[kirsteng]

I know there are some fantastic minds here with so much experience and knowledge - so I thought I'd throw out my plan for any comment/advice/tweaks.

I've been plateaued now for about 3 months. (I don't count the month of December as I did have some off-plan days, but really more of a maintenance level (I didn't gain any weight), and not many of them).

I started in late september on about 1500 cals/day. I lost weight pretty fast, losing about 20 pounds in 6 weeks. Since then, pretty much nothing. I bounce around the same 5 pounds or so, depending on my cycle.

I'm now (for the past 10 days or so) at 1850 cals/day, trying to go a little higher based on the experiences of some who broke a plateau by eating more. Still nothing - granted, it hasn't been that long.

I measure my food (don't weigh), and while I don't count on livestrong every single day, I'd say I do every third or so. I have a very good knowledge of calorie counts. My diet is pretty healthy - mostly homemade food, lots of fruits and veg, and the occasional sweet treat (accounted for). I am usually within 50 cals of my daily goal either way.

I'm up to 6 days a week exercise now, 30 minutes of pretty hard cardio (jogging and cycling) with 20 minutes of warm up/cool down and stretching on both sides. 2 days a week I switch the above out for strength exercises. I definitely feel stronger, fitter and healthier than I did 5 months ago - that part is great!

My not so greats:

* I struggle with getting 8 glasses of water - usually at 5 or 6. I live in a very dry (desert like) climate.

* I drink a daily glass of white wine before dinner. It's a bad habit, but at my house it's the witching hour and I feel like I need it for stress reduction as I try to make dinner with fighting, running and plasma cars running over my toes.

Other:

*This is the first time in my life I've done calorie counting, so my 1500 was just a guess when I started. My 2 other weight losses have been from Atkins and WW, so no idea of how many calories I was consuming. I never hit a plateau either time.

* I am 43 but so far seem to have no other signs of hormonal imbalance.

* I take thyroid medication but am in the correct range.

* I am still nursing an almost 3 year old ( ) which for me seems to coincide with weight-retaining instead of weight-loss.


My question:

* Should I go higher with the cals? Lower? Anyone see anything glaringly obvious that I should change?

All comments are welcome - thanks for taking the time to read!

[freelancemomma]

In your shoes I would go with the lower calories (1,500). I don't believe you can lose more weight with 1,850 than with 1,500. It just doesn't make sense. Even if your metabolism slows down a little when you eat less, it's not enough to make you "hold onto" all the calories you're eating. That's not how the body works.

Just continue with 1,500 calories and regular, moderate-to-intense exercise, and I'm confident you'll break through the plateau. Just be sure it's an honest 1,500, including every bite, nibble and lick.

As for the wine, as long as it's part of those 1,500 calories I don't see the problem. I lost 50 pounds last year drinking a glass of wine every day (and consuming 1,500 calories a day, as it happens), and I continue to do so in maintenance mode. I'm 55 years old.

Freelance

[JohnP]

It is hard to imagine that at 250lbs, exercise on a regular basis, and 1500 calories a day you've been stuck at the same weight for 3 months. Have your measurements or physical appearance changed during this time?

If not, I would take a careful look at the calories you think you're consuming and if indeed you're consuming around 1500 I would take your food logs and go see a doctor because something is off.

I personal feeling is that you're off on your calories. Nothing person, just the most likely answer is usually the correct one.

[LockItUp]

I agree with JohnP for the most part.

I say count on livestrong every single day for like 3 or 4 weeks just to make sure your count is accurate.

As long as the wine is in your calorie range, go for it.

How often do you nurse? I tend to think that would help in your loss due to it burning calories! I have several friends who did extended breastfeeding who struggled to keep at a healthy weight (meaning they were getting under weight) because they were burning so many calories nursing.

You just gotta suck it up and drink more water!!!

And truly if you are doing every single thing, I do think you should go to the dr if after a month or so you aren't losing anything since you do have a thyroid issue.

[Arctic Mama]

Even if your thyroid levels are in the right range, are they in the correct ratio to one another? That's a big deal and can make your body quite resistant to weight loss. Your adrenals may also be compensating for wacky thyroid hormone levels and adrenal fatigue isn't going to help your weight go down, either.

If you can, do try to weigh your food and be sure you're getting adequate fat and protein, especially while nursing. If you are truly in the 1850 range, nursing, and exercising, such a plateau would be a red flag to me of a major metabolic hiccup somewhere that needs investigating.

Log every single bite, lick, and taste with as much accuracy as possible for several weeks. Don't count your exercise calories as burned (very difficult to properly estimate) but do make a note of your log that you exercised, and keep a close eye on both the scale and tape measure. If you are still not losing a half pound or so per week take all this data into your doctor and lay it out. Ask for a referral to an endocrinologist and dietitician, if you don't have them already. And keep hunting until you have answers, because that is NOT normal, not after three months.

Also consider possible allergy panels, as inflammation from food like sugar, grains, legumes, nightshades, and some proteins (eggs are big for this) can also make your body very resistant to shedding weight and just generally not function well. Going on a diet like GAPs would be the next step I'd suggest, if your panels are truly healthy in range and relationship to each other and your calories are where you indicate. A healthy woman should be maintaining in the 2000-2500 range, at that weight, and losing well at 1800 with exercise. So nutrient composition, inflammation, or a real bungle in the regulatory systems of your body (lymphatic, endocrine, digestive) would be culprits I'd look at next.

I wish I could help you more, let us know if you find any answers!

[Arctic Mama]

Your post actually made me think of the schwarzbein diet, which may be exactly what could help you. This is good info regardless:

http://www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com/...read_more.html


Stop the (thyroid) madness! is another excellent site that has tons of information I suggest you comb through. If an endocrinologist can't help, a little self research may be necessary. I don't even have thyroid issues and learned a lot about preventing and curing my very mild metabolic damage:

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-info/

[kirsteng]

Originally Posted by JohnP

It is hard to imagine that at 250lbs, exercise on a regular basis, and 1500 calories a day you've been stuck at the same weight for 3 months. Have your measurements or physical appearance changed during this time?
.

Not too much on the measurements - a little though. Not sure about the appearance - haven't been tracking that!

I agree it's strange, but another thing that makes me think that I'm not terribly off on my cal counting is that I'm hungry before every meal and snack, and virtually every night before bed. So I really can't be taking in the wealth of excess calories that I would have to be in order to not be losing weight at my size and activity level, or??

I am going to track and measure every single day for a month though, just to be absolutely certain.

As far as the nursing goes, it seems to work the opposite in some people - me one of them. Most people do drop weight like crazy while breastfeeding, but some seem to switch into calorie-conserving mode, for whatever reason. I'm only doing it twice a day now though, so it really shouldn't be making much of a difference, if any.

Arcticmama, thanks for the great info. I have never considered my adrenals, nor do I know anything about their relationship to thyroid. I need to read some more, as I could be having some of those imbalances... (my t3 is always outside the healthy range in order to have tsh near zero where my doctor wants it). Some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue definitely fit me as well. And it's interesting that my plateau started during a really stressful month in my life (death of a stepparent, home breakin, loss of a pet). I've never considered the effect of stress on the body (which from what I've now read is tied to adrenal fatigue). Hmmmmm....

Thanks everyone for the responses, I really appreciate the input!
(And I'm SO glad that everyone thinks my wine is still OK! )

[JohnP]

If you can - weigh your food. Much more accurate than measuring.

Goodluck and start taking pictures. Much more accurate than the scale as a way to measure progress.