Weight loss plateau

1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.

Acrawford01 wrote: »

I only take in about 1000 calories a day as it is so I don't think I can dip much lower without hurting what I am trying to do.. I take in a lot of protein and veggies.

1000 calories per day is not good at all. Your BMR is approx 1340. You are eating way below where you should be to lose weight.

Do you use a food scale? If not you could be eating more, and if you exercise, you could be eating back to many as well. But if you are truly eating 1000 calories (less than 1200 recommended min) you are under eating.

Did you setup MFP to lose 2 pounds and sedentary?

Acrawford01 wrote: »

Thank you for all the responses! I don't intentionally eat so little. It seems that when I exercise I lose my appetite. I have to force myself to eat. I started logging to ensure I was eating at least 1000. I have gotten so confused on what is happening with my body and journey. At first I thought eating so low calories was a good thing but quickly realized that was ridiculous when I had no energy... and just common sense hit me! Now it's just a struggle to keep my calories up even if I'm messing my journal up here and there. I work out 7 days a week and track everything. I am very open with everything I eat, even when I cheat on our family pizza nights lol
I have always looked and felt healthy at 135lbs and that is where I would like to get back to.
Anyway... hopefully this info helps.

I am not as hungry on running days, either, but I find that if I don't eat well enough that day that I'm starving the next!

There are some ways to get enough calories without much bulk. Liquid calories are much easier than actually eating something. I often have a protein shake after I run. You could also have a smoothie or even just a glass of milk or fruit juice.

Make sure you aren't eating things that are "lite", non-fat, low-fat, low calorie, etc. Most of those items have replaced fat with sugar, anyway.

Add oils to your cooking and foods. Butter, olive oil, cheese sauces, creamy salad dressings are an easy way to add some extra calories without filling up your stomach.

High fat foods add calories quickly. Use avocado on a sandwich or in salads. Add nuts or cheese, too. Peanut butter or other nut butters are good options, as well.