Please help me understand

stang41992
stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

I am a mom of one 18 month old daughter. I nursed her up until 2 weeks ago when she self weaned. I lost all 51 pounds of my pregnancy weight, but would still like to lose 15-20 more pounds. I am currently around 148. I can't seem to lose any more. I go to the gym 7 hours a week at least. I do weight lifting, intervals on the treadmill, Body Flow, Body Combat, and a cycling class. I work very hard. I eat a very clean diet where I cook most nights, eat minimally processed foods and eat clean 85% of the time. I sneak in indulgences here and there. I eat around 1800 calories a day. I would love to start losing again. Any tips?

Replies

  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    Make sure to get plenty of water and weight everything. If you're not weighing your food, you're eating more thatn you think. If you know, FOR SURE, that you are getting 1800 calories, I would try cutting your calories to 1600 and see what that does for you. Keep in mind, it takes a good 4-6 for any new routine to make a difference so give it time and shoot to lose half a pound a week.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Here is a great place to start:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • swallace0067
    swallace0067 Posts: 1 Member
    Have you tried completely changing up your workout? I find when I really get into the flow if things that I stop losing weight! My body becomes accustom to these specific workouts, now it time to flip in on it's head! Good luck
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    Hey there,

    My recommendation is to re-evaluate how you are recording your meals and exercise. Eating "clean" and eating less processed foods will not help you lose weight, only eating at a calorie deficit will. You can get fat off organic or other proclaimed health foods just as easy as eating "junk" food if you are eating at a calorie surplus.

    Double check your food choices and make sure you are measuring food / liquids properly. Measuring cups for liquids, food scale for solids. I have a food scale at home and work to make things easier for me. When you cook make sure you are honestly recording the use of oils and butters too, and even veggies have calories.

    How do you treat your exercise calories? Remember fitness pal isn't super accurate as to how much calories you burn when exercising. You are doing a good amount of exercise so great job on that, just make sure you're not eating back more calories than you are burning.

    Keep up the hard work and be patient with your weight loss results. If you are consistently eating at a deficit you will do it+++.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    How tall are you and how have you determined your goal weight? You look in great shape, and 148lb is slim for many women :flowerforyou:
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
    If you don't already have one, a food scale is a great way to make sure your portions are correct. I purchase mine brand new on Ebay for $8.

    A heart rate monitor can be a great tool as well. It can give you a better idea of how many calories you are burning during exercise. A food scale and HRM work hand in hand IMO....calories in vs. calories out.

    Good luck!! You can do it! :smile:
  • stang41992
    stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
    I do have a food scale and use it regularly. The reason I do 1800 is I feel my fitness and weight need it. I am STARVING if I only do 1600 calories. I am 5'5"; my picture is me about 5 pounds lighter than I am now. I did some research and to maintain my weight, I need to eat 2300 calories a day. I never get close to that. I am so confused by this....
  • stang41992
    stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
    And I regularly change up my cardio/weights
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Here is a great place to start:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    ^^^ This. You're already a healthy weight, so I wouldn't focus too much on the scales if I were you.
  • SteveyBrule
    SteveyBrule Posts: 171 Member
    I do have a food scale and use it regularly. The reason I do 1800 is I feel my fitness and weight need it. I am STARVING if I only do 1600 calories.

    I think you answered your own question there. 1800 is apparently sustainable for you, cut it down by 250 and see if you notice a difference. There's got to be a caloric imbalance somewhere that's causing it. As far as feeling hungry, try eating more fat-rich foods (red meat, things with oils), these will make you feel more satiated throughout the day.

    What's really helped me is a fatty coffee in the morning (if you drink it). 2 tbsp of grass fed, unsalted butter, 1 tbsp of coconut oil and a scoop of vanilla whey protein gets me through the day with a very small lunch. I usually have about 1500 calories left when I get home that I use on dinner to keep me full.
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
    I agree too about not focusing so much on the scale. You look great in your profile, even if you are 5 lbs more now. When I started I was within my healthy weight range as well.

    What really worked for me was making sure to push myself and sweat! I have been doing a combo of Jillian DVD's and some lifting with free weights and have really seen a decrease in my BF% and lost 21 lbs in the process. Now I am in maintenance and focusing on building more muscle. Most days I still have a calorie deficit, but feel full and satisfied, this helps one the days we do go out to dinner, etc.

    Maybe try to set your calorie goal to maintenance and focus on more strength training. There is a lot of info on here about strength training. I have learned a lot just by using the search feature and looking up old threads.

    Great job on losing the baby weight! You look great!! :smile:
  • stang41992
    stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
    But I should be able to lose weight without starving myself. I lost weight on here before, but I wasn't as active and was eating 1600 a day. I was maintaining at 141 for a couple of years, gained a few and THEN got pregnant. I feel if I'm getting headaches and heartburn from not eating enough it isn't healthy or worth it. That's why I feel I need the 1800 calories a day.
  • stang41992
    stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
    I forgot to mention, I know they are inaccurate, but I used one of those bathroom scales with body fat percentage on it. It says I have 28%. I want to be around the 22-24% range.
  • SteveyBrule
    SteveyBrule Posts: 171 Member
    There are foods that will make you feel more full, try those and portion them out so you won't be as hungry, then, you won't be starving yourself.
  • SteveyBrule
    SteveyBrule Posts: 171 Member
    But I should be able to lose weight without starving myself. I lost weight on here before, but I wasn't as active and was eating 1600 a day. I was maintaining at 141 for a couple of years, gained a few and THEN got pregnant. I feel if I'm getting headaches and heartburn from not eating enough it isn't healthy or worth it. That's why I feel I need the 1800 calories a day.

    And all of those side effects are likely not from lack of eating, they're usually from eating the wrong things. That's where nutrition plays a role.

    And this is a great read, being hungry doesn't mean you're starving, and the odds of actually starving on anything over 1100 calories is very, very slim:
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
  • Squamation
    Squamation Posts: 522 Member
    If you really just recently stopped breastfeeding that is going to mess with your weight loss.

    Breastfeeding burns calories, and now your body isn't. It will also take a few weeks to a month for your hormones to reset after breastfeeding.

    I would wait 2 months for the above to figure itself out and if you're not back to losing weight look into possibly upping your exercise or cutting back your calories.

    Also are you tracking other progress: photos, measurements, clothing, ect?

    *edit* - I breast fed both my boys and found that when I stopped I had a plateau in weight loss.
  • alisonmarytuck
    alisonmarytuck Posts: 68 Member
    Remember that muscle weighs more than fat and your exercise will be building muscle. Are you sure you NEED to lose more weight. Your exercise must be toning and streamlining and I am sure you must look and feel good. Think how you look not just pounds! You don't say how tall you are?
  • stang41992
    stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
    My diet is very good, I don't think I'm eating the wrong things (lots of healthy proteins, good fats, healthy carbs). I barely had any milk left, we were only nursing in the mornings and I think there was hardly anything there. As stated before, I am 5'5" and I definitely have more to lose. I have lost 2 pounds since November. I work very hard and take care of myself so I feel I should be much lighter than I am. I know it's a healthy weight, but I want to see arm definition, a little more abs. I have monitored by checking measurements, clothing, etc and NOTHING is changing. I have tried so many things, but nothing seems to work.
  • lmh2515
    lmh2515 Posts: 1
    How tall are you and how have you determined your goal weight? You look in great shape, and 148lb is slim for many women :flowerforyou:



    Maybe there is something else going on? I am in a similar position (sans babies). I Crossfit 3+ days a week, play soccer 2x a week and just started TRX. I eat extremely clean as well (no dairy, no grains, no processed foods, no sugar, etc.) at about the same caloric intake as you (but I don't find myself hungry) and I do measure everything. And while my lean muscle mass is going up, my body fat/size is not going down. It remains the same. I am thinking my next step needs to be some bloodwork with a naturopath because I am not really sure what my other options are.
  • stang41992
    stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
    I am 5' 5".
  • stang41992
    stang41992 Posts: 129 Member
    I would be happy if my BF% showed up lower, but I think 28% is too high.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    How long since you stopped losing? It's normal to stall for a couple weeks at a time.
  • stephbeland8
    stephbeland8 Posts: 35 Member
    Have you tried completely changing up your workout? I find when I really get into the flow if things that I stop losing weight! My body becomes accustom to these specific workouts, now it time to flip in on it's head! Good luck

    Exactly! :)
  • rsoice
    rsoice Posts: 212 Member
    Being a fairly new mother, how's your sleep pattern? If you aren't getting enough sleep, the weight will not drop nearly as quickly.
  • peleroja
    peleroja Posts: 3,979 Member
    Remember that the less you weigh, the fewer calories you need (excluding other variables like activity level.) That means that as you lose weight you often have to consume fewer calories if you're keeping activities the same. It's unfortunate but it's just the way it goes. A 140 pound body just doesn't need as much fuel as a 180 pound body if those bodies are doing the same daily activity and have similar muscle mass.

    Sad fact, but that's just the way it goes. You can't eat the same amount as you did when you were heavier unless you increase exercise or gain muscle mass (which you won't be doing eating at a calorie deficit...)

    1600 calories a day at your size shouldn't be making you feel that terrible if they're the right kind of calories. Are you getting an appropriate proportion of macro and micro nutrients? Plenty of protein and fat?

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