Stuck, not losing much. Help 😭
shevydt
Posts: 11 Member
Hi everyone...
I have lost almost 70lbs since August 2019 but I’m still far from a goal weight. I religiously use MFP and log everything I consume - I’m down to 1200 calories a day. (My diary shows some recipes etc, these I manually create and weigh - not using other recipes that I can’t control). I am militant about logging, about weighing and about the numbers so no problem there. I also exercise every second day, I jog / do some weight training etc. I drink 2 litres of water a day, get 6-8 hours of sleep a night and I don’t drink alcohol or smoke or anything like that.
I feel like I’m doing everything right!
And yet, the last couple of weeks have been so slow going for weight loss... not much is changing and I don’t know why.
Help?
I have lost almost 70lbs since August 2019 but I’m still far from a goal weight. I religiously use MFP and log everything I consume - I’m down to 1200 calories a day. (My diary shows some recipes etc, these I manually create and weigh - not using other recipes that I can’t control). I am militant about logging, about weighing and about the numbers so no problem there. I also exercise every second day, I jog / do some weight training etc. I drink 2 litres of water a day, get 6-8 hours of sleep a night and I don’t drink alcohol or smoke or anything like that.
I feel like I’m doing everything right!
And yet, the last couple of weeks have been so slow going for weight loss... not much is changing and I don’t know why.
Help?
1
Replies
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Water weight probably, that's my best guess. Maybe your sodium level has been a bit high lately?1
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10 pounds per month is a very fast pace of weight loss. That’s over 2 pounds per week, which is not safe unless you have a very large amount to lose. How much weight are you trying to lose?4
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1200 cal seems very low especially if you are exercising. Are you eating back some (or all) of your exercise calories? Have you been consistently dieting since August?4
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You say "slow going", so you are still losing, correct? Weight loss isn't linear, and a couple of weeks with little change, or even a gain, on the scale is typical. You are no doubt in a calorie deficit and will continue to lose weight.
However, you've had 6 months of pretty aggressive dieting, and many people find they benefit from a diet break at this point, as certain hormones can become disregulated. This is a specific term. It's not a free-for-all- it's a week or two eating at your maintenance calorie level after which you resume your normal deficit. You can find more info here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10481830/the-diet-break/p16 -
Weight loss almost always plateaus at a certain point, so what you describe here is familiar to me in my own experience and also based on what I know about others' experiences. Plateauing can be really disheartening, as you express here. But oftentimes, if you stick with a healthy program and mentality, you can overcome it.
In my personal experience, I have often overcome the plateau by backing off of exercise, as I have had an unhealthy tendancy to over-exercise and obssess about exercise. Also, calorie cycling working for me on a couple occasions. I think that trial and error can be motivational as long as you keep your head positive. Often, situations are different each time, so play around a little bit and see what resonnates.3 -
Since your diary is open, I took a look.
The first thing I noticed is that you are mostly not eating back exercise calories. Your actual calorie intake on most days is quite low. MFP intends you to eat back all exercise calories assuming they are calculated correctly. If you don't know whether they're calculated correctly, then start with eating half of what the exercise database tells you.
This likely explains why you've been losing at such a rapid pace. Again, that pace of weight loss is not safe or sustainable unless you have quite a lot to lose.
You also have many entries that are "1 container," etc. rather than a weight. So, you are likely eating more calories than your diary indicates, but you are still likely to be undereating.
I would not be worried at all about your pace of weight loss slowing down; I would be very concerned with setting a reasonable pace for your stats.7 -
@apullum Thanks for taking a look. I lost the initial large amount in the first 3 months but then it did slow down quite considerably so I wouldn’t say I’m losing weight quickly now (quite the opposite in fact). I did / do have a large amount. It was 53.3kg to lose at the start (118lbs) and I’ve got 23.5kg (51lbs) to go.
I have gone through the guided goal set up for the number of 1200... some days I try and eat back my exercise goals but not always, it depends on how hungry I am / not. I will try eating more on these exercise days.
The 1 container etc is correct, I’ll eat a container of fruit or whatever it is and cross check calories with weight so I’m making sure I’m eating exactly as calculated. I’m very, VERY militant about calories and counting correctly 🤣
I’ll try eating back on training days and see if that makes a difference 👍🏻
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@cathipa This was what the MFP numbers have given me to calculate the weight loss, I’ve been calories counting since 1 August 2019. Of course I’ve had days where I haven’t ie. Christmas and birthday and have had the odd ‘permission’ meal (a Taco Bell just opened here) but that’s very sporadic and definitely a treat and not the rule. I may not be eating enough back on workout days so I’m going to try this.1
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@try2again This is super helpful, thank you. I’ve been considering a ‘break’ but have been so worried about putting weight back on and falling off the wagon BUT I may investigate this further and have some maintenance weeks 👍🏻0
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If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.0 -
@ladyzherra Thanks so much... this isn’t my first plateau and it’s hardly been a long length of time so I’m probably stressing for nothing but it’s definitely becoming disheartening not seeing change. I’m going to weigh in on Monday and see if any progress has been made and I may seriously consider a maintenance break of a week or two just to get back in the game. 👍🏻1
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theshevymarie wrote: »@apullum Thanks for taking a look. I lost the initial large amount in the first 3 months but then it did slow down quite considerably so I wouldn’t say I’m losing weight quickly now (quite the opposite in fact). I did / do have a large amount. It was 53.3kg to lose at the start (118lbs) and I’ve got 23.5kg (51lbs) to go.
I have gone through the guided goal set up for the number of 1200... some days I try and eat back my exercise goals but not always, it depends on how hungry I am / not. I will try eating more on these exercise days.
The 1 container etc is correct, I’ll eat a container of fruit or whatever it is and cross check calories with weight so I’m making sure I’m eating exactly as calculated. I’m very, VERY militant about calories and counting correctly 🤣
I’ll try eating back on training days and see if that makes a difference 👍🏻
If you’re not hungry but have a lot of calories left, add high calorie/low volume food like nut butter or cooking with extra oil.
With about 50 pounds left, it would be safest to set MFP to a 1 lb/week rate of loss. That may give you more calories depending on your stats. Weight loss is not linear, so the scale will not go down every single week.
Regarding slowing down, how long has it been since the scale went down at all? Your pace of weight loss should slow as you get closer to your goal. That’s normal and healthy. Additionally, as your pace of loss slows, normal water/waste fluctuations may make it harder to see change. That’s why we don’t consider it a plateau unless there is no downward movement on the scale for at least a month.2 -
@apullum I think what I may do is have a maintenance break, change to maintenance goal and not loss for 7 days just to ‘reset’ and then I’ll drop it to a 1lb a week loss.
I didn’t know that it wasn’t a plateau until a month of no downward movement so that’s good to know 👍🏻 Thank you. Thanks for your help.1 -
change up your workout2
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My first calorie counting site and MFP both gave me the "magic number" of 1200 calories a day for weight loss, and I stuck to it for years. But after losing most of my excess poundage, I found myself stalling, unable to lose more than .5 every few weeks. One of my friends suggested that I up my daily calorie intake, which seemed so counterproductive to me... but being totally frustrated, I did up my calories to 1300 a day. BINGO! I started to lose weight again, back up to about 1-1.5 pounds a week, until I finally hit my goal. Now I maintain at 1300 daily, SOMETIMES eating back 100-200 of my exercise calories, but most days I only use 50 or so of them, and I'm now losing about .5 a week (which is right where I want to be, fast losses for me means faster regains). So you might want to think about just adding a few calories a day and see if that might help you get back on track.1
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SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.1
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WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.
so much this.....0 -
WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.
so much this.....
Neither of you are experts and everyone is trying to offer support. I dont think anyone gave bad advice and this place is a good place to get advice.7 -
WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.
so much this.....
Neither of you are experts and everyone is trying to offer support. I dont think anyone gave bad advice and this place is a good place to get advice.
Never claimed to be an expert but there is some bad advice on this thread...
Want to lose weight? - Create a deficit
Not losing weight? - You aren't creating at a deficit/haven't given it enough time (weigh loss isn't linear)
Simple but not easy - hence why most of us (including me) are here1 -
I appreciate everyone’s help either way, I understand no one is an expert... it’s gonna be trial and error at this point.3
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theshevymarie wrote: »I appreciate everyone’s help either way, I understand no one is an expert... it’s gonna be trial and error at this point.
FWIW, I agree with what most of the responses here have said - you were losing very fast and possibly undereating, and a diet break is a great idea, followed by aiming for a more moderate pace like 1 lb per week.
This discussion is quite science dense, and it's not necessary to understand all this to get the benefits, but if you're up for a read, there's some great info about reasons and strategies for diet breaks:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1
:drinker:5 -
WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.
Many, not all, regular commenters in these forums have educated themselves over many years on the topics of weight loss and fitness, have a vast trove of personal experience, and volunteer their time to help new ones sift through all the bad information and pseudo-science out there. Many are scientists and professionals in the field of health and fitness. By all means, when you see bad information, correct it (and be prepared to back up your assertions), but please don't make blanket assertions that no one knows what they are talking about.6 -
theshevymarie wrote: »@try2again This is super helpful, thank you. I’ve been considering a ‘break’ but have been so worried about putting weight back on and falling off the wagon BUT I may investigate this further and have some maintenance weeks 👍🏻
Consider this: the longest part of the weight loss journey is the maintenance phase. Many stumble at this because they have just "dieted" and never learned how to eat the normal, appropriate amount of calories for their bodies. Occasional maintenance breaks, as well as easing into one's final weight loss goal with a smaller deficit, builds the knowledge and experience a person will need to maintain successfully. It's good practice for the real thing.
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Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.
so much this.....
Neither of you are experts and everyone is trying to offer support. I dont think anyone gave bad advice and this place is a good place to get advice.
Never claimed to be an expert but there is some bad advice on this thread...
Want to lose weight? - Create a deficit
Not losing weight? - You aren't creating at a deficit/haven't given it enough time (weigh loss isn't linear)
Simple but not easy - hence why most of us (including me) are here
Actually its not always this easy. It isn't always just CICO. Hormones, training, diet, lifestyle, gut biome, medications, sleep...all of these affect weight.0 -
Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.
so much this.....
Neither of you are experts and everyone is trying to offer support. I dont think anyone gave bad advice and this place is a good place to get advice.
Never claimed to be an expert but there is some bad advice on this thread...
Want to lose weight? - Create a deficit
Not losing weight? - You aren't creating at a deficit/haven't given it enough time (weigh loss isn't linear)
Simple but not easy - hence why most of us (including me) are here
Actually its not always this easy. It isn't always just CICO. Hormones, training, diet, lifestyle, gut biome, medications, sleep...all of these affect weight.
We can agree to disagree on this3 -
Looking for some MFP advice. Does the app automatically adjust your calorie level for after you have lost or do we have to change it? I have lost 45lbs and I'm thinking my calories in MUST be lower? Wondering how that works. Anyone?0
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Looking for some MFP advice. Does the app automatically adjust your calorie level for after you have lost or do we have to change it? I have lost 45lbs and I'm thinking my calories in MUST be lower? Wondering how that works. Anyone?
For me it doesn't update automatically. I have to confirm my activity level and weight loss rate in the settings regularly to update my calorie goal to my lower weight.2 -
Go_Deskercise wrote: »Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.
so much this.....
Neither of you are experts and everyone is trying to offer support. I dont think anyone gave bad advice and this place is a good place to get advice.
Never claimed to be an expert but there is some bad advice on this thread...
Want to lose weight? - Create a deficit
Not losing weight? - You aren't creating at a deficit/haven't given it enough time (weigh loss isn't linear)
Simple but not easy - hence why most of us (including me) are here
Actually its not always this easy. It isn't always just CICO. Hormones, training, diet, lifestyle, gut biome, medications, sleep...all of these affect weight.
We can agree to disagree on this
And if your theory is true then weight loss would be linear.1 -
Go_Deskercise wrote: »Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.Go_Deskercise wrote: »WickedddMelon wrote: »SMH. So much misinformation out there. Please go find somewhere that gives you the correct info instead of relying on random people to comment.
so much this.....
Neither of you are experts and everyone is trying to offer support. I dont think anyone gave bad advice and this place is a good place to get advice.
Never claimed to be an expert but there is some bad advice on this thread...
Want to lose weight? - Create a deficit
Not losing weight? - You aren't creating at a deficit/haven't given it enough time (weigh loss isn't linear)
Simple but not easy - hence why most of us (including me) are here
Actually its not always this easy. It isn't always just CICO. Hormones, training, diet, lifestyle, gut biome, medications, sleep...all of these affect weight.
We can agree to disagree on this
And if your theory is true then weight loss would be linear.
For the average person who is stuck and not losing weight, what is going to be more impactful? Ensuring they're consistently in a calorie deficit or worrying about their gut biome?3
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