Plateau'd for 2 years
PlateauPrincess
Posts: 4 Member
Ok...so here's the deal. I'm 28 years old, 5'6" female averaging from 143-145lbs. I have a body fat % of 23.6 and I'm a mesomorph (medium build broader shoulder/ square shape body with not really a defined waist). I've been stuck like this after losing get 20ish lbs after 2 kids. I look thick, not skinny and not with too much defined muscle. I know my build will never help me to look toned and slim, but I'd at least like to have more defined muscle. I eat clean 1500 calories a day and have 1 cheat meal (appetiser, drink, main, dessert) a week. I do heavy weights 4x a week and LISS Cardio 2x a week and HIIT 1x a week. What's the deal? Why can't I hit my goal of 135lbs and 21% body fat? Is my cheat meal sabotaging me that much? Is this my minimum weight without starving myself? Help!
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Replies
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drop the cheat meal and also drop any alcohol. Those are big sabotagers.4
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You're eating at maintenance. How do you measure your calorie intake? Do you use a food scale?3
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I don't drink so that's not a problem (drink in cheat meal is like a mock tail which I guess is sugary and pointless so I could cut that!). Singingflutelady....I measure food with scales and log in MFP... I give myself a 100 calories point of error. Can you explain what you mean by "eating at maintenence"? Should I cut more calories? My macros are also set at 40% protienn 30% fat and carbs, if that helps.0
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PlateauPrincess wrote: »I don't drink so that's not a problem (drink in cheat meal is like a mock tail which I guess is sugary and pointless so I could cut that!). Singingflutelady....I measure food with scales and log in MFP... I give myself a 100 calories point of error. Can you explain what you mean by "eating at maintenence"? Should I cut more calories? My macros are also set at 40% protienn 30% fat and carbs, if that helps.
She means that your calorie counting is inaccurate and you are actually eating at the number your body maintains at. You need a food scale and you need to weigh absolutely everything, every day, no matter what. You are eating far more than you think if you're not losing.4 -
Are you weighing those 1500 calories on a food scale? And how are you determining your calories OUT?0
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PlateauPrincess wrote: »I don't drink so that's not a problem (drink in cheat meal is like a mock tail which I guess is sugary and pointless so I could cut that!). Singingflutelady....I measure food with scales and log in MFP... I give myself a 100 calories point of error. Can you explain what you mean by "eating at maintenence"? Should I cut more calories? My macros are also set at 40% protienn 30% fat and carbs, if that helps.
If you've counted accurately for two years without a loss on the scale, then you're eating the amount your body needs for maintenance. Dropping your calories a bit would be the only option. Skipping the cheat day might be enough to see a loss again, depending. Or you may need to either reduce your calories or increase the amount you burn through activity.2 -
At 1500 daily calories, that one "cheat meal" could be wiping out your entire deficit.
I'm also 5'7" 145, 1700-1800 NET is my maintenance. I can easily top 3500 in a day by including a cheat meal. With a (one day) deficit of 250 for weight loss, that extra 1700 calories in the cheat meal is exactly the difference between losing and maintaining. (Well, it's 243 calories...so...)
So yes, you are eating the amount of food needed to maintain your weight. Something has to give.
Do you log your cheat meal accurately?1 -
As stated you are eating at the level of calories needed to maintain your weight. I am guessing the cheat is what is messing you up. You really should consider logging it or dropping it.
Out of curiosity, what sort of weight program are you using?0 -
How did you decide that 1500 was where you needed to be, just out of curiosity. Did you put your stats into MFP?
Also, I would highly recommend logging your cheat meal. It sounds pretty extensive. I'm not sure what your deficit is but let's just say for the sake of argument, it's 250 calories per day (.5 lb per week). That's 1750 calories over the whole week, easily wiped out by one cheat meal. (Especially a cheat meal involving a sugary drink, an appetizer, a cheat entree and a dessert).0 -
I weigh on a food scale. And I don't even log exercise so I won't overeat calories I work off. I can drop the cheat meal...but lower than 1500 a day? Is that safe? I already feel like I'm starving all the time...0
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How much of your calories are you eating back? How long have you been exercising like that? You may have gained more muscle than fat, which may account for some of it. If you're eating clean and exercising regularly, just keep that up. Also, if you aren't already, switch to 0.5 lbs a week weight loss kcal goal. It will pay off in the end.0
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PlateauPrincess wrote: »I weigh on a food scale. And I don't even log exercise so I won't overeat calories I work off. I can drop the cheat meal...but lower than 1500 a day? Is that safe? I already feel like I'm starving all the time...
Just stop with the cheat meal for now. Make other adjustments after a few months of accurately logging with no cheat meal.1 -
PlateauPrincess wrote: »I weigh on a food scale. And I don't even log exercise so I won't overeat calories I work off. I can drop the cheat meal...but lower than 1500 a day? Is that safe? I already feel like I'm starving all the time...
You may feel like you're starving all the time because of the food choices themselves. Don't drop lower than 1500...do as said above, and limit the cheat meals for a few weeks, and see if there's any drop then. Also, you may need to increase your activity, even though it seems you're doing quite a bit.1 -
I would start with dropping the cheat meal for a couple of months. Let's say you are creating a 250 calorie per day deficit with your diet - that's 1750 per week. It super easy to undo that work with a cheat meal.
If you're still not losing in a few weeks, you could cut back to 1400. I'm not a 1200 calorie per day proponent, so I wouldn't drop much lower.
As others have said, be sure you are weighing your food and logging accurately.1 -
I was stuck at a plateau for that long too, I used to eat extra clean, workout crazy cardio for over an hour a day and do all the right things, and still nothing!
and then I learned about IIFYM, I had an iifym couch calculate my macros based on my height, weight, age, activity level, etc, etc I had to buy a scale to measure anything I put into my mouth and logged it into mfp, found out I wasn't eating as little as I thought I was eating and was basically super loading with carbs! anyway, following the macros, I dropped 30+ lbs. between 4- 5 months and have kept it off for the last 3 years, following those macros. I have not strictly followed macros since my big weight drop, and have not always worked out, and still have all my favourite foods, but no weight gain!
I think, maybe play around on IIFYM free calculator online, calculate your macros and using the food scale, measure and log in all and everything you put in your mouth and you will see the weight drop for sure! if the calculated macros don't work, after two weeks, make slight adjustment and carry on, until you see the scale moving.
BEST OF LUCK!!!1 -
I guess my other question would be about the two years. Have you religiously logged for two years? Or do you log sometimes and then sometimes not?0
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PlateauPrincess wrote: »I weigh on a food scale. And I don't even log exercise so I won't overeat calories I work off. I can drop the cheat meal...but lower than 1500 a day? Is that safe? I already feel like I'm starving all the time...
I could be wrong, but what I think people are suggesting is that cheat day is taking any and all calories that you've "earned" and negating any positive work you've done by eating clean for the week. That one cheat day is keeping your at maintenance. Not the 1500 calories of clean eating a day.3 -
I eat back the calories I burn, if not I would be at starvation mode.
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PlateauPrincess wrote: »I weigh on a food scale. And I don't even log exercise so I won't overeat calories I work off. I can drop the cheat meal...but lower than 1500 a day? Is that safe? I already feel like I'm starving all the time...
I think you could eat more on a daily basis. The last ten pounds are tough. Regardless of how accurately you log (which you haven't been) it's still very slow going to lose the last ten.
Try setting your Goals here to "Lose 1/2 pound per week." Give yourself an extra 200-400 calories on days you exercise for 45-60 minutes. Eat that! MyFitnessPal is set up that way, don't try to outwit the tool. Just use it as it is designed. If you're feeling like you're starving it's likely because you aren't fueling enough, or you're eating too many fast-absorbing carbs. Make sure you're hitting that protein and fat goal every day.
Log your cheat meal.
Do that for a month and see how it goes.1 -
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I was stuck at a plateau for that long too, I used to eat extra clean, workout crazy cardio for over an hour a day and do all the right things, and still nothing!
and then I learned about IIFYM, I had an iifym couch calculate my macros based on my height, weight, age, activity level, etc, etc I had to buy a scale to measure anything I put into my mouth and logged it into mfp, found out I wasn't eating as little as I thought I was eating and was basically super loading with carbs! anyway, following the macros, I dropped 30+ lbs. between 4- 5 months and have kept it off for the last 3 years, following those macros. I have not strictly followed macros since my big weight drop, and have not always worked out, and still have all my favourite foods, but no weight gain!
I think, maybe play around on IIFYM free calculator online, calculate your macros and using the food scale, measure and log in all and everything you put in your mouth and you will see the weight drop for sure! if the calculated macros don't work, after two weeks, make slight adjustment and carry on, until you see the scale moving.
BEST OF LUCK!!!
This!0 -
I'll say it again. How much of your calories are you eating back from exercise?0
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I'll say it again. How much of your calories are you eating back from exercise?
She said she's not logging exercise.PlateauPrincess wrote: »I weigh on a food scale. And I don't even log exercise so I won't overeat calories I work off. I can drop the cheat meal...but lower than 1500 a day? Is that safe? I already feel like I'm starving all the time...
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Le sigh....I feel de motivated. I will give up the cheat meal. I will keep on hitting macros. And I will change the MFP setting to .5lbs. I will log religiously. And I will continue to weigh every morsel going into my mouth. Sometimes I wonder though....is my weight like off? Like is my weight now normal and what I'm trying for ...is that extreme? Maybe this is it for me. Sorry for the pity party people but I'm at my wits end.
Thanks for your help xo
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so you have posted 3 times and been logging and plateau for 2 years... sounds not quite right to me... see my profile quote. "Don't get mad at the results you didn't get for the work you didn't do" Before I logged my food, I worked out also, but I ate back those calories and then some and gained 20 + lbs. You must calculate and log ALL your food and exercise to truly know what is going on with your body.0
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I always question IIFYM because it seems to be more correlation then causation. However, if that's the method needed to lose weight; even though it's calories that cause you to lose weight and any other type of diet is just a different way to create a calorie deficit. Than anything that works, that's healthy and that's sustainable is what matters.1
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JustMissTracy wrote: »I was stuck at a plateau for that long too, I used to eat extra clean, workout crazy cardio for over an hour a day and do all the right things, and still nothing!
and then I learned about IIFYM, I had an iifym couch calculate my macros based on my height, weight, age, activity level, etc, etc I had to buy a scale to measure anything I put into my mouth and logged it into mfp, found out I wasn't eating as little as I thought I was eating and was basically super loading with carbs! anyway, following the macros, I dropped 30+ lbs. between 4- 5 months and have kept it off for the last 3 years, following those macros. I have not strictly followed macros since my big weight drop, and have not always worked out, and still have all my favourite foods, but no weight gain!
I think, maybe play around on IIFYM free calculator online, calculate your macros and using the food scale, measure and log in all and everything you put in your mouth and you will see the weight drop for sure! if the calculated macros don't work, after two weeks, make slight adjustment and carry on, until you see the scale moving.
BEST OF LUCK!!!
This!
I second this!
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PlateauPrincess wrote: »Le sigh....I feel de motivated. I will give up the cheat meal. I will keep on hitting macros. And I will change the MFP setting to .5lbs. I will log religiously. And I will continue to weigh every morsel going into my mouth. Sometimes I wonder though....is my weight like off? Like is my weight now normal and what I'm trying for ...is that extreme? Maybe this is it for me. Sorry for the pity party people but I'm at my wits end.
Thanks for your help xo
Do not give up! I was told by my Dr. that my weight for my age, was normal and due to hypothyroidism, I will not be losing weight. That was a total BS!!!! believe in you and your goals and fight for what you want!1 -
PlateauPrincess wrote: »Le sigh....I feel de motivated. I will give up the cheat meal. I will keep on hitting macros. And I will change the MFP setting to .5lbs. I will log religiously. And I will continue to weigh every morsel going into my mouth. Sometimes I wonder though....is my weight like off? Like is my weight now normal and what I'm trying for ...is that extreme? Maybe this is it for me. Sorry for the pity party people but I'm at my wits end.
Thanks for your help xo
Don't be demotivated. Here's something I always tell myself when the job at hand seems too much: It's only as hard as I make it. Try the ideas above, lower your expectations abit, give it some time....then reflect and adjust as needed. You can do it! I've lost 80 lbs...it took two years, slow but sure, but it eventually happened! I remember about 20 lbs ago, on here, asking if "maybe this is just the size I'm supposed to be?" It wasn't.3
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