2 year plateau and confused about differences in calories
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I have to agree with a lot of the advice you've already gotten.
First, as others have suggested, see a doctor and rule out any medical issues that may be making weight loss more difficult for you.
If there are no medical issues, then it's your diet. I know you think you're being very accurate and are very good at estimating, but the truth is, if you're not preparing your food yourself, and if you're not weighing it, you don't really know how much you're eating.
At many restaurants (even chain restaurants with calories listed), the waitstaff does a lot of the food prep and plating. They're often in a hurry, and their last concern is portion size/calorie control. My husband worked briefly as a waiter at a chain restaurant, and do you know how they made salads? They just grabbed handfuls of lettuce out of a big bin and put it on a plate. Of course, a discrepancy in calories from lettuce isn't going to make or break your success, but that's just an example of how much effort and care restaurants often put into serving size - not much.
Even the labels on prepackaged foods are often not accurate. I weigh my donuts, english muffins, hamburger buns (etc.), because even though the label says a serving size is 1 english muffin, and 1 english muffin is supposed to be 100 calories, my english muffin often weighs a lot more than the package says it's supposed to. There's no way I can tell just by looking at my english muffin that it's exactly the size it's supposed to be.
I've gotten pretty good at eye-balling some foods, like shredded cheese, because I've weighed it so often. On the other hand, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese is not the same amount of cheese or the same amount of calories as 28 grams of shredded cheese. And even though I can come pretty close to a serving size of cheese just by grabbing a handful, I still weigh it every single time, because the accuracy is worth it to me.
Preparing more of your food at home and buying a food scale really will make a big difference.0 -
Sunshine: I am with you 100%. I too am on 1200 calories a day and hungry lol. I lost 18lbs the first 2 months of my diet and since then (1month) I too have plateu. I looked it up and basically it said "if what you are doing is not working- - change it up. You body and mine has gotten used to your diet and excersize program and is protecting you against loosing weight. You need to confuse things. Vary your calories. Eat very little one day (no bread, pasta ect) mostly fruit , veggies yogurt, lean meat. The next day eat more. carbs, maybe sugar. Also change your excercise. Do something different. It is working for me. I looked it up on the web. Good luck hon.
This quote is spot-on. I don't know if you've responded that you are mixing it up, but if you aren't, my suggestion is DO.
I understand that you are frustrated. I also feel as if you feel like there is no solution. I've read the posts, and I think you might be being defensive because people are telling you things you may be trying or people who have blunt candor because they are very serious about this, but please understand that people are taking time out of their day to advise you! This is my fist post, and I feel like all if these people ARE supporting you, even if they are blunt.
I hope you realize this, and consider what people (even the ones you think are attacking you) are advising. They have a good reason for the advice--it's helping them, and it might help you. Congrats on your weight loss, and good luck to you!0 -
OP, here's my 2 cents on it.
I understand that you think you might be doing everything right. But it's obviously not working, it has the counter effect.
Now, I want to say that this is not an attack. I really want to help you.
Basically, about your plateau... We can't say "Well if you're sure about everything, then you're maybe just unlucky and meant to never be skinny", because what help would that be? It wouldn't be anything sides an excuse.
((Also, on your comment that you are built big -- many people think they're built big, but then they lose weight and it turns out they actually have a small frame! And even if you do have a big frame, you could still be within a healthy weight range.))
What we can do is give thoughts on what could be the problem. And possible problems for a 2 year long plateau would be either that you have a medical problem ((to which: go see a doc! If your current one isn't cooperating, see a new one!)), or that you're eating at maintenance or over maintenance.
Yes, I've seen you write many many times that you're absolutely sure that you're under maintenance -- but then how would you explain that you're not losing? Here's my proposition. Try what everyone has been saying. Get a digital scale and weight and log everything for a bit - a month or two. Can't hurt, can it?
At best, you'll start losing weight again! Yay!
At worst, you still won't lose. If this happens - good job, you've found your new maintenance calorie level. Try lowering, do for a month or two again, rinse and repeat.
All in all:
Please contact your doctor and do tests.
Also, try weighing everything for a month or two and see how that goes. Whats the worst that can happen?
EDIT:: Also, if you don't know -exactly- what you're eating, you're probably underestimating it a lot!! Few years back I used to eat a lot of meat and I'd be underestimating the calories for it because I had no idea what kind of meat it was so I couldn't log it accurately.0 -
I've struggled with weight for a long time and like you I'm in the happy spot for a while and then plateau for months. I finally looked at all my food diaries to see what they had in common. I've figured out that two of my beverage choices were what was hurting me. I Iove beer and make sure that I save enough calories to drink one occasionally. The weeks I drank even one or two beers I didn't lose any weight. I was under my calorie limit even with the beer, but alcohol must really affect me.
I have a similar issue with diet soda. I adore diet coke. However, if I drink even a diet soda a couple of times a week, I just don't lose weight regardless of how few calories I eat.
I refuse to give up beer completely, but I limit myself to one like every other week and I've completely given up diet soda. Now, I'm losing again.
Maybe there are specific foods you just don't react well to.0 -
You need to see a doctor other than you obgyn. Their practice isn't the help you need for this issue. See a metabolic doctor. There could me much more going on than just a thyroid problem. If you truly have tried everything else. Seeing a doctor who specializes in health and nutrition and metabolism is your next bet. If you lived in the seattle area I could recommend someone.0
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Sunshine: I am with you 100%. I too am on 1200 calories a day and hungry lol. I lost 18lbs the first 2 months of my diet and since then (1month) I too have plateu. I looked it up and basically it said "if what you are doing is not working- - change it up. You body and mine has gotten used to your diet and excersize program and is protecting you against loosing weight. You need to confuse things. Vary your calories. Eat very little one day (no bread, pasta ect) mostly fruit , veggies yogurt, lean meat. The next day eat more. carbs, maybe sugar. Also change your excercise. Do something different. It is working for me. I looked it up on the web. Good luck hon.
This quote is spot-on. I don't know if you've responded that you are mixing it up, but if you aren't, my suggestion is DO.
I understand that you are frustrated. I also feel as if you feel like there is no solution. I've read the posts, and I think you might be being defensive because people are telling you things you may be trying or people who have blunt candor because they are very serious about this, but please understand that people are taking time out of their day to advise you! This is my fist post, and I feel like all if these people ARE supporting you, even if they are blunt.
I hope you realize this, and consider what people (even the ones you think are attacking you) are advising. They have a good reason for the advice--it's helping them, and it might help you. Congrats on your weight loss, and good luck to you!
I'm sorry, but no. There's no way you'll confuse your body.
She doesn't know how much she's actually really eating. She's obviously at maintenance. She needs to find out exactly how much she is eating, and lower a little bit. AFTER she goes to the MD.0 -
OP, cut your daily calories by 100-200. Weigh yourself weekly and continue for 3-4 weeks. If you did not lose an average of 1-2 lbs per week, than cut another 100. Continue doing this until you are losing 1-2 lbs per week on average. Even if this means logging what appears to be an unhealthy number of calories per day.
Your logging is incorrect and losing less than 2 lbs per week is a healthy rate. So maybe you'll be logging 500 calories or something, but if you aren't losing 4-5 lbs per week, at your weight, I guarantee you are eating way more than what is being logged. Even with hypothyroidism, that only means you have to eat a few hundred less calories than if you had a normal thyroid. Still, get it checked out though but that only really affects very very few people.
Or you could stop sucking at counting calories but that's more difficult than just cutting more.
Also about your family and how big you all are. Ever see two different skeletons side by side? They all look about the same, besides height. Stop blaming genetics and start taking responsibility for your body. You could be dead sexy if you wanted to. Everybody can.0 -
I feel for you, in general, OP. I've got some severe thyroid issues. I am very rigid in weighing and measuring my food. I've been in recovery from an eating disorder.
I know what it's like to look in the general forums and realize I can't apply most advice to myself, because I am different. I can become very angry towards myself for being different, or for expecting forums to solve problems that even my endo laughingly puts "We're all still trying to figure out ourselves."
But here's the thing.
You have options. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? You mentioned a family history of hypothyroidism, but a family history doesn't mean you're doomed to have it (thank goodness!) or that you've been tested. If you haven't had them checked, perhaps get them done for you and your doctor to eliminate (or consider) a cause.
But here's the other thing: weighing and measuring your food is key. If you're not doing it, you're not aware of what you eat. You've been here awhile, I see, but not active on the forums. I cannot tell you HOW many people have come in with a VERY similar story to you, and 9 times out of 10, they're eating more than they think. "Making good choices" is fine for health, but not necessarily weight loss.
You seem to have fallen into the "bad" vs. "good" food trap as well. I've seen it firsthand; someone eats salad and chicken and thinks they're superior to others for their food, healthier for their food or "should be losing weight." Except they don't measure the dressing they put on the salad. An 8 oz. chicken breast becomes a 4 oz. chicken breast to them. "I'm eating yogurt and don't eat fried foods!" but eating 10 cups of yogurt and having a tub of nuts for snacks.
All of this could still be fine... provided someone is aware of exactly how many calories/portions they're ingesting vs. what they're putting out.
I do have to say, that assuming anything of your "skinny" doctor's experience doesn't put you in a good light. You have no idea what she may have gone through as a child, as a young adult, etc. She may have had an eating disorder. She may have lost weight before. She might have struggled with weight during her residency when she couldn't be bothered to focus on her weight.
Most of all? If she's thin, why would you discount anything she says? She's doing something you want, correct... to be a lower weight, a healthier weight?
Again I say about my doctor...I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT WITH HER. She even said she couldn't know how I felt.
OMG...before you all jump my case, read the posts
I never said I wasn't going to weigh my food.
Most of the people think I'm trying to starve myself because I eat so little.
I appreciate all of you who have given me advisement. I'm not being defensive, but rather trying to explain that I"m not a novice at this and am really stuck. Some of you seem to not care about anything but being heard. That's fine.0 -
I feel for you, in general, OP. I've got some severe thyroid issues. I am very rigid in weighing and measuring my food. I've been in recovery from an eating disorder.
I know what it's like to look in the general forums and realize I can't apply most advice to myself, because I am different. I can become very angry towards myself for being different, or for expecting forums to solve problems that even my endo laughingly puts "We're all still trying to figure out ourselves."
But here's the thing.
You have options. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? You mentioned a family history of hypothyroidism, but a family history doesn't mean you're doomed to have it (thank goodness!) or that you've been tested. If you haven't had them checked, perhaps get them done for you and your doctor to eliminate (or consider) a cause.
But here's the other thing: weighing and measuring your food is key. If you're not doing it, you're not aware of what you eat. You've been here awhile, I see, but not active on the forums. I cannot tell you HOW many people have come in with a VERY similar story to you, and 9 times out of 10, they're eating more than they think. "Making good choices" is fine for health, but not necessarily weight loss.
You seem to have fallen into the "bad" vs. "good" food trap as well. I've seen it firsthand; someone eats salad and chicken and thinks they're superior to others for their food, healthier for their food or "should be losing weight." Except they don't measure the dressing they put on the salad. An 8 oz. chicken breast becomes a 4 oz. chicken breast to them. "I'm eating yogurt and don't eat fried foods!" but eating 10 cups of yogurt and having a tub of nuts for snacks.
All of this could still be fine... provided someone is aware of exactly how many calories/portions they're ingesting vs. what they're putting out.
I do have to say, that assuming anything of your "skinny" doctor's experience doesn't put you in a good light. You have no idea what she may have gone through as a child, as a young adult, etc. She may have had an eating disorder. She may have lost weight before. She might have struggled with weight during her residency when she couldn't be bothered to focus on her weight.
Most of all? If she's thin, why would you discount anything she says? She's doing something you want, correct... to be a lower weight, a healthier weight?
Again I say about my doctor...I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT WITH HER. She even said she couldn't know how I felt.
OMG...before you all jump my case, read the posts
I never said I wasn't going to weigh my food.
Most of the people think I'm trying to starve myself because I eat so little.
I appreciate all of you who have given me advisement. I'm not being defensive, but rather trying to explain that I"m not a novice at this and am really stuck. Some of you seem to not care about anything but being heard. That's fine.
I didn't get on your case, yet for someone who claims to not be defensive... why would you interpret my post in anyway like that?
I read all your posts on here. I didn't see anywhere where you specifically got thyroid tests or asked for a blood panel. I could assume your statement that "She keeps saying it's food" means you might have asked that and your doctor hasn't given you the bloodwork, but if I've learned one thing about these forums, it's not to assume things. Provide us with more detail if you want us to know the intimate details of your journey. Plus, the fact that a gyno wouldn't be the doctor to go to for thyroid advice at all, a GP or (better yet) an endo would be.
Unfortunately, I'm seeing "The lady doth protest too much"--you interpreted attacks by page 2, you "assume" responses before they're said, and now lengthy posts full of as much objective advice as possible (with doses of empathy in many of them) get dubbed as "People only care about being heard" and passive-aggression.
Well, it's a forum. People want to be heard when they share advice with you, a forum is designed for different voices *to* be heard; the issue here is that you don't appear to want to hear what so many are saying, and seem to be hearing things that no one is doing (a.k.a, attacks).0 -
OP, cut your daily calories by 100-200. Weigh yourself weekly and continue for 3-4 weeks. If you did not lose an average of 1-2 lbs per week, than cut another 100. Continue doing this until you are losing 1-2 lbs per week on average. Even if this means logging what appears to be an unhealthy number of calories per day.
Your logging is incorrect and losing less than 2 lbs per week is a healthy rate. So maybe you'll be logging 500 calories or something, but if you aren't losing 4-5 lbs per week, at your weight, I guarantee you are eating way more than what is being logged. Even with hypothyroidism, that only means you have to eat a few hundred less calories than if you had a normal thyroid. Still, get it checked out though but that only really affects very very few people.
Or you could stop sucking at counting calories but that's more difficult than just cutting more.
Also about your family and how big you all are. Ever see two different skeletons side by side? They all look about the same, besides height. Stop blaming genetics and start taking responsibility for your body. You could be dead sexy if you wanted to. Everybody can.
You are rude.0 -
I feel for you, in general, OP. I've got some severe thyroid issues. I am very rigid in weighing and measuring my food. I've been in recovery from an eating disorder.
I know what it's like to look in the general forums and realize I can't apply most advice to myself, because I am different. I can become very angry towards myself for being different, or for expecting forums to solve problems that even my endo laughingly puts "We're all still trying to figure out ourselves."
But here's the thing.
You have options. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? You mentioned a family history of hypothyroidism, but a family history doesn't mean you're doomed to have it (thank goodness!) or that you've been tested. If you haven't had them checked, perhaps get them done for you and your doctor to eliminate (or consider) a cause.
But here's the other thing: weighing and measuring your food is key. If you're not doing it, you're not aware of what you eat. You've been here awhile, I see, but not active on the forums. I cannot tell you HOW many people have come in with a VERY similar story to you, and 9 times out of 10, they're eating more than they think. "Making good choices" is fine for health, but not necessarily weight loss.
You seem to have fallen into the "bad" vs. "good" food trap as well. I've seen it firsthand; someone eats salad and chicken and thinks they're superior to others for their food, healthier for their food or "should be losing weight." Except they don't measure the dressing they put on the salad. An 8 oz. chicken breast becomes a 4 oz. chicken breast to them. "I'm eating yogurt and don't eat fried foods!" but eating 10 cups of yogurt and having a tub of nuts for snacks.
All of this could still be fine... provided someone is aware of exactly how many calories/portions they're ingesting vs. what they're putting out.
I do have to say, that assuming anything of your "skinny" doctor's experience doesn't put you in a good light. You have no idea what she may have gone through as a child, as a young adult, etc. She may have had an eating disorder. She may have lost weight before. She might have struggled with weight during her residency when she couldn't be bothered to focus on her weight.
Most of all? If she's thin, why would you discount anything she says? She's doing something you want, correct... to be a lower weight, a healthier weight?
Again I say about my doctor...I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT WITH HER. She even said she couldn't know how I felt.
OMG...before you all jump my case, read the posts
I never said I wasn't going to weigh my food.
Most of the people think I'm trying to starve myself because I eat so little.
I appreciate all of you who have given me advisement. I'm not being defensive, but rather trying to explain that I"m not a novice at this and am really stuck. Some of you seem to not care about anything but being heard. That's fine.
I didn't get on your case, yet for someone who claims to not be defensive... why would you interpret my post in anyway like that?
I read all your posts on here. I didn't see anywhere where you specifically got thyroid tests or asked for a blood panel. I could assume your statement that "She keeps saying it's food" means you might have asked that and your doctor hasn't given you the bloodwork, but if I've learned one thing about these forums, it's not to assume things. Provide us with more detail if you want us to know the intimate details of your journey. Plus, the fact that a gyno wouldn't be the doctor to go to for thyroid advice at all, a GP or (better yet) an endo would be.
Unfortunately, I'm seeing "The lady doth protest too much"--you interpreted attacks by page 2, you "assume" responses before they're said, and now lengthy posts full of as much objective advice as possible (with doses of empathy in many of them) get dubbed as "People only care about being heard" and passive-aggression.
Well, it's a forum. People want to be heard when they share advice with you, a forum is designed for different voices *to* be heard; the issue here is that you don't appear to want to hear what so many are saying, and seem to be hearing things that no one is doing (a.k.a, attacks).
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The problem is, someone else even said they could see how I would feel attacked. I didn't say YOU attacked me.
I've had a thyroid test...she said it was fine and refused to dig further, insisting it was just food.
I'm not defensive, just trying to explain, and before you fuss at me for something, go back and read the other posts.0 -
How do you track all you eat? Do you use a digital food scale for everything (except liquids)?
HOw long eating at 1740?
Several months. I don't use a digital scale but when I eat at work I ask them what the measurements are...it's a cafeteria so that's pretty easy for them. The rest is a pretty good estimate, and I know I tend to overestimate the portions because I'm afraid to underestimate.
If you've been stalled this long, it's time to change things up. Give the digital scale a try, they're cheap. $10 on amazon or 15 at Walmart. This way you have a far better idea of how many calories you're consuming0 -
I've had a thyroid test...she said it was fine and refused to dig further, insisting it was just food.
You should see an expert, an endocrinologist. A regular GP or OBGYN might not run all of the tests necessary.. I have heard countless people say that their GP ran tests and said nothing wrong then later they found out they didn't run all the panels they could have/should have.
Edit: and yeah, do the weighing food thing too to see if that gets you headed back in the right direction.0 -
The problem is, someone else even said they could see how I would feel attacked. I didn't say YOU attacked me.
I've had a thyroid test...she said it was fine and refused to dig further, insisting it was just food.
I'm not defensive, just trying to explain, and before you fuss at me for something, go back and read the other posts.
Might be time to walk away, OP. Absorb the advice you have received so far and filter through what you would like to take on board and what you want to push to the side and think about your next steps.
It's doubtful you are going to receive anything else new; everyone has given the "standard" answers, so at this point, the flow chart of life is leading you back to the start.0 -
No one is attacking you, no one has been rude. It is abundantly clear to me at this point that you aren't willing to listen and you keep deflecting. You say you are no novice, yet you are stalled and cant get restarted. MANY of us have had the same thing happen, we all said the same as you and guess what........WE WERE ALL WRONG......it really was that we were eating too much. We learned, some the hard way, some listened to others and it was easier. Good luck to you OP, and I really mean that.0
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Unfortunately, I just don't have time to do that with other cmmitments. She's a really skinny person and an OBGYN so I'm not sure this is really her forte. I was starving and tired at 1200/day.
I think you've made a really good judgement here. If she's never had an issue with her weight and she doesn't have education in nutrition, she really wouldn't know what's best for you. I once had a skinny person tell me that I was overweight because I ate 2% fat greek yogurt instead of 0% fat... WTF.
Is there any way she could refer you to a nutritionist or dietician? I saw one for 6 or so months and she was extremely helpful and knowledgable.
If you don't have other medical problems, finding your TDEE (there are tons of websites that do this) and weighing/measuring all food will cause you to lose weight.0 -
thin people are not always naturally thin. They develop habits that cause them to it overeat. They are active. They limit bad food.I hate to break it to you, but it's likely your food intake. If you aren't losing weight, and you aren't weighing food, that is the first place for you to start. If you've never done it, how would you know you're guesses are pretty accurate? If you think there is a medical condition involved, get tested and find out, so you can get proper meds and nutrition advice.
And....someone who has been thin all of their life is actually a perfect person to take advice from. They're obviously doing something right.
I think there is a lot more to being thin or heavy than just doing something right. If you look at my family, we're all built like football players. We're not meant to weigh 120 lbs.
Not an excuse, but you can't put the skin of a WV Beetle on a Ford Explorer.
Really? Because I know a lot of thin people that eat like crap and are skinny anyway.
I think you and I are going to have to agree to disagree on this one.
Unless you're around those people 24/7, you have no idea what they do with the rest of their lives. They aren't magical snowflakes.They eat within their caloric limits.You aren't a magical snowflake. You're eating more than you think you are and until you accept that, you're 2 year plateau will turn into a lifetime plateau.0 -
Pack your own lunch. If the cafeteria is anything like the one's I've seen the food is full of salt and the measurements are estimates when the food is being made. Weigh everything. Use the recipe builder tool.0
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She's a really skinny person and an OBGYN so I'm not sure this is really her forte.
Dat reverse discrimination
No, that's being realistic that an historically thin person has no idea what it's like to have a lifelong weight struggle.
If I said I hated her because she was skinny, that would be discrimination.
Because she knows how to eat properly to maintain her weight at a healthy level. Seems to me that "skinny" people are who you should be listening to.
I am sorry but I find it difficult to believe that at 230 pounds you are eating only 1200 calories a day while exercising and gaining weight, that doesn't make sense and suggests there is some sort of error in your logging. Your BMR has got to be higher than 1200 so there isn't really a way that you could eat that little and not lose weight.0 -
I only read some of the comments on the thread, so if I touch on things already suggested, I apologize in advance.
1.) I would recommend going to see someone that actually specialized in nutrition/weight loss. General doctors receive very little training when it comes to nutrition, so they aren't really the best source of information. (This advice came from my friend who is a doctor.)
2.) When you sya you are eating 1700 calories, are you talking about NET calories? I try to stick to NET 1300 calories, but on days I have great workouts (like all day kayaking) I'll actually eat something in the neighborhood of 2500 calories.
3.) Try cutting down on the pre-packaged foods, if you can. Sodium and water in take can do a LOT to keep your body from working at it's best. They are also finding that many additives in our everyday food actually cause more problems with weight loss than help.
Cooking one day a week and freezing healthy choices will help a lot if you have lots of time commitments. If you start doing this, I would highly recommend a food scale. Most stores have them for $10.00. No need to buy a giant expensive scale. Crock pots are also fabulous.
Hope some of this helps you.0
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