PLATEU at 24lbs lost. please give advice!!!

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graceland723
graceland723 Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! - bare with me, i want to share as much info as I can with you.
This is my first time posting on any type of discussion board, so I'm hoping to get some feedback from people who have been where I am now.

Some background info- I am a 20 year old girl, 5'9 and my heaviest weight was around 230lbs.
I have been on diets since I was 13 and weight watchers did nothing for me. The most amount of weight I had ever lost was around 12lbs, and then I would get frustrated and binge eat my way back to my previous weight, sometimes gaining more than I lost in the first place.

So this past march of 2014 I buckled down and something clicked in my head, I was able to push past the 12lb mark and am now down 24lbs!!! While I am so happy, I am currently at 202lbs, which I havent weight in about 2 years, I see no physical difference, no one has noticed except for my parents and my best friend ( all of whom know I have been trying to lose weight). I am not going to get discouraged, I am just motivated to keep going until I see a difference in myself.

Now I have not lost any weight in 2 weeks, and the last time I lost anything it was just a pound.

My eating habits before weight loss consisted of fast food, fried food, lots and lots and lots of processed food ( bread, chips, TONS of candy and sugar) like an abnormal amount of unhealthy foods, im honestly not sure how I wasnt over 300lbs.

Since march, now 4 months in, my diet has consisted of :
fruits, steamed veggies, greek yogurt, grilled white meat chicken and white meat turkey, nuts and salads. If I do have any bread ( maybe once or twice a week) it is whole grain or a whole wheat english muffin with penut butter for breakfast. If I have any "fast" food" it is subway, I get whole grain bread with grilled chicken and veggies.

On occasion I eat out with my friends and try to go for health options, and once in a while I will treat myself to something sweet.
Nothing so extreme that it should be hindering weight loss. I go to the gym 3 times a week, do 25mins of cardio and about 30 minutes of strength training ( legs, arms, back, glutes).

With such an extreme change I didn't expect my weight loss to stop so fast. I understand that its more important that the number on the scale go down than for me to actually see the difference right now, but its very frustrating when I'm working so hard and I cant get under that 200lb mark. I want it so badly. please give advice on how to get past a plateu, or if theres any diet plans like keto or paleo that I should be trying because I am not very familiar with either.

Sorry for the long post- Dont hesitate to share anything that you know!
Thank you so much!!!! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • graceland723
    graceland723 Posts: 5
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    before anyone suggests comparing photos before and after- I did take before pictures (24lbs ago) and I took pictures the other night- compared them, and I look exactly the same. I just need some advice on what will put me back on track to losing weight
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    are you weighing all your food? do you log everything you eat and drink? Your diary is private
  • PennyHartz
    PennyHartz Posts: 49 Member
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    Are you weighing all of your food to make sure you log accurately? Even "healthy" food can be high in calories if the portion is too high. I even weigh fruits and veggies to make sure I'm putting in the correct portions. Fruits especially can be over a hundred calories if not measured.
    Also, have you started a new workout routine lately? I recently increased the intensity of my workouts quite a bit, and it's kept my weight from decreasing the last two weeks. I've remained diligent about my calorie consumption, but I haven't lost a pound. The only thing I can attribute it to is that my (very sore) muscles are holding on to water. You can google about weight gain from exercise and find out more about it. Good luck!
  • graceland723
    graceland723 Posts: 5
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    thanks for responding- I just joined myfitnesspal so the weight I have lost thus far I have lost on my own. I have a scale but have not weighed my food.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    Great info on this thread for new people, plus other good links inside

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
  • Enlightened2014
    Enlightened2014 Posts: 12
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    Are you logging all your food in MFP? I made similar big changes and cut out all the obvious bad choices, but when I became 100% transparent with myself and joined MFP and recorded everything that went in my mouth is where the consistent drops in weight came. I though oh Subway for lunch was OK, until I looked at the calories. Then that sandwich became lunch and dinner.

    For me exercise was the big deal. I do train for 30 min 3x per week at the gym, but nightly walks are the key for me. I started walking 15, 30 now 1 hour 7x/week and can burn real calories. I can burn 400 calorie with a simple walk, and then I get to eat an extra snack or easily meet my MFP cals for the day with the full sandwich.

    Since your profile is only shown to friends I can't comment on how your doing with the MFP cals/day. Enter your info accurately in MFP and stay within their goals and you will lose. If you are not logging 100% of your food and exercise you might be surprised at how many calories some things have like I was. Good Luck!
  • HittinMyGoals
    HittinMyGoals Posts: 30 Member
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    First of all, great job so far and I hope you reach your goals. So you are 4 months in and have lost 24 pounds. By high standard's (2 lbs a week) you "should" have lost 32 pounds. Take into account muscle growth from you weight training and all the other little weight fluctuations people have I say you were right on track. As I "high 5" you for 4 months of work I will say what everyone else will say later in posts, " its a process". Again, 4 months is a great start but my challenge to you is to work hard for another 4 months and see where you are at. By your eating habits as listed I would be surprised if you were not way under your 200lbs mark. GL :)
  • Mykaelous
    Mykaelous Posts: 231 Member
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    First make sure you are following the advice of everyone above.

    If you are strictly monitoring your intake, and not eating back your workout calories then it could be a long term constipation issue from high protein intake. Try upping your vegetable and fiber intake, sometimes you just need a little extra roughage to push out all the crap that's holding on.
  • rachelg145
    rachelg145 Posts: 185 Member
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    You might have to adjust your calorie goals. Eating too little can stop the loss and eating the same amount throughout your loss can stop it. As you get smaller, more active, etc, you need to adjust your calorie intake accordingly.

    Some ideas for diet: more protein (egg whites, bacon, muscle milk light, etc.), less dairy - some people love yogurt but if I eat any dairy I blow up like a balloon....if you eat a lot of cheese, yogurt, etc., try to trade it out for 2% cottage cheese here and there and skip it otherwise unless it's part of a meal you can't do without like a slice of cheese on a sandwich. Snack on stuff like skinny pop and nuts. Label your meals in your diary how you actually eat so you remember to eat 4-5 times/day vs. grazing or leaving too big of a gap between meals.

    If you're looking for new ideas for cardio try walking on an incline of 10% or more at the gym without holding on. Vary the incline between 10% and 15% and vary the speed throughout the workout and stay on at least 30 minutes. For strength training/intervals, try the free Nike Training Club app. Try to use free weights over the machines whenever you can.

    It takes a long time to put weight on so it takes a long time to take it off, too. DON'T give up! I'm sure you look different but when you are tall it's a little bit off of everywhere and you see yourself every day so it's not as obvious. Someone who doesn't see you often will totally notice but probably not say anything so they don't put their foot in their mouth. Unless you are positive that you are on the right track, you never talk about a female's age or weight ;)

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