Weight loss has completely stalled for 1+ month, looking for advice!

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  • I3umble
    I3umble Posts: 30 Member
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    SeanD2407 wrote: »
    I3umble wrote: »
    nanamerriman2020 wrote: »
    You ate more, you weighed more. Keep in mind that not all weight is permanent/fat/bodyweight. You consume a greater quantity of food, and for a little while afterwards: your body contains more food mass.

    Our bodies are not so efficient that what you do NOW shows on the scale IMMEDIATELY because there are other factors at play. How much food/drink waste is in your body. Water retention varies from day to day for a number of factors.

    Thank you. I needed that.

    Do you think zig zagging calories is a good thing to do? I.e eat 1800 on Monday, 2100 Tuesday, 1750 Wednesday, 1900 Thursday, 1900 Friday, 2400 Saturday, 1800 Sunday type of thing? Numbers are just an example. Can a plateau happen by eating the same amount of calories every day for months, even if it is technically lower than what your body is burning each day?

    I Zig Zag. I love it. It allows me more calories on a day where I want to go on a date, get a drink with friends, have a family bbq or want to devour a pint of halo top ice cream if i'm having a bad day.

    Mine is similar to you, but one or twice a week I eat just above the bare minimum 1500-1600 calories, to REALLY save up calories if I know I have an event coming up. It probably doesn't matter, but on those days I try to avoid supplements like protein powder's so I'm actually digesting real food sources with my calories.

    Hey!

    I am wondering, how did you calculate your zig zag exactly, I am wondering if I am doing it correctly, just want to make sure. Thanks.
  • I3umble
    I3umble Posts: 30 Member
    edited June 2020
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    nanamerriman2020 wrote: »
    A plateau (weight loss stops for an extended period of time such as more than 6-8 weeks) happens by eating at maintenance over the long haul. In reality a plateau is not really a 'thing' as it means something is off somewhere. And it is easy to err, to think we are burning more or eating less than we really are.

    If zig zagging works for you, go for it. It can have benefits while keeping you in a deficit. Looking at your weekly calories (instead of daily) can mean you have an easier time fitting in favorite/treat/family meals - essentially 'saving' calories from other days to 'pay' for them.

    I highly suggest incorporate some goals that are future facing. It is extremely hard (mentally) to only focus on the weight loss, and what we have accomplished over the past X days/weeks/months and torment ourselves because we think we should have accomplished more. Find some things to look forward to. Find a pair of goal jeans - something that does not fit now or perhaps you can only get buttoned/zipped with a struggle - and note on your calendar to try them again on July 15 and Aug 15. Find some sort of physical challenge for yourself. You're walking a good bit now - perhaps find a virtual 10k and register for it, and increase one walk each week by adding an extra 1/2 mile until you are able to do 6.2 miles. Or pick a virtual 5k (3.1 miles) and challenge yourself to improve your time each week. You don't HAVE to sign up/pay for these sorts of things, but personally if I commit to something with $ I'm more likely to put in the effort.

    Weight loss becomes easier to manage mentally if can shift your focus so that weight loss is a byproduct of other things you are doing, instead of being your one and only priority.


    Thank you. I have actually signed up for a Diabetes One Million Steps Challenge which is the equivalent of completing 19 marathons in 3 months. I am raising money for charity.

    Oh I absolutely know that something somewhere has to be off, because I was losing weight very quickly - it was melting off me without much effort. I am putting in more effort now, I am even more conscious of what I eat and drink, I am exercising more than ever but I am consuming roughly the same amount of calories I was before I was walking this much - So in theory I am actually burning more.

    Also, my FitBit, which I put all of my correct information in to, is saying I am burning 2,600 calories roughly on a light activity day, when I go long walks it can hit 3.5k burned calories. However, I am unsure how fully accurate these devices are.

    It just doesn't make much sense to me as I was losing weight quickly but sustainably; I wasn't starving myself, etc. Then all of a sudden it his just stopped. It didn't slowly creep up, my weight just completely stopped. It has barely moved in 5-6 weeks. If it ever does go down it is for 1 day or so and then it will shoot back to the 238.8lb mark. It is frustrating when I know I am putting in more effort than ever, physically, mentally and with food and drink and nothing is budging in any which way. Tried eating more and eating less, tried eating much more and much less. Nothing.

    Do you have any ideas on what it could be? I appreciate all of your input so far.

    Also, is it possible to lose inches from your waist, stomach, neck, etc without losing weight?

    EDIT: I actually tried to hit around 2,500 calories yesterday for a "big eat" day during this zig zagging I am trying and I actually had a 900 calorie fast food meal and then at night I forced myself to eat another 250 or so calories. I still only hit 1,900 and that was me trying to eat a lot more. I do not eat that much at all.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
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    It will take time to build up data to get a feel for how accurate your Fitbit is for you. For me, mine is pretty good and if anything: it underestimates my burn #s. But I've used it for YEARS.

    If you've changed a lot in the past 5-6 weeks (exercising more, exercising more intensely) following a period where you shifted a good bit of weight in a short time: water weight for adjusting to the new routines could play into it. Patience is hard - but more than likely if you continue doing what you're doing the weight loss will resume so that you can see it on the scales.

    I hear that as you become more fit and do strength training, the muscles under the layer of fat can improve making the body look different and change shape somewhat. That could explain the inches. Not to mention, you probably are losing weight that is masked by water retention.

    A mental game I play: I get on the scale most days. The only time I do not is if something accidentally gets altered in my morning routine so that I eat or drink something before I've weighed. (And then I don't get on the scale.) While it plays around, I only 'count' the new weight once it goes to a lower #.

    My #s since starting (again) on June 13th:
    150.2 <--started tracking again, eating reduced calorie range this day
    147.8 <--less food mass as a result, shift in water weight?
    147.4
    146.4
    146.8
    146.3
    146.1 <--Friday
    148 <--this was a Monday, I had a 'bigger' food intake on Saturday with a couple of drinks so imagine this was skewed by food mass and water retention
    146.6
    146.5
    145.9 <--today

    My goal is .5 pounds per week, and though I technically am down 4.3 in 2 weeks: I understand part of this is water & food mass. To negate that, I would probably ignore my 1st weigh in and consider the 147.8 a truer 'starting' point.

    If you're going to weigh daily, also take notes about what else you're doing. It could help you to figure out how your body responds to things. And keep going thru the frustration.
  • xxzenabxx
    xxzenabxx Posts: 935 Member
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    To me it seems like you need a diet break. It will honestly help you mentally and physically. There’s no such thing as starvation mode unless you’re talking about countries like Yemen right now, but there is such a thing as adaptive thermogenesis. So eat at maintenance for 2 weeks and then come back to your deficit. Good luck!
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
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    PS on Fitbit. Until you know otherwise, assume it has some rate of error perhaps 10%. Instead of 2600-3500 assume it is 2340 vs 3150. If you had 3 active and 4 lightly active days in a week, your total estimated burn would be about 18810 or an average of 2687 per day. Round down to 2600 for simplicity. A 1.5 weight loss goal would put your target at 1950 average daily calories. Tweak that if you like to perhaps eat 1700 5 days and 2225 twice a week if you feel cycling your calories will help you along.
  • I3umble
    I3umble Posts: 30 Member
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    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    To me it seems like you need a diet break. It will honestly help you mentally and physically. There’s no such thing as starvation mode unless you’re talking about countries like Yemen right now, but there is such a thing as adaptive thermogenesis. So eat at maintenance for 2 weeks and then come back to your deficit. Good luck!

    Hi,

    Thanks for your input. I am getting a little confused when it comes to what I need to eat to be at maintenance.

    I have calculated my BMR which is at 2,227 (I set this at lower activity so it is probably higher than this) and then I calculated my caloric needs on the same website (active.com) and it states I require 3,331 daily calories at a light activity or 3,700 at an active level or 3,041 at sedentary.

    I am unsure what level I am eating at here? The BMR or the caloric needs?

    Also I am eating anywhere from 1,500-1,950 calories per day for months and suddenly i just stopped losing weight. If I can't eat too little then what could be causing it?

    Thanks for the help, I appreciate it. Just trying to figure out what is going on with my body.

    Also, can you lose inches but not see a change on the scale? Looking for thoughts on this subject.

    Thanks!
  • I3umble
    I3umble Posts: 30 Member
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    Also, I am struggling to even hit 2,000 calories per day even if I have fast food at all. No idea how I would eat 3,000+ if needed.
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    edited June 2020
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    BMR does not take activity level into consideration - it is what your bodily functions need to keep you alive. Energy spent by your heart, lungs, maintaining body temperature, brain functions, etc. Estimated based on gender, height, wage, age. So you may be mixing some terms.

    As for what could be causing the 5-6 weeks of little to no weight loss? Water weight. 5-6 weeks is not enough time to determine all efforts have failed. What you don't want to do: start going thru a series of actions where you try X for a week or two, then try Y and then change again to try Z. Each time you make a change, to really know if it accomplishes anything - you need to give it time. 4-6 weeks perhaps. By your own statement you've made changes during this time of stall: increased exercise. The body retains water for muscle repair when you increase exercise intensity or start a new exercise routine. Do you have anything to lose by eating in a healthy deficit for another 5-6 weeks?

    Based on established guidelines that men should not eat under 1500 daily, I would think 1500-1950 should be a safe range for you. Assuming you generally have energy to complete your daily activities and exercise and such.
    I3umble wrote: »
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    To me it seems like you need a diet break. It will honestly help you mentally and physically. There’s no such thing as starvation mode unless you’re talking about countries like Yemen right now, but there is such a thing as adaptive thermogenesis. So eat at maintenance for 2 weeks and then come back to your deficit. Good luck!

    Hi,

    Thanks for your input. I am getting a little confused when it comes to what I need to eat to be at maintenance.

    I have calculated my BMR which is at 2,227 (I set this at lower activity so it is probably higher than this) and then I calculated my caloric needs on the same website (active.com) and it states I require 3,331 daily calories at a light activity or 3,700 at an active level or 3,041 at sedentary.

    I am unsure what level I am eating at here? The BMR or the caloric needs?

    Also I am eating anywhere from 1,500-1,950 calories per day for months and suddenly i just stopped losing weight. If I can't eat too little then what could be causing it?

    Thanks for the help, I appreciate it. Just trying to figure out what is going on with my body.

    Also, can you lose inches but not see a change on the scale? Looking for thoughts on this subject.

    Thanks!

  • I3umble
    I3umble Posts: 30 Member
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    nanamerriman2020 wrote: »
    BMR does not take activity level into consideration - it is what your bodily functions need to keep you alive. Energy spent by your heart, lungs, maintaining body temperature, brain functions, etc. Estimated based on gender, height, wage, age. So you may be mixing some terms.

    As for what could be causing the 5-6 weeks of little to no weight loss? Water weight. 5-6 weeks is not enough time to determine all efforts have failed. What you don't want to do: start going thru a series of actions where you try X for a week or two, then try Y and then change again to try Z. Each time you make a change, to really know if it accomplishes anything - you need to give it time. 4-6 weeks perhaps. By your own statement you've made changes during this time of stall: increased exercise. The body retains water for muscle repair when you increase exercise intensity or start a new exercise routine. Do you have anything to lose by eating in a healthy deficit for another 5-6 weeks?

    Based on established guidelines that men should not eat under 1500 daily, I would think 1500-1950 should be a safe range for you. Assuming you generally have energy to complete your daily activities and exercise and such.
    I3umble wrote: »
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    To me it seems like you need a diet break. It will honestly help you mentally and physically. There’s no such thing as starvation mode unless you’re talking about countries like Yemen right now, but there is such a thing as adaptive thermogenesis. So eat at maintenance for 2 weeks and then come back to your deficit. Good luck!

    Hi,

    Thanks for your input. I am getting a little confused when it comes to what I need to eat to be at maintenance.

    I have calculated my BMR which is at 2,227 (I set this at lower activity so it is probably higher than this) and then I calculated my caloric needs on the same website (active.com) and it states I require 3,331 daily calories at a light activity or 3,700 at an active level or 3,041 at sedentary.

    I am unsure what level I am eating at here? The BMR or the caloric needs?

    Also I am eating anywhere from 1,500-1,950 calories per day for months and suddenly i just stopped losing weight. If I can't eat too little then what could be causing it?

    Thanks for the help, I appreciate it. Just trying to figure out what is going on with my body.

    Also, can you lose inches but not see a change on the scale? Looking for thoughts on this subject.

    Thanks!


    Hi, thanks again!

    The increased exercise has started around February, not in the previous 5-6 weeks. I am exercising as much now as I was then. Somedays its more, some its less.

    Oh, I have nothing to lose eating like this - Like i've said I have no problems with eating like this and it is now how I see me eating for the rest of my life, I have very little to no cravings for things like sugar.

    I really do appreciate all the help and advice you have given me so far. According to my diary I began logging measurements of my neck, waist and hips 8 days ago. If I am measuring correctly, I have lost 0.4 inches from my neck, 0.4 inches from my waist and 1.3 inches from my hips.

    So, this is inches lost (if I am measuring correctly - something I will keep track of now) but very little to no weight loss. So this, along with what others have said in this thread has set my mind at ease that you can lose inches but either very little or no weight loss.

    I do have another question however and I am sorry that I have asked so much! Last night I visited family for the first time in months due to COVID. I had some beer (all logged) and then ate about 500 calories when I came home. This is the first time I have been able to get above 2,000 calories in some time and actually ended up at 2,567. It was 602 over my calorie goal for the day, but I don't mind as I was trying to hit 2,500 calories for a while now - something I didn't manage even on the day I had designated for 2,500 calories!

    However, I weighed myself this morning and dropped to 235lbs. Does alcohol have a weight affect on your body? I have noticed weight dropping when I have drank alcohol in the past, as well. Although I am not sure if this is a blip (I think it is!), and I will judge if I have lost weight over the coming days by seeing where my body lands/weighs close to for a few days. I am not sure if it was because I drank alcohol, ate more or a combination of both. Any insights are welcome.

    Again, thank you I really appreciate it.

  • I3umble
    I3umble Posts: 30 Member
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    Lietchi wrote: »
    Alcohol can dehydrate you, which could influence the scale downwards.
    Also, anecdotally, people sometimes see a loss on the scale after having a higher calorie day.
    These short term changes are mostly water weight changes, so the key is keeping an eye on the long-term trend.

    Thanks, I guessed as much. Looks like that was the case after all as my weight has returned to the "plateau" weight.
  • I3umble
    I3umble Posts: 30 Member
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    nanamerriman2020 wrote: »
    BMR does not take activity level into consideration - it is what your bodily functions need to keep you alive. Energy spent by your heart, lungs, maintaining body temperature, brain functions, etc. Estimated based on gender, height, wage, age. So you may be mixing some terms.

    As for what could be causing the 5-6 weeks of little to no weight loss? Water weight. 5-6 weeks is not enough time to determine all efforts have failed. What you don't want to do: start going thru a series of actions where you try X for a week or two, then try Y and then change again to try Z. Each time you make a change, to really know if it accomplishes anything - you need to give it time. 4-6 weeks perhaps. By your own statement you've made changes during this time of stall: increased exercise. The body retains water for muscle repair when you increase exercise intensity or start a new exercise routine. Do you have anything to lose by eating in a healthy deficit for another 5-6 weeks?

    Based on established guidelines that men should not eat under 1500 daily, I would think 1500-1950 should be a safe range for you. Assuming you generally have energy to complete your daily activities and exercise and such.
    I3umble wrote: »
    xxzenabxx wrote: »
    To me it seems like you need a diet break. It will honestly help you mentally and physically. There’s no such thing as starvation mode unless you’re talking about countries like Yemen right now, but there is such a thing as adaptive thermogenesis. So eat at maintenance for 2 weeks and then come back to your deficit. Good luck!

    Hi,

    Thanks for your input. I am getting a little confused when it comes to what I need to eat to be at maintenance.

    I have calculated my BMR which is at 2,227 (I set this at lower activity so it is probably higher than this) and then I calculated my caloric needs on the same website (active.com) and it states I require 3,331 daily calories at a light activity or 3,700 at an active level or 3,041 at sedentary.

    I am unsure what level I am eating at here? The BMR or the caloric needs?

    Also I am eating anywhere from 1,500-1,950 calories per day for months and suddenly i just stopped losing weight. If I can't eat too little then what could be causing it?

    Thanks for the help, I appreciate it. Just trying to figure out what is going on with my body.

    Also, can you lose inches but not see a change on the scale? Looking for thoughts on this subject.

    Thanks!

    Hi,

    I have another question for you if you are still around. Again, sorry for the barrage of questions but you have been very helpful to me and I appreciate it.

    Where is best/what is the best method to calculate my TDEE and once I have calculated that, how many calories under that should I be eating for weight loss - 500? 1600 - 1700 cals per day seems quite low for someone with my much weight left to lost to be honest, but I am probably wrong. I still need to lose 95ish lbs. I double checked my fitbit app today and it showing I am burning anywhere from 2,600 - 4,000 calories per day, depending on exercise obviously.

    I am worried if I drop down to 1,700 calories and then in another 30lbs loss I need to drop the calories again, this is clearly not sustainable as I would end up at around 1,300 - 1,400 calories per day?

    Also, if my calories were 1,700 would I eat exercise calories back or should I not?

    Just looking for some guidance with some substance, I am stuck here and there is clearly something I am not doing correctly.

    Thanks.

  • Strudders67
    Strudders67 Posts: 978 Member
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    I can't comment on the best place to find your TDEE but if you enter your stats in to MFP and select a sensible goal, MFP will tell you how many calories to eat to lose at your selected rate. MFP works on the NEAT basis, so you add your deliberate exercise on to that and eat a reasonable portion of those calories.

    TDEE asks you how active you are in general - day-to-day plus intentional exercise and averages that out to give you a calorie figure. If you're not doing the same exercise daily / weekly, you may find that using TDEE is quite inaccurate.

    AnnPT, I think, posted a really good explanation of all this, either yesterday or the day before, in response to someone else. If I find it, I'll revert.

    (FYI, a 500 calorie deficit should have you losing 1lb a week).
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,473 Member
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    nanamerriman2020 wrote: »
    PS on Fitbit. Until you know otherwise, assume it has some rate of error perhaps 10%.

    According to this article, it's over 25% high:
    https://www.digiswitch.org/how-accurate-is-fitbit/

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4974868/
    One of the "key points" in this study:
    The Fitbit Charge HR performed with poor accuracy compared with ECG especially during higher physical exertion and specific exercise tasks. The Fitbit Charge HR was not validated for heart rate monitoring, although better accuracy was observed during resting or recovery conditions

    In other words, don't put a whole lot of faith in what your Fitbit tells ya. When I cut, I only use a fitness tracker as for the step counting feature, but that's just my way *shrugs*



  • jimb2525
    jimb2525 Posts: 1 Member
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    I’m 5’9, started at 289 and down to 209. I got stuck at 218 for 3 weeks with no change in diet. I eat 1600-1800(exercise days) calories at day. All of a sudden I lost about 6lbs in a week and it started moving again. It sounds like you are doing everything right. Just need to focus on keeping after it and realize you are making progress, even if it doesn’t show on the scale immediately. Other people could notice changes in my face even when I was stuck at 218 for 3 weeks. (I likely should be eating more and thinking of going to 1800-2000 everyday).
  • nanastaci2020
    nanastaci2020 Posts: 1,072 Member
    edited June 2020
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    I imagine a larger person, or someone who has a greater potential for calorie burning: can possibly have a greater error rate. Keep in mind that a reliable tracker starts from the same established formulas for BMR that all the online TDEE calculators use. The variable is in how much 'credit' the tracker gives for activity/exercise. This particular link quotes a 2017 study. Not sure how relevant it is to NOW as tracker models get updated quite often.

    Best I can tell, figuring out one's true TDEE is always a bit of guesswork, because established formulas & methods are based on an 'average' person of your stats, and only time & data collection will tell if you are average. Track calories in as accurately and honestly as possible for 8-12 weeks, track change in weight, and do the math. If over a good bit of time one loses faster than expected: their TDEE is higher. If losing slower, their TDEE is lower. This of course assumes a high level of accuracy in tracking calories in. Otherwise, there are too many variables in the equation.

    A fairly basic starting point is using MFP for all but exercise: which uses BMR and some measure of activity level. (Activity level based on job/hobbies/lifestyle, not exercise.) There are many online sites for estimating cardio burn and you can easily get many #s so choose one that seems modest and takes into account intensity - not the one that gives the highest #.

    JBanx256 wrote: »
    nanamerriman2020 wrote: »
    PS on Fitbit. Until you know otherwise, assume it has some rate of error perhaps 10%.

    According to this article, it's over 25% high:
    https://www.digiswitch.org/how-accurate-is-fitbit/

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4974868/
    One of the "key points" in this study:
    The Fitbit Charge HR performed with poor accuracy compared with ECG especially during higher physical exertion and specific exercise tasks. The Fitbit Charge HR was not validated for heart rate monitoring, although better accuracy was observed during resting or recovery conditions

    In other words, don't put a whole lot of faith in what your Fitbit tells ya. When I cut, I only use a fitness tracker as for the step counting feature, but that's just my way *shrugs*



  • SyrumNeko
    SyrumNeko Posts: 4 Member
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    It sounds like you're already doing most of the things I'd have suggested, based on your first post! Scales can lie - muscle mass weighs more than fat mass, and if you're walking up to three hours a day PLUS kettlebell training, there's no way you've made it this far without packing on some muscle :) water retention can also make the scale tell you you've not lost anything, and our bodies have a bad habit of grabbing onto water without warning!

    The best thing you can do is to keep measuring - neck, chest, waist, hips, biceps and thighs are all good points to log. If your tapemeasure is telling you that you've shrunk, and your clothes are too big, then it doesn't matter what the scale says that week!

    Zig-zagging is also a great eating option, as a few people have said - just make sure it averages out over the week and be sensible with it, and you'll be fine.

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