DAMN I PLATEAUED

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aminalkisses123
aminalkisses123 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have a long story filled with being underweight due to anorexia and hospitalized and gained to a proper weight back in 2012, and then was rehospitalized for low red blood cell count because of my Ulcerative Colitis. I was put on Prednisone (OH PREDNISONE) and I gained quite a bit of weight back. This was in 2013. I was taken off prednisone and put on mercapturpurine (no weight effects) and this was about a year and a half ago. I hadn't weight myself in forever due to past eating disorder relations with the scale, but I finally found myself in a healthy state of mind and saw it time to see what I needed to lose from the prednisone. I started my HEALTHY weight loss journey in May of this year and began at 184lbs and 5'6". I saw my dietician who gave me permission to lose a little extra weight. I would like to possibly get to 140lbs. I weighed myself again and have gotten down to 168 lbs. That was a month ago. Then I weight myself again a month later and had only lost to 167. And now, a week later, I'm at 169! It's been a month in the high 160s and I'm sad because I'm pretty sure I've plateaued. I try and eat about 1800-2000 calories a day (exercise included) and I'm just sad that this plateau everyone talks about has finally happened to me :( How have others gotten over it? I've heard to give your body a break and I've heard to readjust calories and I've heard millions of other things to do on a plateau, but what has worked for you? I've still got about 30lbs to go, and I've getting discouraged because in the past, losing weight was so easy (in an unhealthy way, but STILL). Could I get some advice please?

PS I lift weights 2-3 days a week for an hour or so, do cardio for an hour for 3 days a week, and I do yoga 2-3 days a week, and Sundays I take off. I try to lead an active lifestyle and work at a standing 8 hours a day job as a teller at a bank and on my hour lunch I go for an easy walk. What am I doing wrong? It's been a month. I'm getting worried I'll never start losing again :(...

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  • Mediocrates55
    Mediocrates55 Posts: 326 Member
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    It's best to recalculate after every 5 pounds or so, just to stay on top of it. That's worked for me. Down from 176 pounds to 138, headed to around 125ish depending on composition.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
    edited December 2014
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    If you aren't losing, you're eating more than you think. How do you determine how much you're eating? How do you calculate your exercise burns? How much of those do you eat back?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    4 weeks is not a plateau, its a stall. Look at it again in 8-10 weeks.
  • aminalkisses123
    aminalkisses123 Posts: 10 Member
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    I've already recalculated when I hit 168. I went from 1700 calories a day to 1600 cuz myfitnesspal told me to recalculate. With exercise, It's between 1800 and 2000 calories a day I calculated to eat cuz I burn about 200-400 calories curing exercise. I calculate my burns on here and try and underestimate how long I exercise just to be safe. I also got a heart rate monitoring watch that track calories burned, too but I don't know if it's that accurate.... It said on my weight lifting day I was burning like 4000 calories and I really don't think that's true so I don't really use the calorie tracker on there.
    No I don't weigh my food I just measure it with measuring cups and tablespoons and such. I try and overestimate just to be safe so I don't go over my calories for the day. I buy fresh produce from local farms and eat steamed vegetables with fresh herbs every night for dinner. I buy dry beans and cook them myself, and I do the same thing with basically everything else I buy. I don't buy processed foods or foods with lots of sodium. I don't eat a lot of meat and get most of my protein from beans and hard boiled eggs. I eat throughout the day with three meals and 2-3 snacks. I take the stairs. I walk on my lunch breaks. I bike to school. I measure my foods. I de-stress with yoga I feel like I've tried everything.
    I think I'll try not weight myself for a few weeks and see if the stall passes, cuz I don't know what else to do. I was so frustrated after weighing myself yesterday and still being 169 after even more careful monitoring that I just turned yesterday into a cheat day. I was so tired of avoiding all of the wonderful Christmas treats this time of year for my diet that I allowed myself to eat some yesterday. Just cuz I was tired of that stupid scale. So hopefully that didn't hinder my progress more...
  • Mediocrates55
    Mediocrates55 Posts: 326 Member
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    Looks like it might be time to start weighing your food then. When the margin for error is smaller, logging must be tighter and more precise (well, as precise as we can get it anyway)
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    Yes, weigh your food and you'll see your stall disappear!
  • aminalkisses123
    aminalkisses123 Posts: 10 Member
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    Where can I get a good scale? R they expensive?
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    aminalkisses123 wrote: »
    Where can I get a good scale? R they expensive?

    10-15$.
    Your exercise is irrelevant to weight loss (although it does help the deficit), its for health. Weight loss comes from a caloric deficit. If you aren't weighing your food, you have no idea how much you're really eating.
  • aminalkisses123
    aminalkisses123 Posts: 10 Member
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    I have to disagree that exercise is irrelevant to weight loss. It's relevant to body composition which is what I'm aiming for which will hopefully end in some fat/overall weight loss. Yes, there is a minimum amount of exercise one should do each week to help reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, but I do way more the the minimum amount for helping with weight loss. I'm training to be a personal trainer, and exercise in the past has always been one of the reasons I've lost weight. No, it isn't necessary to weight loss, but it isn't irrelevant to it. It does help with it. And I also disagree that weighing food is the only way to go. I don't think measuring is inaccurate and again, it has always done the trick in the past. I'm not saying I won't try weighing my food, but I don't really think that's the only way to go with weight loss and I know I'm not overeating. I OVERESTIMATE everything I eat even when I measure it. I UNDERESTIMATE my exercise just to be safe. As someone with a past of anorexia, I know I'm not undereating, but I am definitely not overeating. A friend told me to incorporate a cheat day into my plan as I am "too strict" and never take break days. I think I may go with what he says because all I'm hearing here is that I'm not strict enough, and I am not going to go any more strict because I will not expose myself to the threat of relapsing with anorexia. Thank you for your advice here, but I don't think I can get more strict.
  • cdiponio87
    cdiponio87 Posts: 15 Member
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    The body will change when its ready.

    I ignore MFP and set my calories at a max of 1700 per day and try and keep it under 1400 real world.

    I try to eat highly nutritious food often (every 4 hours).

    I drink lots of water.

    I do 900 cals of exercise (that I don't eat back) 6 out of 7 days. The exercise is a 5k run and 1mile swim.

    Exercise has sped up weight loss for me due to the Calorie deficit.

    I have plateaued out 2 or 3 times over 4 months but not for more than 10 days while my body readjusts. Outside of that its been steady weight loss from 215lb to 155Lbs

    When I hit one now. I just stick to the plan as I know it will eventually work.

    Running if you are capable will kick start your body.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
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    I don't know how you feel about it with your past, but I don't eat back exercise calories from just walking or a short bike ride (unless I'm extra hungry). I do when I go on a long hike or 25 mile bike ride. Maybe that would work for you? Especially since you're not weighing your food so eating those back may be wiping out your deficit.
  • aminalkisses123
    aminalkisses123 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thank you for the advice you guys, I really appreciate it. I definitely agree that I should eat more often. I used to eat every 3-4 hours but now I go from breakfast at 7 til sometimes 1 or 2. And when I get home I eat a lot more, so I am definitely trying to keep eating frequently.
    I also try and not eat back calories from just my walks or my abs classes. That I don't think is triggering to my past, so I am okay with that as well.
    I know the body just takes time to adjust and I know especially since my body has gone through a lot it will take time even if I have been working hard. I talked to my friend yesterday and she told me that she would plateau when she was losing weight for weeks and then without changing anything her body would start losing again so that is encouraging that other people on here have had that same experience. I'm just gonna keep going and maybe tweek a few things but you are right, it is a stall and not a plateau I have plenty of time to still lose. Thank you all for your words of hope :)
  • warriorguy
    warriorguy Posts: 143
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    I've gained over the holidays....too many sweets, starches...gotta change back to strict budget and get to exercising again. Help.

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