Plateau? Calories or Macros to get out of it?
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kmsimmons402
Posts: 19 Member
Hi! I am a mom of 3 under 3 who has been on a mission to lose all the baby weight from being pregnant 2 years in a row. I am 31, 5'2, started at 144lbs the week after my 3rd was born (September 2019) and I am currently at 127lbs. I have been stuck at 127 for 3 weeks now. My goal weight is 115.
When dieting wasn't shedding the weight as quickly anymore, I started working out in July... I workout 5 days a week, M-F, for 40-50 minutes.This is week 6 of that plan and I have not missed a single workout. I wake up at 5:50 and do cardio 3x/week, and full body strength training 2x/week. We are usually active on weekends but I don't count it as exercise (chasing my kids at the park etc.). My apple watch shows that I burn between 2,000-3,000 calories a day, and I usually net between 1,100-1,400 calories. MFP has my calories set to 1,290, so I average netting around the middle of that. I do not understand why the scale isn't budging! Do I need to start focusing on macros instead of calories? I am aiming for 40c/30f/30p but it's actually more like 35c/45f/25p. Could this make a difference or am I thinking too much into it?
Also- I generally eat the same things every day (I have like 2 go-to breakfasts and lunches, we mix it up for dinner but always protein and veggies), I track during the week and I am always within the same calorie range... but I don't always track on the weekends because we are busy. I still eat the same breakfast and lunch, but if we go out to dinner I usually order something small from the appetizer section. Could a slice of pizza on the weekend or something small from a menu really throw off weight loss that much? If it does, how do you have a life without being consumed by calorie counting? I don't want my daughters growing up seeing a mom who "won't eat" certain food groups so I try to be as normal about food around them as possible.
Thanks in advance for any insight!
When dieting wasn't shedding the weight as quickly anymore, I started working out in July... I workout 5 days a week, M-F, for 40-50 minutes.This is week 6 of that plan and I have not missed a single workout. I wake up at 5:50 and do cardio 3x/week, and full body strength training 2x/week. We are usually active on weekends but I don't count it as exercise (chasing my kids at the park etc.). My apple watch shows that I burn between 2,000-3,000 calories a day, and I usually net between 1,100-1,400 calories. MFP has my calories set to 1,290, so I average netting around the middle of that. I do not understand why the scale isn't budging! Do I need to start focusing on macros instead of calories? I am aiming for 40c/30f/30p but it's actually more like 35c/45f/25p. Could this make a difference or am I thinking too much into it?
Also- I generally eat the same things every day (I have like 2 go-to breakfasts and lunches, we mix it up for dinner but always protein and veggies), I track during the week and I am always within the same calorie range... but I don't always track on the weekends because we are busy. I still eat the same breakfast and lunch, but if we go out to dinner I usually order something small from the appetizer section. Could a slice of pizza on the weekend or something small from a menu really throw off weight loss that much? If it does, how do you have a life without being consumed by calorie counting? I don't want my daughters growing up seeing a mom who "won't eat" certain food groups so I try to be as normal about food around them as possible.
Thanks in advance for any insight!
3
Replies
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You're at a healthy weight. Those last seven pounds are going to take a while...like probably 3-4 months, so be patient and log accurately. Accuracy is of the utmost importance at the end.
It's about calories for weight management, but it's definitely important to get enough protein and fat for proper body functioning so macros are more about nutrition and satiety.
Yes, restaurant food and pizza CAN account for water weight - it's not additional body fat unless you ate many thousands of calories too many. Many things can affect water fluctuations including but not limited to salt, heat, lack of sleep, stress, travel, time of month etc.
https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
As far as your kids...it is a fact of Nature that smaller women usually have fewer calories to eat than big tall Dad. Honesty is the best policy. Pizza can be a treat food for you that you cannot really eat regularly without consequences. One or two slices is different than three or four, etc. Nothing wrong with your girls knowing that.8 -
Do you use a food scale? For those last seven pounds, your calorie intake is gonna have to be super accurate.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1
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3 weeks isn't a plateau, you need to be a little more patient.
If the workouts are progressive (i.e. doing more reps/heavier weights/longer durations) you are likely just retaining water whilst your body adjusts to the change in activities.
Even without exercise weight loss isn't linear and it's quite normal for the scale to not reflect the effort put in.
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How accurately you track your calories has an impact on whether or not you lose weight. Use a food scale for A-L-L solids. Even a slice of bread, a banana, etc. How often do you eat foods made by other people (family, friends, restaurants) which requires estimating portions, calories? Do you make your own 'recipes' in MFP, or if you make something (like chili, meatloaf, etc.) do you use a recipe already entered which may not be the same nutritional value as what you're making?
I personally do not know how accurate the Apple # is for all day calorie burn. What is your average - 2000 to 3000 is a big range. And how many calories total are you averaging per day? Forget 'net' for a moment. If you're burning 2000, and aiming for1500-1600 total M-F but have errors in logging AND winging it on the weekends? Could easily be at maintenance overall.1 -
People often ask about how to get off a plateau giving, as OP did, the alternatives of changing calories or changing macros. I often think the way to get off a plateau is consistency. When I look at the times I've been on a plateau I can usually identify times I have strayed from strict calorie control or quit exercising. A few "snacky" nights in a row and I'm on a plateau.
Of course, this doesn't explain all plateaus but it is something to consider. Is the plateau because I have become sloppier in logging? Are there things I've started eyeballing instead of weighing or allowing a few extra grams in a serving? Have I been avoiding the gym and pool?
(Finally, it is true that one needs to decrease calories as one loses weight because one's TDEE goes down with weight loss but the numbers are small. I only recalculate every 10 pounds or so and go down between 25 and 50 calories. That's a small enough amount that I don't really notice it. Simple changes like a different salad dressing can take care of it easily.)5 -
cmriverside wrote: »You're at a healthy weight. Those last seven pounds are going to take a while...like probably 3-4 months, so be patient and log accurately. Accuracy is of the utmost importance at the end.
It's about calories for weight management, but it's definitely important to get enough protein and fat for proper body functioning so macros are more about nutrition and satiety.
Yes, restaurant food and pizza CAN account for water weight - it's not additional body fat unless you ate many thousands of calories too many. Many things can affect water fluctuations including but not limited to salt, heat, lack of sleep, stress, travel, time of month etc.
https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
As far as your kids...it is a fact of Nature that smaller women usually have fewer calories to eat than big tall Dad. Honesty is the best policy. Pizza can be a treat food for you that you cannot really eat regularly without consequences. One or two slices is different than three or four, etc. Nothing wrong with your girls knowing that.
Thank you so much! This is very encouraging. I guess I do need to be more patient and if I keep doing what I am doing, it will come off eventually. And I agree with you about eating in front of the kids... I definitely never have large portions of foods like pizza because I am small, so I guess my issue was not wanting to avoid foods like that altogether in front of them. I grew up with a small mom who was often on a "no bread" or "no fat" diet and would eat completely different meals than the rest of us, and as a girl, watching that made me self-conscious at an early age. I just want my girls to see all food as fuel and not as the enemy 9 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »Do you use a food scale? For those last seven pounds, your calorie intake is gonna have to be super accurate.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1
I do use it for meat and stuff like avocado, bananas etc that are hard to guess portions, but not for things that have a serving size and barcode like a slice of bread or cheese etc. Do you think I need to use it for absolutely everything?0 -
nanamerriman2020 wrote: »How accurately you track your calories has an impact on whether or not you lose weight. Use a food scale for A-L-L solids. Even a slice of bread, a banana, etc. How often do you eat foods made by other people (family, friends, restaurants) which requires estimating portions, calories? Do you make your own 'recipes' in MFP, or if you make something (like chili, meatloaf, etc.) do you use a recipe already entered which may not be the same nutritional value as what you're making?
I personally do not know how accurate the Apple # is for all day calorie burn. What is your average - 2000 to 3000 is a big range. And how many calories total are you averaging per day? Forget 'net' for a moment. If you're burning 2000, and aiming for1500-1600 total M-F but have errors in logging AND winging it on the weekends? Could easily be at maintenance overall.
Thank you for this! I guess MFP always tells you to focus on net... do you think it's appropriate to just focus on calories consumed and not net calories? Like if I start to track more meticulously like you suggested (weigh bread, etc.) and only eat the 1290 MFP suggests (regardless of exercise)? I always get confused about the whole "starvation mode" thing people on here always seem to talk about. With the apple watch it tracks your heart rate all day and estimates your calorie burn. I usually burn between 300-400 calories when I exercise, and then I guess the other calories are just by existing/chasing my kids around all day. According to the apple watch and MFP, I am at about a 1,000 calorie deficit a day which is why I am so confused as to why I stopped losing weight.0 -
kmsimmons402 wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »Do you use a food scale? For those last seven pounds, your calorie intake is gonna have to be super accurate.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1
I do use it for meat and stuff like avocado, bananas etc that are hard to guess portions, but not for things that have a serving size and barcode like a slice of bread or cheese etc. Do you think I need to use it for absolutely everything?
Foods with a barcode or that are pre-portioned can be off . . . sometimes significantly. When you're trying to lose weight and you're already close to your goal, sometimes these things can make a difference. It's really up to you how accurate you want to be, but I found that I had to be pretty rigorous with the scale/logging for the last ten or so pounds.4 -
janejellyroll wrote: »kmsimmons402 wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »Do you use a food scale? For those last seven pounds, your calorie intake is gonna have to be super accurate.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10697068/how-i-stopped-kidding-myself/p1
I do use it for meat and stuff like avocado, bananas etc that are hard to guess portions, but not for things that have a serving size and barcode like a slice of bread or cheese etc. Do you think I need to use it for absolutely everything?
Foods with a barcode or that are pre-portioned can be off . . . sometimes significantly. When you're trying to lose weight and you're already close to your goal, sometimes these things can make a difference. It's really up to you how accurate you want to be, but I found that I had to be pretty rigorous with the scale/logging for the last ten or so pounds.
Thank you! I honestly hadn’t thought of using the scale for stuff like that... maybe that will be the missing piece. Going to start! 3 -
My opinion: if you have a reasonably accurate way to know your approximate average cals burned (which includes exercise), you can build your deficit from that and make a custom plan. There is no need for 'net' in this scenario. The MFP way is great for people who need to get started, may not understand the numbers of it all and such. As long as your deficit is not extreme, nothing wrong with going the direct route of CiCo. Having a deficit of 250-750, in my opinion, is not extreme assuming you are a) eating enough for nutritional basics which means not going too low or at least not as a regular thing and b) you feel satisfied and energetic with the level you're eating. It is also ok to choose to have a smaller deficit from time to time, or even eat at maintenance for a day here & there.
You've stopped losing weight (in my opinion) because a) its easy to over-estimate how much you burn and b) by your own admission you're not consistent/accurate with logging on a day by day basis.kmsimmons402 wrote: »nanamerriman2020 wrote: »How accurately you track your calories has an impact on whether or not you lose weight. Use a food scale for A-L-L solids. Even a slice of bread, a banana, etc. How often do you eat foods made by other people (family, friends, restaurants) which requires estimating portions, calories? Do you make your own 'recipes' in MFP, or if you make something (like chili, meatloaf, etc.) do you use a recipe already entered which may not be the same nutritional value as what you're making?
I personally do not know how accurate the Apple # is for all day calorie burn. What is your average - 2000 to 3000 is a big range. And how many calories total are you averaging per day? Forget 'net' for a moment. If you're burning 2000, and aiming for1500-1600 total M-F but have errors in logging AND winging it on the weekends? Could easily be at maintenance overall.
Thank you for this! I guess MFP always tells you to focus on net... do you think it's appropriate to just focus on calories consumed and not net calories? Like if I start to track more meticulously like you suggested (weigh bread, etc.) and only eat the 1290 MFP suggests (regardless of exercise)? I always get confused about the whole "starvation mode" thing people on here always seem to talk about. With the apple watch it tracks your heart rate all day and estimates your calorie burn. I usually burn between 300-400 calories when I exercise, and then I guess the other calories are just by existing/chasing my kids around all day. According to the apple watch and MFP, I am at about a 1,000 calorie deficit a day which is why I am so confused as to why I stopped losing weight.
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kmsimmons402 wrote: »nanamerriman2020 wrote: »How accurately you track your calories has an impact on whether or not you lose weight. Use a food scale for A-L-L solids. Even a slice of bread, a banana, etc. How often do you eat foods made by other people (family, friends, restaurants) which requires estimating portions, calories? Do you make your own 'recipes' in MFP, or if you make something (like chili, meatloaf, etc.) do you use a recipe already entered which may not be the same nutritional value as what you're making?
I personally do not know how accurate the Apple # is for all day calorie burn. What is your average - 2000 to 3000 is a big range. And how many calories total are you averaging per day? Forget 'net' for a moment. If you're burning 2000, and aiming for1500-1600 total M-F but have errors in logging AND winging it on the weekends? Could easily be at maintenance overall.
Thank you for this! I guess MFP always tells you to focus on net... do you think it's appropriate to just focus on calories consumed and not net calories? Like if I start to track more meticulously like you suggested (weigh bread, etc.) and only eat the 1290 MFP suggests (regardless of exercise)? I always get confused about the whole "starvation mode" thing people on here always seem to talk about. With the apple watch it tracks your heart rate all day and estimates your calorie burn. I usually burn between 300-400 calories when I exercise, and then I guess the other calories are just by existing/chasing my kids around all day. According to the apple watch and MFP, I am at about a 1,000 calorie deficit a day which is why I am so confused as to why I stopped losing weight.
Don't do the bolded.
I hope others have convinced you that tighter logging (even temporarily) can give you insight about logging accuracy. (Temporarily making your food diary public to MFPers, and mentioning that in this thread, would also allow the old hands to take a look at it for any accuracy issues - no criticism intended, logging is a skill like any other, that gets refined with time & practice). I also hope they've convinced you that patience is the answer, on top of that, for now. The closer you get to goal, the slower (and more unpredictably) things go, for a lot of people.
If you go for a longer time - *at least* one full menstrual cycle, so you can compare weights at the same relative point - it's too soon to assume you're actually stalled.
If you do go longer, and still decide you're stalled, it would still be better IMO to think about cutting a moderate number of calories from your goal, and still be eating back some of those activity calories. (You can do that by cutting your base goal, but MFP will scold you if you go too low. You can also do it by eating back slightly fewer of your activity calorie adjustment.) I'm not talking about big cuts, here, just maybe a hundred or two, tops. Then rinse and repeat, as needed. You don't want to underfuel your actual activity level.
What Apple watch is telling you doesn't sound crazy-high to me, but I'd observe that it truly is measuring things like heart rate, but still *estimating* calories. It could be wrong - it's using statistical estimating techniques, which are perfect for people close to average, but some of us can be statistically unsual in some way, without obvious explanation.
About "starvation mode": If that means (as people often do here) that you can eat so few calories that your body "holds onto fat" so you can't lose weight no matter what, then no. That's not a thing. What is possible is to eat too little, get fatigued, and slow down activity (consciously, like resting more; and unconsciously, like slower hair growth and feeling cold, among other non-conciously-regulated things). If that happens, we can lose weight more slowly than we would've expected, because the "calories out" decline, but weight loss doesn't stop altogether when continuing to eat less. (If that were true, no one would ever starve to death. Sadly, people do.)
Best wishes!
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I’m also 5”2, 10 years older, and use Apple Watch. I don’t think of it as a fitness tracker and take the numbers with a grain of salt. I had Fitbit before and both trackers have my TDEE well above 2,200 calories a day. From years of tracking and having enough data, my TDEE is more like in the 1,800’s.
Im with everyone else on using a food scale. Use it for all solids. Measuring cups and tablespoons for liquids. With accurate logging and selecting the correct entry you should see the scale move. A scale can be very eye opening. Weigh everything including pre package foods, breads....I use Ezekiel bread. Each slice is supposed to be 34 grams, I’ve had some come up to 42 grams.
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Hi! I'm almost the same age (will be 30 in November), the same height and started at 126.2 pounds back in the middle of April with similar exercise and calorie levels (and also eating back most exercise calories). It has taken me four months to lose almost 11 pounds. My weight is currently 115.4 with a goal of 110 (just to see how my body feels at that weight). Power to you for doing this with 3 under 3. I don't have kids but know that to get to 115 will be a process and patience is key. During two separate parts of my cycle, I gain at least 3 pounds of water weight. So I highly recommend just trying to stay patient, keep doing what your doing, and remember that it's a process and you're doing great while setting an awesome example for your kiddos!
Side note, whenever I tried to not eat back most of my exercise calories, I did find it back fired on me and just left me hungry and wanting more. So, I hope you eat back your exercise calories... or at maximum try what Ann said.
Good luck and keep on doing what you're doing 2 -
https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat
I routinely see the same scale weight for 3 weeks despite a consistent deficit and then *whoosh* 3 weeks worth of loss in 1-2 days. I hypothesize it happens more in low BF% folks who are closer to GW. Losses seem steadier in those with more to lose and bigger deficits. Interested in feedback from others on that.1 -
https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat
I routinely see the same scale weight for 3 weeks despite a consistent deficit and then *whoosh* 3 weeks worth of loss in 1-2 days. I hypothesize it happens more in low BF% folks who are closer to GW. Losses seem steadier in those with more to lose and bigger deficits. Interested in feedback from others on that.
Same
OP its slow going for last 7lbs, took me nearly 5 months and then I found it was harder to stay there so I've made my peace with no being at my dream goal weight and hover around 5lbs above, no biggie because I'm fit, strong, my clothes fit perfectly and I'm no longer a slave to those darned scales. I'm also petite, 7 years in maintenance, and it always takes working at it to keep weight creep from happening. All the best.
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I've been on MFP for a while and have seen many people post the same problem you report. Of those that were successful they reported that they actually started eating a little bit MORE each day and then saw their weight drop again. Your body may be too accustomed to the deficit you have created. Try adding back in 200 calories per day through a protein shake. You definitely won't GAIN weight.0
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