i can't get below 147 lbs - i need advice please...

dot120
dot120 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
hi everyone, hope someone can give me some good advice, i am 5 ft 5 tall and started my journey at 215 lbs i have lost weight most weeks, slowly since last may, my ultimate goal is around 128lbs - but i have got to this point of 147 and the scales won't move, i have been here now for two weeks now i stick to 1200 calories a day and walk 5 -10 miles a day on my treadmill everyday, (i have arthritis in my hips, so am not allowed high impact exercise) but i love the walking.

i got to this weight about a month ago and the scales wouldn't move and my friend suggested i took a day off - like the spike day, which i did - then i got weighed and i had put on 3 lbs, which then took me 3 weeks to lose, to get me back to this 147 again.
my husband and all my friends, say that this must be the weight my body is happy with and that i look fine as i am, but i want to lose more, i don't want to stay at this weight.
any advice please

Replies

  • Tiff587
    Tiff587 Posts: 264 Member
    I am not an expert, but I went to see a nutritionist this weekend. Everyone is different so it maybe no good for you
    He gave me advice to up my protein and lower carbs, he said protein helps with muscles and the more muscles you have the more fat you burn. I am also doing toning weight lifting.
    He has also advised me to spread out my food as much as I can so I eat a bit and burning it all day. Also to spread my carbs out into at least three meals of 30grams a day. He said this will help trick my body into letting go of the fat I have stored.
    I'm 5ft5 and weight 160lbs
    I'm am now on 90 grams carbs and 150 grams of protein a day.
    It's early days, so I will let you know if it works. Everyone's different! Maybe something to consider though.
  • JGT2004
    JGT2004 Posts: 231 Member
    Bump
  • cbrewer904
    cbrewer904 Posts: 48
    BUMP
  • becjerami
    becjerami Posts: 80
    You may think this sounds counter-intuitive but I suspect you may not be eating enough (1,200 is below your BMR for your height, weight and age). Even if you did nothing but lie in bed all day your body would need 1368 just to maintain your current weight.

    This link may help to work out your energy needs based on your vitals and activity levels:

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    Your metabolism will have slowed down during your diet journey. The only way to raise your metabolism in the short term is to eat more. Why not try eating 150-200 calories more each day for a while to help your metabolism recover?

    If you have been underfeeding your BMR during your diet you can expect to gain a small amount of weight before your metabolism recovers. Don't lose heart, it's completely normal. If you try this give it a week or two. You should start losing weight again soon enough.
  • BrandiParsonRNC
    BrandiParsonRNC Posts: 25 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits
  • niknak2308
    niknak2308 Posts: 315 Member
    If you're logging your exercise, are you eating your extra calories? You may be eating less than you realise (look at your Net Calorie figure on your homepage which should be no less than 1200 according to MFP guidelines). :smile:
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    You may think this sounds counter-intuitive but I suspect you may not be eating enough (1,200 is below your BMI for your height, weight and age). Even if you did nothing but lie in bed all day your body would need 1368 just to maintain your current weight. Your metabolism may also have slowed down during your diet journey. The only way to raise your metabolism in the short term is to eat more.

    This link may help to work out your energy needs based on you vitals and activity levels:

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    Why not try eating 150-200 calories more each day for a while and see if it helps? Or have a 'spike' day, i.e. overeat one day of the week to rev up your metabolism.

    You mean BMR (not BMI) but yes. OP try changing your weekly weight loss goal to 1 lb/week at most. once you get to the last 15 or so change it again to 0.5lbs/week, this will give you more calories that your body needs.
  • Agirard25
    Agirard25 Posts: 154 Member
    or try lifting some weights. I know it sounds weird but when I got stuck close to but not at my goal weight some years ago--working on getting back there now!--I started lifting weights and it peeled right off! Doesn't need to be a lot of weight-just do small amounts and lots of reps! Good luck, you are doing great anyways!
  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
    You may think this sounds counter-intuitive but I suspect you may not be eating enough (1,200 is below your BMI for your height, weight and age). Even if you did nothing but lie in bed all day your body would need 1368 just to maintain your current weight.

    This link may help to work out your energy needs based on your vitals and activity levels:

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    Your metabolism will have slowed down during your diet journey. The only way to raise your metabolism in the short term is to eat more. Why not try eating 150-200 calories more each day for a while to help your metabolism recover?

    If you have been underfeeding your BMI during your diet you can expect to gain a small amount of weight before your metabolism recovers. Don't lose heart, it's completely normal. If you try this give it a week or two. You should start losing weight again soon enough.

    Thanks for the link (I am in the SAME boat!)

    My total adds up to 2758....What do I do with this number now?

    Thanks :)
  • becjerami
    becjerami Posts: 80
    You may think this sounds counter-intuitive but I suspect you may not be eating enough (1,200 is below your BMR for your height, weight and age). Even if you did nothing but lie in bed all day your body would need 1368 just to maintain your current weight. Your metabolism may also have slowed down during your diet journey. The only way to raise your metabolism in the short term is to eat more.

    This link may help to work out your energy needs based on you vitals and activity levels:

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    Why not try eating 150-200 calories more each day for a while and see if it helps? Or have a 'spike' day, i.e. overeat one day of the week to rev up your metabolism.

    You mean BMR (not BMI) but yes. OP try changing your weekly weight loss goal to 1 lb/week at most. once you get to the last 15 or so change it again to 0.5lbs/week, this will give you more calories that your body needs.

    Ooops, sorry! BMR, yes that's it!
  • muffintopminx
    muffintopminx Posts: 541 Member
    Add weight training at least 2x a week. And go as HEAVY as you can.

    Light weight at lots of reps is only good for endurance - it won't build muscle/burn fat like lifting heavy will. And don't be afraid of bulking up - almost impossible for women without being on steroids. Search the posts about women lifting heavy if you want more info. I'm still learning, no expert, but I do know I'm thru with lifting 5lbs weights a million times (which got me no where).
  • Buggie129
    Buggie129 Posts: 11 Member
    I was stuck until about 4 weeks ago. I had lost 32 pounds - started last April and just could not get the scale to move! So I started grazing and then I started MPF - I have lost almost 7 pounds in 4 weeks. I think your body gets used to the same old thing -I had to switch up my exercise (I am somewhat of an exericse fanatic) and I actually had to add carbs in. I agree that you probably need to add some food - lift some light weights and switch up your protein and carb ratios. I EAT all day :bigsmile: The people at work are amazed that I am losing weight the way I am because they see me constantly eating but it is all good food and it keeps me burning calories! Don't get discouraged! Look how far you have come!
  • bekisimpkins
    bekisimpkins Posts: 19 Member
    I think I've hit the same problem. I lost a little over 4 pounds during the week I started (mainly because I wasn't eating Christmas food), 1 pound the second week and then nothing. It's so frustrating!

    After reading through posts on this site and others, I think the reasoning is that the 1200 calorie goal is just too restrictive. I try and eat back my exercise calories but it's a struggle (unless I resort back to my old foods).

    I've now manually adjusted my goal to 1400 calories. I think there's a little bit of psychology behind this because if I'm struggling to eat the full 1200 calories, how am I going to eat 1400? Well as soon as I've adjusted, I've taken much more care over what I eat and in making sure I'm have regular meals and small snacks. I feel far better today as a result. I know you had a bad experience when you did up your calorie goal but stick with it for a little longer (you'll still be eating under what your body needs to function).

    Good luck! You WILL get there!
  • becjerami
    becjerami Posts: 80
    You may think this sounds counter-intuitive but I suspect you may not be eating enough (1,200 is below your BMR for your height, weight and age). Even if you did nothing but lie in bed all day your body would need 1368 just to maintain your current weight.

    This link may help to work out your energy needs based on your vitals and activity levels:

    http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

    Your metabolism will have slowed down during your diet journey. The only way to raise your metabolism in the short term is to eat more. Why not try eating 150-200 calories more each day for a while to help your metabolism recover?

    If you have been underfeeding your BMI during your diet you can expect to gain a small amount of weight before your metabolism recovers. Don't lose heart, it's completely normal. If you try this give it a week or two. You should start losing weight again soon enough.

    Thanks for the link (I am in the SAME boat!)

    My total adds up to 2758....What do I do with this number now?

    Thanks :)

    I was in that boat too, that's why I've just started eating around 2,000 calories per day, which still leaves me with enough deficit to lose my 1lb per week but without destroying my metabolism. I've already lost over 1lb in less than a week this way.

    If your maintenance calories are 2758 then to lose 1lb per week you would need to net 2258 per day. If your routine changes you need to update that in the fields provided in the link, also updating your weight when you lose to keep the figure accurate.

    You might be interested in joining the group 'Eating For Future You' that I am part of. There are a lot of great posts by Heybales that explain the method we are using, which put simply involved working out the maintenance calories of the weight you want to be and eating that way now, ensuring that on average you keep your net calories above BMR level to create consistent weightloss and avoid the plateau effect. Because my maintenance calories now are obviously higher than they will be at my goal weight, by eating at my goal weight maintenance level I automatically create a defecit. It also means that, some possible minor adjustments aside, I can reach my goal weight without eating less and less.

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