Have I hit a plateau already?

nekoyaz
nekoyaz Posts: 33 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm a bit concerned because I've only lost 10 lbs total and I've been the same weight for about 2 weeks now (Part of why I joined MFP). I thought it was my calories, so I've been keeping track on here. A couple of days ago I cut my calories down because I'm afraid that I'm not working out enough.

Oh wait I forgot to mention, I'm over 300 lbs, so I'm nowhere close to my ideal weight. I do 30 min of cardio everyday. My cardio workout no longer makes me sweat so the other day I changed it up and I'll see Friday if it does anything. I've been measuring my waist and bust but not my hips, and no change in waist and bust and idk if there's change in hips. I'm pear shaped so I figured my hips would lose last.

I don't have any medical conditions, so I'm thinking that I'm not working out enough. My big problem is I don't have much time to workout. So I'm trying to do the best I can in 30 minutes. I'm also starting to get worried because I have a classmate who's only in the 200's and she's lost 35 lbs in one month and all she did was cut calories and start walking. I never had that huge weightloss in the beginning that bigger people are supposed to have and I contributed it to how I always drank a lot of water before I started trying to lose weight but could it be something else?

Sorry this is so wordy
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Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    edited October 2014
    Water weight fluctuations can occur daily. Even 2 weeks is not long enough to know if you hit a plateau. But I will ask, do you use a food scale and do you log food daily? Also, how many calories are you eating?

    And your friend lost a lot of water weight.. there is no way she lost 35 lbs of fat.
  • nekoyaz
    nekoyaz Posts: 33 Member
    I log daily and I have my calories set to lose 1.5 lbs a week now. I search for my food in the database and sometimes I'll enter my own recipes and figure up portions. I've only exeeded calorie limit a few times but usually I can get those calories back after I work out. I work out at night if that makes a difference.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    edited October 2014
    35 pounds in one month is more than a pound a day. How much to cut and walk to burn enough for that. How much precious muscle was used for energy. I think weight lost like that is only ok in a life or death situation.

    Do you use a food scale?
  • z_bra
    z_bra Posts: 79 Member
    You are probably eating too much. Do u weigh your food and count calories
  • nekoyaz
    nekoyaz Posts: 33 Member
    No, I estimate, so I might be slipping in a few extra calories that way, but that wouldn't be enough to hault weight loss would it?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,431 MFP Moderator
    nekoyaz wrote: »
    I log daily and I have my calories set to lose 1.5 lbs a week now. I search for my food in the database and sometimes I'll enter my own recipes and figure up portions. I've only exeeded calorie limit a few times but usually I can get those calories back after I work out. I work out at night if that makes a difference.

    Can you open your food diary? And do you use a food scale?
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  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    nekoyaz wrote: »
    No, I estimate, so I might be slipping in a few extra calories that way, but that wouldn't be enough to hault weight loss would it?

    well that plus more sodium equals can mask weight loss.

  • safarigirlelka
    safarigirlelka Posts: 29 Member
    Have you dieted much in the past? I have dieted many times and it has definitely affected my metabolism adversely. Don't give up! Your body will eventually start burning fat for fuel! xx
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
    nekoyaz wrote: »
    No, I estimate, so I might be slipping in a few extra calories that way, but that wouldn't be enough to hault weight loss would it?

    Absolutely it could. Weighing and measuring is pretty important if you're not seeing the results you want to. That's where I would start.

    Do you weigh yourself at the same time every day?

    Also, shark week really screws up my loss for twoish weeks, every month. I have a "gain" that sticks around for about 10 days. It's obnoxious.
  • nekoyaz
    nekoyaz Posts: 33 Member
    I tried to lose weight once in the past when I was in high school and I was successful for about 6 months. I lost 30 lbs but it was very slow coming off. I don't know how to open my food diary for y'all to look at. Right now I'm set to eat 1,970 calories a day. I do have trouble with sodium. I always go over.
  • nekoyaz
    nekoyaz Posts: 33 Member
    I did hold about 4 extra lbs for my period but it went back down to what I'm at now. I weigh myself about 8 at night when I first get to the gym
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    if you use a laptop. Top right corner setting>diary settings. Scroll down the page and you will see and check the dot for diary settings.
  • nekoyaz
    nekoyaz Posts: 33 Member
    Alright here it is http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/nekoyaz">
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    nekoyaz wrote: »
    No, I estimate, so I might be slipping in a few extra calories that way, but that wouldn't be enough to hault weight loss would it?

    There was a video floating around recently that showed how different a day can be calorie-wise if you eyeball the portions vs. weighing them. In that particular video, the food that had been estimated was over 1000 calories more than the food that had been weighed out.

    Some people are really, really good at estimating portion sizes. But most of us are just really bad at it. If you can spare the $20 for a food scale, it might be a good investment for you. Estimating can definitely wipe out the deficit for some of us.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Your friend lost weight way too fast to be healthy. If you are losing @ 1-2 lbs per week, you are doing a great a job! I'm sure you will get plenty of advice on your diary. Also keep in mind that weight loss isn't linear, some weeks you will lose more, some weeks you won't lose anything. If you get to the point where your weight stays the same for more like 4 weeks, then you are at maintenance and need to reevaluate. Hang in there!
  • pplastics
    pplastics Posts: 135 Member
    In your diary, it lists banana 1 oz, 25 calories. Is this for one whole banana or just 1 oz of banana? A whole banana, depending on the size, is 100 to 150 calories. Do that every day and there is 700 calories a week that you are underestimating.

    Also, the exercise calories listed on MFP are usually over what the true calorie burn is. From what I have read, most people only use 50-75% of what MFP tells them they burned.

    Keeping track of calories, at first, can be tricky. Definitely recommend a digital food scale (very inexpensive at Walmart, Target, etc) At first, weigh everything you can and verify that the listings you are using are accurate (quick google search). It gets much easier after you've done it for awhile.

    Read this for some great information: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants#latest
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    accurate logging, including weighing and measuring is EVERYTHING.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide#latest
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
    nekoyaz wrote: »
    No, I estimate, so I might be slipping in a few extra calories that way, but that wouldn't be enough to hault weight loss would it?

    Yes.
  • nekoyaz
    nekoyaz Posts: 33 Member
    Thank you to everyone who has responded. I am at least doing the weight thing right. I input what the machine says I've burned instead of MFP and I always put my weight into the settings on the machine so it has to be the overestimating of my food. I didn't even realize I was off on bananas by that much. I'll try to make it to Walmart in the next few days and check out their scales.
  • bokaba
    bokaba Posts: 171 Member
    Additionally, most of your pre-packaged food appears to be very high in sodium, which can cause water retention.
  • sorcha1977
    sorcha1977 Posts: 133 Member
    The machines at the gym get it wrong constantly. You can't rely on that calorie count either because the machine has no idea how hard you're working. Heart rate monitors can help. I use a Polar FT4. Nothing is 100% accurate, though, unless you're hooked up to fancy machines at the doctor's office and they measure your oxygen and such at the same time. :)

    I'd switch to weighing yourself first thing in the morning instead of at 8 PM. During the day, you're drinking water and eating food, so your weight is going to fluctuate (usually upward). After you use the bathroom in the morning, your body is dehydrated and clear of (most) food, and you haven't had any liquids or food yet, so your stomach is empty. It's the best time to weigh yourself. If I weigh myself at night, I'm often 2-3 pounds heavier than I was that morning.

    Also, thirty pounds in six months is average, not slow. Most people lose about 1-2 pounds per week.
  • justagirl2013
    justagirl2013 Posts: 226 Member
    Maybe add some more vegetables? I am really fond of roasted vegetables. I find it really enhances the vegetables natural flavors. It's very simple to do as well, which is great! Not to mention they are low in calories, so you can eat more and maintain a satity.

    Good luck!
  • FaylinaMeir
    FaylinaMeir Posts: 661 Member
    I can gain 5 pounds IN A DAY from eating the amount of sodium you consume regularly. Since you don't track water I have no idea how much you drink but I suggest a minimum of 3 liters (3 quarts) a day especially with the salt you eat, maybe up that to

    I wouldn't call it a plateau until it's been 6 weeks, that's what I've been told and I myself have done the yo-yo thing where I stayed around the same weight.

    Give your body time to relax and just eat normally and go with it.

    Walmart sells their brand of scale (mainstays) it has a glass top walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Silver/35854316?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_top&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=1530474b-6955-4acb-b3af-7e52711045cf&customer_id_enc&config_id=0&parent_item_id=35854314&guid=9cbba1bf-598c-40d3-8067-080495f96a43&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.0&findingMethod=p13n

    There is a link to it so you get an idea. This is what I use but if you don't have level counters I don't suggest it unless you put a board under it or something. You want to make sure you tare out the dishes you use.

    My other comment would be you seem to be lacking vegetables and fiber in your diet. Less fiber and well... the pipes tend not to run as smoothly if you understand what I'm sayin ;)

    so in a nut shell:

    Buy a scale
    start cooking some homemade foods and back off the packaged junk that is full of sodium
    Water retention sucks
    eat more veggies, seriously. Eating more veggies would be amazing even if you still kept eating junky foods.
    More water
    Give your body time, you didn't get fat overnight don't expect to lose weight overnight (I tell myself this all the time)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    nekoyaz wrote: »
    Thank you to everyone who has responded. I am at least doing the weight thing right. I input what the machine says I've burned instead of MFP and I always put my weight into the settings on the machine so it has to be the overestimating of my food. I didn't even realize I was off on bananas by that much. I'll try to make it to Walmart in the next few days and check out their scales.
    Gym machines overestimate too, so be careful with those as well.

    For example, my heart rate monitor will give me approximately 350 calories for a 40-45 minute run, but one treadmill gives me 525 or thereabouts, and on other gives me about 500.

    Just be sure you weigh you food, because our estimates are almost always underestimated.
  • sim_moore
    sim_moore Posts: 23 Member
    try not eating back or recording your exercise calories.. Just focus on diet with MFP and exercise when you can.. Don't trust the Gym machines or even the personal monitors...
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    accurate logging, including weighing and measuring is EVERYTHING.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide#latest

    this
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    No such thing as a plateau. This is a make-believe term that people use for eating at a maintenance level, and not at a deficit, contrary to their beliefs.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    1 - weigh every solid food on digital scales - do not estimate or eyeball it, weigh it. measure liquids - include everything
    2 - do not choose MFP entered calories - there are loads that are just wrong - look for those with a *
    3 - quick look at your diary shows 2 x ham and cheese sandwiches for 400 calories, that seems low, log by individual ingredients
    4 - 50 - 75% of exercise calories that you get from MFP or machines - unless you're using an HRM

    It's all about calorie defecit and being as accurate as possible
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    "1 - weigh every solid food on digital scales - do not estimate or eyeball it, weigh it. measure liquids - include everything"

    Or if you havent got so much time on your hands, just use a bit of common sense and overestimate to be on the safe side.

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