I need some ideas...

I've been doing this for 15 weeks now and have lost 14 pounds. I'm stuck and have been for a few weeks now. I'm not sure what I need to change up in order for me to start losing weight. I have it set up to lose 2 pounds per week right now. It's just not happening. I know some say eat more and I do if I'm hungry. I'm also trying to make myself drink the 8 cups of water each day. Any other ideas what I can do to lose more weight?

Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    2 lbs/week is way too aggressive with the weight you have to lose and you likely aren't eating enough. Set MFP for a 1 lb/week loss. Also, you have averaged almost a pound a week, which is fantastic! It is hard to remember that weight does not come off as fast as you can put it on. Be patient, lower your goal to 1 lb./week and I bet you'll keep on logging those losses. Congrats on your success so far!
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    I don't log the little things like butter, ketchup, etc. I don't think that really makes a giant difference in what I eat/ How can you tell if your body is in 'starvation' mode?
  • becauseofholly
    becauseofholly Posts: 28 Member
    From what I saw in your diary, you should be eating more. Find out your BMR and don't eat below that and eat back your exercise calories. Some days it shows you net under 1000 calories. You're probably in starvation mode.
  • audram420
    audram420 Posts: 838 Member
    I find that sometimes splurging will help bump my metabolism and I will end up losing weight and getting over small plateaus. My last plateau last 3 months...grrrr!!! Changing your excersise routine helps too!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    with only 30lbs to lose 2lbs/week is a bit aggressive. Here is a guide for setting weekly weight loss goal, and don't forget to eat back the cals you burn from exercise:
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • Jameslemond
    Jameslemond Posts: 60 Member
    I don't log the little things like butter, ketchup, etc. I don't think that really makes a giant difference in what I eat/ How can you tell if your body is in 'starvation' mode?

    you should log them... TRUST ME me it makes a BIG differenece

    110 calories in olive oil
    50 calories in ketchup
    100 calories in butter

    it all adds up
  • newmein2013
    newmein2013 Posts: 674 Member
    I don't log the little things like butter, ketchup, etc. I don't think that really makes a giant difference in what I eat/ How can you tell if your body is in 'starvation' mode?

    Definitely log the condiments. I learned immediately how much of a difference they make with calories, fats, sugars, sodium, etc. It'll make you want to tweek quite a bit. A pound a week is perfect. Are you doing aerobic exercise? Aim for 4-5 days a week 45-60 mins a day. That'll help tremendously in both weight loss and body conditioning. Be sure to stay over 1200 cals a day. I've found that I hit a plateau around every 15-20 pounds and it lasts about 10-14 days. I started switching up my exercise routine to see if that helps. Best of luck.
  • mruntidy
    mruntidy Posts: 1,015 Member
    with only 30lbs to lose 2lbs/week is a bit aggressive. Here is a guide for setting weekly weight loss goal, and don't forget to eat back the cals you burn from exercise:
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

    Sorry to hijack OP but thanks for this post erick that's really helped me, i started thinking i needed to lose 10 pounds, beat that, upped it to 20, beat that then upped it to 30 and im getting there but i don't think i have much left to lose at my weight 186.5 pounds and 5' 11" height so i think i might go adjust my figures as you suggested
  • HatherM
    HatherM Posts: 404 Member
    If you have been doing the same exercises for the whole time, shake it up a bit & start doing something different, this will shock your body - mix up the exercise so you're not doing the same thing too often & obviously make sure you are eating enough food.

    http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/truth-starvation-mode
  • TinkrBelz
    TinkrBelz Posts: 866 Member
    Kim, you need to eat more!!! Trust me. I thought I was to eat 1200 calories AND exercise. I think that I lost 1 lb! I increased my calories and I lost a couple more. THEN, I decreased my carbs to 100 grams and increased my protein to 150 grams. This is when I saw the rest of my 10lbs come off.

    I now eat 1600-1900 calories per day. I am not dropping the weight like crazy now, but I do not think there is much to lose.

    Also, I have my MFP set to maintenance....and then let my exercise become my shortage.

    So, MFP says that I can eat 1700. I eat 1700 calories and exercise 450. That puts my net at 1250. Now, some days, I might eat 1900 calories and exercise 450, that day my deficit is is only 250 calories, but it is still a deficit. So, some days I have a larger deficit and other days I have a smaller deficit.

    I think you should eat more food and choose foods that are higher in protein and less in carbs. And, if you are going to eat something with carbs, make sure you balance it out with protein.
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 775 Member
    the lil things do add up (calorie wise)
    \butter can range from 50 - 100cals for a tblsp (or was it 2, i dont use butter much) (depending on kind)

    the thing i learned is this ... BLTs count ( bites, licks, taste)
    if you bite it, your write it
    --
    also i agree with others, 2 pounds per week might be to aggressive ..
    i am 299/300 and i have mine set to 1 pound a week b/c i know i am already eating lower than usual
    MFP gives me 2100 calories to eat + workouts .. b4 i made the change i was averaging 3,000 calories a day (to much fast food,)
    i am losing just fine
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    How do you figure the BMR? I thought I was doing good eating and exercising. I was on the treadmill about 5 days a week for an average of 40-45 minutes a day. My calories are usually close or under the 1200 for the day.
  • becauseofholly
    becauseofholly Posts: 28 Member
    How do you figure the BMR? I thought I was doing good eating and exercising. I was on the treadmill about 5 days a week for an average of 40-45 minutes a day. My calories are usually close or under the 1200 for the day.

    http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/