Mom of toddlers, doing everything right, no weight loss

Net calories between 1100 and 1300 daily (eating 1800) Vigorous exercise 5-6 days a week. I rarely sit all day, busy with kids/ taking care of chores/ running errands. My weight has essentially hit a plateau for the past month. I will not eat less and can not fit in more than an hour of dedicated exercise. I need solutions to break this stall and drop the last 5 pounds. It is so discouraging after trying so hard! Could it be possible that my body has adjusted to this "new normal"?

Replies

  • athenasurrenders
    athenasurrenders Posts: 278 Member
    OK, obvious questions first:

    Do you weigh and log every bite that you eat?

    What type of exercise are you doing on those days?

    Do you know what your TDEE and BMR are?
  • lolymommy
    lolymommy Posts: 11 Member
    TDEE is 2020
    BMR is 1350

    I do log 99% of what goes into my mouth on the days I log. I take a day off from logging here and there, but eat a similar diet those days. Even if I ate over by 200-300 once a week, I would not sabotage the week.

    I interval run/walk/jog at different inclines on my treadmill. I go for 40-60 minutes at 4-5mph.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    If your TDEE is 2020 and you're eating 1800, that might be why. Small deficit, so if you're not weighing everything you might be overeating (you said you log, not that you weigh).

    Or you're totally underestimating your TDEE and not eating enough. Heck my TDEE is 2100, and I sit on my butt a lot, just walking 5 miles a day in average. I'm 35 (so probably older than you?) and 160 lbs.
  • lolymommy
    lolymommy Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks, Francl27. It is just such a small gap. I don't want to do anything extreme. We don't have a food scale but I am crazy with the measuring cups and spoons.
  • lolymommy
    lolymommy Posts: 11 Member
    I re-calculated by TDEE and It is 2130, not including a once a day breastfeeding (maybe 40 calories?).
  • melimama2
    melimama2 Posts: 40 Member
    Do you always do the same workouts? If so, Try switching it up. Maybe try eating MORE one or two days awake...sounds counter-intuitive but it has helped me get through plateaus. WWhen I hit a plateau I throw the babe in the jogging stroller and get in a few miles...She loves being outside and it's an extra burn for me to push her chunky butt up the hills!
  • melimama2
    melimama2 Posts: 40 Member
    I re-calculated by TDEE and It is 2130, not including a once a day breastfeeding (maybe 40 calories?).

    The dietician I went to said 20 cals an ounce average calorie burn...
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    You're eating too much. Weigh all foods.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    It sounds to me like your net calories are too low and you may need to build another rest day into your workout schedule. Using a food scale is very important if you want your log truly to be accurate.
  • Mjohanne37
    Mjohanne37 Posts: 1 Member
    When you plateau look at what you eat, if its a similar pattern look at changing things round. Carbs AM and protein for dinner is a good way to get things moving, think chicken and veg or fish with salad. When feeling a bit hungry drink a big glass water 1st wait 30 min hen see if u still are hungry. When exercising its is best to mix your workout once a week, look at how many calories you are burning on the cardio machines, aim to increase the calorie our put by at least 50-100 calories every week, you know you are pushing your body that bit more each week then. Good luck. :)
  • Hakarn
    Hakarn Posts: 62 Member
    It might help if you open your diary to the public. People could check it out and suggest things to change.
  • imogen__may
    imogen__may Posts: 78 Member
    You can actually pick up some food scales from Amazon really cheep, even second hand. They may well be your life saver in this situation!
  • ecc4912
    ecc4912 Posts: 9
    What about adding weight training into the mix? It doesn't have to be a crazy amount. I use hand weights. It helped me with a plateau. If you're not sure what to do with the weights, they have strength training dvds at a lot of libraries. I will do one while the kiddos are eating breakfast or in bed. (I have 6 kids.)
  • Don't forget, too, to eat small, frequent meals to boost your metabolism, and try not to eat carbs late at night. Dr. Oz has some great websites about boosting metabolism if you YouTube search him. (I know, I know, EVERYONE seems to want to site him, but I really think he knows his stuff!)

    Hang in there. I have a toddler, too, and there are days I want to quit BIG time, but my fave quote right now is, "If you're tired of starting over, stop quitting." Don't give up!
  • musicboxes
    musicboxes Posts: 133 Member
    How much water are you drinking daily? Water is the key for me..when I don't drink water, I don't loose the lbs. I have been at a standstill for a about a month, just not being able to budge the scale. So I increased my daily water this week & today I am celebrating that I am down a lb.

    So look at the water you are drinking...It works for me.
  • shinkalork
    shinkalork Posts: 815 Member
    I cannot see your diary but ...lots of people are under their calories but don't pay attention to their macros.
    Not saying you don't...i cannot see it.

    Maybe your macro ain't the right one for you..... Too much carbs etc could be it (can't see to tell you).

    Also IF you're going way over on sugar, it could be it too.

    Calories ain't all the problem. The trick is to stay under ALL of your macros....
    Still need to eat and more you eat,more you'll burn...mostly if you're working out a lot.

    Hope it helps.

    Good luck
  • 10BlueDoves
    10BlueDoves Posts: 33 Member
    Are you eating your toddler's scraps? This is where my extra calories kept coming from and how I put on a bunch of weight. Cut the crusts off a sandwich, I ate them. MAde 4 mini pancakes instead of the 3 they want and would eat, I ate the fourth. Licked the butter knife after making a PBJ sandwich. The ends of a banana that my son can't stand to even see, ate those too... It was a real eye opener when I started logging calories and added all those tiny nibbles that I hadn't really thought much about before.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Don't forget, too, to eat small, frequent meals to boost your metabolism, and try not to eat carbs late at night. Dr. Oz has some great websites about boosting metabolism if you YouTube search him. (I know, I know, EVERYONE seems to want to site him, but I really think he knows his stuff!)

    Hang in there. I have a toddler, too, and there are days I want to quit BIG time, but my fave quote right now is, "If you're tired of starting over, stop quitting." Don't give up!

    No.

    Buy a food scale. Measuring cups and spoons are not accurate at all, if your deficit is 200, you can easily eat that.
  • musicboxes
    musicboxes Posts: 133 Member
    Could it be.... you are loosing inches? I seem to have lost more inches than lbs & my clothes keep getting baggier on me. I am still reaching daily toward my weight goals but I'm enjoying taking in my clothes & buying smaller sizes.

    So check it out, you might be surprised.
  • ritchiedrama
    ritchiedrama Posts: 1,304 Member
    You're eating too much. Weigh all foods.
  • 10BlueDoves
    10BlueDoves Posts: 33 Member
    Are you eating your toddler's scraps? This is where my extra calories kept coming from and how I put on a bunch of weight. Cut the crusts off a sandwich, I ate them. MAde 4 mini pancakes instead of the 3 they want and would eat, I ate the fourth. Licked the butter knife after making a PBJ sandwich. The ends of a banana that my son can't stand to even see, ate those too... It was a real eye opener when I started logging calories and added all those tiny nibbles that I hadn't really thought much about before.

    Now I have to call myself out. I wrote this post, then got up to get my daughter some cereal, and what did I do that I actually haven't done in a long time? Shoved a small hand full of Life cereal in my mouth without thinking.
  • FitFoodieMomBillie
    FitFoodieMomBillie Posts: 227 Member
    I'm sure there are many possible reasons why you have hit a plateau.

    As you already stated you are working out (on the treadmill) several times per week then I would ask, is the workout still tough for you or do you just do it and feel good afterwards. I mean do you have the 'i'm not sure I can do this, but I'm going to because I NEED it' thought? If it's starting to get a little easy, find a way to make it tougher for you - you don't need it to be more than an hour a day; what mom has that kind of time?!

    I recently added 1.5 lb weighted gloves to my workout. Today I am so sore in all the right places again. Totally a good think as it means my body is changing. You could also try doing a different workout. Cardio is good for loosing weight, but building muscle will increase your metabolism even on the days when you don't work out. It's like getting a freebie! Try lifting weights; you can join a gym, purchase the weights for home use or even start out using canned goods to get a feel for it. Personally I am about to go back to circuit training with a home DVD starting next month and can't wait since I love the way it makes me feel.

    Besides your workout, what kinds of food are you eating? Carbs are cardio fuel, but if you supply your body too much they get stored as fat. Protein builds muscle (which helps burn fat) and it also has the added benefit of being more filling than carbs. Also look at the quality of food you are eating. Center isle stuff is generally not the best for you; lean meats, plenty of veggies, and a handful of fats per day is a good rule. Also pay attention to the items you cook with for flavor or add on at the table. Dressings and such can easily pack enough calories for a small snack, and that's on top of what you put it in or on. Make sure you are eating food that has good nutritional value and not just empty calories. Also fat is not inherently bad. Saturated fat is not recommended from today's meat sources unless you eat grass-fed /organic, but healthy fats are necessary for a proper diet. Olives, olive oil, coconut oil, and nuts and seeds are good for you. Water is also very important; are you drinking enough? 8 cups is the minimum. On days you work out or are sweating heavily you should be consuming about 1/2 your weight (as ounces, not converted in ounces) so if you are 160 lbs, then consume 1/2 that would be 80 oz of water or 10 cups. And remember - more if you are in the heat for any part of the day.

    Lastly, are you sleeping well? I know, as I Mother, I laugh when I am asked this question. I have children- I don't sleep!! Seriously, though sleep is an important part of health and weight-loss (or fat-loss). Everyone is different, but it is generally somewhere between 6 and 10 hours of GOOD sleep that is needed for the body to do everything it needs to repair your body. I recently added a fitbit flex to my fitness toys; it's an expensive little gadget, for sure but it helps me understand HOW much sleep I am getting. I had no idea I tossed and turned so much! On the days when I sleep sound and for the longest- a whopping 8-9 hours, I will have a nice drop in the scale when I wake up. Not a lot - but a pound or two is worth a good night's sleep at least once a week!

    I hope some of this helps you on your journey, and please feel free to friend me or ask any further questions that may have risen from anything I have said.

    Billie
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Thanks, Francl27. It is just such a small gap. I don't want to do anything extreme. We don't have a food scale but I am crazy with the measuring cups and spoons.
    Unfortunately, measuring cups and spoons are pretty much a waste, unless you're measuring only liquids. Get a scale.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    Yep. A pair of scales is needed! Well done for all that exercising - fabulous!
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    OP, how tall are you? How much do you weigh? How did you calculate your TDEE of ~2100? That seems low for all or your activity, but I don't know your other stats. 1800 calories is not alot for a mom who is on her feet all day AND doing extra, intentional hour long cardio 6 days a week. Perhaps you are eating too much by not tracking accurately, but I don't suggest lowering your calorie goal.

    I'm on the "eat all the food" team though. For reference, I'm 5'8, weight 158 and eat 2600+ per day to maintain so I lose fat on anything less than that. You may fit in my pocket and not need that much food. :laugh: Gimme your stats if you want some help. 1800 calories does not seem like alot for a mom who is on her feet all day AND doing extra, intentional hour long cardio 6 days a week.

    Final thing, please.....please......please do not go to the Dr. Oz website and look for info there on "boosting your metabolism." If you want to boost your metabolism, lift heavy things and eat enough food so your body can efficiently burn fat. That's how. Not eating breakfast. Not by eating every 2-3 hours. Not by following Dr. Oz's "advice."
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
    i am a mother of a toddler. i understand the plateau. my maintenance calories are 1450. i generally eat around 1250-1300. not a signifcant loss, but still should be a loss in a few weeks time. i don't know what to say...but i feel your pain. i log everything...even chewable vitamins. it is like my body has refused to lose anymore. i think i have very poor metabolism.
  • ValerieMartini2Olives
    ValerieMartini2Olives Posts: 3,024 Member
    You said you are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding requires about 500 calories more per day.