7-month plateau - getting desperate
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Try this calculator, it was created by a MFP user. sailrabbit.com/bmr/
It may help you understand what your calorie goal should be to get the result you are looking for. Also you NEED to be 100% dedicated to your logging if you are going to understand what you are doing/doing wrong.1 -
There are a bunch of logging inconsistencies...where are your cooking oils? Wine needs a liquid measure, not a solid measure (like grams). How do you even gauge 0.2 of a hot dog? Are you using a food scale? Because it doesn't look like it (you have cherries measured in grams, and strawberries measured by the berry, both in the same meal).
^^^This! Your logging is all over the map. I would guess sufficiently enough to wipe out your deficit. Tighten it up, you will see results (barring any medical conditions).5 -
Feeding the OP fatlogic is terrible advice. "Eat more" is never the answer to scales not moving
It's not "fatlogic" to point out that if the OP is really only consuming 700-900 calories per day, they may have significantly slowed their metabolism and need to work on fixing that before they start worrying about weight loss. Are you seriously advising the OP to reduce their caloric intake further?
Before worrying about that, though, make sure that the calories reported are actually complete and accurate.
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Lol!! Ok - in my defense, that was 0.25 of a hot dog, basically a quarter a hotdog that I stole from my husband's plate. See - I do try to log the smallest things!! But in all seriousness, I get your point.There are a bunch of logging inconsistencies...where are your cooking oils? Wine needs a liquid measure, not a solid measure (like grams). How do you even gauge 0.2 of a hot dog? Are you using a food scale? Because it doesn't look like it (you have cherries measured in grams, and strawberries measured by the berry, both in the same meal).
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I love this community by the way!!!! Feeling the support. You guys are awesome. I think I need to start bringing lunch to work.. Too many snacks in the break room! My mantra this year has been "say no to free calories" but somehow I just can't resist those cupcakes! Then I try to compensate by not eating a real meal. Guilty as charged!1
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Whenever I hear this first question I ask is: "So you've been 100% accurate the whole time?" Usual answer is no. When digging further, there ends up being many inaccuracies on a weekly basis. So is it really a plateau? NOPE. Any inconsistencies would make it more of inadequate effort.
Admitting to those will help you get back on track if you're being honest with yourself.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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I love this community by the way!!!! Feeling the support. You guys are awesome. I think I need to start bringing lunch to work.. Too many snacks in the break room! My mantra this year has been "say no to free calories" but somehow I just can't resist those cupcakes! Then I try to compensate by not eating a real meal. Guilty as charged!
Definitely start bringing in your own lunch. There is no way to really tell how much you're eating in a pre-packaged meal or if you buy something at a Chipotle for example. For a few weeks, I was buying the pre-packaged salads at Trader Joe's. Prior to that, I was bringing in my own lunch (weighed every single thing) and losing weight. After the Trader Joe's? My weight loss stalled. It's true that it could've been caused by a number of things but when I went back to bringing in my own lunch, the weight loss started again.
My work has the freebie snacks so I feel you. It's hard to resist but what helps me is to bring my own pre-weighed snacks.
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If you are underestimating 300-500 cals/day and your daily TDEE is 1700-1800: it is VERY easy to wipe out what you think is a deficit.
Lets split the difference and assume 400/day error. Which would be EASY to do as 25 cals here, 50 cals there add up quickly. So with TDEE 1750 (again, going in the middle) if you think you're eating 1350: 1350 + 400 = 1750 and thus maintenance. No mention of training going poorly due to energy problems, stalled weight loss, and inconsistent logging: consistency and accuracy are the way to turn things around. But be careful not to aim too low as then your weight loss could derail your marathon.
Assuming 1750 TDEE a reasonable goal would be a 250/day deficit considering you are training. 1500/day can be done with lots of lean protein, careful monitoring of fat intake (we do need fat but too much will eat away your calorie allotment) and bulking out meals with veggies and complex carbs.
So on your to do list if you want to lose those pounds:
1. Use a food scale as often as possible, in combination with accurate entries. Such as using raw weight for raw nutritional data. Food changes weight as moisture cooks out of it.
2. Try to accurately measure your cardio burn and eat additional to fuel your workouts, staying at a 250/day deficit.
3. Have patience. Results may not be quick to show on a scale.
4. Strength train. By listing it last I do not mean to downgrade the importance of strength training.Thanks guys, appreciate the honest feedback! I made one giant batch of pulled pork last week, hence all the pork shoulders lol!
I do log everything at least 6 days a week and don't have cheat days. I understand I may underestimate food weight.. But I'm thinking even if - worst case scenario - I underestimate by 300-500cal, I'm still ingesting about 1,500 on most days. At my weight and activity level, my estimated daily burn rate is about 1,700-1,800 per calculators. That should still result in at least something, right? Anyway, will work on being diligent!
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You mentioned "six days a week" and "most days." If I'm not consistently losing, I tighten up my logging. Definitely go with the food scale and work toward 7 days a week and every day. You'd be surprised how easy it is to undo your hard work in a day.1
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Aside from all the great food/logging advice, have you tried changing one day to another sport? It might just give you an extra boost alongside upping your logging accuracy. It usually does works well for me.
I often double up on my sports, I run to and from karate for instance, using it as an extra warm up/cool down, it's only a couple of k away and then do 30 mins of yoga when I get home (roughly 3 hours of sports). To do this, I cut a running day and added in triathlon. I now do 2 sessions of karate (only run to 1). I then started rollerderby 2 days a week. Gave up triathlon (roads in a *kitten* state so can't safely bike anymore, still swim) I now have 1 session of pt a week, triathlon swim training regime as warm down. I might also now be taking up fencing (husband badgering me to join), losing 1 roller derby practice a week.
As these changes happened, my body and diet have changed with it. Might be worth a slight change of regime to see if it helps? Can't hurt surely.
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Something's off. If you were truly eating as little as you are tracking (most days I saw were around 1000 calories) and training for a marathon, you would be losing weight at a scary fast pace. (Never mind how you would have the energy to train.)6
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It may help you understand what your calorie goal should be to get the result you are looking for. Also you NEED to be 100% dedicated to your logging if you are going to understand what you are doing/doing wrong.
^This.
When I was heavier I lost weight with the portion plate method. When there is only 10-20 pounds left to goal the weighing is important. Before MFP and weighing I thought that I was only eating ~1500 calories a day but was shocked when I discovered upon weighing and logging that it was closer to 1800! That is maintenance range for me. Weighing will help you find those "lost" calories. Plus it is easy to get portion creep and not even notice.2 -
Something's off. If you were truly eating as little as you are tracking (most days I saw were around 1000 calories) and training for a marathon, you would be losing weight at a scary fast pace. (Never mind how you would have the energy to train.)
That's why I'm puzzled. I average 30-50miles a week with speedwork once a week. I get a good pace going - about 7 to 8 min pace. I eat a high carb snack 30 min before runs for energy. I can never go low carb because of the training.
I will start weighing food before logging but so far I really do try to log everything at least by portion size/volume. Does it really matter THAT much if I logged 5 strawberries as # berries vs grams? Still, nothing. No loss whatsoever. Not even inches. Im getting faster, running further and lifting heavier though. So at least some progress somewhere.0 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »Feeding the OP fatlogic is terrible advice. "Eat more" is never the answer to scales not moving
It's not "fatlogic" to point out that if the OP is really only consuming 700-900 calories per day, they may have significantly slowed their metabolism and need to work on fixing that before they start worrying about weight loss. Are you seriously advising the OP to reduce their caloric intake further?
Before worrying about that, though, make sure that the calories reported are actually complete and accurate.
It's fatlogic because there's no such thing as super slow metabolism from calorie restriction. Your BMR does go down as you lose weight, but that's not the same thing as what you might be thinking of.4 -
Something's off. If you were truly eating as little as you are tracking (most days I saw were around 1000 calories) and training for a marathon, you would be losing weight at a scary fast pace. (Never mind how you would have the energy to train.)
I must also add that I have maintained at 120-123lb for the past 3 years, training at similar intensity. I used to eat at least 2,000/day (probably more.. never counted calories). Between last December to this February I gained 8 lb. I thought it was the holidays, so I cut back significantly for racing season, started counting calories - even if I didn't log accurately, I know for a fact that I am eating much less than I have over the past 3 years. So it's all VERY strange.
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »Feeding the OP fatlogic is terrible advice. "Eat more" is never the answer to scales not moving
It's not "fatlogic" to point out that if the OP is really only consuming 700-900 calories per day, they may have significantly slowed their metabolism and need to work on fixing that before they start worrying about weight loss. Are you seriously advising the OP to reduce their caloric intake further?
Before worrying about that, though, make sure that the calories reported are actually complete and accurate.
Well, it's impossible for the OP to not lose weight if truly consuming 700-900 calories per day, let alone running and other exercising on top of it. (Not picking on you OP - studies show people commonly underestimate their calories by 1/3.)
Also, while one's metabolism is slowed after dieting, that doesn't put one into "starvation mode" or other unable to lose weight mode.
I usually trot out the Minnesota Starvation Experiment at this point but have something more current.
Because there are food shortages in Venezuela, people are eating less, and losing weight. I heard a story on NPR about a Venezuelan reporter who returned home after working in the EU for some time and was shocked to see the weight his parents had lost...unintentionally...due to the food shortages.
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amyrebeccah wrote: »Something's off. If you were truly eating as little as you are tracking (most days I saw were around 1000 calories) and training for a marathon, you would be losing weight at a scary fast pace. (Never mind how you would have the energy to train.)
That's why I'm puzzled. I average 30-50miles a week with speedwork once a week. I get a good pace going - about 7 to 8 min pace. I eat a high carb snack 30 min before runs for energy. I can never go low carb because of the training.
I will start weighing food before logging but so far I really do try to log everything at least by portion size/volume. Does it really matter THAT much if I logged 5 strawberries as # berries vs grams? Still, nothing. No loss whatsoever. Not even inches. Im getting faster, running further and lifting heavier though. So at least some progress somewhere.
Let me ask you this. What would you rather it be? Something tiny and easy to fix (if a teeny bit embarrassing) such as portion accuracy? Or a huge problem such as a major metabolic disorder?
Not sure I follow your logic.. I was under the impression that I should weigh my food because I might be under-estimating caloric intake and eating more than I thought; by weighing, I am supposed to be eating less. If you are saying my current status quo could cause a major metabolic disorder, how will eating even less - through weighing - prevent that from happening?0 -
Something's off. If you were truly eating as little as you are tracking (most days I saw were around 1000 calories) and training for a marathon, you would be losing weight at a scary fast pace. (Never mind how you would have the energy to train.)
I must also add that I have maintained at 120-123lb for the past 3 years, training at similar intensity. I used to eat at least 2,000/day (probably more.. never counted calories). Between last December to this February I gained 8 lb. I thought it was the holidays, so I cut back significantly for racing season, started counting calories - even if I didn't log accurately, I know for a fact that I am eating much less than I have over the past 3 years. So it's all VERY strange.
Quite the thread. As everyone said, you need to log VERY accurately. It matters.
However - using calculators is guessing at best. Metabolisms change as we age and for other unknowable reasons.
Go get a DEXA scan so you know exactly what your body comp is and an RMR test so you know that number exactly, too.
Use the DEXA scan to adjust your protein intake to the percentage that results in 1 gram per pound of lean body mass or slightly more. Set your MFP calorie goal to your RMR minus 500. Use the calories from your Garmin watch (or whatever you use), NOT the MFP calorie estimates and EAT THEM BACK.
You will lose a pound a week while maintaining positive nitrogen balance and increasing performance as long as you're not attempting some low fat nonsense. Retest DEXA and RMR every 6-12 weeks, depending on how fast you perceive your body is changing, or however often you need to feel like you are not lost or guessing.
Edit: Your training is not an obstacle to going low carb. I train very heavy in the weight room twice a week and get four days of running/biking/mountaineering on 10% carbs or less. Being bonk-proof is a wonderous thing.1 -
If it's not working, you have to try something else.
Notwithstanding the mantra here that a calorie is a calorie, is a calorie, why don't you try increasing your fat intake, and try eliminating carbs from grains, potatoes, rice and cereal.
Yes, I am suggesting a high-fat, low-carb diet (but you can still get all the carbs from green vegetables and some berries). Many are having success with the HFLC lifestyle. Do your own diligence on Google and YouTube.
If it works, great. If it doesn't, no harm done. But just doing what you are doing and not making progress means you have to try something else. The notion that you are grossly under-counting calories seems absurd.2
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