Weight Loss Plateau

jamie_rael
jamie_rael Posts: 14 Member
in Motivation and Support
This is going to be a long one, so hang in there.

I'm a 21-year-old female. My weight loss journey began last year as I decided I wanted to be thin for my wedding (also I wanted to change my lifestyle to prevent having diabetes, which almost all of the women in my family have). I'm 5'5" and started out at 186 lbs when I began working on losing weight in August of 2017. I didn't exercise much, but I was on my feet all day at work and was working hard at eating healthy (not to mention, I caught a few stomach bugs last fall). From August to late November of last year, I dropped to 166 lbs. Then, my weight loss slowed to where I was only down to 161 by Jan 1, 2018. Then I hit a plateau from January until May of this year. Now, 25 lbs is a lot of weight to lose in 5 months, so I figured my metabolism just needed to adjust to my body's new weight. I stuck with my diet and still did not try to incorporate exercise (first of all because I can't afford a gym membership and second because I was on my feet all day at work), and from May to September of this year, I watched my weight drop from 161 to 151 lbs.
Since reaching 151, though, I've hit another plateau. I now work at a job which provides free access to a fitness center, so I will work out at least three days a week and try to work the "fat burning" and "HIIT" programs. It's been a month and I've not seen any progress -- in fact, I've gained five pounds.

Any advice?

Also; since starting my new job (it is a desk job, so lots of sitting), I've made some slight adjustments to my diet:

No cream or sugar in my coffee.
No white flour bread/rice/tortillas -- whole grain/wheat only.
Drinking more water.
Consuming less sodium.

Thank you for your help!

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Do you weigh your food?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Do you use a food scale? Do you weigh and log everything, no skipping, cheating or forgetting? If not, start there.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
  • sArahwasn
    sArahwasn Posts: 3 Member
    Hello all I’m new here
    Need some support
    Feel free to add me
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    How many calories are you eating each day?

    For weight loss, that is really the only thing that matters, not specific food groups or types of exercise.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,324 Member
    there is false weight gain for a few to six weeks when you start working out. It is fluid retention that corrects itself in a few weeks up to six weeks. google the topic..there are good articles on it.. it is temporary and your workout efforts will prevail.
  • jamie_rael
    jamie_rael Posts: 14 Member
    Hello, all! Sorry about not responding sooner!

    I've never had/used a food scale, but I might have to study up on those and maybe ask for one for Christmas.

    I try not to cheat and usually don't struggle with it; this weekend was pretty difficult as I went out with friends a couple of times and I'm in a pretty physical show where I'm running around a lot -- so I didn't track much this weekend.

    My caloric intake sits right around 1200 calories. I've read/heard that when you've lost some weight and your metabolism slows down, you should increase your calories so that your body can adjust. I'm not entirely sure if I should follow that advice or not, so I've been trying to stick with my 1200 plan.

    Also, elisa123gal, I didn't know that about exercising! I hope my workout regimen will help me get these pounds off. I know that when my schedule slows down and I start getting more sleep at night, that will help too.

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