Plateau-ing for 3 months--help appreciated!
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kater8er
Posts: 364 Member
Hi MFP,
I've been plateauing in my weight-loss efforts for the past three months. I hover between 159-161 lbs no matter what I try--eating more, eating less, varying my exercise, adding lot's of protein to diet, cutting out alcohol, etc...I was wondering if anyone had some advice for busting out of a plateau like this? I've plateaued before and managed to push through, but I've never had one that lasted this long and my usual tricks aren't working.
Here is some info about me:
1) I'm 5'3", 24...my goal weight is 145 lbs. The lowest I've gotten to is 150 but that was through unhealthy methods that I do not wish to repeat.
2) I'm fairly active--I commute to my job via bike 3-4 days a week. It's 7.3 miles each way and it takes me about 35 minutes each way. Additionally, I incorporate running and indoor climbing into my life--2-3 times a week for running and 1-2 times a week for climbing.
3) I don't log food consistently but my typical diet is this:
Breakfast:tea or coffee, an egg or a protein-fruit smoothie
Lunch: some sort of sandwich with lean meat,
snack: some sort of carb item--bread, crackers, greek yogurt or hummus, cheese, etc
dinner: usually vegetarian--I eat a lot of lentils, beans, etc.
alcohol consumption: i limit to 2-3 glasses of red wine a week and stick to this very strictly.
If anyone has advice for busting through a plateau I would greatly appreciate it!
-Kate
I've been plateauing in my weight-loss efforts for the past three months. I hover between 159-161 lbs no matter what I try--eating more, eating less, varying my exercise, adding lot's of protein to diet, cutting out alcohol, etc...I was wondering if anyone had some advice for busting out of a plateau like this? I've plateaued before and managed to push through, but I've never had one that lasted this long and my usual tricks aren't working.
Here is some info about me:
1) I'm 5'3", 24...my goal weight is 145 lbs. The lowest I've gotten to is 150 but that was through unhealthy methods that I do not wish to repeat.
2) I'm fairly active--I commute to my job via bike 3-4 days a week. It's 7.3 miles each way and it takes me about 35 minutes each way. Additionally, I incorporate running and indoor climbing into my life--2-3 times a week for running and 1-2 times a week for climbing.
3) I don't log food consistently but my typical diet is this:
Breakfast:tea or coffee, an egg or a protein-fruit smoothie
Lunch: some sort of sandwich with lean meat,
snack: some sort of carb item--bread, crackers, greek yogurt or hummus, cheese, etc
dinner: usually vegetarian--I eat a lot of lentils, beans, etc.
alcohol consumption: i limit to 2-3 glasses of red wine a week and stick to this very strictly.
If anyone has advice for busting through a plateau I would greatly appreciate it!
-Kate
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Replies
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And measure/weigh everything.0
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Quit the alcohol0
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I should mention--
The reason I don't log or measure "every little thing" I eat is because I dealt with an eating disorder previously.
Also, my calorie goal is set at 1300 a day and I've been trying to make a healthy lifestyle for the past 4 years--I'm very well aware of what portion sizes look like, are healthy, etc...I watch my sugar and salt intake religiously, water intake, etc.0 -
I'm in general frustrated with this particular plateau because it seems that I've tried all the usual tricks and familiar culprits: I've gone 3-weeks without alcohol at all, didn't lose a pound...Added it back in and didn't gain a pound either. Added significantly more protein to my diet--nothing happened, etc.0
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You look wonderful! Your so close to your goal-0
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You need a consistent caloric deficit to lose weight. I don't know how to help you if you won't track what you are eating accurately as that is the only method I am aware of to achieve that.0
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It's really important to log everything you eat. You may think you are inside your goal but you may not be. You don't need to stop alcohol. Just don't drink as much. I went from two glasses at dinner to one glass of 4 ounces. That's still a treat to me. Everyone goes through a plateau as their body adapts to the changes. When I hit a plateau, I drop 100 calories from my target calories. It's not a lot but enough to get me moving again. Then I go back to my target goal. Sometimes it just takes a little thing to do it. Also more proteins than carbs help. Then don't worry about it. When your body makes the changes it needs with your new eating program, it will start letting go again. Good luck.0
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are you eating back exercise calories? if not, perhaps "1300" calories is too low for you, considering how active you are, especially since you're not measuring and could actually be overestimating your calorie consumption. if it's been 3 months something should have changed by now.0
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I should mention--
The reason I don't log or measure "every little thing" I eat is because I dealt with an eating disorder previously.
I understand tracking food can be a trigger if you've had an eating disorder. Can you see a nutritionist who specializes in eating disorders? Maybe they would have advice for a good approach?0 -
You need a consistent caloric deficit to lose weight. I don't know how to help you if you won't track what you are eating accurately as that is the only method I am aware of to achieve that.
In my opinion, the goal of MFP for me is/was to help me get to a point where I can make educated correct eating decisions and maintain a healthy lifestyle. For me, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is not logging every single thing I eat for the rest of my life. I've successfully lost 50 lbs over a couple years (a choice to lose slowly because I wanted it to be a true sustainable lifestyle change), and I only logged what I ate for about 30 of them. I have a very good sense of what portion sizes I am eating. I do "measure" in the sense that I will scoop out 1/2 a cup of rice or greek yogurt, etc. But I don't always log everything I eat on MFP.
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BeTheChange352 wrote: »are you eating back exercise calories? if not, perhaps "1300" calories is too low for you, considering how active you are, especially since you're not measuring and could actually be overestimating your calorie consumption. if it's been 3 months something should have changed by now.
Right, it's been three months. So if she weren't eating enough she would have lost weight.
OP, if you don't want to track every little thing, then you need to cut back on what you're eating. Even if you think you are eating 1300, since you're not tracking and not losing, you're likely eating more than that.0 -
BeTheChange352 wrote: »are you eating back exercise calories? if not, perhaps "1300" calories is too low for you, considering how active you are, especially since you're not measuring and could actually be overestimating your calorie consumption. if it's been 3 months something should have changed by now.
Right, it's been three months. So if she weren't eating enough she would have lost weight.
OP, if you don't want to track every little thing, then you need to cut back on what you're eating. Even if you think you are eating 1300, since you're not tracking and not losing, you're likely eating more than that.
This is true. It will be a blind exercise since you won't have the calorie info in front of you, but if you start doing it in small ways a few times a day (a little less hummus, slightly less than the 1/2 C of rice you measured, etc.) then theoretically you'll be able to break through the plateau. I really don't know if this would cause issues with your history of an eating disorder though, so I still feel consulting a professional is a good idea.0 -
DearestWinter wrote: »BeTheChange352 wrote: »are you eating back exercise calories? if not, perhaps "1300" calories is too low for you, considering how active you are, especially since you're not measuring and could actually be overestimating your calorie consumption. if it's been 3 months something should have changed by now.
Right, it's been three months. So if she weren't eating enough she would have lost weight.
OP, if you don't want to track every little thing, then you need to cut back on what you're eating. Even if you think you are eating 1300, since you're not tracking and not losing, you're likely eating more than that.
This is true. It will be a blind exercise since you won't have the calorie info in front of you, but if you start doing it in small ways a few times a day (a little less hummus, slightly less than the 1/2 C of rice you measured, etc.) then theoretically you'll be able to break through the plateau. I really don't know if this would cause issues with your history of an eating disorder though, so I still feel consulting a professional is a good idea.
I can try this. I don't have problems with measuring out portions when I eat food and I've implemented this into my lifestyle very successfully. But weighing food and logging it turns into an obsession for me.0 -
You may need to find a balance between logging everything and eyeballing portions if you have a past with ED tendencies. Perhaps use a scale to check your estimations occasionally. Because unfortunately, you're not eating at 1300 as you've stalled. Meaning you are eating at maintenance, and based on the activity you describe: 1300 is not maintenance.
Its easy to have errors - and if you don't use a food scale at all, they will add up. An extra 25-50 or more calories per meal and snack: no deficit.0 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »You may need to find a balance between logging everything and eyeballing portions if you have a past with ED tendencies. Perhaps use a scale to check your estimations occasionally. Because unfortunately, you're not eating at 1300 as you've stalled. Meaning you are eating at maintenance, and based on the activity you describe: 1300 is not maintenance.
Its easy to have errors - and if you don't use a food scale at all, they will add up. An extra 25-50 or more calories per meal and snack: no deficit.
I understand the thing with weighing food and logging every calorie and why it's helpful for a lot of people. Honestly, though, I never used a food scale previously, and as I said, I've lost 50 lbs successfully.
But you're absolutely correct--it's easy to have errors. I'll be more scrupulous with my intake over the next few weeks and hopefully it will help.
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what I do when I plateau is pick the exercise that is the MOST challenging for me (borderline hate) to do. I did it with running and lost weight. I have learned to love running, but it is still the most challenging. It calls on every single part of your body to work. it burns so many calories that you may get hungrier…but, stick to your healthy eating and you should see results. you can do it! I do agree with an earlier post though…you look great! So be kind to yourself. At least you're strong and healthy!! PS. hopefully you don't have knee or hip problems b/c then I will have to edit my response.
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When you have 50-70 pounds to lose, your body naturally burns more calories per day. You can aim for a larger deficit. Say your body is using 2500 and you're aiming to eat 1500. Thru estimation, you may eat 1700-2000 - which is still a deficit so you lose weight.
But if you are a woman who only has 10-20 to lose, your body is probably no longer burning 2500 every day thru a combination of normal activity & exercise. You might only be burning 1700-2000. This is why accuracy becomes more important. Aiming for 1500 in & 1000 deficit you can afford to err. Aiming for 1300 with a 300-500 deficit, the errors result in maintenance.
I'm not saying you should log, weigh everything. If you feel that would cause more harm than good, listen to your instincts. I'm suggesting you could spot-check your mental calculations by weighing things here & there. But if you don't want to do that, all that is left is to adjust what you're doing to decrease your portions slightly. If you still feel hungry, replace some of the higher cal items with lower cal fillers. I have come to love baked (wild caught for fewer calories/less fat than farm raised) salmon & zucchini + spinach salad. Can have a very filling portion for under 300 calories. Of course, sometimes that is my dinner because I like indulging in a 300-400 calorie soft pretzel in the afternoon...
I understand the thing with weighing food and logging every calorie and why it's helpful for a lot of people. Honestly, though, I never used a food scale previously, and as I said, I've lost 50 lbs successfully.
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You're not in a deficit.0
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