Not losing- weight loss stall! >:(
HI!
So, I haven't lost any weight OR inches for about three weeks. I think i've GAINED, actually...
I usaually eat 1200 cals, (900- 1400) and recently I started exercising intensly for 40 min.(30 day shred + biggest loser cardio max)
I get enough protein, don't eat over 150-200 g of cars, I have a calorie deficit of 500- 800 a day.
What's wrong? I'm 5'6" 148 lbs.
you mean eat 1800!?
That seems like a lot... I'm really scared of gaining! 
does upping calories work for you? Do you lose weight on more? I am kinda confused about everything, some ppl say eat 900, some say 1800...
1800 is probably a LOT more healthy though.
oh, and my goal is 125 lbs.
thnx!!
OK, Thank you SO much!
I feel really BULKY right now, and I have been DILIGENT! I hope it is just the muscle losing the marbling like you said!
Firstly, you're in a healthy weight range so why do you even want to lose?
Secondly, even if you do want to lose, you're not eating enough. Your deficit is too large and you're starving yourself.
Please, think seriously about what you're doing. I'm scared for your health.
Double Post.
That deficit you have is totally healthy and 1200 calories is fine so long as you're getting a decent amount of protein and micronutrients.
You're working out, which equates to holding onto water and gaining muscle.
Fat loss is ensured but you have to allow yourself ample recovery time. I've been through similar periods where I worked out really intensely and didn't notice any weight change on the scale. However, as soon as I took a rest -- my weight started to drop again.
Also, every couple weeks or so, I have a day that I eat a little heavy - like enough to maintain my weight because 1. it's enjoyable to have a cheat day and 2. I've read that switching up the intake can help to convince your body to continue losing weight. Oh, that and one day of extra calories every once and awhile isn't going to throw off your progress. It's good to release the reins, you know.
One thing you can do is make sure you're drinking enough water regularly and lower your sodium intake if you're feeling bloated.
If you're eating the right foods, you'll be doing your body fine by trying to trim away the excess fat. At 148 lbs, instead of saying that you have to be 125 lbs, you should figure out what your body fat percentage is. If it's 30% BF right now at 148 lbs, than getting down to a healthier more-fit percentage like maybe 20%-25% would mean getting between 129 - 138 lbs. However, the percentage that is right for you is what's both comfortable for you and healthy. It's less about the number of the scale.
Either way, weight loss is not an exact process. Your body will decide itself how to consume the energy you store/put into it and while you may have some modicum of control, it's really a waiting game and requires diligence, patience, and time. So, in the mean time, work on increasing your endurance, speed, effort when weight is staying steady because any improvement is just that -- an improvement.
Original Post by ciggie024:
That deficit you have is totally healthy and 1200 calories is fine so long as you're getting a decent amount of protein and micronutrients.
You're working out, which equates to holding onto water and gaining muscle.
Fat loss is ensured but you have to allow yourself ample recovery time. I've been through similar periods where I worked out really intensely and didn't notice any weight change on the scale. However, as soon as I took a rest -- my weight started to drop again.
Also, every couple weeks or so, I have a day that I eat a little heavy - like enough to maintain my weight because 1. it's enjoyable to have a cheat day and 2. I've read that switching up the intake can help to convince your body to continue losing weight. Oh, that and one day of extra calories every once and awhile isn't going to throw off your progress. It's good to release the reins, you know.
One thing you can do is make sure you're drinking enough water regularly and lower your sodium intake if you're feeling bloated.
If you're eating the right foods, you'll be doing your body fine by trying to trim away the excess fat. At 148 lbs, instead of saying that you have to be 125 lbs, you should figure out what your body fat percentage is. If it's 30% BF right now at 148 lbs, than getting down to a healthier more-fit percentage like maybe 20%-25% would mean getting between 129 - 138 lbs. However, the percentage that is right for you is what's both comfortable for you and healthy. It's less about the number of the scale.
Either way, weight loss is not an exact process. Your body will decide itself how to consume the energy you store/put into it and while you may have some modicum of control, it's really a waiting game and requires diligence, patience, and time. So, in the mean time, work on increasing your endurance, speed, effort when weight is staying steady because any improvement is just that -- an improvement.
Than you SOO much! Yeah, I'll be eating quite a bit today as it's Thanksgiving, and I'm not gonna beat myself up about it. Hey- as far as I'm concerned, It'll just boost my metabolism... if not my waistline as well. Oh well, I'll recover. 
Yeah, I really want an athletic body and fat percentage I'm not interested in olny being 'skinny'. And I REALLY don't admire 'skinny fat'
I want to be STRONG and FIT. So if 138 will get me there, so be it. I just want a low fat percentage.
Original Post by missykatie1984:
Firstly, you're in a healthy weight range so why do you even want to lose?
Secondly, even if you do want to lose, you're not eating enough. Your deficit is too large and you're starving yourself.
Please, think seriously about what you're doing. I'm scared for your health.
I'm in the high end of the BMI range, and I don't have enough muscle mass to merit the fat I have. Plus, I don't think the BMI is end all authourity on what one should weigh. it doesn't take into account, muscle-to- fat raitio. or in most cases, frame size.
thank you for your concern, though!
Original Post by ciggie024:
That deficit you have is totally healthy and 1200 calories is fine so long as you're getting a decent amount of protein and micronutrients.
The rest of the advice given in this post was good, so I only picked out the part I had a problem with.
1200 is NOT fine for your height/weight/level of activity. The deficit is NOT appropriate.
When you're within a healthy weight range, the body naturally hangs on harder to what fat reserves it has left. A large deficit at this point is counterproductive - it convinces the body that you're going to underfeed it, and it slows your metabolism to compensate. It WANTS that extra fat, and will do almost anything to keep it.
When I was obese, I could lose weight on a 1000 calorie deficit. When I was overweight, that was too much - I'd plateau and stall. I lowered to a 500 calorie deficit and continued to lose weight. Now that I'm healthy, and only want to drop a few more pounds, 500 became too much again, and I stopped losing weight. I lowered my deficit (by eating more) to about 250 a day, and have started losing weight again.
Assuming you're 30, female, and using the height and weight you posted, you have a BMR (what you burn if you do nothing but lay in bed all day) of around 1450 cal/day. 40 minutes of daily intense exercise makes you a candidate for moderate activity level AT LEAST, which multiplies your BMR by 1.55 (Harris Benedict Equation). That's 2250 calories a day burned just by being you. If you've got an active job, it may be even more.
If you want a 250 calorie deficit from that, you should be eating 2000 calories a day, not 1200. 1200 gives you a 1050 cal/day deficit! That's FAR too high for a person with your stats. If you were 300 pounds, sure, but not now.
That said, everything else ciggie said was good and truthful advice. Especially the part on working toward a healthy bodyfat % rather than a number on a scale. My goal weight is actually quite high on the BMI scale (130 at 5'3"), but my goal BODYFAT is quite healthy (22-24%). At 137, I'm at a 25% bodyfat, because I have a fair bit of muscle underneath. I feel this is much healthier than aiming for an unreasonable level of poundage :)
thanks, vbeattie.
I have seen a lot of your other posts, and you seemto be an advocate for eating enough.
It's just kinda scary... and it doesn't make sense to my brain, if it makes sense to my body, though, I'm for it!
The thing is, though, that CC says I burn 1700 cals a day. plus working out 2100, so my deficit is around 600-800 by their calculations. A deficit of 250 would really do the trick?
I find it hard to believe... but you've had success, right? how fast do you lose? I'm willing to be patient, but I don't want to be applying myself to something that won't give results.
???
Original Post by irebel:
thanks, vbeattie.
I have seen a lot of your other posts, and you seemto be an advocate for eating enough.
It's just kinda scary... and it doesn't make sense to my brain, if it makes sense to my body, though, I'm for it!
The thing is, though, that CC says I burn 1700 cals a day. plus working out 2100, so my deficit is around 600-800 by their calculations. A deficit of 250 would really do the trick?
I find it hard to believe... but you've had success, right? how fast do you lose? I'm willing to be patient, but I don't want to be applying myself to something that won't give results.
???
I am kinda a broken record for eating more, aren't I :)
If a deficit of 250 seems too small, you could try for 350-400, split the difference a bit, and see what happens?
As to me, when I had a deficit of 1000 (by the numbers) I was losing about three pounds a week. Should have been two (by the numbers) but I did a lot of cardio, no weight training. I regret that, actually. By the measurements, I laboriously worked out that from 210-180 I lost about 20 pounds of fat and 10 pounds of muscle (!!!)
At 180 I hit my first big plateau (I'd had little ones before, but this lasted a while) and I changed my deficit to 500. Also started weight training. My weight loss slowed to about a pound a week. From 180-150, by the measurements, I lost 27 pounds of fat, and three pounds of muscle. Much more encouraging, especially since I was conserving some more muscle.
Around 145-150 I hit my second big plateau, but this time I knew what to do. Upped my calories a bit, lowered my cardio to three days a week of intense stuff instead of six days of moderate (though the past week I've been off the wagon owing to a nasty chest infection that prevents breathing hard), upped the strength training considerably (three days a week of really hard-core bodyweight workouts and plyometrics) and changed my deficit to 250 calories a day.
I'm still losing a pound a week, for some reason. I shouldn't be, but I am. I may be burning slightly more than the estimates, since I really do have quite a bit of muscle, even discounting the 13 pounds of it I lost. *shrug* Also, by the measurements, from 150-136 (where I am now) I've lost 14 pounds of fat and not an ounce of muscle. Yay! I love my muscles :)
My goal is just six more pounds of fat to lose (want to keep my record of no muscle lost in the last two months) and then I'll be done. And I'll have a license to eat another 250 calories a day! Or more...judging by my rate of loss, it may be more.
So yeah, it definitely worked for me!
On the subject of patience - I changed shape more slowly losing 2-3 pounds a week than I am now losing just one - and I'm convinced it's because of the muscle. My body is getting leaner, even if I'm not getting thinner as quickly. I lost 3 pants sizes from 16-10 when I dropped from 210-160 (50 pounds). I've lost a further 2 and a halfish - I'm now a loose size 6 - from 160-136 (only 24 pounds). I expect I'll lose another size with those last 6 pounds. So those are some results that don't involve the scale!
I'll try it! I would LOOOVE to eat more, but I always felt guilty. I'll aim fore a 400 cal deficit and see what happens.
Thanks! :)
I'm totally with vbeattie here, eat more and good luck!
Original Post by irebel:I'm in the high end of the BMI range, and I don't have enough muscle mass to merit the fat I have. Plus, I don't think the BMI is end all authourity on what one should weigh. it doesn't take into account, muscle-to- fat raitio. or in most cases, frame size.
thank you for your concern, though!
Lots of people on this site come trying to get muscular bodies with high deficits and often it won't work. I dont think the BMI is the be all and end all either, but if what you're after is a healthy strong muscular body, just losing more weight is not going to work, which is why I asked the question :)
vbeattie has given you a stack of good advice. Stick with it, and nurture your body. There are no prizes for losing weight the fastest. Good luck! :)
If she really is at 30% BF and that's pushing on getting unhealthily fat, why wouldn't she be able to eat 1200 calories of really nutritionally-dense food and have that be a problem?
If she's meeting her nutrition needs, which can be done on a really structured 1200 calorie diet, why would she need to add more food?
Your body burns fat and muscle at the rate it decides and mostly fat is burned until we drop into the really low BF percentages. Furthermore, all that caloric energy is available for her when she needs it -- It's not like she'll be starving herself when you have 10, 20, 30 lbs of extra body fat just hanging around.
If low calorie diets did not work, then society wouldn't have a problem with anorexia. They aren't concerned that if they only eat 500 calories that they won't lose weight. Starvation mode isn't so cut and dry. As a matter of fact, if you read up on fasting, you'll realize that your body doesn't even experience a drop in metabolism until after three or so days of purely not eating -- and that metabolism isn't stopped either. Merely reduced, perhaps by 40%.
While that may seem significant and its implications dangerous... it's a medical fact that you will lose weight on a reduced calorie diet and that it's more likely that she's not experiencing weight loss because she's not resting enough than it is that she's "starving herself and tricking her body into not burning calories" because it doesn't work that way, especially if you're overweight.
Furthermore, what's not appropriate about 500 - 800 calorie deficit? That's not even marginally close to starvation range, not even enough for 2 lbs a week weight loss. I can see your argument from a nutritional stand point but otherwise I have to disagree.
Original Post by irebel:
Do you lose weight on more? I am kinda confused about everything, some ppl say eat 900, some say 1800.
Never listen to the people who say you should be eating 900 calories...
...unless you are missing major limbs, have a registered dietitian watching your every mouthful to make sure you are getting all your nutrients, are trying to lose weight for life-critical surgery under doctor supervision, you should not be eating 900 cals.
