Two month plateau despite caloric deficit + exercise (food pics included)

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  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    ModernRock wrote: »
    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    I will be getting an MD degree in about 2 months...

    Wow, getting your MD at age 24. Impressive! Or, do you mean you'll be starting your MD in two months?

    Your post comes off as extremely snide. Here in the US (not sure where the OP is based) there are several BS/MD programs which graduate 24/25 y.o. doctors. Example: http://www.neomed.edu/admissions/medicine/bsmd
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,139 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    ModernRock wrote: »
    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    I will be getting an MD degree in about 2 months...

    Wow, getting your MD at age 24. Impressive! Or, do you mean you'll be starting your MD in two months?

    Your post comes off as extremely snide. Here in the US (not sure where the OP is based) there are several BS/MD programs which graduate 24/25 y.o. doctors. Example: http://www.neomed.edu/admissions/medicine/bsmd

    How is that post snide? It was impressed at the achievement.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    rileysowner wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    ModernRock wrote: »
    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    I will be getting an MD degree in about 2 months...

    Wow, getting your MD at age 24. Impressive! Or, do you mean you'll be starting your MD in two months?

    Your post comes off as extremely snide. Here in the US (not sure where the OP is based) there are several BS/MD programs which graduate 24/25 y.o. doctors. Example: http://www.neomed.edu/admissions/medicine/bsmd

    How is that post snide? It was impressed at the achievement.

    Sorry but I disagree. The italics imply otherwise to me.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,484 Member
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    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    blues4miles wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »

    Now for the math you just did. I'll use me as an example. I am aiming for 1500 calories. I also sometimes eat more on weekends. I, like you, don't typically 'go above maintenance' on a weekend. My actual average over the last 21 days is 1700 calories. That means instead of losing 1 lb a week I'd only be losing .5 lb a week. Add in some poor weighing/measuring, some water retention, boom no weight loss.

    EVERY WEEK I do this 21 day exercise. If average calories consumed gets up to maintenance, I have a problem. If the math says I should have lost 3 lbs but only lost 2, I know I need to drink lots of water and get serious about accurately logging my food, because that's where the culprit is. When I am doing everything right, the math works.

    Math is king, totally agree. I just averaged last 10 days (did not do full 21 days because there are some inaccuracies on some of those days prior), the average is 1301 kcal/day.

    I think this speaks volumes.
    You have only have 10 consecutive days of accurate logging.

    Reassess your numbers at the weight you are at now, change your goal to 1lbs a week and eat back 50-75% of the calories you earn through exercise.

    And log honestly every day.

    Cheers, h.
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
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    I don't think you've been at it consistently anywhere as much as you'd like to think. You said you could take criticism, so here it is. In the original post in September you lost 4 pounds in "exactly" two months (July 18-Sept 18) to get to 183. You eventually stated you weren't using a food scale, and just like in the current discussion, there's one example after another of going to restaurants or parties and guesstimating your intake.

    You come back after "a 3 month hiatus from mid October-mid January" weighing 174. So, you had a 9 pound loss during your hiatus. What explains that? Were you starving yourself? If not, just keep on doing whatever resulted in that loss.

    Anyway, you come back and have been at it for only three weeks, lamenting no progress, yet you've had more guesstimate meals in that time than I've had in 3 months. My guess is that you do a great job calculating calories....when you are actually doing it, and aren't being "real" with yourself about the rest of the food you are eating.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    Wow, there is some bizarre advice piling up in this thread :)

    OP, how often you use a food scale is personal preference. But considering that you are struggling, I strongly suggest you go back to basics to determine what is really going on:
    1. Double check that your stats in MFP are accurate and your goal is 1 lb per week.
    2. Commit to 2 weeks of trying to collect as much good data as possible - weigh EVERY solid, log everything accurately and consistently. If this doesn't fit in your lifestyle, you don't have to do it long term, but 2 weeks should give you some useful numbers.
    3. Now you will have some good data that will hopefully shed some light on your situation.

    As I get the impression you already know, what you eat, when you eat, how you exercise, is all personal preference. But honestly, if you are averaging 1200 cals or less, not eating back exercise cals, and not losing weight, there are two possibilities: logging issues or a medical condition.

    I did this same 2 week "experiment" for myself, and it literally changed my life. The food scale set me free - it helped me perfect my ability to eyeball portions when eating away from home, it got my calories-in on point, and it allowed me to eat the foods I love in correct portions without feeling guilty or constantly worrying I had eaten too much, or not enough, or whatever. And two years later, I still use it every day. I weigh all ingredients raw to determine the calories in a meal, then I weigh the food cooked to portion it out.

    Best of luck!
  • ModernRock
    ModernRock Posts: 372 Member
    edited February 2016
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    jemhh wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    ModernRock wrote: »
    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    I will be getting an MD degree in about 2 months...

    Wow, getting your MD at age 24. Impressive! Or, do you mean you'll be starting your MD in two months?

    Your post comes off as extremely snide. Here in the US (not sure where the OP is based) there are several BS/MD programs which graduate 24/25 y.o. doctors. Example: http://www.neomed.edu/admissions/medicine/bsmd

    How is that post snide? It was impressed at the achievement.

    Sorry but I disagree. The italics imply otherwise to me.

    The average age of starting medical school in the US is 23 for women and 24 for men, so having one by 24 is impressive. It also isn't unusual for people to say they are "getting" something when what they mean to say is that they are "starting to get" that thing. The italics were meant to emphasize this possible ambiguity between "getting" and "starting". A fair point of clarification, all things considered. Feel free to search my posts on this website and you'll find them to be consistently polite and respectful. (My earlier on-topic post was critical, but she said she was OK with that.) Have a good day.
  • suzynam
    suzynam Posts: 14 Member
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    your BMR might be off, too. most people in normal jobs are considered sedentary. but if you're, say, only walking 1,000 steps per day, your BMR might be even lower. also, this article about the myth of the 3,500 calorie pound was quite interesting: http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/111114p36.shtml there are a couple of studies in there you can read as well.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
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    Consider the diet break an end of that time period. So start with the first day you knew your own weight, weighed and logged accurately, and also note when your exercise started.

    It's too early to tell what's up because water weight will mask your progress so early in. 1 lb a week would only show, what, a 3 lb drop by now? Your monthly cycle likely takes up a great deal of that itself, and then the new exercise means more water. Wait until the amount of weight you should have lost is significantly greater than your possible water fluctuations. You'll probably drop some lbs at once soon, imho.
  • coolcoci_115
    coolcoci_115 Posts: 57 Member
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    ModernRock wrote: »
    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    I will be getting an MD degree in about 2 months...

    Wow, getting your MD at age 24. Impressive! Or, do you mean you'll be starting your MD in two months?
    jemhh wrote: »
    ModernRock wrote: »
    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    I will be getting an MD degree in about 2 months...

    Wow, getting your MD at age 24. Impressive! Or, do you mean you'll be starting your MD in two months?

    Your post comes off as extremely snide. Here in the US (not sure where the OP is based) there are several BS/MD programs which graduate 24/25 y.o. doctors. Example: http://www.neomed.edu/admissions/medicine/bsmd
    ModernRock wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    ModernRock wrote: »
    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    I will be getting an MD degree in about 2 months...

    Wow, getting your MD at age 24. Impressive! Or, do you mean you'll be starting your MD in two months?

    Your post comes off as extremely snide. Here in the US (not sure where the OP is based) there are several BS/MD programs which graduate 24/25 y.o. doctors. Example: http://www.neomed.edu/admissions/medicine/bsmd

    How is that post snide? It was impressed at the achievement.

    Sorry but I disagree. The italics imply otherwise to me.

    The average age of starting medical school in the US is 23 for women and 24 for men, so having one by 24 is impressive. It also isn't unusual for people to say they are "getting" something when what they mean to say is that they are "starting to get" that thing. The italics were meant to emphasize this possible ambiguity between "getting" and "starting". A fair point of clarification, all things considered. Feel free to search my posts on this website and you'll find them to be consistently polite and respectful. (My earlier on-topic post was critical, but she said she was OK with that.) Have a good day.

    To clarify this discussion. I am completing my degree this April, as in I will be receiving my diploma in the next two months. I am second to youngest in my class. Based out of the U.S. The average starting age is 24.
  • coolcoci_115
    coolcoci_115 Posts: 57 Member
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    ModernRock wrote: »
    I don't think you've been at it consistently anywhere as much as you'd like to think. You said you could take criticism, so here it is. In the original post in September you lost 4 pounds in "exactly" two months (July 18-Sept 18) to get to 183. You eventually stated you weren't using a food scale, and just like in the current discussion, there's one example after another of going to restaurants or parties and guesstimating your intake.

    You come back after "a 3 month hiatus from mid October-mid January" weighing 174. So, you had a 9 pound loss during your hiatus. What explains that? Were you starving yourself? If not, just keep on doing whatever resulted in that loss.

    Anyway, you come back and have been at it for only three weeks, lamenting no progress, yet you've had more guesstimate meals in that time than I've had in 3 months. My guess is that you do a great job calculating calories....when you are actually doing it, and aren't being "real" with yourself about the rest of the food you are eating.

    Thank you for being forthright. This is why i post here, because i know others can take a more objective view even if look back at my MFP data. I didn't loose the 9 pounds during the hiatus. I lost that weight from mid-September to mid/late-October, where because of my classwork and rotations I was very consistent.

  • coolcoci_115
    coolcoci_115 Posts: 57 Member
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  • coolcoci_115
    coolcoci_115 Posts: 57 Member
    edited February 2016
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    UPDATE:

    I did the recipe builder method for calculating calories in rice. I weighed the uncooked salt, lemon juice, cooking oil (oopsy forgot about that), salt, pepper and Goya bouillon seasoning. 125 grams = 193 calories. Essentially I underestimating 40 calories per lunch/dinner or approximately 460-550 calories per week (approx. 0.16lbs) depending on number of prepped meals I have.

    I have decreased portion to 100 grams of rice (154 cal). Will work on making sure everything else is accurately weighed as well.

    I'm also removing the morning coffee and switching it with a cup of green tea sweetened with Splenda (sorry but I can't go cold turkey on the artificial sweet stuff just yet)
  • suzan06
    suzan06 Posts: 218 Member
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    You are a similar size to me. I am 5'8" and ~167 at the moment.

    I eat 2000 calories a day, and get about 12-14k steps a day with my pedometer, to give you an idea of my activity level. Obviously everyone's metabolism and activity level is different, but my first thought was that you need to eat more! So I agree with the PP who suggested adding a few more servings of fruits and veggies to up your calories and fiber a bit.

    The only other suggestion, without having actually gone into your diary, is to vary your rice a bit- are you really eating rice every day for lunch and dinner? If so, consider mixing it up with some other grains, or sweet potatoes or regular potatoes.
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
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    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    UPDATE:

    I did the recipe builder method for calculating calories in rice. I weighed the uncooked salt, lemon juice, cooking oil (oopsy forgot about that), salt, pepper and Goya bouillon seasoning. 125 grams = 193 calories. Essentially I underestimating 40 calories per lunch/dinner or approximately 460-550 calories per week (approx. 0.16lbs) depending on number of prepped meals I have.

    I have decreased portion to 100 grams of rice (154 cal). Will work on making sure everything else is accurately weighed as well.

    I'm also removing the morning coffee and switching it with a cup of green tea sweetened with Splenda (sorry but I can't go cold turkey on the artificial sweet stuff just yet)

    Good job figuring out this one week spot! You'll get there :)

    For me, it's been a lot of patience and developing trust in the process. Have you used a trending app like happyscale/trendweight, etc? I find staring at my averaged out trendweight numbers helps me when my daily scale numbers are frustrating. I also feel it provides good stats to figure out my plan and how to optimize it.
  • coolcoci_115
    coolcoci_115 Posts: 57 Member
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    elaineamj wrote: »

    Good job figuring out this one week spot! You'll get there :)

    For me, it's been a lot of patience and developing trust in the process. Have you used a trending app like happyscale/trendweight, etc? I find staring at my averaged out trendweight numbers helps me when my daily scale numbers are frustrating. I also feel it provides good stats to figure out my plan and how to optimize it.

    Just downloaded the app! I'll see how it works over the next few weeks
  • lml852014
    lml852014 Posts: 243 Member
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    I have trouble on the weekends to so what I've decided to start doing is "banking" calories (say 100 cal a day) during the week M-F so that by the end of the week I have 500 extra cals to work with on Saturdays plus I exercise harder to burn more and I set my goal to maintain also. This way I can ended up with 2300 cals on Saturdays and I am staying on track. Seems to be working so far..
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    middlehaitch wrote: »
    coolcoci_115 wrote: »
    blues4miles wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »

    Now for the math you just did. I'll use me as an example. I am aiming for 1500 calories. I also sometimes eat more on weekends. I, like you, don't typically 'go above maintenance' on a weekend. My actual average over the last 21 days is 1700 calories. That means instead of losing 1 lb a week I'd only be losing .5 lb a week. Add in some poor weighing/measuring, some water retention, boom no weight loss.

    EVERY WEEK I do this 21 day exercise. If average calories consumed gets up to maintenance, I have a problem. If the math says I should have lost 3 lbs but only lost 2, I know I need to drink lots of water and get serious about accurately logging my food, because that's where the culprit is. When I am doing everything right, the math works.

    Math is king, totally agree. I just averaged last 10 days (did not do full 21 days because there are some inaccuracies on some of those days prior), the average is 1301 kcal/day.

    I think this speaks volumes.
    You have only have 10 consecutive days of accurate logging.

    Reassess your numbers at the weight you are at now, change your goal to 1lbs a week and eat back 50-75% of the calories you earn through exercise.

    And log honestly every day.

    Cheers, h.

    This! And thanks OP for participating in my math exercise. You need 21 days of good data. I had the same problem. My logging the week after Xmas was really bad. I knew it was all over the place and not good data. That means I had to wait 3 weeks into the New Year before I had good data I could use. So you need to patiently wait out that 21 days.

    Also nothing wrong with artificial sweeteners or carbs or whatever. I mean if you want to cut something out because it helps you, or you have a medical condition, by all means. But I consume plenty of artificial sweetener and know plenty of normal weight people that do as well.

    You just need to keep at it. I know not the advice you want to hear. Sounds like you are already having success with getting your logging on track. I went through the same thing. Now I weigh tablespoons of sour cream and weigh eggs and weigh knives with butter etc. The better my data is, the more I have a leg to stand on when I wanna complain about not losing weight.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,139 Member
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    Now that you have the rice thing cleared up, probably part of the issue, get to careful logging for a month and see where you are at.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
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    My suggestion, from looking at your meals photo.... Stop eating bagged/boxed/frozen food. Look at the salt, sugar and other preservatives added to that stuff. Spend Sunday or Monday, or whenever your off day is shopping for fresh foods. Cook and meal prep after that. You would be shocked at the difference you will feel physically. I'm no saint when it comes to indulging, but I do prefer fresh to canned/frozen vegetables.

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