Plateau stuck!

Rafa595
Rafa595 Posts: 13 Member
edited November 18 in Motivation and Support
Hi guys, I'm Raf. I started running (again) and eating healthy 6 weeks ago. I lost 2.5 kilos in the firSt two weeks and then... Stuck. Nothing. Lost 100gr more but nothing else. My body looks toned and my belly has dropped too but my weight is just stuck there at 69,5.... I increased the intensity of my workouts but I'm getting demotivated (and a bit hungry)..... Any suggestions???

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Tighten up your logging. If you aren't using a food scale, invest in one. Make sure you're weighing and logging every single thing you consume, including condiments, fats used to cook in, and drinks that aren't water. If you are eating back your exercise calories, make sure to do no more than 50-75% of those to account for overstated burns. Most often a plateau means you're eating more than you think and/or burning less than you think.
  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Tighten up your logging. If you aren't using a food scale, invest in one. Make sure you're weighing and logging every single thing you consume, including condiments, fats used to cook in, and drinks that aren't water. If you are eating back your exercise calories, make sure to do no more than 50-75% of those to account for overstated burns. Most often a plateau means you're eating more than you think and/or burning less than you think.

    Truth!

    Also, if you've upped your workouts a lot maybe some water retention. So do the above and be patient!
  • aakaakaak
    aakaakaak Posts: 1,240 Member
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Tighten up your logging. If you aren't using a food scale, invest in one. Make sure you're weighing and logging every single thing you consume, including condiments, fats used to cook in, and drinks that aren't water. If you are eating back your exercise calories, make sure to do no more than 50-75% of those to account for overstated burns. Most often a plateau means you're eating more than you think and/or burning less than you think.

    This is the correct answer. Listen to this.

    If you're feeling hungry try switching your macronutrients to higher protein, less carb (assuming you're getting enough liquid). Realistically you should probably do that anyway since you're working out a bunch.
  • tamelakaye79
    tamelakaye79 Posts: 70 Member
    Definitely ditto on the food scale- you would be AMAZED at the difference between eye balling a measurement and the actual weight! Also- I agree with playing around with your macros- it can make a huge difference! Also, are you eating enough? Are your calories appropriate for your lifestyle and body? How much water are you consuming? One last thing- are you taking measurements and progress pics? Body composition changing/progress will often not be reflected on the scale!
  • Rafa595
    Rafa595 Posts: 13 Member
    Hey guys! Thank u all! That was the first thing I thought, that I may be eating too much but I already feel like I've changed my habits so much and i've changed my macros based on advice received from a nutritionist, i also have one scoop of protein every day but still nothing. I know I have a water retention problem as I've noticed that my weight fluncuates a lot but i'm getting tired.... I know what I'm supposed to do but i'm just tired.
    I don't know if it's gonna sound stupid but i'm also thinking of checking my thyroid, just in case....
  • Rafa595
    Rafa595 Posts: 13 Member
    tamelakaye79 wrote: »
    Definitely ditto on the food scale- you would be AMAZED at the difference between eye balling a measurement and the actual weight! Also- I agree with playing around with your macros- it can make a huge difference! Also, are you eating enough? Are your calories appropriate for your lifestyle and body? How much water are you consuming? One last thing- are you taking measurements and progress pics? Body composition changing/progress will often not be reflected on the scale!

    The truth is I'm trying hard to drink more water so this might be a reason. As for the pics, i am seeing changes on my body and my husband has told me as well that I've slimmed down but the scale is stuck.
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  • tamelakaye79
    tamelakaye79 Posts: 70 Member
    I would take a changing body over a scale change any day! That scale can be a lying deceiver! How are your macros? You may not be getting enough if you are struggling with fatigue! Lowering calories should ALWAYS be the last option! Have you considered incorporating lifting into your exercise regiment?
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    It sounds like you are going to improve logging accuracy, and that is the first step.

    After that, if you know you are doing everything right and your logging is honest and as accurate as possible, then keep doing that. I know plateaus are tough, but they end with a "whoosh." Have patience and confidence in what you are doing.

    If it helps you feel better, my last plateau lasted 5 months and I had a large "whoosh" at the end. I'm now 2 months into my current plateau, but I know I'm logging correctly, so I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just going to look forward to the future "whoosh."
  • Rafa595
    Rafa595 Posts: 13 Member
    tamelakaye79 wrote: »
    I would take a changing body over a scale change any day! That scale can be a lying deceiver! How are your macros? You may not be getting enough if you are struggling with fatigue! Lowering calories should ALWAYS be the last option! Have you considered incorporating lifting into your exercise regiment?

    Yes but unfortunately as a full time scholarship student and part time employee, i dont have much time to do anything else. That's why I run at night and now I cycle as well.
  • Rafa595
    Rafa595 Posts: 13 Member
    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    It sounds like you are going to improve logging accuracy, and that is the first step.

    After that, if you know you are doing everything right and your logging is honest and as accurate as possible, then keep doing that. I know plateaus are tough, but they end with a "whoosh." Have patience and confidence in what you are doing.

    If it helps you feel better, my last plateau lasted 5 months and I had a large "whoosh" at the end. I'm now 2 months into my current plateau, but I know I'm logging correctly, so I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just going to look forward to the future "whoosh."

    Wow u must be really determined! If I was stuck for that long, I don't know what I would do...
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Rafa595 wrote: »
    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    It sounds like you are going to improve logging accuracy, and that is the first step.

    After that, if you know you are doing everything right and your logging is honest and as accurate as possible, then keep doing that. I know plateaus are tough, but they end with a "whoosh." Have patience and confidence in what you are doing.

    If it helps you feel better, my last plateau lasted 5 months and I had a large "whoosh" at the end. I'm now 2 months into my current plateau, but I know I'm logging correctly, so I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just going to look forward to the future "whoosh."

    Wow u must be really determined! If I was stuck for that long, I don't know what I would do...

    Right, so the mental aspect is probably the most difficult part of a plateau. I'll say that I seriously thought about giving up and concluding I wasn't capable of losing any more weight. Unfortunately, the MFP community offers no support at all. You'll just get a lot of people saying you are not logging right. Even as I log everything I should, I still have seen people arguing that packaged food should be weighed and that is why I'm not losing. So I started weighing things like bread (I found, with the exception of heels, that the weight of each slice matched the packaging to the gram 93% of the time... other times, it was always within 2 grams).

    I considered getting a test done to measure my actual RMR, but I live in a rural area and anything I could find within 300 miles was member exclusive (most of them were limited to students of a university or college) or limited to patients of a particular clinic (and you had to be much heavier than me to be a patient).

    To be honest, being called a liar by the MFP community not only didn't help, but it really upset me. It didn't change my commitment, but it helped form my view that these forums are filled with group think and lack helpful information.
  • Clbrown74
    Clbrown74 Posts: 4 Member
    Ironically enough I just broke a 5 month plateau. It's been a long journey to get through but I have found that I had to keep going. Not getting discouraged was one of the hardest parts about it. You need to keep a positive attitude about what you are doing. Know that even though the weight may not be coming off as fast arts you want that you are doing the right thing... eating healthy, exercising and making yourself into the best possible you.
    A little history on my plateau... I lost 50 lbs and was loving the downward slope I was on. I have 70 more to go and am keeping my diabetes under control strictly through my eating and exercising habits, so there is no room for cheating. And at Christmas last year I got stuck.... it has been a painful frustrating few months but I finally started losing again a few weeks ago. One other positive that came from my plateau was that while I didn't lose weight, I lost another Jean size. Remember muscle weighs more than fat and you are still losing even when you are just toning up.
    Be patient, be positive, be yourself. You will get past this!
  • nannersp61
    nannersp61 Posts: 2,315 Member
    I 've been plateauing, since I tried adding more protein and carbs due to increased physical activity. 2 hours a day with cardio, calisthenics and circuit training/ weights. But perhaps it's just too many carbs. I think I'll try less carbs and more protein and see if that doesn't fix the problem
  • Rafa595
    Rafa595 Posts: 13 Member
    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    Rafa595 wrote: »
    midwesterner85 wrote: »
    It sounds like you are going to improve logging accuracy, and that is the first step.

    After that, if you know you are doing everything right and your logging is honest and as accurate as possible, then keep doing that. I know plateaus are tough, but they end with a "whoosh." Have patience and confidence in what you are doing.

    If it helps you feel better, my last plateau lasted 5 months and I had a large "whoosh" at the end. I'm now 2 months into my current plateau, but I know I'm logging correctly, so I'm not going to worry about it. I'm just going to look forward to the future "whoosh."

    Wow u must be really determined! If I was stuck for that long, I don't know what I would do...

    Right, so the mental aspect is probably the most difficult part of a plateau. I'll say that I seriously thought about giving up and concluding I wasn't capable of losing any more weight. Unfortunately, the MFP community offers no support at all. You'll just get a lot of people saying you are not logging right. Even as I log everything I should, I still have seen people arguing that packaged food should be weighed and that is why I'm not losing. So I started weighing things like bread (I found, with the exception of heels, that the weight of each slice matched the packaging to the gram 93% of the time... other times, it was always within 2 grams).

    I considered getting a test done to measure my actual RMR, but I live in a rural area and anything I could find within 300 miles was member exclusive (most of them were limited to students of a university or college) or limited to patients of a particular clinic (and you had to be much heavier than me to be a patient).

    To be honest, being called a liar by the MFP community not only didn't help, but it really upset me. It didn't change my commitment, but it helped form my view that these forums are filled with group think and lack helpful information.

    I understand what you're saying and I felt the same way when I started reading the comments.

    For now, I have started logging using barcodes for products I couldn't find before, started taking a scoop of whey protein and increased the intensity of my workouts. I haven't seen any difference since, except that my weight doesn't flanctuate now, it's just stuck there.

  • Rafa595
    Rafa595 Posts: 13 Member
    nannersp61 wrote: »
    I 've been plateauing, since I tried adding more protein and carbs due to increased physical activity. 2 hours a day with cardio, calisthenics and circuit training/ weights. But perhaps it's just too many carbs. I think I'll try less carbs and more protein and see if that doesn't fix the problem

    Same here. I added protein to my diet last week but i'm still struggling with carbs. I try to balance it, If I eat more one day, i'll eat less the next day.
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