Weight Loss Questions!!! HELP!

[bookworm0901]

Hello!!

I started trying to lose weight at the end of January and I lost 35 pounds! yay! I still have about 15 to go but recently I've just STOPPED losing weight. It doesn't seem to matter what I do. I'm going to give you guys a little bit of info about what I've been doing and maybe someone can help me identify the problem?

OK:

--I started losing weight by using MyFitnessPal and straight up counting calories.
--I'm pretty strong willed and I've been very dedicated to counting every single calorie. When I stopped losing, I got even stricter on myself and went from 1320 cal/day to 1200. It didn't make a bit of difference.
--I stopped breastfeeding not long after I stopped losing weight (but my DD is 13 months old and was only nursing 1x/day anyway).
--In the past week, I added cardio to try and help, no difference. I started 30 mins on the treadmill every other day (and I did 1 hour one day).

I don't understand what the problem is, but I did read that if you cut calories too much, your body goes into "starvation mode" and holds on to every single pound. This *might* be the case because sometimes if I'm feeling pretty good, I'll end the day on 1000 calories or 1100. But if this is the case, what do I do to get back on track?! I'm so disappointed because I've seen great results and now- nothing. And I'm working SO hard to have NOTHING to show for it!!

Help? advice?

 

[Kitteh_Kat]

Starvation mode, as the term thrown around on MyFitnessPal, is a myth. Are you weighing and measuring everything? You could be eating more than you think. Your body could be used to your routine. The closer you get to an ideal weight, the harder it is. (/weep)

If you haven't tried this yet, here is what works for me to get over a stall:

-take a break. Sounds anti-productive, but taking time off and then jumping back into it always helps getting back to the scale dropping. Also helps practice maintaining for when you reach goal!
-try a new exercise to shake things up I recommend hiit)

Well done on your loss so far!

 

[Carlinator]

I wouldn't say that starvation mode is a myth necessarily; rather, different calorie intakes/activity affect everyone differently. I know for a fact my metabolism slowed down to "hold onto every pound" when I was restricting too much (I was only eating about 600 calories a day, however - eating disorder, not traditional dieting).

I also recently realized I wasn't eating enough, and wondered why my weights been stuck. So I tried eating more, and I am actually starting to lose a little by eating more (not much at all, but if I were to add exercise that would be different). That may not be the case for everyone though!

I do agree with the above poster that maybe a break would be good! Try to give your body time to recover between workouts. Perhaps you could then try varying your calories, day 1 - 1200 calories, day 2 - 1400, day 3 - 1600, and start over.

Good luck!

 

[mrsclt]

You may be burning off fat and gaining muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat so it can look like your not losing weight. Try measuring around your waistline, hips, arms, bust and thighs to see if your losing cms

 

[DCS]

I agree with the above. Take a break, switch things up. Then get back into it. There have been weeks where I have gained a few lbs but lost inches. Also take pictures. I look in the mirror and don't see any change but I look at my pictures from when I started and over the last few months and there is a HUGE change.

 

[Kelskiii]

Maybe change things up a bit, change your eating habits, try cutting back on bread/carbs see if it makes a difference to give your body a quick change ... then introduce them back in slowly.

Also exercise will start building muscle, try measuring yourself see if you are changing shape!

Good luck

 

[Aayla]

1) 1000 calories is not enough food. Especially if you are working out. While a big calorie loss will make you lose weight in the beginning it will stop (as you have noticed). You need more food. There are many sites that can give you the approx amount of calories you need at rest. This is the amount that you need to just lay and do nothing that allows your body to function at peak efficiency. Gone are the days of 1200 calorie or less diets with only cardio. This is ancient, out dated thinking and will do more harm than good.

2) muscle doesn't weigh more than fat. a pound is a pound. That being said it is denser and takes up less space. But women gain muscle at such a small rate it is barely noticeable on the scale. it usually isn't until closer to goal that you will notice your body getting smaller but the weight stays the same. If this happens while still being sufficiently overweight (or even obese) then something is wrong and needs to be tweaked. (sometimes it can be a hormone imbalance). I don't know where you are in your goals but like others said, start tracking inches lost as well.

3) look into a program that can help. I recommend something like the 21 day fix. Portion control, makes you get in the proper amount of veggies, protein fat and carbs and has workouts. If you can't get it in your area then google it. Lots of people have put the info out there to follow. I lost 8 lbs and 7.5 inches in 21 days. So far it is the only thing that, when I follow it consistently, works for me. I have tried low carb, paleo, atkins, weight watchers, tracking calories. You name it. Knowing how much you need and how big each serving should be is amazing.

4) start weight training. No you will not get bulky like a body builder. Like I said, women put on muscle at a slow rate. But you will start to notice your arms taking some shape, as well as your butt and thighs. Everything starts to tighten up and you will lose inches. Also, more muscle on the body means your body burns more fat at rest. BUT you will need to eat more. You need to feed muscles not starve them.