Stuck at the Same Weight for Two Weeks

Hi everyone,

I've been stuck between the same 2lbs for two weeks, and am getting extremely frustrated! Here's what a normal eating/exercise day looks like for me:

Breakfast: Special K Red Berry Cereal with skim milk
Lunch: 1 cup strawberries and 1 banana
Dinner: Brocolli with reduced fat cheese, or the occasional low point weight watchers meal (under 5 WW points).
Snack: Cucumbers, occasionally a caramel rice cake with pb2 peanut butter.
Workout: every night before dinner I jug/run 1 mile, walk 1 mile and then speed walk one mile
I also have 1 100% garcinia cambogia pill before breakfast and lunch.

My job also has me on my feet and lifting things throughout the day.
Okay, so, doing all of the above, I was stuck at 187lbs for three days. Last night, I knew I would be going out with friends so I just had breakfast, skipped lunch, and then had 2 soft shell tacos and frozen yogurt at night with them. I got on the scale this morning and weighed 188.6lbs! This happens every time I eat anything more then the above normal list. So then I'll spend the next week working off these 2lbs.

Someone please help. I am becoming very, very frustrated and I just want to quit!

I highly recommend reading this excellent article which covers your question quite well.

"Why Am I Not Losing Weight: 11 Reasons You’re Failing To Lose Fat"

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/

I am also wondering how many calories you are eating a day. I'm gonna bet money it's not enough!

Read these:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

TL:DR the link right above then read ->http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

I am also wondering how many calories you are eating a day. I'm gonna bet money it's not enough!

Read these:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

TL:DR the link right above then read ->http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

^^^^ yay!!! Thanks, honey!!

Agree with all of the above. Definitely check out the links provided.

May need to switch up your exercise routine some

May need to switch up your exercise routine some

Yes, I agree! Drink more water, switch up your routine! Your body is getting used to the "same old, same old!" Eat more protein too!

We all have what i call "stalls" or plateaus. Are you sure your not losing? There are other ways to see if your losing. The scale isn't the only way/weigh. Are you taking measurements???? You really need to. The scale is only a number. How are your clothes fitting?? My NUT ( nutritionist) says throw the scale away. I say. Don't weigh yourself every day. Your going to drive yourself nuts!!!!!

Honestly I try not to pay too much attention to the scale just because it can be a little frustrating. In a situation like yours where you want to get back into shape for athletics. I would probably use the amount and intensity of exercise as a better measuring stick for how you are doing.

You've said the scale has been stuck but in the time since you have plateaued:

Can you run further?
Can you run faster?
Can you run longer?

If so, congratulations you are getting stronger and healthier and the scale will catch up eventually.

If not though you might not be pushing yourself hard enough and if you are pushing yourself as hard as you can go but not making fitness gains than the obvious question is if your diet has the necessary fuel in it to even power through to more gains.

Not trying to be critical of you, just curious if you have looked at it from this point of view, If you are getting 2.5% stronger / faster every week you are rocking it and if not... why? My answer would probably be either complacency or bad diet.

Best of luck though! I hope you find an answer that helps you!

May need to switch up your exercise routine some

It's a myth that the same exercise routine can stall weight loss.

Op, you are on a very low calorie diet. You need to up those calories quite a bit. You are going to make yourself sick.

Check it out. It'll answer many of your questions before you even have them.

No. Just no. Strong first post though. :noway:

You don't need to pay for some ridiculous ebook.

Eat more food.
Continue working out.
Make sure your goals are set appropriately for how much you have to lose.
Read the links I posted earlier.

Workout: every night before dinner I jug/run 1 mile, walk 1 mile and then speed walk one mile

So you're using probably 350-400 calories. When you come up with your healthy goal weight x 10, add 100-200 calories when you exercise like this.

My job also has me on my feet and lifting things throughout the day

Are you entering that exercise into your MFP diary? Because just standing uses muscles & calories.
Your diary should be screaming at you that you're not eating enough!

I also have 1 100% garcinia cambogia pill before breakfast and lunch.

Save your money.

Breakfast: Special K Red Berry Cereal with skim milk
Lunch: 1 cup strawberries and 1 banana

That right there, the whole thing, should be breakfast.
And I agree with whoever said substitute oatmeal for the special K. Throw in some chopped walnuts too, maybe a diced apple.
More fiber, more nutrients, it'll fill you up longer, and control your blood sugar better.

What I do for breakfast nearly every day: 12oz of 2% milk + a serving of carnation instant breakfast + 1 banana. That's about 450 calories. I really hate eating in the morning.
Some days I'll scramble 2 eggs, and fold in a cup of sauteed veggies (onion, mushroom, zucchini, asparagus, whatever's handy), top it with 1/4 cup of cheese (regular-fat cheese), & sometimes salsa.
Other days I'll have a cup of cottage cheese (again, regular fat) with berries.
I've tried skim milk, drank it for years, but it doesn't satisfy like 2%. Ditto for nonfat cottage cheese. Some fat in the diet is good.

Dinner: Brocolli with reduced fat cheese, or the occasional low point weight watchers meal (under 5 WW points).
Snack: Cucumbers, occasionally a caramel rice cake with pb2 peanut butter.

Add in some protein, such as fish, chicken, beans, even beef or pork, and that would be OK for dinner. Better still if you added another vegetable, and some fruit & a couple chocolate kisses for dessert.

So for lunch?
How about a big salad with toppings of tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, fat free croutons, garbanzo beans, cheese, hard boiled egg... any or all of the above, with a low-fat or fat-free dressing. Put it in a little contaner, dip your fork before you spear the veggies.

Or a half sandwich of turkey & a slice of cheese, tomato, lettuce, with mustard & maybe a little mayo & relish, on whole-grain bread. (Get good bread, not the squishy white stuff.)

Snacks: yogurt (esp. Greek), fruit, pretzels, a piece (oz) of cheese, nuts,
veggies (baby carrots, celery sticks, slices of bell pepper, cucumber), dip them in hummus,
a serving of pita chips & a wedge of laughing cow cheese.
Make a smoothie with yogurt, frozen fruit, and enough milk to thin it out.
Try some low-fat frozen yogurt, or a fudgesicle, or a frozen fruit bar.

Seems like some very generic advice to be giving someone without even looking at the situation at hand. Which is that the OP is barely eating.

I guess it could seem like generic advice if I wasn't specifically saying she should stop focusing on the scale and start focusing on the things that are important to her such as getting back into athletic form. I assume you didn't actually read what I wrote where I specifically said that she needs to make sure she is fueling her body to get the athletic gains she wants and that if she is not getting the gains she wants she is probably not fueling her body properly.

There's no need to be judgemental, we are all just here offering the best advice we can for people who are all in the same boat we are or were in. It's up to the person reading to decide what makes the most sense to them.

Okay, so if the OP came back and said that she is feeling fine and getting better in the gym then would you tell her to keep doing what she's doing? Would you tell her to continue eating the minimal amounts that she currently is? I would suspect you might due to the fact that you are pointing out that it's the indicator you're talking about?

As far as being judgmental, I reserve the right to call out any advice I feel is not correct.

Yes.

If someone is feeling healthy and getting stronger that is the point of a good diet. I honestly don't even know why you would ask that question as the answer is incredibly obvious.

Good lord, EAT MORE! Strawberries and a banana is NOT lunch!

Also, garcina cambogia is a scam. It doesn't work. (if it did, you wouldn't be stalling, now would you?)