Having trouble losing weight -- calorie limit may be too low?
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caitlingorevin wrote: »The doctor said between 120 and 128 is best; that's the range I'm shooting for and I'll stop when my body feels at its best. I know this is not a fast process and I think the fact that I've done this for almost a year speaks to that. I'm only trying to lose one pound a week.
Ok, so you've been at this for awhile now and you're still not where you want to be. Time to try something different then, right?
I started here in 2015 to lose 20 pounds. The first 10 dropped off easily. Then it was time to get serious so I got a digital scale and hit my goal weight without any trouble after that. I'm 5'9" and have been maintaining at 145 for 1-1/2 years. I continue to use my food scale every day.
Spend $15 and get a food scale. With just a little to lose, you need to be accurate with your intake.
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caitlingorevin wrote: »I've lost 61 lbs over the last 340 days. I've been flip-flopping over this particular plateau since May 25th. It is not that time of the month. I try to only eat about 200 of my exercise calories back. I am very strict about logging (although I do not own a food scale) and I weigh myself once a week on Wednesdays in the morning.
No you aren't strict about logging if you don't have a food scale. With so little to lose, you have to weigh everything. You are eating way more than you think you are.8 -
caitlingorevin wrote: »I've lost 61 lbs over the last 340 days. I've been flip-flopping over this particular plateau since May 25th. It is not that time of the month. I try to only eat about 200 of my exercise calories back. I am very strict about logging (although I do not own a food scale) and I weigh myself once a week on Wednesdays in the morning.livingleanlivingclean wrote: »I would put money on that being the reason. Buy a food scale and start to log accurately!
Bingo! If you aren't using a food scale, you are eating more than you think.
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OP if you have been at it a year maybe take a diet break for a week or two? that may help to get things going again. but it is easy to eat more than you think if you arent using a scale. I learned that the hard way. its shocking what an actual serving of something really is.opened my eyes for sure.1
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To be honest, if OP has lost 60lbs without logging then she doesn't have to start now... just cut back a bit more to get back in a deficit.
However, OP, you should be aiming to lose 0.5lb per week not a pound as you are a healthy weight and don't have much to lose.1 -
TavistockToad wrote: »To be honest, if OP has lost 60lbs without logging then she doesn't have to start now... just cut back a bit more to get back in a deficit.
However, OP, you should be aiming to lose 0.5lb per week not a pound as you are a healthy weight and don't have much to lose.
thats what I said(aim for 0.5lb a week)0 -
TavistockToad wrote: »To be honest, if OP has lost 60lbs without logging then she doesn't have to start now... just cut back a bit more to get back in a deficit.
However, OP, you should be aiming to lose 0.5lb per week not a pound as you are a healthy weight and don't have much to lose.
That's true. But she says she's eating 1200 calories and as a smaller female I know how depressing it is to feel like you are eating so few calories for nothing. It's not logical, but when I thought I was eating 1400 cals and maintaining it was a huge relief to find out I was eating much more.
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I agree with those that said aim for more realistic .5 lb a week now that you are very close to your goal. In addition, I would up your calories for a bit and bounce back and forth to keep your metabolism guessing. A steady 1200 and your body knows what to expect. I know it seems counterproductive but try to read what Jillian Michaels and some other fitness/nutrition people say about plateaus and putting your body into starvation mode and how to get out of it. Also I would personally recommend weighing yourself every day. I think that will have you less frustrated with fluctuations which happen all the time so if on a wednesday is a bad weight day it will do less to your mojo. Also in my experience i tend to notice which foods/life choices (salty stuff, staying up or out late or skipping water) affect weight gain or loss on a regular and immediate basis and am able to tune into my choices better.
There has been lots of debate on set point over the years and i'm 50/50 on it myself. But i do think from just observing people, myself & weight loss info over the years that lowering your body's natural set point happens in stages. Such as rather than commit to believing that your body has a set point and maybe you've reached it (depressing thought and completely one way on the spectrum of what could be) or that there is no such thing as a set point (hyper optimistic and completely the other way on the spectrum of what could be). I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle (grey area): a person probably has a set point range once they are nearing ideal territory, the body needs to settle into that area before weight loss efforts move the the next set point range, much like moving through the Panama canal, if that makes sense. Good luck21 -
I would also add to use other "measures" rather than just weight to keep yourself motivated. Fitness or clothing goals, etc. Congratulations on your success so far. I think the next stage is also committing to it being a true lifestyle, which is ultimately the key anyway.2
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fitgymbunny wrote: »I agree with those that said aim for more realistic .5 lb a week now that you are very close to your goal. In addition, I would up your calories for a bit and bounce back and forth to keep your metabolism guessing. A steady 1200 and your body knows what to expect. I know it seems counterproductive but try to read what Jillian Michaels and some other fitness/nutrition people say about plateaus and putting your body into starvation mode and how to get out of it. Also I would personally recommend weighing yourself every day. I think that will have you less frustrated with fluctuations which happen all the time so if on a wednesday is a bad weight day it will do less to your mojo. Also in my experience i tend to notice which foods/life choices (salty stuff, staying up or out late or skipping water) affect weight gain or loss on a regular and immediate basis and am able to tune into my choices better.
There has been lots of debate on set point over the years and i'm 50/50 on it myself. But i do think from just observing people, myself & weight loss info over the years that lowering your body's natural set point happens in stages. Such as rather than commit to believing that your body has a set point and maybe you've reached it (depressing thought and completely one way on the spectrum of what could be) or that there is no such thing as a set point (hyper optimistic and completely the other way on the spectrum of what could be). I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle (grey area): a person probably has a set point range once they are nearing ideal territory, the body needs to settle into that area before weight loss efforts move the the next set point range, much like moving through the Panama canal, if that makes sense. Good luck
you dont need to keep your metabolism guessing, it either works or it doesnt. your body does not go into starvation mode when dieting thats a myth9 -
CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »fitgymbunny wrote: »I agree with those that said aim for more realistic .5 lb a week now that you are very close to your goal. In addition, I would up your calories for a bit and bounce back and forth to keep your metabolism guessing. A steady 1200 and your body knows what to expect. I know it seems counterproductive but try to read what Jillian Michaels and some other fitness/nutrition people say about plateaus and putting your body into starvation mode and how to get out of it. Also I would personally recommend weighing yourself every day. I think that will have you less frustrated with fluctuations which happen all the time so if on a wednesday is a bad weight day it will do less to your mojo. Also in my experience i tend to notice which foods/life choices (salty stuff, staying up or out late or skipping water) affect weight gain or loss on a regular and immediate basis and am able to tune into my choices better.
There has been lots of debate on set point over the years and i'm 50/50 on it myself. But i do think from just observing people, myself & weight loss info over the years that lowering your body's natural set point happens in stages. Such as rather than commit to believing that your body has a set point and maybe you've reached it (depressing thought and completely one way on the spectrum of what could be) or that there is no such thing as a set point (hyper optimistic and completely the other way on the spectrum of what could be). I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle (grey area): a person probably has a set point range once they are nearing ideal territory, the body needs to settle into that area before weight loss efforts move the the next set point range, much like moving through the Panama canal, if that makes sense. Good luck
you dont need to keep your metabolism guessing, it either works or it doesnt. your body does not go into starvation mode when dieting thats a myth
Actually I believe adaptive thermogenesis is a thing and has been documented (not starvation mode) especially if you've been restricting for a year and there is evidence "diet breaks", re-feeds and calorie cycling can help to negate it. x I do think OP's biggest problem is logging accurately and needing to get hold of some tools to help (like digital scales and liquid measures) now she's nearly at goal.1 -
animatorswearbras wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »fitgymbunny wrote: »I agree with those that said aim for more realistic .5 lb a week now that you are very close to your goal. In addition, I would up your calories for a bit and bounce back and forth to keep your metabolism guessing. A steady 1200 and your body knows what to expect. I know it seems counterproductive but try to read what Jillian Michaels and some other fitness/nutrition people say about plateaus and putting your body into starvation mode and how to get out of it. Also I would personally recommend weighing yourself every day. I think that will have you less frustrated with fluctuations which happen all the time so if on a wednesday is a bad weight day it will do less to your mojo. Also in my experience i tend to notice which foods/life choices (salty stuff, staying up or out late or skipping water) affect weight gain or loss on a regular and immediate basis and am able to tune into my choices better.
There has been lots of debate on set point over the years and i'm 50/50 on it myself. But i do think from just observing people, myself & weight loss info over the years that lowering your body's natural set point happens in stages. Such as rather than commit to believing that your body has a set point and maybe you've reached it (depressing thought and completely one way on the spectrum of what could be) or that there is no such thing as a set point (hyper optimistic and completely the other way on the spectrum of what could be). I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle (grey area): a person probably has a set point range once they are nearing ideal territory, the body needs to settle into that area before weight loss efforts move the the next set point range, much like moving through the Panama canal, if that makes sense. Good luck
you dont need to keep your metabolism guessing, it either works or it doesnt. your body does not go into starvation mode when dieting thats a myth
Actually I believe adaptive thermogenesis is a thing and has been documented (not starvation mode) especially if you've been restricting for a year and there is evidence "diet breaks", re-feeds and calorie cycling can help to negate it. x I do think OP's biggest problem is logging accurately and needing to get hold of some tools to help (like digital scales and liquid measures) now she's nearly at goal.
actually I never said that adaptive thermogenesis didnt exist. I know it does, but it happens when someone diets for awhile and eats low calories (for that time period,a year or more for some) that it lowers their BMR. I didnt say diet breaks cannot help. not what I said at all. I did tell them to get a scale and start logging all her food because at a lower weight she has to be more accurate with her calorie counts. did you miss that part? but there is NO need to keep your metabolism guessing.
your body knows what to do 24/7.unless you have a health issue and have a metabolic disorder but of course you will still have to watch your CICO. ad for salty stuff and things affecting weight gain or loss, it doesnt excess sodium can cause water retention and mask weight loss but its not going to cause you to gain fat. to gain you have to eat over your maintenance calories.4 -
When I ask my metabolism what's in the box, it ALWAYS guesses "pizza".
So sometimes I get Chinese--just to fool it.
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Weighing food is super important, even things like bread where the calories are listed can be off0
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keeping mine guessing works for me. Just proves that not everyone's body works exactly the same. You've got to change it up if what you are doing is not working. In many places, including this site, one of the recommended things to do if you get stuck on a plateau is up in calories for a little bit. That works for me every time.4
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fitgymbunny wrote: »keeping mine guessing works for me. Just proves that not everyone's body works exactly the same. You've got to change it up if what you are doing is not working. In many places, including this site, one of the recommended things to do if you get stuck on a plateau is up in calories for a little bit. That works for me every time.
youre not keeping it guessing. just like you cant reset your metabolism. but if thats what you want to believe so be it.plateaus are often from people eating the same amount of calories as they did when they weigh more instead of dropping them or not being accurate in the calorie counts, or over estimating exercise burns.not many are going to tell you to up your calories. if you arent losing why would eating more help? aside from taking a diet break?5 -
fitgymbunny wrote: »keeping mine guessing works for me. Just proves that not everyone's body works exactly the same. You've got to change it up if what you are doing is not working. In many places, including this site, one of the recommended things to do if you get stuck on a plateau is up in calories for a little bit. That works for me every time.
Your metabolism isn't a sentient being that thinks or guesses. Our bodies actually do mostly work the same. Your metabolism is always running and isn't nearly as variable as celebrity trainers or click bait diet articles suggest.
"Changing it up" or eating a little more for a few days will often work because they refocus and remotivate people.
And yes, OP does need to change it up, she needs to use a food scale since she doesn't have much wiggle room!3 -
You can try increasing your calories some, if that's the cause you'll notice a difference within a couple weeks. If not you can always go back down.
Also, trying high intensity interval training (or HIIT) will definitely help with those last stubborn lbs. You've come so far! You can do it!2 -
evergreenlake wrote: »You can try increasing your calories some, if that's the cause you'll notice a difference within a couple weeks. If not you can always go back down.
Also, trying high intensity interval training (or HIIT) will definitely help with those last stubborn lbs. You've come so far! You can do it!
I guess you didn't read the rest of the responses? increasing her calories is not the solution since eating too little is not the problem3
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