Stuck - help please? :)

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evaleung87
evaleung87 Posts: 38
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

This is my first time posting/starting a thread and I'm hoping some of you lovely people may be able to help me.

I have been on myfitnesspal since the early part of February and to begin with I was really amazed by the weight I had lost. My starting weight was 140lbs and I'm 5ft3'' tall. After a few months I got down to 125lbs which I am extremely proud of having watched what I ate and by exercising at least 45mins 5 days a week. But since April, I have been unable to shift any more pounds and I'm starting to get really frustrated by this. My goal weight is 119lbs which is 8.5 stone which I feel would be a better weight for my height and frame.

My diary has always been set on private but I have now opened this up. I haven't added any friends on here either as I'm not sure how that works, so I've achieved what I have so far by myself but now I think I really need the help and support to lose those last pesky 6lbs!!

To give you an idea of what I have been doing. I am set on 1,200 calories a day by myfitnesspal. I started going to the gym 3 times a week doing 45mins exercise, spending at least 30mins of that running on the treadmill (5km) and then the last 10mins either on the bike or crosstrainer/elliptical. After about 2 months of this, I started to up the amount of exercise I did, mostly because I enjoyed it and also to help some more with the weight loss. I now go to the gym 45mins at least 5 times a week. I have completed Jillian's 30 day shred once before and I've started doing it again and am on level 2, day 20 as of tonight.

Since the beginning of February, my goal had been to get down to 119lbs by the 1st of July this year as I will be doing a charity walk in just my bra that day (for breast cancer). My stomach is my problem area, it is still very much untoned with 'love handles' and I want to feel confident walking my first charity half marathon in such little clothing. But I don't know what else I can do to continue the weight loss when I've been at 125lbs for the past 2 months!?

Note, I'm not starving myself and eat 3 square meals a day plus snacks and the calories I burn off at the gym/30DS allows me to eat more which I am grateful for! :)

Any support and feedback will be greatly appreciated - Thank you!

Replies

  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    In before someone says "Eat more to weigh less".

    I don't see any great issue initially other than the logging of calories burned from exercise. MFP overestimates the amount of calories you burn during cardio exercise by a lot. You're probably just burning 7 - 10 calories a minute and they'll have you believe that you're up around 15. That could be adding more to your food intake than you need. Maybe adjust that. I don't ever accept the default calories burned for exercise.

    The closer you are to your goal weight the tougher it will be to pull off that extra bit. At 125 pounds you're probably pretty lean and just have one little problem area to tweak. Your body is probably quite used to the exercise you're doing too. If you're exercising a lot already then try tweaking something (probably just one at a time) to see if you can get it to budge. Maybe cut back on carbs, or add some HIIT to your cardio time. Perhaps you should throw in something different on strength training.
  • kimberlief
    kimberlief Posts: 2
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    I am actually in the same boat that you are. I have read everything I can about plateauing with weight loss and most of the sites say to change up your workout routine if you run, bike instead..etc so that you use a different set of muscle groups. Jillian's advice was also to eat more for a few days to a week to trick your body into feeling secure. Here is the link to her article. http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness-specialist/dealing-with-weight-loss-plateaus.aspx

    I have 18 lbs left to go and have been stuck for almost a month. I know how you feel. I am not sure that this was much help...good luck!
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
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    What you need to do is increase your calories. I increased mine 100 more a day two weeks ago and dropped more weight. Two weeks later I increased my calories another 100 a day more and have again lost weight. I am trying to find my maintenance level but so far I keep losing weight every time I add more calories so give it a shot. Try upping your calories 100 more a day

    I started mfp Feb 2012 and I've lost 21 pounds so far and I only exercise moderately
  • evaleung87
    evaleung87 Posts: 38
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    Hi dbates71, yeah I have heard that MFP overestimates on the calorie burnt which I why I input manually what the machines at the gym tell me which on the treadmill is about 10-12 cals a minute if I run at least 6-6.3 miles per hour. Whereas on the elliptical, in 10mins, I can burn between 60-70 cals depending how fast I peddle.

    Same when it comes to logging in any walking exercise I do. I'm pretty sure I walk faster than 2MPH but because MFP overestimates calorie burnt, I choose to log it at 2MPH to hopefully get a more accurate reading. Does this seem right?!

    I think you're right in that my routine is very much the same all the time, I think it's because I know I can burn quite a bit off on the treadmill so tend to keep doing this (and also to prepare myself for my first 5km race in a month's time). I scare myself not to do weights at the gym because I don't know how to accurately measure calories burnt, so in turn means I am scared that I will end up eating the wrong amount of calories back or not enough of it?! So the only weights I do is from the 30DS.

    I'm starting to think I'm destined to have a wobbly stomach lol..... nooooooooooo!

    Hi kimberlief, thanks for your input! I will take a look at the Jillian article when I get home :)

    Good luck with your last 18lbs!! It's starting to feel like a mission for me now... mission impossible that is haha. I will try and shake up my routine though as daunting as that is :S
  • krcorn5592
    krcorn5592 Posts: 14
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    I was doing around 150 cruches 4 days a week which resulted in me losing 6 inches from my abdomen. I'm not sure if this will help you but it did me.
  • boggsmeister
    boggsmeister Posts: 292 Member
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    The machines at the gym can be off too. Get a HRM to more accurately gauge your calorie burn. Other than that I have no advice. I have 80+ pounds left to lose, so I have no idea what it's like getting rid of that last 20. Good luck. Don't give up.
  • SoozeE512
    SoozeE512 Posts: 439 Member
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    From looking at your diary, one thing you could change is by adding more whole grains into your diet. Replace the white rice and white breads with whole grain versions and that might help a bit.
  • meliad
    meliad Posts: 71
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    Eat to Live helped me break 3 weeks of dieting but no results hell.
  • builtforlife
    builtforlife Posts: 259
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    Lift weights! Circuit train! Get your heart rate way up! Push yourself! Rest for short periods! Eat more protein!
  • aejbx4x7s
    aejbx4x7s Posts: 111
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    I have the same problem when I get close to my goal weight. First of all, congratulations on coming this far! For me, upping my protein intake and limiting my carbs makes a big difference. The closer I get to my goal weight, the more it matters what I eat not just how much I eat. So now I focus on not only eating within my calories, but eating lower carbs, higher protein, non-processed foods. For me, this has been the difference between hovering within pounds of my goal weight and meeting my goal weight.

    Best of luck!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Strength training... You may not weigh less but you will lose fat and look smaller and more toned!
  • tinacrane
    tinacrane Posts: 134 Member
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    I am plateauing a bit too. I have started eating around maintenance and trying to not eat my exercise calories back. To break it up- some days I go over and other days cycle under caloric goals.

    After viewing your diary, my advice is: be super consistent in logging, never skip a meal and eat less white rice and potatoes at dinner all together
  • AdrienneinTO
    AdrienneinTO Posts: 111 Member
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    Congratulations on your results and also for your hard work!

    I skimmed through your diary, and think that you might need to increase your calorie allowance. You need to fuel your body. Consistently low calories in the long-term slows down your metabolism. You are very close to your goal, which also means that you should have a smaller deficit. Please note that I am referring to net calories, not just how many you are eating.

    I suggest that you look up your basal metabolic rate using Tools on MFP. Set something a bit over that as your calorie goal. Also, invest in a heart rate monitor so that you have more accurate calorie burn estimates. The Polar brand is considered to be very good.

    I know that it can be hard to accept that to lose weight you need to eat more, but have faith. For example, I am 5' 5.5". I started on MFP at 164 lb. Over the next 8 months, I steadily lost 30 lb, approx 1 lb every 8-9 days. I did a lot of cardio exercise as well as JM's 30DS. I didn't really know what I was doing, and tried to follow MFP guidelines of 1200 calories per day (which does NOT consider your BMR). However, I love food (mostly healthy food, I rarely eat fast food). I didn't stick to the 1200, just couldn't do it consistently. But after I lost so much weight anyway, I went back and calculated what I had done for 8 months. I ate an average of 1680 calories per day, average net of 1425 calories per day. That puts me at just over what my BMR was. I lost more weight after that, and am currently at 128 lb. My "second phase" of weight loss was more gradual because I ate more and exercised less.

    Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like support.
  • rbrannock
    rbrannock Posts: 169
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    Somewhat of the same problem here. So depressing. I did so well at first.....lost the first 27.8 lbs rather easily...started in January. These last 21 lbs will NOT BUDGE! I am not giving up, but it is frustrating. Keep digging...and we'll get to where we want to be...sooner rather than later, hopefully. LOL! GOOD LUCK!
  • leahartmann
    leahartmann Posts: 415
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    .....And don´t forget that muscles weigh more than body fat. You have reached this far, that´s awesome. Respect! :happy:
  • kjwillie
    kjwillie Posts: 106 Member
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    I would suggest adding strength training to your workouts and making sure you switch up your routine regularly. Also, keep in mind the closer your body gets to its optimal weight, the harder it will be to lose. If it is still really difficult after altering a few things in your diet and exercise, your body may be telling you that you are at a good weight for your size and frame.

    Anyway, add me as a friend if you're needing motivation. :)
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    I think you're right in that my routine is very much the same all the time, I think it's because I know I can burn quite a bit off on the treadmill so tend to keep doing this (and also to prepare myself for my first 5km race in a month's time).
    I honestly feel I get the best work from the treadmill too. To make things interesting and challenging I now alternate 5 minute intervals at a 3%-5% incline and 5 minutes off. That really brings up the heart rate like nothing else. I read somewhere recently that training on an incline or hill was a huge help to getting your 5k times down too. So that's a double benefit.
    I scare myself not to do weights at the gym because I don't know how to accurately measure calories burnt,
    My advice, don't worry about calories burned from weights. I don't log them and I use weights extensively. The only way to accurately do that would be with a HRM and that varies greatly depending on the amount of rest you get between sets. It's not really worth logging in my opinion. It's too subjective. Just do the weights because they're good for you and adjust your calories if you feel you're shorting yourself too much from it.
  • evaleung87
    evaleung87 Posts: 38
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    Hi everyone, thanks so much for each and every one of your input!! :) I've read every comment and will take all your advice on board!

    I.e. shake up my exercise routine, start strength training, increase calorie intake slowly, eat less carbs (esp white rice, bread, potatoes and pasta - although I'm going to find this really hard as I keep telling myself to lay off it but end up craving some with my meat and veg plus I'm Chinese so rice is a staple part of my diet.. but starting from today, I will try and cut carbs out for a while - at least for dinner anyway).

    I have looked into getting a heart rate monitor and have read many threads on the forum about the Polar FT4.. I think I will invest in this now - maybe it'll be a good shock to the system to find out I have been overestimating my calories burnt?! :O

    By the way, I'm aiming for Jillian's flat stomach in 30DS!!! I would love to be able to sit and bend and lunge without having a pouch/baby bump! It's not so much to ask... is it?!! :)

    Well done to everyone so far though, I know we can all reach our goals with a little bit of support and determination and the sense of community on MFP is really inspiring and amazing.

    Keep it up y'all!! :)

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