Getting Frustrated...any tips/advice would be appreciated

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loves86
loves86 Posts: 88 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have 9 lbs to go, 4 to get to my goal, and then an extra 5 to have that "window" of wiggle room to stay in when I go to maintenance. (I'm 5' 2" current 144 lbs) I am getting frustrated. I have been stuck at my currently weigh since the middle of December. I am consistently in a 3 lb range that I stay in.

I go off the scooby calculator for my calories, I put my sedentary since I sit at a desk all day, and then I just eat back my exercise calories that I get each day I workout (my diary was set at 1380, but just changed it to 1280 in hopes that a small change would help, but that just seems like not enough calories to me) And I ate them back before when I was losing as well, so I know eating them back works. I weigh my food, I enter everything, I have a cheat meal once/twice a week to make sure to change things up.

I would change my workouts in hopes that would help, but I'm currently training (running), so that really isn't an option at this point unless I use my rest days to do different workouts. I am just not sure what I can do to get out of this rut. I am not losing inches either, I know that other things can change when the scale isnt moving, but nothing has changed for months and I'm getting discouraged. Any tips/advice/etc would be greatly appreciated!!!

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    loves86 wrote: »
    I weigh my food, I enter everything, I have a cheat meal once/twice a week to make sure to change things up.

    What do you mean by cheat meal?

  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    How are you determining your calorie burns? Maybe you're over estimating, and eating back those calories is putting you at maintenance.
  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    a meal where I dont count calories, but make sure its not a whole day worth of calories. Like today I'm going out to lunch to a bakery, getting a tuna salad sandwich, so I know it has way more calories than how I normally make mine, Saturday is my stepsons birthday dinner and we are going out to Hickory Park. I will be getting marinated chicken (I have gotten it there before so thats how I already know what I want) with a side, and then maybe a small piece of cake. I know not to deprive myself, but I know not to overdo it either?
  • TiffanyR71
    TiffanyR71 Posts: 217 Member
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    Maybe try some strength training on "off" days... If you don't belong to a gym or have any weights at home, you can always use bodyweight – do push-ups, squats, crunches, etc. Good luck & congrats on being so close to your goal!
  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    I also have about 100-130 ounces of water a day, a couple cups of coffee in the morning, and then a pop maybe a couple times a month, but thats about it for liquids
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    do you weigh your food? and as asked how do you determine your burns...

    How fast are you attempting to lose this 9lbs? if it's over 1/2lb a week try moving it to that instead of probably 1lb a week.

    I sit at my desk all day too...still manage to get in 10k steps (not in purposeful exercise) usually and do some lifting at least 4x a week and I am currently losing on 1800 calories...but I am happy with 1/2lb a week or even 1/4lb a week since I am trying to lose vacation weight.
  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    I do strength training one day a week (I have a small disability so it makes it difficult to do strength training) but I do it because I know the right side of my body is weaker due to it, so just try and maintain the muscle there.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    loves86 wrote: »
    I do strength training one day a week (I have a small disability so it makes it difficult to do strength training) but I do it because I know the right side of my body is weaker due to it, so just try and maintain the muscle there.

    Again, how do you determine how many calories you're burning per workout? Give us an example of recent exercises you've logged, and how many calories you gave yourself credit for. Or just open your diary so people can look and give you better advice.
  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    I would be happy with .5 lbs or less a week, just as long as I see a gradual decline. I have lost 36 lbs since last February, so it averages about to be about .5 lb a week I think? When wear my fitbit I usually get between 8-10k steps a day. I use my garmin 15 during my workouts to measure my calorie burn. Yes, I weigh my food with a food scale, and measure everything if not weighed. I hope that answers everything? The strength training I do once a week because it is difficult. I had a small smoke when I was younger and dont have the motor skills/muscle strength on the right side of my body.
  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    I use the garmin 15, I previously used the polar ft4 until I needed one that had gps. Sorry, I have opened my diary. I haven't completed my diary for today yet, so please keep that in mind when looking at todays entry. I still have to ask the bakery what kind of bread they had with the sandwich, and then enter any snacks
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    Make sure you are logging the cheat meal. You may be eliminating a small deficit all in one sitting with that.

    How many calories are you logging for the strenght training? For the running?

  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    it depends on what my garmin states, whatever it states it what I put for calories, I know that it isnt accurate to use a hrm when strength training, but I figured that that number is better than using mfp #
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Agree that you should log your cheat meal. Also, I'd suggest only eating back a portion of those exercise calories. If it says you burned 600 calories running for 60 minutes, change that amount to 300. It's really hard to determine calorie burns, especially with strength training. I know I saw one day when you logged 114 calories for 35 minutes of strength training. That's what I log for about 80 minutes of strength training. Of course, size difference and type of training will matter, but I know if I used what was given to me for that, it would put me over.
  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    ok so just half of exercise calories then each time? I could definitely do that, but would it be ok then to up my calories back to the 1380 per the scoobly calculator (I just lowered it by 100 hoping that a small change would possible help)
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    loves86 wrote: »
    ok so just half of exercise calories then each time? I could definitely do that, but would it be ok then to up my calories back to the 1380 per the scoobly calculator (I just lowered it by 100 hoping that a small change would possible help)

    I think as long as you're weighing and measuring what you're eating/drinking, you'd be fine with 1380. Give it a couple weeks at logging half the exercise calories and see how it goes.
  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    ok ill definitely try that! thanks!!!
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    loves86 wrote: »
    ok ill definitely try that! thanks!!!

    Seeing as you run/exercise pretty regularly, another option would be to have a slightly higher, flat calorie goal and ignore exercise calories. So, for example, you'd do 1550 a day whether you exercise or not. Just throwing that out there as another method.

  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    which one do you think would be better long term wise? or is it just personal preference type of thing?
  • loves86
    loves86 Posts: 88 Member
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    so overall, with my cheat lunch I am over approximately 300 calories for the day, is that bad overall, like say for the week? should I cut calories on other days to make up for a cheat meal? or does that kind of go against the whole point of a cheat meal?

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