Plateau?

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missladyj631
missladyj631 Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone! Just wanted to see if anyone else has encountered this and what they did. I am currently 10lbs away from my goal and for the past few weeks Ive had no loss. I know that the closer you get to goal the harder it is. I could clean up my diet a smig but otherwise I do okay and I power walk 15 miles per week. I eat 1200 calories a day and for the most part never eat back my calories. I'm currently 5'9" and 170lbs and really want to get to 160!

I'm just wondering what I should do to jump start my metabolism again. Add more exercise? More calories? Not sure. I'd love to hit my goal. So please suggestions are welcome but please keep any negative comments you can come up with to yourself :p

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Do you log everything? Weigh everything solid?
  • missladyj631
    missladyj631 Posts: 33 Member
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    Yes I do.
  • cstexas2012
    cstexas2012 Posts: 53 Member
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    When I was eating 1200 lbs a day and not eating back my calories I stopped losing weight, presumably because my body thought I was starving. I don't know why MFP sets the default at 1200, it's rarely enough food, especially if you're not completely sedentary.

    ETA: I ate my full "TDEE" (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) for 8 weeks and then started eating at a smaller deficit again. Now I can lose on a lot more calories than 1200.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    a couple weeks is not a plateau...it's normal.

    If you go up to 6 weeks maybe.

    If you are sure about your logging then just be patient. That being said 10lbs from goal you should be eating a heck of a lot more than 1200 calories and you should be eating those exercise calories back...at least 50% of them.

    At 5 ft 7 and @ 153lbs I ate 2000 calories for the last 4 weeks and lost 1/2lb...doing no more exercise than I ever did...
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    When I was eating 1200 lbs a day and not eating back my calories I stopped losing weight, presumably because my body thought I was starving. I don't know why MFP sets the default at 1200, it's rarely enough food, especially if you're not completely sedentary.

    1200 is not the default that would be based on too high of a weekly weight loss goal. 1200 is the lowest MFP will suggest...if you put in a reasonable goal you will get a reasonable amount of calories to eat.

    When I started with 1lb a week it allowed for almost 1400 calories plus exercise calories which gave me a gross of almost 1700.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    How long has it been since you last saw a drop on the scale? A plateau is generally considered something like 4-6+ weeks with no change to the scale and no changes to your routine (since they can cause water weight fluctuations). If it's been less than that you may just be seeing the normal fluctuations that come with weight loss.

    As I get closer to goal I'm a bit paranoid about muscle loss and the transition into maintenance, so I've actually been increasing my calories instead of decreasing them. This leads to a slower weight loss, but I know it's going to be better for me in the long run. Your diary shows you well below 1200 calories most days and that makes it tough to get enough nutrition into your diet. Are you hitting all of your macro and micro goals at that level?
  • mltapper
    mltapper Posts: 2 Member
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    Another suggestion is to mix up your work-out. Try resistance training one day per week instead of cardio, or yoga, tai-chi, flexibility stuff. If what you're doing isn't working, try something different.
  • missladyj631
    missladyj631 Posts: 33 Member
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    So I definitely should adjust my goals so it can adjust my calorie intake. I sit at a desk all day unfortunately but I try to stay active on lunch (I walk) and at night (I have a 1 year old lol) Thanks for the help!
  • missladyj631
    missladyj631 Posts: 33 Member
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    I think changing my calorie intake and my workout a little bit will help but technically I am not considered to be in a plateau just yet. I'm trying to patient. I was doing well every week and then all of a sudden nothing. I guess it was a shock to me and I panicked. Thanks for all the advice and if you have more by all means I am open to them :)
  • whyyesitsneke
    whyyesitsneke Posts: 47
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    As was suggested I would try to change up the activity level. A lot of people focus on the calories so much that it becomes the sole focus and exercise is just as important. if you do truly plateau, kick it up a notch!

    Best of luck.

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