Frustrated with plateau
khaatrebert
Posts: 20 Member
I kicked off the year with a goal to lose 40lbs, this would put me at a weight I haven’t been since high school. I cut back to about 1000 calories a day and I made these calories wholesome. I cut out bread, pasta, rice, starches, and sweets (other than fruits). I also started doing interval training runs a few times a week (aiming for 3 but the winter weather makes this hard) and yoga a few times a week. The first couple weeks were fantastic, I lost 15 pounds pretty quickly and easily and gained some muscle in my abs and arms. Now I am stuck. I hate my body even more than before I started dieting. I haven’t lost a single pound in 2 weeks. I keep thinking this will end soon, but I’m starting to lose my patience. Any advice?
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Replies
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2 weeks is not a plateau.
This would be a good time to pick a reasonable calorie goal (1,000 isn't reasonable) and ensure that you're logging accurately. This will get you ready for a successful and sustainable weight loss effort.11 -
You should not be eating less than 1200 calories net unless you are very short, sedentary, and older.
With a goal of 40 lbs, you should be aiming to lose around 1 lb per week. That first 15 lbs is too fast, but also probably involved a lot of water weight, and your body is now recovering. Losing weight very fast makes it really likely you will lose muscle, experience dramatic water weight swings, and eventually hit the wall.
Set your goal to lose 1 lb per week. Read the Most Helpful Posts thread stickied to the top of the boards. Log accurately and consistently and eat your calories. Be patient and take good care of yourself :drinker:4 -
Plateaus can be super frustrating. Your diary is closed and we don't have many details to work with, but let's see if we can work through what might be going on. These are pretty general, but maybe something here will help:
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.7 -
I know fitbits aren’t always accurate, but this is what my calories in vs out are normally like. I am not eating back calories that I work off. I do log everything I eat. I have been making all my meals from scratch so I know exactly what is going in to them. I have been mostly eating protein shakes and chicken with vegetables. I have been very conscious of what oils I use to cook with and what dressings I use and such.0
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I’d also like to note that I am not going hungry. I am fueling my body with healthy and nutritious foods. I feel great and have tons of energy.0
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khaatrebert wrote: »I know fitbits aren’t always accurate, but this is what my calories in vs out are normally like. I am not eating back calories that I work off. I do log everything I eat. I have been making all my meals from scratch so I know exactly what is going in to them. I have been mostly eating protein shakes and chicken with vegetables. I have been very conscious of what oils I use to cook with and what dressings I use and such.
How? Are you using a scale?1 -
khaatrebert wrote: »I’d also like to note that I am not going hungry. I am fueling my body with healthy and nutritious foods. I feel great and have tons of energy.
Feelings of hunger don't always correlate to what your body needs, especially at the beginning of a weight loss effort.
If you're truly eating 1,000 calories a day and doing additional activity on top of that, it isn't enough. It doesn't matter how you "feel" right now, it's a matter of how many calories it takes to meet your nutritional needs and fuel an active lifestyle while you're losing weight.5 -
For meat, veggies, and fruits yes. For liquids and powders I trust measuring cups and the nutritional info on the package.0
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khaatrebert wrote: »For meat, veggies, and fruits yes. For liquids and powders I trust measuring cups and the nutritional info on the package.
If you're not using a scale for powders, it's possible that you're eating more than you think you are (my protein powder, for example, packs a lot more into a scoop than the package would lead one to believe). So it might be worth focusing on logging accurately to ensure that you're not inadvertently eating more than you think you are.
While you are doing that, you can also use this site to generate a reasonable calorie goal and begin logging your exercise and eating back at least a portion of those calories. Logging accurately will help you understand what you're eating so you can make adjustments and a reasonable calorie goal that takes your activity into account will ensure you're getting everything you need while you're losing weight.2 -
I should have specified the fit bit picture is showing calories in per MFP and out via Fitbit tracking. My goal on MFP is 2 lbs a week, I am supposed to eat 1200 calories a day but I aim to stay around 1,000. I am not depriving myself though, if I am hungry I have an extra snack and bump up to 1200.2
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khaatrebert wrote: »I should have specified the fit bit picture is showing calories in per MFP and out via Fitbit tracking. My goal on MFP is 2 lbs a week, I am supposed to eat 1200 calories a day but I aim to stay around 1,000. I am not depriving myself though, if I am hungry I have an extra snack and bump up to 1200.
If your calorie goal comes from MFP, the intention is that you will eat back the calories burnt through intentional exercise. This is especially important if your goal is very aggressive (and you have chosen the most aggressive goal, 2 pounds per week). Your goal from MFP already puts you at a deficit to lose weight. There's no need to cut more calories and create an even more aggressive deficit.5 -
Okay, I’ll try eating back the calories I burn and see how that goes. Thanks for the advice.0
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khaatrebert wrote: »I’d also like to note that I am not going hungry. I am fueling my body with healthy and nutritious foods. I feel great and have tons of energy.
And it's only been 4 weeks. You'll feel great until you don't, and then the damage will already be done. Your body doesn't just need nutrition, it needs calories. Calories are the fuel for all the things your body does every day without you even thinking about it. If you eat too big a deficit and lose too fast, your body will start doing two problematic things. One, it will stop doing things that won't hurt you right away - so your hair will not grow in and some of the cells throughout your body will not get repaired, etc. Two, your body can only burn so much fat at one time, so to make up some of the difference it will start using your muscles for fuel.
Eating healthy involves giving your body enough macro-nutrients, enough micro-nutrients, and enough calories to do what it needs to do. If you are under-eating, you are not eating healthy.
Regardless, none of that has anything to do with your plateau. Considering you lost so much weight the first two weeks, you need to give your body a few weeks to recover. And even if you do everything perfectly, it is still normal to have a week or two here and there where you don't lose weight, or even gain weight. Especially for women, water weight fluctuations due to the hormonal cycle, dietary changes, exercise, etc can easily mask weight loss on occasion. You need to be patient
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khaatrebert wrote: »I kicked off the year with a goal to lose 40lbs, this would put me at a weight I haven’t been since high school. I cut back to about 1000 calories a day and I made these calories wholesome. I cut out bread, pasta, rice, starches, and sweets (other than fruits). I also started doing interval training runs a few times a week (aiming for 3 but the winter weather makes this hard) and yoga a few times a week. The first couple weeks were fantastic, I lost 15 pounds pretty quickly and easily and gained some muscle in my abs and arms. Now I am stuck. I hate my body even more than before I started dieting. I haven’t lost a single pound in 2 weeks. I keep thinking this will end soon, but I’m starting to lose my patience. Any advice?
I feel your pain and know the struggle, MFP and some insightful YT videos have been helping me overcome and get used to these new things. One important thing to note is make sure your sticking with something u can make into a lifestyle change because if not; when you get to your goaled weight loss if you havent made a real adjustment to your lifestyle you will gain some/alot/ a little who knows back. We're all here to support each other. TBH I did a one day water fast/ 9I call it clairity fast) it allowed me to reflect, set some non-weight goals as many MFP and YT bloggers suggest and take a look at myself for progress and pat myself on the back. You can do it. I have this notion in my head that cutting my calories so low my stall reason; since your not loosing anything at this moment try some other tactics and see if they help. Eat maybe 500 cal more on one day to refeed your muscles since your gaining some so well with a good choice. I had a cookie today , ( havent had something so satisfying in over 3 weeks) and Im happy. I didnt want another one, didnt want another piece and all I want right now is some more greens. Also have you tried ACV? Mix it with something to offset the taste ( sugar free) and that may help set your body back in the right motion. Happy weight loss. Oh, and love yourself and your body it's the only one u got and you are working towards making it a better body! Disappointment will cause stress which will call fat burn resist hormones to trigger which will cause a domonio of things behind the scene we dont even understand with our bodies. A LITTLE BIT OF STRESS GOES A LONG WAY BACKWARDS BUT A LITTLE BIT OF HAPPINESS GOES A LONG WAY FORWARD
****YOU ARE NOT ALONE! 9 -
khaatrebert wrote: »I kicked off the year with a goal to lose 40lbs, this would put me at a weight I haven’t been since high school. I cut back to about 1000 calories a day and I made these calories wholesome. I cut out bread, pasta, rice, starches, and sweets (other than fruits). I also started doing interval training runs a few times a week (aiming for 3 but the winter weather makes this hard) and yoga a few times a week. The first couple weeks were fantastic, I lost 15 pounds pretty quickly and easily and gained some muscle in my abs and arms. Now I am stuck. I hate my body even more than before I started dieting. I haven’t lost a single pound in 2 weeks. I keep thinking this will end soon, but I’m starting to lose my patience. Any advice?
2 weeks isn't a plateau...15 Lbs lost in a couple of weeks is some fat and a lot of water and waste loss. Initial drops in weight tend to be more dramatic and then things slow to more realistic rates of actual fat loss. You won't lose weight every week...you will have weeks with bigger losses, smaller losses, no losses, and gains. Body weight fluctuates naturally and those fluctuations can mask weight (fat) loss in the short run. Weight loss and weight management in general is about trends over time.1 -
BeyandBeautiful wrote: »khaatrebert wrote: »I kicked off the year with a goal to lose 40lbs, this would put me at a weight I haven’t been since high school. I cut back to about 1000 calories a day and I made these calories wholesome. I cut out bread, pasta, rice, starches, and sweets (other than fruits). I also started doing interval training runs a few times a week (aiming for 3 but the winter weather makes this hard) and yoga a few times a week. The first couple weeks were fantastic, I lost 15 pounds pretty quickly and easily and gained some muscle in my abs and arms. Now I am stuck. I hate my body even more than before I started dieting. I haven’t lost a single pound in 2 weeks. I keep thinking this will end soon, but I’m starting to lose my patience. Any advice?
I feel your pain and know the struggle, MFP and some insightful YT videos have been helping me overcome and get used to these new things. One important thing to note is make sure your sticking with something u can make into a lifestyle change because if not; when you get to your goaled weight loss if you havent made a real adjustment to your lifestyle you will gain some/alot/ a little who knows back. We're all here to support each other. TBH I did a one day water fast/ 9I call it clairity fast) it allowed me to reflect, set some non-weight goals as many MFP and YT bloggers suggest and take a look at myself for progress and pat myself on the back. You can do it. I have this notion in my head that cutting my calories so low my stall reason; since your not loosing anything at this moment try some other tactics and see if they help. Eat maybe 500 cal more on one day to refeed your muscles since your gaining some so well with a good choice. I had a cookie today , ( havent had something so satisfying in over 3 weeks) and Im happy. I didnt want another one, didnt want another piece and all I want right now is some more greens. Also have you tried ACV? Mix it with something to offset the taste ( sugar free) and that may help set your body back in the right motion. Happy weight loss. Oh, and love yourself and your body it's the only one u got and you are working towards making it a better body! Disappointment will cause stress which will call fat burn resist hormones to trigger which will cause a domonio of things behind the scene we dont even understand with our bodies. A LITTLE BIT OF STRESS GOES A LONG WAY BACKWARDS BUT A LITTLE BIT OF HAPPINESS GOES A LONG WAY FORWARD ****YOU ARE NOT ALONE!
ACV has no affect on weight loss, and considering OP is undereating, the last thing she should consider is a fast. She needs to give her body fuel.3 -
The answer to this is probably pretty simple - you almost certainly didn't lose 15 lbs of fat in two weeks. You lost a few pounds of fat and a lot of temporary water weight and mass from the smaller amount of food in your digestive system. Then the temporary weight started coming back on, and now you have to lose more weight before you will see another drop in the scale.
Sorry you're feeling frustrated right now! Hang in there, and trust the process. I agree with those who say you should be eating more than 1000 calories and eating back some of your exercise calories. You don't want to tank your hormones and lose hair and muscle mass! Try to focus on how much stronger you are getting and other non-scale victories.3 -
khaatrebert wrote: »I kicked off the year with a goal to lose 40lbs, this would put me at a weight I haven’t been since high school. I cut back to about 1000 calories a day and I made these calories wholesome. I cut out bread, pasta, rice, starches, and sweets (other than fruits). I also started doing interval training runs a few times a week (aiming for 3 but the winter weather makes this hard) and yoga a few times a week. The first couple weeks were fantastic, I lost 15 pounds pretty quickly and easily and gained some muscle in my abs and arms. Now I am stuck. I hate my body even more than before I started dieting. I haven’t lost a single pound in 2 weeks. I keep thinking this will end soon, but I’m starting to lose my patience. Any advice?
sorry to burst your bubble, but you didn't gain appreciable muscle mass in 4 weeks eating 1000 calories per day.
as others said, 2 weeks is not a plateau - give it time!3 -
eat more..exercise less.. you shocked your body going extreme so it is out of survival holding steady. so typical of what many do on here.8
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elisa123gal wrote: »eat more..exercise less.. you shocked your body going extreme so it is out of survival holding steady. so typical of what many do on here.
“Survival mode” isn’t a thing5 -
elisa123gal wrote: »eat more..exercise less.. you shocked your body going extreme so it is out of survival holding steady. so typical of what many do on here.
have you seen the starving children of the world?? too bad their bodies didn't go into survival mode and "hold steady."3
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