Weight Loss Rut

I totally understand! Every time I get to about 158, I lose motivation. For this reason, I haven’t made it to the “healthy” category of the BMI (154 for my height) in my adult life. I’m 158 again, but this time I will get there! You may not like my first piece of advice, but it has helped me in the past majorly. If you feel like you’re loosing motivation or that your deficit is too high, then go on a diet break where you eat at maintenance for a week or two (or how ever long you need to). Obviously in theory you won’t lose weight so it seems counterintuitive, but it gives you a chance to catch your breath, practice maintaining, and you won’t lose all motivation and start overeating again due to burnout. Then you return to your deficit when ready again. It’s much better to maintain than to move backwards! If that’s not for you, then maybe try to change up your food routine a little. If you’re like me, then you might eat many of the same things every day. Changing that up may help you feel less deprived and might make loosing weight exciting again. Final recommendation, make sure to leave room in your day for a treat or two! Today I ate a kit-kat, which obviously isn’t healthy but I was tired, my baby was very fussy and I just wanted one (I’m working on my emotional eating). I made it fit within my calories and the rest of the day’s food was fairly nutritious so I don’t feel like I’m missing out on something I want or nutrient dense foods. You can have both! Good luck!

I agree with kelMee2. Food is not a reward. Consider it a punishment, because the "treat" will actually make you feel worse, not better. 1. Pick something not food related that you love for your reward, and 2. stick with your food plan.

I sit on plateaus for weeks at a time, then things finally break through if I just stick with the program. The MFP numbers say I should lose a lb per week, but it simply doesn't happen that way for me. I've been tracking carefully and honestly for more than 1 year. It's ok, though. the schedule doesn't matter; this is a lifetime program. I wore that ski outfit in the picture for the first time since 1989, and even better, I have a tennis skirt from 1983 that I am wearing regularly again.

Forget the calendar. It’s not a weight loss tool. What’s needed to get to goal is a downward trend and staying power. That requires balance. Trying to do it all on a schedule just adds unhelpful pressure.

Focus on what’s in front of you. And that sounds like 189 lbs. And presumably staying there after you make it. Start trying to string together losing weeks and consider how you are living. You’ve already figured out that deprivation is a plan killer in the long run.

Keep trying. Keep tinkering and adjusting with your plan until you find the right mix. Time can be on your side in this if you let it.

Also, 50lbs in 7 months is REALLY pushing it, particularly as you lose. Let the timeline GO. You don't get to stop doing what you're doing even once you're there. You'll only gain 250ish calories back at maintenance. Don't do crap to lose you're not going to be doing forever.

So I was struggling with this too. I overcame it by planning a reward day where I ate my normal deficit calories but I ate food I wanted modified for celebration. I used bunless hamburger, gluten and dairy free german chocolate cake and baked potato chips in moderation with veggies. My rule is the reward can't be a cheat day. I also renamed cheat days to self sabotage days.