Still plateaued, and the nutritionist did nothing to help
 

Hi everyone,
I know you've seen this post from me before; I've written a couple about my plateau in the past few months. So far, I've tried just about all the good advice (and perhaps the not so good), and I'm still barely losing. NONE of my measurements have changed since December.

Here's the facts:

For Jan/Feb I've been on pattern for losing about 3 pounds a month
I've been on plan, eating wise, the whole time.
I've been exercising for the past couple of weeks 3-4x a week, 45min-1 hour
I'm 224 pounds, there's no good reason why I can't lose 1 or 2 pounds a week
I talked to my nutritionist, who gave me no advice. She spent the entire time pretending to be a counselor (talking about how I can't be content being my current weight isn't going to get me out of a plateau. I don't think there's something wrong with hating being fat, I think if I liked being fat, then we'd have a problem).

So here are some of the pieces of advice I've tried:
-Decreasing my calories (1200-1300) and becoming more active
-Increasing my calories (around 1800-2000) to boost my metabolism
-adding in exercise, cardio and strength. I burn about 500-600 cals each time
-changing what I eat, when I eat. I've tried several different changes
-trying to add in more healthy foods... check.
-getting a good amount of sleep (but not too much)
-waiting it out.


There are probably more than I'm not remembering. With the advice that I did follow, I tried it for at least a week to give my body time to lose. Not working.

PLEASE HELP! There's no reason I shouldn't be able to lose at least 1 pound a week. I'm 224 pounds and exercising! Geez. And I know I'll get a lot of responses saying to stick in there, kiddo. I appreciate the support, but this really doesn't help. Something has to be wrong, and I don't know what to do.

Have you had your thyroid checked lately? Just a suggestion, a few years back I was doing everything "right" and not losing anything and I finally went to the doctor and learned I had an underactive thyroid.

that might not be a bad idea. are there other symptoms?

I know I'll probably get heck for saying this this.... but when ever I've plateaued what I do I eat like crap for 2-3 days I mean BAD the way you used to eat pre healthy life, no excerise etc... your body will think it's going back to it's old self and will re adjust how you burn cals and fat(the wrong way)... you may gain a couple pounds back. but it will all recycle... your system will kinda re boot it self ...then, re start your diet again as if you had just in the beginning... this has always worked for me.. and I know a few others who have done this as well.. now this isn't a good idea if you don't think you'll be able to hop right back on the wagon again after a few days- if it will trigger future binges and make it harder on you then dont..

I always kinda thought of plateaus as my body's natural reward system for saying "hey you've done really good here go ahead and eat what you want for a bit" ..lol when ever I reached one I eat what ever I want for a few days... and then re start

What does your workout consist of? I would suggest outdoor running, pick a 5k or 10k to train for. Register for something like that, you'll push yourself a lot more. No treadmill or ellipical, go outside! Be as active as you can possibly be, start walking more too. I'm sorry if this is too vague, but ultimately I just think your body needs to be pushed, like realllly pushed.

Did you say you're losing 3 pounds a month? If so, I'm not sure that's really a plateau! If not... I'm not sure I have any advice, just my empathy.

3lbs a month isn't a plateau, that is just under 1lb a week which is normal for steady weight loss.

3lbs x 12 months is 36lbs... there is nothing unusual about that. I lost at that rate.

What is the intensity of your cardio? Do you run 45 minutes at 4.0mph or 7.0mph? Jogging? Swimming? Those numbers can really make a difference!

Yeah...this is not a plateau. This is a normal rate of loss.

:hug: Hang in there, and remember that the weight didn't come on overnight, and won't leave that way either...

1st, I'd suggest taking your measurements regularly if you're not already. I do once a week, which goes up and down but while I've only lost about 6 lbs in the last 5 months, I've lost 13+ inches. It can help when the scale slows down.

2nd, I agree with Maria. I wouldn't say eat like crap but my best losing days are always after I'm on point for like a week or more, eating right and exercising, then I'll take a day off, eat some pizza and ice cream and not work out... without fail, I lose the next day! It's happened multiple times.

I really disagree with any strategy that says go out and eat like crap for a couple of days. :eek: How is that a lifestyle change? It's just falling back into old habits, and eventually my guess is it would backfire. Two days turns into three, turns into a week, and turns into weight gain.

I have to say that 3 pounds a month, while slow, is still losing. I realize it's slower than what you want, but it's still losing. So technically, you are not at a plateau.

I'd also say that you need to stay with ONE plan for longer than a week before switching to something else. I know that's not what you want to hear--but that's what patience and perseverance means. A plan might be: 1700 calories average per day, exercise for 1 to 1-1/2 hours 4 or 5 times a week. This could mean treadmill plus a walk outdoors or the exercise bike--it doesn't have to be a solid hour on one machine. :faint: Weigh only once a week on the same day, at the same time. Stay with that for one month. Really.

And I also agree with having thyroid tests run to see where you are at with that.

Jay

Congratulations on your loss so far. Look at your ticker, you have lost 64 pounds in 6 months! That's an average of over 10 pounds a month! Things have slowed recently but as others have pointed out, you are still losing.

My situation is similar, I am currently only losing about 3 pounds a month. It can get discouraging when you feel you are working harder than ever but your body is slowing down. I would be very careful with adding junk food back into your diet. I would be afraid it could backfire and ruin all of the hard work you have done.

I know it's hard to see others posting their steady loss of 2 pounds a week. That is just not the case for everyone. Please just stick with what you are doing and accept that your body may not be designed to lose more than 3 pounds a month.

Darn, I was so excited about having permission to do this. ;)

Just kidding. No really, that could be a bit of a hairy experiment.

I'll just take a cop out here and agree with all that Jay had to say. I would definitely try changing up and increasing your exercise.

You're gonna get through this Kelli. You're going to continue losing weight and feeling better and better with each and every pound lost. You WILL get there. :hug:

I don't have any advice other than to just wait it out. I'm losing one week, then not losing another...on average I'm losing a pound a week so I know it's working, just not working as fast as I want it.

I think our bodies are just trying to be stubborn. I must admit it's discouraging, and I have slipped up a little. All we can do is keep pushing on.

Kelly--you have tried calorie cycling? I wasn't sure if that came under one of the categories you posted.

You can do this. Just stay your course. You will be successful if you keep to plan. I can only tell you what works for me. Whole foods, lots of water and fiber and moving--and lots of it. I wish I had something more. :(

It seems, from my perspective, that lately you've tried a bunch of different things all at once, without giving one method a fair period of time. I understand the frustrations of a plateau and the temptation to try everything to get out of it. I'm going through my first real one, and unfortunately it's 2 stinking pounds from goal. Cripes!

For instance on the periods of time, you just added in exercise in the beginning of the month, so about two weeks. And Alli was recent too? Are you still doing that? How many calories are you currently eating?

I think you really have to give each method a fair shot and record the results, if any. For me, in the past, the way to get the loss back on track was to really clean up my diet and watch it with a very careful eye. No fast foods, limited sugar and starches, continue onwards with exercise while trying new methods of exercise. It would typically take 3-4 weeks to get results again.

So, my advice is exactly what you didn't want - which is saying to stick with one method for a bit longer before dismissing it. You've done great so far and will see this through to your goal.

PS: I'll be sure to let you know first about what gets me out of my stinky plateau! Thyroid tests are a good idea too, mine gets checked regularly.