5")in about 9 years. I get stuck here every time! This time around, I feel like I'm different. I'm not giving up (though I am discouraged) because I truly feel like I've made a lifestyle change, however, I am overloaded with info and totally confused!!!
I really noticed that I stopped losing weight when I upped my exercise (for nothing, to more than nothing, lol). I almost always eat my calories back. I weigh my food but it's hit and miss. So I am wondering if I need to be more diligent about weighing my food and measuring my intake or am I not taking in enough calories? Also, if I use other TDEE calculators and subtract 20%, they have me consuming closer to 1800 calories, where MFP has me at just under 1500.
I lost 10lbs before coming back to MFP and then lost the next 10, but now I'm feeling stuck. Part of me thinks I should just stick to my whole foods/plant based goals and stop tracking. I just am not sure what to do and do not want to do the wrong thing (increase calorie intake, if not necessary). Any thoughts? I believe my diary is open. Thanks :)

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    MFP says 1500+ eat back what you burn, so by the end of the week it would probably be the same amount of cals as TDEE-20%.

    As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1700 everyday regardless if you workout.

    So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 11,900 (1700*7) almost the same number of cals for the week (250 dif). The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

    What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1700/day above.
  • laurie62ann
    laurie62ann Posts: 433 Member
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    It could be a mental thing!

    Stop telling yourself " I always get stuck at 190". Start telling yourself "185 is just around the corner and I can do this".

    Look at changing up your workout and what your eating. I have to change things up every 2-3 weeks or I plateau!

    Good Luck, you can do this!
  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
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    The first thing that I would do is be very accurate about what you are logging. That way you have good data to work with.

    Then, if you aren't losing, hey, you've found maintenance. Take a reasonable cut from that and you shoudl start losing again.

    I clicked into this thread because I am getting sick of the low 190's, too. Although I know that my problem was traveling, not working out enough, and eating a ton of butter and bacon cheeseburgers. :bigsmile:
  • Melissa22G
    Melissa22G Posts: 847 Member
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    I've been there :)

    First, deep breath. Half of it can be mental. If 190 sticks out in your mind - it will be there. Focus on 180,180,180!

    Then try something different- How often do you work out? Are you truly honest in your diary of what you're eating?

    You'll lose, but as cheesy as it sounds- believe in yourself.
  • Grace215lbs
    Grace215lbs Posts: 129 Member
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    Get new scales! Drink more water..tell yourself you will lose it and you are amazing. Eat clean for a week and don't weight yourself every day.
  • NSP310
    NSP310 Posts: 9
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    I've come back to MFP because I want to use it as a tracking tool rather than counting every single calorie. I'd say if you're following a whole foods and plant based diet you're probably doing alright! Eating more raw fruits and veggies and cutting out processed foods is really the way to go to lose weight (whether you're counting calories or not). If you feel like you're hitting a plateau maybe try a new fun exercise like zumba, yoga, kickboxing etc. Maybe that could be the extra boost you need to break through.
  • deeannhill
    deeannhill Posts: 111 Member
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    Do not give up!

    There are 2 weeks left in July plus 4 in August - Take those six weeks and get SERIOUS about accurate measurments and seeing how that can affect your progress.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    The reason you stall or might see a slight uptake when you increase exercise is because your muscles retain water and glycogen as part of the natural healing process. If you keep consistently exercising, this will level off. However, keep it in mind for anytime you may increase the intensity of exercises (time, resistance, distance, amount of weight, etc) or take a break then get back to exercising. Basically, if you're sore, you're retaining water. It's kind of like when you sprain an ankle and it swells - same basic reaction, just not as visible because it's spread over a larger area.

    For example: my calories have been pretty good the last 4 days but I've had a couple high sodium meals, it's been humid and I increased the intensity of a couple exercises yesterday. All of this equaled my weight being up about 4 pounds this morning. It's gross to see but at least I know why.

    Start doing other things to measure progress - pay attention to how your clothes are fitting, take body measurements, take progress pics. And even see if you can find a way to get your body fat measured (local gym, possibly doc's office)

    I know where you're coming from too. I stalled out around 190 as well and it was very frustrating but I just kept at it. And now I'm stalled again in the 170's but honestly I haven't been very consistent or stayed within my limits well so I know what the problem is. I've rededicated myself to being more diligent starting this week and we'll see how it goes. :)
  • Mommybug2
    Mommybug2 Posts: 149 Member
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    If you are doing the MFP thing and eating back calories this can be a slippery slope. Exact calorie counts are impossible but if you are weighing/measuring food you can get a pretty close estimate of intake. It is the outtake that can really get you. I find both MFP and Cardio machines to often over exaggerate the amount of calories burned. Maybe on workout days don't eat back ALL the calories maybe just half of them or something (I started this after a plateau and noticed my weight loss speed back up). I also try to mix up my calorie intake so my body doesn't get used to having the exact same number of calories everyday - because then it just gets used to processing those calories and I stop losing, not anything drastic but 200-300 calorie differences. And be sure to give into a "cheat" day every now and again it really does help keep your metabolism in check.

    Another thing is mindset. How long are you giving this "plateau" before deciding you are stuck and giving in to temptation? It is not uncommon to get stuck for 2-4 weeks before things speed back up. You have to realize while you may not be seeing results on the scale that doesn't mean your body isn't working at becoming more efficient calorie burning machine :)

    Good luck - you can do this!
  • Nachise
    Nachise Posts: 395 Member
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    My first big plateau was 200. It took me from the beginning of November to the beginning of March to budge. The good news was that despite the holidays, my weight did not vacillate more than a pound. My nutritionist and I were jumping for joy when I finally broke that plateau.

    The loss has been slower since then, but I will take what I can get. I am recovering from surgery, and have just been released to resume full activity, so I am hitting the gym ASAP! I will admit that I lost my motivation to totally stick my logging during my recuperation, got bored, and started snacking between meals again. For me, getting back to my routine will fix that in no time.
  • AmandaForKeeps
    AmandaForKeeps Posts: 47 Member
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    If you are doing the MFP thing and eating back calories this can be a slippery slope. Exact calorie counts are impossible but if you are weighing/measuring food you can get a pretty close estimate of intake. It is the outtake that can really get you. I find both MFP and Cardio machines to often over exaggerate the amount of calories burned. Maybe on workout days don't eat back ALL the calories maybe just half of them or something (I started this after a plateau and noticed my weight loss speed back up). I also try to mix up my calorie intake so my body doesn't get used to having the exact same number of calories everyday - because then it just gets used to processing those calories and I stop losing, not anything drastic but 200-300 calorie differences. And be sure to give into a "cheat" day every now and again it really does help keep your metabolism in check.

    I was wondering about this! How do I really know how many calories I'm burning when i go for a jog or when I'm on the treadmill? 30 minutes on the elliptical burns almost 2x what jogging does (per MFP) but I always feel like jogging kicks my butt much more. Definitely something to think about!!
    I have also been reading about calorie cycling. My whole thing is I just want to be able to eat the right things and excersize and see results. I dislike breaking everthing down into such detail. blah..
  • AmandaForKeeps
    AmandaForKeeps Posts: 47 Member
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    I'd say if you're following a whole foods and plant based diet you're probably doing alright! Eating more raw fruits and veggies and cutting out processed foods is really the way to go to lose weight (whether you're counting calories or not).

    This is what I think, too. And before MFP, I was losing weight without counting calories, just eating whole foods, etc (I make everything that we eat, except soy/almond milk and our cereal, unless I go out with grown ups somewhere, lol). This makes me think that maybe I should step away from the counting for awhile. Maybe the obsessive counting is messing with my mindset. I (really) want to lose weight but my big picture is to live a healthy life, making choices that are good for me, my family and the planet.
  • AmandaForKeeps
    AmandaForKeeps Posts: 47 Member
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    MFP says 1500+ eat back what you burn, so by the end of the week it would probably be the same amount of cals as TDEE-20%.

    As an example say MFP gives you 1450 calories to lose 1 lb/week, and you plan on exercising 5x/week for an average of 400 cals per workout. well MFP will tell you to eat 1450 on the days you don't workout and 1850 on the days you do whereas a "professional" may tell you to eat 1700 everyday regardless if you workout.

    So for the week MFP will have you eat 12,150 (1450*2+1850*5) whereas doing it the other way will have you eat 11,900 (1700*7) almost the same number of cals for the week (250 dif). The issue in not following MFP is if you don't workout the full 5 days or burn more or less than planned. If that is the case you may lose more or less than your goal, whereas MFP will have you lose your goal amount regardless how much you actually workout.

    What many MFPers do is take the low 1450 and not eat back exercise calories which is wrong, if you are not eating them back then your daily activity level should reflect the higher burn with would be covered in the 1700/day above.

    This totally makes sense! Thank you!!!
  • ThriftyChica12
    ThriftyChica12 Posts: 373 Member
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    i hear you! 190 is basically where i have been stuck for the last year or so...high weight was 225, goal weight is 155.

    i don't have any advice, but just know: u are not alone :)
  • Grace215lbs
    Grace215lbs Posts: 129 Member
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    I was stuck here to!!!! But i changed my diet, upped my calories.. Upped my excercise and KABOOM down 4lbs the next week :3
    I did this when even i would hit a bump.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    I was wondering about this! How do I really know how many calories I'm burning when i go for a jog or when I'm on the treadmill? 30 minutes on the elliptical burns almost 2x what jogging does (per MFP) but I always feel like jogging kicks my butt much more. Definitely something to think about!!
    I have also been reading about calorie cycling. My whole thing is I just want to be able to eat the right things and excersize and see results. I dislike breaking everthing down into such detail. blah..

    according to studies the elliptical burns the same as the thread mill so I would adjust your calories burnt manually

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