ALWAYS stuck at the same weight and don't know what to do next
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jess_stanciu
Posts: 2 Member
Hi guys,
I am really struggling with losing the last 10 pounds.. I do everything right during the week including running 4 times a week, yoga twice a week, and kickboxing once a week plus I eat around 1200 calories with macro goals around 20% carbs, 50% fat and 30% protein. I go off some during the weekend but I still want to have a life. Ever since high school I have struggled getting down past 140 and I am 5'2" with a muscular build and a weight that is truly much higher than it should be. The last I remember weighing less than 140 was my sophomore year of high school when I had volleyball practice two hours a day and would go running. I'm feeling extremely defeated and frustrated and I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any fat burning ideas for these situations??
I am really struggling with losing the last 10 pounds.. I do everything right during the week including running 4 times a week, yoga twice a week, and kickboxing once a week plus I eat around 1200 calories with macro goals around 20% carbs, 50% fat and 30% protein. I go off some during the weekend but I still want to have a life. Ever since high school I have struggled getting down past 140 and I am 5'2" with a muscular build and a weight that is truly much higher than it should be. The last I remember weighing less than 140 was my sophomore year of high school when I had volleyball practice two hours a day and would go running. I'm feeling extremely defeated and frustrated and I don't know what to do. Does anyone have any fat burning ideas for these situations??
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I guess the first thing I would do is to weigh your food religiously and make 100% sure you are logging accurately (brands etc can have different cals). Your post sounds like you would already be doing this but it is the first place I would look if you are really stalling. Going off during the weekend can have a big impact - try logging religiously for a few weeks and really see how much you are taking in.
If you can, try to do some more cardio - maybe a run morning and night - exercise bike even better for me as I don't have to go out! You are doing a lot and don't need to do more - but it is one way to speed up your fat burn.
Also consider getting a body fat reading done - if you are muscular you may already have such a low body fat percentage you can't really lose much more.
Good luck!
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Could be you're placing too much stress on your body. All of that exercise and 1200 cals even at your height is very stressful.
I hit 154 (I'm 5'10/5'11) and I could not budge it from there despite not being happy with how I looked. I backed off, stopped pressuring myself to lose the weight, maintained, and I went on to go down to 145. You stress your body you force it to make cortisol, cortisol helps the body to retain fat. The body perceives itself under threat the more you work it and underfeed it -- depending on how long you've been losing -- so in its lizard brain it assumes that something terrible is coming, like famine or whatever, and it prepares by holding on to whatever fat it can to protect you. Loosen up, maintain for a little while, a couple of weeks, and then try again.4 -
How much are you going off and is it extensively tracked? Your weekends could be slowing everything down.
The last 10 pounds are generally the hardest to lose.1 -
What I would suggest: Cut out the flour and the sugar. Not because I think either of those is evil, but because I find it is really easy to overeat products made with flour and sugar and still not fill satisfied.
I find it very easy to smack down 3 slices of bread for about 300 calories. Without that option, I'm eating veggies and fruits...and it is far harder for me to eat 300 calories of veggies and/or fruits...so I seem to be naturally reducing my number of daily calories.7 -
I was on the 1200 calories wagon for a long while, it worked amazing at first but after a while, it gets boring and I was going off track on the weekend and didn’t see much progress so I did the math. Find your BMR and TDEE and base your caloric intake on that. I went from eating 1200 calories to 1900 calories a day and I dropped 7 lbs in 2 weeks. I also started carb cycling which gives me high carb days (they really feel like cheat days after months at 1200 calories). Finally, religiously measuring and logging everything is crucial on this last stretch.
Good luck!1 -
@FitSeachely how do you calculate BMR and TDEE?1
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The easiest way is to do a search on bmr calculator and tdee calculator, it will bring you ready made calculator where you input your data instead of having to do the math. For example, this site
http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html1 -
With a BMR of 1539 and TDEE of 2386, what do I do with this information?1
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You should aim to eat 80% of your tdee per day to loose weight so around 1900 calories per day and keep the same activity level (or take it up one notch a couple days a week). Try it for 2 to 4 weeks before tweaking.1
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Suggest not only cutting out the flour and sugar, but seriously any "sugars" at all including artificial, and any grains at all (even stop eating rice, quinoa), and milk products-switch to unsweetened almond milk for a while. Focus on the proteins, simple fats (olive oil, avocados or avocado oil) and non-starchy vegetables. Kind of a keto switch for a while. If you are vegetarian, just use tofu/eggs/almonds. If vegan, it is even harder, but doable. For fruits, limit the amounts and stick to berries. Bet the final pounds melt off.10
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I have been having the same problem . I can’t seem to lose the last 13 lbs . I am 5’11 and get stuck between 156 and 154. Staying at 1200 cal. And cardio three times a week .I lost .6 in 8 days . Happy to read the above comments going to try those !1
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FormerlyWallyAmadeus wrote: »What I would suggest: Cut out the flour and the sugar. Not because I think either of those is evil, but because I find it is really easy to overeat products made with flour and sugar and still not fill satisfied.
I find it very easy to smack down 3 slices of bread for about 300 calories. Without that option, I'm eating veggies and fruits...and it is far harder for me to eat 300 calories of veggies and/or fruits...so I seem to be naturally reducing my number of daily calories.
Focusing on eating veggies has definitely helped me keep on track. I personally dislike when people say to eliminate flour and sugar with no explanation, pointing out their lack of satiation is a good argument for reduction. I too find carbs in pasta and bread very unfilling, but I would say be cautious about quickly eliminating them from your diet because there are alot of posts of people who try that and then end up spiraling out of control on a Carb and/or sugar binge.
For me I eat pumpkin gnocchi once a week or buckwheat soba noodles which are higher on protein and that keeps my carby cravings at bay.
I save 60-80 calories for dark chocolate most nights. However for some foods like poutine or brownies I find it easier to just go cold turkey.
Most importantly you want to find some food habits that are sustainable because you would like to keep those last pounds off and not gain them back.2 -
Oops, I think that I should have been more specific...not carbs such as fruits/veggies, but those processed carbs. I eat quinoa, kasha and farro, e.g.
My all time favorite type of meal is: vegetable, protein, unprocessed grain. I like volume, crunch and diverse flavors, so I can get all three with a bowl of lean protein, raw and cooked veggies and kasha that has been made in a rice cooker and then lightly toasted.
My daily carb intake hovers around 120. Whenever I've tried to go without grains (in addition to cutting out processed carbs), I'm ravenous.2 -
With a BMR of 1539 and TDEE of 2386, what do I do with this information?
Important note, if you decide to eat 1900 calories a day, do not eat back your workout calories, the TDEE already accounts for your active lifestyle. Also, if your activity level changes, you should recalculate0 -
I would suggest you to change your macros % to 35% protein, 45% carbs and 20% fats. I notice that you're doing lots of cardio exercise with eating so little crabs. Your body need more carbs for fuel and when it can't access the carbs starts burning muscle tissues that leads to lower metabolism. I would also suggest you to add weight training to your routine and less cardio. More muscle = better metabolism.
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Tighten up your logging. I'm 5'3" and 115 pounds and I lose at 1800 calories a day.2
