2-Month Starting Plateau

klerkskc · February 2015

Hey there! So I've been working with MFP for just over 2 months (excluding holiday time because of obvious reasons) and I'm just curious to see what advice people have for getting through plateaus. I don't do weigh-ins due to lack of a scale from a lack of self esteem but I'd say it's around the 185lb mark; which is approximately where I started wanting to change my lifestyle back in November. I do measure myself about twice a week/weekly (sometimes I forget to log it) but for the most part those numbers haven't budged.

My diary is open, feel free to pick it apart (weekends are notoriously lacking due to not being at home but I try my best). You will likely notice that MFP has me set at 1,200 cals/day which they translate to a 1.6lb/week drop. I've noticed on other discussions that people are attacked for trying to get around that goal. Please don't attack. Constructive criticism = awesomely appreciated; slander & anger = further kick to the self esteem bar. I'm posting to learn, not to be yelled at.

I do log my exercise from my trips to the gym but I think those calorie burned numbers are way too high so they're more there for my own workout recordings than seeing how much more I can eat that day

Age: 23
Height: 5'5"
SW: 185ish
GW:140ish

SideSteel · February 2015

Have your measurements changed at all in the past two months and do you use a digital food scale when you log things?

StaciMarie1974 · February 2015

Generally plateau means you're eating more than you think and/or you're burning less than you think. You seem to understand its hard to know exactly what you burn, and that the online values for given exercise may not be accurate. So on the food end, are you using a food scale? If so, how consistently? Its hard to tell just from looking at your diary. And for some of the entries, its also hard for me (a stranger to you) to know if these are things you've entered or you're trying to pick a similar sounding entry. The more guesswork involved, the more you may have accidental errors in your log. For when you don't have control of knowing what exactly is the content of your food - aim for simple things like grilled/baked meat, veggies, etc. And be aware of portion size.

Other than that, 2 months should see some sort of trend in the scale but may or may not show anything in clothing, fit when you indicate some inconsistency with weekends, holidays. I can understand you don't want to rely on a body weight scale - but you can make an effort to be more accurate on food logging, and try to work in more activity. Not just formal 'exercise' but active hobbies. Moving more means burning more. So for any activities that you have where you're sedentary, look for ways to combine with activity. I'll sometimes jog in place while watching tv or read (Kindle) on the treadmill. Just examples.

And give it more time.

klerkskc · February 2015

I do use a scale for everything when I'm at home through the week. Weekends away are more of a ball-park guess. My only change in measurement is that I went up .5" in my hip measurement. Everything else has remained constant.

Lourdesong · February 2015

I'm not sure how you know you're in a plateau without weighing yourself regularly. You can get a digital bathroom scale pretty cheap, like $15-20 on Amazon, Wal Mart, etc.

The main issue I see in your diary is you're using cups/spoons to measure solid portions. A digital food scale (also cheap) and weighing your food, and then using entries that are based on weight, not volume, would be a lot more precise.

Peanut butter and avocados, for example, are high calorie foods, and need to be weighed. 1 quarter of an avocado doesn't tell you anything. A tablespoon of peanut butter is likely 2-3x as many calories as you're logging it as. A cup of chicken doesn't mean anything.

I would place an order with Amazon for a bathroom scale and a kitchen scale if I were you. Not knowing your weight or your progress is not a good strategy for preserving self-esteem. Ostriches aren't renown for their self-esteem, you know what I mean?

klerkskc · February 2015

I try to be as accurate as possible with what I pick out to log. If the specific brand of what I'm using isn't listed I'l scan the ones that are for the closest nutritional match. When I eat out and the item isn't listed in the database I'll go on the restaurants' website and find the nutritional info there and make a listing. When I started I didn't realize that tracking would be so difficult but in the last month, especially, I've been far more diligent.

Every hour or so I'll do something like hold a plank or wall-sit as long as possible just to break things up a bit, but jogging in place is a great idea too!

Christine_72 · February 2015

Lourdesong wrote: »

I would place an order with Amazon for a bathroom scale and a kitchen scale if I were you. Not knowing your weight or your progress is not a good strategy for preserving self-esteem. Ostriches aren't renown for their self-esteem, you know what I mean?

well said.
OP you need to start weighing and measuring your food properly.

StaciMarie1974 · February 2015

I know you'll get grief for 'cups' in your log. But I also know when I scan bar codes - the entry often comes up w/ the cup info. Such as if the label says 1 serving = 49g/.75 cups of cereal. I weigh it, get 49g, and log 1 serving. My log shows .75 cups.

An easy answer is the overage from your weekends + overage from the dreaded holidays may be balancing you out to maintenance: in that case, holidays are over and logic says you'll see progress soon. If you go another 1-2 months and still feel you're not making progress then you'll need to find some way of improving accuracy of your food log and/or burning more calories.

klerkskc wrote: »

I do use a scale for everything when I'm at home through the week. Weekends away are more of a ball-park guess. My only change in measurement is that I went up .5" in my hip measurement. Everything else has remained constant.

atypicalsmith · February 2015

If you aren't weighing yourself every day, and take stabs at guesses for what you're eating on weekend, and aren't including everything you eat during weekdays, you're lucky to be at a plateau instead of gaining!

klerkskc · February 2015

Thanks for the scale tips, I'll have to use it more often than relying on my spoon sets! I'm getting up the gall to go pick up a scale tomorrow and I promise I'll actually use it

StaciMarie1974 · February 2015

My one bit of (body) weight scale advice is to compare your weight over 30 days. So much can influence the day to day. Sodium, stress, sleep, when you ate/drank/etc. And last but certainly not least: TOM/hormones. But in the long run the water weight should not mask the trend. That, and TOM/hormones tend to be on a monthly cycle. So if you're up one week, but down over the prior month: that is the goal.

klerkskc · February 2015

When it comes to weekends it's not that I'm guessing what I'm eating, just that I don't have access to a scale. So when I'm visiting my parents I'll ask for the recipe of what was made and go from those measurements. I know it's not perfect but it's the best I can do. I still watch what I eat (last weekend was bad because family birthday, yada yada) so it's not like I'm forgoing all of my work tracking throughout the week

jennifershoo · February 2015

It's time to be more accurate with your logging. Weigh everything on a food scale. If you don't know how many calories are in a meal, don't eat it. Cook it yourself.

klerkskc · February 2015

On the bit about the hormones I completely agree. My last measurements were taken right in the middle of a bloat cycle and upon trying again today it looks like I'm back down the half-inch. Secondary question, what is more preferable: cardio or strength training? My gym days always start out with a half hour cardio session either on a bike or elliptical (more often the bike due to shoddy ankles and knees) and then the rest of the time I work with either kettlebells/dumbbells or the row machine. I'm wondering if more emphasis should be placed on strength or cardio as I've heard strength training won't cause a loss in fat and that cardio does nothing positive without strength. So much conflicting information out there!

JimFsfitnesspal · February 2015

I agree with several others that you do not seem very committed to the task. I do not log in everything I eat but your diary seems barren... especially snacks. I personally usually eat more calories in the snack category than BLD combined. I weigh myself once or twice a day and take measurements every two weeks.

Also, I could not see your exercise but my guess is you are not doing enough. I think all people should do at least 30 minutes a day. And don't just do cardio. Even women need to lift heavy weights. You will burn fat like mad if you build a solid base of muscle.

Either way, I care less about my calories than my carbs and sugars. Limit carbs to around 100 and sugars to as low as you can and you will lose weight by the fistfuls. Im down 24 pounds of fat and 43 to 35 inch waist in the last year. I added 5 pounds of muscle.

You lost 20 pounds in college. I'm sure you can do it again.

klerkskc · February 2015

jennifershoo wrote: »

It's time to be more accurate with your logging. Weigh everything on a food scale. If you don't know how many calories are in a meal, don't eat it. Cook it yourself.

I understand where this is coming from but if I tell my mother that I can't have a meal she made especially for me during a visit I'd never hear the end of it lol. Not everyone seems to think I need to watch what I eat, unfortunately.

klerkskc · February 2015

JimFsfitnesspal wrote: »

I agree with several others that you do not seem very committed to the task. I do not log in everything I eat but your diary seems barren... especially snacks. I personally usually eat more calories in the snack category than BLD combined. I weigh myself once or twice a day and take measurements every two weeks.

I do log everything that I eat. I'm not a grazer so I don't eat snacks often; I much prefer to have the three solid meals in a day over four or five smaller ones, maybe it's a "quantity makes me feel full" thing, I don't know. If I grazed I know my eating would be out of control.

jennifershoo · February 2015

JimFsfitnesspal wrote: »

I agree with several others that you do not seem very committed to the task. I do not log in everything I eat but your diary seems barren... especially snacks. I personally usually eat more calories in the snack category than BLD combined. I weigh myself once or twice a day and take measurements every two weeks.

Also, I could not see your exercise but my guess is you are not doing enough. I think all people should do at least 30 minutes a day. And don't just do cardio. Even women need to lift heavy weights. You will burn fat like mad if you build a solid base of muscle.

Either way, I care less about my calories than my carbs and sugars. Limit carbs to around 100 and sugars to as low as you can and you will lose weight by the fistfuls. Im down 24 pounds of fat and 43 to 35 inch waist in the last year. I added 5 pounds of muscle.

You lost 20 pounds in college. I'm sure you can do it again.

Exercise as well as how much sugar and carbs you eat is irrelevant in terms of weight loss. It's a matter of calories in versus calories out.

Khukhullatus · February 2015

So, this is a bit of a silly suggestion, but if you hate jumping on the scale and seeing the number flash at you, you might try getting a metric scale.

I know it sounds stupid, but I was living with someone for a while who demanded the scale be set to kilos. At first it bugged me, but it really helped me divorce myself from the number and just look at the scale as something that provided useful data rather than a piece of equipment that digitally assessed the value of my life.

Seeing 109 kg just didn't create the same emotional reaction that 240 lbs did, even though it's obviously simple to do the conversion if you like.

You can see the scale move down and up, and not have to look at the set of numbers around 185 that I'm sure are laden with emotional for you.

jennifershoo · February 2015

klerkskc wrote: »

jennifershoo wrote: »

It's time to be more accurate with your logging. Weigh everything on a food scale. If you don't know how many calories are in a meal, don't eat it. Cook it yourself.

I understand where this is coming from but if I tell my mother that I can't have a meal she made especially for me during a visit I'd never hear the end of it lol. Not everyone seems to think I need to watch what I eat, unfortunately.

Can you buy a bagged salad and almost fill your plate with it and put a small portion of your mom's food on top? At least, you'll reduce your portion of the "unknown" meal.

JimFsfitnesspal · February 2015

klerkskc wrote: »

JimFsfitnesspal wrote: »

I agree with several others that you do not seem very committed to the task. I do not log in everything I eat but your diary seems barren... especially snacks. I personally usually eat more calories in the snack category than BLD combined. I weigh myself once or twice a day and take measurements every two weeks.

I do log everything that I eat. I'm not a grazer so I don't eat snacks often; I much prefer to have the three solid meals in a day over four or five smaller ones, maybe it's a "quantity makes me feel full" thing, I don't know. If I grazed I know my eating would be out of control.

I recommend cutting out the carbs and sugars and eating something every 2 to 3 hours. This will keep your blood sugar and insulin even and it will crank up your metabolism. I have small meals and then snacks of celery, carrots, and chicken.

You can not live off of trail mix for lunch. Your body will not shed fat when you starve it for hours and then spike it with carbs and sugars.

Keep at it.

klerkskc · February 2015

FoCoAlphaNerd wrote: »

So, this is a bit of a silly suggestion, but if you hate jumping on the scale and seeing the number flash at you, you might try getting a metric scale.

That's actually a great idea, not silly at all! Seeing a high number is very stressful for me which is why I wanted to monitor my progress by measurements but it seems that the overwhelming response is to get out of that mindset. Thank you for the suggestion!

DvlDwnInGA · February 2015

You are eating to much. Over calculating your calorie burn in the gym, or you are wiping out your weekly totals by your weekend estimating.

It is not uncommon for people who just get started to have a plateau, especially if you are adding strength training. You muscles are storing water and glycogen to heal.

Why don't you try another route and go for a pound a week. It is much easier to accomplish, you will be able to lose weight and eat more. If you lost 52 pounds by this time next year, would you be happy?

You need to get your tracking down a little tighter either way, something you are doing is stalling your weight loss. In short, you are eating more than you think you are.

2-Month Starting Plateau

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