I may be doing something wrong(plateau)....?

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asdfghjklmno
asdfghjklmno Posts: 17
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've been 'dieting' for the past few months. I've lost 20 pounds, but of course I can't even tell. Anyway, I feel like I'm hitting a plateau. I'm eating all the right things, counting calories, drinking water, etc. I'll usually only lose 1 pound a week, or none at all even when I've done very well. It's just discouraging to me. I'm willing to do this the healthy way(like I have been doing), I just wanna make sure it's working though. Every once in a while, I'll lose 3-4 pounds, but hardly ever(in a week). I'll be honest, I haven't been exercising at all lately. But it doesn't seem like that is the problem considering I'm consuming the right amount of calories. I'm told from this website to intake 1450 a day. I am always under by at least 300.

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  • AkBUTLER
    AkBUTLER Posts: 107
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    I have been stuck in a plateau for over a month now and it is VERY FRUSTRATING. I recently joined a gym to change up my workout routine as I was doing home workouts. Your body gets use to the same workout and "gets stuck". Hopefully we'll get out of this rutt soon!!!
  • Squash97
    Squash97 Posts: 84
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    You may not be eating enough if you are under by that much, especially if you have a fairly active lifestyle. You should eat AT LEAST 1200 calories/day plus most of your exercise calories. I would try eating 100 cal more/day for a couple of weeks and see what happens. If it's hard for you to eat that much, you can get those calories easily by eating peanut butter on your bread, or apple, etc. It will give you great protien, healthy fats, and quick calories. I hope that you are able to find a "groove", although 1lb per week sounds like a great loss to me and at a healthy rate. Good luck!
  • bellanean
    bellanean Posts: 220
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    You need to work out. Plus one pound a week without working out sounds pretty amazing.
  • Amarillo_NDN
    Amarillo_NDN Posts: 1,018 Member
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    First off they do happen and if you hang in there, they will break.

    Now what I am about to tell you is not to be done very often and it will sound nuts to every one but it works. Take a day off and eat anything you want. yes, you will go over and yes may even gain a pound for a day, but more than likely you will start to lose again.

    The body will get use to anything over time so some times, you just need to shake things up.
  • Steelytop
    Steelytop Posts: 145 Member
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    Convince yourself this is the ONLY way to eat. Otherwise, it'll just be a diet and diet's end. And then the weight comes back but more. It's working. No doubt about that. My wife thought the same thing at first but she's lost about 20 lbs too now. When she was at 11 lbs she was getting discouraged. But she's not exercising much at all. I'm working out like a mad demon 4 or 5 times a week extremely hard where it completely drenches my shirt. Big difference. But we can all do only what we can do. It does take a long time to get to your goal. But the journey teaches us how to eat AFTER we reach the goals.

    We know what eating and drinking too much and not watching our calories will do. I wish I had started this 50 or 100 lbs ago. When I'm done you won't be able to tell I was ever fat ever.
  • bree1609
    bree1609 Posts: 136
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    Yeah, there's no doubt about it: You have to exercise. No excuses. You can't expect to see change just by cutting calories alone. Trust me; I went that route once.

    I went almost an entire year eating nothing but Special K ceral, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I was single and living with two roommates who were dating. It was easy to eat alone. I melted away 60 lbs, and felt great for an entire year after hitting my lowest weight.

    Then I started dating my husband. Although I didn't start eating poorly, I was eating way more than just cereal. I packed on 40 lbs over the course of two years.

    Once I decided to join MFP and dedicate days to actually working out, the weight started to come off again. I've only been doing this since the very end of July, but I love the results I'm getting. I've lost 11.4 lbs so far, and it just encourages me to keep working.

    I started MFP working out every day for 30 days (the 30 Day Shred). That's how I lost the first 6 lbs. But now that school has started again, I allow myself to work out four days a week. I eat the foods I want as long as I keep them within my calorie goal. For me, this isn't a diet. It's a lifestyle change. You can do this!
  • msbanana
    msbanana Posts: 793 Member
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    I'd look at what your eating- when and how much... If you're eating the wrong kinds of food that may also be part of the problem. A lot of people believe that just because it says "diet", "light" or comes in a 100 calorie pack that it's ok. Just because it comes in a pack that has the right amount of calories doesn't mean it's good for you. Make sure you're eating wholesome foods. Keeping your diet balanced with good carbs (veggies, fruit and whole grains) not the simple carbs (white bread, potatoes, etc...) and plenty of protien and believe it or not fat (the good stuff- like avacado and fish not the Trans fat from deep fried) and it will come off. Make some minor changes. Give up the simple starches and replace it with veggies for a week or two. Make sure you're not putting any food in your mouth 2 hours before bed, EAT BREAKFAST! (that was the hardest thing for me and now I wake up starving. I feel like I'll die if I don't eat when I wake up) Move a little more (even if it just means parking in the farthest spot in the lot at the mall) and have faith in yourself. There's no miracle- it seems so cliche' but you need to remember there was a lot of hard work and dedication that went in to gaining the weight and it's going to take twice as much to get it off. It's a life style change. When I say you I mean US because this journey is far from over for me- these are things that help me everydeay because even almost 75 pounds down, I hit walls, I get frustrated I want to throw in the towel but it is worth it. Because YOU are.

    Keep the faith sista and just keep at it- it will happen.

    :drinker:
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
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    I have been in a plateau now for 4 months. Tried eating more calories, no change. Tried exercising less, no change. Work my *kitten* off, no change. I'm getting better at running, which is the only change that has happened from 4 months ago. Yaay me :(
  • asdfghjklmno
    asdfghjklmno Posts: 17
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    Thank you everyone for your advice! I'm very, very aware that this is a lifestyle change and not a diet. I plan on doing this in the future, forever. No worries there.
  • introvert
    introvert Posts: 28 Member
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    I was on a LONG plateau. I had been able to gain muscle without any issue but was having a very hard time losing weight. By the time I found myfitnesspal, I'd changed my workout and supplements and tried various fat loss thermogenic mixes.

    Myfitnesspal helped keep me accountable, as far as how much I was eating, curbed my occasional tendency to overeat as well as to strive for overall quality calorie intake. I paid more attention to how much sodium, protein and fat I was eating and it helped me focus on what types of food I needed to lose weight while preserving muscle.

    That being said, the diary was only part of what helped me break the plateau. I went to a nutrition class (through Kaiser), spoke with a doctor who referred me to health and nutrition specialist. There I was able to get a resting BMR (basal metabolic rate) examination as well as a body composition analysis.

    Through the BMR I found out that I burn roughly 2070 calories per day. That means in order to lose weight at a healthy 1 lb per week I needed to limit my consumption to roughly 2000 calories per day. Myfitnesspal was suggesting 1600 to lose 1 1/2 pounds per week. I tended to consume only 1400 calories, and with a daily very intense cardio regimen I would burn on average 800 calories per day. This meant I was only consuming a NET of 600 calories or so. This meant most of my intake was being held onto, possibly burning muscle rather than burning fat. Since upping my calorie intake, I've managed to lose 4 lbs in 3 weeks.

    My suggestion would be that you need to think about quality of food, increasing your metabolism by switching to 4-6 meals per day (if you haven't already) and to add in cardio if you really want to start seeing the weight fall off. When it comes to daily eating habits, you need to think about proper nutrition and intake rather than starvation and deprivation.
  • sabo888
    sabo888 Posts: 2
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    There is a really good website, Scivation.com. Check out the forums/info on there. Hitting a plateau is normal considering the body is so complex. Most people relate the plateau with actual workout routines, which is true; however, your body can adapt to the same exact nutrition style as well.

    There is a very good diet called the Diet Solution. This is the absolute most healthy way to gain your macronutrients. One does not need to count calorie count alone, it should be done with respect to the macros, which are your proteins/carbs/fats.

    Check it out and you will get a better understanding. Good luck.

    Note: Losing 1lb-1.5 per week is what is expected and is actually very good. When you lose more or gain some, it can be relative to water weight too. Exercise is a must under this type of diet which will give you more results. I would track your weight loss more along the lines of body fat % or how your clothes feel rather than an actual number on a scale.

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