My Plateau Nutrition Story, Learn from my mistakes.

Hello all! I thought I would share some of my experience from my journey to 70lbs lighter :) I promise there is a happy Hollywood ending.

I started in June 2011 based off a bet and a contest. I was trucking along and losing weight pretty rapidly every month. I started at 271 and found myself at 218 by November. Everyone I told about how much I lost was amazed and I was pretty excited at how quickly this was happening. I was averaging about 1200 calories a day eaten and that was WITHOUT my workouts. With workouts I was trying to keep my net calories less than 400 for the day. So technically my body only had about 400 calories of energy to rebuild all of the muscle I was tearing up doing extremely heavy lifting at the gym. I was getting frustrated that I couldn't get my racked weights to go any higher and keep in mind that I wasn't TOUCHING carbs so I had 0 fuel practically. Workouts were miserable, but I endured. If you've ever worked out legs with 0 carbs in your body you do not know what hell is.

Fast forward to end of November/December and I find myself at 205.5, 205.2, 205.5, 205.2, 206, 205. THE FREAKING SCALE wouldn't move and I was getting frustrated. I tried everything, introduce carbs back, carb load days, carb starvation days, changed my workout, muscle adaptation I thought, increased cardio, reduced cardio, increased lifting, bottom line is nothing worked. I would wake up run to the scale and 205. I'm an avid reader, OCD about the things I'm passionate about and I'm incredibly passionate about health now. I found an article by Martin Berkhan discussing calories and "one of the biggest mistakes people make is they eat too few calories while cutting." At first I was confused and thought "Ugh, what? I thought when you cut that is why it sucks because you can't eat calorie rich food." Boy was I wrong. After an email exchange back and forth I was recommended to read "Feed the Muscle, Burn the Fat" by Tom Venuto to learn the basic pillars of diet, muscles, fat, carbohydrates and overall just how our bodies work. BEST THING I EVER DID! What was I doing wrong? I WASN'T EATING! I had sent my body into a "Starvation Mode", which I never believed existed but I'm walking proof. My body was literally holding on to the little calories I gave it, burning my Lean Body Mass, cannot STRESS HOW IMPORTANT LBM IS, and hanging on to the fat to endure the long slow death my body thought I was going through.

January 1st, 2012 I decided to change my calorie goal from 1800, which it was set at, but actually EAT 1800 calories. I did this for the 1st and 2nd, woke up on the 3rd and weighed myself in the morning 204. HOLY SCHNIKEYS! I'm currently at 201 with a goal of 1Lb per week to ensure the tiniest of loss to my Lean Body Mass. Keep in mind that while you're losing weight you're going to lose LBM, but you can negate this by losing slower. The more LBM the more fat your body burns and the faster your metabolism runs. I'm still learning from Tom Venuto's book, I calculated my actual calories using Katch McArdle method and realized I should be eating about 2200 calories. I bumped up my calories and haven't looked back since. I smashed my plateau, immediately noticed my body measurements dropping pretty damn fast, body fat dropped, body responded "Holy crap Nick you're not dying, we'll get back to work burning this nasty fat immediately sir!"

Morale of the story: Eat your freaking calories, you will get stuck sooner or later. You will not be able to keep cutting calories if you only eat 400 calories. Also, if you think you're losing weight eating that little, you are, but guess what? It's muscle not fat thus creating a "Skinny Fat Person". I suggest when you weight yourself on whatever day you have scheduled keep track of your body fat rigorously ensuring that you can determine your Lean Body Mass. At one point in my LBM was 185 and as of today I'm currently sitting at 169 :( That's a lot of muscle burned up when it should have been fat. Don't confuse weight for fat because it may be muscle.

Nutrition recommendation: Don't rely so heavily on shakes. They're expensive and they're not nearly as filling as real food! I was drinking 3 - 4 Protein shakes everyday when I should have been eating whole food. If you have the time and you have to choose always choose whole food. The only time I really use shakes now is after a workout, before bed (casein) or if I need a little extra protein for my macros that day.

If you like my story, friend me and you can look at my nutrition diary to see what's working great for me :) I'm always able to help also!
«13456726

Replies

  • cindy4mica
    cindy4mica Posts: 777 Member
    I had the same problem - lost a ton of weight at first, then came to a screeching halt. I got so discourage I actually gained 20 of the 48 I had lost! I've finally found the motivation to start up again, but am finding that I'm at the same place - I lost about 5 pounds, but don't seem to see a decreasing movement on the scale when on some days I'm actually eating *less* calories than I'm supposed to eat! I'm going to try this method - maybe eat 1,200 calories some days, then up them a bit on others. Hope it works - thanks!
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    Thanks for sharing :o) I'm a total believer in eating more calories. I used a website to calculate my TDEE and subracted a deficit from there. Like you said "feed muscle, burn fat" once I went up a few hundred from 1200 I'm happier, healthier, have more energy and am acutally starting to lose the 1lb a week I've set myself to do. Eat more people!!
  • Chevitz
    Chevitz Posts: 46
    THANK YOU for posting this. This is what I've been going through. I have 9.5 lbs to my goal & have upped my work out intensely (from Tae Bo to Insanity) and kept my calories at what MFP has put me - 1200. Usually, a little lower. Well, I burn close to 1000 calories with Insanity and when you mentioned your Net & that was what your body was running off of, I checked mine. Today it's a big ol' 97. Yes. 97. NO WONDER I have stayed at the same weight within 0.5 lb for the last 5 days. I've lost, in total 228 lbs (97 lbs lost in 2004, then 2 pregnancies - 77 lbs gained & lost with one, 54 lbs with the other) and this is the first time I've been really flummoxed and frustrated about my weight loss & have hit a wall. Now the dilemma: It's 8:26pm, should I be eating something to get my calories up? If so, what?
    I've just joined MFP and I wonder if it's the calorie counting to the extreme that's making me go so low in calories; all the other times I've been roughly adding them in my head & been successful. Interesting.

    THANK YOU for sharing this!
  • devilsangel2
    devilsangel2 Posts: 123 Member
    Eat more people!!

    I think you'll find there are laws against eating people. :noway:
  • Thank you so much for this post. We are all on this weight loss journey together and we have to get our heads around eating too much food is bad (some circumstances yes, but in this circumstance - NO!). I did the mistake of not paying attention to my net calories, thankfully I corrected it before it became an issue.
  • Awesome advise!
  • Very good advice for anyone looking to lose weight. I've also experience hitting a plateau with my weight refusing to budge. I was miserable the whole day and had so little energy that I thought I was getting sick or that something was wrong with me. Anyway, I bumped up my calories up from 1,400 to 1,900 and within 3 days I was feeling like my old self again. A few strong attempts at the gym and my weight went down again. Feeding the muscle is really very important!

    Ryan Parker
    Rock-Abs.net - How I Lost my Belly
  • aeverton
    aeverton Posts: 359
    I am going to look for this book at the library. I just don't feel like I have much energy like I should. Thanks for sharing!

    Angie
  • persian_star
    persian_star Posts: 197 Member
    YES! So important, one of the biggest misconceptions of dieting is that your body is a Maths lesson, when really it's Chemistry!
  • Ive only been doing this for 3 days so am very new to this.

    My net for yesterday was -510.

    My intake was meant to be 2080 but i cycled to and from work which burnt off 3000 calories...

    Should i there for be eating more or as i have just started not worry about it at the mo?
  • cricket_0408
    cricket_0408 Posts: 56 Member
    THANK YOU for posting this. This is what I've been going through. I have 9.5 lbs to my goal & have upped my work out intensely (from Tae Bo to Insanity) and kept my calories at what MFP has put me - 1200. Usually, a little lower. Well, I burn close to 1000 calories with Insanity and when you mentioned your Net & that was what your body was running off of, I checked mine. Today it's a big ol' 97. Yes. 97. NO WONDER I have stayed at the same weight within 0.5 lb for the last 5 days. I've lost, in total 228 lbs (97 lbs lost in 2004, then 2 pregnancies - 77 lbs gained & lost with one, 54 lbs with the other) and this is the first time I've been really flummoxed and frustrated about my weight loss & have hit a wall. Now the dilemma: It's 8:26pm, should I be eating something to get my calories up? If so, what?
    I've just joined MFP and I wonder if it's the calorie counting to the extreme that's making me go so low in calories; all the other times I've been roughly adding them in my head & been successful. Interesting.

    THANK YOU for sharing this!

    I had this same question last night on a thread I posted. I always thought you shouldn't eat at night, but if you're hungry and low on calories should you eat? What to eat? Fruits? Airpopped popcorn?
  • Tara4boys
    Tara4boys Posts: 515 Member
    What method of calculating body fat do you use? I'm clueless about that.
  • MaynardLD50
    MaynardLD50 Posts: 36 Member
    Wow what a response! I'm glad I'm not the only one who was/is/did suffer from this same problem. I'll gladly answer all of your questions here
    THANK YOU for posting this. This is what I've been going through. I have 9.5 lbs to my goal & have upped my work out intensely (from Tae Bo to Insanity) and kept my calories at what MFP has put me - 1200. Usually, a little lower. Well, I burn close to 1000 calories with Insanity and when you mentioned your Net & that was what your body was running off of, I checked mine. Today it's a big ol' 97. Yes. 97. NO WONDER I have stayed at the same weight within 0.5 lb for the last 5 days. I've lost, in total 228 lbs (97 lbs lost in 2004, then 2 pregnancies - 77 lbs gained & lost with one, 54 lbs with the other) and this is the first time I've been really flummoxed and frustrated about my weight loss & have hit a wall. Now the dilemma: It's 8:26pm, should I be eating something to get my calories up? If so, what?
    I've just joined MFP and I wonder if it's the calorie counting to the extreme that's making me go so low in calories; all the other times I've been roughly adding them in my head & been successful. Interesting.

    THANK YOU for sharing this!
    I would say you must figure this out Chevitz. The Katch McArdle way to figure out your calories is wideley regarded as the most accurate way to determine your caloric needs for your body to LOSE weight. I'll give you the formula you fill in the blanks.

    I'll use myself as an example:

    First your need to figure out your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). This is the amount of calories you burn if you lie in bed all day, comatose.

    The equation:
    BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM(kg)) (Lean Body Mass is calculated by taking your TOTAL WEIGHT x Body Fat %)
    Example - I'm currently 200lbs with 16% BF. 200 x .16 = 32 (I carry 32lbs of fat with me currently)
    LBM = 200lbs - 32lbs BF = 168 Lean Body Mass
    Now we must convert that to Kilograms. Just google "lbs to kg" and you'll get a converter.
    168lbs = 76.20kg
    21.6 * 76.20kg = 1646 + 370 = 2016BMR
    My BMR is 2016 if I were to lay in a bed all day I would burn at least 2000 calories roughly. "But how does that tell me how much I should eat?" Glad you asked :)

    We now take BMR * activity level = Maintenance Calories

    Average activity variables are:
    1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise + desk job)
    1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Little daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
    1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately active daily life & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
    1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week)
    1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job)

    Example: My BMR * my activity level 1.55 (I workout 5 days a week for 50 - 70 minutes) = 3125 Maintenance Calories (How many calories I should eat a day to maintain my current body build and weight) My advice is that you are very honest about you're daily schedule, taking into account what you do for a living. I picked 1.55 because I'm walking around all day standing and working out 5 days a week 1.55 felt right.

    Maintenance Calories = 3125

    Now that we know my maintenance calories it's time to CUT IT for the fat burn. Most people will say "Cut it by 500 calories blah blah blah" Well since some of you have mentioned your eating 1200, you couldn't cut it to 700 or you would literally slowly die inside. Rather, pick a % that you want to shave off. Most choose 20% off your Maintenance I chose 30% because it's working well for me. The most important thing if you pay attention to your body fat %.

    My Cut Calories = 2187 I rounded up 2200

    It is extremely important that you're eating your 2200 calories everyday. Thinking that you're doing great by eating 1500 or 1700 is really not great, you're putting yourself at a disadvantage. You're body will adapt, get use to 1500 calories and you'll get stuck. Eating at your goal will promote weight loss, promote a faster metabolism, coupled with working out you'll be hitting your goals in NO TIME! Be patient!

    Quick Blurb about Macros: Macros are your most important nutrients that makeup your calories. I hate that MFP has it set up with % because your body doesn't care if you get 40% Protein 30% Carbs yadda yadda. You really should be able to calculate your own macros P F C

    Protein: I would recommend you stick with the bodybuilders recommendations with protein.
    1 - 1.15g total weight (if your body fat is average)
    1 - 1.5g per lb of LEAN BODY MASS (if you know your body fat and calculated your LBM as stated above)
    Each GRAM of Protein is 4 calories. I eat 200g of protein everyday which is = to 800 of my 2200 calories.

    Fat: IS NOT THE DEVIL! STOP! "Fat Free this Fat Free that, OH GOOD I'll load my face with fat free ice cream" Nope. Fat is NECESSARY for the body to maintain health and it even helps burn fat! You need to pick the GOOD fats, Poly and Mono are great fats for the body.
    Average Body Fat - .45 - 1g total body weight (if you don't know your bodyfat)
    High BodyFat - .45 - 1g total LEAN BODY MASS (if you know your bodyfat you'll know your LBM)
    Each GRAM of Fat is 9 calories. I eat 92.4g of fat in my diet which is = to 832 of my 2200 calories.

    Now add those two up 832 calories from fat + 800 calories from protein = 1632
    Now take 2200 - 1632 = 568 calories left for Carbs

    Carbohydrates: Oh no! You'll get fat if you eat these! Ennnhhhhhh Wrong. If you're active, an althlete, or working out 5 days a week with weights you're going to need these to FEED THAT MUSCLE!

    Carbs are my left over calories 568 divided by 4 = 142g
    Considering I'm lifting 5 days a week 142g a day is pathetic so rather then settle for that I choose to take some of my fat down to compensate in the carb department. After all each g of fat is 9 calories so I can get a little over 2g of carbs if I steal it back from fat! Confused?

    Example I said 92.4g of fat in my above. I won't eat that much fat, lets cut it to 80g of fat. 92.4 - 80 = 12.4g * 9 calories in each gram = 112 calories (rounded up) available for relocation
    112 / 4 = 28g extra for carbs :) I went from 142g to 170g (thank GOD). Even that is a little low, so don't freak out if you have a lower fat day, workout hard in the gym and you substitute for some HEALTHY carbs.
  • MaynardLD50
    MaynardLD50 Posts: 36 Member
    Ive only been doing this for 3 days so am very new to this.

    My net for yesterday was -510.

    My intake was meant to be 2080 but i cycled to and from work which burnt off 3000 calories...

    Should i there for be eating more or as i have just started not worry about it at the mo?
    How do you know your burning 3000 calories cycling? I began cycling over the summer and I wear a heart rate monitor almost everyday and barely ever came close to 1400 after an hour and a half of hard cycling. Not calling you a liar, so don't take offense :) Just saying don't rely of MFP estimates for there stuff. Want to figure it out really? Go buy this and you'll thank me every day :)

    http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Heart-Monitor-Watch-Silver/dp/B001U0OFDC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326397406&sr=8-1
    This will help you keep track of calories burned.

    Now if you truly are burning 3000 calories and you end at a net -600 you're body and it's organs are eating themselves for energy. My suggestion if you are burning 3000 calories, which i'm still very leery of, you better start eating a metric ton.
  • GkMusic
    GkMusic Posts: 110 Member
    bump to read later
  • jenniet04
    jenniet04 Posts: 1,054 Member
    Morale of the story: Eat your freaking calories,

    AMEN!!
  • MaynardLD50
    MaynardLD50 Posts: 36 Member
    THANK YOU for posting this. This is what I've been going through. I have 9.5 lbs to my goal & have upped my work out intensely (from Tae Bo to Insanity) and kept my calories at what MFP has put me - 1200. Usually, a little lower. Well, I burn close to 1000 calories with Insanity and when you mentioned your Net & that was what your body was running off of, I checked mine. Today it's a big ol' 97. Yes. 97. NO WONDER I have stayed at the same weight within 0.5 lb for the last 5 days. I've lost, in total 228 lbs (97 lbs lost in 2004, then 2 pregnancies - 77 lbs gained & lost with one, 54 lbs with the other) and this is the first time I've been really flummoxed and frustrated about my weight loss & have hit a wall. Now the dilemma: It's 8:26pm, should I be eating something to get my calories up? If so, what?
    I've just joined MFP and I wonder if it's the calorie counting to the extreme that's making me go so low in calories; all the other times I've been roughly adding them in my head & been successful. Interesting.

    THANK YOU for sharing this!

    I had this same question last night on a thread I posted. I always thought you shouldn't eat at night, but if you're hungry and low on calories should you eat? What to eat? Fruits? Airpopped popcorn?
    I would try to avoid Popcorn in general. I sound like a foodsnob now, which is hysterical considering my favorite night snack was buttered popcorn, but you should eat some fat free cottage cheese and a little bit of fruit. The cottage cheese is primarily casein protein which takes a LONG time to digest in our bodies. Don't go nuts on fruit because of the fructose content (sugar). I'm not saying avoid fruit, even though I do currently while trying to lose weight, but don't go crazy. Yesterday I ate 6oz of brown rice, 5.25oz of chicken breast, 1 Tbsp of olive oil and added curry over the top at 10pm. I woke up weighed myself as usual and I freaking lost a pound. I got angry because I'm positive that some of that was muscle, but I'm nursing a torn pectoral muscle right now and I can't lift :(
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Excellent post. Hope lots of newbies read this.
  • Appreciate the sound advise.....I am usually WAY under my calories for the day. I Spin and do BodyPump throughout the week and REFUSE to eat those extra calories...Now I will!
  • baypathgradLyns
    baypathgradLyns Posts: 639 Member
    thank you for sharing this! there are probably many on here that need to hear your story :)