Stalled weight loss

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Vain_Witch
Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! Looking for some feedback and/or ideas!

I started my weight loss journey back in February. I started by using Weight Watchers and stuck with that up until about a week ago. I've lost betwen 26 and 30 pounds now (depending on the day) but a few weeks ago my weight loss started to stall. (I'm 5'2" and now weight approximately 159 pounds...I'm working towards getting to somewhere between 115 and 130). In an effort to ramp it back up again, I quit Weight Watchers and joined here to start counting calories. I also joined a gym. For the past week I've been at (or some days slightly below) my recommended calorie intake of 1,200. For the past week and a half, I've worked out 6 days a week. And yet, I'm STILL stalled!

Can anyone give me any ideas on what I'm doing wrong???

Thanks! :)

Replies

  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
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    Read this: http://4chanfit.wikia.com/wiki/Harsh's_Worksheet_(WIP)

    Be patient, keep at it, track everything, even supplements. It will keep you honest.

    But seriously, be patient, you just changed things up, results aren't going to be immediate but if done right you will see results faster and more effectively than weight watchers.
  • junejadesky
    junejadesky Posts: 524 Member
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    My advice is to be sure that you eat back the calories you burn for your daily goal. Sometimes even if you stay at that 1200 your body may want those calories especially if you are ramping it up! I speak from experience because I was stalled for 2 years and couldn't figure out why.... essentially that was why!! Now that I'm eating all the calories MFP tells me too the weight is coming off again like melted butter!

    Stay strong!
  • tropicalelina
    tropicalelina Posts: 3
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    I agree with Chris - keep at it. If you're honest with your food intake and are exercising regularly - the results will come. Just be patient and they will def come!
  • SyntonicGarden
    SyntonicGarden Posts: 944 Member
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    Great article! Thanks for posting!
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
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    Thanks guys! This is great information! I do have one question aboutt eating back burned calories, though...I bought a heartrate monitor that I've been using when i work out, but I've heard that they're not very accurate. This makes me really nervous about eating back my burned calories because I'm worried that I'll eat more than I actually burned. Is there a good ratio to use to counter that?
  • supergirl6
    supergirl6 Posts: 224 Member
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    Congrats on getting to the gym! You're going to see some great changes in your body in the next few weeks if you hit the gym regularly, especially if you incorporate strength training into your routine, not just cardio.

    I would strongly recommend charting your progress in more ways than just the scale. The scale is tricky and tells only half the story. It can also drive you crazy when it feels like you're doing everything right.

    Measure everything on your body and check the measurements every couple of weeks.
    Take pictures the same day you weigh in every week. Take a picture of your front, back, and side in the same clothes or close to the same clothes. Especially if you do some weight training, you'll see results in comparison pictures, even if the scale doesn't change.
  • chris1816
    chris1816 Posts: 715 Member
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    Thanks guys! This is great information! I do have one question aboutt eating back burned calories, though...I bought a heartrate monitor that I've been using when i work out, but I've heard that they're not very accurate. This makes me really nervous about eating back my burned calories because I'm worried that I'll eat more than I actually burned. Is there a good ratio to use to counter that?

    Your metabolism is what it is, and it really will not fluctuate as much as some people will lead you to believe. I would say take any kind of calories burned monitoring with a grain of salt. The best thing to do is take it in stride. Going over 1200 calories by a bit on occasion is not going to kill you, and sometimes changing things up a bit (especially if regularly exercising) can help. I wouldn't set any kind of goal to consistently eat back all of your exercise calories, being at a "net" 600 calories some days is perfectly fine.

    If someone says the words "starvation mode" to you, tell them to *kitten* off.

    If you had a pretty badass workout that day, have another chicken breast, or a protein shake, or a piece of fruit etc. Keep it simple and be aware of what you are putting into you and what your motivation for doing so is.
  • jaquelynny
    jaquelynny Posts: 94 Member
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    i see that you used wight watchers. do you have any saved journal entries? plug them into MFP and compare
    i was surpirsed at how few calories iwas meant to eat on weight watchers. yes you have your activity points and flex points for the week but i still found it interesting. i did the WW vs MFP comparison several times, almost every time WW was the below the MFP calorie threshold and rememebr here you are counting your fruits and veggies into the equation
  • Vain_Witch
    Vain_Witch Posts: 476 Member
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    @ Chris: "If someone says the words "starvation mode" to you, tell them to *kitten* off."...Highlight of my day! lol

    @Jaquelynny: One of the main reasons I quit WW is because with the "free" fruits and vegetables and the extra weekly points, when I kept doing the comparison it just seemed like I was going way over the recommended calorie intake.
  • steinbok
    steinbok Posts: 82
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    If you're taking in any "extra processed carbs", lose them all. (bagels, rice, pasta)
    That's usually the case when you're stalled.
    I've had longer bike rides, then get on the scale the next morning after eating "normally". It shows me gaining weight. It might be that you're adding muscle mass, which is also weight. :)

    @Chris: Great response, lol I've heard that a few times, considering my diet, but it's all I want.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
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    I agree with Chris. (And LOL, if only everyone would respond that way!)

    On the latest WW plan, people average in the 1800s for calories. I don't know if the OP was at the standard Points level or eating weeklies or having a lot of fruit or what, though. 1800s can be too much for us shorties. I couldn't lose on it.
  • Kalona388
    Kalona388 Posts: 82
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    Just my 2cents on eating back exercise calories, I'm not entirely sure which method is the most accurate for calculating. MFP tends to be super far off, machines are iffy, and hrm tend to give the best guess, but it's still definitely a guess. I generally don't eat back my workout calories, but if I feel I need a little something extra because of an especially long workout I make sure not to eat over half of my estimated workout calories back. (I feel that way I can pretty much be guaranteed that I'm not going over what I actually burned)

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