Stuck on a Plateau

[Rea80]

To start, a little background. I use to weigh 265 lbs., I was slowly losing weight. I bought a fitbit charge to help push myself more. This was in January at that time I weighed 245 lbs. I am now down to 203lbs but have hit a plateau and need to figure something out to continue to my final goal weight. 

I watch my calorie intake and do mostly cardio, some swimming, walking, some weight training. What else can I do? I have two kids and work 40+ hours a week.

[LedMatrix]

I found this excellent article on WebMD: WebMD

And I have this 3 part series by SparkPeople bookmarked:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

And here's a success story for encouragement: Here

Hope these help.

[DominicJ]

Double check everything

It usual means you are cheating on your food weighing, not counting snacks ect.

Have you updated your weight on FitBit?

If it still thinks you are 265lbs it'll giving you way too many calories

[Heybales]

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@Rea80 wrote:

To start, a little background. I use to weigh 265 lbs., I was slowly losing weight. I bought a fitbit charge to help push myself more. This was in January at that time I weighed 245 lbs. I am now down to 203lbs but have hit a plateau and need to figure something out to continue to my final goal weight. 

I watch my calorie intake and do mostly cardio, some swimming, walking, some weight training. What else can I do? I have two kids and work 40+ hours a week.

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Weight training is under-estimated calorie burn by step-based Charge.

It's inflated by HR-based Charge HR.

Need to manually log it either way, but do use the button on device to track the activity time for easier manual logging.

So you could be looking like you burn more calories than you do, or you are actually creating a much bigger deficit than you should.

Either way not good.

Do you manually log that swimming?

Other point above is good about general accuracy - do you see groups of false steps during the day?

Is the distance Fitbit reports close enough during exercise, meaning it's calorie burn during normal daily activity should be good too?

And the food logging by weight of course, since calories is per gram, not spoon or cupful.

Because "watch calorie intake" doesn't mean accuracy.

It's not a matter of doing more, it's a matter of keeping that reasonable deficit from whatever you do happen to burn. And hopefully body is burning as fully as it can.

But - confirm you have been taking the recommended deficit this whole time. 2 lb weekly was realistic as first, but probably getting to point (60 lbs left to lose) that 750 cal deficit or 1.5 lb weekly would be better.

If you thought bigger was better and created huge deficits of 50%, you may have shot your body in the metabolism and made matters worse now until trying to reach goal weight.

2 lbs per week average isn't bad, unless you started at like 4 lbs weekly and it's been slowly tapering off to nothing now. And the math should indicate still losing at say 3 lbs weekly. I hope you aren't taking a daily 1500 cal deficit.

While slower weight loss is better, that's when it's purposeful wise decisions, not forced on you by a body that is adapting to unwise decisions.

[Rea80]

Thank you for your response; for a little more information.

I log everything that I possibly can except weights. There are times that there are extra steps are logged. I will usually have around 3000 to 4000 calories in a day according to my fitbit charge.

I also base my calories off of a 2000 calorie day and created a deficit of 800 calories. The main things that I have done is cut out sweets of all types and sodas. I stick to mainly fruits and vegetables and keep at least one serving of some type of meat in with each meal (no big into snacking).

[Mermaid3011]

Hey Rea! 

First of all - congratulations for your achievement so far!! Well done! 

I am actually in a similar position as you are. Started in Jan and have lost 35 lbs so far, my goal calorie intake is 1700-1900 cal a day. But I am stalling right now.... not much happening. So I double checked my calories that I "should" have on a different site and make sure I really write down EVERYTHING I eat.

The above poster makes an excellent point. If the fitbit system still thinks you are 245lbs it will "allow" you more calories and it will also assign each activity more calories burned, since it takes more energy to get a heavier object (in this case our body) moving. 

I am currently at your start weight and I think 2000 cal may be too high for you, since you are so much lighter now. I would see if 1800 cal work for you.

Try this link here - it's a fabulous book by the way - http://www.thedietfix.com/calculator.aspx

A really important message that I have learned is: you can't outrun your fork! 

Weightloss happens in the kitchen, how you measure, how you cook, how you eat. Exercise can only do so much in addition and often enough we (as humans) tend to eat more after a workout than we should. 

Another lesson is: if you do the best you can, then that's enough! Don't chastice yourself if 1700 cal make you feel hungry at the end of the day. You want to keep a lifestyle up that lets you HAPPILY live and lose weight.

[Rea80]

Mermaid3011 congrats on your weight lose too.

I don't really get hungry and my calorie in-take is only around 1200. I track all the food I eat down to a lick of the spoon and I weigh myself everyday and log it into the fitbit app on my phone.

I don't know if it would be healthy for my to have a smaller calorie intake than what I already have. As much as I do want to lose weight I don't want to do anything that would be unhealthy. Many of the articles or websites that I have looked at says that that should be the women with my "normal" activity level should be eating.

[Mermaid3011 · Accepted solution]

Gosh no! 1200 cal is actually really really low!! I thought you were eating 2000 based on a 2800 cal burn per day.

Now I think you are undereating actually. Your body is hanging on to the resources!

You said you are 160 cm tall? And say 210 lbs? Age I assume 35?

And based on your activity you are at least moderatly active: 

This is what www.thedietfix.com calculator says:

You require 2,502 calories/day to maintain your current weight.

To lose 1lb/wk you need to reduce your calorie count to 2,002

To lose 2lbs/wk you need to reduce your calorie count to 1,502

(Generally diets containing fewer than 1,200 calories for women aren’t sufficiently enjoyable to be part of a sustainable lifestyle)

Now for every 45 min of vigorous exercise (like treadmill or a zumba class) you should be eating an additional 150 cal right before or after. 

I "only" walk and therefore I only get extra calories if I am walking more than 90 min at a time LOL. But that's ok.

[DominicJ]

1200 calories is a rediculously low amount unless you bedridden.

Its a rare day I eat under 2000, because I burn over 3000

2lbs a week is a reasonable weight loss target for a reasonable person.

If you are only burning 2200 per day, I'd say up your activity or decrease your target.loss

[LedMatrix]

Exactly. That's what the articles point out that I posted. Sometime people feel that starving themselves of calories will help them lose weight. It may at first but in the end will definitely be counter-productive.

[Heybales]

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@Rea80 wrote:

Thank you for your response; for a little more information.

I log everything that I possibly can except weights. There are times that there are extra steps are logged. I will usually have around 3000 to 4000 calories in a day according to my fitbit charge.

I also base my calories off of a 2000 calorie day and created a deficit of 800 calories. The main things that I have done is cut out sweets of all types and sodas. I stick to mainly fruits and vegetables and keep at least one serving of some type of meat in with each meal (no big into snacking).

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Why are you basing your calories on a 2000 cal average for average sedenatry woman - when you obviously are not with burns up around 3000-4000.

No wonder your body has crashed in to the ground, eating 1/3 of what it would like to burn. That's around a 77% per deficit, that's crazy.

Of course, by your lower eating level, you have actually changed what your body is willing to burn.

Of course it's not burning 3000-4000 anymore. If it was - you'd be losing weight.

If this plateau is about 6 weeks or longer - whatever your true eating level is is the amount you are burning on average. If indeed 1200, then you are burning 1200.

Hope that scares you to wake up to the situation you've placed your body in.

Because as someone else mentioned, as you weigh less, you burn less anyway - eating level was going to have to lower anyway to keep losing weight.

But if already eating 1200 and doing that much activity - how low exactly do you think you'd be going to actually reach goal weight?

How low must you then eat if you got sick or injured and activity wasn't that high, or vacation and wanted to eat more?

All excess is fat gain at that point.

How low will maintenance be then - will you be able to sustain it - or repeat this next year, but harder.

You are in a huge fight with your body right now, and you will lose - and not fat.

Your body can adapt better than you can with your habits or activities - it will find a way to slow you down.

Has your hair started falling out yet, finger nails growing slower, skin rough, cold during the winter more than normal?

Those are the normal signs of a body adapting to conserve calories for the basic functions of life which are required.

I'd suggest to continue with fat loss, you'll need to get a healthy full burning body back.

And then finish it off with a reasonable deficit.

And from what you've lost since Jan, and what your deficit has supposedly been, you've already done the damage.

[Heybales]

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@Rea80 wrote:

Mermaid3011 congrats on your weight lose too.

I don't really get hungry and my calorie in-take is only around 1200. I track all the food I eat down to a lick of the spoon and I weigh myself everyday and log it into the fitbit app on my phone.

I don't know if it would be healthy for my to have a smaller calorie intake than what I already have. As much as I do want to lose weight I don't want to do anything that would be unhealthy. Many of the articles or websites that I have looked at says that that should be the women with my "normal" activity level should be eating.

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1200 is recommended lowest low a sedentary woman should go for purposes of just safety - getting minimal nutrients in from average eating diet that low.

But just like minimal building codes were for purely safety, not for performance, aesthetes, or longevity - eating to minimal will give minimal results - as you are now experienced.

But do you want to perform better, look better, last longer?

Then don't do minimal.

The purpose of the Fitbit and any good diet is to allow you to lose max FAT while eating as much as you can.

You have no idea how good your workouts good be, eating that little.

Your deficit now of a potential 77% isn't healthy right now, don't imagine it's not because all other diets seem to start at 1200. For sedentary average woman.

Don't be average, be better than average - you already aren't sedentary.

[Crann33]

Congrats everyone on your hard work.  Thanks for sharing this article.  I too am stuck at a plateau and had a very good look today at the little things I didn't notice.  My water has reduced, my sleep has lessened and I have made some not so great quick food choices.  Keep at it.  Good luck everyone and thanks for all the good advice on this thread.  

[Gingerroc]

Good work!!!

Recalculate your calorie needs for your new weight

Track very strict
Lift weights
Last but not least go for 500 cal deficit- no more no less

[LocoMutant]

On my weightloss journey starting at 300lbs I hit a plateau at 245 and I was still doing the same things that made me lose weight.  I realized it's also the type of calories, and I stopped eating gluten and low sugar and the weight started to come off again immediately.  I would suggest using myfitnesspal and honestly entering everything that you eat. best of luck.

[Trooper]

Hey LocoMutant-

Don't get discourgaged. I started out at 270 and and now my weight is 206. I have hit several plateau's. One lasted more than 2 weeks. I count every thing that I eat, I measured and weigh all of my foods and I still stayed stuck. Finally my weight  started to move downwards. Just make sure you count everything you eat and get excercise.