Weight Loss Help

stacieadee
stacieadee Posts: 5
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All!
I am 127lbs, 5'3 1/2. I have been counting calories and using my fitness pal every week- eating between 1200-1500 calories (usually 1 day a week may go above a bit) and running 15+ miles a week.

I am trying to get back to my prior weight of 123- which I was last year but for the last 2 months have not lost any weight! I eating very healthy, no processed foods etc.

I weigh my food and everything. I have no idea what I am doing wrong. My husband thinks I may have put on muscle r/t to the running as I have been running between 9+ miles for that last 1.5 years.

Any thoughts on how to help me get over this hump???

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Can you open your diary?
  • btc1987
    btc1987 Posts: 94 Member
    I'd have to see your log to make a more detailed comment, but at your height and weight there is not much wiggle room as far as calories go to lose weight.

    Your TDEE should be around 1700, so the weight will come off really slow if you're actually eating 1500 a day.

    Again, at these low levels, there's not much room for error. I would reevaluate your logging.
  • stacieadee
    stacieadee Posts: 5
    ok just opened it
  • btc1987
    btc1987 Posts: 94 Member
    What is this?:

    Quick Added Calories, 200 calories
    Quick Added Calories, 200 calories


    And why do all of your bananas have the same calories? :smile:
  • stacieadee
    stacieadee Posts: 5
    my quick adds are usually like a pack of pretzels that won't come up when I scan and all my bananas are generally the same brand- so I just log them the same. Think I should be weighing them??

    Also should I make up the calories I gain back from exercise? Because I read if you eat too few calories- you starve your body and weight loss plateaus
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Either lower your total calories per day or start weighing out all your food. It seems like you're using the labels for calories and not weighing things out to the gram.

    If you weigh everything out, you will probably find that there are more calories in your food than the labels show.

    But if you don't want to weigh every bite you take, lol, just drop your calories 100 at a time until you start losing. I know the idea of weighing food is not appealing to everyone. :)
  • btc1987
    btc1987 Posts: 94 Member
    You'd be surprised how much a banana can weigh regardless of what is marked as a serving. I've had them be 2.2 bananas.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    stacieadee wrote: »
    my quick adds are usually like a pack of pretzels that won't come up when I scan and all my bananas are generally the same brand- so I just log them the same. Think I should be weighing them??

    Also should I make up the calories I gain back from exercise? Because I read if you eat too few calories- you starve your body and weight loss plateaus

    Definitely weigh the bananas. Mine range from about 90-150 grams, which can mean about a 50 calorie difference.

    MFP is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. You won't go into starvation mode if you don't, but it helps to keep your body going for each workout.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    You have a lot of generic's in there, try not to use them if you can as they aren't always the most accurate. Are you making these homemade items or finding them already in the database? The thing is, is that you have only 4 pounds to lose and that logging belt needs to be tight! A banana for instance, they have medium @ 105 calories, most of mine when I weigh them equal more like 128 calories.
    You can't gain muscle (with the exception of newbie gains), while in a deficit. You can however retain them, so if you're gaining muscle you're not in a deficit. Additionally (and I run into this often), when you're exercising that much, its normal to retain water (a pound or two usually). With so little to lose this would mask any loss.
  • 1stplace4health
    1stplace4health Posts: 523 Member
    Are you seriously just trying to lose 4lbs?
  • stacieadee
    stacieadee Posts: 5
    Thanks everyone so helpful! So I can definitely start weighing out my food. However what does one do when they go to a restaurant?
  • stacieadee
    stacieadee Posts: 5
    1stplace4health wrote: »
    Are you seriously just trying to lose 4lbs?

    Yes, I am. Over the last 2 years I have had a 40lb weight loss. I was at 123 prior to summer and felt great. I started running more with a goal to run in half marathon/marathon before my 30th birthday so I started exercising more and started gaining weight- which was ironic!? So I would like to get back down to 123.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    1stplace4health wrote: »
    Are you seriously just trying to lose 4lbs?

    At some point, we're all trying to lose 4 pounds.
  • btc1987
    btc1987 Posts: 94 Member
    stacieadee wrote: »
    1stplace4health wrote: »
    Are you seriously just trying to lose 4lbs?

    Yes, I am. Over the last 2 years I have had a 40lb weight loss. I was at 123 prior to summer and felt great. I started running more with a goal to run in half marathon/marathon before my 30th birthday so I started exercising more and started gaining weight- which was ironic!? So I would like to get back down to 123.

    That is awesome!!!

    When I go to a restaurant, I try to be as accurate as possible. A lot of restaurants post their nutritional information.

    For example, last night I had riblets :open_mouth: . I went to not Applebees, but used their riblet basket as an equivalent. I knew this is innacurate, so I try to watch my portion and weigh absolutely everything during the week so I know by the end of the week I will be at a deficit.

    Restaurants are the only exception to my rigid logging, but I do the best I can. Good luck!
  • Ludka13
    Ludka13 Posts: 136 Member
    stacieadee wrote: »
    my quick adds are usually like a pack of pretzels that won't come up when I scan and all my bananas are generally the same brand- so I just log them the same. Think I should be weighing them??

    Also should I make up the calories I gain back from exercise? Because I read if you eat too few calories- you starve your body and weight loss plateaus

    Starvation mode is a myth.

    It is easy to underestimate the calories you eat and easy to overestimate calories burned thru exercise. You should eat some of your calories back but be wary of eating all of them back because of inaccuracies in measuring.

    Try calculating your TDEE. I figure if you eat at or above your BMR but below your TDEE you are in the sweet spot. http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • Ludka13
    Ludka13 Posts: 136 Member
    stacieadee wrote: »
    1stplace4health wrote: »
    Are you seriously just trying to lose 4lbs?

    Yes, I am. Over the last 2 years I have had a 40lb weight loss. I was at 123 prior to summer and felt great. I started running more with a goal to run in half marathon/marathon before my 30th birthday so I started exercising more and started gaining weight- which was ironic!? So I would like to get back down to 123.

    Perhaps it's muscle gain. Have you been tracking your measurements as well? In addition to bust, waist and hips you might want to measure your thighs and maybe even your calves. Muscle is denser than fat. So perhaps you're thinner in those areas. What happened to me this summer is I put 2" on my chest from kayaking but lost 14 pounds and my waist, hips and thighs are smaller.
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