Hit plateau, thinking of increasing calories?
KJensen34
Posts: 22 Member
I have been dieting for a little over 7 weeks now and the first 4-5 weeks were going really well. The last two weeks or so I have hit a plateau though and after reading quite a bit I am now considering increasing my calories in order to lose more weight. I know I am not in 'starvation mode' and I don't think I could have caused 'metabolic distress' (or whatever other name it might be called) in the short 7 weeks of calorie restriction, but I don't think the answer to breaking the plateau is to cut more calories or workout more. The reason I am contemplating the increase is my estimated TDEE is between 3200 and 3800 (BMR between 2200 and 2500) but I have been eating about 1800 calories daily rather than the 2600 to 3000 recommended (20% less than TDEE). I am positive my calorie count is accurate (weighing all solids, measuring liquids, tracking everything that goes in my mouth, etc.).
If you take a look at the spreadsheet available via the below dropbox link, it shows all of what I believe to be the relevant information. (I was able to add the chart to this post but it doesn't have the workout info or exact numbers that the spreadsheet shows.)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z94ych6937289kx/Weight Loss Tracker.xlsx?dl=0
-The days I was unable to prepare my own foods or track calories get a generic 4000 calories.
-The weekend of the large increase I had family in town and drank alcohol for first time on diet, so believe it was all water weight.
-I lift weights very intensely and my intervals are killer, so don't believe I am lacking in exercise.
-I did increase my calories to 1900 this past week but it did not help.
My macro breakdown is below and I hit it just about 80-90% of the time
35% - 166g Protein
40% - 84g Fat
25% - 119g Carbohydrates
40g Fiber
Just was hoping to get some general feedback on what the MFP community thinks about my eating below BMR, increasing my calories to lose more weight, or just continuing on with what I'm doing and stop complaining.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and comment.
If you take a look at the spreadsheet available via the below dropbox link, it shows all of what I believe to be the relevant information. (I was able to add the chart to this post but it doesn't have the workout info or exact numbers that the spreadsheet shows.)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z94ych6937289kx/Weight Loss Tracker.xlsx?dl=0
-The days I was unable to prepare my own foods or track calories get a generic 4000 calories.
-The weekend of the large increase I had family in town and drank alcohol for first time on diet, so believe it was all water weight.
-I lift weights very intensely and my intervals are killer, so don't believe I am lacking in exercise.
-I did increase my calories to 1900 this past week but it did not help.
My macro breakdown is below and I hit it just about 80-90% of the time
35% - 166g Protein
40% - 84g Fat
25% - 119g Carbohydrates
40g Fiber
Just was hoping to get some general feedback on what the MFP community thinks about my eating below BMR, increasing my calories to lose more weight, or just continuing on with what I'm doing and stop complaining.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and comment.
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patience-weight loss is not linear keep everything the same for another week or so!
You are making progress It just takes time0 -
I have often seen problems when people eat below BMR for any length of time. While weight loss isn't linear, you can do something to encourage it to be. Add one spike day a week in at 2x your BMR. I usually recommend Saturday but it can be any day. This larger intake of food will encourage a woosh of the water your empty fat cells are pulling in. It will also give you a small diet break and allow you to keep your sanity for a longer period of time while dieting. Given that your calories are already set low, this day of 2x BMR will not negatively effect your weight loss.0
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herrspoons wrote: »Is that gross or net calorie consumption?
I don't eat-back calories from exercise so all the calorie counts are gross consumption0 -
I have often seen problems when people eat below BMR for any length of time. While weight loss isn't linear, you can do something to encourage it to be. Add one spike day a week in at 2x your BMR. I usually recommend Saturday but it can be any day. This larger intake of food will encourage a woosh of the water your empty fat cells are pulling in. It will also give you a small diet break and allow you to keep your sanity for a longer period of time while dieting. Given that your calories are already set low, this day of 2x BMR will not negatively effect your weight loss.
Do you think it is better for fat-weight loss to keep my calories where they are at and do the 'refeed or 2xBMR' day, or would it be better to slowly bring my daily calories up to not need the refeed day?0 -
I like the advantage of having the refeed day once a week. The day after your refeed your strength will be at its highest allowing you to preserve muscle a bit better imo. I have worked with people that plateaued and they couldn't get the scale moving...we are talking months of hiting their heads against the wall. Once they introduced the spike day they lost. A few of them 60 and 70lbs after being stalled.0
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First weeks water loss=body is in shock
Next weeks: (appears) No loss or gain"whoosh effect" body hold fat cells to normalcy by adding fluid
Next weeks: size drop getting squishy fat
Next weeks: whoosh drop
Next weeks: more loss
Next weeks: gain drop or stable and the cycle continues. More cardio more loss. More weight training could cause stability or gain.
My hypothesis: If you give up too soon before you've leaned. Fat cells fill with fluid, you add more fat back, cells divide because they get too large and you gain more weight then you started with.0 -
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It's just amazing the advice given on this site sometimes. The guy has lost over 20 lbs in less than 2 months, it's been a WHOLE 2 weeks since he has lost anything and we're talking about refeeds, for a guy that is still overweight? It just blows my mind sometimes. Let me guess, refeed, go out and eat a bunch of food right? Not a real refeed, an actual structured refeed, right?
And for the record the Whoosh that is being claimed to be going on due to the "refeed" is an indirect result of over eating, because why? Because Cortisol. And fat cells releasing water isn't fat loss, it's water loss.
When you properly do spike days, most all people never go a week without losing which is very beneficial for those that rely on the scale. Regardless of whether it is fat loss or water loss, the scale moving every week can be very motivating. I don't blindly give advice.0 -
It's just amazing the advice given on this site sometimes. The guy has lost over 20 lbs in less than 2 months, it's been a WHOLE 2 weeks since he has lost anything and we're talking about refeeds, for a guy that is still overweight? It just blows my mind sometimes. Let me guess, refeed, go out and eat a bunch of food right? Not a real refeed, an actual structured refeed, right?
And for the record the Whoosh that is being claimed to be going on due to the "refeed" is an indirect result of over eating, because why? Because Cortisol. And fat cells releasing water isn't fat loss, it's water loss.
MrM27, I am not going to blindy follow anyone's advice and my post specifically asks for general feedback, so please don't bash anyone's advice or opinion. I really appreciate @4theking for taking the time to suggest a refeed day which makes sense to me. I also appreciate you telling me to be more patient and stick it out, but you didn't provide any evidence (anecdotal or not) for why it is OK for me to continue to eat below BMR. Again, I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my post but let's try to keep it constructive with research studies and what worked for other people.0 -
Just stay consistent at a healthy deficit and you will lose weight. Congrats on the weight you have already lost! But if you are looking for healthy long term success, you are not going to see a drop every week or even every 2-3 weeks on the scale. I mean sure it can happen....but life and things happen and most people don't see that. Just stick with it and keep measuring and logging everything! Also remember your body can range a few pounds in the SAME day! Look for long range progress!
Best of luck!0 -
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The solution to problems losing weight is never "eat more".It's just amazing the advice given on this site sometimes. The guy has lost over 20 lbs in less than 2 months, it's been a WHOLE 2 weeks since he has lost anything and we're talking about refeeds, for a guy that is still overweight? It just blows my mind sometimes. Let me guess, refeed, go out and eat a bunch of food right? Not a real refeed, an actual structured refeed, right?
And for the record the Whoosh that is being claimed to be going on due to the "refeed" is an indirect result of over eating, because why? Because Cortisol. And fat cells releasing water isn't fat loss, it's water loss.
MrM27, I am not going to blindy follow anyone's advice and my post specifically asks for general feedback, so please don't bash anyone's advice or opinion. I really appreciate @4theking for taking the time to suggest a refeed day which makes sense to me. I also appreciate you telling me to be more patient and stick it out, but you didn't provide any evidence (anecdotal or not) for why it is OK for me to continue to eat below BMR. Again, I really appreciate you taking the time to read and comment on my post but let's try to keep it constructive with research studies and what worked for other people.
If you aren't losing, you are not , BY DEFINITION, eating below BMR - no matter what you think is happening. Start there rather than grasp at useless BroScience straws.
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SergeantSausage wrote: »The solution to problems losing weight is never "eat more".
Agreed. How does that even make sense???0 -
[quote=If you aren't losing, you are not , BY DEFINITION, eating below BMR - no matter what you think is happening. Start there rather than grasp at useless BroScience straws.
[/quote]
Sergeant, please read the first post before commenting.0 -
I don't think you are quite at a plateau but I understand how frustrating lack of progress is for any length of time, especially since you are working so hard.
A few points to consider:
- Do some taped measurements, muscle increase won't reflect on the scale but it will in inches lost
- Muscle weighs more than fat so even a weight gain isn't the end of the world
- You don't want to lose too much too fast
- Sometimes the optimal weight that you have planned to achieve isn't the optimal weight for your body, and it fails to comply with your ideals
- Consider your net calories for the day, week and month
I do think you need to increase your calorie consumption. If you aren't in starvation mode yet, you are approaching it. A large loss is most always common in the beginning because your body takes time to adjust to the changes. Once is does, the loss will slow down. Your net calories should be around 1800-2000 daily. I think your few high calorie days may have actually saved you and kept you from hitting starvation mode. You can have high and low days as long as they balance over the month.
It takes time to get into starvation mode, it depends on the person, but at least a month. Which is why short term fasting works so well. I did 6 months of eating 1200 calories and burning 800 daily which left me at a net of 400. I lost 30 pounds, crashed my metabolism and gained double back.
Congrats on your progress and good luck!0 -
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I have often seen problems when people eat below BMR for any length of time. While weight loss isn't linear, you can do something to encourage it to be. Add one spike day a week in at 2x your BMR. I usually recommend Saturday but it can be any day. This larger intake of food will encourage a woosh of the water your empty fat cells are pulling in. It will also give you a small diet break and allow you to keep your sanity for a longer period of time while dieting. Given that your calories are already set low, this day of 2x BMR will not negatively effect your weight loss.
yea, but at seven weeks?
usually reverse dieting or something similar is recommending for long term dieters that have been eating in a deficit for over a year..
or am I missing something?
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OP - I do not think that you would benefit from a re-feed. You have been dieting for seven weeks and lost 20 pounds, which is great progress. Eventually, you are going to have these little blips where you lose nothing, and then start losing again.
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Weight loss is not going to be linear. If you plotted out some of my cuts you will see that there are peeks and valleys, but the overall trend is down. You really just need patience.
I would highly suggest listening to MrM as I have known him for some time, and he as always given me solid advice....
Question - have you readjusted your calories down to reflect your 20 pound loss?
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I have often seen problems when people eat below BMR for any length of time. While weight loss isn't linear, you can do something to encourage it to be. Add one spike day a week in at 2x your BMR. I usually recommend Saturday but it can be any day. This larger intake of food will encourage a woosh of the water your empty fat cells are pulling in. It will also give you a small diet break and allow you to keep your sanity for a longer period of time while dieting. Given that your calories are already set low, this day of 2x BMR will not negatively effect your weight loss.
yea, but at seven weeks?
usually reverse dieting or something similar is recommending for long term dieters that have been eating in a deficit for over a year..
or am I missing something?
I am not suggesting he is having some kind of major metabolic downshift in seven weeks. If the original poster was worried enough about not losing over two weeks time to post about it, than I know he is one that is highly motivated by the scale moving often. This refeed will get it moving and keep him motivated.0 -
I'm also in the DON'T EAT MORE camp. If you think not losing for a couple weeks is tough, wait until you lose just ounces in a month. I've been at this a year. The answer has NEVER been eat more. Boy do I wish it was.
Something I do want to add though. I think you should eat as much as you can that still allows you to lose.
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You want to tell you why it is okay to eat below your current BMR? First of your BMR right now is based off your current bodies state, fat/muscle/tissue/bone/organs etc. So to simply say don't ever eat below a certain number is just saying stuff to say it. You calculate your lbm and eat enough protein giving you proper amino acids to maintain positive or equalibrium nitrogen levels. You eat adequate amounts of dietary fat to provide your body what it needs to produce/repair cells, protect organs, regulate body temp etc. Then you select carbs, which are discretionary. You can do 20g, 50g, 200g whatever you choose as long as it doesn't put you into a surplus. So after you figure all that out and construct your diet in a way that provides you with adequate vitamins and mineral, then you see what number is okay to eat. Not some generic don't eat below BMR number that gets thrown around.
Metabolic adaptation will occur in everyone as a result of caloric restriction but people over emphasize how much we actually go through. The highest drops you're looking at 15-17% which is over an extended period of time and isn't far off the normal drop offs.
You were suggested a refeed, it's up to you to ask for the science behind it and the logic. Not the belief.
The biggest point of this whole thread, and I will put it in capital letters so you don't miss it, unless you are looking for specific answers to begin with is..........YOU ARE NOT IN A PLATEAU, YOU HAVE LOST 20 LBS IN UNDER 2 MONTHS, IT'S ONLY BEEN 2 WEEKS SINCE YOU LOST WEIGHT..................................THAT IS NOT A PLATEAU
My understanding was that the TDEE and BMR equations used in the calculators are doing exactly what your first paragraph states, so the 2200-2500 numbers given are calculating exactly what you are talking about. I wasn't aware that the highest drop in metabolic rate was 15-17% so thank you for the figure.
I also agree that I am not in a plateau as I have dropped some weight the past two weeks, but am asking for advie to help it not slow since the calories in and calories out equations have not changed and should result in 2+lbs loss per week.0 -
aprilyankee wrote: »I don't think you are quite at a plateau but I understand how frustrating lack of progress is for any length of time, especially since you are working so hard.
A few points to consider:
- Do some taped measurements, muscle increase won't reflect on the scale but it will in inches lost
- Muscle weighs more than fat so even a weight gain isn't the end of the world
- You don't want to lose too much too fast
- Sometimes the optimal weight that you have planned to achieve isn't the optimal weight for your body, and it fails to comply with your ideals
- Consider your net calories for the day, week and month
I do think you need to increase your calorie consumption. If you aren't in starvation mode yet, you are approaching it. A large loss is most always common in the beginning because your body takes time to adjust to the changes. Once is does, the loss will slow down. Your net calories should be around 1800-2000 daily. I think your few high calorie days may have actually saved you and kept you from hitting starvation mode. You can have high and low days as long as they balance over the month.
It takes time to get into starvation mode, it depends on the person, but at least a month. Which is why short term fasting works so well. I did 6 months of eating 1200 calories and burning 800 daily which left me at a net of 400. I lost 30 pounds, crashed my metabolism and gained double back.
Congrats on your progress and good luck!
oh my no ...
this is 100% everything that you should ignore...
muscle ways more than fat...starvation mode!!???? ughhhhh0 -
OP - I do not think that you would benefit from a re-feed. You have been dieting for seven weeks and lost 20 pounds, which is great progress. Eventually, you are going to have these little blips where you lose nothing, and then start losing again.
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Weight loss is not going to be linear. If you plotted out some of my cuts you will see that there are peeks and valleys, but the overall trend is down. You really just need patience.
I would highly suggest listening to MrM as I have known him for some time, and he as always given me solid advice....
Question - have you readjusted your calories down to reflect your 20 pound loss?
Do you think I need to adjust them down from 1800 calories a day? This amount is already 50% or so of my TDEE and I lift heavy 3-4 times a week. For what it's worth I'm 6' and roughly 28% body fat currently.
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KJensen - have you considered doing some cardio? I didn't see that as part of your regimen. It could mix things up and trigger hurdling the plateau you are experiencing.0
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OP - I do not think that you would benefit from a re-feed. You have been dieting for seven weeks and lost 20 pounds, which is great progress. Eventually, you are going to have these little blips where you lose nothing, and then start losing again.
-
Weight loss is not going to be linear. If you plotted out some of my cuts you will see that there are peeks and valleys, but the overall trend is down. You really just need patience.
I would highly suggest listening to MrM as I have known him for some time, and he as always given me solid advice....
Question - have you readjusted your calories down to reflect your 20 pound loss?
Do you think I need to adjust them down from 1800 calories a day? This amount is already 50% or so of my TDEE and I lift heavy 3-4 times a week. For what it's worth I'm 6' and roughly 28% body fat currently.
I'd start with the basics...
1) make sure you're logging as accurately and completely as possible. Everything gets weighed/measured, and everything gets logged. Condiments, the last 2 bites of little Johnny's pizza that didn't finish, those couple of crackers you grabbed on your way out the door - everything. Evaluate in 4-6 weeks.
2) tweak your macros a bit. Drop carbs, increase fat/protein without changing overall cals. Evaluate in 4-6 weeks.0 -
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justacceptthisemail wrote: »KJensen - have you considered doing some cardio? I didn't see that as part of your regimen. It could mix things up and trigger hurdling the plateau you are experiencing.
I don't do steady-state cardio, but do interval training for 20-30 minutes twice weekly. I have read that interval training keeps metabolism higher post-running and also helps to preserve lean muscle mass compared to steady-state, but maybe should swap one of the interval days for a steady-state day.0 -
OP - I do not think that you would benefit from a re-feed. You have been dieting for seven weeks and lost 20 pounds, which is great progress. Eventually, you are going to have these little blips where you lose nothing, and then start losing again.
-
Weight loss is not going to be linear. If you plotted out some of my cuts you will see that there are peeks and valleys, but the overall trend is down. You really just need patience.
I would highly suggest listening to MrM as I have known him for some time, and he as always given me solid advice....
Question - have you readjusted your calories down to reflect your 20 pound loss?
Do you think I need to adjust them down from 1800 calories a day? This amount is already 50% or so of my TDEE and I lift heavy 3-4 times a week. For what it's worth I'm 6' and roughly 28% body fat currently.
OK - then keep them at 1800 ...
I think you just need to keep doing what you are doing..
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Great work on the losses! I gotta say you are in no way at a plateau. You lost 1.5 lb in the last week. That is fantastic! Over the past 15 days, you have lost 4 lb. There are a lot of people on here who would actually call that too fast, so there is no way you are plateauing.
I think you are doing a great job. Don't get in your head about this too much; it will only get in your way. Keep telling yourself that you are doing the right things and it will work, even when you get a bit down.0
This discussion has been closed.
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