Hi jen,

Calories are just wayyy too low, again to do with the whole BMR concept. A good range for female fat loss is 1600-1900 calories, depending on your size to begin with.

Up those calories and keep track for several months, I think you will begin to break through that plateau. As for 2lbs, it really is the sodium, don't worry too much about that. It's part of being a female!

Above all, weight loss isn't linear. It can take years to lose and keep weight off. It took me over a year to lose 40lbs but it has stayed off for 5 years now. It really is something that is a long-term project!

There's one thing that stood out to me, and it's that your description of calories is kind of vague. (I could be wrong about this, so please forgive me if I've misunderstood.) I'm just trying to get a handle on what could be going on.

I keep a food log and write down the calories for everything I eat. If I don't know the calories, I don't eat it. I'm serious. This means I'm eating a lot of pretty basic, plain food - but that's the healthiest kind.

(OK once in awhile, I eat something and have to guess the calories, but that's really rare.)

Also, I'm a big believer in exercise, but it can really confound things. So, I just count calories, and consider my exercise a bonus toward weight loss.

You look great! I hope you feel good about the progress you're making, even if it's slower than you hoped for.

You ate processed egg rolls and then some food at a Christmas party (even small, good choices of holiday foods are going to be salty, unless you didn't touch anything but the veggie tray) - salt retention caused your 2 lb scale bobble. You would have had to have eaten and processed 7000 calories to actually gain 2 lbs in a day. Not very likely.

Avoid sodium, limit processed foods and keep going.

Eat a little more, 1200 calories isn't very much and leaves you very very little wiggle room if you really do plateau close to your weight loss goal and need to cut a few calories.

At 200 lbs, I lost weight at 1400-1600 calories a day.

yeah the salt, had to be a big factor. IN defense of the egg rolls, it was quick and healthier than alot of other things I could have grabbed. in nursing they tell us that watching the scale daily is the greatest way to tell if a patient is having worsening fluid overload. 2 lbs gain daily...is a sure sign. And the scale is the quickest way to see water loss/gain. I just did not look ANY more bloated....


Alright, I am raising my calories a little...back to around 1600 daily. I will see if I will still drop weight. I can't say I will avoid all salty food. But I will drink more water. I know more water in= body lets go of retained water.

I Keep a very detailed journal. I still eat food even if I don't know the calories..i just look at the ingredients and add them up.

That's progress! You look thinner and you have less fat and more muscle.

Thanks Redlight,



Sacha, I finally think I may need to up my calories..what will happen?

The beginning of my weight loss, I used a really radical plan Fast 5. I lost 20 lbs. I had some really high days, and some really low days with the plan.

Then, I decided to try to do 1600 daily, and then thought I would drop it to 1200. I dropped it, and I lost a little weight. Then decided to stick to that amount for the most part... Then just completely STALLED OUT.

I found an old log when I was in the 160s. I ate 1500-1880 cs a day and was losing very steadily.

I am just so scared, that when I up the calories...my SLOOOOOOW metabolism will cause me to GAIN rapidly. I already work out and do resistance training....what else can I Do.

Hmm good q, I'm not 100% sure what will happen, but I think if you up your calories on a consistent basis (ie. no more than one treat meal per week) for a year or so, you could really see some great results.

You work out and you track your calories, that's great, it's only one part of the equation.

There is a huge misconception about weight loss in regards to time frames it takes to lose fat and how much muscle gains are.

Muscle gains, eating above maintenance calories (ie 2500 cals) and lifting *heavy* weights for a year, might produce 3lbs of lean mass, 5lbs is you are 100% on track. <--- that's in ONE year for women who do bodybuilding. Muscle weight is such a huge misconception for women it's unreal.

Fat loss, and ONLY fat loss (not muscle loss -which 1200 calorie diets certainly eat away muscle), can really take a year or so to lose 20-40lbs if you are 100% on track.

I think you have to really be 100% with a plan for a good amount of time (a year or so) and eat a proper amount of calories (honestly, I'd put you at 1800 at least). Accept that weight loss takes a long time, it is not linear, and don't worry about individual numbers.

Check out the maintainers or weight training/resistance forum. Many of those ladies have maintained for 1,5,10 years! They all have one thing in common: they DON'T starve themselves by eating only 1200 calories and they stay on track. It really is the only path to success.

Good luck!

Hugs

Sacha, I think I must have been doing something right..because even though from September to October, I gained 10 lbs...and then relost that 10 and 5 more...my muscle definition and waist line improved tremendously...I have lost 4" off my measurement at the navel.

have you seen the pic "too sexy for my clothes" in mini goals....I really only posted it to make myself feel better, I didn't realize there was such a huge difference. I thought at one time..I was just reshaping before a loss, but then figured I was lying to myself, when the no loss continued. because so many women are losing at a higher rate than I am.

You ARE doing great jen. You just need to give it more time on a consistent basis (with added calories). Don't worry about other's rate of weight loss. Heck, it took me a full year to lose 40lbs, some have done 2-3x that. We all lose at different rates, and if you are happy with the pictures, then you are doing great. It takes a long time to lose body fat. It isn't about losing "weight" - it is really about losing body fat while maintaining muscle. That takes years, realistically. Just keep on going.

Thank you Sacha, I am very conscious about losing muscle. It was you I believe who inspired me to get a pull up bar...I think that was you?

Anyways, I agree with my needing to eat around 1800 cs. I actually did that on the log and was losing weight.

Thanks for your input. Since you are a body builder, dieter type. I really value it. I don't want to lose my muscle. I want to be trim and fit, not skinny and fat.