Eating clean, daily exercise, not losing. help?

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haircuttergirl
haircuttergirl Posts: 33 Member
edited October 2014 in Health and Weight Loss
I started out at 210 lbs (I am 5'2) I have gotten down to 154.6, but now have stalled out. I eat pretty clean, lots of raw fruits and veggies, lean meats, etc... About 1000-1200 calories per day. I drink nothing but water. I exercise daily, including running three times a week (2-4 miles per run). I've lost quite a few inches, but even that has slowed a lot. I am 4.6 lbs from my goal weight of 150 but I can't seem to shed these last few lbs. Help?
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Replies

  • JennJenn740
    JennJenn740 Posts: 4 Member
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    Me too!
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    How accurate is your calorie count? Do you weigh your food on a scale, use measuring cups and tablespoons (those are meant for liquid), or do you simply estimate? How often do you have cheat days? Do you log those? Do you eat out a lot? Also how long have you been stalled? It would be helpful if your diary was open as well?
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    How long has it been since you lost weight?
    Are you weighing your food on a food scale?

    IMO you can stand to eat a lot more. I'm the same height and (prepregnancy) 155 lbs and I was losing 1 lbs/week eating 1700 calories.
  • haircuttergirl
    haircuttergirl Posts: 33 Member
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    I just don't get it. I was stuck at 160 for forever too. Finally broke that barrier and now I'm stuck again. It's frustrating. And I really want some pizza.
    Feels like I am depriving myself of food I really want and pushing myself to eat healthier and be more active for nothing at times.
  • ivygirl1937
    ivygirl1937 Posts: 899 Member
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    Ninkyou wrote: »
    How long has it been since you lost weight?
    Are you weighing your food on a food scale?

    IMO you can stand to eat a lot more. I'm the same height and (prepregnancy) 155 lbs and I was losing 1 lbs/week eating 1700 calories.

    That's what I was thinking. Especially if you are only eating 1000-1200 total, not net. Try increasing your calories. If you don't eat enough, your body will go in starvation mode and store everything you eat and your metabolism will plummet.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    Ninkyou wrote: »
    How long has it been since you lost weight?
    Are you weighing your food on a food scale?

    IMO you can stand to eat a lot more. I'm the same height and (prepregnancy) 155 lbs and I was losing 1 lbs/week eating 1700 calories.

    That's what I was thinking. Especially if you are only eating 1000-1200 total, not net. Try increasing your calories. If you don't eat enough, your body will go in starvation mode and store everything you eat and your metabolism will plummet.
    1000-1200 calories does not cause you to starve. Starving also doesn't cause weight loss to stop. Those are myths. Eating low calories can cause your metabolism to slow some, but not enough for weight loss to stop. It's FAR more likely she is eating more then she thinks (most of us are) then her body for some reason has entered a mythical mode where instead of using fuel for energy it somehow creates energy from thin air.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    What you're going through is completely normal. As we get closer to our goal weight it gets harder and harder and the weight drops more slowly. Since you're not getting results doing what you're doing, you should look at trying to shake things up; up your mileage, do something other than running, etc. If you're still doing the same things you have been doing for awhile, your body gets used to them and you burn less calories doing them than you used to. Also, if you haven't been yet, you should strongly consider weight training.

    At this point, you really should be eating closer to maintenance calories. Have you changed your weight loss goal in MFP to .5 pound per week yet? If not, you should. With less than 5 pounds to go to your goal, your focus should start to shift more to maintenance. 5 pounds isn't very much, your body isn't going to change much after it's gone. You aren't going to eat 1000-1200 calories for the rest of your life.
  • haircuttergirl
    haircuttergirl Posts: 33 Member
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    vismal wrote: »
    How accurate is your calorie count? Do you weigh your food on a scale, use measuring cups and tablespoons (those are meant for liquid), or do you simply estimate? How often do you have cheat days? Do you log those? Do you eat out a lot? Also how long have you been stalled? It would be helpful if your diary was open as well?
    I typically do measure. I haven't had a cheat day in over a month but I log everything. I very rarely eat out but when I do, I stick with my diet plan. Grilled/roasted/steamed veggies and lean, grilled meat or a grilled chicken salad w/vinaigrette or something along those lines.
    I was stuck at 160 for a couple months and honestly just stopped trying for a while. Kept my calories in check but was eating unhealthy options. I got back on track and it took a few weeks/month or so, but I finally broke 160 and now I'm stuck again a few lbs later. I used to show progress weekly but now weeks go by in between progress showing.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    vismal wrote: »
    How accurate is your calorie count? Do you weigh your food on a scale, use measuring cups and tablespoons (those are meant for liquid), or do you simply estimate? How often do you have cheat days? Do you log those? Do you eat out a lot? Also how long have you been stalled? It would be helpful if your diary was open as well?

    These would all be useful questions to have answered. Otherwise we can give all the advice we want but won't have any idea whether or not it's relevant to your particular situation, OP.
  • haircuttergirl
    haircuttergirl Posts: 33 Member
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    Ninkyou wrote: »
    How long has it been since you lost weight?
    Are you weighing your food on a food scale?

    IMO you can stand to eat a lot more. I'm the same height and (prepregnancy) 155 lbs and I was losing 1 lbs/week eating 1700 calories.
    I probably should eat more. I'm just scared I will start gaining again if I do :(
    I have to eat more soon though because I am starting half marathon training Monday.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    vismal wrote: »
    How accurate is your calorie count? Do you weigh your food on a scale, use measuring cups and tablespoons (those are meant for liquid), or do you simply estimate? How often do you have cheat days? Do you log those? Do you eat out a lot? Also how long have you been stalled? It would be helpful if your diary was open as well?
    I typically do measure. I haven't had a cheat day in over a month but I log everything. I very rarely eat out but when I do, I stick with my diet plan. Grilled/roasted/steamed veggies and lean, grilled meat or a grilled chicken salad w/vinaigrette or something along those lines.
    I was stuck at 160 for a couple months and honestly just stopped trying for a while. Kept my calories in check but was eating unhealthy options. I got back on track and it took a few weeks/month or so, but I finally broke 160 and now I'm stuck again a few lbs later. I used to show progress weekly but now weeks go by in between progress showing.
    This is pretty normal. Once you get close to goal weight, several weeks can go by with nothing showing on the scale. Also when you say you typically measure, is that with a food scale or with cups and tablespoons. The difference is actually HUGE. Also what does typically mean? 90% of the time? 60% of the time? These are all VERY significant variables.
  • larrodarro
    larrodarro Posts: 2,512 Member
    edited October 2014
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    SueInAz wrote: »
    What you're going through is completely normal. As we get closer to our goal weight it gets harder and harder and the weight drops more slowly. Since you're not getting results doing what you're doing, you should look at trying to shake things up; up your mileage, do something other than running, etc. If you're still doing the same things you have been doing for awhile, your body gets used to them and you burn less calories doing them than you used to. Also, if you haven't been yet, you should strongly consider weight training.

    At this point, you really should be eating closer to maintenance calories. Have you changed your weight loss goal in MFP to .5 pound per week yet? If not, you should. With less than 5 pounds to go to your goal, your focus should start to shift more to maintenance. 5 pounds isn't very much, your body isn't going to change much after it's gone. You aren't going to eat 1000-1200 calories for the rest of your life.

    ^^^^^^This. Try switching to maintenance for a couple three weeks. Then go back to half pound loss per week. And realize that the MFP estimates for calorie burns are overly optimistic. I always do a few extra minutes of cardio to make up for that. An hour of weight training twice a week will do wonders for your body composition. If you are within five pounds, don't let the numbers hang you up. You are looking to look and feel good. That matters more than the number on the scale.

    Good luck,

    Larro
  • haircuttergirl
    haircuttergirl Posts: 33 Member
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    These past couple of weeks I haven't been eating much because I have been pretty discouraged about not being able to shed the last few. Yesterday I barely hit 600 calories :/
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Going by BMI, a healthy weight range is 105 - 130.
    http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf

    To get there, eat 10x your healthy goal weight in calories (1300).
    Eating "clean" has nothing to do with weight loss, though having a lower intake of processed foods (if that's what you mean by "clean") and a higher intake of whole, natural foods is good for health.

    The closer you get to a healthy weight, the slower weight loss will be.
    With only 25 lb to go, it's reasonable to lose 0.5 lb per week.

    Have you been weighing / measuring your foods? If you've come to a standstill, that would be a reasonable step, because often people eat more than they think.


    Warning: thanks to the new setup, these links are not currently working. (08OCT14)
    Hopefully that will change soon!

    Here are some helpful threads:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    vismal wrote: »
    vismal wrote: »
    How accurate is your calorie count? Do you weigh your food on a scale, use measuring cups and tablespoons (those are meant for liquid), or do you simply estimate? How often do you have cheat days? Do you log those? Do you eat out a lot? Also how long have you been stalled? It would be helpful if your diary was open as well?
    I typically do measure. I haven't had a cheat day in over a month but I log everything. I very rarely eat out but when I do, I stick with my diet plan. Grilled/roasted/steamed veggies and lean, grilled meat or a grilled chicken salad w/vinaigrette or something along those lines.
    I was stuck at 160 for a couple months and honestly just stopped trying for a while. Kept my calories in check but was eating unhealthy options. I got back on track and it took a few weeks/month or so, but I finally broke 160 and now I'm stuck again a few lbs later. I used to show progress weekly but now weeks go by in between progress showing.
    This is pretty normal. Once you get close to goal weight, several weeks can go by with nothing showing on the scale. Also when you say you typically measure, is that with a food scale or with cups and tablespoons. The difference is actually HUGE. Also what does typically mean? 90% of the time? 60% of the time? These are all VERY significant variables.

    100% agree with this.
    If you aren't weighing your food, I recommend you do. It opens up a whole new world.

    Buckle down on your accuracy and eat an appropriate amount of calories for your body.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    These past couple of weeks I haven't been eating much because I have been pretty discouraged about not being able to shed the last few. Yesterday I barely hit 600 calories :/
    This can make stalls worse. While your body doesn't stop losing fat from eating to low, such low levels of calorie intake are a stress to the body and can cause water retention. So in effect, you are making the stall last longer. Just try and eat a very consistent, very accurately counted number of calories and have a great deal of patience. It took me just as long to lose the last 10 lbs as it did to lose the first 40!

  • larrodarro
    larrodarro Posts: 2,512 Member
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    These past couple of weeks I haven't been eating much because I have been pretty discouraged about not being able to shed the last few. Yesterday I barely hit 600 calories :/

    You can always revise your goals. When I had started out my goal weight was 173. As I got closer to it I knew that would be too low for me. I changed it to 176, and feel great at this weight. It's being healthy and fit that we are looking for.
  • haircuttergirl
    haircuttergirl Posts: 33 Member
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    vismal wrote: »
    vismal wrote: »
    How accurate is your calorie count? Do you weigh your food on a scale, use measuring cups and tablespoons (those are meant for liquid), or do you simply estimate? How often do you have cheat days? Do you log those? Do you eat out a lot? Also how long have you been stalled? It would be helpful if your diary was open as well?
    I typically do measure. I haven't had a cheat day in over a month but I log everything. I very rarely eat out but when I do, I stick with my diet plan. Grilled/roasted/steamed veggies and lean, grilled meat or a grilled chicken salad w/vinaigrette or something along those lines.
    I was stuck at 160 for a couple months and honestly just stopped trying for a while. Kept my calories in check but was eating unhealthy options. I got back on track and it took a few weeks/month or so, but I finally broke 160 and now I'm stuck again a few lbs later. I used to show progress weekly but now weeks go by in between progress showing.
    This is pretty normal. Once you get close to goal weight, several weeks can go by with nothing showing on the scale. Also when you say you typically measure, is that with a food scale or with cups and tablespoons. The difference is actually HUGE. Also what does typically mean? 90% of the time? 60% of the time? These are all VERY significant variables.
    Cups and tablespoons.
    I figured when it comes to an apple, for instance, even if I'm off some on calories, I'm eating so few calories already that surely it wouldn't make a huge difference, yeah? A medium sized jonagold apple is in mfp as 100 cals. My son usually has some of it too and I just log the 100. But even if its bigger and is actually 120 cals, I didnt think it would matter much. Especially lately when I've only been hitting 800-900.
  • kayna1225
    kayna1225 Posts: 53 Member
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    I feel the same way!! Im 5'1 and "stuck" between 154 and 155. im new to the tracking process(I did ww since January and they focused on eating cleaner) but I work with a dietician and she did mention she feels I need more calories than the 1200, especially if im exercising 6 days a week (of course not with junk foods) this convo was just this week so ill have to see if it works for me! good luck :smile:

    Oh and I don't measure my foods-I totally guesstimate unless im following a recipe. ill try that too!
  • larrodarro
    larrodarro Posts: 2,512 Member
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    My food scale was the best $30 I spent. Now I weigh everything. It is hard to guess very close.

    And I think 1200 calories is to low for anyone.