Plateau after adding light exercise Help!

grancienancie
grancienancie Posts: 6 Member
in Motivation and Support
Since the beginning of the year I have added three days of activity classes - what I call Senior Marching, which is stretching, 4pound weights, walking to music - pretty easy movement for a total of a little more than an hour twice a week. And Qi gong, which is also basically stretching, for about 100 minutes. Plus I am getting close to the basic fitness level of 10 flights of stairs and 10000steps a day.
I left my fitness level at "sedentary" and that sets my calorie goal (1 pound loss/week) at just under 1600/day. I have been pretty consistent on staying at a calorie deficit food wise without adding back the new exercise calories. I basically am stuck in a three pound loop plateau since before Christmas - and it's the middle of March!
If I change MFP to "mildly active", my calorie goal increases to about 1800. I am comfortable at 1600. I eat real food, weigh and measure my portions, and am honest with my reportage.
I am so frustrated! Over the years I have gone from a high of 317 to a few years at 275 to my current weight of 230 at age 67. My goal weight is 167. (My doc says 155, but we shall see :) )
Has anyone figured out what to do to crack a plateau without going on some cockamamie diet or overdoing exercise and hurting myself back into sedentary? I would appreciate some sound advice; frustration is definitely a Bad Guy!

Replies

  • justjennnnn
    justjennnnn Posts: 33 Member
    I can relate to your frustration. I reached my goal weight last September, gained a few pounds over the winter months, and decided to go back to the gym to shed those extra pounds. Wouldn't you know it? I gained a couple more pounds and have developed this insatiable snacking habit because of exerting extra energy! My advice to you serves as my own mantra as well: Just stick with it. Weight loss is not linear, and as long as you are completely honest with yourself and stay consistent, change will come. Hang in there!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    If you aren't losing, you aren't in a deficit. You'll most likely need to tighten up your logging. This may include making sure every morsel of food/drop of liquid you consume is accounted for, using a food scale to weigh all solids/cups to measure liquids, ensuring the entries you use from the database are accurate and utilizing the recipe builder instead of homemade/generic entries, or being mindful of exercise calories burned and only eating some of them back, if you eat them at all.
  • grancienancie
    grancienancie Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you. I will be more mindful.
  • gretchenzg
    gretchenzg Posts: 8 Member
    I'm on a plateau too! I've been trying to lose ten pounds since the beginning of the year. At first half-heartedly, but since March 1 I'm fully committed. However my weight remains about the same no matter how little I eat and how much I exercise. I'm following the same plan I did when I lost ten pounds a year ago. One thing is different, I switched from red wine to white. Couple glasses each night. Could that be it?
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    You could try dropping your calories down to 1500.

    As you lose weight, you get less to eat. Unfortunately.

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