Pleateau

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PaigeWright17
PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am needing some help! I started my weightloss journey about a year ago. I started at 171 and am down to 150-153. For the past 4 months I have been at this same weight range. I stay strict all week for the most part and the weekend I will have two or three cheat meals and maybe a day of drinking. I need to do something that doesnt get me off the wagon on the weekends and to break this plateau and get down in the 140s!!

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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited March 2016
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    "Cheat meals" can offset your goals. String too many together and you are spinning your wheels.
  • Marilyn0924
    Marilyn0924 Posts: 797 Member
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    One thing that could also help is being more consistent with your logging. Lots of blank/unfinished entries. Even on those days that you may indulge a bit, own it and log it. It will give you a better picture in the long run where you need to tighten up in your logging and hopefully break through to your 140s.
  • CrossfitOCRunner
    CrossfitOCRunner Posts: 61 Member
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    what kind of exercise are you doing? a cheat day can help if you are strict the other days. it just cant be egregious. you said "....AND maybe a day of drinking." which is vague but there could be something there. You could be at the lowest weight with your current program and need to dial it in. Your body may have also adapted if you've been doing the same things for 5 months. Comment about your exercise. Upping or changing your energy expenditure is a great way to bust through a plateau. You can only restrict so many calories, and that alone can be counter productive. If you have a public diary, I will take a look. or if it is friends only, we can be friends if you like. I'm happy to help.
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,985 Member
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    Marilyn0924 wrote: »
    One thing that could also help is being more consistent with your logging. Lots of blank/unfinished entries. Even on those days that you may indulge a bit, own it and log it. It will give you a better picture in the long run where you need to tighten up in your logging and hopefully break through to your 140s.

    Yes. Also, making sure to log everything everyday will help you to make better choices too. You'll think "Do I really want/need this?" :flowerforyou:
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
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    You've lost a good amount of weight, so you know what you're doing. It's most likely you've hit a plateau because you're now eating at close to maintenance level for your new weight. As you lose weight you have to keep adjusting your calorie levels lower to keep it going.

    Make sure you keep entering your new weight and have MFP recalculate your daily calories, that should help
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    I am needing some help! I started my weightloss journey about a year ago. I started at 171 and am down to 150-153. For the past 4 months I have been at this same weight range. I stay strict all week for the most part and the weekend I will have two or three cheat meals and maybe a day of drinking. I need to do something that doesnt get me off the wagon on the weekends and to break this plateau and get down in the 140s!!

    wow, two or three cheat meals and a day of drinking?? that can really reverse any progress that you've made during the week.

    i'd advise you to skip the cheat meals all together. that doesn't mean eat chicken breast, rice, and broccoli for every meal, but instead just count calories for every meal, including when you go out. that means looking at the menu for the place you're going and entering it in your diary before you eat.

    instead of a "day of drinking" which i'm going to assume is an exaggeration, but still accurate, i'd suggest that you count your drinks as well, and maybe even regularly drink alcohol. a glass or two of wine (6 ounces) can really help you out mentally and physically. and regular moderate drinking can prevent you from a day or night of binge drinking.
  • PaigeWright17
    PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
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    Wow! Thanks so much to everyone for the help! It is great to know there is such a community that loves helping others reach their goals. I will start logging EVERYTHING! Even on the weekends when i over indulged to keep myself accountable. I do HIIT 25-30 minutes twice a week and right now I am training for a half marathon so running 3-5 miles a day. I was lifting but stopped for the fact that I have such a muscular body build already I dont want to add to it at this time till my body frame looks smaller.
  • PaigeWright17
    PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
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    DanPellegrino wrote: »
    what kind of exercise are you doing? a cheat day can help if you are strict the other days. it just cant be egregious. you said "....AND maybe a day of drinking." which is vague but there could be something there. You could be at the lowest weight with your current program and need to dial it in. Your body may have also adapted if you've been doing the same things for 5 months. Comment about your exercise. Upping or changing your energy expenditure is a great way to bust through a plateau. You can only restrict so many calories, and that alone can be counter productive. If you have a public diary, I will take a look. or if it is friends only, we can be friends if you like. I'm happy to help.

    Is it true that as long as i stay within my calorie range i will lose weight or do i need to eat more protien, less carbs and more veggies to lose the weight? I have heard both ways and by looking at your profile you have lost a significant amount of weight and know what your doing it looks like!
  • PaigeWright17
    PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
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    Capt_Apollo wrote: »
    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    I am needing some help! I started my weightloss journey about a year ago. I started at 171 and am down to 150-153. For the past 4 months I have been at this same weight range. I stay strict all week for the most part and the weekend I will have two or three cheat meals and maybe a day of drinking. I need to do something that doesnt get me off the wagon on the weekends and to break this plateau and get down in the 140s!!

    wow, two or three cheat meals and a day of drinking?? that can really reverse any progress that you've made during the week.

    i'd advise you to skip the cheat meals all together. that doesn't mean eat chicken breast, rice, and broccoli for every meal, but instead just count calories for every meal, including when you go out. that means looking at the menu for the place you're going and entering it in your diary before you eat.

    instead of a "day of drinking" which i'm going to assume is an exaggeration, but still accurate, i'd suggest that you count your drinks as well, and maybe even regularly drink alcohol. a glass or two of wine (6 ounces) can really help you out mentally and physically. and regular moderate drinking can prevent you from a day or night of binge drinking.

    Yes, I am very bad about weekends. I think since I did so good during the week I deserve a treat and end up over indulging and get upset with myself and just say screw it for the weekend. Your reply really hit home that it is crazy that I am indulging that much and losing my progress that i worked for! Day of drinking is a exaggeration as well. I might drink 6 beers on a Saturday but not an all day drinking. LOL
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,985 Member
    edited March 2016
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    No problem. And look at it this way. Your calorie goal is 1421/day and that 'should' result in an approximate loss of 1 lb per week. (I'm not sure if this is your setting - just making an example.) That's probably a daily deficit of 200 calories or so. Say you meet your calorie goal each day M-F. You've got a 1000 calorie deficit (so far) for the week. Then on Saturday and Sunday you eat/drink 2000 calories each day. You've not only went over your calories those days, but you've probably ruined the deficit you had going for you M-F. Therefore you'd plateau - or worse - gain, instead of losing.

    It's very important that you log everything you eat AND drink. Even better, when you get down to the last bit, to weigh and measure everything (on a food scale - to the gram/oz) to ensure your logging is as accurate as possible.

    Best of luck! :flowerforyou:
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,985 Member
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    You're not really only eating 500 - 800 calories a day, are you? That's all I see logged a few days recently. Just wanted to make sure you're not eating too few calories. ;)
  • PaigeWright17
    PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
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    tiffanylacourse wrote: »
    No problem. And look at it this way. Your calorie goal is 1421/day and that 'should' result in an approximate loss of 1 lb per week. (I'm not sure if this is your setting - just making an example.) That's probably a daily deficit of 200 calories or so. Say you meet your calorie goal each day M-F. You've got a 1000 calorie deficit (so far) for the week. Then on Saturday and Sunday you eat/drink 2000 calories each day. You've not only went over your calories those days, but you've probably ruined the deficit you had going for you M-F. Therefore you'd plateau - or worse - gain, instead of losing.

    It's very important that you log everything you eat AND drink. Even better, when you get down to the last bit, to weigh and measure everything (on a food scale - to the gram/oz) to ensure your logging is as accurate as possible.

    Best of luck! :flowerforyou:

    Awesome! Thanks so much for the help! I was focusing on macros at one time and that was the macro amount it gave me so that is the calorie amount it gave me. I will for sure start logging everything!

    And OMG NO! LOL I usually eat anywhere from 1200-1400 calories a day just dont log as good as I should! I would be totally HANGRY!
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,985 Member
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    I (personally) think you should make sure you're meeting your calorie goal before you start worrying about the macros. One step at a time. ;)
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    Capt_Apollo wrote: »
    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    I am needing some help! I started my weightloss journey about a year ago. I started at 171 and am down to 150-153. For the past 4 months I have been at this same weight range. I stay strict all week for the most part and the weekend I will have two or three cheat meals and maybe a day of drinking. I need to do something that doesnt get me off the wagon on the weekends and to break this plateau and get down in the 140s!!

    wow, two or three cheat meals and a day of drinking?? that can really reverse any progress that you've made during the week.

    i'd advise you to skip the cheat meals all together. that doesn't mean eat chicken breast, rice, and broccoli for every meal, but instead just count calories for every meal, including when you go out. that means looking at the menu for the place you're going and entering it in your diary before you eat.

    instead of a "day of drinking" which i'm going to assume is an exaggeration, but still accurate, i'd suggest that you count your drinks as well, and maybe even regularly drink alcohol. a glass or two of wine (6 ounces) can really help you out mentally and physically. and regular moderate drinking can prevent you from a day or night of binge drinking.

    Yes, I am very bad about weekends. I think since I did so good during the week I deserve a treat and end up over indulging and get upset with myself and just say screw it for the weekend. Your reply really hit home that it is crazy that I am indulging that much and losing my progress that i worked for! Day of drinking is a exaggeration as well. I might drink 6 beers on a Saturday but not an all day drinking. LOL

    um, six beers on saturday isn't anything to haphazardly dismiss...

    i'm going to assume you drink Bud Light, the #1 most common beer drank in america. at 110 calories a bottle, thats 660 calories. your diary is set for a little over 1400 calories... well, you just drank almost half your days calories, on top of the cheat meals for that day.

    alcohol can add up very VERY quickly.
  • PaigeWright17
    PaigeWright17 Posts: 9 Member
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    tiffanylacourse wrote: »
    I (personally) think you should make sure you're meeting your calorie goal before you start worrying about the macros. One step at a time. ;)

    I redid my calories based on myfitnesspals recomendations! We will see how this goes :)
  • CrossfitOCRunner
    CrossfitOCRunner Posts: 61 Member
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    so, the basic calories-in, calories-out formula is really the basic rule. your goal needs to slide as you lose weight. but food quality, macros, nutrient timing all matter as well, just to a lesser degree. I am a runner so I totally understand. the new rules to marathon and half marathon nutrition by matt fitzgerald has a chapter on race weight which is great. and balancing/timing carbs for performance. I am a mix of that and eat to perform as I am crossfit and endurance. I highly recommend filling up on veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats. as an endurance athlete, it takes time to become fat adapted, but you will become increasingly more efficient at burning fat for fuel. we can talk training, but generally running and carb hunger go together. I cant discern enough from your diary, but if you want to tell me or start logging all, I can help. HIIT, intervals, circuits are great. they have an afterburn effect and can really help your fitness. you may need to dial in the cheats and focus on overall energy expenditure as well as food quality. and you can weight train without gaining weight, using the right weights and rep schemes. resistance training with low rest times can really torch some fat. plateaus can be a tough nut to crack, but many of us have been there and are happy to help. keep working!! shock that body. and honestly, if you have been going hard on the exercise, consider a couple of rest days. there is a lot at play, but the more details the better, and the more I can be of help.
    PaigeWright17 wrote: »
    DanPellegrino wrote: »
    what kind of exercise are you doing? a cheat day can help if you are strict the other days. it just cant be egregious. you said "....AND maybe a day of drinking." which is vague but there could be something there. You could be at the lowest weight with your current program and need to dial it in. Your body may have also adapted if you've been doing the same things for 5 months. Comment about your exercise. Upping or changing your energy expenditure is a great way to bust through a plateau. You can only restrict so many calories, and that alone can be counter productive. If you have a public diary, I will take a look. or if it is friends only, we can be friends if you like. I'm happy to help.

    Is it true that as long as i stay within my calorie range i will lose weight or do i need to eat more protien, less carbs and more veggies to lose the weight? I have heard both ways and by looking at your profile you have lost a significant amount of weight and know what your doing it looks like!

  • CrossfitOCRunner
    CrossfitOCRunner Posts: 61 Member
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    and yes, I've lost a good bit of weight. I've played the game over the years, but im getting old enough that I need to stop playing and stay at my goal weight for life. I can certainly help you lose if that's the goal. im also an endurance athlete if you need help from that perspective. I do a lot of running, as well as other activities. Feel free to message me and I will def try to keep up with this thread.
  • Rick_Nelson81
    Rick_Nelson81 Posts: 205 Member
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    One cheat meal can ruin your entire week of hard work. Think of it in these terms if you will, working out will either earn you extra weight loss OR and extra meal, not both. "Wise man say, man who chase both rabbit AND duck deserve neither, lose both." ;)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,698 Member
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    If you're NOT consistent (that includes weekends) then it's NOT a plateau. You're basically eating at maintenance. YOU get to decide how to do your weekends, so if you want to keep losing weight, then you need to discipline yourself on the weekends.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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  • Scamd83
    Scamd83 Posts: 808 Member
    edited March 2016
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    So that weight loss plateau is actually six beers and 2-3 cheat meals, another mystery solved on MFP. You can take a weekend off from dieting but sadly the body doesn't take a day off from storing excess energy. If it did I'd be eating all of the things. Sounds like you need to decide if you're happy with your weight and just enjoy those cheat meals and beers or cut that down to one cheat meal and 1-2 beers and lose more. Great thing is, it's entirely your choice, enjoy the one you go with.

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