Eating clean, daily exercise, not losing. help?
haircuttergirl
Posts: 33 Member
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
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Me too!
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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?0
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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.
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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.ivygirl1937 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.
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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.0 -
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.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 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.
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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?
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.0 -
I probably should eat more. I'm just scared I will start gaining again if I doHow 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 have to eat more soon though because I am starting half marathon training Monday.0 -
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.haircuttergirl wrote: »
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.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 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.
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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.
^^^^^^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
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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
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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
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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.haircuttergirl wrote: »
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.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 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.
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.0 -
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!haircuttergirl wrote: »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
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haircuttergirl wrote: »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.
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Cups and tablespoons.
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.haircuttergirl wrote: »
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.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 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.
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.
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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
Oh and I don't measure my foods-I totally guesstimate unless im following a recipe. ill try that too!0 -
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.0 -
Well with an apple the difference can be negligible. With something like peanut butter the difference can be as high as double the calories! My guess is that you simply need to tighten up your calorie tracking a bit and have more patience. Weigh loss is not always linear and sometimes it takes weeks for losses to show on the scale, especially if you are close to goal weight.haircuttergirl wrote: »
Cups and tablespoons.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.
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 800-900.0 -
I don't go by the bmi anymore because according to that, I am just shy of obese. In reality, I'm a size 6/8. I'm not looking to get my weight down as low as 130, just want to lose the few lbs more.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
(I've been that weight and I constantly had people asking if I was sick. I didnt look or feel good.)
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Buy a food scale, it's worth it. Also, you're probably retaining water and not eating is exacerbating the problem. Stress really does play havoc on our systems.0
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That makes sense. The first 50 came off pretty easily for me. So it seemed like the last few should too.
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!haircuttergirl wrote: »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
Maybe it's just harder today because I've been resisting the urge to eat pizza for weeks now. Ha.
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WOW!!! That's amazing. I too am 5'2 and I started at 220 and got down to 148. The way I did it the first time is just the way you're doing it but when I would get in a rut, I would stop for about 2 weeks. I wouldn't really work out or eat right for 2-3 weeks. Then I would start back at it hard and lose the weight again. That's just how I boost my metabolism to start burning again. Also, I would start exercising differently. I'm a cardio queen but I'm not fond of lifting weights so I would only do 30 minutes of cardio and the other 30 minutes doing interval training. Very helpful indeed and my body is getting more firm....GOOD LUCK!0
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Glad to know I am not the only oneI 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
Oh and I don't measure my foods-I totally guesstimate unless im following a recipe. ill try that too!
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This is very encouraging. Thank you for sharing. In the past, I've taken a break like you mentioned and it worked well. But I have been scared to this time because it is hard enough for me to get started, even though I know I will feel much better once I do. And being right at the end of my goal, I thought it should be easier.nonisimmons wrote: »WOW!!! That's amazing. I too am 5'2 and I started at 220 and got down to 148. The way I did it the first time is just the way you're doing it but when I would get in a rut, I would stop for about 2 weeks. I wouldn't really work out or eat right for 2-3 weeks. Then I would start back at it hard and lose the weight again. That's just how I boost my metabolism to start burning again. Also, I would start exercising differently. I'm a cardio queen but I'm not fond of lifting weights so I would only do 30 minutes of cardio and the other 30 minutes doing interval training. Very helpful indeed and my body is getting more firm....GOOD LUCK!
I start half marathon training Monday and that has me doing strength several times a week and one day of cardio that isn't running- maybe that will be just what I need!
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Find out what your calorie goal for your TDEE is and take about 5 percent of that off to lose .5 pounds a week. It's the last five pounds so it'll come off slowly.
Weigh your solid food and measure liquids and record everything that goes into your mouth. With the TDEE method, you do not eat your calories back because it's figured into your activity level.
If you were truly eating 1,000-2,000 calories a day you would lose weight, so it stands to reason you are probably eating more than you think. Otherwise, you have a medical issue that needs attention. <-- Just wanted to try out the new smilies on the updated forum.
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I do have PCOS, and have been told it is why I struggle so much with weight loss. Basically, the doctors said if I could lose weight, it would help with the pcos but the pcos is what is preventing me from losing. I did some research and discovered a low-glycemic diet method is the best bet for my problem, so that's how I lost the first bit of weight. However, I was completely inactive back then. Now I am extremely active so I need the extra carbs and such. I have problems with my blood sugar and kept passing out when I tried to go back to low-glycemic ways with my higher activity level.Find out what your calorie goal for your TDEE is and take about 5 percent of that off to lose .5 pounds a week. It's the last five pounds so it'll come off slowly.
Weigh your solid food and measure liquids and record everything that goes into your mouth. With the TDEE method, you do not eat your calories back because it's figured into your activity level.
If you were truly eating 1,000-2,000 calories a day you would lose weight, so it stands to reason you are probably eating more than you think. Otherwise, you have a medical issue that needs attention. <-- Just wanted to try out the new smilies on the updated forum.
But now I don't seem to be losing well. Pretty sure most people would have weight melting off of them if they ate and exercised like I am.
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The glycemic index is really a very misleading thing. It measures how quickly a certain carb source is absorbed by the body IF, and this is a huge if, the food is eaten alone! The GI of foods can change dramatically if you consume them in the context of a mixed meal (along with protein and fat sources), as most of us do. It's not something really even worth paying attention to unless you never mix your foods.0
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