Weight Loss Support - been counting calories for 3 weeks now

So under the suggestions from my last post, i stopped guesstimating my calories and actually started counting them. I looked up my suggested calorie intakes (from 2 different sites) which came to 1300-1800. I've been zig zagging them. I also weight train 3 days a week. Interval train 6 days a week, and the occasional bike ride.... (i had a 4 day break from exercising when i got a cold) but i've not lost any weight.. im stuck at 189. This is the weight i was stuck at in 2006 when i last lost weight (on a shake diet) - my body wont loose any more and im not sure what to do...
Some of you will say, maybe my body shrank, fat converted to muscle, but i also measure myself and its the same all round.

Im out of ideas.. HELP!? :?:

If your ticker is correct you have lost 36 pounds , that is a great loss. How long have you been at 189 ? I doubt if you have reached a point where your body refuses to lose. Are you sure about the number of calories you are eating ? I think 1300 calories is a little bit low. 1800 sounds more like what you should be eating.

hate to say it, but 3 weeks is not so long of a plateau, frustrating yes, but it may just take you some more time. I don't know what kinds of food you are eating, but you may try getting more of your calories from veggies and lean protein, try and cut all the processed and science project type foods that you can, maybe that'll get the scales going again! Congratulations on your current weight loss, you are doing a great job!!

The actual food is as important, if not more so, than the amount of energy. Calories are calculated in a little box when food is lit on fire. They don't take into account how different foods affect your metabolism. So...what are you eating?

3 weeks isn't a plateau - at least 6 weeks of the same weight. Your body takes a time out once in awhile from losing to rearrange your inner workings. Are you sure you are eating enough for all the exercise?

its 3 weeks at this weight since i tried calorie counting. It was 189 or 190 for almost a month before that.. maybe even two.

I eat alot of salad wraps, with boiled eggs.. oatmeal, steamed vegetables. The occasional grilled meat. But i generally have trouble eating alot. Im not hungry, and im afraid i'll gain weight.. not loose it if i eat alot.

1800 calories a day would not be a lot.

keep at it, you know what you are doing is going to help you lose, so keep moving, eating healthy and the scale will move.

How big are your zigzags, and what is your target (that is, the actual average number you're shooting for, not the range you're allowed)?

Jay

With 1800 calories your probably eating close to your BMR, so most of your burn comes from your activity at this point (meaning not just exercise but how much you move around all day) How many calories do you estimate you burn in a day? You might be over-estimating that.

At the same weight as you I can lose eating 1800, but I'm active at least 2 hours a day. 1500 tends to result in a better weekly loss (for me)

its maybe an hour of forced exercise a day. If i did much more than that, after a few days i get really tired... i deliver food for a job so i am always getting in and out of my car at work - and walk to my in laws and home almost every day (couple of blocks).. but i dont do much more than that. I dont have any friends, im not apart of any groups and i dont have any money to do anything else. excuses excuses excuses i know, but i want play soccer... only mothers or little children can play here. I want to try Tennis, but its expensive or there's no one to play with. I could run but i dont have an ipod and i get bored, and my shins always hurt. Lol more excuses.

As for average calorie intake.. probably around 1400; i have trouble eating more on such a small food budget. \

i got this for a BMR, but im not sure what it means ^__^; You have a BMR of 1918.47 / 1667.0 ( 2 different sites) so i burn that every day? Plus my work out?

its maybe an hour of forced exercise a day. If i did much more than that, after a few days i get really tired... i deliver food for a job so i am always getting in and out of my car at work - and walk to my in laws and home almost every day (couple of blocks).. but i dont do much more than that. I dont have any friends, im not apart of any groups and i dont have any money to do anything else. excuses excuses excuses i know, but i want play soccer... only mothers or little children can play here. I want to try Tennis, but its expensive or there's no one to play with. I could run but i dont have an ipod and i get bored, and my shins always hurt. Lol more excuses.

As for average calorie intake.. probably around 1400; i have trouble eating more on such a small food budget. \.

i got this for a BMR, but im not sure what it means ^__^; You have a BMR of 1918.47 / 1667.0 ( 2 different sites) so i burn that every day? Plus my work out?

Hm... Yeah I can see how that would be annoying with that intake you should be losing. Are you weighing your food or just eyeballing/guessing? Have you have your Thyroid checked?

BMR calculators can be off a bit (and I've found estimate on the high side) BMR is basically what calories your body burns if you did nothing all day just laid in bed you could very well burn a lot less then the calculators say. I think mine is only like 1700.

If you're already tired on an hour of exercise a day I wouldn't add in any more strenuous exercise at this point, but that doesn't mean you can't try and move more in general. All those movements throughout the day add up a lot more then you realize. I wear a bodybugg which basically charts out the calories I burn all day and it's shocking to see how little you burn sitting around. Maybe think of projects to do? Paint a room? stuff like that...

I know walking/running w/o an ipod is boring... maybe you could ask for a cheapo one for the holidays? If your ankles hurt running you might not have the right kind of shoes or might be doing too much too quick. Running burns a lot more calories per hour then lots of other stuff. At your weight probably a good 700-800 per hour.

Some of you will say, maybe my body shrank, fat converted to muscle, but i also measure myself and its the same all round.

Im out of ideas.. HELP!? :?:

Fat doesn't convert into muscle, so you are correct to not think that is the issue.

I think 1800 calories at your activity level might be a bit high. I would try sticking to, no make that I would stick to 1400 - 1500 calories tops. Eat "cleanly", drink lots of water. You don't need to spend a lot of money to exercise. Put on the radio and dance your fool head off. Buy an inexpensive hula hoop, jump rope, resistance band.

Be accurate, really, really accurate with your calorie counting, including measurements of foods. Be CONSISTENT. No off days.

I'm sure it's incredibly frustrating, but rest assured as long as you stick with it, the weight just has to come off. Really, it does. And it will!!

Jinksie, I know that this is incredibly frustrating. But maybe you can try to turn the way you think about this plateau around. Rather than thinking, "This is where my body stops losing.", think "My body is adjusting at a new, lower weight." When your body is done "adjusting", along with staying OP, your body will continue to release the weight. Try to turn it into a positive rather than a negative. Also this is great practice for maintenance--that's what I always tell myself.

Your BMR is how much your body burns just being alive. Generally, you should not eat consistently lower than your BMR. That in itself can cause a stall--or so I hear Jillian has said.

Aim for 1600 average and see how that goes for two full weeks. Try to stay close--don't go too far under or over.

If you eat too much lower than BMR for too long, you can actually slow your metabolism. Not a good thing!

Jay

thank you all so much for the replies. I think i'll try for the 1500-1600 range. getting alot of numbers.

I dont weigh food, i measure it. It says its X amount of calories for a cup, i measure a cup. sometimes even less; for example oatmeal (cheapo kind) is 150 for a cup, unprepared... i scoop it up put it in my bowl and its just way too much oatmeal... so i take some out ^____^;

im actually gonna buy a cheap ipod when my folks get around to sending me my birthday money from last month (lol), and heavier weights, i've been using the same weights for 4 months now.. i think this is some of the trouble too.

I have a suggestion for an iPod alternative. I bought a shuffle a few years ago. It's wonderful for running/walking/jogging because it's small (some would say teeny, actually ;)) and it stores up to 240 songs I believe. It doesn't have a screen but you don't need it because you're not watching anything while you exercise, except the road. :) When I bought mine 3 years ago(?), a new one was $80. You can get the same one off of eBay or for a good discount through the apple store. Just a suggestion if you're tight on money.

Good luck! Hope you see a drop on the scale! :hug:

...I dont weigh food, i measure it. It says its X amount of calories for a cup, i measure a cup. sometimes even less; for example oatmeal (cheapo kind) is 150 for a cup, unprepared... i scoop it up put it in my bowl and its just way too much oatmeal... so i take some out ^____^;...


Hummm, maybe some of your problem is actually in your measurements. Every oatmeal I have ever seen, it is 150 calories for 1/2 cup unprepared. If you make several little mistakes like this a day, it can add up to be quite a few calories. 1 cup of unprepared oatmeal is 300 calories.

Anyway, I would double check everything that you have been doing. You have to keep on trying, because if you don't, the exact same thing will happen this time that happened the LAST time you were at 189 If you stop trying you will gain it all back...

If your body just refuses to lose anymore weight, (which I'm pretty sure it hasn't yet) you would still have to continue with what you are doing to just maintain your weight....it's never over.

Jinksie - I've struggled a lot with uber-slow weight loss and plateaus (pretty much all of July and August of this years) and, like you, I'm a calorie counter and regular exerciser.

I've found that what has been helpful for me is (along with measuring food, writing things down) is to try to limit my carb intake and always balance carbs with protein. I also have oatmeal for breakfast but pair it with some almonds and skim milk. Or I'll have whole grain crackers with hummus for a snack, or soy nuts and a bit of dried fruit - you get the picture. Too many carbs can cause an insulin spike - and it's so easy to eat lots of carbs and limit protein because often times carbs (potatoes, bread, brown rice, etc) are fairly low in fat and calories, whereas protein foods can be higher. The Insulin Resistance Diet recommends no more than 30g of carbs at a time, and always balanced with protein, and that's a general rule I try to follow.

I'm still not losing weight fast - I'm averaging a half pound loss a week. But if I can keep that up and do it consisently, week after week, I will get to where I want to be, and I'm happy with that. Good luck - keep up the hard work. It's a marathon, not a sprint!

Hummm, maybe some of your problem is actually in your measurements. Every oatmeal I have ever seen, it is 150 calories for 1/2 cup unprepared. If you make several little mistakes like this a day, it can add up to be quite a few calories. 1 cup of unprepared oatmeal is 300 calories.


-.-; you were right. I cant believe i missed that.

Lots of good advice here already; I'm starting to learn that my body has more of a four-week rhythm for weight loss than a one week one - I'll lose a pound or two one week, half a pound the next, and then nothing for two weeks, without changing diet or exercise. I try to eat protein with every meal and snack, too, to keep my blood sugar more level. I also eat three meals and two or three snacks a day, too - I seem to have all the symptoms of hypoglycemia and an ulcer, so small meals all day long work much better for me.

admittedly..... i ate steamed white rice last night and a bowl of dorritos... but surprisingly....... i was down 2 lbs today............................................. ....... i lost 2 lbs after i ate junk... It did this for the last 2lbs too.. whats going on here....? lol perhaps the bad food got my calories up where they need to be to loose weight? o_O

Jinksie, it's possible you might be wrestling with a mild food allergy - look back over your food logs and see if you've incorporated anything new into your diet, up to a few days before you really stalled? Most common aggravators tend to be eggs, dairy, nuts, gluten, and soy. If you dropped suddenly, see if there's something that you didn't eat (as much as 3 days prior). Some food allergies are just low-level inflammations - read: retained water. Just a thought!

im not sure. I drink/eat milk every day. I dont eat nuts (cant stand them), or soy. And i eat eggs regularly.. only one im not sure about is gluten

Oh I think it's pretty safe to say that those Doritos and rice weren't the *key* to those 2 lbs off. I would *think* that it was most likely what you HAD been doing for days (perhaps even weeks) prior to the doritos/rice that *caused* that weight loss. Weight loss (or gain for that matter) is not automatic. I don't eat A on Monday and see the results on Tuesday.

I'm sure those 2 lbs off were the results of your hard work. Keep up that hard work and they'll be many more nice wooshes coming your way. And keep those Doritos incidents to a minimum as well. ;)