I am 26, 5'3", and weigh 148-150. My weight has stopped moving.
I walk .41 miles to work, .41 back. I work 5 hours, 4 days a week and I'm physical for much of the day. I spin for 60 minutes twice a week and try to jog or rollerblade several days a week. I drink almost solely water and log everything I eat down to the tablespoon of half and half I put in my morning coffee.
I don't know how much to eat. My BodyBugg armband says that I burn 2300-2400 calories on work/spin days. Another website said about 2700. I've tried eating 1200 to 1800 and I'm not budging. I am losing motivation even though I'm not weighing as often anymore. I would speak to my doctor but she doesn't seem to take me seriously.
Sounds like a plateau to me... They are very common and don't mean you are doing anything wrong! As long as you are maintaining a deficit and are active, you will eventually get through it. It will require patience though. I say even if you keep doing g what you are doing, you'll eventually get through it.
Some things you can do that might help break it is to increase your calorie count slightly for a few days to see if it starts up your metabolism or the change gets things moving. If you are active I don't recommend bringing your calorie count below 1200, sometimes the best way to lose weight is to eat enough, not too little. Others might have other ideas as well, but for me personally, I always have a day or two every month where I eat at maintenance instead of a deficit and I always see a small drop in the scale the next day. The maintence days aren't usually planned, but then when they happen I never have to worry about them as long as I stay on plan from then on! Upping your calorie count a few days won't destroy your progress so far either, you can still eat in a deficit and eat good whole foods, just eat more than normal.
Last edited by SenseAndSensibility; 05-11-2015 at 10:34 PM.
I am 26, 5'3", and weigh 148-150. My weight has stopped moving.
I walk .41 miles to work, .41 back. I work 5 hours, 4 days a week and I'm physical for much of the day. I spin for 60 minutes twice a week and try to jog or rollerblade several days a week. I drink almost solely water and log everything I eat down to the tablespoon of half and half I put in my morning coffee.
I don't know how much to eat. My BodyBugg armband says that I burn 2300-2400 calories on work/spin days. Another website said about 2700. I've tried eating 1200 to 1800 and I'm not budging. I am losing motivation even though I'm not weighing as often anymore. I would speak to my doctor but she doesn't seem to take me seriously.
Any advice would be appreciated.
I've never used body bug, but I have a fit bit. I have a very active job, I work 9 hours a day for a veterinarian, 6 days a week! I also log 4-6 miles a day, some from work, some from workouts. I am a maintainer, and I have kids older than you. I am also a Weight Watcher!
Ok, that being said, there is something in what you are doing that you are not seeing. Starting out, it is real easy to miss, certain key things. Take an honest look at what you are doing and your tracking, and see if you can pinpoint something. If you are tracking that diligently, the data you are collecting, will give you the information you need to move forward!
Sometimes the body gets comfortable with where we are at too and will stop losing weight or we are gaining muscle weight. Try switching things up as far as your exercise activities. Maybe lift more weights vs doing cardio. Just doing something different to give your body something different because if you do the same thing all the time every day you tend to plateau and it sounds like that's what you're on.
Last edited by JenDestiny; 05-12-2015 at 03:12 AM.
If you are really burning that much then you are losing fat if you're eating at a deficit. You, like every other human being, are not immune to the laws of physics. Just keep going and you'll see results. Sometimes your body can hold onto water and then all of a sudden you'll be down several pounds.
I was on a plateau the last 3 weeks then dropped 2 lbs overnight. However, I've dropped inches. I understand your frustration. Just keep moving and it will drop. There's more factors than just the scale. There's inches, there's water weight, etc.
First, congrats on all the weight you've lost! That is a tremendous accomplishment!
If your scale isn't budging it could be a plateau. If your doctor isn't taking you seriously, I would say pound on her door and demand a blood test to check your thyroid function. Also have her check your vitamin D levels. I've read that low vitamin D can hinder weight loss. Supplement with Vitamin D3.
Also, are you sleeping enough? Are you stressing? Lack of sleep and stress increase cortisol levels and that can interfere with weight loss. Perhaps try some guided mediation (youtube is a great place for that).
Some people do well if they cut sugar and refined carbs (like bread, pasta, crackers) and processed foods out of their diet. Try "eating clean" and make sure you're getting enough healthy fats to see if that makes things move better. Take some probiotics so your gut is healthier...I've read research that states that our gut needs to be in good shape too. Sorry, I don't recall the source.
Hang in there and eventually the scale will move in the right direction.
Last edited by luckymommy; 05-12-2015 at 12:29 PM.
My gut is telling me you are overestimating your calorie expenditure. Working 4 days a week for 5 hours means you could be getting a lot of down time in between, especially if you are being inactive then.
I would try to fit cardio in on your work days as well or eat less.
Not losing weight - how much should I eat?
