Breaking Plateau

RunnerGirlTX614 · July 12

First time posting in a long while, looking for some advice...
I have been stuck at 170-167 lbs for the last couple of months. I'm 5'6" for context and would like to get down to the 150's.

I've been consistently tracking for about a year and a half now during which time I've lost about 100lbs. I started out initially with 1,800 calories working out 30-60 mins/2-3x a week and have since modified it down to 1,600 calories working out 30-60 mins/3-4x a week. (Workouts consist of running, cross-training, and strength training)
**currently training for a half marathon and following a training program so i'm not really looking to change my workouts drastically at this time**

I don't generally "eat back" the calories I burn and I either eat up to my calorie budget or try and aim slightly lower to account for any tracking errors that may have occurred- although I do weigh my portions whenever possible.

I've dropped my calories down this last week to 1,400 but it is a STRUGGLE and I don't feel like that's sustainable for me. What else can I do?

Open to suggestions, please be kind to me and to each other

tomcustombuilder · July 12

Wow nice work.
Try 1600 then drop again to 1400 in a month if you need to. The calorie amount will always be dependent on how accurate you are on your weekly numbers. Losing 100 lbs will require a lot fewer calories to maintain

AnnPT77 · July 12

If the weight loss stopped suddenly, higher odds it's some kind of water weight weirdness (even though 2 months is a long time for that to persist). If that's so, patient persistence would be the way to break the plateau.

If the weight loss gradually tapered off, higher odds you've found current maintenance calories. If that's so, changing something (activity or eating) would be a better play . . . but an accurate 1600 should be good for at least slow loss at your size/activity level.

Given that, as a long shot: Consider upping calories to calculator-estimated maintenance (possibly gradually) and hanging out there for a bit. Rationale for that possibility in here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

Hoping you're able to find a path through!

PAV8888 · July 13

Training hard and restricting hard... I don't necessarily like much.

The 100lbs is the awesome part and the big win. THAT has to be protected before all else. The wanting to exercise and enjoying the exercise for its own sake and for the sake of your health and training for a half marathon. THAT is ALSO a big win and it has to be protected and encouraged.

I would NOT cut the calories down; I would put them back up and I would even eat back some of the calories from the longer training sessions.

You have no real benefit from lowing down your recovery.... how slow are your nails growing compared to before you lost weight? Interesting question isn't it? What does it say about cellular activity? Overeat a couple of days and see what happens... When did you start your training program and how does the start time correlate to the slow down in your weight change? I'm willing to bet you a dollar for a donut

that if you stop training for a week you'll see a drop in weight. because not all weight is fat.

So just keep doing what you were doing. Perhaps concentrate a bit more on logging accurately (in terms of logging everything immediately and routinely: I did see you weight your stuff which is awesome in terms of increasing accuracy). Use a weight trend app. And then, when you complete your training, have another look as to whether you need to do anything.

Also. You train 3-4x a week. What about the other 3 days? Any active recovery? A walk? Anything?

In any case. AWESOME JOB so far. But I don't know that you need to be trying too hard or too fast for anything! **To the contrary**.... spending the next 0 years to lose the last 10 lbs AS LONG AS YOU DO THAT IN AN ENJOYABLE WAY, means that you will have spent 10 years at -100lbs below your maximum

Which is where your health wins!

Just.. try to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible to keep your weight constant or trending slightly down and all will be good!

Hey... 2c worth but pls do consider!

ninerbuff · July 13

Diet break. Eat 1900 calories for a couple of days. You may go up a little initially, but once you go back on plan, you may break the stall.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 40 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

tomcustombuilder · July 13

ninerbuff wrote: »

Diet break. Eat 1900 calories for a couple of days. You may go up a little initially, but once you go back on plan, you may break the stall.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 40 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Or at least she’ll have a couple of fun eating days if nothing else.

RunnerGirlTX614 · July 13

Hey all, thanks for your feedback. Seems like most everyone is suggesting upping calories to 1,600 which is very sustainable for me. But do I do that just for a brief period and drop back down or leave it and see how my body responds?

tomcustombuilder · July 13

MommaW614 wrote: »

Hey all, thanks for your feedback. Seems like most everyone is suggesting upping calories to 1,600 which is very sustainable for me. But do I do that just for a brief period and drop back down or leave it and see how my body responds?

Sit there for a month and review the results at that time and adjust as necessary. You went down too quickly and that is why you’re having a hard time. You may find 1600 is the sweet spot or you may find that you actually do need to go lower however if your weekly calorie counting is accurate then at your stats 1600 should work however everyone is different as far as their NEAT calorie burn and that varies widely from person to person.

AnnPT77 · July 13

MommaW614 wrote: »

Hey all, thanks for your feedback. Seems like most everyone is suggesting upping calories to 1,600 which is very sustainable for me. But do I do that just for a brief period and drop back down or leave it and see how my body responds?

Hang out there 4-6 weeks like Tom suggested, to see how the average loss works out. Just one suggested refinement: If you have menstrual cycles, compare body weight at the same relative point in 2 or more different cycles for most reliable averaging.

yirara · July 13

Yes, hang on in there for at least a month, or a full cycle. You've done so well and lost a lot of weight. The smaller you get the less energy your body needs and hence weightloss will be slower. That also means that other factors, like water weight or intestinal stuff can hide fat loss even though it will likely still be happening.

timpiele · July 14

Try setting your macros to 10% carbs, 40% protein, 50% fat and drink a gallon of water a day, at 1600 kcal.

Lietchi · July 14

timpiele wrote: »

Try setting your macros to 10% carbs, 40% protein, 50% fat and drink a gallon of water a day, at 1600 kcal.

FYI: if you like low carb, that's fine. But this will 'break the plateau' through a loss of water weight. No need to manipulate the scale that way as a temporary strategy.

FibroHiker · July 14

Those last pounds are so difficult and take so long.

I'm 5'7". In 2006-2007 I lost 55 pounds going from 185 to 130. The first 45 pounds came off rather steadily. Then it took me 6 months to lose the last 10 pounds. I can tell you that I didn't drop my calories to reach that end goal, but really started being diligent about the regular exercise and making healthy food choices. My loss slowed, but it did continue.

From what you describe in your post, you are an athlete. Training for a half marathon is no joke. Back in the 2000s when I was much trimmer I also trained hard with running, cycling, weights, hiking, and indoor rock climbing, I didn't eat a mere 1400 calories per day. That would have been too little to support my activity levels. By eating so low and training hard, your body has had to adjust and become extra efficient with the calories you are giving it, because it's not enough to support your current energy expenditure levels.

I noticed that in your post you didn't mention your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Do you know what that is? Running regularly for a half marathon I imagine it's much higher than most people. Right now my TDEE is 2450 per day and I consume 1750 per day, making sure I eat 130 grams of protein each day and get 50% of my calories from carbs because I need that energy. I am working my way out of the 150s and back into the 140s again. Since I started eating this way the pounds are slowly coming off and I am losing more fat. I have been where you are and told myself that if I eat 1450 per day that I will lose more weight more quickly only to have myself feeling like I'm starving and the weight wasn't leaving. (Plus I lost some precious muscle!)

It may be time to speak with a trainer at a gym about your weight loss goals and how those goals will work with your training goals. Put together a long term plan for supporting your training efforts without sabotaging your weight loss efforts.

tomcustombuilder · July 14

timpiele wrote: »

Try setting your macros to 10% carbs, 40% protein, 50% fat and drink a gallon of water a day, at 1600 kcal.

that won’t do anything.

RunnerGirlTX614 · July 14

timpiele wrote: »

Try setting your macros to 10% carbs, 40% protein, 50% fat and drink a gallon of water a day, at 1600 kcal.

I drink ample amounts of water so I know that’s not an issue. I haven’t not been working on keeping certain macros, just trying to intuitively eat and make more nutrient dense choices.

RunnerGirlTX614 · July 14

FibroHiker wrote: »

Those last pounds are so difficult and take so long.

I'm 5'7". In 2006-2007 I lost 55 pounds going from 185 to 130. The first 45 pounds came off rather steadily. Then it took me 6 months to lose the last 10 pounds. I can tell you that I didn't drop my calories to reach that end goal, but really started being diligent about the regular exercise and making healthy food choices. My loss slowed, but it did continue.

From what you describe in your post, you are an athlete. Training for a half marathon is no joke. Back in the 2000s when I was much trimmer I also trained hard with running, cycling, weights, hiking, and indoor rock climbing, I didn't eat a mere 1400 calories per day. That would have been too little to support my activity levels. By eating so low and training hard, your body has had to adjust and become extra efficient with the calories you are giving it, because it's not enough to support your current energy expenditure levels.

I noticed that in your post you didn't mention your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Do you know what that is? Running regularly for a half marathon I imagine it's much higher than most people. Right now my TDEE is 2450 per day and I consume 1750 per day, making sure I eat 130 grams of protein each day and get 50% of my calories from carbs because I need that energy. I am working my way out of the 150s and back into the 140s again. Since I started eating this way the pounds are slowly coming off and I am losing more fat. I have been where you are and told myself that if I eat 1450 per day that I will lose more weight more quickly only to have myself feeling like I'm starving and the weight wasn't leaving. (Plus I lost some precious muscle!)

It may be time to speak with a trainer at a gym about your weight loss goals and how those goals will work with your training goals. Put together a long term plan for supporting your training efforts without sabotaging your weight loss efforts.

I have been wondering if it was time to invoke the help of a professional.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I haven’t been tracking macros just trying to eat intuitively and make nutrient dense choices. I only did the 1450 for a week and previously was setting my goal for 1550 but often days still aiming to eat below that.

From what I understand from yours and others it certainly sounds like I may have been undereating some. Is there a reliable TDEE calculator that you like?

tomcustombuilder · July 14

MommaW614 wrote: »

FibroHiker wrote: »

Those last pounds are so difficult and take so long.

I'm 5'7". In 2006-2007 I lost 55 pounds going from 185 to 130. The first 45 pounds came off rather steadily. Then it took me 6 months to lose the last 10 pounds. I can tell you that I didn't drop my calories to reach that end goal, but really started being diligent about the regular exercise and making healthy food choices. My loss slowed, but it did continue.

From what you describe in your post, you are an athlete. Training for a half marathon is no joke. Back in the 2000s when I was much trimmer I also trained hard with running, cycling, weights, hiking, and indoor rock climbing, I didn't eat a mere 1400 calories per day. That would have been too little to support my activity levels. By eating so low and training hard, your body has had to adjust and become extra efficient with the calories you are giving it, because it's not enough to support your current energy expenditure levels.

I noticed that in your post you didn't mention your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Do you know what that is? Running regularly for a half marathon I imagine it's much higher than most people. Right now my TDEE is 2450 per day and I consume 1750 per day, making sure I eat 130 grams of protein each day and get 50% of my calories from carbs because I need that energy. I am working my way out of the 150s and back into the 140s again. Since I started eating this way the pounds are slowly coming off and I am losing more fat. I have been where you are and told myself that if I eat 1450 per day that I will lose more weight more quickly only to have myself feeling like I'm starving and the weight wasn't leaving. (Plus I lost some precious muscle!)

It may be time to speak with a trainer at a gym about your weight loss goals and how those goals will work with your training goals. Put together a long term plan for supporting your training efforts without sabotaging your weight loss efforts.

I have been wondering if it was time to invoke the help of a professional.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I haven’t been tracking macros just trying to eat intuitively and make nutrient dense choices. I only did the 1450 for a week and previously was setting my goal for 1550 but often days still aiming to eat below that.

From what I understand from yours and others it certainly sounds like I may have been undereating some. Is there a reliable TDEE calculator that you like?

Undereating will always cause weightloss. Be in a consistent weekly calorie deficit over time and loss is inevitable.

Many times someone will eat too low of calories for a few days or a week and then become ravenous and then overeat so the outcome over time is no loss or even gain.

FibroHiker · July 14

[/quote]

I have been wondering if it was time to invoke the help of a professional.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I haven’t been tracking macros just trying to eat intuitively and make nutrient dense choices. I only did the 1450 for a week and previously was setting my goal for 1550 but often days still aiming to eat below that.

From what I understand from yours and others it certainly sounds like I may have been undereating some. Is there a reliable TDEE calculator that you like? [/quote]

I think it's hard for TDEE calculators to be accurate without actual tracking through a fitness tracker that you wear. There are days I don't do any formal exercise but still burn between 2400 and 2500 calories because I'm moving a lot and doing lots of other things. I've used a calculator before but didn't find them to be accurate because I don't know what was considered "lightly actve," "moderately active," or "very active" when designing the algorithms for the calculator.

Also, there are weeks when I don't burn as much because of various reasons and life happening. It's better that you know for sure what your average TDEE is by tracking it with a fitness tracker around the clock. I started wearing my FitBit Charge 5 at night because I wanted to know how much sleep I was getting. The FiBiT can then tell me my actual average TDEE for the week because it calculates it for me.

If you have your TDEE calculated by a fitness tracker and you input your food into MFP, it's much easier to know your calorie deficit and make sure that you are eating enough, since you can link the two in the MFP app.

AnnPT77 · July 14

Even fitness trackers don't measure TDEE - it's still an estimate, just a more nuanced one. They'll be close for most people, very likely.

(I've had two fitness trackers so far, both a brand/model that others here report as reasonably accurate for them. They've been off by 25-30% for me in estimating all-day calorie expenditure. That's as compared with 9 years so far of pretty careful calorie tracking. It's not the tracker, I believe: It's that I'm statistically unusual in some way, and the algorithms are based on statistical averages.)

Personal results, averaged over 4-6 weeks, are the best gauge of TDEE.

That's tricky, though, because human bodies are dynamic: Calories in affects calories out. Eat too little, and fatigue plus adaptive thermogenesis can reduce TDEE. That won't stop weight loss altogether, but can make it slower than expected. There can also be stress-related water retention (from under-eating/over-exercising as part of the stress load) that masks fat loss on the scale for possibly a surprisingly long time.

ETA: If you do want to consider a TDEE calculator, I think this is one of the more useful ones:

https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

I say that because it has more activity levels than most, with better descriptions. Also, it lets you see the results from multiple different research-based estimating formulas. All of that information does make it look scary-complicated at first glance, but if a person's willing to take a methodical approach to stepping through it, I think it offers a lot of useful information. There are also "?" buttons that explain formulas and terms, so we can understand how it gets the results it does. (Some calculators are more of a black box: We input some values, and they spit out numbers without much explanation. Personally, I don't like that.)

PAV8888 · July 14

Human bodies being dynamic is an important consideration

Individual cases are... individual. Accounting accuracy is one thing. Dynamic adjustment is also a thing. The interaction is a self experiment

yirara · July 15

Oh yeah, dynamic bodies and all that. Just as an example. I'm eating in a light deficit, eating back exercise calories. The past week I gained 1kg. That's 2.2lbs. Why? I'd done more strength training and then had a long train ride out and back on top. The water weight from both is now coming off and I'm nearly at the weight I'm supposed to be. Nothing odd or unexpected. It's just how bodies work.

Breaking Plateau

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