More plateau advice
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Hey There! Not much advice to add beyond what's already been said, but I noticed back in the thread that you said you couldn't cut dairy because you don't eat red meat and can't get enough protein. I'm lactose intolerant so I can't really have much dairy, and choose not to eat a lot of red meat because i can't fit the fat content into my macros. I thought I'd share some of the lean, portable, protein rich foods I've found on this journey. You may find cutting dairy to be beneficial briefly, as it is sometimes one of those calorie bombs that, if incorrectly logged, can screw you up- especially with all of the sugar in milk products. I can eat 150g protein a day+ without ever touching red meat or a dairy product:
Tasty, portable and protein rich: Turkey pepperoni, surimi, smoked salmon, canned tuna, lunch meat, oscar mayer carving board meat, tyson frozen chicken strips, purdue refrigerated chicken strips, turkey jerky, hardboiled eggs, almonds, whey protein, beans, spinach, edamame.0 -
I jumped back..
OP you had this same thing happen a little less than a year ago.. You lost 60 pounds by November and experienced a stall at that loss, did you loose only 10 more pounds in 9 months?
I get now why no opening of the diary. this thread a carbon copy of the one below.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10291939/dealing-with-plateaus/p1
I really cannot fathom.. if by chance you have only lost 10 more pounds why you waited however many months before trying to work it out. I am a little confused now.
I am gonna back out and say good luck with all of this.
Yes. This is the same issue. And I didn't wait to trying and work it out. I have stated multiple times I have been back and forth to a nutritionist trying different things, none which have worked.Maxematics wrote: »carnivalnights wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »I understand your frustration - I've had some long plateaus as well and was never able to get useful advice from other MFP users, nor from doctors. A true plateau is similar to what you described... there are fluctuations, but despite eating at a deficit, you are not losing weight. Likewise, eating at a surplus will not cause you to gain weight.
My suggestion is to first find out for certain that you are in a true plateau and that you are not eating at maintenance inadvertently (as many previous comments suggest). To determine this, increase calorie intake significantly for the next 3-4 weeks. Don't change anything else (especially workouts / CO). If possible, increase by 2K calories per day. If you're eating at maintenance today (i.e. your BMR is miscalculated to be higher than it really is), then you should start gaining weight quickly. If you are in a true plateau, on the other hand, your weight will not significantly change. You will notice greater day-to-day fluctuations, but it will fluctuate up and down around the same number. Once you have either confirmed you are in a true plateau or found that your BMR is miscalculated, then you can take the next step.
During my longest plateau (5 months), I did the above for 6 weeks and started by increasing calories on average about 3K per day - ended up about 500 over as I gradually decreased the surplus (due to unrelated reasons, I became more satisfied with less food). Weight didn't change, except daily fluctuations became larger. There was even a point where my weight increased 9 lbs. within less than 4 hours. But since I was hovering around the same weight, I could confidently say that I was in a true plateau (because a sharp CI increase did not lead to sustained weight gain, just as a deficit was not resulting in a sustained weight loss).
Thank you for this insight. My calories are currently at 1500 and I usually don't even eat that, so I highly doubt I could manage increasing by 2000 per day. I just literally can't eat that much (nor can I afford to money-wise, haha)! :P Wish there was an easier way to determine this.
I'm not advocating you even think about eating 2000 calories, but I just want to say you'd be surprised. I'm 5'3" and 108 pounds; I have to eat 2000+ to even maintain my weight. That being said, there is really something quite odd if you're eating less than 1500 calories every day and not losing, especially with exercise.
Well, everyone here is saying to decrease so somehow less than 1500 is somehow still too much! I don't really get it either. I know if I decrease I will be hungry like I was before (which is why the nutritionist thinks my body went into starvation mode, which is why she said I may have stopped losing weight).0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »So just to clarify, OP, since your thread in 2015 and when you stopped losing weight 5-6 months ago, how much weight have you lost?
There doesn't seem to be a way to go back that far in the reports so I don't know. Apparently there's a way to export the data from the beginning but that's for premium users only.0 -
I was in your shoes not too long ago except I lost and regained the same 3-4 lbs for 7-8 months. I did everything right, worked out more, ate less but nothing. Not even inches.
The ONLY thing that has helped me was Intermittent Fasting. I eat all my meals within an 8 hour window and fast for 16 hours. Some people think it's hard to go without food for 16 hours, but if you have dinner at 7 and wake up at 6, that's already 11 hours. I eat between 11-7 or 12-8 and losing about 6 lbs a month. There are several variations of IF, so look into this and see what may work for you.
Interesting - sounds exactly what I am going through. I'll read up on that. Doesn't sound entirely healthy, but at this point I am willing to try anything DIFFERENT (except drugs, lol). I've gone that long without food before; I can do it. Thanks for your input and I will do some reading.0 -
I'm sure I will get some negative feedback for this but I appreciate the source and this may help...
https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/truth-about-metabolic-damage
https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/blog/fat-loss/metabolic-damage/
I will give them a read! Thank you.0 -
StaciMarie1974 wrote: »One misc thought: as to diary and choosing the right entries. This may seem basic, but do you weigh items raw and use raw entries in the database? Weight changes with cooking due to change in moisture levels so this could be an easy mistake to make.
Such as raw 5 ounces of chicken may be only 3.5 ounces after cooked. If you log 3.5 ounces for a raw database entry, you're logging less than consumed.
Good point! Most of the entries do not specify (meat usually does though). I weigh everything after cooking. Going to pay more attention to the entries and see if I can figure out if it's raw or cooked.0 -
carnivalnights wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »One misc thought: as to diary and choosing the right entries. This may seem basic, but do you weigh items raw and use raw entries in the database? Weight changes with cooking due to change in moisture levels so this could be an easy mistake to make.
Such as raw 5 ounces of chicken may be only 3.5 ounces after cooked. If you log 3.5 ounces for a raw database entry, you're logging less than consumed.
Good point! Most of the entries do not specify (meat usually does though). I weigh everything after cooking. Going to pay more attention to the entries and see if I can figure out if it's raw or cooked.
This is part of the problem then. All meat must be weighed prior to cooking. Same with pasta, rice, oats, etc. Every time this happens, you're logging at least 100 calories less than you actually ate.2 -
Good luck on finding the source of your plateau OP. A few days ago I posted a similar thread asking for help as I haven't lost or gained an ounce since July 2.
I like you am a strict logger and am flummoxed as to why the weight has stopped coming off?
They say I'm not in a deficit but eating at maintenance, well only time will tell the truth.
I have increased my calories daily by 100 a day since last week until I get to what is supposed to be my maintenance calories.
I will monitor any fat gaines accordingly and continue religiously weighing and logging everything. I am effectively taking a diet break albeit structured.
I'm not throwing in the towel as my health depends upon my losing more weight.
One tip I can offer that no one has said.
I would go into your dairy and "clean house".
What I did was get rid of all of my often used diary entries and start from scratch.
Since Mfp lets you save your frequently used foods we really dont have to do anything but click on a entry.
Depending on how long we've been logging and dieting month, weeks, years those entries may have changed.
I essentially manually log everything until I've seen the entry is accurate and most importantly current in the USDA, OR FOR you CANADIAN database.
Lastly You say your still using spoons to measure oils? Do you weigh the oil on the food scale with the spoon? Oils are very calorie-dense and can be inaccurate if not weighed.
Good luck again and keep up the fight!
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I just want to reiterate what others are saying- if you are truly eating at a deficit, you will lose weight.
Increasing calories to lose more weight is never the answer (it will only slow down your rate of loss).
In the end, you have to be honest with yourself and how you're doing things- it's not us you have to impress, it's not us you have to prove anything to.
Re-evaluate that "not too extreme" weekly meal (you might be surprised at how many calories take-out food can contain compared to a home-cooked version), pick apart how you are weighing and calculating calories, make sure nothing is slipping through the cracks. Since no one else can see your diary, you're going to have to do that for yourself. It is very easy to wipe out a deficit with a slip-up day.
I hope I'm not coming off as brash- I'm just trying to be straightforward since it seems like there are some missing pieces to the overall situation and it's hard to give very specific advice without diary information (which I respect your decision to keep it private- mine is private also- just know this is just about the only advice anyone can give without that info at hand).
You're not coming off as brash. On the days I eat out, I plan for them. I eat less during the day so that I don't go over my calories. I eat at the same few places all the time (boring, I know) and use their nutritional data on their website. When I say not too extreme, I mean I am eating something around 600-700 calories as opposed to 300-400. Frankly, I usually get salads even when I eat out (which can be high depending on where you go but not usually the restaurants I frequent). But this all matters very little because I am still within my calories because I plan ahead and I track those meals out. I'm not cheating myself out of weight loss by not being honest with myself, believe me. No point after coming this far.0 -
Reducing the carbs, more veggies and protein packed meals instead. I found empty carbs like bread, rice and pasta to be least helpful and once I decreased the amounts I ate per week the scale moved. Also if you are adding alcohol to your diet then try to only do that in moderation once or twice a week if at all. That also helps. I add carbonated water to my wine which cut the intake substantially. Lots of luck with whatever you try
Agreed entirely! I cut out almost all pasta and I limit bread and rice. For sure carbs are dangerous for me. I am trying like crazy to keep my protein up. It's very hard for me because I don't have a lot of options (I don't eat red meat and have to be careful with things like beans, let's say, because of the carbs, and eggs, let's say, because of calories - it's all a fine balance, haha). But it's something I have really worked on the last year and I am leaps and bounds from where I was. I was B12 deficient and required supplements before I started this weight loss journey and now I am not.
I don't drink alcohol (thankfully!). I could see losing a load of calories there. :P
Thank you so much for your input!0 -
carnivalnights wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »One misc thought: as to diary and choosing the right entries. This may seem basic, but do you weigh items raw and use raw entries in the database? Weight changes with cooking due to change in moisture levels so this could be an easy mistake to make.
Such as raw 5 ounces of chicken may be only 3.5 ounces after cooked. If you log 3.5 ounces for a raw database entry, you're logging less than consumed.
Good point! Most of the entries do not specify (meat usually does though). I weigh everything after cooking. Going to pay more attention to the entries and see if I can figure out if it's raw or cooked.
As I said twice - guaranteed it's your problem.2 -
Maxematics wrote: »carnivalnights wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »One misc thought: as to diary and choosing the right entries. This may seem basic, but do you weigh items raw and use raw entries in the database? Weight changes with cooking due to change in moisture levels so this could be an easy mistake to make.
Such as raw 5 ounces of chicken may be only 3.5 ounces after cooked. If you log 3.5 ounces for a raw database entry, you're logging less than consumed.
Good point! Most of the entries do not specify (meat usually does though). I weigh everything after cooking. Going to pay more attention to the entries and see if I can figure out if it's raw or cooked.
This is part of the problem then. All meat must be weighed prior to cooking. Same with pasta, rice, oats, etc. Every time this happens, you're logging at least 100 calories less than you actually ate.
Does the actual makeup of foods like rice and oats change when you boil it in water? What accounts for the additional 100 calories? Does dry rice weigh less than rice that's been cooked?
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Maxematics wrote: »carnivalnights wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »One misc thought: as to diary and choosing the right entries. This may seem basic, but do you weigh items raw and use raw entries in the database? Weight changes with cooking due to change in moisture levels so this could be an easy mistake to make.
Such as raw 5 ounces of chicken may be only 3.5 ounces after cooked. If you log 3.5 ounces for a raw database entry, you're logging less than consumed.
Good point! Most of the entries do not specify (meat usually does though). I weigh everything after cooking. Going to pay more attention to the entries and see if I can figure out if it's raw or cooked.
This is part of the problem then. All meat must be weighed prior to cooking. Same with pasta, rice, oats, etc. Every time this happens, you're logging at least 100 calories less than you actually ate.
Does the actual makeup of foods like rice and oats change when you boil it in water? What accounts for the additional 100 calories? Does dry rice weigh less than rice that's been cooked?
Rice absorbs water when cooked and water is heavy. Rice and pasta general double in weight when cooked (depending on the cook time). That water doesn't add more calories to the rice, but it sure changes how much it weighs.4 -
Maxematics wrote: »carnivalnights wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »One misc thought: as to diary and choosing the right entries. This may seem basic, but do you weigh items raw and use raw entries in the database? Weight changes with cooking due to change in moisture levels so this could be an easy mistake to make.
Such as raw 5 ounces of chicken may be only 3.5 ounces after cooked. If you log 3.5 ounces for a raw database entry, you're logging less than consumed.
Good point! Most of the entries do not specify (meat usually does though). I weigh everything after cooking. Going to pay more attention to the entries and see if I can figure out if it's raw or cooked.
This is part of the problem then. All meat must be weighed prior to cooking. Same with pasta, rice, oats, etc. Every time this happens, you're logging at least 100 calories less than you actually ate.
Does the actual makeup of foods like rice and oats change when you boil it in water? What accounts for the additional 100 calories? Does dry rice weigh less than rice that's been cooked?
The entries say "cooked." That's what I am using for meat. It depends what the entry says. If it says cooked, I am not going to use one that says raw when I'm weighing it cooked.0 -
I say keep everything the same but add a brisk one hour walk every day. Best of luck.2
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ummijaaz560 wrote: »Good luck on finding the source of your plateau OP. A few days ago I posted a similar thread asking for help as I haven't lost or gained an ounce since July 2.
I like you am a strict logger and am flummoxed as to why the weight has stopped coming off?
They say I'm not in a deficit but eating at maintenance, well only time will tell the truth.
I have increased my calories daily by 100 a day since last week until I get to what is supposed to be my maintenance calories.
I will monitor any fat gaines accordingly and continue religiously weighing and logging everything. I am effectively taking a diet break albeit structured.
I'm not throwing in the towel as my health depends upon my losing more weight.
One tip I can offer that no one has said.
I would go into your dairy and "clean house".
What I did was get rid of all of my often used diary entries and start from scratch.
Since Mfp lets you save your frequently used foods we really dont have to do anything but click on a entry.
Depending on how long we've been logging and dieting month, weeks, years those entries may have changed.
I essentially manually log everything until I've seen the entry is accurate and most importantly current in the USDA, OR FOR you CANADIAN database.
Lastly You say your still using spoons to measure oils? Do you weigh the oil on the food scale with the spoon? Oils are very calorie-dense and can be inaccurate if not weighed.
Good luck again and keep up the fight!
That's a really good tip! I will do a clear out.1 -
OP, how tall are you and what is your current weight? I'm asking because the calories given by MFP to lose weight are based on height and current weight. Your 1500 calories may be too much depending on your height.0
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hjlourenshj wrote: »If you are not loosing weight then you are not in a deficit. Its THAT simple. Ask yourself why you are not in a deficit and do something about it
Um, I'm trying to. That's why I'm here. I'm going by what my deficit was calulated to be and if it's not accurate that is not my fault and I need to know why and how to go about makingmaking a more accurate one. No need to be rude. I love how so many people say they're here to help and yet I've been spoken to disrespectfully by many here.0 -
I would concentrate on strength building. Lean muscle is the engine that burns calories. Your body has hit an equilibrium where it is happy with what you are giving it calorie wise. Building muscle will increase your metabolism greatly. Many women are afraid of bulking up, but most women don't have the ability to get huge muscles. You have lost a lot of muscle mass in your weight loss. It's time to get it back and increase your metabolism.3
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carnivalnights wrote: »hjlourenshj wrote: »If you are not loosing weight then you are not in a deficit. Its THAT simple. Ask yourself why you are not in a deficit and do something about it
Um, I'm trying to. That's why I'm here. I'm going by what my deficit was calulated to be and if it's not accurate that is not my fault and I need to know why and how to go about makingmaking a more accurate one. No need to be rude. I love how so many people say they're here to help and yet I've been spoken to disrespectfully by many here.
Just because people have asked you questions you find uncomfortable and haven't agreed that you're a special snowflake does not mean anyone has been 'disrespectful'.4
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