Not losing - can anyone help

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Hello,

I seem to have hit another plateau and have not lost in the last 10 days despite sticking more or less to 1200 calories a day. This was based on me being 5’4” and currently 172lbs, but sedentary due to hip problems making exercise almost impossible (except gentle walking which I try to do daily)
Some people have said to me that my body could be in starvation mode hence not losing - any ideas how I can start the losss again? Very motivated to keep losing another 20lbs at least so very frustrated with this

Replies

  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    edited September 2019
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    What exactly does sticking more or less to 1200 calories a day mean?

    Fluctuations and plateaus are a normal part of the process. You don't need to make any changes. Wait another two weeks.

    Starvation mode is a myth.
  • goatelope
    goatelope Posts: 178 Member
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    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    What exactly does sticking more or less to 1200 calories a day mean?

    Fluctuations and plateaus are a normal part of the process. You don't need to make any changes. Wait another two weeks.

    Starvation mode is a myth.

    Hi - thanks for that, it did seem a bit weird.

    I had one week where I was eating erratically and I think it’s safe to say I would have eaten on average 1400 calories a day for 5/6 days

    Apparently my maintenance calories are 1400 a day, meaning I should have 900 a day if I want to lose 1lb a week. That seems very low but I could try.
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
    edited September 2019
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    The lowest amount of calories you should be on is 1200. That's for an obese woman.

    You must not, under any conditions, try 900. That's dangerous.

    What's the number mfp allocated you?

    What's your age, height, starting weight and current weight?
  • LyndaBSS
    LyndaBSS Posts: 6,964 Member
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    Your July 25th post indicated that you understood stalls, yet every week, it seems you're upset about a 10 day stall.

    Do you feel you are accurately logging or could your entries use some tightening up?
  • wildernessmith
    wildernessmith Posts: 3 Member
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    I am familiar with plateau’s. I’ve had many. I’ve gone 3 weeks with no change and suddenly lose 8lbs out of nowhere. However, I typically am doing something that is interfering with my diet and something that was once okay isn’t any longer. When I started I drink Coke Zero and used carb substitutes like Atkins bars or low carb ice cream and was losing but would plateau. When I cut those out I would continue to lose weight again. But the body is a clever mechanism and needs to be tricked. I don’t know if this helps but it’s my experience.
  • Jeff_Loughboro
    Jeff_Loughboro Posts: 7 Member
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    I have this problem right now and I agree with the above replies. I've had plateaus before that last several days. All this week I've been on a plateau, and my brain says stop (I can't go any lower) but that's me being insane - obsessing about it too much. I think it has to be math: because the weight loss curve is like a decaying exponential if it were to be "smoothed out" each 1-pound drop time intervals increase so it makes sense the incremental plateaus are going to get longer as time goes on. If time is money, each pound is more expensive as time goes on. If I over-exercise I'm gonna get the cravings, so patience is a key. In Buddhism: "this too shall pass". What I really need is a lifestyle change.
  • Jeff_Loughboro
    Jeff_Loughboro Posts: 7 Member
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    I forgot to mention the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol tricks the body into holding on to energy reserves. If I'm stressed out, I will lose more weight if I can find a way to relax instead, e.g. meditate, and get plenty of sleep. The more CARBON dioxide I can breath out in REM sleep, the more I will lose = more REM sleep.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
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    LyndaBSS wrote: »
    Your July 25th post indicated that you understood stalls, yet every week, it seems you're upset about a 10 day stall.

    Do you feel you are accurately logging or could your entries use some tightening up?

    This - 10 days is too little time to worry, be patient.
  • goatelope
    goatelope Posts: 178 Member
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    Thanks everyone for these responses.

    Yes I log. Everything. When I do quick adds it isn’t because I’m estimating, it’s because I weigh and jot down on a note pad and sometimes don’t want to log each ingredient. I’ve done some double checking and I was underestimating calories in eggs so I have adjusted that.

    I think it is a normal plateau but also potentially stress and hormones, I’ve a lot going on and the more I worry about my weight the worse it gets!

    I am on 1200 because:

    I started at 182
    I am 38, nearly 39
    I’m 5’4”
    Best weight in indicated I managed to lose 12lbs but then I went up to 172 and can’t seem to lose anymore.

    I can’t ezcercise other than light walking. I don’t usually eat the calories back, if I do I try to only eat back half.

    Thanks for the kind words. I’m frustttaed with it.