I lost 30 pounds but can not lose more. Help.

theoldblock
theoldblock Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello. Thanks to myfitnesspal for helping me from 355 in June 2014 to 325 in October 2014. I vary 2 or 3 pounds in a week but stay at 325. I consume about 1500 to 2000 calories a day without hunger but do not exercise much due to bad knees. I am 6'2" and large but want to get below 300 out of need and some pride.
What is needed to drop more weight? I lost the 30 pounds at current calories but hit this wall. Don't tell me to walk it off as my knees hurt like a toothache if I walk a 1000 steps.
Glad for any advise. Theoldblock in Camas, Washington.

Replies

  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    Are you weighing and logging all your food?
  • Laurend224
    Laurend224 Posts: 1,748 Member
    I went back a couple days in your diary, you have a porkchop listed as 85 calories. How big was that pork chop? What did it weigh? Weigh the butter you use on your toast, what exactly is a 'ladle' of soup? How many ounces or grams is that?
    I think you may be underestimating what you eat. Try weighing food for a couple weeks and see if that helps.
  • theoldblock
    theoldblock Posts: 2
    Thanks.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    Keep in mind that the more weight you lose the less calories you will be able to eat to continue to lose weight. MFP should be adjusting your calorie goal based on your weekly goal and your current weight but if you're still eating the same amount of calories now that you were 30 pounds ago your weight loss will have slowed or stalled.

    You don't need to exercise to lose weight but it does mean that you need to be even more careful when logging your food. I agree that you should weigh what you're eating for accuracy and also be sure you aren't picking the wrong food entries. Selecting the lowest calorie entry is self-sabotage. You always want to overestimate calories and portion sizes when you aren't absolutely sure.
  • Iron_Feline
    Iron_Feline Posts: 10,750 Member
    Laurend224 wrote: »
    I went back a couple days in your diary, you have a porkchop listed as 85 calories. How big was that pork chop? What did it weigh? Weigh the butter you use on your toast, what exactly is a 'ladle' of soup? How many ounces or grams is that?
    I think you may be underestimating what you eat. Try weighing food for a couple weeks and see if that helps.

    Yeah it's this.

    You need to weight everything. No more cups, slices or items. 1 cup of rice can vary noticeably in calories depending on how its packed.

    Congrats on losing weight so far. Before changing your calorie goal get a good set of kitchen scales and weigh everything for a month - see what happens to your weight and then adjust if needed. If you can pick a calorie goal and stick to it for that month as well you'll be able to see more reliably where you need to make changes if you actually do need to make them.

    Good luck.

  • katherine_startrek_fan
    katherine_startrek_fan Posts: 425 Member
    What about trying an exercise that is easier on your joints, such as swimming or water aerobics?

    Other options would be to try walking videos or seated yoga videos. Both can be done from the comfort of your home and you can stop whenever you like. (When I started, I could only do 5-10 minutes of an exercise video, but was able to build up over time.)

    If you have been doing little exercise up to this point, adding on one of these options should produce visible improvements quickly. For example, I lost 8-10" from each my hips and waist in the first two months of exercise.
  • Eleanorjanethinner
    Eleanorjanethinner Posts: 563 Member
    Hi there, I've had a wee look at your diary and I too wonder if you're logging as accurately as you could i.e. some days you seem to miss meals. (If you are missing meals then stop it - you need regular fuel). Detailed logging and regular weighing (even if you don't like what you're seeing) are the key to success if you ask me.

    Also, you seem very keen on carbs like white bread and rice and not to eat much in the way of fresh fruit and veg. I know you've probably eaten this way for a long time so I'd suggest looking at how you can make a few healthier changes here and there.

    People have different views on what consititutes 'healthy' but in my experience weightloss works best with:
    • lots of vegetables and some fruit
    • lots of lean protein
    • lots of fibre
    • very little complex carbs like white bread, pastry, cake etc.
    • limited amounts of fat i.e. butter

    It's amazing what you can get used to or even enjoy in time!

    Best of luck with it! :)
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
    I agree that weighing your food is important. You have a lot of high calorie density foods in your diet, so a small amount makes a big difference. For example, you listed 1 tblsn of peanut butter. No one ever eats just one tablespoon ;)

    You don't list snacks or drinks - are they missing from your diary?

    You can eat anything you want within your budget, but I'd highly recommend substituting some of your high density foods for lower-density. You could choose air-popped popcorn over chips, skim milk over whole milk, light margarine over butter. You could also add in some vegetables and fresh fruit, and cut back on starchy foods like bread and rice. Your diet is low in fiber and micronutrients, so these changes would improve your overall health.

    Our metabolisms slow as we age and you lead a sedentary lifestyle, so even if you're accurate about measuring what you eat, you will need to cut back on calories even more.

    I have bad knees, too. You can do strength training, swimming, or yoga. Depending on your knees, you might be able to do low-impact cardio like stationary biking/spinning - I know it's "all knees", but you aren't supporting your own weight, so it might work well.

    You can absolutely do this. Start with better logging, and then make a few small changes.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    The reason your (sic) not losing weight anymore Is because you are not burning more calories than you consume.
    That part he actually got right.
    I'm a certified personal trainer that offer online coaching which is tailored workout plan, meal plan, supplement recommendations and answer all of your questions.
    Advertising is prohibited here,
    someone can hire a personal trainer to teach them how to exercise safely & effectively IN PERSON*,
    anyone can learn to eat normal foods in healthy portions, we don't need a "meal plan",
    and people (including long-time members who are personal trainers, and respected, trusted, educated) answer questions here for free.

    I did a newbie help post which compiles links to useful info, including sexypants, how to log / measure accurately, goal setting (weight, calories, macros), motivation / encouragement, etc.

    *Here's where you can search for people in your area who are certified by the American College of Sports Medicine:
    http://members.acsm.org/source/custom/Online_locator/OnlineLocator.cfm

    51637601.png
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    "Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
    However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
    http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
    Whenever my weight has stalled like that, it's usually because I've gotten a bit lax about logging accurately. It's times like these that I say "Log everything down to the condiments!!" Become a "Food Journal Nazi" - EVERYTHING goes in, and it's accurate to the "T".

    Make sure to check:
    • water intake
    • salt intake
    • protein intake
    • fiber intake

    I've just gone from 376 to 299 - so I understand the desire to get past that century mark!! It used to be hard for me to walk 500-1000 steps a day too. Now I'm averaging something like 2000-2200. That's over a period of almost 4 years though. Not trying to do any marathons...just trying to do better.

    One other thing: I do also belong to Weight Watchers. I joined about 3 months into the weight loss journey. I was getting frustrated because MFP and the dietician were saying I needed to stick to 1200-1500 calories/day, and I was struggling with that. When I joined WW, they said I got more food....about 1700-1800-ish calories a day. SO - now that's my range. I've lost 77 pounds doing it. It could be a combination of what you're eating combined with the amount of what you're eating.

    For what it's worth....

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