weight is stalled. ideas?
mykaylis
Posts: 320 Member
40, F, 230 lbs. set goals to lose 1.5 lb/week.
i've usually been very close to my macros and i take a multi plus an iron supplement. so my micros should be fair too. i'm less active than i'd like to be but it's because i'm recovering from an injury and have to restrict myself to what the physiotherapist recommends.
so, if i've been more or less meeting my caloric and macro goals (except sugar, i'm usually a bit high in sugar but not too high in total carbs), why is the scale hovering within the same pound or two over and over again?
i do eat fast food but i've made better choices within that. instead of a big mac i eat a salad with light dressing and grilled chicken, for example. i tend to eat breakfast a little late but i only actually skip it when i've slept in (i have sleep issues).
i have not always eaten my activity-related bonus calories, but sometimes i do. i drive my family nuts with my weighing and measuring. sometimes i'm sure it's off because my husband will prepare a mixed meal (like a stir fry for example) and i don't know if the beef listing is for precooked or cooked weight. and sometimes he might tell me the wrong serving size because he does NOT weigh and measure before he adds an ingredient. i think he's usually accurate but once in a while i wonder - for example, he told me he put 1/8 teaspoon of butter on my whole grain toast. anytime i put butter on my toast it's about 1/2 teaspoon, maybe a 1/4, but it covers the whole slice. he gave me the 1/8tsp butter toast slice and it was well covered..
that's about all i can think of. does anyone have ideas on how i can break the plateau?
i've usually been very close to my macros and i take a multi plus an iron supplement. so my micros should be fair too. i'm less active than i'd like to be but it's because i'm recovering from an injury and have to restrict myself to what the physiotherapist recommends.
so, if i've been more or less meeting my caloric and macro goals (except sugar, i'm usually a bit high in sugar but not too high in total carbs), why is the scale hovering within the same pound or two over and over again?
i do eat fast food but i've made better choices within that. instead of a big mac i eat a salad with light dressing and grilled chicken, for example. i tend to eat breakfast a little late but i only actually skip it when i've slept in (i have sleep issues).
i have not always eaten my activity-related bonus calories, but sometimes i do. i drive my family nuts with my weighing and measuring. sometimes i'm sure it's off because my husband will prepare a mixed meal (like a stir fry for example) and i don't know if the beef listing is for precooked or cooked weight. and sometimes he might tell me the wrong serving size because he does NOT weigh and measure before he adds an ingredient. i think he's usually accurate but once in a while i wonder - for example, he told me he put 1/8 teaspoon of butter on my whole grain toast. anytime i put butter on my toast it's about 1/2 teaspoon, maybe a 1/4, but it covers the whole slice. he gave me the 1/8tsp butter toast slice and it was well covered..
that's about all i can think of. does anyone have ideas on how i can break the plateau?
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Replies
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I think you're over-thinking things at this point. You're worrying about all of the little things before you've even gotten off first base. Weight loss doesn't depend on hitting all of your macros, eating clean, working out, whether or not you had the burger or a salad, how much sugar you've had or anything else but whether or not you're eating more calories than you're burning. So let's focus on just that.
You didn't specifically say, so I'm going to ask the question: are you eating less calories than your MFP goal every day?0 -
How long have you been stalled?
Are you willing to make your diary public so we can review?0 -
I think you're over-thinking things at this point. You're worrying about all of the little things before you've even gotten off first base. Weight loss doesn't depend on hitting all of your macros, eating clean, working out, whether or not you had the burger or a salad, how much sugar you've had or anything else but whether or not you're eating more calories than you're burning. So let's focus on just that.
You didn't specifically say, so I'm going to ask the question: are you eating less calories than your MFP goal every day?
^^^^all of that!
I honestly don't believe in the plateau. My "plateaus" happen when I get lazy about tracking my food and working out. My guess is that you may not be entering your food in as accurately as you should.
How many calories are you trying to hit every day?
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Well I agree you should first consider calories in vs calories out. Then I would take a look at what kind of food your eating at what time of the day and are you drinking enough water. Are you getting carbs from grains or from vegetables? Carbs not burned during the day will be converted to sugar and ultimately stored as fat. Even with an injury you should be able to come up with exercises you can do. If you leg is injured, exercise the crap out of your arms. Whatever you need to burn more calories.0
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Been there done that. Increase water, park at the far end of the parking lots of all the stores you visit and give yourself a little break in the thinking dept. Its a journey...0
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If you're eating fast food (even salads) you're eating too much salt, most likely. Salad dressing is one of the worst! Try tracking your sodium and lowering your sugar, and you'll likely see a bump down on the scale from water weight alone ..0
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I get that this post is trying to help but there's a lot of broscience and unhelpful information in here.kasie1bear wrote: »Well I agree you should first consider calories in vs calories out. Then I would take a look at what kind of food your eating at what time of the day and are you drinking enough water. Are you getting carbs from grains or from vegetables? Carbs not burned during the day will be converted to sugar and ultimately stored as fat. Even with an injury you should be able to come up with exercises you can do. If you leg is injured, exercise the crap out of your arms. Whatever you need to burn more calories.
The time of day that you eat doesn't matter for weight loss. Carbs don't get stored as fat overnight because you didn't burn them that day. You don't need to exercise to lose weight. Eating too much salt won't hinder weight loss and any weight gains from it are water and temporary. Eating less sugar won't make you lose weight, either.
Focus on eating less calories than you're burning for now. Once you get that right and start losing weight, you can start to worry about the rest.
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I get that this post is trying to help but there's a lot of broscience and unhelpful information in here.kasie1bear wrote: »Well I agree you should first consider calories in vs calories out. Then I would take a look at what kind of food your eating at what time of the day and are you drinking enough water. Are you getting carbs from grains or from vegetables? Carbs not burned during the day will be converted to sugar and ultimately stored as fat. Even with an injury you should be able to come up with exercises you can do. If you leg is injured, exercise the crap out of your arms. Whatever you need to burn more calories.
The time of day that you eat doesn't matter for weight loss. Carbs don't get stored as fat overnight because you didn't burn them that day. You don't need to exercise to lose weight. Eating too much salt won't hinder weight loss and any weight gains from it are water and temporary. Eating less sugar won't make you lose weight, either.
Focus on eating less calories than you're burning for now. Once you get that right and start losing weight, you can start to worry about the rest.
QFT..... its a tweaking game at the beginning... when it stalls it means you need to redo where your current settings are... I make it a point to readjust every 10lbs or so I lose which means recalculating my TDEE and everything lol0 -
I was stalled for part of Nov. & Dec., even though I was continuing to eat below my calorie goal (most of the time... there was Thanksgiving & Christmas) and exercise nearly every day (other than the last week of Dec., when I was sick, then recovering from it the first couple weeks of Jan.).
Trust in science. If you are actually eating below what your body needs to run, you will lose weight. If you're not losing weight, you've found your maintenance level.
The top end of a healthy weight range for your height is 150 lb.
There are 3 ways you can set your calorie goal:
1 - Subtract 500-1000 from what's needed to maintain your current weight (15 x 230 = 3450 - 1000 = 2450) This will have to be adjusted as you lose weight.
2 - Eat to maintain your healthy goal weight (15 x 150 = 2250)
Harvard Medical School says that to maintain weight while active 30 min/day, you need 15 calories.
3 - Eat 10x your healthy goal weight (1500) When you get to goal, slowly nudge the calories up until you're maintaining. This is what my doctor & dietitian told me to do.
I'd start with the highest number, and adjust downward in order to achieve/maintain a healthy weight loss of 1.5 - 2 lb per week.
1T (tablespoon) of butter is 100 calories.he told me he put 1/8 teaspoon of butter on my whole grain toast. anytime i put butter on my toast it's about 1/2 teaspoon, maybe a 1/4, but it covers the whole slice. he gave me the 1/8tsp butter toast slice and it was well covered
1t (teaspoon) of butter is 33 calories.
The difference between 0.5t (16 cal) and 0.125t (4 cal) is not going to make or break your weight loss. (And you're probably using much more than 0.5t.)
Two things you could try, which are supported by science:
Eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss. See this blog post for quotes from & links to the studies.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553
Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein to stay within the healthy macro ranges.
Eat about half your calories for breakfast, a medium lunch, and a small dinner (see the last half of this post for the studies).
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818
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Also, going by BMI at 5'6" and 230 lb you're 80 lb above a healthy weight.
That's entirely doable, and without surgery. You _can_ lose the weight without the lifelong problems which come from permanently altering your digestive system.
You've had great success so far.
Other people have lost as much as you need to lose, or more, without surgery. Check out the success board.
In fact, according to the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery, you're not currently a candidate for gastric surgery unless you have other health problems, and when you get below 215 you won't be a candidate at all.
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The only "stall" I've ever had was when I started seriously lifting, and that only lasted a few weeks. Then weight just kind of fell off. Otherwise, any slowing or stalling I've had has been down to my not tracking properly. It's been said, but are you SURE you're under your caloric goals? Don't guess, measure. Weigh everything. Track every bite. No spare handfuls of anything without writing it down. Being so structured sucks, but it works, and if you're having a hard time, it might be what you need to get a sense of what that balance is for you.0
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Simple! You are over thinking this way too much
DO NOT CONSUME YOURSELF
Step 1.
Up your protein count! Have hard boiled eggs ready to go the night before if your strapped for time in the a.m. Only eat the egg whites. Each egg is approx 5 grams of protein ( lean and cheap)
Step 2.
Light morning cardio for 30-40 mins for the mornings you are up on time. walk up stairs or put the treadmill on a high incline and just walk. simple and effective. Sweaty and very effective!
Step 3. How much water are you drinking during the day?? Aim for 2-4 litres!
GOOD LUCK!0 -
How long has it been since you've seen a loss? You may just need to give it more time.0
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i easily drink 8-12 cups of water a day. i'm not at all worried about sodium because my body sheds sodium unusually quickly - i actually have to make sure i get ENOUGH sodium in summer. the butter example is just an example of how i think my husband really might be pulling numbers out of his *kitten* when he tells me what i should write.
my dietitian said my maintenance calorie level is around 2100. MFP says it's 2140, so basically the same. she also said not to go below 1200, so i've been usually above that (unless i'm sick). i set my goal at 1440 at first (weight loss = 2lb/week and raised it to 15xx = 1.5 lb loss/week). now, either my caloric needs are WAY below what is expected, or something else needs tweaking. someone my size eating 1400-1600 calories a day should not be at a stall.
i do qualify for bariatric surgery. the details i'd like to keep private
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What's wrong with egg yolks? They are nutritious as well as delicious.feefee0113 wrote: »Simple! You are over thinking this way too much DO NOT CONSUME YOURSELF
Step 1.
Up your protein count! Have hard boiled eggs ready to go the night before if your strapped for time in the a.m. Only eat the egg whites. Each egg is approx 5 grams of protein ( lean and cheap)
Step 2.
Light morning cardio for 30-40 mins for the mornings you are up on time. walk up stairs or put the treadmill on a high incline and just walk. simple and effective. Sweaty and very effective!
Step 3. How much water are you drinking during the day?? Aim for 2-4 litres!
GOOD LUCK!
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If you have medical issues have you been testing for thyroid issues or PCOS? I know either of those issues can cause weight loss to be much more difficult.i easily drink 8-12 cups of water a day. i'm not at all worried about sodium because my body sheds sodium unusually quickly - i actually have to make sure i get ENOUGH sodium in summer. the butter example is just an example of how i think my husband really might be pulling numbers out of his *kitten* when he tells me what i should write.
my dietitian said my maintenance calorie level is around 2100. MFP says it's 2140, so basically the same. she also said not to go below 1200, so i've been usually above that (unless i'm sick). i set my goal at 1440 at first (weight loss = 2lb/week and raised it to 15xx = 1.5 lb loss/week). now, either my caloric needs are WAY below what is expected, or something else needs tweaking. someone my size eating 1400-1600 calories a day should not be at a stall.
i do qualify for bariatric surgery. the details i'd like to keep private
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Do you use a food scale for everything?
Logging accurately will ensure that you are not eating more than you think you are. Eating 0.0689 piece of ice cream cake probably isn't accurate.
If you are going to eat out almost daily, you are going to consume a LOT of sodium. The nutrition guide on a restaurant website can't be 100% true, all of the time, so be careful there.
Also, ensure you aren't choosing diary entries that are generic. Try to find the foods without the *0 -
yes, whenever i'm cooking i ALWAYS ALWAYS use a scale if possible.
like i said, not worried about sodium. that'll cause water fluctuations but not a steady pattern. also don't worry about weight gain if it's hormone related. i don't have PCOS (i have a single cyst on one ovary.. but it's a weird one and not pcos related) and i've had my thyroid checked ad nauseum because i swear it can't be right!
the 0.0689 weird number is calculated as 1/16 of the cake, which is a little over 200 calories, and i think it's pretty accurate. i end up with weird fractions/decimals like that because if i bite it, i write it. like today - i had one bite of my kid's tuna snack. which had 6 crackers. and i had, at most, 1/6 but probably 1/8 of the tuna. that one will end up being a weirdo too, but i didn't know how else to record it.0 -
When in doubt, overestimate when logging your foods. Like you said, there's no way you'd stall at 1400-1600 calories. Also, I would eliminate fast food as much as possible. Continue to prepare meals at home with your husband.
I don't own a scale (though I probably should) so I just guess based on measuring cup/spoon standards. Scan in all my labels (unless they're wrong). I log everything that I consume, overestimate everything I eat, and even underestimate all my hard work at the gym. I've only
Lost 3.2 lbs in 3-4 weeks but that includes Christmas, New Years and my Birthday 0 -
How long have you been stalled?0
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few weeks. i guess that's not totally a big deal but i'd like to see a gradual (0.5 lbs at least) reduction every couple weeks, not regaining, which is happening at the moment for reasons unknown to me.0
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Maybe try a variety of low impact exercises. Making sure not to do the same exercise every time you workout. And cut back on the sugar and remember too many carbs are bad of course, but they are necessary.0
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You can stall and be under your goal calories because it happened to me if fact The more I stalled the less I ate. I was at one point down to 200 cal a day which is not that healthy they say but I was not hungry. At the same time I was still exercising burning 400 to 700 cal a day and still was stalled for 6 weeks where before I was losing up to 5 to 6 lbs a week. I finally had to go back and check what had changed looking at my diary and what I found was I was eating too few calories and my body had just stop burning fat properly. After going back to my original routine I'm finally losing again. So it is possible to eat to few calories and not lose. I'm down so far 107 lbs so I do know a little about my weight loss.0
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I've stalled before and I think I may be now as well. I started out 318 and now am 263.8 my calories are set at 1700. Some days I go over, other days under, others right at. Once I hit the 50 lb loss mark but body just stalled. So I believe in stalls. I work out 3x a week. Things that have Been recommended to me is drink more water, work out more or change my settings to a 1 lb loss a week instead of 1.5 in some way of tricking my body. Nothing has worked for me yet but I haven't changed my diary either. Good luck.0
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so, i've managed to evaluate what i've been doing lately. my dietitian recommends not less than 1200, not more than 2100, calories per day. also 75 grams of protein per day. my MFP goal (right now, since i changed it) is 1440 calories per day and 90 grams of protein per day.
i evaluated the past couple weeks. ON AVERAGE i eat about 1350 calories a day, though i sometimes go a tad past 1500. certainly not anywhere near my maintenance calories.
i am usually close to target for carbohydrates, slightly high in fats, slightly low on protein. a wee bit too much sugar but i doubt it's enough to make blood sugar an issue. my HbA1c way back when, was 5.9 (5.5 and less is normal, 6.0 is diabetic). now it is 5.5, so my blood sugar is more stable than it used to be. so i'm not worried about the sugar. my sodium intake is below the total allowance on MFP, so not at all an issue despite the fast food - i have low blood pressure and no edema, i have no reason to watch sodium. in other words, all the main goals are roughly met, there is no reason why my weight would not change at this level.
so frustrating. my body does not make sense to me. i've done pretty well on making permanent life changes (example: used to drink 2L or more of pepsi every day, now i drink 2-3L water every day and no soda whatsoever). i eat reasonable portions most of the time. i do allow myself treats but i do not binge on them - where before i could finish off a whole package of breyer's french vanilla ice cream in two days, i now take my little measured scoop and scoop out exactly 1/4 cup and wait 10 minutes minimum to see if i want more, in which case i'll take another 1/4 cup and only eat until i'm satisfied. i don't allow myself more than two servings of anything, except vegetables of course.0
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