Okay so I knew this would come eventually but I thought it wouldn't last so long, and I'm not sure what else to try.
I lost about 40lbs since early March of this year - it was pretty steady at 1.5-2lbs a week, and I did it via calorie counting. But I haven't lost anything since late July / early August... in addition, each time I get my period I get severe bloating - which wasn't happening before. I am at 203lbs right now, and when I get my period the past 2 months, I go anywhere from 207-218. It starts a week before, last a week, and takes about a week to drop off - givin me only 1 week at my true weight. I wasn't having such severe bloating durning tom before the platue..
Ive been on a 1200-1300 calorie eating plan since March, and the past month or so I've tried upping my calories and dropping them and it just stays the same ! I've tried drinking lots more water, I've tried more exersize, less exersize, and I just don't budge.
Any advice ? I mean, I'm proud at what I've accomplished but I'm no where near where I want to be / expected to be at this point. I'm not giving up but it sure is hard to care when nothing seems to be working. i eat very healthy - veggies and fruits, chicken, fish, rarely any pastas or breads or sugar snacks, tea and water and I've cut diet sodas dramatically (no difference at all). it just seems tha my body wants to stay here and I DON'T want it to!
It is difficult to believe you're eating 1200-1300 calories a day and not losing weight but it is possible. Then again 8 weeks could be a huge amount of water just waiting to be released. A whoosh might happen soon.
Post up a couple sample days of eating including the macro breakdown and maybe we can figure it out.
Are we talkin' 1200-1300 every single day? No cheat days? Every single bite accounted for? No unmeasured oil in your pan or eyeballing the chicken breast that *could* be 4 ounces, but might be 7 ounces? Like 100% honest and for sure your calories are straight up as accurate as they can get?
If so, I have no idea! Any possible thyroid issues or any medication that changed?
For myself (and just myself) I've found that if I hit a period of time where I'm not losing (a couple weeks or more), that when it comes right down to it, I'm not being quite as consistent as I kind of pretend I'm being. I typically won't admit this until that period has passed and I'm willing to be honest with myself. I maybe take a few bites of my daughter's cookies, or have a couple drinks that I don't work into my calories. It adds up quick! This may not be at all what is going on with you, just putting it out there.
I pretty much DO micro manage. I have since I started. I measure everything ( not eyeball) and ive pretty much stopped cooking with oil since I found it an unnecessary waste of calories. I even bought a new scale the other day incase mine was wrong, but it wasnt (food scale). I did consider i could be doing this, and got even more strict with accounting for everything but I have been doing it so long now and nothing has changed.
on days when I eat 12xx I don't exersize. if I exersize I will usually do 14xx or so. exersize is usually 1+ hours of waking, 40ish minutes on the mini trampoline, and resistance bands. I haven't exersized for a few weeks now, strictly staying in the 12xx calorie range, to see of that bumped me out of the platue but it hasn't.
As far as meds, I am a type 1 diabetic and take insulin daily. I take no other meds and really don't think I have a thyroid issue... it's just a platue I can't break out of! I'm at a loss of what else to try, other than to just keep going.
Here was today;
1 serving of Kix ceral - 110 calories
1/2 cup skim milk - 40 calories
Congratulations on your weight loss. Sorry you have stalled out for so long .
Not sure what is going on. I do know that 1200 is awefully low for 208. At 208 I believe I was close to 1700-1800.....I have slowly decreased cals to 1400 and hit my first stall this month at 174....I am just going to keep trekking and see what happens.
I would recommend reinstating your excercise and increasing your caleries maybe cycle them a bit and make sure you drink enough water. If you continue to eat at 1200 you will not be able to decrease any lower when you do lose more weight.
Hoping it is water weight.....I would say give it another month. Keep your protein high and water intake high. If you continue to stall so severely, go see your doctor.
Last edited by dstalksalot; 10-05-2012 at 07:55 PM.
You may half to take out some of those salty process foods.. That has happen to me when I first started I lost a lot of weight and then I stalled.. I would say it's your current meal plan.. You may need to switch it up just a little bit; try adding nuts if you do not like nuts add nut butters and even small amounts of oils some fat is good.. Try drinking flavored teas that is working for me I did diet coke and coke did not work..I would really suggest you revised your meal plan.. I think your body has gotten use to this plan and needs a change...
You've come a long way! Congratulations! Very impressive!
I don't think calories are the problem, but in my opinion, I'm seeing way too many processed foods and carbohydrates in your diet and not enough fresh veggies, unprocessed meat or healthy fats. I know there are those who only believe in the numbers, but my experience is different. I had to change what I ate in order to continue to lose weight, even at lower calories.
Also, are you giving your body a solid break from food at night, and are you getting enough sleep. It's really important to get your 8 hours of sleep as well as 8-12 hours of not eating so that your body can use up what you've ingested as well as use up some stored fats. Don't snack into the night.
One more thing, when our bodies store fat, each fat cell is made of fat and water. We use up stored fat, but the fat cell hangs on to the water in anticipation of the fat getting restored. Sometimes it takes weeks to convince it otherwise! Eventually it'll give up.
You might weigh the same for some time but your clothes might be looser or your measurements are smaller. Look for progress in different ways.
Okay, so I just read that you're type 1 and that you're on insulin. I'm not going to counsel you on how to treat that, but I will tell you my experience with diabetes.
I'm a type 2 and not on anything, but I've been on insulin while pregnant. Even though I was on insulin while pregnant, I was still counseled to keep my carb levels really, really low so the baby and I wouldn't gain weight. I did exactly that and didn't gain an ounce with either of my pregnancies. But the moment I started eating carbs, my weight started to increase.
The insulin does the work on behalf of your pancreas, but the effect of eating carbs is still there. Insulin injections do not cancel out the effects of eating the carbs. Carbs retain water. They're not evil. They just inhibit depletion of water. And if your body doesn't use them up, they will be converted to fat and stored.
Thanks for the replies. Remember that this was just 2 days of logs - the day before for instance was loaded with veggies and fruit. past two days have just been a bit busy, so I just watched the calories more than anything else. Potatoes and such are only eaten maybe twice a month, generally with something like fish or grilled chicken. I typically eat fresh chicken, lean beef, and fish every night of the week, with a salad that has very little dressing, and a side such as veggie or beans (when beans, I don't have a full serving). I eat lots of avocados, which are high calorie but lots of good fats - usually ill have that with chicken, or on a homemade, lean beef burger. I'm sure I'm eating enough veggies and fruit, just wasn't depicted in the last 2 days. healthy fats, I could be low on. I just don't like using my calories on oil, I don't like nuts, and most like with healthy fat (like avacado) are high calorie.. so I only eat them when I need the calories.
I'm thinking salt might be my culprit - or just my body refusing.
I sort of do the fasting diet. I generally skip breakfast, my first meal being eaten 6 or so hours after waking up. Usually eat my last food 6-7 hours before sleeping, and I sleep 8-9 hours.
I've read all kinds of stuff about calories, and I honestly am open to eating more, I'm really just following what MFP told me to. It actually did suggest I drop lower (it has me at 1230, to be exact), and I didn't - so I've been at that range since March. it's worked well - I'm usually very satisfied and not hungry unless it's ToM.
On my diabetes - before starting my weight loss, I was taking at least 4-5 shots of quick acting R a day along with 2 large shots of time released N (morn ad night). I've been able to cut each N shot in half, sometimes not even needing my night shot - and I might take 1-2 shots of R a day now, before lunch and dinner. I think if I were eating too many sugary or carbs my insulin would reflect this, but I've just continued to need less and less since I started my journey. I've has type 1 since I was..8? im 23 now. so ... about 15 years. I know diabetes can severely effect weight loss, and it could just be my diabetes interfering now.
I also lost a fair amount of weight (for me) while calorie-counting, and the only way I was able to break out of a vicious plateau that I had hit was to drop my calories by about 200/day. I was already low, and I didn't do it for long (I'm not really able to maintain that new low for an extended period of time), but it did break me out of my plateau. I certainly wouldn't recommend upping your calories from what you've been losing on.
I just went through this EXACT same thing. I was stuck at 178-182 for months. What worked for me was dropping super low, like 1,000 or so for a week and I all of a sudden started losing again.
I can't say exactly why it worked but I tend to maintain at around 1500 calories. I think that while I thought I was eating 1200, I could have easily been eating 1500 if I was measuring wrong or forgot things. So while I thought I should be losing, I was actually eating at maintenance level.
I would even try doing a 24 hour fast or a 48 hour fast (water or green juice fast) and seeing if that helps get things moving.
Stuck in a 2 1/2 - 3 month platue
