Should I rethink what I am doing?

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natasha_hal1
natasha_hal1 Posts: 30 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I am currently 5'4 and 141 pounds. I cannot seem to drop below this!! I would really like to get at the mid 130's range. Currently, I set my goal for 1 pound a week (1460 calories), but have not lost anything in three months. I meticulously calorie count, weighing food and logging. I weight train three days a week, 30 minutes each and now adding in 30 minutes of cardio three times a week (I never do these in the same day). I don't eat back exercise calories.

I am curious to whether others have been in this same situation as well and what can be done to get out of this little rut. I am proud of my progress of fitness in the last few months, but would really like to see the scale go down! I definitely do feel like I am leaning out, but have not taken measurements so I am not 100% sure.

I have read that upping calorie allotment can jump start weight loss again, should I do this? Should I reset my goal to .5 pounds a week or would recomposition be the best idea? I was really hoping that I could get closer to my goal weight before I started recomposition. Any suggestions and comments are appreciated.

Replies

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    Seems that you are in a normal weight range so that is good. Maybe it is worth trying to recomp for a while to give yourself a break, do something different for a bit. You can always come back and try to tackle the last 5 lbs later.

  • Mini_Medic
    Mini_Medic Posts: 343 Member
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    I had the same problem at 130lbs. I switched to maintenance for a few months and then when I started a deficit again I dropped to 128 and then 126 pretty quickly. Still going down from there currently.
  • natasha_hal1
    natasha_hal1 Posts: 30 Member
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    Mini_Medic wrote: »
    I had the same problem at 130lbs. I switched to maintenance for a few months and then when I started a deficit again I dropped to 128 and then 126 pretty quickly. Still going down from there currently.

    Did you recomp in the mean time? I just feel like I couldn't just not weigh myself for a couple of months and not be upset about it. I think I may have to do this though. I have dropped 60 lbs since June. My body may be getting tired. :/
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    You can still weigh yourself. In my opinion it's a good idea to weigh daily make sure you stay on track in maintenance. The bottom line for all stalls, barring a medical issue, is that you're eating more than you think you are. Weigh everything you eat, use accurate database entries, log your splurges and treats, meals eaten away from home, and weekends. Don't overestimate exercise burn. You have only 10 lb left you lose, it's really difficult because you dhould target only .5 loss per week. That's 250 cals per day which is within the margin of error for logging.
  • thepotatoone11
    thepotatoone11 Posts: 1 Member
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    A plateau is basically caused by you not getting ENOUGH to eat. I had the same problem (was at 172 for a good 5 months. I know it wasn't because I was losing fat and gaining muscle, because I did stray from my exercising after 2 months of nothing happening. Once I started getting into working out again, I made sure to not under eat (I don't log the entire time I exercised, instead going slightly under, just to make sure I don't think I burned more than I actually did, but to make sure I do get some extra calories in). I got out of the plateau doing that. I also had that happen at around 180, slipped from exercising and eating well, came back, and started losing weight again. Also, it could just be that you're gaining as much muscle in weight as you lose in fat. I do not agree with those saying that you should weigh yourself everyday, because like you said, you can easily get upset over the number on the scale (I do speak from experience, and I look back on the days that I did that in shame upon myself). I know you've heard it many a time, but you should focus on how you feel, how clothes fit, how badass you look. I weigh myself once every few weeks, making sure to do so when there's no food in my stomach/other areas, if you know what I mean. Also making sure to not weigh yourself after having had a lot to drink. Sorry this was so long, and I know many may not agree with what I say, but I do speak from experience. But just not that not everyone is the same. Try different suggestions and one will be bound to work. Also, I heard from somewhere that if you get into a rhythm of working (ie doing the same exercises day after day/the same routine of exercises) your body can get used to it, which can also cause weight loss to slow, so trying new exercises could be a good option.
  • natasha_hal1
    natasha_hal1 Posts: 30 Member
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    You can still weigh yourself. In my opinion it's a good idea to weigh daily make sure you stay on track in maintenance. The bottom line for all stalls, barring a medical issue, is that you're eating more than you think you are. Weigh everything you eat, use accurate database entries, log your splurges and treats, meals eaten away from home, and weekends. Don't overestimate exercise burn. You have only 10 lb left you lose, it's really difficult because you dhould target only .5 loss per week. That's 250 cals per day which is within the margin of error for logging.

    I am very meticulous about weighing everything. I do not eat out and log everyday. I think that a .5 loss/week may help, but I just can't convince myself to want to go that route until I am at least under 140.
  • natasha_hal1
    natasha_hal1 Posts: 30 Member
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    thepotatoone11 wrote: »
    A plateau is basically caused by you not getting ENOUGH to eat. I had the same problem (was at 172 for a good 5 months. I know it wasn't because I was losing fat and gaining muscle, because I did stray from my exercising after 2 months of nothing happening. Once I started getting into working out again, I made sure to not under eat (I don't log the entire time I exercised, instead going slightly under, just to make sure I don't think I burned more than I actually did, but to make sure I do get some extra calories in). I got out of the plateau doing that. I also had that happen at around 180, slipped from exercising and eating well, came back, and started losing weight again. Also, it could just be that you're gaining as much muscle in weight as you lose in fat. I do not agree with those saying that you should weigh yourself everyday, because like you said, you can easily get upset over the number on the scale (I do speak from experience, and I look back on the days that I did that in shame upon myself). I know you've heard it many a time, but you should focus on how you feel, how clothes fit, how badass you look. I weigh myself once every few weeks, making sure to do so when there's no food in my stomach/other areas, if you know what I mean. Also making sure to not weigh yourself after having had a lot to drink. Sorry this was so long, and I know many may not agree with what I say, but I do speak from experience. But just not that not everyone is the same. Try different suggestions and one will be bound to work. Also, I heard from somewhere that if you get into a rhythm of working (ie doing the same exercises day after day/the same routine of exercises) your body can get used to it, which can also cause weight loss to slow, so trying new exercises could be a good option.

    I have heard that about working out too! I just started implementing 5K running three times a week, so I am hoping that is enough change from usual. For the past three months, I have gone to the gym three days a week for an hour and did Stronglifts followed by a 9:30 mile.
  • GemstoneofHeart
    GemstoneofHeart Posts: 865 Member
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    Try adding in more cardio-sometimes getting that heart rate up will do the trick. Lifting is awesome and helps with so many things but nothing gets rid of a plateau like cardio for me.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited March 2017
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    thepotatoone11 wrote: »
    A plateau is basically caused by you not getting ENOUGH to eat.
    No, a plateau is caused by eating at maintenance (unintentional maintenance can be caused by inaccurate logging). Starvation mode is a myth. A true plateau lasts at least 6 weeks.

    OP, as you have very little weight to lose, bump up to lose .5lb per week. Also, may you please open your diary for us?
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    You have roughly 5 or so pounds? 1lb a week is generally higher than recommended
    Pound per week goals
    75+ lbs set to lose 2 lb range
    Between 40 - 75 lbs set to lose 1.5 lb range
    Between 25-40 lbs set to lose 1 lb range
    Between 15-25 lbs set to lose 1 -.50 lb range
    Less than 15 lbs set to lose 0.5 lbs range

    So if you switch to .5 even though you're still in the 140's, that should be fine. :smile:

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