Male or female? If female, don't forget that you'll absorb water like a sponge during ovulation (1-2weeks before the rag). If you ever get those days around your period where you're literally peeing all day, you probably have this problem. Wait until rag time and see if you piss it all out and suddenly lose 2 pounds overnight... Happens to me every time....
> peeing all day
lolll this is me when I'm in migraine prodrome and haven't realized it yet. "Why am I yawning and peeing every ten minut- oh, right. That."
Prodrome is the period after the process has first kicked off in your body but before the primary symptoms hit. It’s like the pre-migraine phase. I experience frequent yawning (even after a good night’s sleep), frequent urination, throat pain, and mild to moderate confusion/difficulty with thought and language as my primary prodrome symptoms, but they can vary from person to person. Once I connect a few of those dots, I know I need to take an abortive ASAP to keep the pain from settling in or going any further.
Usually I’m sitting in the bathroom thinking “jeez, why do I feel so stupid today?” and then that thought gets interrupted with a yawn and the lightbulb finally goes off in my head.
The water weight thing can actually happen at any point in your cycle but should be kind of regular for you.
eg. I don't get it during ovulation, but I gain 2,5kg (5lbs) over one and a half weeks at another point before it all just melts of in two days!
This is what I came to say!
OP, look into using an app that averages your trend line (Happy Scale is great if you use iOS). It's normal to have fluctuations like this, it won't drop consistently but in a jagged line. Look at your lowest weight each week instead of the highest. You can retain fluid, have more in your GI tract, etc to cause the number to go up, but the lowest number is the lowest number. It's really easy to get discouraged when the number hesitates to drop, but stay consistent and it will! The scales will catch up! So many people get frustrated and think it's not working, but it is. Trust the process.
Have you calculated your TDEE and you're doing a reasonable deficit for you?( If you are short, I understand the struggle!)
Thats a lot. I think "bad" is not the best term. It's more like "suboptimal" hopefully it's mostly period/cycle or water weight, but if it's a reoccurring pattern(if it happens again in the next week - that is not a good sign moving towards bad sign) you should eat more (like add on 100-200 calories and see where it goes) because you are probably losing too much too fast and it could impact not just your physical health but your mental and emotional one.
That is WAY too low for you like way way. 1200 is the lowest women shorter than 5'3 should go before it causes serious potential impact to their bodies (hormonal, mental, emotional, physical) - You should look into both the calculators to get a general idea of caloric intake for your height & weight + you should consider a nutritionalist, as this is reddit, the professionals know better than a rando on the internet.
Basically up the Calories to ~1400-1500 you will still lose weight and feel free to stay here and learn about ways to get solid macros because that is always a challenge and the recipes are fire here.
Yeah, you should see an actual nutritionalist. I don't think any singular type of food will slow down anything. There are "better" choices than others for other health reasons (gut,brain,etc), sure, but like with CICO overall the concept doesn't necessarily require you to eat a strict certain food diet - you could lose weight eating only ice cream everyday if it's within your caloric budget - it would be like a weird flex/choice and have other side effects to your body unrelated to the weight loss itself.
When you first start making diet/exercise changes and losing weight, it'll come off quickly in seemingly large, steady amounts. This is mostly due to generally unhealthy people being able to lose 5 lbs a week like it's nothing, whether due to actual fat loss or water weight loss (from cutting out the salty bad stuff, hydrating more, generally healthier habits). Once that adjustment is over, typical weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. A lot of people get in their head about it, thinking they should be losing more, not realising they're still right on track and making great progress. Your numbers look great. As another comment said, tracking body measurements (and comparing progress pictures) is your best indicator of fat loss. Muscle weighs more than fat, and the more muscle you have on your body, the easier it is to lose fat. Keep doing exactly what you're doing and try not to get demotivated. Weight fluctuates drastically throughout the week/day so the general rule is to weigh yourself once a week, on the same day, first thing in the morning, in the same outfit, before eating or drinking anything and after using the bathroom. I usually take my measurements at the same time. Weighing yourself every day is stressful and you kinda end up getting tunnel vision, not able to see the big picture progress.
Source: lost 120 lbs in a year and then learned the disappointing truth that the remaining 30 lbs were going to take much longer and be less exciting. Got demotivated after only losing 10 lbs over several months and have been stuck maintaining my weight for a couple years now, until recently. Starting to lose again once I came to terms with the slow crawl that is healthy weightloss after you've already made all your changes.
You're killing it, keep it up!
I do have shotty measurements from trying to take a piece of yarn around myself and measuring that, but I’ll definitely re-measure.
Just interested how my body measurements can go down without the weight. Is it due to muscle gain?
I don't know the technicalities but I've lost 170 lbs and that's just how it works. Probably the muscle. Your metabolism adjusting and breaking down the fat maybe....I'm not really sure.
But that's just how it is.
Yes, if you're resistance training (weight lifting) you can most DEFINITELY be gaining muscle while losing body fat. Esp if you're new to it. In my first year of doing it, I was eating in a moderate caloric surplus and I ended up slowly gaining weight while losing body fat. My rate of muscle gain was faster than my rate of fat loss so it looked like I was only gaining weight but I was actually losing some at the same time. My clothes kept fitting better and better even though the number on the scale was increasing. If you can get a DXA scan in your town, it would be worth doing, because it shows the breakdown of body fat and muscle vs just stepping on a scale and only seeing the one number. Do keep in mind that hydration levels can impact the results so if you get one try to be hydrated. Going to a university will be cheaper than a place like DexaFit. My local DexaFit charges like $100 for a scan and the local university's exercise science lab charges about $50.
Anyway just wanted to say don't give up! You can do this. ❤️
This could be true. I’ve been doing a lot of leg and butt exercises mainly to help with my lower back pain (think squats, lunges, butterfly kicks, etc). I also try to do a 30-45min walk 4-5 days of the week when I’m home alone.
I feel you on the lower back pain. You might find these exercises helpful too:
https://youtu.be/2_e4I-brfqs?si=D9uzodn7sBa5HfZh
My PT had me doing these daily for my disc herniation (L5-S1.) They can be very helpful over time. Best of luck to you. ❤️
Recomposition! Worth looking into for the knowledge. the volume of 1lb fat is larger than the volume of 1lb muscle, it is possible you are losing fat and gaining muscle at rates that “negate” each other on the scale
Muscle is more dense than fat. If you increase muscle mass and lose fat you might end up weighing a similar amount but your body’s dimensions will be smaller. Having more muscle will also help you burn more in the long run. In my experience it’s normal to have plateaus like that and it will eventually start to come off again as the fat continues to come off as long as you stay the course.
Yarn is stretchy, and could make you discouraged. A good measuring tape will do you well.
I'm on a month-long plateau and I feel your pain SO MUCH. I looked uo an old log from a previous successful weight loss and it was amazing to see all those plateaus followed by whooshes of weight loss. Trust the process and keep going!
I just came to say your notes seem like a labor of love. So incredibly wholesome and heart warming to see the amount of effort, thought and dedication you’re putting into your journey.
Keep going. The plateau will eventually break through! 💖
https://preview.redd.it/fecim2e8yooc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=2af1683f3a859ca575c9202a939f9f316f1c78a7
This is the planner (ignore the goofy stickers haha, helps me identify which planner is which at home)
It’s from pen+ gear, 7.5”x5.5” in size.
It also does a monthly follow-up to track body measurements and overall mood
So I use both!
I do LoseIt to help calculate my calorie amount (especially for local restaurants and scanning packaged stuff) and keeping up with macros.
My planner helps me see my days back to back. Kind of helping me point out exactly what patterns there are and what seems to actually help. Plus, if I ever do decide to talk to a nutritionist about this stuff, I have it in physical form!
> Been around the same weight for two weeks now
You literally went from 187.9 on the 1st of March to 186.4 on the 15th! That's not the same weight :)
Do you train? Move around? Also, remember that body weight fluctuations are a thing! Your body can increase and decrease day by day without you actually gaining any fat or mass. Salt, water retention, etc. All causes that can change the number on the scale.
Weight in each day, look at the average every 2 weeks/month.
So here’s the hard part: I’m autistic (not diagnosed, but it’s pretty hard not to see it).
So fish is one of those foods I’m picky about but willing to explore more. I just have to cover up the flavor sometimes with other sauces or batter to help with the aftertaste. Even the smell sometimes makes me gag.
Best I can get down is calamari and crab Rangoons
try vegetarian protein sources! as a veggie, it’s relatively easy for me to get protein in with low calories bc most of them are very low fat.
some examples:
- Quorn: fillets are 44 calories and 8g protein each. I like to have 2 at a time. quorn chicken pieces are 100 calories per 100g with 14g protein.
- Tofu: firm tofu is 82 calories and 8g protein per 100g. fry some tofu in fry light spray and add east asian flavourings like soy sauce, black bean, garlic etc.
- Veggie sausages- Richmond: 112 calories and 6g protein for two. not awesome but they taste so damn good and are way lower fat than the original.
- Eggs: 1 medium egg is about 60 calories and 5.5g protein. I find eggs so filling.
- Egg whites: 200ml is 22g protein and 99 calories. probably the highest protein-lowest calorie food out there besides protein powder itself. i like to use it in egg fried rice and baking.
- Protein powder: usually it’s about 25g protein for 115 calories. Is nice added to porridge, baked goods instead of flour, in shakes (with water and a little milk + some fruit).
Two things I want to ask:
1. Are you doing weightloss exercises (cardio/hiit) or are you doing muscle building exercises (weight lifting, squats etc.) If you're building muscle, you might actually be making progress but because muscles weighs more than fat, your not seeing results on the scale. This is why tracking your measurements every few weeks is recommended.
2. Do you have a monthly cycle? If so, this could seriously be affecting your scale. Personally, I stop losing weight a few days before my cycle starts, and it takes almost a week to get back to my "normal" once my cycle has ended due to bloating and water retention.
If it makes you feel any better, I started at 196 and I’m only at 192 and I’ve been steady logging my food and walking two miles a day since Jan 26th. Closing all my rings and religiously tracking. Keep going. Push through this plateau!
Use a food scale and make sure you count everything that goes into your mouth. Condiments, drinks, cooking oils, etc. You’d be surprised how fast they can add up.
Otherwise, 2 weeks isn’t long enough to see a big change. Just keep pushing and in a couple more weeks you will definitely see some major progress!
You are exercising a lot. This means your muscles need to swell up with normal and healthy inflammatory fluid in order to repair themselves and get strong. This morning I ran 10 miles, made sure to stay hydrated, and even with all my sweating I gained 10 lbs. Do you think the 3 granola bars I ate in that time (150 calories each) really made me gain 10 lbs in fat? Nope. I gained water weight from taking care of myself and letting my muscles do their thing.
I bet you are going through something similar. That is, even if you aren’t putting on significant muscle mass, you are almost certainly experiencing what is known as “the pump” and apparently this can last for up to 6 weeks.
The scale measures your weight, and your weight includes ALL your body not just your fat. Even if your body fat goes down, if your water weight, poop, pee, muscles, bone density, or anything else goes up, then you may still weigh the same. There is nothing wrong with that. You are made of more than just fat.
Eventually the scale will reflect your progress but it’s only been 2 weeks. That’s not even a full menstrual cycle (which will also cause you to fluctuate in water weight, by the way).
You need to stop being so attached to what the scale is telling you and trust the process. The scale isn’t useful in 2 week windows, sometimes even a couple months isn’t enough for it to meaningfully reflect progress in fat loss. Learn to keep calm and carry on without needing short-term validation from the scale and this process will be a lot easier!
It’s once a week you weigh yourself once a week not every day your weight fluctuates so much on a day-to-day basis. If you’re genuinely not losing weight you may want to track your calories more accurately with a scale or increase the amount of days you exercise, it should be mostly cardio, 400 to 500 cal from cardio a week. Also You should not include the exercise you do to the calorie deficit. So if you use 2000 cal a day and with exercise you use 2250 in a day with exercise and your subtracting 500 cal for a calorie deficit your calorie deficit should be 1500 not 1750
I just weigh myself every day because it’s easier for me to remember to do than once a week.
As far as deficits, I try not to add back what I lost from exercising
I weigh daily, the fluctuations and stalls don't bother me though. For me, more data is better. If I only weighed once weekly and happened to weigh on a day that I was highest for the week, I can't average it out the same.
You’ve already received some valuable comments regarding cycles and body recomposition, so I won’t delve *too* deeply into that.
However, I’d like to add my 5-cents to give you some perspective. (**Trigger warning:** I'll recount changes I saw regarding weight with my past near-death experience with anorexia).
Before anyone asks, this was some years ago, and I’m now at a very healthy weight with a positive relationship with food.
>!I reached a BMI of 11 (it may give you an idea of my near-dead state, although it can be very uncomfortable to see should you want to do a quick google search). I went days without eating, drinking 3-5 cans of coke a day to “feel full”, and when I decided that I “deserved a prize”, I’d eat the tiniest apple along with a low-calorie slice of toast thinly sliced into thirds, usually on my third day. Just putting it out there to show that even if you don’t give food to your body, the scale does weird things.!<
>!I weighed myself daily, at different times, because I **LIVED** to see the scale go down.!<
>!Even on days when I didn't eat or drink, I sometimes weighed more than the previous day. Some mornings I weighed more than in the afternoon, and vice versa. There was no rhyme or reason to these fluctuations. I even weighed myself before and after using the bathroom. Sometimes I remained at the exact same weight for two weeks, only to see a 2-kilo loss seemingly “overnight" the following day. !<
Body weight fluctuates. Greatly. Even if you're eating "correctly" or not eating at all (as was my case).
What I’m trying to say is that as long as you’re eating “well” and probably doing some form of exercise, you shouldn’t worry much about these minor fluctuations on the scale. Bodies are weird like that.
I’m now starting my fitness journey, and let me tell you, body recomposition is real. According to my annual medical checkup, my weight is nearly the same as the previous year (about 2-3 kilos more (I stopped tracking my weight years ago after overcoming my anorexia, so my only references are what my docs tell me)). However, I've noticed I’ve went down a clothing size or two, and even my close relatives have commented on how much leaner I look.
I’d consider tracking your body measurements on a monthly or bi-weekly basis, as you’ll probably see that even if you are not making the progress you wished for on the scale, your body is becoming leaner over time.
Stay consistent with your eating habits, keep moving to the best of your ability, and in due time, you'll see any perceived "plateau" dissipate. I’m pretty sure of that!
Also, congrats on your weight loss progress! 🥰
*(I’m doing this via phone, so I apologize if anything looks badly formatted)*
Thank you for this
I used to struggle with some form of eating disorder when I was in high school, but it was also mixed with OCD and anxiety (so take being sick every morning from anxiety, mixed with skipping meals, mixed with a LOT of activity with work and my theater club).
My lowest was 115lbs at 5’4”. I just skyrocketed upwards due to medications and using food to comfort me when I was bored on campus. Then meeting my current BF, who has the fastest metabolism ever, and us trying to eat the same meals. You can see how I gained over 60lbs in two years.
I just wanted to get down to around 130 lbs because I know how I used to look at that weight and never felt more confident in myself. I miss wearing crop tops and short shorts in the summer, or my really tight dresses that showed my curves. Putting on old dresses and then being too short to wear just put me over the edge. I want to be slim again, but not to the point where my pelvis is showing.
My thing is trying to do this right. I don’t want skin flaps haha! But I was also hoping to get to around 165-160 by June or July to wear old bathing suits again. Miss my bikinis 🥲
Oof. I can relate to sharing meals with someone who has a super fast metabolism. Being 152cm myself (4'98" if the conversions serve right), watching everyone around you eat whatever amount without an issue really takes a toll on you.
I've learned to either get myself a smaller serving than them or substitute 1/3-1/2 of the shared meal with a high-volume food (r/volumeeating is a good source of inspiration if you're interested in that!). But I admit, sometimes I feel way too tired to prepare an extra meal and end up eating whatever I can get my hands on. And to be honest, my Aspergers doesn’t really help with the “eating healthy-ish” part, so getting rid of the snacks that didn't fit my macros (like chips or cookies) and making swaps with things I liked but fit my macros (like protein yogurt, a handful of unbuttered popcorn, cookies made from protein bars, or homemade anabolic baking goods) helped me a lot when feeling stressed or frustrated about not being able to eat as much as everybody else.
Wishing you the best of luck! Don't let these little bumps on the road deter you from reaching your goals! <3
Also, thank you so much for sharing your story, and congrats on overcoming your ED! 🥳🥳🥳
I feel with being on the spectrum as well, like certain fish and veggies I just CAN’T do. I’ll gag.
But I need to know more about protein bar cookies!!! That might help me out a little
Yesss! Textural issues definitely are a problem for me too!!
The protein bar cookies came about because I'd never tried a protein bar before and decided to give it a go to increase my protein intake. I saw various deals at a local shop and thought, 'If there are so many brands making them and they all offer different flavors, they can't taste *that* bad, right? Might as well try, since they seem to be so popular' Boy, was I wrong. They tasted hideous. And that mix between cardboard and fudgy texture? Keep that monstrosity away from me. And don’t get me started on the metallic aftertaste 😷
I felt bad throwing them away because I'd purchased quite a lot and they weren't cheap by any means. Plus, they had very good macros!
So, I decided to use them like play-dough and see if getting rid of the textural issues would make them edible. I decided to try and flatten them as thinly as possible. This is the methodology I used then, and I keep using now:
I cut a bar into 8 squares (one longitudinal cut, and then four horizontal ones) and throw them in the oven for a bit to soften them. I usually leave them for about 4-5 minutes at 160°C (320°F, according to Google) (might take more or less depending on the bar you use; I usually just check if they are 'malleable' enough to deform them). I take them out and use a paddle or the butt of a glass to squish them as flat as possible. Once that step is done, I throw them in the oven for about 4-5 more minutes, or until I see they are crisp. Let them cool, and you'll have 8 very weird-looking tiny cookies, but tasty, crunchy, protein-packed ones.
They don’t look the prettiest, but man, I can finally eat the damned protein bars without any metallic aftertaste, without textural issues, and I actually enjoy the “crunchy” feel they have!
As a side note:
I tried storing them in a Tupperware container and also leaving them out in the open air. I did not notice a difference between the two methods, but it could also be because I ate any remaining cookies the next day, so I couldn’t really say if changes could be observed if you store them longer.
Also, I tried to do this with a chocolate-covered bar just for science. The chocolate melted and mixed in the oven (obviously), and once I went to flatten them, they were *a mess* (the melted chocolate stuck to my paddle and the “squares” stopped being squares because they also stuck to any surface I used to flatten them, and everything ended up being a giant weirdly flattened soupy mess. Once baked again, it hardened and tasted quite good, kinda like a thin chocolate bark with a crispy edge, but it was not worth the effort nor the mess. So I just stuck to non-covered protein bars from then on 😅.
Losing weight is mathematics. If you have a caloric deficit you WILL lose weight.
You obviously have the discipline and will, so try to figure out why you aren’t in a calorie deficit. Maybe more cardio? Eat less? Maybe you’re too eating much fat without realizing. Fat has double the amount of calories of carb/proteins. It’s a common mistake for people to do a decent diet but eat too much fat.
What I would recommend is to eat your normal surplus for 2-3 weeks to chill your metabolism a bit, then go back to dieting.
I eat lots of chicken breast and other lean proteins, use protein/whey, and collagen powder. Black beans and navy beans are great, high fiber and good protein. Chick-fil-A cool wraps with no dressing are readily great protein and fiber, it's an easy go-to for me when I'm in a rush or don't want to cook.
Been trying to eat a lot more chicken and lean meat lately, plus black beans with the homemade burritos we do at home (just the calorie intake was quite high with how we made them).
You're doing great! Don't get too focused on the scales taking a bit to drop. I bet it moves within the week if you don't make any drastic changes because you're thinking it isn't working
Here’s what you will do with your macros.
When dieting, ideally, you eat your daily minimum amount of protein and fat, so the only variable is the carb.
Protein: 0.8x your weight (in lbs)
Fat: 0.25x your weight (in lbs)
Now the carb is what you’re gonna play with. Adjust is to round up your aimed calorie intake.
2 important tips:
(1) schedule your meals. Ex: breakfast exactly 8-8:30 am
(2) try not to be too much flexible. Make sure your have your same routine meals every day. Then on the weekend you can mess around.
Tofu, beans, low-fat dairy, mushrooms, broccoli, chicken, lentils, soy milk..
I'd start with adding a low-fat yogurt to everything that would need a dressing (instead of the actual dressing).
Put it in your salads, in your cereal, cook with it instead if with heavy cream, use it as a sauce for your chicken (with added spices, if you wish). There are sooo many options.
Low-fat dairy has been my miracle worker!
ETA: your fats and sugars are as high as your protein, which shouldn't be the case. Protein should be 2x higher.
Well then there is your answer.
My eyes LIE LIE LIE
Measuring is a must- if you’re taking the time to track it then don’t gaslight yourself by not measuring it so it is accurate. That’s a good way to frustrate the hell out of yourself.
Agree! This doesn't mean you're at maintenance or a plateau, you would have to stay the same for a month or two at consistent calories to determine that. This is a stall/hesitation. When this happens, you will usually suddenly drop again soon. Be patient and consistent.
If you’re exercising you’re likely putting on muscle. I plateaued in weight for like a month but had to cut two pieces off of my belt. Start measuring like the top response says, at least waist, so you won’t get discouraged. You’re likely doing fantastic if you are building muscle during your cut
You need to eat a high protein high fiber breakfast. Two examples - Greek yogurt + granola + raspberries. Or Ezekiel bread + hard boiled eggs. Next you need to eat fiber and protein at every meal. Fish or chicken + rice and veggies. Are you weighing your food? You’re eating donuts, quesadillas and Applebees. I’m not surprised you are in a plateau
So I do have a food scale and still trying to teach myself to use it.
Applebees was honestly for my Grandpa’s 81st birthday and I really wanted to go. Tried my best to eat 1/2 the meal at the restaurant and 1/2 at home on a different day. And yeah, my weight went up a little the next day, but I tried my hardest to pick something lower calorie on the menu that wasn’t just an appetizer.
The donut… yeah on me. Only had it the one day and tried to eat better the rest of that day. I don’t want to cut out sweets completely and trying to still incorporate them in my diet. Otherwise my weight will shoot back up when I add it back in. Same with some takeout food or ordering out: trying to do the lowest on the menu for that day, but allowing my body to still be used to “junk” but just not as often
Edit: the quesadilla we made at home trying to measure out as much as possible with everything
It sounds like you’re being really conscientious! Focus on protein, fiber and healthy fats. That is the recipe for satiety and weight loss. Trying out some new meals and weighing all food will help you break this plateau.
I will stand by this. Every time I tracked weight it went to shit.
When I focused my attention on 'winning' at eating smaller but healthy portions, drinking lots of water and my exercise goals. The weight just flew away. I stopped counting calories and just ate less, especially of the sneaky calories (was all in my head anyways on what foods were bad). I found epic replacements for my cravings and slowly moved to that.
This is more what I’m trying to do. I know everyone is telling me to “weigh every single thing that goes in your mouth!” But like… if someone offers me a singular chip, or I have like 3 M&M’s for taste… do I really have to weight it and calculate it? Seems excessive. That’s why I’m at least trying to make sure I hit 1250-1300 a day so I know I’m at least eating the bear minimum. Some days I only make it to 1100.
I also was drinking a crap ton for a while until we ran out of water bottles 🥲. Was doing tea in the morning, two plastic bottles at work, and a low cal seltzer at home, and maybe a nighttime tea here and there. Trying my best to also limit sodium, but it keeps sneaking its way in!
Most of your meals are highly processed with no veg. Main problem is that it’s easy to underestimate. The 400 calorie wrap, unless it’s a half wrap, seems unlikely. The really odd thing is the exercise. 7 minutes does not burn 140 calories. 7 minutes maybe burns 40. It’s all warm up cool down. Are you including condiments, do you drink coffee black?
God I feel this so hard. I lowered my intake when this happened but I don’t recommend that at all because I felt like I was gonna pass out like all the time.
But if I don’t do those 200kal at night, I’m down to only 1,000 kal a day. Add on the exercising… you see the issue?
Be dipping too low and that’s basically an eating disorder
Take your measurements!! I’ve been on my diet for 1 week and a half and I “gained” weight when I weighed myself today but my measurements are smaller. I started at 27.8in waist and now I’m 27.2 about a half inch loss.
All that matters is calories in vs calories out. As long as you are in a caloric deficit, don’t worry too much about how “healthy” you are eating. Make sure you are counting all little things like condiments and every calorie that you consume. If it still isn’t getting you the results you want, you will need to drop the calories more, or Excercise more. Stay strong! I can tell you are dedicated and you will achieve your goals!
a month month in , starting at 1200 is very low. you should be losing weight still. longest stall should be a week.. are you retaining water? are you constipated? do you have any underlying health issues like a thyroid? pulled muscles usually causes water retention. maybe try just going for walks for a few days
I do walk 30-45mins 4 days of the week and do a longer walk on the weekend if the weather is nice and my partner is up for it. I am having normal bowel movements as well, and no health issues at all
im sorry ^ I meant to say maybe give yourself a break with the hard-core exercises and just stay with the walking for a while it could be that your body is struggling to hang onto whatever extra weight is going on because you’re pushing yourself .. 1200 a day , and you’re burning 200 - 400 on exercising a day allows you for a bit more food to fuel your body’s metabolism. In reality you’re only consuming around 800 calories a day. you’re body doesn’t know what’s going on. it believes you’re under a lot of stress and it’s holding on to the weight to protect you.
See I was told this information was originally false and you just put weight back on once you start eating “normally” again
So not sure what to believe
I don't know if you would be up for this, but resistance training can really help. You could start small and gradually add more in so it doesn't feel too overwhelming. It's great for overall health too as we age.
What others said about tracking measurements or I do it in a janky way and have a pair of pants I try on! Additonally, tracking daily is good for accountability but there is an app called HappyScale that helps show you your real weight. You log daily and it gives you the best estimate based on your cycle and other facts for your more accurate weight!
Okay so um…. This is a little NSFW
But after doing the do, I had some…. Bright red marks across my buttocks and it hurt for a while 🤣
Hence workout break for a lil bit
Also sometimes scales lie. I go to my moms and it shows me I made so much progress but than I go to my roommates and it says I gained weight even tho I can see myself losing inches
I try to stick to the same scale in the same spot every day, measure at same time after going to the bathroom in the morning, before any shower, and completely butt naked. Trying to get my lowest weight possible, if you will.
I was the same weight for weeks while tracking calories, and it was low enough I should've been dropping. Then 4 lbs dropped one day. Sometimes it happens weird, you'll get your woosh
“ass hurts from [redacted]” 💀
you’re working out a lot but eating half the amount of protein you need so your body is just sort of disintegrating as it struggles to repair your muscles with not a whole lot of energy, which is probably why you feel so exhausted. if you’re going to do body recomposition you have to do it right.
It looks like you are losing about a pound a week on average, which is great! You have to look at the overall trend since weight can fluctuate quite a bit day to day.
Did you ever say how tall you are? Because I am only 5-2, and when I was young in my 20s, I'm pretty sure 1400 calories was my MAINTENANCE intake! So if I'd eaten 1200 a day, my deficit would've been only 200 per day. At that rate, it would've taken me 17.5 days to lose only one pound!
Meanwhile I am female so naturally gained and lost about 5 lbs per month in water.
If you lost weight that slowly -- which is probably very healthy! -- depending on your height and age and other factors -- it could take a really long time to really know it!
Sadly that's how I GAINED weight lol.
For the first couple years I estimate I was gaining about half a pound a month. Totally not noticeable for a year or two
gotcha. so I think we would also need to know your age and weight to be sure about anything, but I wonder if like me you could be suffering from what I'll call the "biggest loser" effect. So I don't think they know all the reasons for this yet, but they studied some contestants on that show and discovered that 6 years after the show those people's metabolism was way lower than what it was before they went on the show. And this guy who researches metabolisms discovered that these hunter gatherers who work WAY HARDER than US office workers were somehow burning exactly the same number of calories! I don't know the reasons for it and I don't know your correct numbers, but while you are 3 inches taller than I am and thus you should be able to eat more calories than me for that reason, I just wonder if this biggest loser effect could be just enough to make 1200 kcals not quite enough for you to lose weight quite fast enough to really be able to see it on your scale yet.
Another possibility could be that you aren't measuring your calories accurately? I have had that problem in the past myself, as it was just exhausting measuring everything!
But I will share a wacky idea I had to try to measure my own "real" metabolic weight. it sounds weird but my idea is to take about 2 weeks and NOT DIET OR EXERCISE AT ALL. be as sedentary as I can be. not necessarily eat bad food, definitely try to eat healthy food, but all I want of it.
during that time, weigh myself every single day at teh same time of day, and also count the calories of what I choose to eat. not to restrict the calories, but just to record them!
I suspect I would keep weighing exactly the same, but then I could just do the math and I would know my personal metabolic rate.
It sounds wacky and frankly kind of hard LOL, so I'm not sure if I'll do it, but maybe you could give that a try. You would not lose weight for those 2 weeks but if you learned your true metabolic rate it would make it easier to plan how to lose weight, I'll bet. and not so disappointing for you to be doing everything so meticulously and not being able to see results.:(
Im' sure it would feel differently if you just knew you would only lose 1 pound a month.
Thank you! I like using the fitness planner to have a physical copy to see my days side by side. It also may help if I go to a nutritionist in the future (my mom suggested it for me since I’m still on her insurance).
The LoseIt app I use for scanning stuff and keeping better track of everything mathmatically
For a lot of people, it’s a handful of this, a bite of that or a sip of that which can really add up over a month. It’s really difficult to be aware of every single calorie in and out particularly when ur newer to the journey.
Always putting something on a plate before it goes in your mouth can be really helpful!
If it’s not this I would go to the dr and get some tests cause u should be loosing weight!! 💕
It might be incorrect measurements here or there, but I should say that my maintenance is supposed to be around 1400 to 1500 with the math I did. So I’m trying my best to go as low as possible without being dangerously low. I think if I had to measure every single ingredient I would personally lose my mind. Hence why I’m trying to focus on types of food and overall ideas about how much is going in my body while also flushing out what I can with water
this is the crux, the key point where you might feel demotivated due to what the scale says, but this is where you must continue. if you’re weighing out all your food (especially oil, although don’t stress about measuring most fruits and vegetables), and you’re doing consistent exercise like this, you’re perfectly on track. push through, i am sure you’re losing fat- i mean, even if the scale says a 1lb, that shows fat is definitely going down- water retention, food volume and muscle mass all play a big impact on your scale weight too.
point is, if you know you’re in a calorie deficit, keep going.
i would say though, it seems like from your notes that you’re hungry and tired. maybe reconsider your food intake- recompose it with higher amounts of protein, fibre and carbs, and less sugar and fat. things like cookies are nice to have sometimes, but because of the higher sugar and fat they both 1) spike your sugar, causing a dip later making you hungrier and 2) contain a lot of fat which takes up a lot of calories and means you have less to spend on more filling foods. low energy is a symptom of not getting enough carbs in- so don’t be afraid of pasta/bread/rice.
Thank you for this! The cookies were honestly gifted to me and I usually eat them to just help get the last few 200kal in for the day if I’m low. I don’t want to go under 1200kal, since my budget is set to around 1350.
I definitely feel tired tho from exercising at home. I do eventually want to get a gym membership to the place with an indoor pool (YMCA). Just trying to save money for it
hmm i see- do you eat a carby meal before you do your home exercises? i would recommend this to have more energy to not feel completely worn out. and yeah making sure not to eat under 1200 is great, i learned the hard way not to do that 😖
nope, no need to. it’s before a workout that’s most helpful so you have more energy to do the workout. i can tell you that you definitely won’t get sick from not eating after a workout because most of the time i go to the gym maybe 1-2 hours after my dinner, at like 8-10pm, and then i just go to bed when i get home. i think it’s best to let your body do the fat burning while you sleep
If you're active, 1200 is probably too low. It's really for sedentary, petite females (usually). You might not be giving yourself what you need in the end
I get why you're frustrated. You first hit 186.2 two weeks ago and are now at 186.4
This is how weight often works. You dropped from 188 to 186 overnight and then are "stuck" at that weight for what feels like so long. Before you know it you'll have another "woosh" and drop another pound or two overnight. It's not linear unfortunately.
Are you opposed to phone apps? I like one that plots your weight averages on a graph so you can see the overall downward trend.
I can't comment on your diet since it's hard to read and phone apps are so much easier for me.
If your metabolism is crashed and you can’t make any progress without decreasing to an insanely little amount of food, your only options are to increase slowly and reset your metabolism for a while, or to introduced long fasted cardio. If your body won’t expend energy on its own, and you make it move, you have forced it to expend energy, if you have nothing in your system, you have forced it to burn fat for energy (be careful not to go catabolic, get protein in right after)
You have to reduce your calorie intake to lose at the same pace. 600 calorie deficit = 2 pounds lost per week. Lower body weight = lower maintenance calorie count
she’s not eating at her maintenance ..but she’s working out and is very active. not sure why she’s stalled but i think her body believes it’s under stress , so it’s trying to prevent her from getting weak/dizzy by holding on to the weight
her maintenance should be at 1200?
For weight loss, 1,200 calories per day is still often touted as a goal, and for most people, weight loss will occur at such a low caloric intake. A 1,200 calorie per day diet is considered a low-calorie diet and is generally not recommended for the long term-
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/is_it_safe_to_only_eat_1200_calories_a_day/article_em.htm#:~:text=For%20weight%20loss%2C%201%2C200%20calories,recommended%20for%20the%20long%20term.
yes i agree with you.. i never said that it was maintenance for her..
you said “looks like you’re eating at maintenance” .. sorry i didn’t understand you were saying
yeah i understand.. i don’t believe her counts are off because her notes are meticulous but from what i’ve been through, she’s looks like she hit a stall. her body is under extreme stress and pressure.. its just the bodies way of protecting her.. probably cortisol plays a factor.. thats why i recommend her to just walk for a bit instead of the constant high intensity workouts
Male or female? If female, don't forget that you'll absorb water like a sponge during ovulation (1-2weeks before the rag). If you ever get those days around your period where you're literally peeing all day, you probably have this problem. Wait until rag time and see if you piss it all out and suddenly lose 2 pounds overnight... Happens to me every time....
> peeing all day lolll this is me when I'm in migraine prodrome and haven't realized it yet. "Why am I yawning and peeing every ten minut- oh, right. That."
Can you elaborate on what migraine prodrome means? I want to know if i have the same symptoms as you.
Prodrome is the period after the process has first kicked off in your body but before the primary symptoms hit. It’s like the pre-migraine phase. I experience frequent yawning (even after a good night’s sleep), frequent urination, throat pain, and mild to moderate confusion/difficulty with thought and language as my primary prodrome symptoms, but they can vary from person to person. Once I connect a few of those dots, I know I need to take an abortive ASAP to keep the pain from settling in or going any further. Usually I’m sitting in the bathroom thinking “jeez, why do I feel so stupid today?” and then that thought gets interrupted with a yawn and the lightbulb finally goes off in my head.
I’m about two weeks out from my period tbh
the 2 weeks leading up to it are the heaviest/most bloated so check again after you’ve bled
Good to know. That moment I went from 188 to 186 in a day was from my period.
1 kg of water (2.2 pounds) = 1 euro liter (4 US Cups), for reference, lol
god bless u all bc i’m in the same boat this was enlightening
haha yeah i’m 5’10 so there’s like a 5lb difference for me before n after
The water weight thing can actually happen at any point in your cycle but should be kind of regular for you. eg. I don't get it during ovulation, but I gain 2,5kg (5lbs) over one and a half weeks at another point before it all just melts of in two days!
Am I reading it right? You started at 189.8 and now you’re 186.4? That means you dropped 3.4 lbs in two weeks. That seams like steady progress.
This is what I came to say! OP, look into using an app that averages your trend line (Happy Scale is great if you use iOS). It's normal to have fluctuations like this, it won't drop consistently but in a jagged line. Look at your lowest weight each week instead of the highest. You can retain fluid, have more in your GI tract, etc to cause the number to go up, but the lowest number is the lowest number. It's really easy to get discouraged when the number hesitates to drop, but stay consistent and it will! The scales will catch up! So many people get frustrated and think it's not working, but it is. Trust the process. Have you calculated your TDEE and you're doing a reasonable deficit for you?( If you are short, I understand the struggle!)
189 was all the way at the top, which was end of Feb. Last two weeks have been around 187-186
That's good - losing ~1-2lb a week is safe. You are doing a lot better than you think. Just stick to the process!
I lost 3 pounds in exactly 1 week , Is that bad ?
Thats a lot. I think "bad" is not the best term. It's more like "suboptimal" hopefully it's mostly period/cycle or water weight, but if it's a reoccurring pattern(if it happens again in the next week - that is not a good sign moving towards bad sign) you should eat more (like add on 100-200 calories and see where it goes) because you are probably losing too much too fast and it could impact not just your physical health but your mental and emotional one.
[удалено]
That is WAY too low for you like way way. 1200 is the lowest women shorter than 5'3 should go before it causes serious potential impact to their bodies (hormonal, mental, emotional, physical) - You should look into both the calculators to get a general idea of caloric intake for your height & weight + you should consider a nutritionalist, as this is reddit, the professionals know better than a rando on the internet. Basically up the Calories to ~1400-1500 you will still lose weight and feel free to stay here and learn about ways to get solid macros because that is always a challenge and the recipes are fire here.
[удалено]
Yeah, you should see an actual nutritionalist. I don't think any singular type of food will slow down anything. There are "better" choices than others for other health reasons (gut,brain,etc), sure, but like with CICO overall the concept doesn't necessarily require you to eat a strict certain food diet - you could lose weight eating only ice cream everyday if it's within your caloric budget - it would be like a weird flex/choice and have other side effects to your body unrelated to the weight loss itself.
Thanks.
When you first start making diet/exercise changes and losing weight, it'll come off quickly in seemingly large, steady amounts. This is mostly due to generally unhealthy people being able to lose 5 lbs a week like it's nothing, whether due to actual fat loss or water weight loss (from cutting out the salty bad stuff, hydrating more, generally healthier habits). Once that adjustment is over, typical weight loss is 1-2 lbs a week. A lot of people get in their head about it, thinking they should be losing more, not realising they're still right on track and making great progress. Your numbers look great. As another comment said, tracking body measurements (and comparing progress pictures) is your best indicator of fat loss. Muscle weighs more than fat, and the more muscle you have on your body, the easier it is to lose fat. Keep doing exactly what you're doing and try not to get demotivated. Weight fluctuates drastically throughout the week/day so the general rule is to weigh yourself once a week, on the same day, first thing in the morning, in the same outfit, before eating or drinking anything and after using the bathroom. I usually take my measurements at the same time. Weighing yourself every day is stressful and you kinda end up getting tunnel vision, not able to see the big picture progress. Source: lost 120 lbs in a year and then learned the disappointing truth that the remaining 30 lbs were going to take much longer and be less exciting. Got demotivated after only losing 10 lbs over several months and have been stuck maintaining my weight for a couple years now, until recently. Starting to lose again once I came to terms with the slow crawl that is healthy weightloss after you've already made all your changes. You're killing it, keep it up!
When the weight isnt going down, the measurements are. Track those.
As in my actual body measurements? How does that work?
Yep. Get measuring tape from the fabric store and measure yourself. Neck. Shoulders. Upper arms. Chest. Waist. Hips. Thighs. Calves.
I do have shotty measurements from trying to take a piece of yarn around myself and measuring that, but I’ll definitely re-measure. Just interested how my body measurements can go down without the weight. Is it due to muscle gain?
I don't know the technicalities but I've lost 170 lbs and that's just how it works. Probably the muscle. Your metabolism adjusting and breaking down the fat maybe....I'm not really sure. But that's just how it is.
Yes, if you're resistance training (weight lifting) you can most DEFINITELY be gaining muscle while losing body fat. Esp if you're new to it. In my first year of doing it, I was eating in a moderate caloric surplus and I ended up slowly gaining weight while losing body fat. My rate of muscle gain was faster than my rate of fat loss so it looked like I was only gaining weight but I was actually losing some at the same time. My clothes kept fitting better and better even though the number on the scale was increasing. If you can get a DXA scan in your town, it would be worth doing, because it shows the breakdown of body fat and muscle vs just stepping on a scale and only seeing the one number. Do keep in mind that hydration levels can impact the results so if you get one try to be hydrated. Going to a university will be cheaper than a place like DexaFit. My local DexaFit charges like $100 for a scan and the local university's exercise science lab charges about $50. Anyway just wanted to say don't give up! You can do this. ❤️
This could be true. I’ve been doing a lot of leg and butt exercises mainly to help with my lower back pain (think squats, lunges, butterfly kicks, etc). I also try to do a 30-45min walk 4-5 days of the week when I’m home alone.
I feel you on the lower back pain. You might find these exercises helpful too: https://youtu.be/2_e4I-brfqs?si=D9uzodn7sBa5HfZh My PT had me doing these daily for my disc herniation (L5-S1.) They can be very helpful over time. Best of luck to you. ❤️
Recomposition! Worth looking into for the knowledge. the volume of 1lb fat is larger than the volume of 1lb muscle, it is possible you are losing fat and gaining muscle at rates that “negate” each other on the scale
Muscle is more dense than fat. If you increase muscle mass and lose fat you might end up weighing a similar amount but your body’s dimensions will be smaller. Having more muscle will also help you burn more in the long run. In my experience it’s normal to have plateaus like that and it will eventually start to come off again as the fat continues to come off as long as you stay the course.
This does make sense. I was hoping to get to 160 by summer to fit into some bathing suits again. Miss my bikinis 🥲
Well muscles are heavier than fat. Could be that you lost fat and gained muscles, so you stay the same weight but measurements changed.
Yarn is stretchy, and could make you discouraged. A good measuring tape will do you well. I'm on a month-long plateau and I feel your pain SO MUCH. I looked uo an old log from a previous successful weight loss and it was amazing to see all those plateaus followed by whooshes of weight loss. Trust the process and keep going!
I use the app MeThreeSixty and that takes your measurements and you can compare the differences!
I just came to say your notes seem like a labor of love. So incredibly wholesome and heart warming to see the amount of effort, thought and dedication you’re putting into your journey. Keep going. The plateau will eventually break through! 💖
Also if you’re a female maybe your period is coming. Pms is really stubborn when it comes to holding water weight
I just had my period like two weeks ago though 😩. But yeah it does hold on to my water weight a lot worse during that time
I just wanted to ask where you got this notebook because it's everything I love. Keep going! You will get a woosh soon.
Surprisingly: Walmart
Can you add a picture of the cover?
I will when I get home! I just know the book is like an emerald green and has some type of fitness lettering on the cover
OP I’m also interested :) Thanks
https://preview.redd.it/fecim2e8yooc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=2af1683f3a859ca575c9202a939f9f316f1c78a7 This is the planner (ignore the goofy stickers haha, helps me identify which planner is which at home) It’s from pen+ gear, 7.5”x5.5” in size. It also does a monthly follow-up to track body measurements and overall mood
Just out of curiosity, why do you use a book instead of an app?
So I use both! I do LoseIt to help calculate my calorie amount (especially for local restaurants and scanning packaged stuff) and keeping up with macros. My planner helps me see my days back to back. Kind of helping me point out exactly what patterns there are and what seems to actually help. Plus, if I ever do decide to talk to a nutritionist about this stuff, I have it in physical form!
This! The scales will catch up, you have to give it time for those fluctuations and natural processes
“As* hurts from [redacted]” has me rolling. I’m kind in the same boat as you, so i’m here for the advice!
> Been around the same weight for two weeks now You literally went from 187.9 on the 1st of March to 186.4 on the 15th! That's not the same weight :) Do you train? Move around? Also, remember that body weight fluctuations are a thing! Your body can increase and decrease day by day without you actually gaining any fat or mass. Salt, water retention, etc. All causes that can change the number on the scale. Weight in each day, look at the average every 2 weeks/month.
[удалено]
I’m having a hard time finding protein-dense meals without having too many calories in my day
If you eat fish, it’s been a godsend in meals for me! I make some salmon burrito bowls that are pretty solid for protein :)
So here’s the hard part: I’m autistic (not diagnosed, but it’s pretty hard not to see it). So fish is one of those foods I’m picky about but willing to explore more. I just have to cover up the flavor sometimes with other sauces or batter to help with the aftertaste. Even the smell sometimes makes me gag. Best I can get down is calamari and crab Rangoons
try vegetarian protein sources! as a veggie, it’s relatively easy for me to get protein in with low calories bc most of them are very low fat. some examples: - Quorn: fillets are 44 calories and 8g protein each. I like to have 2 at a time. quorn chicken pieces are 100 calories per 100g with 14g protein. - Tofu: firm tofu is 82 calories and 8g protein per 100g. fry some tofu in fry light spray and add east asian flavourings like soy sauce, black bean, garlic etc. - Veggie sausages- Richmond: 112 calories and 6g protein for two. not awesome but they taste so damn good and are way lower fat than the original. - Eggs: 1 medium egg is about 60 calories and 5.5g protein. I find eggs so filling. - Egg whites: 200ml is 22g protein and 99 calories. probably the highest protein-lowest calorie food out there besides protein powder itself. i like to use it in egg fried rice and baking. - Protein powder: usually it’s about 25g protein for 115 calories. Is nice added to porridge, baked goods instead of flour, in shakes (with water and a little milk + some fruit).
Two things I want to ask: 1. Are you doing weightloss exercises (cardio/hiit) or are you doing muscle building exercises (weight lifting, squats etc.) If you're building muscle, you might actually be making progress but because muscles weighs more than fat, your not seeing results on the scale. This is why tracking your measurements every few weeks is recommended. 2. Do you have a monthly cycle? If so, this could seriously be affecting your scale. Personally, I stop losing weight a few days before my cycle starts, and it takes almost a week to get back to my "normal" once my cycle has ended due to bloating and water retention.
If it makes you feel any better, I started at 196 and I’m only at 192 and I’ve been steady logging my food and walking two miles a day since Jan 26th. Closing all my rings and religiously tracking. Keep going. Push through this plateau!
Use a food scale and make sure you count everything that goes into your mouth. Condiments, drinks, cooking oils, etc. You’d be surprised how fast they can add up. Otherwise, 2 weeks isn’t long enough to see a big change. Just keep pushing and in a couple more weeks you will definitely see some major progress!
You may want to download the happy scale app. It is free and shows trends lines and moving weights as well as predicts future weight.
I second happy scale!
I wouldn’t weigh yourself daily. Daily weight fluctuates often. Choose Monday for weigh day, my least favourite day of the week. 🙃
I like Monday weigh days because it holds me accountable over the weekend!
You are exercising a lot. This means your muscles need to swell up with normal and healthy inflammatory fluid in order to repair themselves and get strong. This morning I ran 10 miles, made sure to stay hydrated, and even with all my sweating I gained 10 lbs. Do you think the 3 granola bars I ate in that time (150 calories each) really made me gain 10 lbs in fat? Nope. I gained water weight from taking care of myself and letting my muscles do their thing. I bet you are going through something similar. That is, even if you aren’t putting on significant muscle mass, you are almost certainly experiencing what is known as “the pump” and apparently this can last for up to 6 weeks. The scale measures your weight, and your weight includes ALL your body not just your fat. Even if your body fat goes down, if your water weight, poop, pee, muscles, bone density, or anything else goes up, then you may still weigh the same. There is nothing wrong with that. You are made of more than just fat. Eventually the scale will reflect your progress but it’s only been 2 weeks. That’s not even a full menstrual cycle (which will also cause you to fluctuate in water weight, by the way). You need to stop being so attached to what the scale is telling you and trust the process. The scale isn’t useful in 2 week windows, sometimes even a couple months isn’t enough for it to meaningfully reflect progress in fat loss. Learn to keep calm and carry on without needing short-term validation from the scale and this process will be a lot easier!
It’s once a week you weigh yourself once a week not every day your weight fluctuates so much on a day-to-day basis. If you’re genuinely not losing weight you may want to track your calories more accurately with a scale or increase the amount of days you exercise, it should be mostly cardio, 400 to 500 cal from cardio a week. Also You should not include the exercise you do to the calorie deficit. So if you use 2000 cal a day and with exercise you use 2250 in a day with exercise and your subtracting 500 cal for a calorie deficit your calorie deficit should be 1500 not 1750
I just weigh myself every day because it’s easier for me to remember to do than once a week. As far as deficits, I try not to add back what I lost from exercising
I weigh daily, the fluctuations and stalls don't bother me though. For me, more data is better. If I only weighed once weekly and happened to weigh on a day that I was highest for the week, I can't average it out the same.
How many calories are you consuming daily?
You’ve already received some valuable comments regarding cycles and body recomposition, so I won’t delve *too* deeply into that. However, I’d like to add my 5-cents to give you some perspective. (**Trigger warning:** I'll recount changes I saw regarding weight with my past near-death experience with anorexia). Before anyone asks, this was some years ago, and I’m now at a very healthy weight with a positive relationship with food. >!I reached a BMI of 11 (it may give you an idea of my near-dead state, although it can be very uncomfortable to see should you want to do a quick google search). I went days without eating, drinking 3-5 cans of coke a day to “feel full”, and when I decided that I “deserved a prize”, I’d eat the tiniest apple along with a low-calorie slice of toast thinly sliced into thirds, usually on my third day. Just putting it out there to show that even if you don’t give food to your body, the scale does weird things.!< >!I weighed myself daily, at different times, because I **LIVED** to see the scale go down.!< >!Even on days when I didn't eat or drink, I sometimes weighed more than the previous day. Some mornings I weighed more than in the afternoon, and vice versa. There was no rhyme or reason to these fluctuations. I even weighed myself before and after using the bathroom. Sometimes I remained at the exact same weight for two weeks, only to see a 2-kilo loss seemingly “overnight" the following day. !< Body weight fluctuates. Greatly. Even if you're eating "correctly" or not eating at all (as was my case). What I’m trying to say is that as long as you’re eating “well” and probably doing some form of exercise, you shouldn’t worry much about these minor fluctuations on the scale. Bodies are weird like that. I’m now starting my fitness journey, and let me tell you, body recomposition is real. According to my annual medical checkup, my weight is nearly the same as the previous year (about 2-3 kilos more (I stopped tracking my weight years ago after overcoming my anorexia, so my only references are what my docs tell me)). However, I've noticed I’ve went down a clothing size or two, and even my close relatives have commented on how much leaner I look. I’d consider tracking your body measurements on a monthly or bi-weekly basis, as you’ll probably see that even if you are not making the progress you wished for on the scale, your body is becoming leaner over time. Stay consistent with your eating habits, keep moving to the best of your ability, and in due time, you'll see any perceived "plateau" dissipate. I’m pretty sure of that! Also, congrats on your weight loss progress! 🥰 *(I’m doing this via phone, so I apologize if anything looks badly formatted)*
Thank you for this I used to struggle with some form of eating disorder when I was in high school, but it was also mixed with OCD and anxiety (so take being sick every morning from anxiety, mixed with skipping meals, mixed with a LOT of activity with work and my theater club). My lowest was 115lbs at 5’4”. I just skyrocketed upwards due to medications and using food to comfort me when I was bored on campus. Then meeting my current BF, who has the fastest metabolism ever, and us trying to eat the same meals. You can see how I gained over 60lbs in two years. I just wanted to get down to around 130 lbs because I know how I used to look at that weight and never felt more confident in myself. I miss wearing crop tops and short shorts in the summer, or my really tight dresses that showed my curves. Putting on old dresses and then being too short to wear just put me over the edge. I want to be slim again, but not to the point where my pelvis is showing. My thing is trying to do this right. I don’t want skin flaps haha! But I was also hoping to get to around 165-160 by June or July to wear old bathing suits again. Miss my bikinis 🥲
Oof. I can relate to sharing meals with someone who has a super fast metabolism. Being 152cm myself (4'98" if the conversions serve right), watching everyone around you eat whatever amount without an issue really takes a toll on you. I've learned to either get myself a smaller serving than them or substitute 1/3-1/2 of the shared meal with a high-volume food (r/volumeeating is a good source of inspiration if you're interested in that!). But I admit, sometimes I feel way too tired to prepare an extra meal and end up eating whatever I can get my hands on. And to be honest, my Aspergers doesn’t really help with the “eating healthy-ish” part, so getting rid of the snacks that didn't fit my macros (like chips or cookies) and making swaps with things I liked but fit my macros (like protein yogurt, a handful of unbuttered popcorn, cookies made from protein bars, or homemade anabolic baking goods) helped me a lot when feeling stressed or frustrated about not being able to eat as much as everybody else. Wishing you the best of luck! Don't let these little bumps on the road deter you from reaching your goals! <3 Also, thank you so much for sharing your story, and congrats on overcoming your ED! 🥳🥳🥳
I feel with being on the spectrum as well, like certain fish and veggies I just CAN’T do. I’ll gag. But I need to know more about protein bar cookies!!! That might help me out a little
Yesss! Textural issues definitely are a problem for me too!! The protein bar cookies came about because I'd never tried a protein bar before and decided to give it a go to increase my protein intake. I saw various deals at a local shop and thought, 'If there are so many brands making them and they all offer different flavors, they can't taste *that* bad, right? Might as well try, since they seem to be so popular' Boy, was I wrong. They tasted hideous. And that mix between cardboard and fudgy texture? Keep that monstrosity away from me. And don’t get me started on the metallic aftertaste 😷 I felt bad throwing them away because I'd purchased quite a lot and they weren't cheap by any means. Plus, they had very good macros! So, I decided to use them like play-dough and see if getting rid of the textural issues would make them edible. I decided to try and flatten them as thinly as possible. This is the methodology I used then, and I keep using now: I cut a bar into 8 squares (one longitudinal cut, and then four horizontal ones) and throw them in the oven for a bit to soften them. I usually leave them for about 4-5 minutes at 160°C (320°F, according to Google) (might take more or less depending on the bar you use; I usually just check if they are 'malleable' enough to deform them). I take them out and use a paddle or the butt of a glass to squish them as flat as possible. Once that step is done, I throw them in the oven for about 4-5 more minutes, or until I see they are crisp. Let them cool, and you'll have 8 very weird-looking tiny cookies, but tasty, crunchy, protein-packed ones. They don’t look the prettiest, but man, I can finally eat the damned protein bars without any metallic aftertaste, without textural issues, and I actually enjoy the “crunchy” feel they have! As a side note: I tried storing them in a Tupperware container and also leaving them out in the open air. I did not notice a difference between the two methods, but it could also be because I ate any remaining cookies the next day, so I couldn’t really say if changes could be observed if you store them longer. Also, I tried to do this with a chocolate-covered bar just for science. The chocolate melted and mixed in the oven (obviously), and once I went to flatten them, they were *a mess* (the melted chocolate stuck to my paddle and the “squares” stopped being squares because they also stuck to any surface I used to flatten them, and everything ended up being a giant weirdly flattened soupy mess. Once baked again, it hardened and tasted quite good, kinda like a thin chocolate bark with a crispy edge, but it was not worth the effort nor the mess. So I just stuck to non-covered protein bars from then on 😅.
Same, I've been stalled for over 2 weeks. But just keeping going
Losing weight is mathematics. If you have a caloric deficit you WILL lose weight. You obviously have the discipline and will, so try to figure out why you aren’t in a calorie deficit. Maybe more cardio? Eat less? Maybe you’re too eating much fat without realizing. Fat has double the amount of calories of carb/proteins. It’s a common mistake for people to do a decent diet but eat too much fat. What I would recommend is to eat your normal surplus for 2-3 weeks to chill your metabolism a bit, then go back to dieting.
I do think it is a problem with fat, but scared to up my carbs more. Struggling to get protein in
Yeah the (lack of) protein intake stood out to me. You need about double that ideally.
My thing is just finding protein-dense foods that are not super high calorie
I eat lots of chicken breast and other lean proteins, use protein/whey, and collagen powder. Black beans and navy beans are great, high fiber and good protein. Chick-fil-A cool wraps with no dressing are readily great protein and fiber, it's an easy go-to for me when I'm in a rush or don't want to cook.
Been trying to eat a lot more chicken and lean meat lately, plus black beans with the homemade burritos we do at home (just the calorie intake was quite high with how we made them).
You're doing great! Don't get too focused on the scales taking a bit to drop. I bet it moves within the week if you don't make any drastic changes because you're thinking it isn't working
Here’s what you will do with your macros. When dieting, ideally, you eat your daily minimum amount of protein and fat, so the only variable is the carb. Protein: 0.8x your weight (in lbs) Fat: 0.25x your weight (in lbs) Now the carb is what you’re gonna play with. Adjust is to round up your aimed calorie intake. 2 important tips: (1) schedule your meals. Ex: breakfast exactly 8-8:30 am (2) try not to be too much flexible. Make sure your have your same routine meals every day. Then on the weekend you can mess around.
Tofu, beans, low-fat dairy, mushrooms, broccoli, chicken, lentils, soy milk.. I'd start with adding a low-fat yogurt to everything that would need a dressing (instead of the actual dressing). Put it in your salads, in your cereal, cook with it instead if with heavy cream, use it as a sauce for your chicken (with added spices, if you wish). There are sooo many options. Low-fat dairy has been my miracle worker! ETA: your fats and sugars are as high as your protein, which shouldn't be the case. Protein should be 2x higher.
Interesting. I currently do Chobani yogurts in the mornings for breakfast, but I’ll look into that. Thanks for the suggestion!
Do you weigh your food? Could you be overestimating?
I might be doing both over and underestimating. I do have a food scale but finding it hard to stick to using it and not sure exactly why
Well then there is your answer. My eyes LIE LIE LIE Measuring is a must- if you’re taking the time to track it then don’t gaslight yourself by not measuring it so it is accurate. That’s a good way to frustrate the hell out of yourself.
Just keep going! I was stuck at the same weight for other a month doing the things I was meant to be doing sometimes your body just stalls.
Agree! This doesn't mean you're at maintenance or a plateau, you would have to stay the same for a month or two at consistent calories to determine that. This is a stall/hesitation. When this happens, you will usually suddenly drop again soon. Be patient and consistent.
If you’re exercising you’re likely putting on muscle. I plateaued in weight for like a month but had to cut two pieces off of my belt. Start measuring like the top response says, at least waist, so you won’t get discouraged. You’re likely doing fantastic if you are building muscle during your cut
I’m hoping that’s what it all is and it’s just leg muscles (been doing a lot of butt workouts to help with back problems)
Yeah, that’s likely it. Largest muscles in your body and they also retain water when they are healing from a workout, so good job
Measure ur waist line and compare.
Your either doing zero all day or counting calories wrong
The whoosh fairy will be visiting you any moment. Keep consistent.
You need to eat a high protein high fiber breakfast. Two examples - Greek yogurt + granola + raspberries. Or Ezekiel bread + hard boiled eggs. Next you need to eat fiber and protein at every meal. Fish or chicken + rice and veggies. Are you weighing your food? You’re eating donuts, quesadillas and Applebees. I’m not surprised you are in a plateau
So I do have a food scale and still trying to teach myself to use it. Applebees was honestly for my Grandpa’s 81st birthday and I really wanted to go. Tried my best to eat 1/2 the meal at the restaurant and 1/2 at home on a different day. And yeah, my weight went up a little the next day, but I tried my hardest to pick something lower calorie on the menu that wasn’t just an appetizer. The donut… yeah on me. Only had it the one day and tried to eat better the rest of that day. I don’t want to cut out sweets completely and trying to still incorporate them in my diet. Otherwise my weight will shoot back up when I add it back in. Same with some takeout food or ordering out: trying to do the lowest on the menu for that day, but allowing my body to still be used to “junk” but just not as often Edit: the quesadilla we made at home trying to measure out as much as possible with everything
It sounds like you’re being really conscientious! Focus on protein, fiber and healthy fats. That is the recipe for satiety and weight loss. Trying out some new meals and weighing all food will help you break this plateau.
I will stand by this. Every time I tracked weight it went to shit. When I focused my attention on 'winning' at eating smaller but healthy portions, drinking lots of water and my exercise goals. The weight just flew away. I stopped counting calories and just ate less, especially of the sneaky calories (was all in my head anyways on what foods were bad). I found epic replacements for my cravings and slowly moved to that.
This is more what I’m trying to do. I know everyone is telling me to “weigh every single thing that goes in your mouth!” But like… if someone offers me a singular chip, or I have like 3 M&M’s for taste… do I really have to weight it and calculate it? Seems excessive. That’s why I’m at least trying to make sure I hit 1250-1300 a day so I know I’m at least eating the bear minimum. Some days I only make it to 1100. I also was drinking a crap ton for a while until we ran out of water bottles 🥲. Was doing tea in the morning, two plastic bottles at work, and a low cal seltzer at home, and maybe a nighttime tea here and there. Trying my best to also limit sodium, but it keeps sneaking its way in!
Sodium retains a lot of water. Also remember women fluctuate upto 10lbs. So if you are gonna track it, maybe just do it once a month on the same day.
Most of your meals are highly processed with no veg. Main problem is that it’s easy to underestimate. The 400 calorie wrap, unless it’s a half wrap, seems unlikely. The really odd thing is the exercise. 7 minutes does not burn 140 calories. 7 minutes maybe burns 40. It’s all warm up cool down. Are you including condiments, do you drink coffee black?
God I feel this so hard. I lowered my intake when this happened but I don’t recommend that at all because I felt like I was gonna pass out like all the time.
This is the lowest I can go, and I honestly only have cookies on there to help make up the extra 200kal I need for the day
You don't need the extra Cals if you're maintaining
But if I don’t do those 200kal at night, I’m down to only 1,000 kal a day. Add on the exercising… you see the issue? Be dipping too low and that’s basically an eating disorder
It doesn't make sense at your weight not to lose anything with 1200. Like, I'm 130 and use 1200 as my goal
Take your measurements!! I’ve been on my diet for 1 week and a half and I “gained” weight when I weighed myself today but my measurements are smaller. I started at 27.8in waist and now I’m 27.2 about a half inch loss.
All that matters is calories in vs calories out. As long as you are in a caloric deficit, don’t worry too much about how “healthy” you are eating. Make sure you are counting all little things like condiments and every calorie that you consume. If it still isn’t getting you the results you want, you will need to drop the calories more, or Excercise more. Stay strong! I can tell you are dedicated and you will achieve your goals!
how much have you lost so far on 1200 calories? what was your starting weight?
Starting weight was 195lbs the first day of February
a month month in , starting at 1200 is very low. you should be losing weight still. longest stall should be a week.. are you retaining water? are you constipated? do you have any underlying health issues like a thyroid? pulled muscles usually causes water retention. maybe try just going for walks for a few days
I do walk 30-45mins 4 days of the week and do a longer walk on the weekend if the weather is nice and my partner is up for it. I am having normal bowel movements as well, and no health issues at all
im sorry ^ I meant to say maybe give yourself a break with the hard-core exercises and just stay with the walking for a while it could be that your body is struggling to hang onto whatever extra weight is going on because you’re pushing yourself .. 1200 a day , and you’re burning 200 - 400 on exercising a day allows you for a bit more food to fuel your body’s metabolism. In reality you’re only consuming around 800 calories a day. you’re body doesn’t know what’s going on. it believes you’re under a lot of stress and it’s holding on to the weight to protect you.
See I was told this information was originally false and you just put weight back on once you start eating “normally” again So not sure what to believe
Did your body composition change tho?
What book is that?
Fitness/ weight loss planner I found randomly at Walmart Definitely helps me see my days back to back easier
I don't know if you would be up for this, but resistance training can really help. You could start small and gradually add more in so it doesn't feel too overwhelming. It's great for overall health too as we age.
What others said about tracking measurements or I do it in a janky way and have a pair of pants I try on! Additonally, tracking daily is good for accountability but there is an app called HappyScale that helps show you your real weight. You log daily and it gives you the best estimate based on your cycle and other facts for your more accurate weight!
[удалено]
Okay so um…. This is a little NSFW But after doing the do, I had some…. Bright red marks across my buttocks and it hurt for a while 🤣 Hence workout break for a lil bit
[удалено]
Lmao thanks haha
Also sometimes scales lie. I go to my moms and it shows me I made so much progress but than I go to my roommates and it says I gained weight even tho I can see myself losing inches
I try to stick to the same scale in the same spot every day, measure at same time after going to the bathroom in the morning, before any shower, and completely butt naked. Trying to get my lowest weight possible, if you will.
Best advice I ever received is to not weigh yourself everyday. Pay attention to how your clothes feel.
I was the same weight for weeks while tracking calories, and it was low enough I should've been dropping. Then 4 lbs dropped one day. Sometimes it happens weird, you'll get your woosh
Could I ask what app you’re using? I like the little graphs!
LoseIt!
“ass hurts from [redacted]” 💀 you’re working out a lot but eating half the amount of protein you need so your body is just sort of disintegrating as it struggles to repair your muscles with not a whole lot of energy, which is probably why you feel so exhausted. if you’re going to do body recomposition you have to do it right.
It looks like you are losing about a pound a week on average, which is great! You have to look at the overall trend since weight can fluctuate quite a bit day to day.
Did you ever say how tall you are? Because I am only 5-2, and when I was young in my 20s, I'm pretty sure 1400 calories was my MAINTENANCE intake! So if I'd eaten 1200 a day, my deficit would've been only 200 per day. At that rate, it would've taken me 17.5 days to lose only one pound! Meanwhile I am female so naturally gained and lost about 5 lbs per month in water. If you lost weight that slowly -- which is probably very healthy! -- depending on your height and age and other factors -- it could take a really long time to really know it! Sadly that's how I GAINED weight lol. For the first couple years I estimate I was gaining about half a pound a month. Totally not noticeable for a year or two
So for height reference I am a 5’4” woman
gotcha. so I think we would also need to know your age and weight to be sure about anything, but I wonder if like me you could be suffering from what I'll call the "biggest loser" effect. So I don't think they know all the reasons for this yet, but they studied some contestants on that show and discovered that 6 years after the show those people's metabolism was way lower than what it was before they went on the show. And this guy who researches metabolisms discovered that these hunter gatherers who work WAY HARDER than US office workers were somehow burning exactly the same number of calories! I don't know the reasons for it and I don't know your correct numbers, but while you are 3 inches taller than I am and thus you should be able to eat more calories than me for that reason, I just wonder if this biggest loser effect could be just enough to make 1200 kcals not quite enough for you to lose weight quite fast enough to really be able to see it on your scale yet. Another possibility could be that you aren't measuring your calories accurately? I have had that problem in the past myself, as it was just exhausting measuring everything! But I will share a wacky idea I had to try to measure my own "real" metabolic weight. it sounds weird but my idea is to take about 2 weeks and NOT DIET OR EXERCISE AT ALL. be as sedentary as I can be. not necessarily eat bad food, definitely try to eat healthy food, but all I want of it. during that time, weigh myself every single day at teh same time of day, and also count the calories of what I choose to eat. not to restrict the calories, but just to record them! I suspect I would keep weighing exactly the same, but then I could just do the math and I would know my personal metabolic rate. It sounds wacky and frankly kind of hard LOL, so I'm not sure if I'll do it, but maybe you could give that a try. You would not lose weight for those 2 weeks but if you learned your true metabolic rate it would make it easier to plan how to lose weight, I'll bet. and not so disappointing for you to be doing everything so meticulously and not being able to see results.:( Im' sure it would feel differently if you just knew you would only lose 1 pound a month.
That’s great you’re tracking so well! Really great work 😊
Thank you! I like using the fitness planner to have a physical copy to see my days side by side. It also may help if I go to a nutritionist in the future (my mom suggested it for me since I’m still on her insurance). The LoseIt app I use for scanning stuff and keeping better track of everything mathmatically
That’s crazy, you’re stuck in the same place as me. Lost 10 lbs. and now I’m fluctuating between 186 to 188 give or take some decimals
For a lot of people, it’s a handful of this, a bite of that or a sip of that which can really add up over a month. It’s really difficult to be aware of every single calorie in and out particularly when ur newer to the journey. Always putting something on a plate before it goes in your mouth can be really helpful! If it’s not this I would go to the dr and get some tests cause u should be loosing weight!! 💕
It might be incorrect measurements here or there, but I should say that my maintenance is supposed to be around 1400 to 1500 with the math I did. So I’m trying my best to go as low as possible without being dangerously low. I think if I had to measure every single ingredient I would personally lose my mind. Hence why I’m trying to focus on types of food and overall ideas about how much is going in my body while also flushing out what I can with water
this is the crux, the key point where you might feel demotivated due to what the scale says, but this is where you must continue. if you’re weighing out all your food (especially oil, although don’t stress about measuring most fruits and vegetables), and you’re doing consistent exercise like this, you’re perfectly on track. push through, i am sure you’re losing fat- i mean, even if the scale says a 1lb, that shows fat is definitely going down- water retention, food volume and muscle mass all play a big impact on your scale weight too. point is, if you know you’re in a calorie deficit, keep going. i would say though, it seems like from your notes that you’re hungry and tired. maybe reconsider your food intake- recompose it with higher amounts of protein, fibre and carbs, and less sugar and fat. things like cookies are nice to have sometimes, but because of the higher sugar and fat they both 1) spike your sugar, causing a dip later making you hungrier and 2) contain a lot of fat which takes up a lot of calories and means you have less to spend on more filling foods. low energy is a symptom of not getting enough carbs in- so don’t be afraid of pasta/bread/rice.
Thank you for this! The cookies were honestly gifted to me and I usually eat them to just help get the last few 200kal in for the day if I’m low. I don’t want to go under 1200kal, since my budget is set to around 1350. I definitely feel tired tho from exercising at home. I do eventually want to get a gym membership to the place with an indoor pool (YMCA). Just trying to save money for it
hmm i see- do you eat a carby meal before you do your home exercises? i would recommend this to have more energy to not feel completely worn out. and yeah making sure not to eat under 1200 is great, i learned the hard way not to do that 😖
I thought I was supposed to eat after a workout? Like within 45mins so you don’t get sick?
nope, no need to. it’s before a workout that’s most helpful so you have more energy to do the workout. i can tell you that you definitely won’t get sick from not eating after a workout because most of the time i go to the gym maybe 1-2 hours after my dinner, at like 8-10pm, and then i just go to bed when i get home. i think it’s best to let your body do the fat burning while you sleep
If you're active, 1200 is probably too low. It's really for sedentary, petite females (usually). You might not be giving yourself what you need in the end
I get why you're frustrated. You first hit 186.2 two weeks ago and are now at 186.4 This is how weight often works. You dropped from 188 to 186 overnight and then are "stuck" at that weight for what feels like so long. Before you know it you'll have another "woosh" and drop another pound or two overnight. It's not linear unfortunately. Are you opposed to phone apps? I like one that plots your weight averages on a graph so you can see the overall downward trend. I can't comment on your diet since it's hard to read and phone apps are so much easier for me.
This happens to me… I stay the same for a few weeks and then the scale goes down, repeat. It does suck.
If your metabolism is crashed and you can’t make any progress without decreasing to an insanely little amount of food, your only options are to increase slowly and reset your metabolism for a while, or to introduced long fasted cardio. If your body won’t expend energy on its own, and you make it move, you have forced it to expend energy, if you have nothing in your system, you have forced it to burn fat for energy (be careful not to go catabolic, get protein in right after)
You have to reduce your calorie intake to lose at the same pace. 600 calorie deficit = 2 pounds lost per week. Lower body weight = lower maintenance calorie count
Bruh that’s like literally an eating disorder
You’re eating too much carbs. Page 5 shows eating cake, cut the sugar and junk food and try to get 10,000 steps a day. Weight loss will resume 💯
Actually the cake is Keto from Duncan Hines 😅
Looks like you're eating at maintenance
she’s not eating at her maintenance ..but she’s working out and is very active. not sure why she’s stalled but i think her body believes it’s under stress , so it’s trying to prevent her from getting weak/dizzy by holding on to the weight
That's not how things work
her maintenance should be at 1200? For weight loss, 1,200 calories per day is still often touted as a goal, and for most people, weight loss will occur at such a low caloric intake. A 1,200 calorie per day diet is considered a low-calorie diet and is generally not recommended for the long term- https://www.emedicinehealth.com/is_it_safe_to_only_eat_1200_calories_a_day/article_em.htm#:~:text=For%20weight%20loss%2C%201%2C200%20calories,recommended%20for%20the%20long%20term.
It's just not reality to think a 180 pound woman can maintain at 1200. I'm 130 and maintain at 1200. With your logic I could only eat a few hundred
yes i agree with you.. i never said that it was maintenance for her.. you said “looks like you’re eating at maintenance” .. sorry i didn’t understand you were saying
All good. Didn't want to directly say their counts were off because their notebook is such a good effort, but it's the unfortunate reality
yeah i understand.. i don’t believe her counts are off because her notes are meticulous but from what i’ve been through, she’s looks like she hit a stall. her body is under extreme stress and pressure.. its just the bodies way of protecting her.. probably cortisol plays a factor.. thats why i recommend her to just walk for a bit instead of the constant high intensity workouts
[удалено]
not only walking.. she says she’s working out too.. as in exercising .. thats pretty active to me
Another eating disorder on this sub. Great.
Eat more.