Half the time I end up doing this anyway because I'll just have a bad day where I can't stop feeling hungry, but its a good idea to start doing it on purpose if I don't slip up one day :)

How do you log your calories?
~ myfitnesspal.com is a great.

Are you heavy on carbs, the evil calories?

Do you drink atleast 60oz water?

How is your salt intake?

One splurge week can set you back for month or two what comes to weightloss.

I actually use livestrong and the phone app you can get for it to track calories. My salt probably is sorta bad because I tend to eat a lot of frozen dinner...I've been trying to cook a lot more fresh food and eat more fruit to get away from that. I do actually drink at least 60 oz of water a day. I can't have soda/coffee/tea due to health reasons so I really only drink water and lemonade (i have to have the acidity in lemonade.) When i "splurge" I only go over by 100-300 calories so its not like i eat twice what i usually do. I don't think my carbs are that bad. I hardly ever eat bread. I do have pasta a few times a week.

I think out of everything you mentioned my biggest issue probably is salt. That'll get easier to deal with when I graduate college. Right now I'm trying to buy groceries at make them last two weeks, so its hard to get fresh foods...they just don't last that long.

I don't believe you will lose more weight by increasing your calories, and as far as I know there is no scientific evidence to support the notion. I've copied this excellent explanation from another board. F.

<<There is no study to confirm that "someone not losing at 1200 will lose at 1500" because its not true. Adaptive Thermogenesis kicks in when people go on a calorie deficit. You reduce your calories and your body lowers its metabolic rate which can partially offset the deficit. IT CANNOT COMPLETELY OFFSET IT. [caps mine]

When people stop losing weight, someone is always there to claim starvation mode, and they are not losing for some other reason. Weight loss is not a linear function. People stop losing weight for a period of time for a variety of different reasons. There are too many to try and pinpoint the direct cause sometimes.>>

Freelance

@Freelance, that's really interesting! What would be your advise in this case?

so i could just keep doing what im doing and pray for it to work again?

You may want to consider counting your calories to see where they're going and if you're eating more than you think you are. And remember - everything you put in your mouth has to be counted. :drill:

Did you say you do any exercise? If so, keep it at a steady, regular pace without changing it so you can set a baseline to see if you need to increase/decrease it to lose more.

i count my calories very strictly and when I'm unsure of calories I always aim for counting too many than too few. currently my only exercise is walking to class. its about a mile every day.

Does LiveStrong give you the ratios of fat, protein, and carbs you eat on a regular basis? I've found this is a good area to mix things up when your weight loss slows down. You may look into trimming your carbs back a little (or a lot, depending on your current ratios) and increasing protein. This has always been a huge help for me.

I would advise them to keep doing what they're doing, and I'd feel confident that they'd eventually break through the plateau. I would also suggest they be extra vigilant about tracking their calories and making sure they have the right figures for the foods they eat.

F.

Simple and to the point! I do think we over-complicate it a lot of the time!

It does give ratios so I'll start paying closer attention to it and see how I can change it up :) Thanks