Been at a plateau for over a year, help?

kassiebby1124
kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,everyone! I'm coming to see if I can get some help. I've been stuck in the 190s for over a year now. In 2013, I hit 199 coming down from 270. Back then, I was super proud of myself. However, I'm tired of it now. I lift weights 3x a week (heavy. I follow Starting Strength) and I do HIIT twice a week. I also log/weigh everything I eat, I drink a gallon+ of water a day. I've lost some body fat and inches, which is definitely more important but I'd like to see the SCALE go down, too. I think because of that, it's holding me back a little. I gained some weight in college and I've lost that and a bit more from when I first entered last August. I'm sitting at 193. I would just like to see 189. So does anyone know how I can break through this year long plateau?

Here are some stats about me and my eating:
Cal intake: 1400-1700 (I switch between the two every week)
I follow a "modified paleo" diet. Meaning I eat grain once a day
I lift heavily 3x a week
I try to cardio daily
I play rugby and have recently started boxing

Any tips/suggestions/testimonies/personal experiences?

Thanks,
Kassie <3

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    Do you use a food scale? Do yo log your calories daily? Have you gotten blood test recent? Do you have any medical conditions? Most plateaus are a cause of poor logging.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    You're eating far more than you think. It's that simple your logging is inaccurate with cups instead of weighing food generic recipe entries and quick added calories. Tighten your logging up and then you'll know how much you are really eating this link will help you good luck

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • kassiebby1124
    kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
    I weigh everything, lol. I have a food scale. Even when I use the scale, I over-estimate slightly to account for some miscalculations. But I weigh everything that goes into my mouth.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,427 MFP Moderator
    I weigh everything, lol. I have a food scale.


    Why do you use the quick add function? Also, do you use have any medical conditions?
  • kassiebby1124
    kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
    I weigh everything, lol. I have a food scale.


    Why do you use the quick add function? Also, do you use have any medical conditions?
    Because I ate the same thing for lunch that I did for dinner for the past two nights and I didn't feel like re-adding all the food. And no, not that I or my doctors know of
  • kassiebby1124
    kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
    I use my food scale for everything I eat, down to the sauces I use for my fries or jelly for toast. If I eat over, I track that, too. That's why I'm confused about why my weight has stagnated. I have learned that the weeks of 1400, I don't lose and when I up my calories, I do. But I dunno if that is a major factor of that.
  • marjoleina
    marjoleina Posts: 189 Member
    Have you recalculated your BMR, TDEE? There is a scoobydoo calculator, or haybales has an awesome spreadsheet to figure out data.
  • kassiebby1124
    kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
    Have you recalculated your BMR, TDEE? There is a scoobydoo calculator, or haybales has an awesome spreadsheet to figure out data.
    My BMR is closer to 1800, so I eat slightly less than that, haha. Maybe that's bad?
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
    I weigh everything, lol. I have a food scale.


    Why do you use the quick add function? Also, do you use have any medical conditions?
    Because I ate the same thing for lunch that I did for dinner for the past two nights and I didn't feel like re-adding all the food. And no, not that I or my doctors know of
    Under quick tools, there is an option that says Copy to Today so you can reuse entries.

    I don't really know what to say about you being stuck. Personally, I would eat more and train more.
  • NataBost
    NataBost Posts: 418 Member
    Have you recalculated your BMR, TDEE? There is a scoobydoo calculator, or haybales has an awesome spreadsheet to figure out data.
    My BMR is closer to 1800, so I eat slightly less than that, haha. Maybe that's bad?

    Sounds like you answered your question. Time to recalculate! :flowerforyou:
  • marjoleina
    marjoleina Posts: 189 Member
    You answered your own question! Increase your calories to TDEE subtract something reasonable, like 10 or 20% and hoppa! I am speaking from experience, I did VLC diets for years and would lose a little and get stuck and now I am eating (what a concept) my excersise calories back, and have lost weight, I have it set to lose 0.5 Kg a week so it is slow, but I am ok with that at it is going down.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Even without exercise you should be losing at 1700 calories. And you play rugby. How are you not hangry!!

    Logging the actual meals could help us see things like protein and fat goals, etc. If you're truly intentionally under eating you may wish to try maintenance for a week or two and reduce from there. You could also check with your docs to make sure everything is okay, because you really should be losing
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Okay down to some specifics. Can you confirm that the quiche, baked ziti, etc are your own recipes added up from ingredients using the recipe function, and not someone else's from the database? Also a 125 calorie cupcake? What is that like one bite, or made with sugar substitute?

    The fitbit adjustments are fairly significant on some days. I would ask if your account is set to sedentary, lightly active etc but it almost wouldn't matter with such a small goal as 1440 per day? Basically you wouldn't want to double count your calories burned and potentially over estimate
  • bremca28
    bremca28 Posts: 21 Member
    Not all cupcakes are insanely high. I don't know why that what you point out and fuss over?
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Not all cupcakes are insanely high. I don't know why that what you point out and fuss over?

    Unless you made the cupcake for the OP, I'm not really sure what you think is the relevance of this post
  • serindipte
    serindipte Posts: 1,557 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    Congratulations on losing 57 lbs. Awesome!

    I agree that the problem is your calories consumption. It is very possible that you were overestimating your calories and still losing weight during your 57 lbs. loss. Now that you have reached your calories maintenance level for your current weight, you have to do a regroup. What is the situation with your exercise calories tracking and consumption? How are you tracking those calories and are you eating those back?
  • 2PieceNow
    2PieceNow Posts: 21 Member
    I was at a horrible plateau! I am 50 and have a bad thyroid so I know what you are going thru! I started running and stopped drinking!!! I really watch my calories and rarely eat all my workout calories. PPL look at my diary (it's open and say I need to eat more, but when I met with a nutrition she increased my carbs decreased protein and increased fat and I gained 8 lbs. I have since went back to what I was doing and lost the weight but I limit my alcohol to 3 drinks a week max!! not on the same day!!!! I might have 2 on one day and one on another but that's it!! Other then that I drink water. We are social people and surround ourselves with water (pool, beach, boat) and are friends drink so it was NOTHING to have 4-6 glasses a wine thru out a day! That backs on lbs. I know ppl don't talk about it a lot but that could be the enemy!! Maybe not, but it was mine!! If it's not alcohol and you are measuring everything then you should be losing if you are following a paleo and exercising like you say you are!! Good Luck!!
  • Keepcalmanddontblink
    Keepcalmanddontblink Posts: 718 Member
    Are you still losing inches? How are your clothes fitting? I trust my tape measure and how my clothes are fitting, more than my scale, when it comes to weight loss.
  • kassiebby1124
    kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
    Are you still losing inches? How are your clothes fitting? I trust my tape measure and how my clothes are fitting, more than my scale, when it comes to weight loss.
    Yes, I'm losing inches.

    @Everyone else: Thank you for your input. I can go to IIFYM and re-evaluate my TDEE. And the cupcake is a betty crocker cupcake my mom made. The ziti/quiche is from an online website my mom used so I just referenced that instead. I don't eat back my exercise calories when I work out most of the time. But I'll bump up my calories. I thought weekly calorie cycling was beneficial but I guess not, haha.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Hmm. Tricky. You may need to take measures like super small portions if you're gonna eat things somebody else made, if they do not weigh or measure as meticulously as you do. Kind of like eating at a restaurant - if you only do it every so often , the impact is minimal. If it's more frequent and the calorie counts aren't really published, then that could really lead to inaccuracies in your logging. I say tricky because it's your Mom lol. TDEE method or MFP method, both assume you'll log your food as accurately as you can. Good luck.
  • kassiebby1124
    kassiebby1124 Posts: 927 Member
    Hmm. Tricky. You may need to take measures like super small portions if you're gonna eat things somebody else made, if they do not weigh or measure as meticulously as you do. Kind of like eating at a restaurant - if you only do it every so often , the impact is minimal. If it's more frequent and the calorie counts aren't really published, then that could really lead to inaccuracies in your logging. I say tricky because it's your Mom lol. TDEE method or MFP method, both assume you'll log your food as accurately as you can. Good luck.
    Thanks <3 Hopefully I can see a change in a few more weeks. Fingers crossed
  • earth_echo
    earth_echo Posts: 133 Member
    I was watching a Youtube documentary not that long ago and in it, it mentioned that any change in diet usually results in weight loss. Maybe your body has grown acclimated to your routine and so isn't responding as well as it used to. My suggestion would be for you to change something -- either with exercise or diet or both. Try Atkins induction for 2 weeks or some form of intermittent fasting for a couple weeks -- eh, whatever. Just do something different for awhile and see if your body responds.
  • marjoleina
    marjoleina Posts: 189 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    And you might want to read this, if you haven't already

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