3 weeks without any loss- frustrated

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SawJamBee
SawJamBee Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So, I started in Jan weighing 325 pounds. Now I'm down to 300 but I have not had any loss for the last three week. I'm between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. I've also added eliptical for 20 mins three times a week. What should I do? I'm so frustrated and feel like I'm destined to be huge forever.

Replies

  • Coco_Puff
    Coco_Puff Posts: 823 Member
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    Are you eating back the extra calories burned through your workouts? You need to.
  • Quel1970
    Quel1970 Posts: 91 Member
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    WOW! 25lbs is something to be proud of! Keep up the good work!

    It sounds like you may not be consuming enough calories. Many ppl think you need to consume your TDEE -15% for weight loss. Here is a link to that calculator:

    http://www.cordianet.com/calculator.htm

    There will be ppl commenting soon with WAY more knowledge and experience than me to offer suggestions and support. Good luck!
  • Kris10crly
    Kris10crly Posts: 1 Member
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    You should change your workouts after 2-3 weeks. Your body will adapt to the movements which causes a plateau. Small but frequent changes should help you. Add a little resistance and try walking outside on nice days. Walking on the treadmill and elliptical are good exercises, but walking on a stable surface (one that does not move for you) is much better. When you use your own muscles to move your body across the sidewalk, you will get a better workout than if you were to stand on a machine that moves for you. 25 pounds is still an amazing accomplishment, don’t give up just because you’ve hit a plateau! Change it up a little bit and you’ll be back on track :)
  • Babieseverywhere
    Babieseverywhere Posts: 311 Member
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    How accurate are your current figures ?

    i.e. Do you use a heart rate monitor for monitoring calories burnt via exercise AND do you measure/weigh all food portions to ensure your food calories are accurate ?

    I found MFP over estimates amount of calories burnt during exercise and I had no idea of a proper portion before I started using MFP and kitchen scales.
  • bobthesmogs
    bobthesmogs Posts: 58 Member
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    Can't comment too much cause your diary is locked!
  • jcpmoore
    jcpmoore Posts: 796 Member
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    I understand this frustration. Without seeing your diary, it's tough to be able to answer the question. Here are the first things I look at:

    Are you drinking enough water? If you don't, you're body can't repair itself and won't let go of the weight.
    Are you eating enough calories? I'll leave to the expert to answer this. I'm not one.
    Are you eating enough vegetables? This is the biggest culprit I see for most of us. We get protein, and under our calories, but we don't get enough vegetables. Make sure you're getting *at least* your five a day of vegetables. The more the better on these. I find that when I eat more vegetables I lose more weight. I have no scientific study to back this up yet, it's just my personal experience.

    HTH
  • Javajunkie67
    Javajunkie67 Posts: 167 Member
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    Don't forget to measure yourself! The scale isn't your only tool.
  • kcragg
    kcragg Posts: 239 Member
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    Hi and welcome.

    You sound like you are doing really well, don't get down because you have not lost weight for a few weeks, it could be for a number of reasons. My weight hasn't moved for a couple of weeks either. I do strength training and have just increased my weights so I am hoping it is muscle! I will also be increasing my calorie intake and added more cardio.

    There was a really good article on a previous post about this subject, here is the link to the article. I hope it gives you some ideas.

    http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

    Good luck, you will succeed:)
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    I feel your frustration. I have been trying to lose weight for the last 6 weeks, and have only lost about 5 pounds. The first week in february I joined the Y and walked on the treadmill 5 days a week. I lost 3 pounds the first week...the second week I did my 15 miles in 5 days on the treadmill, but added a little bit of weight machine work, but only lost about 1/2 a pound. I have been gaining and losing the same 2-3 pounds for over a month now. That being said, I have been measuring myself...I may not have lost much weight, but I have lost at least 2 inches on my natural waist, 3 inches around my belly button, and 2.25 inches around my hips ( or where they *should* be...) Muscle weighs more than fat, so it might be that you have lost fat, but gained muscle. Measurements will tell you if your body composition is changing...
  • jz9fp8
    jz9fp8 Posts: 2
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    Hey ~

    It sounds like you are doing great! Keep it going!

    I'm dittoing much of what other's have said.

    I'm having the same issue. I've tapered off and haven't lost much (0.4 lbs.) since mid February after losing 15 to that point. However, I was really starving myself. Now I'm starting to lose again after increasing my calorie intake slightly. (200 cals.) Plus I am starting to vary my exercise routine; added walking during lunch to my daily routine. I also found that if I eat late in the day (ie. after 9 PM) that in the am my weight is elevated. The good news is that my waist measurements are coming down so I may be putting on some muscle which is a good thing.

    Good luck and stay with it! You will get there.
  • Mom2M_and_O
    Mom2M_and_O Posts: 214
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    Hi and welcome.

    You sound like you are doing really well, don't get down because you have not lost weight for a few weeks, it could be for a number of reasons. My weight hasn't moved for a couple of weeks either. I do strength training and have just increased my weights so I am hoping it is muscle! I will also be increasing my calorie intake and added more cardio.

    There was a really good article on a previous post about this subject, here is the link to the article. I hope it gives you some ideas.

    http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

    Good luck, you will succeed:)

    This was an excellent article. Thank you for sharing. I think the clue to my own plateau lies in here somewhere. Gotta figure out exactly where.
  • SawJamBee
    SawJamBee Posts: 8 Member
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    Keep up the work outs! Sounds like you have a good perspective in recognizing that you need to look at inches lost! Heck that matters more than a number on the scale anyway:)
  • jaabee11
    jaabee11 Posts: 322 Member
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    Plateaus suck,that's all there is to it. If your eating well and exercising just keep going. Try mixing things up a bit both with diet and the exercise to get unstuck but the best thing is to just keep going, it will improve.
    Good luck
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    You've made a great start... but one of the things I've learnt about weight loss in the last year is that you just have to keep going!
    Check the accuracy of your food and calorie intake, don't be tempted to cut calories too low, keep up that exercise and you WILL see things moving.
    And yes, this is a fantastic place for support, hang in there and you'll be posting in "success stories" before you know it!
  • jeromecab
    jeromecab Posts: 2
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    Make sure you stay within your calories. If you cut back on what you should eat, your body will slow down the fat burn. If the body knows it's going to get fed it will release but if you stop feeding it, it goes into starvation mode.
  • Aureilie
    Aureilie Posts: 213 Member
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    Bump!

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