Very Early and Very Long Plateau!!

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kford12
kford12 Posts: 112
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys!

I am on a weight loss mission that is going a bit slow. I really wanted to lose 3 stone by September (since January), but so far I have only lost 1 stone, and am to-ing and fro-ing around that amount and have been for the past two months.

During this time I have been doing 30DS 4-5 times a week and last week I also started C25K. I've only ever lost a decent amount of weight once before, and that was through a VLCD and not exercise. Needless to say, I put the weight back on not too long after coming off of it. Whilst I am really pleased with myself for doing it 'properly' this time and feeling fitter and healthier, I am still feeling really bummed about the lack of decent weight loss :sad:

I have lost quite a few inches I guess, and the other day a lady at work asked me if I had lost weight. It was a real boost. I am generally sticking to around 1300-1500 calories a day and eating back exercise calories. I admit that sometimes I got over this, but I still don't eat anywhere near what I used to before I started counting.

I really need to start getting some decent weightloss as I have a wedding dress to get into! :embarassed: Does anyone have any tips on diet or perhaps a way I can increase the weight loss a bit with more exercise? I haven't really cut anything out as of yet, I eat what I want within the calorie limit but generally try to be healthy as much as possible.

I guess the thing that annoys me is that I am eating less than I used to and doing way more exercise, so why isn't the weight dropping off?! As I am doing a decent amount of exercise now (for me, anyway!) is it worth avoiding the scales for a while whilst my body adapts to the running? I am drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day, would increasing that make much difference?

I am 5'5 and 236lbs. Many thanks for any advice! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • Angiesolomon
    Angiesolomon Posts: 144 Member
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    Looks like a bit too much sugar hon :(
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Weight is just a number. It does not accuratelt reflect your size or fitness level. Two people can be very different weights and wear the same size. You are losing inches, that is far better than losing pounds. You are actually changing how you look not just what you weight.
    You didnt really give any details on how long you hsve plateaued.
  • kford12
    kford12 Posts: 112
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    Thank you for the reply!

    Hrm...that is a very good point! I am a bit of a sweet tooth. It is definitely something I shall look to cut back on. I'll be honest in that whilst I record everything, I do only really pay attention to the calories and I never review what I have eaten each week/fortnight. I think that is worth doing as I am obviously going wrong somewhere!!

    Thanks again :smile:
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Not to be confusing, but sugar wont keep you from losing weight if you are in a calorie deficit.

    I dont see your exercise logged so not sure about that.

    Are you logging all your food? I mean condiments and everything. Do you measure? Do you weight? Are you choosing the accurate entries? Do you double check the labels?
  • kford12
    kford12 Posts: 112
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    Weight is just a number. It does not accuratelt reflect your size or fitness level. Two people can be very different weights and wear the same size. You are losing inches, that is far better than losing pounds. You are actually changing how you look not just what you weight.
    You didnt really give any details on how long you hsve plateaued.

    Oh sorry, I meant to say that I lost the stone at around the end of Feb/early March and have hovered around that since then!

    I am trying to concentrate more on inches, I guess it is years of only focussing on what the scales say (becomes habit!). I am just thinking "how many inches can I lose before the scales start to show a difference?!"

    Will definitely make an active effort to cut back on sugar though. Thinking about it I don't think there is a day where I don't have something sweet...!! :blushing:
  • kford12
    kford12 Posts: 112
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    Are you logging all your food? I mean condiments and everything. Do you measure? Do you weight? Are you choosing the accurate entries? Do you double check the labels?

    Hrm I think I do....saying that there are sometimes naughty little extras I have that I don't log (the odd biscuit...etc). Perhaps it is all those little extras that are adding up!!

    I don't log condiments actually, and I do put salt on most things I eat, which I know is bad and probably wouldn't help with water....another thing for me to address!

    Thanks for the advice so far, it is giving me a nudge as to where I can improve!! :smile:
  • russellma
    russellma Posts: 284 Member
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    I checked back through your diary, and I think that for 236 lbs, you need to eat MORE.

    Your BMR (the number of calories you burn doing nothing) is about 1800 calories. So, you should be eating at least that much to fuel your body's basic needs. Your first priority is to be healthy... If you give your body what it needs, it will reward you! :)

    I know for me, it was too risky to add too many calories at once, so I added 50-100 calories at a time until I worked up to a reasonable amount of calories.

    Plus, it's more fun to live when you don't have to obsess over every bite that goes into your mouth!

    Congratulations on your wedding! (And please remember that your fiance obviously loves you as you are, so try not to stress over this detail!)
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    You are inconsistent.
    Eat the calories and macros given daily.

    Eat at least 2 full cups of veg and 2 fruit.
    Try to cut out 90% processed foods and sugars.
    Protein protein protein.
    Fat Fat Fat
    Water water water
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Are you logging all your food? I mean condiments and everything. Do you measure? Do you weight? Are you choosing the accurate entries? Do you double check the labels?

    Hrm I think I do....saying that there are sometimes naughty little extras I have that I don't log (the odd biscuit...etc). Perhaps it is all those little extras that are adding up!!

    I don't log condiments actually, and I do put salt on most things I eat, which I know is bad and probably wouldn't help with water....another thing for me to address!

    Thanks for the advice so far, it is giving me a nudge as to where I can improve!! :smile:

    If you add things like mayo to sandwiches and sauces tomtoher stuff they can quickly add up. Combine that with th extra naughty stuff and you might be consuming more than you realize.

    Good luck. :)
  • kford12
    kford12 Posts: 112
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    I checked back through your diary, and I think that for 236 lbs, you need to eat MORE.

    Your BMR (the number of calories you burn doing nothing) is about 1800 calories. So, you should be eating at least that much to fuel your body's basic needs. Your first priority is to be healthy... If you give your body what it needs, it will reward you! :)

    I know for me, it was too risky to add too many calories at once, so I added 50-100 calories at a time until I worked up to a reasonable amount of calories.

    Plus, it's more fun to live when you don't have to obsess over every bite that goes into your mouth!

    Congratulations on your wedding! (And please remember that your fiance obviously loves you as you are, so try not to stress over this detail!)

    Thank you for the reply!

    You're right, eating more is scary! Haha!! I was at 1330 for a while and upped it last week after doing a BMR/TDEE calculator thingy on the Jillian Michaels site. That recommended 1546 for 2lbs a week loss. I may see how I get on over the next week or two at that and go from there. I actually am generally more that happy eating the number of calories I am at generally. It is only when I really fancy a curry or a few drinks that it is an issue.

    I think that I just feel so much better since doing the exercising and running, I kinda think my weight should reflect the new 'fitter' me, and it doesn't?! I'm still feeling determined and focused though and am sure that I'll start noticing more of a difference soon after doing more of the running/30DS combo :smile:
  • kford12
    kford12 Posts: 112
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    You are inconsistent.
    Eat the calories and macros given daily.

    Eat at least 2 full cups of veg and 2 fruit.
    Try to cut out 90% processed foods and sugars.
    Protein protein protein.
    Fat Fat Fat
    Water water water

    Thank you, I shall definitely make more of an effort with my diet and cut right back on processed/sugary foods :smile:
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    Yes, you should be logging everything you eat. It adds up.

    I don't see where you are eating all of your exercise calories. Eat them.

    Increase your protein. I see days where you have <20g. That's not enough for someone who exercises. You want to maintain your muscle mass as you lose the weight. Aim for at least .75-1g of protein per pound of lean body mass you have, and around .3-.5g of fat per pound of body mass. Fill the rest with carbs. Fuel your body with some good foods that are going to give you energy for your workouts. I normally don't comment on people's food, because you really can eat anything as long as you stay within your goals, but it looks like you are running on coffee and sugar most days.

    I would also recommend you set your goal on here to lose 1 lb per week and not 2 lbs per week (I'm assuming based on your weight and calorie goal that it's set at 2 lbs per week), especially if you are only going to do cardio. A large deficit and intense cardio can often do more harm than good. If you're interested, heavy weight lifting is a good idea even if you have a lot of weight to lose. And here is a good article if you're interested: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
  • kford12
    kford12 Posts: 112
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    Yes, you should be logging everything you eat. It adds up.

    I don't see where you are eating all of your exercise calories. Eat them.

    Increase your protein. I see days where you have <20g. That's not enough for someone who exercises. You want to maintain your muscle mass as you lose the weight. Aim for at least .75-1g of protein per pound of lean body mass you have, and around .3-.5g of fat per pound of body mass. Fill the rest with carbs. Fuel your body with some good foods that are going to give you energy for your workouts. I normally don't comment on people's food, because you really can eat anything as long as you stay within your goals, but it looks like you are running on coffee and sugar most days.

    I would also recommend you set your goal on here to lose 1 lb per week and not 2 lbs per week (I'm assuming based on your weight and calorie goal that it's set at 2 lbs per week), especially if you are only going to do cardio. A large deficit and intense cardio can often do more harm than good. If you're interested, heavy weight lifting is a good idea even if you have a lot of weight to lose. And here is a good article if you're interested: http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html

    Thank you for looking at my diary and offering some advice! You are right, looking back I do have too much coffee and sugar and really need to up the good stuff. Yes I have it set for 2lbs a week at the moment, but have changed the calorie limit manually from 1330 to 1546, which is apparently closer to what I should be having :smile:

    Thank you for the link too. I have started using light weights with 30DS and actually really enjoy that element of it, so am totally up for giving heavy lifting a go. Will have a read and look into incorporating that a bit more :smile:

    Thanks again for all your replies, it does really help to have an outsiders perspective on what you're doing as often you can't see the wood from the tress yourself! :flowerforyou:

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