Plateaus Disrupted metabolism and useless Drs.
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ummijaaz560
Posts: 228 Member
I am having a tough time in this weight loss game right now. I have been tracking and logging on mfp for 139 days as of today.
I have lost 26.4 pounds using mfp and 4 pounds before I started logging. I am 5'3 female and want to lose another 30lbs getting near 115lbs.
Since July 2 I have consistently weighed in at 145.6lbs. The scale has not budged an ounce since that date. I have recalculated my new weight every 10lbs and was set at 1370 calories a day by mfp.
I weigh every single thing that passes my mouth, while checking that my food entries are accurate. During June and July I have been fasting Ramadan. During this time I would eat at 3:30 am and again at 8:30 pm.
As the fast progressed I could hardly ever eat all of my calories for the day. I would get full and eat dinner but not much else.
So for a while I would net around 800-1000 calories. I just couldn't eat anymore than this.
I couldn't continue my strength training program due to a bad back, so I will ride my stationary bike for 60-90 minutes a day.
Two days ago I went to my Dr.asking for help to get my digestive system moving again, as I'm now not having bowel movements. I asked for dietary help from a dietitian but got handed a nutritionist appointment instead?
I am not well versed in how Adaptive Thermogenesis works. From reading every googable study I could, I feel like I fit the bill to a T.
I have been busting my behind trying to get the scale to move again, and briefly dropped my calories to 1200 for a week to see any movement.
Nothing is working. I have maintained this exact weight to the ounce for 24 days.
I am now, for 2 days eating 1610 calories, mfp says I will lose 0.5 lbs a week on this.
I'm not sure what else to do?
If I am wrong and have not screwed up my metabolism I will jump for joy.
Opinions and help are greatly appreciated.
I have lost 26.4 pounds using mfp and 4 pounds before I started logging. I am 5'3 female and want to lose another 30lbs getting near 115lbs.
Since July 2 I have consistently weighed in at 145.6lbs. The scale has not budged an ounce since that date. I have recalculated my new weight every 10lbs and was set at 1370 calories a day by mfp.
I weigh every single thing that passes my mouth, while checking that my food entries are accurate. During June and July I have been fasting Ramadan. During this time I would eat at 3:30 am and again at 8:30 pm.
As the fast progressed I could hardly ever eat all of my calories for the day. I would get full and eat dinner but not much else.
So for a while I would net around 800-1000 calories. I just couldn't eat anymore than this.
I couldn't continue my strength training program due to a bad back, so I will ride my stationary bike for 60-90 minutes a day.
Two days ago I went to my Dr.asking for help to get my digestive system moving again, as I'm now not having bowel movements. I asked for dietary help from a dietitian but got handed a nutritionist appointment instead?
I am not well versed in how Adaptive Thermogenesis works. From reading every googable study I could, I feel like I fit the bill to a T.
I have been busting my behind trying to get the scale to move again, and briefly dropped my calories to 1200 for a week to see any movement.
Nothing is working. I have maintained this exact weight to the ounce for 24 days.
I am now, for 2 days eating 1610 calories, mfp says I will lose 0.5 lbs a week on this.
I'm not sure what else to do?
If I am wrong and have not screwed up my metabolism I will jump for joy.
Opinions and help are greatly appreciated.
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Replies
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Every time I plateau, it is because I am not eating enough calories. I have a desk job and work out 5 days a week and eat around 1600-1800 calories a day. When you start to build muscle, you need more calories, so try upping it a little bit. I did the same thing as you and reading this changed my whole perspective.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/931670/bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide/p1
Hope this helps!2 -
I have increased my calories to 1610 a day, I hope this is the answer. My Dr. Told me its normal to plateau and it happens to everyone who diets, is this true?0
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Also I know weight loss is not linear, I will be patient as this is a lifestyle change.0
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If you aren't having bowl movements that weight is still sitting in you. Once things get moving again you should drop a bunch of weight quickly.9
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Goodness I haven't even thought that not having a bowel movement could do this?
I went from going normal (for me) once a day, to once every week with the assistance of laxative tea.0 -
Please change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
Swap out Sugar or Sodium for Fiber. I'd like to see how much Fiber you are eating. Moving forward, ensure you hit your Fiber target daily.
When you asked for an appt with a dietititian and got a nutritionist instead, what did you say? This is all your doctor said about your lack of bowel movements?0 -
3-4 weeks for no scale movement could easily be water weight from one cause or another. BUT the lack of bowel movements, in your case, is the more obvious cause. Fiber can help get things 'going' again. I personally don't recall the difference between dietician and nutritionist, but I think one has more education/degrees/certifications than the other?2
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Basic dietary ideas I have seen for getting things moving again is more fiber, more fat, and more water. If your doctor isn't helping you with this issue you should consider seeing another one.
It's possible the lack of bowel movement, water retention from exercise, or something else is causing your weight to plateau. However, have you checked to make sure your scale is working correctly? The exact same reading to the ounce for so many days could indicate an issue with the scale. Sometimes scales seem to get "stuck" at a certain weight for some reason. This happened to me once. After seeing exactly the same weight every morning for over week (never happens) I tried stepping on the scale while holding my cat (other suggestions I have seen are a heavy book, free weight, or have another person use the scale) to force a different weight. When I stepped on again without the cat I finally saw a different number and went back to the scale reading daily fluctuations. You may also want to try changing the batteries.1 -
Basic dietary ideas I have seen for getting things moving again is more fiber, more fat, and more water. If your doctor isn't helping you with this issue you should consider seeing another one.
It's possible the lack of bowel movement, water retention from exercise, or something else is causing your weight to plateau. However, have you checked to make sure your scale is working correctly? The exact same reading to the ounce for so many days could indicate an issue with the scale. Sometimes scales seem to get "stuck" at a certain weight for some reason. This happened to me once. After seeing exactly the same weight every morning for over week (never happens) I tried stepping on the scale while holding my cat (other suggestions I have seen are a heavy book, free weight, or have another person use the scale) to force a different weight. When I stepped on again without the cat I finally saw a different number and went back to the scale reading daily fluctuations. You may also want to try changing the batteries.
A lot of the newer digital scales purposely show the same exact weight as the last reading if the newer reading is within a certain amount of ounces as the last one. They do this so people don't step on the scale several times in a row and get different results. Rather than use a cat (I don't have one and it's hard to see the scale holding a 40 or 65 pound dog) I step on the scale with only one foot and get a reading around 15-20 pounds. Then I restart the scale and step on it again. I'll usually then see a reading .2 or .4 away from the original reading.2 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »3-4 weeks for no scale movement could easily be water weight from one cause or another. BUT the lack of bowel movements, in your case, is the more obvious cause. Fiber can help get things 'going' again. I personally don't recall the difference between dietician and nutritionist, but I think one has more education/degrees/certifications than the other?
@StaciMarie1974 Certainly in the UK a dietician is a 'protetcted' occupation. If you call yourself a dietician you have to be one. it's degree-level education. https://www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/WhatIsDietitian.pdf
A nutritionist doesn't really MEAN anything. While there are good well educated people there is no body or minimum requirements.
Dr Ben Goldacre (whose writing I would reccomend to all) Managed to get his DEAD CAT registered to the Americal Association of Nutritional Consultants.
http://www.badscience.net/2007/02/ms-gillian-mckeith-banned-from-calling-herself-a-doctor/
P.S. Sorry for derailing but the question was asked. @ummijaaz560 you seem to know what to do, there are plenty of people who give better advice than me.0 -
Movicol will help get you going but try and find a more natural diet based way to go as the more you use laxatives the lazier your bowel becomes.0
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Thanks for your help. I opened my diary for whomever wants to take a look. I recently stepped on my scale holding two barbell plates weighing 25lbs total.
The scale said I weighed 161.2 I was confused because it should have said 10lbs more accounting for my clothes worn?
I also weighed the barbell plates and the weighed 25.2 lbs?0 -
ummijaaz560 wrote: »Goodness I haven't even thought that not having a bowel movement could do this?
I went from going normal (for me) once a day, to once every week with the assistance of laxative tea.
I'd be more concerned with the BM since you're used to going once a day and now have to use help to go every week. How's your fat, fibre, and hydration going? A balance of all three should get things moving. For me, I need more fat when I'm not going "on time". I agree that once you poop "regularly", the weight will come off as usual.1 -
I will try to drink more water and get more dark leafy greens in my diet. I will try to limit the use of the laxatives for now on.0
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ummijaaz560 wrote: »I will try to drink more water and get more dark leafy greens in my diet. I will try to limit the use of the laxatives for now on.
Laxatives have their use, but if you're at the point you're using them constantly, you may have other issues you need to get checked out. Upping fiber and water intake will help as well. You can also try the fiber one brownies, that's what I do for breakfast. Low calorie, high fiber, and very very tasty. There's other fiber bars/brownies/breakfast things in the cereal aisle, so maybe look through those and see if there's something you want to fit into your day.
As for the calories, have you recalculated since losing weight? I hit a plateau, then realized that I actually needed a little less calories because I didn't need as many to function without that extra weight. Recalculating gave me a lower number (not a big change, but a change none the less), which got things going again.1 -
Listen to Dr. Jason Fung's lecture series The Aetiology of Obesity on Youtube. I know. I know. Lectures are boring, BUT he is 100% worth listening to. What I do is play some sort of solitary game and let the lecture play in the background. I've injested TONS of info doing this.0
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ummijaaz560 wrote: »I will try to drink more water and get more dark leafy greens in my diet. I will try to limit the use of the laxatives for now on.
Laxatives have their use, but if you're at the point you're using them constantly, you may have other issues you need to get checked out. Upping fiber and water intake will help as well. You can also try the fiber one brownies, that's what I do for breakfast. Low calorie, high fiber, and very very tasty. There's other fiber bars/brownies/breakfast things in the cereal aisle, so maybe look through those and see if there's something you want to fit into your day.
As for the calories, have you recalculated since losing weight? I hit a plateau, then realized that I actually needed a little less calories because I didn't need as many to function without that extra weight. Recalculating gave me a lower number (not a big change, but a change none the less), which got things going again.
Yes I have recalculated my calories every 10lbs.
I will try the fiber one brownies. The laxatives aren't even working, so I'm drinking prune juice now. The Dr. Prescribed me a new laxative thats supposed to work better than the miralax, dont know if I want to even take anymore laxatives.
I have an appointment with a G I specialist in 2 weeks.0 -
Bran flakes could be helpful too.0
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ummijaaz560 wrote: »ummijaaz560 wrote: »I will try to drink more water and get more dark leafy greens in my diet. I will try to limit the use of the laxatives for now on.
Laxatives have their use, but if you're at the point you're using them constantly, you may have other issues you need to get checked out. Upping fiber and water intake will help as well. You can also try the fiber one brownies, that's what I do for breakfast. Low calorie, high fiber, and very very tasty. There's other fiber bars/brownies/breakfast things in the cereal aisle, so maybe look through those and see if there's something you want to fit into your day.
As for the calories, have you recalculated since losing weight? I hit a plateau, then realized that I actually needed a little less calories because I didn't need as many to function without that extra weight. Recalculating gave me a lower number (not a big change, but a change none the less), which got things going again.
Yes I have recalculated my calories every 10lbs.
I will try the fiber one brownies. The laxatives aren't even working, so I'm drinking prune juice now. The Dr. Prescribed me a new laxative thats supposed to work better than the miralax, dont know if I want to even take anymore laxatives.
I have an appointment with a G I specialist in 2 weeks.
If you have an impacted colon, you may need more than just a laxative. And it's NOT fun. Voice of Experience. >< But you can ask your specialist about it when you see them.
Prune juice never worked well for me, what worked best when I was a kid was that powdered fiber you add to drinks. Not a laxative, but just powdered fiber. Mix it in with some OJ and you can't even taste it. That might be an option to try as well.
I will also say that when I first started the brownies, they were so good I had several in a day. That's a mistake you only make once! XD But just the one in the mornings helps me out a lot, so that might be something to consider adding even after things are clear.1 -
eveandqsmom wrote: »Bran flakes could be helpful too.
I'm willing to try those, thank you!
If my sticking to the deficit for the the next 6 weeks doesnt move the scale I will just eat at maintenance and take a diet break for a while.2
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