Plateau

awkwwward
awkwwward Posts: 73
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Over the past year, I've lost about 70 pounds. Great, right? Well, it would be if I didn't have another 50 to go! I was doing great for awhile (eating right, yoga daily) then in July...I just stopped losing weight. I upped my exercise (started swimming daily and walking more) and kept track of my food (everything was where it "should" be). in late August, I started running again and run 2 miles at least daily in addition to daily yoga sessions and walking as often as I can. But I can't lose weight. I just can't. Help!

I know a lot of people say when you hit a plateau, increase your cals and decrease your exercise for a week then drop. That would be great but I have little idea how many cals I should have a day. My Fitness Pal says somewhere around 1,300 before exercising, Sparkpeople says 1,750 a day without working out and numerous basal calculators across the web (WebMD, CDC, Shape magazine, Fitness magazine, etc.) say everything from 1,200 cals a day to 3,400 without working out (based on my 5'9", 240 self).

I'm just at such a loss....

Replies

  • likeaphoenix
    likeaphoenix Posts: 54 Member
    Have you tried low carb?
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    If I were you, I would pick a program (sparkspeople, here, etc) and go with it. Don't continue to search for a calorie goal out there. Put your information in here and see what MFP says. Then follow it religiously for a few weeks. Log your exercise, watch your water intake, etc. If nothing changes, then increase your calories based on the MFP calories for the day. Do that for a few weeks and see what happens. Still nothing? Try switching up your workout routine AND zig zag your calories. If nothing happens still - it may be time for a dr visit to rule out any health issues that could be hindering your weight loss.
  • JsGirl93
    JsGirl93 Posts: 1,156
    If I were you, I would pick a program (sparkspeople, here, etc) and go with it. Don't continue to search for a calorie goal out there. Put your information in here and see what MFP says. Then follow it religiously for a few weeks. Log your exercise, watch your water intake, etc. If nothing changes, then increase your calories based on the MFP calories for the day. Do that for a few weeks and see what happens. Still nothing? Try switching up your workout routine AND zig zag your calories. If nothing happens still - it may be time for a dr visit to rule out any health issues that could be hindering your weight loss.
    All of this AND have you included strength training? I recently broke through a plateau by increasing strength training & calories, and lightening up on the cardio for a couple of weeks.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    If you're working out that much, are you eating back your exercise calories? You didn't say. You need to be careful that you're keeping above 1200 calories net (calories eaten - calories burned = 1200+) every day.
  • awkwwward
    awkwwward Posts: 73
    For me, low-carb isn't an option. In addition to following a vegan diet (largely the reason for the first 70 pounds, honestly), I've done it in the past and crashed the pounds away - only to gain them back twice as quick! Thanks for chiming in though!
  • awkwwward
    awkwwward Posts: 73
    I don't think I'm dropping (or have ever dropped) below 1,200 a day but it is possible. I never really thought of it like that.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I don't think I'm dropping (or have ever dropped) below 1,200 a day but it is possible. I never really thought of it like that.

    Are you logging your food and exercise here everyday? If not, start there. Log EVERYTHING so you can see what you are really eating each day - you may be surprised to see that what you THOUGHT you were doing doesn't match what you're really doing. :)
  • awkwwward
    awkwwward Posts: 73
    If I were you, I would pick a program (sparkspeople, here, etc) and go with it. Don't continue to search for a calorie goal out there. Put your information in here and see what MFP says. Then follow it religiously for a few weeks. Log your exercise, watch your water intake, etc. If nothing changes, then increase your calories based on the MFP calories for the day. Do that for a few weeks and see what happens. Still nothing? Try switching up your workout routine AND zig zag your calories. If nothing happens still - it may be time for a dr visit to rule out any health issues that could be hindering your weight loss.

    I've done that a few times - that's where the frustration comes in. I have no idea what site is right! Needing 1,300 cals a day is way different than 3,300. I've stuck with Sparkpeople since July and never seen anything come of it. You mentioned water intake - is there such thing as too much water? I drink a significant amount a day. Wondering if that fits in somewhere too. Unfortunately, a DR trip is out of the question - would be nice to have health insurance some day though.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    If I were you, I would pick a program (sparkspeople, here, etc) and go with it. Don't continue to search for a calorie goal out there. Put your information in here and see what MFP says. Then follow it religiously for a few weeks. Log your exercise, watch your water intake, etc. If nothing changes, then increase your calories based on the MFP calories for the day. Do that for a few weeks and see what happens. Still nothing? Try switching up your workout routine AND zig zag your calories. If nothing happens still - it may be time for a dr visit to rule out any health issues that could be hindering your weight loss.

    I've done that a few times - that's where the frustration comes in. I have no idea what site is right! Needing 1,300 cals a day is way different than 3,300. I've stuck with Sparkpeople since July and never seen anything come of it. You mentioned water intake - is there such thing as too much water? I drink a significant amount a day. Wondering if that fits in somewhere too. Unfortunately, a DR trip is out of the question - would be nice to have health insurance some day though.

    Well, since you are on this site asking questions - why not just use this site? Don't worry about what other sites say. Forget the other sites - focus on one. If MFP says consume 1300 calories a day - then consume 1300 NET calories (which means if you workout - eat those back).

    Yes, you can drink too much water - but as a rule, it has to be A LOT. Probably more than most people can honestly drink in a day.

    If you're really thirsty though - I would be a little concerned about diabetes. That is a symptom of diabetes - extreme thirst.
  • awkwwward
    awkwwward Posts: 73
    If I were you, I would pick a program (sparkspeople, here, etc) and go with it. Don't continue to search for a calorie goal out there. Put your information in here and see what MFP says. Then follow it religiously for a few weeks. Log your exercise, watch your water intake, etc. If nothing changes, then increase your calories based on the MFP calories for the day. Do that for a few weeks and see what happens. Still nothing? Try switching up your workout routine AND zig zag your calories. If nothing happens still - it may be time for a dr visit to rule out any health issues that could be hindering your weight loss.

    I've done that a few times - that's where the frustration comes in. I have no idea what site is right! Needing 1,300 cals a day is way different than 3,300. I've stuck with Sparkpeople since July and never seen anything come of it. You mentioned water intake - is there such thing as too much water? I drink a significant amount a day. Wondering if that fits in somewhere too. Unfortunately, a DR trip is out of the question - would be nice to have health insurance some day though.

    Well, since you are on this site asking questions - why not just use this site? Don't worry about what other sites say. Forget the other sites - focus on one. If MFP says consume 1300 calories a day - then consume 1300 NET calories (which means if you workout - eat those back).

    Yes, you can drink too much water - but as a rule, it has to be A LOT. Probably more than most people can honestly drink in a day.

    If you're really thirsty though - I would be a little concerned about diabetes. That is a symptom of diabetes - extreme thirst.
    Good point - I'm trying MFP now to see how it goes. Honestly, I like it better than a lot of other sites because it is more idiot proof and has a larger database.

    Hrm, interesting. I drink water as a symptom of boredom (rarely from thirst unless I'm running more than 5K) but appreciate the comment & concern/
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    It's not bad to look for information outside of MFP, because quite frankly there is far better info outside of this site.

    It's hard to gauge your issue without knowing your stats. Height, weight, bodyfat or lean body mass, activity level (exercise not included).
  • awkwwward
    awkwwward Posts: 73
    It's not bad to look for information outside of MFP, because quite frankly there is far better info outside of this site.

    It's hard to gauge your issue without knowing your stats. Height, weight, bodyfat or lean body mass, activity level (exercise not included).

    I have no idea my bodyfat/lean body mass numbers (a little calculator online guesses 26.13%) but I'm 5'9", 240 and have a very DESK based job.
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    It's not bad to look for information outside of MFP, because quite frankly there is far better info outside of this site.

    It's hard to gauge your issue without knowing your stats. Height, weight, bodyfat or lean body mass, activity level (exercise not included).

    I have no idea my bodyfat/lean body mass numbers (a little calculator online guesses 26.13%) but I'm 5'9", 240 and have a very DESK based job.

    Cool, I'll take a look at it tonight when I have a little more time. What access do you have to exercise? Gym, home gym, DVD player, nada?
  • JNick77
    JNick77 Posts: 3,783 Member
    It's not bad to look for information outside of MFP, because quite frankly there is far better info outside of this site.

    It's hard to gauge your issue without knowing your stats. Height, weight, bodyfat or lean body mass, activity level (exercise not included).

    I have no idea my bodyfat/lean body mass numbers (a little calculator online guesses 26.13%) but I'm 5'9", 240 and have a very DESK based job.

    I plugged your stats into my MFP and it said 1,896 so I'm not sure what may be different. It looks like 1,497 might be a good starting point, you can always decrease from there. The method I follow is a little conservative and I wouldn't recommend eating back exercise calories unless you really feel like you need to eat, keep it situational. If you're truly hungry then eat a little until you feel full if it's just cravings then be tough and hang in there. :)

    Macronutrients: These are adjusted per your stats and not a generalized 40/40/20 or 33/33/34, etc.
    Protein: 144grams - 38.5% of your daily calories
    Fat: 64.8 grams - 39% of your daily calories
    Carbs: 84.6 grams - 22.5% of your daily calories

    Should be about 1,497.6 calories give or take.

    Exercise, if you're truly getting the 2 miles in a day that's really good. If you have the means to get into a gym so you can do some basic strength training that would be a huge help to you in meeting your goals. Ideally strength training 3 to 4 times a week and at least 30 min of cardio a day would be a good start
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