Cannot lose weight below a certain number

AlexaWignall
AlexaWignall Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I lost 30 pounds over a year of a 1200 calorie diet. I then hit 157 pounds which is 17 pounds into the overweight category for my height - so nowhere near a healthy weight. And the weight just stopped coming off. After 10 weeks of bouncing between 157 and 159 pounds I stopped calorie counting. My weight went up to 163 pounds over the next 4 weeks. I started the calorie counting again and lost a pound a week until I hit 159 pounds and now it has been stuck there again for the last 5 weeks. It's like a wall. I can lose weight absolutely fine if I put it on but I cant get below 157. What is going on?

Replies

  • AlexaWignall
    AlexaWignall Posts: 9 Member
    By the way I tried 1400 calories for 2 weeks and I gained a pound.
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
    Make sure you aren't overestimating your workout calories.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    Are you weighing and logging all the food you eat?
    are you eating back your exercise calories? if so, all of them?

    as mentioned, a two week "plateau" is normal and you just need to work thru it, by keep doing what you are doing and ensuring you are properly weighing and logging everything that goes in and ensuring you are using appropriate MFP entries (some can be misleading)
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I know not everyone is comfortable doing so, but if you were willing to temporarily make your diary public, we may be able to help you trouble shoot.

    In the absence of that, are you using a food scale. Are you double checking that the database entries you are using are accurate (many are user-entered and incorrect)? Are you avoiding recipe style entries you didn't create yourself? Are you logging everything - beverages, condiments, late night snacks, nibbles while cooking, cheat meals - everything? Are you eating back exercise calories?
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    AlexaWignall wrote: »
    By the way I tried 1400 calories for 2 weeks and I gained a pound.

    Your logging is off. It does not have to be ridiculously off, it might be just 200 or 300 calories off. Double check your entries, use a scale and be patient. Not losing for a week or two, or even gaining a bit, it is all normal.
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    Not losing every week is normal. I took ages to lose 3 kilos (3 months) when I cut recently - in fact I lost nothing for the first 3-4 weeks. Then it slowly came off in fits and starts. This was at 15 then 1400 Calories. And I am very small (went from 49 to 46 kilos) - never needed to go as low as 200.
  • AlexaWignall
    AlexaWignall Posts: 9 Member
    I log and weigh everything. I do not eat back my exercise calories because I do not exercise. I am not gaining muscle weight.
    It is not a plateau of a couple of weeks, I have not lost any weight below this wall in a year. My diet works perfectly fine if I put on some weight, so I do not understand why at 157-159 pounds it stops working. I will try 1000 calories twice a week to see if that can help. I will keep you up to date with progress. By the way there will be no point sharing my food diary as most of the meals are logged as calorie amounts only - no other information.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    AlexaWignall wrote: »
    My diet works perfectly fine if I put on some weight, so I do not understand why at 157-159 pounds it stops working.
    Did you not pick up that at a lower weight, your body uses less energy, so to lose weight at a lower weight, you have to eat less than you did to lose weight at a higher weight?
    I will try 1000 calories twice a week to see if that can help. I will keep you up to date with progress.
    Don't do that. It will not help. If you aren't losing weight at what you think is a 1200 calories, you're not eating 1200 calories, and whatever you think 1000 calories is, is probably also gong to be enough to keep your current weight stable.

    If what you think 1000 calories is, is indeed little enough to create a calorie deficit for you now, then twice a week is not enough, you have to have a consistent calorie deficit to lose weight.

    If you actually eat that little, you'll binge and undo your calorie deficit.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited August 2018
    Pay attention to all the "if"s in my post. If (sorry!) you log correctly, using your food diary and a food scale, you don't have to bother with all that guesswork, and you will lose at a steady, healthy and predictable rate.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    If you're certain your logging is correct, and you're certain your numbers are reliable, and you're certain you've been consistent enough and patient enough to know what is/isn't working, then see a doctor. There's something on the CO side that we aren't accounting for.

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