Help me off my plateau

epexegesis
epexegesis Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I wonder if anyone can give me any advice about my current plateau - perhaps to see something that I'm not seeing!

I'm female, aged 49 and 5'7.

I was 18st, and dropped to 17st in about 3.25 weeks. I've then been stuck at 17st for another 3 weeks.

I'm aiming 1,200 calories a day - and achieve this, or just under every day. For the last week, this has been split 46% protein, 42% carbs and 12% fat, and that's pretty typical.

I am recording and weighing/measuring absolutely every single thing that I eat.

I don't think that I waste any of my calories - but I could give more info about that if it would be helpful. I do consume quite a lot of skimmed milk - probably about 3 or 4 cups a day in different forms (e.g. coffee, with tea, on its own) - could that be causing a problem.

In the past 2 weeks, I've cut out anything with aspartame in.

I am very restricted mobility wise because of current orthopaedic problems - if it wasn't for them, I would think that some physical exercise would help, but that's really off the table (unless anyone has ideas for useful exercise that can be done sitting down).

Should I just carry on the way I am and ride out the plateau? If so, how long could it go on for? Should I change anything?

All advice gratefully received!

Replies

  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
    If you feel confident in your calorie intake I would just keep doing what you are doing. Make sure you reach at least 1200 calories. I have gone a month without losing a single pound and then boom 2 lbs gone when I get on the scale and then I lose a one or more for the next week or two and then nothing again. Sometimes it's just patience.
  • epexegesis
    epexegesis Posts: 4
    If you feel confident in your calorie intake I would just keep doing what you are doing. Make sure you reach at least 1200 calories. I have gone a month without losing a single pound and then boom 2 lbs gone when I get on the scale and then I lose a one or more for the next week or two and then nothing again. Sometimes it's just patience.

    Thank you - that's good advice. I think I am sometimes a bit under - e.g. in the 1000 to 1100 calorie zone, and that might not be helping. It's really hard to get your brain to believe that it's actually better to eat more!
  • hummingbird71
    hummingbird71 Posts: 298 Member
    I am sorry you are having an issue with a plateau. I am not able to help you out there as I am on one myself. Usually a plateau is due to you body becoming comfortable with what you are doing and you need to shake things up a bit. The exercise part would be a GREAT way to change things up. There are LOTS of things you can do in a seated position. If you google exercises you can do sitting down there are plenty to choose from. Leg circles, butt squeezes, knee rasies, torso twists... then of course you can grab some hand weights and work out your upper body, back and chest as well. Best thing to do is search online and look for the ones that you are able to perform. Only you know which ones you will be able to do. Good luck to you and hoping you get off your plateau soon!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Thank you - that's good advice. I think I am sometimes a bit under - e.g. in the 1000 to 1100 calorie zone, and that might not be helping. It's really hard to get your brain to believe that it's actually better to eat more!
    There's a reason why it's hard getting your brain to believe that eating more will lead to more weight loss. It won't.

    That doesn't mean there might not be other reasons why eating more would be preferable but, from a pure weight loss point of view, eating more will only make weight loss slower.

    If you're sure that you are measuring your intake correctly and that you can get sufficient nutrition from what you're eating, I'd agree that patience is the way to go.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Plateau's happen, I'm told usually its water retention; on one myself. We just need to keep trudging ahead and have patience.
  • epexegesis
    epexegesis Posts: 4
    There's a reason why it's hard getting your brain to believe that eating more will lead to more weight loss. It won't.

    That doesn't mean there might not be other reasons why eating more would be preferable but, from a pure weight loss point of view, eating more will only make weight loss slower.

    If you're sure that you are measuring your intake correctly and that you can get sufficient nutrition from what you're eating, I'd agree that patience is the way to go.
    [/quote]

    So do you not agree with the people who say that if you eat too little, your body will go into starvation mode, and cling on to its fat? (I don't think I'm putting that very scientifically, but I think it's what people mean) I have never seen anything that confirms this one way or the other - different people seem to have different opinions.
  • Michifan
    Michifan Posts: 95 Member
    Plateaus are your body resetting itself. It's natural and part of its survival mechanism. Just happens. Don't do anything different unless you don't trust your diet to begin with. I am in a 3,000 calorie deficit daily and I have days where noting happens. I hate it too, but I feel good every day and sometimes that's good enough.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    weigh solid foods and measure liquids, you may be eating more than you think you are. How has your sodium been, did you change up workout routines? these could affect your water retention that may mask "real" weight loss on the scale.

    Starvation mode does not work like most people here think it does. Essentially eating too little your body will either slow down or avoid certain non-life sustaining processes (why people on vlcd's have hair loss, weak nails, bad skin, etc) which lowers your BMR, but you will still be in a deficit but the deficit will be smaller than you think it is as you dont' take into account the lowering of BMR. Another issue that can happen (esp if you don't strength train or get enough protein) your body will shed a large % of lean muscle in order to lower your caloric needs (BMR) so less of your weight loss comes from fat, this also makes it easier to gain fat back once you up your cals again too.
  • SaintGiff
    SaintGiff Posts: 3,679 Member
    No worries
    TSgEFVz.gif
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    So do you not agree with the people who say that if you eat too little, your body will go into starvation mode, and cling on to its fat? (I don't think I'm putting that very scientifically, but I think it's what people mean) I have never seen anything that confirms this one way or the other - different people seem to have different opinions.
    I absolutely do not agree with that. Also, it has been resoundingly disproven.
  • epexegesis
    epexegesis Posts: 4
    So do you not agree with the people who say that if you eat too little, your body will go into starvation mode, and cling on to its fat? (I don't think I'm putting that very scientifically, but I think it's what people mean) I have never seen anything that confirms this one way or the other - different people seem to have different opinions.
    I absolutely do not agree with that. Also, it has been resoundingly disproven.

    I'd be interested to read any scientific research about this - all I can find on the internet is people arguing one way or the other, with no science backing it up. Do you have sources that you could recommend?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    So do you not agree with the people who say that if you eat too little, your body will go into starvation mode, and cling on to its fat? (I don't think I'm putting that very scientifically, but I think it's what people mean) I have never seen anything that confirms this one way or the other - different people seem to have different opinions.
    I absolutely do not agree with that. Also, it has been resoundingly disproven.

    I'd be interested to read any scientific research about this - all I can find on the internet is people arguing one way or the other, with no science backing it up. Do you have sources that you could recommend?
    Minnesota starvation study. Also, people starving to death all over the world.
  • OllyJ_79
    OllyJ_79 Posts: 126 Member
    The science is clearly proven, you will lose weight by eating at a deficit

    http://www.nature.com/eye/journal/v19/n10/full/6701959a.html

    "In the longer term, however, the main mechanism by which energy expenditure is minimised is by the progressive loss of metabolically active tissue. Thus, for example, in the Minnesota experiment after 168 days of 'semistarvation' metabolic rate had decreased by 37% when expressed as kcal/day but by only 15% when expressed as kcal/day per unit active tissue mass."
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    So do you not agree with the people who say that if you eat too little, your body will go into starvation mode, and cling on to its fat? (I don't think I'm putting that very scientifically, but I think it's what people mean) I have never seen anything that confirms this one way or the other - different people seem to have different opinions.
    I absolutely do not agree with that. Also, it has been resoundingly disproven.

    I'd be interested to read any scientific research about this - all I can find on the internet is people arguing one way or the other, with no science backing it up. Do you have sources that you could recommend?

    Just an FYI - for future biological topics where you want to find actual studies and not blogs, go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed and search.

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