sorry but 3 month plateau help please

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Hi

I am 41, 5ft 3in and have been hovering around 165 since nov. Put some on over xmas up to 167 now stuck on 164-165 again since Jan.

I started at 188 and 1260 cals and lost quickly. Then I stopped losing weight and after research on here realised I should eat my exercise cals...so I did since Oct.

I then changed from curves to a gym with more variety and bought a hrm (curves used to tell me I burned 500 cals in 30 mins!). Eating my cals didn't seem to work for me (even with a hrm)so I changed it to the following and still a whole month with no loss at all and only 1/2 inch from each arm but all other measurements static.

I go to the gym mon/tue/weds/fri and use elliptical for 30mins (+5mins cool) and am going to alternate with the rower. I started NROL4W 4 weeks ago on tues/thur/sat. Sunday is a rest day.

I decided as eating back cals wasn't working and I found it hard to eat healthy and high I would make may cals static at 1500-1550 a day and see what happened.

My diary is open but I am limited wiith food options due to budget constaints and its a family of 4 so cannot eat too differently for them. Cannot really afford more lean protein (food is really expensive in uk). I am a sahm and home educator to our 9 year old.

I am at a loss and have everyone at home giving advice..hubby says stop eating brekkie and lunch(!) mum says have a week off everything to kick start my weight loss.

Getting disheartened but will not give up...I will be strong, healthy and slim just need some help getting there.

Thanks for reading this far any for any help you give:drinker:

martyxxx
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Replies

  • Nicola1944
    Nicola1944 Posts: 348 Member
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    Hello, Sorry about how your feeling! Try not to be too upset (easier said than done, i know!!)

    You could try zig-zagging your calories to break the plateau. This sites quite good, it tells you what cals you should be eating per day and then also offers a zigzagging plan - http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm (this will give you the same ammount of calories per week, but varies them per day!)

    Hope this helps!

    x
  • Chrissieneave
    Chrissieneave Posts: 99 Member
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    You must be so frutstarted, i'm sorry to hear that :( -

    Same happened to me!! I was eating 1350 a day, and was exercising the same thing on the Wii Fit Plus. I stopped losing weight!

    I then started the 30 Day Shred, and after reading some advice articles that Jillian Michael had wrote, i decided to do the zigzagging on my cals, So some days i will eat 1200, some days i will eat 1600 - and it worked for me. I was stuck for 4 months in a plateau, so i know what its like and upsetting it is.

    You could try zigzagging cals, or you could eat at maintanance for a week and see if that will shift some more pounds :) x
  • Vegetablearian
    Vegetablearian Posts: 148 Member
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    Food isnt expensive in the UK if you choose it wisely - I earn well below average income but due to my age and not having any children I cant get help from the government I work 40 hours a week and study for 12 too. Food is my priority after paying rent, bills and running my car (which I actually need in order to get to work - public transport = more expensive!). Fun comes last if there is any spare cash.

    You can eat healthily at sub 1500 cals if you know what you are doing,

    To eat well on low cals you need tonnes of veg, fruit, lean meat (or quorn - branded or shop brand which is cheaper btw and lower fat), lentils, beans, nuts and even protein shakes if you struggle to get your daily protein from your food.

    I spend around 30 pound a week to feed two adults and feed veggies to 5 guinea pigs and a rabbit - and that includes eggs, fruit, veg, nuts and everything above and we have more than enough and are actually overweight on that amount of money

    Ive had a look in your diary and the thing that screams out to me is protein you were low and way low every day , id look into getting more protein and shakes are a great way of doing that!
  • Amy911Gray
    Amy911Gray Posts: 685 Member
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    Here's what I did. I gave up all of the things I absolutely loved which was bread, potatoes, rice, corn, just anything starchy. With your favorite recipes, try using leaner cuts of meat, lower calorie ingredients. You can track those recipes on MFP. And trust me, no one in the family will notice.

    The other thing I did was get the kids involved in this success. They are quite older than your child (19 & 20 right now), but they saw me get up and move, and drop the weight. Since you are homeschooling, find an activity you can use for gym and participate with your child, or perhaps start an new activity like jump rope or basketball.

    I understand about the cost of better quality food. My husband does all of the cooking and all of the shopping, and he just started changing up the recipes to help me along. He said it just takes thought, and nothing more. Our grocery bill has stayed the same over the past 7 months, and now he's consciously losing weight too. 20 pounds in 2 months.

    I'm on a plateau right now too, thinking I'm cracking it this week. I changed up my exercise routine to some in the morning and 30 minutes at night.

    Good luck--sorry this was so long. It's 4 in the morning here--I must have lots to say today (ugh).
  • cjhart81
    cjhart81 Posts: 200 Member
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    Only a small thing, but try and cut down on your coffee.. it is HARD! I used to drink about 8 cups a day.. with milk AND sugar but have cut it out completely now and started to loose weight..

    Maybe if you are cooking something that is quite high in calories for your family, just have a jacket potato with salad for yourself.. I always have a bag of salad and a jacket potato handy in case my partner has fish for dinner (which I cant stand)

    Little things that might help

    :)

    Good luck
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    I don't think you count your calories correctly. For instance you have three yorkshire puddings at only 53 calories or something, thats not right, they are about 58 calories each. You have a baked potato at only 100 calories when an average baked potato is 218 calories. You need to take more care when logging to make sure the calorie count is really accurate.
    Find out what your maintenance calories are. You will be surprised to find it is not that much greater (say 300 or so) more a day than the amount you eat to lose. That will give you an understanding of just how careful you need to be, not just about making sure your logging is accurate but also snacking, eating scraps off kids meals etc .
    Are you active during hte day apart from the gym or do you sit at home mainly - now the weather is warming up maybe you and your son could have an hour walk in the park every day as well as your gym workout. try to walk to the shops instead of driving that sort of thing.
    cut the potatoes, white processed foods, chocolate etc. you eat a lot of p;rocessed foods which do not aid weight loss .
    chicken is very cheap in the Uk, I don't agree with the comment food is expensive in the UK quite the opposite.
  • angenz
    angenz Posts: 51 Member
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    Just a small note about your food diary, although you are still counting the calories, you could learn more about the food you eat if your values were recorded properly. For example, the Galaxy - Chocolate Pieces, only show calories but not the quantities of fat, carbs and protein.

    I think that keeping track of the nutrients in your food will also help you figure out why you may not be loosing weight.

    I know that personally, I loose weight when I eat a 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat diet - these settings can be changed under;
    MY HOME > Goals > Change Goals > Custom (but try and do some research to find out what works best for you).
    I try to stick to these limits more so than watching the calories. The wonderful thing with MFP is that when you have recorded your food accurately you will stick within your calorie limit even if you are only concentrating on where they are coming from.
  • Nicola1944
    Nicola1944 Posts: 348 Member
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    I don't think you count your calories correctly. For instance you have three yorkshire puddings at only 53 calories or something, thats not right, they are about 58 calories each. You have a baked potato at only 100 calories when an average baked potato is 218 calories. You need to take more care when logging to make sure the calorie count is really accurate.

    I didnt even check the diary, till i saw this response!! She's making a really good point. The things your logging arnt always correct. Rememeber to check the packet's if MFP's database doesnt sound right (it isnt always right lol)

    Hope you find this constructive! Good luck x
  • lenaa50
    lenaa50 Posts: 34
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    you should be able to still eat what everyone in the family eats, just give yourself smaller portion sizes. Drink lots of water before each meal. see if that makes any differences.

    I also agree, you need to be more accurate when diarising your food and making sure you choose the right ones/brands and the correct measures.
  • jemachharo
    jemachharo Posts: 144 Member
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    When I hit a plateau, I do a couple of very high calorie days - high in protein and fat. That usually gets everything to kick in for me. I also limit my starches to whole grains as much as possible every day. I don't eat breads or potatoes anymore - they cause me to hold onto weight.

    Good Luck.
  • Nicola1944
    Nicola1944 Posts: 348 Member
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    A few people have commented disagreeing about the cost of food in the UK. Please just keep in mind, even if it doesnt seem expensive to you, it could still be to the poster and her family. Not everyone is on the same page when it comes to finances! :)

    x
  • actresskat
    actresskat Posts: 120 Member
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    I think chicken is really expensive - but I guess it's individual opinion. It's between £8.50-£10.50 for a kilo and I'm pretty sure that prices have doubled in the last few years. A good way to get protein cheaper than 'making from scratch' is buying their fresh prepared chicken which have a tomato sauce, mexican sauce etc. on it. Also it has the specific calories per portion written on the foil pack. Otherwise frozen chicken is much. much cheaper £2 for 500g but I don't think it tastes as good but is a cheap way to get protein in your diet.

    I second, third or fourth the comment about cyclic dieting. Also rather than doing 30 mins straight on a machine do interval training - fast then slow to maximise your workout as I expect your body is getting used to the same routine.
  • lenaa50
    lenaa50 Posts: 34
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    I have removed all starch from my diet and although my weight loss is very slow, I am feeling much better in myself.
    i have more energy and feel less lethargic. starches and whole grains just bloated me out and now I feel less bloated and my clothes feel extra comfortable.
    I don't eat potatoes anymore, but I do eat sweet potatoe. they are much more healthier than the white grainy potatoes
  • fitnoflab
    fitnoflab Posts: 100
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    I took a break from working out a little while back and when I resumed my work out after a 10 day hiatus the scale started moving again.
  • rosie181818
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    I'm no expert but be careful how you are tagging things on #mfp food wise. I know sometimes if I type in chilli con carne, and I have made it at home, it might not be the same calorie content as say, marks and spencers chilli con carne, or the homemade chilli con carne someone else has made and has then inputted into the system.

    To avoid this either make your own entry with the correct calorie intake or err on the side of caution and choose an option with a slightly higher level calorie amount.

    :)
  • JaimeO1980
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    I broke my plateau after Christmas by Zigzagging and also by strength training over Cardio workouts. The more weight bearing exercises you do the greater the build in muscle and that means your metabolism will improve. I also shook up what I was eating as i had fallen into a rut of eating the same things week in week out. I shocked my body with a curry and then lots of vegetables instead of the pasta. This really worked for me.

    Also you do need to make sure your calories added are correct. Not all items on MFP are correct as we all have the ability to add items. If I find foods with massively different calories values for the same thing, I always use the one that states the highest to be cautious. It is really easy to dupe yourself by selecting the really low option but you only end up cheating yourself.

    Hope this helps and keep your chin up :)
  • Rozlynmac
    Rozlynmac Posts: 71
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    I don't think you count your calories correctly. For instance you have three yorkshire puddings at only 53 calories or something, thats not right, they are about 58 calories each. You have a baked potato at only 100 calories when an average baked potato is 218 calories. You need to take more care when logging to make sure the calorie count is really accurate.

    I'd agree with this. For example - I don't know what you're using for the 'coffee, 1 serving' but that seems too low - unless you take it black with no sugar? I drink it with 1 sugar & skimmed milk and that makes it 40 cals. I also saw Banana 50g - are you weighing portions, or did you just judge it to be that - 'cos that's not a lot of banana. A medium banana is nearer 100 cals and and a large one at least 120 cals, so did you just eat a bit of it?

    Tracking accurately is a pain, there's so much nonsense in the stuff in the database - it's worth searching online for calorie values if you're not sure because most stuff is recorded sensibly somewhere. The database isn't a sensible source until you know what you're talking about and can search out a suitable option or enter it yourself manually.

    I'm on the fence re. the cost of food in the UK. Processed food is definitely cheaper than buying raw ingredients, but I think if you decide beforehand what you want - sort out how much you need e.g. 2lb/1kilo mince for dinner will make 2-3 recipes for us (6 people), so I buy the larger quantity and split it into smaller portions at home - that's easier if you can buy it loose rather than pre-packed, so you either need a butcher, or a supermarket with a decent butchery counter. Or buy deals where it's 50% extra free, buy 2 packs & then when your home split it into 3 portions & freeze 2 of them etc. It's a bit more work, but you could maybe make it more fun by turning it into a game with your son - some maths and some home economics etc?

    I struggle with the protein/carbs balance, I eat a high carb diet and just can't seem to make the changes necessary. But I find that if I have a deficit I eat some cheese, or have a boiled egg & that pushes up the calories without carbs. There's also plenty info on here about doing some strength/weight training and not just cardio - cardio will not build muscle in the same way, and as muscle is leaner/denser than fat it burns more calories just existing as well as makes you lose inches. I'm no expert, but I'm definitely finding adding a strength/weight session to my exercise is making me feel fitter in a way cardio has never done.

    Try the hundredpusups.com site - it has press ups, sit ups, dips, squats, pull ups you can do at home and how to do them starting from being utterly useless (I still can't do a full press-ups, but on my knees I'm getting through them well) - Not really full weight training, but something you can do at home, when you have a few spare minutes that will help your strength and toning, and something you can do with your son too - mine love to laugh at me and show me how much fitter/stronger/faster than me they are!

    HTH
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    A few people have commented disagreeing about the cost of food in the UK. Please just keep in mind, even if it doesnt seem expensive to you, it could still be to the poster and her family. Not everyone is on the same page when it comes to finances! :)

    x

    kind of, but that said I would definitely spend less on food than anyone eating a lot of processed foods. Eating clean is very cheap; - wholemeal rice/frozen veges/chicken/eggs. Oatmeal instead of processed cereals.

    I'm a Kiwi and I have to say food is much cheaper in the UK than it is in Australia or NZ. (but not as lovely and fresh!!!!!)
  • martymum
    martymum Posts: 413 Member
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    sorry i forgot to add all my food is home cooked from scratch, yorkshire puds, chilli, spag bol...even the spaghetti so I input the ingredients and mfp works out the values for me.

    and thanks for all the advice so far, i will check through my diary for missing macro values and double check things like potatoes...but i do eat small jackets hence the values but I will double check the packets.

    thanks again everyone

    martyxxx

    ps I have a budget of £300 a month to feed a family of 4 (with packed lunches) a cat and a large dobeman lol
  • ritzy54
    ritzy54 Posts: 1
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    Im 57 and am not an exp17.8 pound total weight loss from 1/14 - 3/18. I'll start RPOA #3 this week. Thank you!!!ert on weight loss but i can tell you whats been working for me. I have been weighing myself every morning since January 14, 2012. I found my weight plateaus - hanging around the same weight for 3-4 days then it drops. Interesting thing is i seem to lose most of my weight during my sleep. Try not to be discouraged. Your body is telling you to adjust your daily foods and the frequency your eating them. Food is fuel so don't stop eating or go without for long periods of time. Keep your foods healthy and simple. I eat 1 serving regular oats with a scoop of protein powder every morning to kick start my metabolism for the day. I don't eat wheats or sugars and almost no dairy. I eat 8 oz of lean meats daily. I drink protein shakes and eat greens and veggies everydays. I eat every 3 hours or so and eat when im NOT hungry. If I wait til I'm hungry I've waited too long. We always hear "are you hungry"? But you don't have to be hungry to eat. Just keep putting the fuel (foods) into your body before your tank runs dry or you'll tend to overeat because of hunger. Never give up. It's your time to take care of you! Exercise is important but the way you nourish your body is the most important .. The fuel. Get enough sleep and drink your water too. Good luck and don't give up! You can do this!!