Lost quickly then stalled..help!!
GnicoleL
Posts: 16 Member
Two weeks ago i started eating 1700 calories and only drink water... I eat sensible; grilled chicken ,veggies, some fruits and alittle light dairy as im not a fan of much except yogurt and maybe alittle cheese occasionally. I went from 213 to 202 an was excited about eating healthy an losing but now im stalled... Should i be eating less calories and any suggestions on working out? I walk all the time and i rigorously clean a large office building 3 times a week and try to make it somewhat of a workout routine but not sure what to do other than that. Im having a hard time with my midsection..it seems like the only area im really not ok with at the moment.
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You lost seven pounds in two weeks. That sounds like great progress to me.
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.8 -
Thanks! I really try to log Everything i eat and have made it a point not to use any extras like condiments an what not.. I was completely addicted to sugar so when i started this diet i vowed not to eat any added sugars although i do love apples and peanut butter but in small portions... I feel like im eating correctly but maybe im stressing to much!
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Something I noticed with exercise and weight loss is that the more I work out the less quickly I lose weight. This is the only time I have ever tracked waist, hip, thigh and other measurements and would highly recommend it. I lost 1 measly little pound but lost 1/2 inch off my waist, 1/2 inch off my hips and 3/4 inch of each thigh. I totally understand wanting the scale to move but it isnt always reflective of the work put in like a measuring tape.3
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I am also wondering if anyone can help me with my macros im not understanding what percentages i should be eating with carbs...i dont eat bread an have a wrap everynow and then but im finding im going over my carb limits with corn and sweet potatoes an things like that...is that ok if its not such a big overage?0
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Couple of things. If you really did cut down on carbs, then you lost a lot of water weight to start which is why you had the quick start. Your food diary is closed so it's hard to comment on your food choices or logging.
Many here don't purposely look at carbs, but focus on calories first, then making sure they get adequate protein. I'm in that camp. I want 100-125 g of protein a day, a certain amount of fiber and to be AT my calorie goal (not under). I let fat and carbs land where they may. I've lost over 80 lbs since August so it's working for me.3 -
Going over certain macros is okay and won't stall weight loss. I personally make sure to get protien and fibre in for satiety. I still eat lots of sugar/snacks since calories are king for weight loss.
Have you been stalled for at least 6 weeks? Do you use a food scale to weigh all solid and semi solid food and cups/spoons for liquids only? Do you log everything everyday?
How long have you been trying to lose weight for? Are you close to TotM? Recently increased exercise? Any recent High sodium days?0 -
I have only been dieting 2 weeks and lost that quickly and i dont weight anything just sort of eyeball my portions ...either 1 cup..half cup or 4th cup portions and i do log everything i eat . If i make my diary public could i get a couple of honest comments on what im eating? I went from eating alot of really unhealthy crap to eating what i think is good but still not completely sure0
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I have only been dieting 2 weeks and lost that quickly and i dont weight anything just sort of eyeball my portions ...either 1 cup..half cup or 4th cup portions and i do log everything i eat . If i make my diary public could i get a couple of honest comments on what im eating? I went from eating alot of really unhealthy crap to eating what i think is good but still not completely sure
Studies have shown that humans are generally terrible at eyeballing portion size (I know I am!). If you've stalled, it may be time to consider a more accurate way of measuring your intake.3 -
I am looking into buying a scale for sure now lol2
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1700 calories a day seems kinda high for weight loss - unless you are very active. Where did you come up with that number?0
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Sounds like you're doing really well GnicoleL: not at all easy to change from eating a lot of processed sugar.
I think it's normal to see a big weight drop at first that then slows down, so don't beat yourself up. Quite likely nothing's going wrong - just keep going.
"When you hit that first plateau and you’re not improving as fast as you were before, congratulations! You’re no longer a beginner!”
Diane Fu, weightlifting coach (but it's true for lots of things, I think)
Macros? This might help :
http://blog.myfitnesspal.com/ask-the-dietitian-whats-the-best-carb-protein-and-fat-breakdown-for-weight-loss/
Notice there's quite a big range that's ok.
Also, it's much better to be getting your carbs in corn or sweet potatoes than in (say) soda or cake. That's because the carbs in veg are released more slowly, & so are less likely to be stashed as fat.
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I used a calorie calculator honestly an it said around 1700 to lose a pound per week and 1200 to lose 2 pounds per week...with the way i was eating before i started eating better i didnt want to drastically drop an end up with headaches an things like that.. It had happened to me previously when i tried to diet last year after quitting smoking1
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I often came up short though on my daily calories eating anywhere between 1300 and 16000
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I used a calorie calculator honestly an it said around 1700 to lose a pound per week and 1200 to lose 2 pounds per week...with the way i was eating before i started eating better i didnt want to drastically drop an end up with headaches an things like that.. It had happened to me previously when i tried to diet last year after quitting smoking
This is a very sensible and reasonable approach. I applaud you for this. Even if you go a bit under, this is an excellent attitude and should help for your long term weight loss.1 -
Thanks...i really want to lose the weight an i know if i felt horrible from a drastic change i might quit or give in...i really love sweets so its already a challenge but i found ways to get around it...i just eat prunes and apples an i recently discovered dates...all in moderation of course..0
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So if i gradually reduce to a stable say 1300 or 1400 a day of the right foods i could get past a plataeu?0
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shes lost 7 pounds in 2 weeks that means her stall would be like...what a day? Your fine but do take these posts to heart and learn from them, good info here. altho none fits you right now anyway
reason you lost fast was water weight/lack of huge amounts of food in your belly. now your moving on to fat burn its a good thing
get a scale. 100%1 -
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Ok so im good then going back and forth between 1700 and 1300... Im not always hungry at lunch but try to eat alittle something.0
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janejellyroll wrote: »
Could i get you to take a look at my food diary and tell me what you think..if you have the time that is..?0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »
Could i get you to take a look at my food diary and tell me what you think..if you have the time that is..?
It starts March 23rd, correct? You look like you've been consistently logging since then. Good job. Keep at it and put your patient pants on.
I would still urge the food scale (and you've said you're going to get one. YAY!). Weigh the peanut butter. 32 grams is two tablespoons. See how close your 2 tablespoons you've been using is to 32 grams.
Easy way to weigh peanut butter - tip - put the entire peanut butter jar on the scale. Tare out the weight (this resets the scale to zero, even with the jar on there). Scoop out the PB you're going to use. Enter the number on the scale into your diary (as a positive number). Scales are awesome, and easy to use once you get in the rhythm.1 -
That's a great weight loss for two weeks. Congratulations. I don't think 1700 is particularly high, in fact days when I eat more and my calorie count seems super high to me, is when I usually drop weight. I would definitely suggest picking up a food scale, they aren't that expensive, you don't need anything too fancy. I weigh and measure everything. If I make a casserole, I am pretty anal retentive about it, I put in all ingredients and I will count out a reasonable portion, say 1/2 cup and before I put the casserole or whatever it is I made into the fridge, I will count out how many 1/2 cup or 1 cup or whatever I chose as my portion size so I know just how many portions are in the entire recipe. Then I plug it all into the recipe section of myfitnesspal. Obviously if you eat at someone elses house, or you are at a restaurant you are winging it a bit, but I always err on the side of "higher calorie" when picking something out. I agree with the above poster as well who said to double check items that you are eating that are already listed in the database, often times they are incorrect, so typically I use the scanner on my phone to scan an item. If it doesn't have a bar code I may create it if I can't find it. You aren't really in a stall (I went from Sept -March fluctuating between the same 3 lbs). I also agree with another poster that stated to measure. I take my measurements and weigh every sunday morning and I have it in a spreadsheet that I made to keep track as well as to keep an eye on my workouts, like if I missed a few workouts and I don't see any inches lost, I know, well hey I didn't workout 3 days last week, that's probably why, gotta step it up next week. Sort of keep myself accountable.
My midsection is my nemesis so I get that. Also if you aren't incorporating any strength training, I would highly suggest trying too, even if you just do some while watching TV at night. Doing cardio and strength training has taken my body in a whole better direction, in fact I only do cardio 3xs a week. Good luck! and you can always add as a friend if you need encouratgement. 1 -
Thank you guys so much ill definitely take all the advice i can get!0
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