7 month plateau!

Sondi84
Sondi84 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Motivation and Support
Hey guys, so I have lost approximately 70 pounds using this app and weight watchers together. It took me a little over one year to lose it, but after moving back to my home state of California in February my weight loss has essentially stopped. The 1st 70#'s was slow and steady and regular and I didn't have any problems with losing, but now I keep gaining and losing the same 7 pounds over and over. I even worked with a personal trainer for 3 months in hopes that that would help get me past the hump, but within that time I only lost 4 pounds ( I did lose a significant amount of body fat which is awesome) but not lbs. I still currently weigh about 218 pounds so I'm still quite a ways away from my goal, and as you can imagine I am frustrated with seeing the same number week after week, month after month. This is also the smallest I've been in my whole adult life; I even weigh less than I did in high school.

Sometimes I will double up on my intense cardio or I will go for a long run on the weekend (6 to 10 miles) but those activities make me so hungry that I end up eating all of the calories that I just expended.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for me? I could use it! Thanks!

Replies

  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,540 Member
    I went from 285 lbs to about 218 and got stuck there. In desperation I joined WW. That’s where I learned tracking. That got me unstuck. So my question would be, how’s your food diary?

    My strategy ended up being eating quite a bit, but eating fewer calories. Despite what they say, WW is just calorie counting with trademark protection.

    And if you aren’t using a food scale, you aren’t really calorie counting.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,040 Member
    Sondi84 wrote: »
    Hey guys, so I have lost approximately 70 pounds using this app and weight watchers together. It took me a little over one year to lose it, but after moving back to my home state of California in February my weight loss has essentially stopped. The 1st 70#'s was slow and steady and regular and I didn't have any problems with losing, but now I keep gaining and losing the same 7 pounds over and over. I even worked with a personal trainer for 3 months in hopes that that would help get me past the hump, but within that time I only lost 4 pounds ( I did lose a significant amount of body fat which is awesome) but not lbs. I still currently weigh about 218 pounds so I'm still quite a ways away from my goal, and as you can imagine I am frustrated with seeing the same number week after week, month after month. This is also the smallest I've been in my whole adult life; I even weigh less than I did in high school.

    Sometimes I will double up on my intense cardio or I will go for a long run on the weekend (6 to 10 miles) but those activities make me so hungry that I end up eating all of the calories that I just expended.

    Does anyone have any advice or suggestions for me? I could use it! Thanks!

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10459226/youre-not-plateauing/p1

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • Sondi84
    Sondi84 Posts: 2 Member
    88olds wrote: »
    I went from 285 lbs to about 218 and got stuck there. In desperation I joined WW. That’s where I learned tracking. That got me unstuck. So my question would be, how’s your food diary?

    My strategy ended up being eating quite a bit, but eating fewer calories. Despite what they say, WW is just calorie counting with trademark protection.

    And if you aren’t using a food scale, you aren’t really calorie counting.

    I'm finding it hard to eat the new calories I have to eat and I end up binging. I do need to eat large volume to be satisfied, like u said u do. More food, fewer calories. How do u get around sweets cravings?? I eat like 5 servings of fruit a day but it doesnt replace my cravings for a cookie or brownie or cake.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    edited September 2018
    There is a great thread in the 'food' sub-forum that is dedicated to volume eating. It is quite long, but I'm sure you could read the first couple of pages then jump into the most recent page. (Back reading at leisure).

    As far as fruit not satisfying your sweet tooth goes. Set one piece aside and replace with a cookie or whatever you fancy. (So long as it isn't a trigger)

    For many people doubling up exercise for the calorie burn leaves them even more hungry.
    Try walks and just upping your daily movements. Just moving more during the day will give you a better calorie burn without the urge to eat more.

    There is a good thread for that too. (I'll find it and add it to the bottom)

    If you have been stuck for so long, go back to basics. Review your logging practices, and the entries you are using.
    Many of us can get a bit lax with logging without realizing it, or used the wrong entry for an item when we first started and never thought to check its accuracy when we are more skilled.

    Also check that the calories you are eating back are as accurate as possible. It is always going to be an estimate, but using your collected data can give you a better estimate than any device or web site, once you know your food logging is on point.

    I've wandered around the houses a bit here because there are a number of little tweaks that could help you get back on track and comfortabler with your calorie deficit.

    Just a thought, have you updated your calorie goal since you lost 70lbs? The less one weighs the fewer calories one needs.

    Cheers, h.
    Hints for upping daily activity.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    Here you go, I found the volume eaters thread too.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10563959/volume-eaters-thread/p1
  • arsoria24
    arsoria24 Posts: 110 Member
    Hello, try drinking more water throughout the day when eating meals. That may help suppress some of the binge eating. That seems to work for me, hopefully it works for you. 🙂
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Since I have stopped eating bread I also have stopped binge eating. Bread is my trigger, always has been. Now my carbs is derived from lots of vegetables and a little fruit and milk. My macros are approx. 30 carbs and 35 % each protein and fat. So far I have lost just over 20 kg.
  • countcurt
    countcurt Posts: 593 Member
    Sorry to burst bubbles here, but this is simple math...if you want to lose weight you’ve got to take in fewer calories than your body needs. And (even though I, too, still do this sometimes) that strategy of chasing weight loss with exercise is a huge trap.


    If you’re a ‘volume’ eater, you need to select your foods with great care. And ‘craving’ sweets is a challenge for many of us. How you choose to manage that is up to you.

    In the end, though, you describe a set of beliefs you may need to address. What makes you a ‘volume’ eater? Are you really hungry when you’re eating all that volume? What does it mean to ‘crave’ sweets? Why are you increasing your exercise significantly when it causes you to be more hungry?

    Sadly, you can’t have it all. Lord knows I’ve tried, but it never works.
  • emmamcgarity
    emmamcgarity Posts: 1,594 Member
    Are you tracking your food when you binge?
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,540 Member
    @Sondi84

    Unlike a lot of people, I kept going to meetings after making WW Lifetime. The danger of regaining is real.

    Been to 100s of WW meetings. I’ve noticed this- if you need baked goods, cookies, cake, muffins, banana bread, to keep from feeling deprived, you are in for a rough time. Of course, anything that is counted is ok. CICO.

    The problem is what makes a satisfying portion? In a pinch I could make a meal out of 4-5 WW pts, maybe less. That’s about 2 cookies. And I go through cookies like potato chips. 100s of calories gone in a flash. 100 calorie piece of cake leaves me wanting more cake.

    What worked for me, basically ice cream. If it’s a frozen treat, I’ve tried it. IC, frozen yogurt, frozen fruit, sherbet. Some I’ve made myself. WW fudge bars- knocked them off of the stick and ate them with a spoon. It took longer. My current pick is Breyer’s no sugar added. 120 calories for 84 grams. I find that enough. Maybe you won’t. Had a WW leader who would eat 1 WW bar and go back for the whole box.

    But here’s my deal with myself, give in to some other treat type food- no ice cream. IC almost always wins.
  • Horsekeeper
    Horsekeeper Posts: 21 Member
    I've noticed that as I lose weight, about every 5 or 10 pounds I need to go back to the MFP settings page, and get it to reset the number of calories allowed if I want to keep losing at roughly one pound a week. My calorie limit has gone down by a couple of hundred or so over the past year. For some reason, MFP doesn't do this automatically when you lose weight. It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right, anyhow. Good luck!
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