Okay...so here's my situation: I was losing fine (averaged 2 pounds every week) from when I started (mid-May) until the end of August....since then I've lost NOTHING...in 6 weeks!!!! For Septmeber I was just counting calories, 2000 a day, and lost nothing...and now (for the last 2 weeks) I'm exercising (anywhere from 45-75 minutes of walking a day...I average 45 most days I think) and my calorie intake averages out to about 2000-2100 a day or so...but I'm still not losing anything! I'm NOT eating junk food...I eat good foods, I stay hydrated, etc. I have no clue what's going on...I feel like I've wasted so much time! Insight anyone?
First...congrats on your weight loss so far. What a great accomplishment!
Second...Because of your weight loss, it may be time to cut your calories a bit. I would start with a small decrease, such as 100-200 a day. Give it a couple weeks and see what happens. Good luck and I hope the stall ends soon.
I agree with Christina7806! You are doing a great job! Your body may have adjusted to this calorie level - at least for now. When we lose weight, we also require fewer calories a day than when we were at a higher weight. Try decreasing your intake slightly, and see what happens over a the next few weeks! Weight loss is a slow process, if it's going to be a healthy one. Be patient with your body and hopefully you can continue your trend! Don't give up! Also, maybe if you increased the intensity of your walks instead of decreasing the food, that may help. Maybe spice up your workouts with bike riding instead, or dancing...or by adding in some weight-lifting!
I think Christina is right. Cutting your cals a little each day is a good start, go down t 1700-1800 for the next week. See what happens. And if you have been walking since May you may want to up your exercise. Walking does nothing for my weight loss. I really have to move-it to get results. Maybe add a pilates video or do something for your muscles. i go to a gym and do 30 minutes of weight training then 30 of cardio. I just started the weight training this week, the cardio just wasnt enough anymore. So i am bumping mine up a bit too.
Don't forget to measure yourself! When ever I really pick it up with the walking it seems at first i am not losing but then I look at pics and compare and realize I lost fat and gained muscle! Womens Nutrition Health Guide
If your weight info is correct, I would think you should be losing weight when eating 2000 calories a day. You might want to take another look at your food portions. Are you absolutely positive you are only eating 2000 calories? Things happen and before you know it, you are adding a little extra butter to your potato, more dressing on your salad, etc., all without being aware of it. And gum, mints and those kind of things that we suck on without much thought also have calories.
I agree it might be time to drop your calories by 100-200 a day from what you are doing-which means you should be eating around **1800-1900** a day right now. After a good measure of weight loss, it is usually time to drop the calories just a bit. DON'T drop more than 100-200 calories at a time, though-because you will need the room later to drop again for later plateaus. So-I would not recommend 1700 or under at this time-you will need those lower levels for later.
This should get things moving again...also, change up one or two of your walks each week for something "different" such as a 45 minute strength training or yoga video...or a Leslie Sansone 3 mile walk dvd (her 3 mile ones are about 45 minutes long...). Her videos are "walking" but they also incorporate upper body movements, and movements that your lower body is not as used to-such as kneeups, kicks, etc. it will "surprise" your body and challenge it a bit more.
Just add something different...drop the calories by 100-200 a day-and things should get moving again soon.
I agree with webweevil-at your stats you should still be losing at 2000 a day. Have you tried calorie cycling? I see that you've been at this since May, and eventually our bodies get used to whatever we are doing. Calorie cycling may be a big help in that department, because it kind of keeps the body guessing.
You may also try some strength training. The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn daily even when resting because it takes more energy to sustain the muscle. My weight loss DRAGGED along until I started using weights. Pilates is also a very good way to strength train if time/money/getting away to a gym is an issue-you can pick up a video for about 10 bucks and do it at home.
I would be leery of dropping the calorie level just yet. If it were me, that would be my absolute last resort, because once you do it to start losing again, you will only have to go down again and again later as your weight decreases. Keep it as high as you can while still losing, or you will have alot of trouble maintaining your goal weight with a slowed metabolism. There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to make it work at this level.
Check the inches, too. How are your clothes fitting? Not too long ago I dropped a pants size even though the scale hadn't moved in a few weeks. Non scale victories count just as much, heck maybe even more! As good as it feels to see the numbers go down, if you are looking better and feeling better then what does it matter anyway?
Just wanting to come back and say I've finally broken my 6 weeks plateau!! I lost 3.5 pounds this week by UPPING my calories from 2000 to 2200 on advice...and it worked! Thanks for the feedback everyone!
Long Stall...help?
I will try to chance a couple things here and there and see if there's any difference. 