Plateaus
EEAngelina
Posts: 1,208 Member
How do you break a plateau without reducing your calories? Every time I reduce I really get stuck my body thinks it’s in starvation mode. Also I’m in a tough situation haven’t been able to exercise for a long time due to major back surgery. The Dr. did say this week I can take slow walks with my brace on, I’m happy about that!!
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Replies
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How many calories are you eating?
What's your height, weight, goal weight?
How long has it been since you lost weight, and how much were you losing before that?
Are you using a food scale?
Do you have days you don't log?
Sorry for the third degree, but it helps
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Starvation mode isn't a thing
How long has it been since you lost weight? Are you logging all of your food as close to 100% accurately as possible?4 -
You should tell your doctor about your concerns and follow his/her advice. Your body will need proper nutrition to heal from the surgery, and this may not be the best time to be in a calorie deficit. You will also have more options for how you create a calorie deficit when your rehabilitation is further along.2
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Nope. Starvation mode isn't a thing. The questions above will help folks give you real answers.1
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Nope to starvation mode. How accurate is your logging? I personally have never seen a plateau that couldn't be fixed by more accurate logging.1
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I’m 5ft 2 1/2 inches goal weight 100 maintained 100 for over three years and gained 20 lbs after a back surgery in 2015 couldn’t keep it back to 100.... 4 th back surgery a month ago I went in at 126 and I’m 117 now. I really don’t care to share my caloric input, I’m sorry no offense. I’m
Eating healthy things fruits and vegetables. Protein shakes tuna fish.0 -
Oh and the days I drastically cute I don’t lose- that’s what I’m calling starvation mode. My log is accurate to a T, I save all my wrappers and do it a few times a day. It’s supposed to be private though...,,
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If you're not willing to share your calorie intake, we can't tell if you're overeating or undereating (and 9 lb in a month would suggest the latter). You either want our help, or you don't. So let's try this again:
What weekly weight loss goal did you set MFP to - 0.5 lb, 1 lb, 2 lb?
Are you eating the calories MFP set for you?
Do you use a food scale to weigh your food? It doesn't matter how 'healthily' you are eating, calories are king for weight loss.
How long since you've lost weight?2 -
Oh, and 100 lb is underweight for your height, FYI.3
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angelstarr22 wrote: »I’m 5ft 2 1/2 inches goal weight 100 maintained 100 for over three years and gained 20 lbs after a back surgery in 2015 couldn’t keep it back to 100.... 4 th back surgery a month ago I went in at 126 and I’m 117 now. I really don’t care to share my caloric input, I’m sorry no offense. I’m
Eating healthy things fruits and vegetables. Protein shakes tuna fish.
No offense taken! But unfortunately, if you aren't willing to discuss your calories or your logging, you're kind of on your own, because that is what matters. It doesn't matter if you are eating "healthy" food or not, it's your calories that count.
You are already at a healthy weight for your height and are actually aiming to be slightly underweight, so your progress will be slow and will be easily hidden on the scale behind water weight fluctuations. Set your goal to lose half a lb per week and use a food scale for all solids and semi-solids as often as possible. It is perfectly normal to go a few weeks with no change sometimes. Your weight will not react immediately when you have a good or bad day, you have to trust the process and be patient.4 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »Oh, and 100 lb is underweight for your height, FYI.
According to whom? You do not know this person or what muscle percentage they may or may not have.5 -
If you've gotten stuck and working out is not a option. (Just a normal walk can help) if your calories are good and you still can't make it over the hump, you could try limiting starches and sugars.4
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dustinjbrock wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Oh, and 100 lb is underweight for your height, FYI.
According to whom? You do not know this person or what muscle percentage they may or may not have.
BMI, for one.
And who the person is and what the muscle percentage is doesn't matter. Muscle percentage and body fat don't matter for underweight -- especially not when the BMI in question is right in between what is already clinically underweight, and what is seen as a diagnostic marker for anorexia. And, if the muscle percentage is high, that almost makes it *worse* considering that minimal healthy levels for women are in the ballpark of 13-16 percent.
It's not like people who justify being above the "normal" BMI range by saying that they're muscular.
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Bmi Is a very flawed guideline.8
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Maybe if you're super muscular, *and* overweight, or an extreme outlier for height. For most of the population, they're at least a reasonable range.
But, to play your game. Since you obviously know all, what's your metric for determining whether someone is at an unhealthily low weight? Has it been replicated? Any science behind it?0 -
I never claimed I know all, where did this come from?
What's my metric? My science? Come on now, are you just here to bully people into your way of thinking? My science is a mirror, listen to the mirror and not people on a forum.6 -
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dustinjbrock wrote: »I never claimed I know all, where did this come from?
What's my metric? My science? Come on now, are you just here to bully people into your way of thinking? My science is a mirror, listen to the mirror and not people on a forum.
And lots of women who are very underweight look in the mirror and think they still have fat to lose.
BMI is not perfect, but it's a good general guideline for people who aren't pro athletes or body builders. OP is free to aim for slightly underweight if she wants, but she should move forward with eyes open and understand the challenges in trying to get to such a low weight. There is a huge difference in the accuracy and patience required to lose 20 lbs to get into the healthy weight range, and to lose 20 lbs to get below the healthy weight range. It's a factor worth mentioning.9 -
angelstarr22 wrote: »Oh and the days I drastically cute I don’t lose- that’s what I’m calling starvation mode. My log is accurate to a T, I save all my wrappers and do it a few times a day. It’s supposed to be private though...,,
If you're only cutting for a day or two at a time you won't see any change. Weight loss is slow and requires consistent deficits. Furthermore, if you cut for one day and don't see a change, then get frustrated and eat more the next day, you might be undoing your efforts. Try finding your maintenance range, keeping it up for a week or two, and then start introducing a deficit again, but one that you can live with. Hope that helps. 0 -
Ok ok.... I’m so sorry to start all the controversy and fights on here.... I admit I don’t want to share because I have had a little promblem in the past and I don’t wish to get kicked off here if I share my calorie intake but it’s only thing that works since I haven’t been able to exercise in so long. I’m the kind of person that has to exercise to lose weight so I was beside myself. I plan on raising it when I’m more recovered, it’s only been a month. I took an 11 minute walk with my brace on a few days ago and my back was spasming so bad after I guess my body is still not ready for exercise☹️and let’s see since the last three weeks I went down from 126-117. But my body’s been stuck around 117-118 for a week or so I guess I’m just impatient. Thanks for all the input0
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Ps.... my weight has not changed on here because it was 118 before surgery and I was embarrassed to move it up to 126 after surgury.....if anyone is in the same boat with me I would like you for a friend if your willing thanks!1
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dustinjbrock wrote: »I never claimed I know all, where did this come from?
What's my metric? My science? Come on now, are you just here to bully people into your way of thinking? My science is a mirror, listen to the mirror and not people on a forum.
And lots of women who are very underweight look in the mirror and think they still have fat to lose.
BMI is not perfect, but it's a good general guideline for people who aren't pro athletes or body builders. OP is free to aim for slightly underweight if she wants, but she should move forward with eyes open and understand the challenges in trying to get to such a low weight. There is a huge difference in the accuracy and patience required to lose 20 lbs to get into the healthy weight range, and to lose 20 lbs to get below the healthy weight range. It's a factor worth mentioning.
And in conjunction with the OP's admission that she is probably undereating (a few posts down), she's not going to find a lot of support here for that mindset.1 -
angelstarr22 wrote: »Ok ok.... I’m so sorry to start all the controversy and fights on here.... I admit I don’t want to share because I have had a little promblem in the past and I don’t wish to get kicked off here if I share my calorie intake but it’s only thing that works since I haven’t been able to exercise in so long. I’m the kind of person that has to exercise to lose weight so I was beside myself. I plan on raising it when I’m more recovered, it’s only been a month. I took an 11 minute walk with my brace on a few days ago and my back was spasming so bad after I guess my body is still not ready for exercise☹️and let’s see since the last three weeks I went down from 126-117. But my body’s been stuck around 117-118 for a week or so I guess I’m just impatient. Thanks for all the input
I'm sorry that you're struggling. I would definitely bring up these concerns with your doctor, and would maybe look into finding someone to talk to about your relationship with your weight.
That being said, you really are being impatient. At your weight, going down OR up would take longer than a week. 0.5/week go lose OR gain is realistically what you're looking at, simply based on math. Even if you reduce your intake down to 1200 calories, your TDEE of 1,445 or so is still only going to give you a deficit of around 250 calories. To lose a pound (3500 calories), you'd need two weeks. (14 days).
It's just math. Take comfort in the numbers and be patient. It WILL come. Just be healthy while you do it.2 -
angelstarr22 wrote: »Ok ok.... I’m so sorry to start all the controversy and fights on here.... I admit I don’t want to share because I have had a little promblem in the past and I don’t wish to get kicked off here if I share my calorie intake but it’s only thing that works since I haven’t been able to exercise in so long. I’m the kind of person that has to exercise to lose weight so I was beside myself. I plan on raising it when I’m more recovered, it’s only been a month. I took an 11 minute walk with my brace on a few days ago and my back was spasming so bad after I guess my body is still not ready for exercise☹️and let’s see since the last three weeks I went down from 126-117. But my body’s been stuck around 117-118 for a week or so I guess I’m just impatient. Thanks for all the input
I'm sorry that you're struggling. I would definitely bring up these concerns with your doctor, and would maybe look into finding someone to talk to about your relationship with your weight.
That being said, you really are being impatient. At your weight, going down OR up would take longer than a week. 0.5/week go lose OR gain is realistically what you're looking at, simply based on math. Even if you reduce your intake down to 1200 calories, your TDEE of 1,445 or so is still only going to give you a deficit of around 250 calories. To lose a pound (3500 calories), you'd need two weeks. (14 days).
It's just math. Take comfort in the numbers and be patient. It WILL come. Just be healthy while you do it.
Cosigned 1 -
Plateaus are not considered plateau till 4+ weeks of no weight loss. This is typically in conjunction with a healthy diet (calories, macro ratios, and content) and exercise, which doesn't appear you have at the moment.
And according to this, your BMI is 21.1, which is right in the middle of your ideal range.
Given that you are coming out of multiple surgeries, are not overweight, but want to rob your body of the fuel it needs to not only function, but also repair from a SURGERY...I say you don't worry about losing weight at this point. Get well, get back where you can do some strength and cardio, then start working on dropping weight if that's what you want (although, not sure why you would given current BMI).2 -
dustinjbrock wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »Oh, and 100 lb is underweight for your height, FYI.
According to whom? You do not know this person or what muscle percentage they may or may not have.
That would be pretty irrelevant...someone of that height at 100 Lbs is going to likely be at or below essential fat and have pretty much zero muscle mass...0 -
angelstarr22 wrote: »Ok ok.... I’m so sorry to start all the controversy and fights on here.... I admit I don’t want to share because I have had a little promblem in the past and I don’t wish to get kicked off here if I share my calorie intake but it’s only thing that works since I haven’t been able to exercise in so long. I’m the kind of person that has to exercise to lose weight so I was beside myself. I plan on raising it when I’m more recovered, it’s only been a month. I took an 11 minute walk with my brace on a few days ago and my back was spasming so bad after I guess my body is still not ready for exercise☹️and let’s see since the last three weeks I went down from 126-117. But my body’s been stuck around 117-118 for a week or so I guess I’m just impatient. Thanks for all the input
Angelstarr, not sure what the problem is that you're referring to, but also keep in mind that you shouldn't go too low in calories, because that can cause the stalls as well. I agree with the others, it's hard to help without specifics, and 1 week isn't really a plateau. But I also understand you're frustration... I broke my foot last spring. My weight went up to 230, but on here I quit logging in when I hated the weight too much to record it! I'm now back on and heading in the right direction. I am finally walking again. That will help. I also recently made the switch to keto. I can't BELIEVE how quickly it works and how great I feel. Good luck to you!
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mreidkramer wrote: »angelstarr22 wrote: »Ok ok.... I’m so sorry to start all the controversy and fights on here.... I admit I don’t want to share because I have had a little promblem in the past and I don’t wish to get kicked off here if I share my calorie intake but it’s only thing that works since I haven’t been able to exercise in so long. I’m the kind of person that has to exercise to lose weight so I was beside myself. I plan on raising it when I’m more recovered, it’s only been a month. I took an 11 minute walk with my brace on a few days ago and my back was spasming so bad after I guess my body is still not ready for exercise☹️and let’s see since the last three weeks I went down from 126-117. But my body’s been stuck around 117-118 for a week or so I guess I’m just impatient. Thanks for all the input
Angelstarr, not sure what the problem is that you're referring to, but also keep in mind that you shouldn't go too low in calories, because that can cause the stalls as well. I agree with the others, it's hard to help without specifics, and 1 week isn't really a plateau. But I also understand you're frustration... I broke my foot last spring. My weight went up to 230, but on here I quit logging in when I hated the weight too much to record it! I'm now back on and heading in the right direction. I am finally walking again. That will help. I also recently made the switch to keto. I can't BELIEVE how quickly it works and how great I feel. Good luck to you!
no it can't...
To the OP if you won't share diary I suspect it's becasue you are eating VLCD (very low calories) esp if you want to be 100lbs.
anyway. If you aren't losing based on your log it's due to inaccurate logging. Either because you aren't using a food scale or using incorrect entries.
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Thanks all for being kind and your input.... I know I shouldn’t be so hard on myself with the calorie intake because it is a good point my body’s trying to heal. What is Keto?0
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