More plateau advice
Options
Replies
-
carnivalnights wrote: »How did you adjust your macros? I would up protein significantly, cut out any foods that could lead to inflammation to see if they have that effect on you (I cut out dairy, gluten, added sugar - I also cut out most packaged foods because I'm allergic to a preservative in many of them). And weight train. I'm down about 80 pounds depending on the day.
I was told by my nutritionist to decrease carbs and up protein, but that didn't seem to help. I have done that for about a month or so with no difference in loss. Because I don't eat red meat, I actually can't cut out something like dairy because it's where I get a lot of my protein (eggs, yogurt, etc.) but thank you for the tip. I could try gluten! You never know. I don't eat any packaged foods either. Congrats on your 80!
Could there be any chance that you could be drinking some of your calories? I know some people can drink adult beverages while dieting, but it can cause others to stall.0 -
carnivalnights wrote: »LaceyBirds wrote: »carnivalnights wrote: »LaceyBirds wrote: »In case you missed my question:LaceyBirds wrote: »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.
Had to leave the forums yesterday for a period; was not ignoring you, sorry. Not comfortable posting my weight here. The calorie intake numbers were derived from a registered dietician based on her calculations. I've stated elsewhere in this thread, when using a regular weight loss calculator, the calories for my height and weight say to eat something obscene like 2000-3000 calories, which I am obviously not going to be doing for weight loss. So I have never been able to go by the average any sites calculate for me, including MFP. I saw a nutritionist fairly soon after I started using MFP and we changed the calories and macros after my first session because she said they were off. That's how I arrived at 1500, not from a calculator or MFP.
However, after everything in this thread, despite having negative results lowering my calories before, I am going to try that again and see what happens. The timing of this plateau is when I lowered my calories before, shortly after - that's when my weight loss got to a standstill. So I am hesitant but at this point it doesn't matter because the weight loss isn't happening now either!
How tall are you though? It matters.
I'll just say that whatever your nutritionist is telling you is obviously not working at all. So, in my opinion, you should throw out what she told you and start anew here. I cannot believe that MFP would give you anything like 2 to 3 thousand calories to eat. Plug your numbers in here, and go with what MFP tells you. Do what everybody suggested, weigh, not measure, all your foods, all of them. Log every single bite and sip every single day. No cheat days - plan for and incorporate a treat into your daily calorie goal. By now, you should have a pretty good handle on what you can eat at that restaurant you go to weekly - pick the one that appears to be the lowest calorie choice, pre-log it and adjust your calories that day to accommodate it. This has worked for me, and it's worked for many, many others - it should work for you. Best of luck.
5'3".
If you don't believe me, test it out. Any weight loss calculator will give you those calories if you put in a higher number. It was one of the first things I asked people when I started my journey. Who on earth can lose weight eating 3000 calories a day? I'm obviously not a bodybuilder and burning that many lifting at a gym either.
I don't agree with the cheat days. As I stated to someone else, telling someone to eat unrealistically will only lead to weight gain. Believe me, I was one of those people. No take-out, no cheat days, nothing. It was a big mistake. I still want to enjoy my life and that includes eating at a restaurant once in a while. Compared to everyone I know, I eat out VERY little. I stated that I do plan ahead for it and I do not go over my calories even on the days I eat out (which isn't hard when you are getting something like a chicken salad anyway) - so it is not even really a cheat day to begin with. That being said, I still disagree with telling people not to have those days (and the people here who said don't eat out). It's unrealistic.
I will keep doing what I am doing with the restaurant meals, planning ahead as you said. It's worked for me too.
Thanks for telling me your height. I did what you said and input a higher number into MFP and I see what you mean. But, if that is the number it gives you, then I have no idea how you can not be losing weight at 1500 calories. Very odd.
I also don't open my diary because I keep a lot of personal info in it. That said, I haven't asked anybody to help me with my weight loss - if I did, and didn't open my diary, I would understand that people might get frustrated with me.
I usually don't tell people not to do cheat days, but the reason is that I don't agree with calling it "cheating." I think it sets up a bad mindset having to do with "bad" food, which I don't agree with either - I don't think there are bad foods. I too have been eating at restaurants, about once a week or every two weeks - I don't do it that often mainly because I don't have the money to spend. My thought is that it has helped me tremendously to know that I can eat ice cream, pizza and fast food as long as I count it in my daily calories. I have been eating this way most of the time since I joined MFP in April 2015, due to what I've read here, and therefor don't feel hungry or deprived. I agree that you have to do this in a way that is sustainable, and this has worked for me. I just had ice cream last night. I'll have chocolate later on tonight.
Sorry, carnival, that I haven't anything else to add to help you. True, some people can be short on here, but most of those people take a lot of time out of their day to help others here, and meet with resistance a lot, so I understand their position (most of them). You've gotten a lot of good advice here, so I hope that some of it may help you. Who knows, maybe tomorrow you'll wake up and you'll have dropped a pound or two, and the plateau will be over. I'll keep my fingers crossed. 4 -
Is your weight loss goal set for 2 lbs a week? If so, try changing it to 1 lb and see if that might be more beneficial to you.
Also, I'm not sure what your macros look like, so maybe try to increase your protein and reduce your carbs. Try changing your macros to 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat. Try these 2 things for 2-3 weeks and see what happens.0 -
You can try getting a more accurate body fat percentage estimate. Getting a DEXA scan is pretty expensive but the BOD POD is within a reasonable margin of error for body composition. Most of the major universities that have an exercise physiology program will have a BOD POD that can be accessed by the public (the one in my state will do a scan for $50).
The scan will be able to give you a more accurate reading of your fat percentage compared to handheld devices, electrical impedance, and scales. Your estimated TDEE will be assessed from a sedentary standpoint based on your muscle and fat composition.
That will give you far more accuracy for what YOUR calorie intake should be everyday then just the Harris-Benedict equation and MFP calculations. I thought I read you were doing low impact exercises so while you have lost an awesome 70 pounds, you may not have built up much more muscle mass with the exercise routine and your TDEE might be lower than the calculations.0 -
Firstly, it must be very frustrating so well done on sticking with it and don't give up.
I read this recently and found it very interesting (link below).A study on Biggest Loser contestants found that their metabolism after losing weight is significantly lower than might be expected even years after losing weight, which means to maintain they need less calories than usual for someone their size.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html
It may be that for you what MFP sets as a deficit is actually your maintenance level.
Maybe try setting your goal to be maintenance for a few weeks if you start to gain then you'll know that your levels of maintenance/ deficit are lower than MFP calculates (sorry)
I'd also suggest that you take a break from rigid dieting (I'm not saying give up) but maybe set yourself some non-diet goals, like C25K/ 10k/ half marathon or whatever your exercise of choice and make that the focus rather than weight. Keep eating well, and don't go crazy but maybe give yourself (body and mind) some time off from focusing on the scales and set some goals in other areas.
Anyway, hope some of this helps!
0 -
@carnivalnights
just to clarify, I meant 100 calories per day, a week at a time. For instance, if you are eating 1300 now, eat 1400 a day for a week, then 1500 a day for a week, then 1600 a day for a week, etc. you will find your maintenance calories this way, or find your TDEE and do that until you reach it, stay stable for a few weeks or a month and then start dieting again. Please look up reverse dieting and although it refers a lot to bodybuilding, you can use that method to slowly up your calories and let your body have time to adjust as you do it instead of jumping around hundreds of calories a day at a time. As I said your body is smarter than you realize.
As for your current weight, someone did ask, and you did say no to telling them, said you weren't comfortable telling people your weight. In a way, that's understandable, who wants to tell people about something they are not even happy with themselves. It sucks! But... It's also part of getting past this and moving forward. It's part of who you are right now, like it or not. Being as open and honest as possible will help you achieve the best help and the best results. That's just a simple fact. While I don't feel that people on these forums always use the best approach, with this thread I do feel some of the responsibility lies with you. People are guessing and grasping at straws with the little information they have, and I understand why both they and you are feeling frustrated.
4 -
To the OP, I concur with the poster @melissa6771 . Your body likely has settled into a point of Adaptive Thermogenesis. You said you have not now nor ever eaten back any of your exercise calories.
What you've essentially done is lowered your metabolism due to under fueling your body with an excessive calorie deficit. Now I'm not talking about any starvation mode mumbo jumbo.
However you need to look into reverse dieting to increase your bmr. Your body has responded to this very large deficit you have created overtime by being in homeostasis. By not eating back your exercise calories you have probably been eating below your bmr.
You should probably increase your weight lifting exercises and slightly cut back on the cardio, just slightly.
The weight lifting will at least help you keep what muscle you have along with adequate protein intake daily.
By taking a diet break and upping your calories by 100 for a week at a time, along with the strength training you are telling your body to burn more calories at rest.
This process will not happen overnight but if you stay with it you should see the scale move again. Good luck.
0 -
carnivalnights wrote: »How did your nutritionist/RD come up with 1500 calories for you?
It was a long time ago; I can't remember (it did involve my weight, height and I believe my level of activity [desk job] if I am not mistaken). But it was a lot of math! She briefly showed it to me. And she did explain it, I just can't remember because it was complicated. But that is what my program started with and she gave me menu plans, etc. that followed that calorie count (and were in line with the macros we set as well).
This is a long thread, and I keep trying to get to the bottom. If 1500 was the start of your program, and you said you lost lost about 70lbs. Your eating 1500 now then are you sure your calories have been recalculated every 20 or 25 lbs? 0 -
carnivalnights wrote: »How did your nutritionist/RD come up with 1500 calories for you?
It was a long time ago; I can't remember (it did involve my weight, height and I believe my level of activity [desk job] if I am not mistaken). But it was a lot of math! She briefly showed it to me. And she did explain it, I just can't remember because it was complicated. But that is what my program started with and she gave me menu plans, etc. that followed that calorie count (and were in line with the macros we set as well).
This is a long thread, and I keep trying to get to the bottom. If 1500 was the start of your program, and you said you lost lost about 70lbs. Your eating 1500 now then are you sure your calories have been recalculated every 20 or 25 lbs?
Yes but she's got 100lbs left to lose, regardless of anything else she should be losing at 1500 calories. I'm 147lbs and I'm losing eating 1640 cals plus some exercise calories.0 -
I know you've been getting a hard time in here. Sorry about that. That is not helpful.
For me, I stalled out for half of May and June. It was frustrating. I knew I hadn't been getting enough sleep and I was missing something in my diet because I was feeling . . . off. Not sure what it was. May and June had been very stressful. I pushed through, not changing anything and also not seeing results.
So I'm July I backed off. I gave myself a week of doing only what my body felt up to for exercise and eating only what I really wanted. I also made sure I was back to getting 7.5 hours of sleep. Cortisol, that crazy stress hormone, was messing me up and when I slowed down and let things get back to calm, things started moving again.
I'm not saying this is the case for you. But our bodies are so good at protecting us from harm that they'll do anything they can. Maybe somewhere in your routine of the last while, your body has decided it's time to protect you. Maybe it's time to take a step back, take a look at what other healthy thing you can add to your life (a massage? meditation? yoga? a weekend away? more time to read? whatever it looks like) and try resetting things.
I don't know if any of this will help but I sure hope you get what you need to help you move forward. Cheering for you!1 -
Christine_72 wrote: »carnivalnights wrote: »How did your nutritionist/RD come up with 1500 calories for you?
It was a long time ago; I can't remember (it did involve my weight, height and I believe my level of activity [desk job] if I am not mistaken). But it was a lot of math! She briefly showed it to me. And she did explain it, I just can't remember because it was complicated. But that is what my program started with and she gave me menu plans, etc. that followed that calorie count (and were in line with the macros we set as well).
This is a long thread, and I keep trying to get to the bottom. If 1500 was the start of your program, and you said you lost lost about 70lbs. Your eating 1500 now then are you sure your calories have been recalculated every 20 or 25 lbs?
Yes but she's got 100lbs left to lose, regardless of anything else she should be losing at 1500 calories. I'm 147lbs and I'm losing eating 1640 cals plus some exercise calories.
That's true 1500 does sound like a number she should be able to loose with.
Well then the only thing can suggest OP is to try walking during your lunch break, that may help shed some extra calories. Good luck!
0 -
melissa6771 wrote: »@carnivalnights
just to clarify, I meant 100 calories per day, a week at a time. For instance, if you are eating 1300 now, eat 1400 a day for a week, then 1500 a day for a week, then 1600 a day for a week, etc. you will find your maintenance calories this way, or find your TDEE and do that until you reach it, stay stable for a few weeks or a month and then start dieting again. Please look up reverse dieting and although it refers a lot to bodybuilding, you can use that method to slowly up your calories and let your body have time to adjust as you do it instead of jumping around hundreds of calories a day at a time. As I said your body is smarter than you realize.
As for your current weight, someone did ask, and you did say no to telling them, said you weren't comfortable telling people your weight. In a way, that's understandable, who wants to tell people about something they are not even happy with themselves. It sucks! But... It's also part of getting past this and moving forward. It's part of who you are right now, like it or not. Being as open and honest as possible will help you achieve the best help and the best results. That's just a simple fact. While I don't feel that people on these forums always use the best approach, with this thread I do feel some of the responsibility lies with you. People are guessing and grasping at straws with the little information they have, and I understand why both they and you are feeling frustrated.
If the OP is not losing weight, what good does it do to raise her calories? You don't lose weight be increasing calories, you decrease the calories.
She needs to find and correct he logging errors, stay in a deficit, and then she will start losing again.4 -
OP, don't give up. You are doing a great thing with the plateau because you have kept the weight off. I have read articles that suggest that a plateau every 5 or 6 months is good for your body so it can adust to the changes. Your body will likely surprise you with a drop again soon.
You will need to accurately figure out your TDEE for your current height, age, and weight so you don't gain weight back. You may have to watch, input, and weigh everything carefully while in active weight loss. Logging really highlights any problem areas.
Before intermittent fasting (in my case eating within an 8 hour window 11am-7pm) I could see from my previous logs that if I started eating when I first woke up that I was ravenous all day. It started the carb cravings early. Dropping the sugar and flour products by trial and error helped me incredibly. I did have withdrawal-like symptoms for a week, and then soon after that I got a breakthrough.
This may or may not help in your case, but if you have trouble with trigger foods or crave sweets it could help you to try cutting them out and see what happens. It is difficult at first but worth it, IMO.
Edited typo0 -
OP I feel your pain. I stalled out in May after 10 months and a 42-pound loss (181 - 139). I am a little over 5'3." I thought that with summer and my increased activity, less stress, and more sleep (I'm a HS teacher) weight loss would restart....wrong! I'm not as meticulous as you, but I'm still diligent with my logging and deficit on Fitbit. I went on a two-week holiday overseas in June, and I only gained water weight which took a week to rid. Last month I took a 4-day trip to NYC with fit adult daughter with no gain even though I relaxed the diet (no bingeing and had more alcohol than I usually have. I decided to stay "off" the diet when I got back for a total of twelve days, dining out three times. I allowed more pasta and whole grain bread than I normally do and I had two small desserts. My weight has gone up four pounds...mostly water. I dropped 1.5 lb of water weight after one day of my version of clean eating. There is scientific research to support adaptive thermogenesis, although it is scarce. I'll let you know if the weight continues to drop past my previous low.
A work friend of mine had a similar problem to yours and finally changed doctors that finally ran some more specific tests and found that she indeed had a major hormone imbalance even though previous tests showed she was normal. I don't exactly what kind of therapy she was given but she was able to get to her goal weight (she lost 100 lbs).
I normally don't post on this forum (just read), but felt I needed to chime in and lift you up. I really do think your body needs a break....eating at maintenance or even a little more to keep dropping. When I looked back at my food log over the months I found that I inadvertently took short breaks....four emergency flights to FL ...... Where I had to eat a lot of meals out. Amazing thing was I didn't gain and went right on losing when I got back home and the stress subsided.
Don't give up, just take a break. But remember, you need to stay in control on a break as well.
Cheers1 -
^^^ Almost forgot...during my stall I've actually lost inches and comfortably wear a size 6 US in most brands. I can pull off 4s in jeans from a couple of stores.0
-
Is your weight loss goal set for 2 lbs a week? If so, try changing it to 1 lb and see if that might be more beneficial to you.
Also, I'm not sure what your macros look like, so maybe try to increase your protein and reduce your carbs. Try changing your macros to 40% protein, 30% carbs and 30% fat. Try these 2 things for 2-3 weeks and see what happens.
Nope, it's currently set to 1lb. Macros are set at (respectively as you've typed them) 35, 35, 30. Thanks for the tip! I will try changing them up.0 -
carnivalnights wrote: »How did you adjust your macros? I would up protein significantly, cut out any foods that could lead to inflammation to see if they have that effect on you (I cut out dairy, gluten, added sugar - I also cut out most packaged foods because I'm allergic to a preservative in many of them). And weight train. I'm down about 80 pounds depending on the day.
I was told by my nutritionist to decrease carbs and up protein, but that didn't seem to help. I have done that for about a month or so with no difference in loss. Because I don't eat red meat, I actually can't cut out something like dairy because it's where I get a lot of my protein (eggs, yogurt, etc.) but thank you for the tip. I could try gluten! You never know. I don't eat any packaged foods either. Congrats on your 80!
Could there be any chance that you could be drinking some of your calories? I know some people can drink adult beverages while dieting, but it can cause others to stall.
I drink nothing aside from water and the odd Diet Coke, so I don't think so. I also record anything I do drink. I haven't had a sugared beverage in 20 years or so and I don't drink coffee or alcohol. That's probably an easy thing to forget to record though, especially if you're out!0 -
Sorry OP, but I never got an answer to what your specific exercise regimen (daily) is?
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
1 -
LaceyBirds wrote: »carnivalnights wrote: »LaceyBirds wrote: »carnivalnights wrote: »LaceyBirds wrote: »In case you missed my question:LaceyBirds wrote: »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.
Had to leave the forums yesterday for a period; was not ignoring you, sorry. Not comfortable posting my weight here. The calorie intake numbers were derived from a registered dietician based on her calculations. I've stated elsewhere in this thread, when using a regular weight loss calculator, the calories for my height and weight say to eat something obscene like 2000-3000 calories, which I am obviously not going to be doing for weight loss. So I have never been able to go by the average any sites calculate for me, including MFP. I saw a nutritionist fairly soon after I started using MFP and we changed the calories and macros after my first session because she said they were off. That's how I arrived at 1500, not from a calculator or MFP.
However, after everything in this thread, despite having negative results lowering my calories before, I am going to try that again and see what happens. The timing of this plateau is when I lowered my calories before, shortly after - that's when my weight loss got to a standstill. So I am hesitant but at this point it doesn't matter because the weight loss isn't happening now either!
How tall are you though? It matters.
I'll just say that whatever your nutritionist is telling you is obviously not working at all. So, in my opinion, you should throw out what she told you and start anew here. I cannot believe that MFP would give you anything like 2 to 3 thousand calories to eat. Plug your numbers in here, and go with what MFP tells you. Do what everybody suggested, weigh, not measure, all your foods, all of them. Log every single bite and sip every single day. No cheat days - plan for and incorporate a treat into your daily calorie goal. By now, you should have a pretty good handle on what you can eat at that restaurant you go to weekly - pick the one that appears to be the lowest calorie choice, pre-log it and adjust your calories that day to accommodate it. This has worked for me, and it's worked for many, many others - it should work for you. Best of luck.
5'3".
If you don't believe me, test it out. Any weight loss calculator will give you those calories if you put in a higher number. It was one of the first things I asked people when I started my journey. Who on earth can lose weight eating 3000 calories a day? I'm obviously not a bodybuilder and burning that many lifting at a gym either.
I don't agree with the cheat days. As I stated to someone else, telling someone to eat unrealistically will only lead to weight gain. Believe me, I was one of those people. No take-out, no cheat days, nothing. It was a big mistake. I still want to enjoy my life and that includes eating at a restaurant once in a while. Compared to everyone I know, I eat out VERY little. I stated that I do plan ahead for it and I do not go over my calories even on the days I eat out (which isn't hard when you are getting something like a chicken salad anyway) - so it is not even really a cheat day to begin with. That being said, I still disagree with telling people not to have those days (and the people here who said don't eat out). It's unrealistic.
I will keep doing what I am doing with the restaurant meals, planning ahead as you said. It's worked for me too.
Thanks for telling me your height. I did what you said and input a higher number into MFP and I see what you mean. But, if that is the number it gives you, then I have no idea how you can not be losing weight at 1500 calories. Very odd.
I also don't open my diary because I keep a lot of personal info in it. That said, I haven't asked anybody to help me with my weight loss - if I did, and didn't open my diary, I would understand that people might get frustrated with me.
I usually don't tell people not to do cheat days, but the reason is that I don't agree with calling it "cheating." I think it sets up a bad mindset having to do with "bad" food, which I don't agree with either - I don't think there are bad foods. I too have been eating at restaurants, about once a week or every two weeks - I don't do it that often mainly because I don't have the money to spend. My thought is that it has helped me tremendously to know that I can eat ice cream, pizza and fast food as long as I count it in my daily calories. I have been eating this way most of the time since I joined MFP in April 2015, due to what I've read here, and therefor don't feel hungry or deprived. I agree that you have to do this in a way that is sustainable, and this has worked for me. I just had ice cream last night. I'll have chocolate later on tonight.
Sorry, carnival, that I haven't anything else to add to help you. True, some people can be short on here, but most of those people take a lot of time out of their day to help others here, and meet with resistance a lot, so I understand their position (most of them). You've gotten a lot of good advice here, so I hope that some of it may help you. Who knows, maybe tomorrow you'll wake up and you'll have dropped a pound or two, and the plateau will be over. I'll keep my fingers crossed.
I certainly agree with your stance on restaurants! Not only do I not have the money to spend, but the idea of spending money on something that is not as good for me as something I can make irks me. It's a nice treat but the guilt gets to me. I understand what you're saying about 'bad foods' though and why we shouldn't call them cheat days. And I'm of the same mind when it comes to allowing yourself those things once in a while and you just have to do it in a way that works for you.
Ironically I dropped .4lbs yesterday (hey, it's something). Haha. It must have been all the exercising from typing tons of replies on this thread.
I agree, I've gotten a lot of good advice here too. Not discounting that. I just hope I see some results sooner rather than later. It is extremely frustrating putting so much effort into something and seeing no results. It almost feels like a bad relationship! I remember when I was losing all the weight that is EXACTLY what kept me going - not the actual weight loss but that I was getting out exactly what I was putting in. It was a perfect give-and-take relationship I had with my body. I'd work hard and I'd get results. I miss that.
Thanks for all your help and multiple replies! I appreciate it. Fingers crossed it's only down from here. 4 -
carnivalnights wrote: »Ironically I dropped .4lbs yesterday (hey, it's something).
Hahaha, that's too funny.
Congratulations, and also congrats on the weight you've already lost - that's a wonderful accomplishment. I hope that .4 pounds (I count those, yes I do, every ounce counts) is the sound of that plateau going buh-bye. Typing as a weight-loss strategy . . . I could do that!
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.5K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 391 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 922 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions