Weight loss has stopped

[youknowit84]

My weight loss has taken a strange turn the past few weeks and not sure what to do to get back on track. I started dieting beginning of october and have gone from 201 to 170 in that span (16 weeks). On January 1st I was 170 though and haven't lost anything since then (25 days). The scaled has been jumping back and forth between 169 and 171 for the past 25 days but is usually pretty stable at 170. I've been eating 1200-1300 calories for the past 2 months now. I don't really want to decrease any further but do I need to? Should I try increasing my calories? Should I take a break from dieting for a month or so and come back?

[air2fakie]

Try a different scale.

[EiFit91]

My weight loss has taken a strange turn the past few weeks and not sure what to do to get back on track. I started dieting beginning of october and have gone from 201 to 170 in that span (16 weeks). On January 1st I was 170 though and haven't lost anything since then (25 days). The scaled has been jumping back and forth between 169 and 171 for the past 25 days but is usually pretty stable at 170. I've been eating 1200-1300 calories for the past 2 months now. I don't really want to decrease any further but do I need to? Should I try increasing my calories? Should I take a break from dieting for a month or so and come back?

You are eating way more than 1200-1300 calories. You need to clean up your counting.

But post a picture of your physique, at 170 you may not need to cut further at the moment.

[youknowit84]

You are eating way more than 1200-1300 calories. You need to clean up your counting.

But post a picture of your physique, at 170 you may not need to cut further at the moment.

theres no way i'm eating way more than that. i can see maybe 50-100 cals over, at best. i count and weigh everything though so I don't see how i can be more than 50 cals over

[EiFit91]

theres no way i'm eating way more than that. i can see maybe 50-100 cals over, at best. i count and weigh everything though so I don't see how i can be more than 50 cals over

You are lying to yourself. See sig below.

[air2fakie]

theres no way i'm eating way more than that. i can see maybe 50-100 cals over, at best. i count and weigh everything though so I don't see how i can be more than 50 cals over

If you're fully confident in your cal intake and scale integrity, maybe check for a tumor or other mass growing inside of you.

[TolerantLactose]

theres no way i'm eating way more than that. i can see maybe 50-100 cals over, at best. i count and weigh everything though so I don't see how i can be more than 50 cals over

Then you're saying 1200-1300 is your maintenance.

[Darkius]

I'm 160 and my maintainance is 2000 cals when I'm sedentary.

Also, I'd feel very hungry at 1300 cal, unless I had a physical job to distract me. Obese people can go that low.

[xsquid99]

1200-1300 calories for the past 2 months now

No you haven't. My 120 lb wife can lose on 1200 calories a day. You might think you've be eating that *some* days, but guarantee you're not every day. Its the weekly calorie average that really matters.

Also, post a photo for best advice.

[EliKoehn]

OP, would you mind enumerating one of your days' counted allotments? If you really are precisely measuring and counting everything, that should be easily done.

[Darkius]

OP, would you mind enumerating one of your days' counted allotments? If you really are precisely measuring and counting everything, that should be easily done.

Yep. Op, show us a screen shot of your food log notebook entries for the past week.

Yesterday, I almost hit 1500-1600 calories, but then I chowed down on a few handfuls of almonds. None logged. Do you ever have a cheat snack and not log it?

[youknowit84]

Yep. Op, show us a screen shot of your food log notebook entries for the past week.

Yesterday, I almost hit 1500-1600 calories, but then I chowed down on a few handfuls of almonds. None logged. Do you ever have a cheat snack and not log it?

i don't keep a food log recorded for the week, i just log it for the day to keep track and then start over for the next. I know i was at 1230 yesterday though and 1360 the day before that. i log everything though. in the 4 months i've been dieting theres only been 3-4 times i've ever not recorded a snack or meal. even then though i went back at the end of the day and came up with an estimated count.

[youknowit84]

OP, would you mind enumerating one of your days' counted allotments? If you really are precisely measuring and counting everything, that should be easily done.

this was yesterday:

breakfast - 2 eggs and 2 turkey bacon and guacamole (240 cals)

lunch - oatmeal with tbl spoon pb (300 cals)

snack - greek yogurt (300 cals)

dinner - turkey burger (200 cals)

snack - 2 tbl spoons peanut butter (190 cals)

[EiFit91]

this was yesterday:

breakfast - 2 eggs and 2 turkey bacon and guacamole (240 cals)

lunch - oatmeal with tbl spoon pb (300 cals)

snack - greek yogurt (300 cals)

dinner - turkey burger (200 cals)

snack - 2 tbl spoons peanut butter (190 cals)

Using «table spoons» as a unit of measure is the first indicator of inaccurate counting.

It is the average that matters. There’s no way in hell you are sustaining a 1200-1300 daily average in a week or month. And certainly no way you would be maintaining on that intake.

I’ll never get why people make threads like this and then start arguing with everyone. If you knew what you are doing you wouldn’t have made this thread. Stop lying to yourself about what you are putting into your mouth.

In any case, none of this may matter as it’s not obvious from your weight that you should be cutting. We cannot tell if you don’t post a picture.

[tadpole25]

For a male to maintain a 170 lb body, they need to eat at least 1700-1800 calories even if they were sedentary. 2000-3000 if they're physically active.

There's no way you're eating 1300 calories and staying at 170. You're not tracking your calories correctly

[xsquid99]

this was yesterday:

breakfast - 2 eggs and 2 turkey bacon and guacamole (240 cals)

lunch - oatmeal with tbl spoon pb (300 cals)

snack - greek yogurt (300 cals)

dinner - turkey burger (200 cals)

snack - 2 tbl spoons peanut butter (190 cals)

No weight in grams = inaccurate counting

[youknowit84]

Using «table spoons» as a unit of measure is the first indicator of inaccurate counting.

It is the average that matters. There’s no way in hell you are sustaining a 1200-1300 daily average in a week or month. And certainly no way you would be maintaining on that intake.

I’ll never get why people make threads like this and then start arguing with everyone. If you knew what you are doing you wouldn’t have made this thread. Stop lying to yourself about what you are putting into your mouth.

In any case, none of this may matter as it’s not obvious from your weight that you should be cutting. We cannot tell if you don’t post a picture.

so because i didn't weigh 3 tablespoons of peanut butter that means im off by hundreds of calories? you're on here telling me i dont know how to count and i'm the one arguing? there is no way me not weighing that pb is the difference in hundreds of calories. i came here to ask for advice on whether i should take a break from dieting because maybe my metabolism has slowed or if i should cut my calories further. instead, you just came on here and said "you're not counting correctly" with no supporting evidence to make such a claim.

[air2fakie]

so because i didn't weigh 3 tablespoons of peanut butter that means im off by hundreds of calories? you're on here telling me i dont know how to count and i'm the one arguing? there is no way me not weighing that pb is the difference in hundreds of calories. i came here to ask for advice on whether i should take a break from dieting because maybe my metabolism has slowed or if i should cut my calories further. instead, you just came on here and said "you're not counting correctly" with no supporting evidence to make such a claim.

Well I think everyone ignored your proposed solution of increasing your cals since it was non-sensical.

The same way you ignored my logical proposals that - giving you the benefit of the doubt that your extremely low calorie count is correct - you should try a different scale or check for a tumor or other mass growing inside of you.

[youknowit84]

For a male to maintain a 170 lb body, they need to eat at least 1700-1800 calories even if they were sedentary. 2000-3000 if they're physically active.

There's no way you're eating 1300 calories and staying at 170. You're not tracking your calories correctly

i just checked my app for my scale and I didn't realize it but i was actually at 173 on jan 1. so i've actually lost 3 lbs so far. i've had 3 cheat days this month that were well over that daily amount. one day i was at around 2500, the other 2000 and the other 1600. other than those days that has been what i've been eating. i'm not 100% accurate with weighing everything so i can see being off 100 cals on some days. but here's what i don't understand. I have been eating the same diet for the past 2 months. i substitute things here and there but for the most part 80% of my diet is the same every single day. December I lost 9 lbs. January i'm on pace to lose 3.5 lbs. diet has been the same, cal counting methods have been the same, exercise has been the same. only difference is that in december i had one cheat day, while this month i've had three. if everything has virtually been the same, then why is me not counting cals properly a more plausible explanation than my metabolism significantly slowing?

[youknowit84]

Well I think everyone ignored your proposed solution of increasing your cals since it was non-sensical.

The same way you ignored my logical proposals that - giving you the benefit of the doubt that your extremely low calorie count is correct - you should try a different scale or check for a tumor or other mass growing inside of you.

how is increasing calories non sensical? people have never taken breaks from diets by increasing their cal intake for a few weeks to raise their metabolism. metabolisms slowing down is not a thing?

[air2fakie]

how is increasing calories non sensical? people have never taken breaks from diets by increasing their cal intake for a few weeks to raise their metabolism. metabolisms slowing down is not a thing?

Thanks for clarifying, my bad. Definitely take a break from dieting for a month and eat as much as you want. That wil re-calibrate your metabolism and allow you to once again lose weight at 1200 cals/day. Good luck!

[Tommy W.]

how is increasing calories non sensical? people have never taken breaks from diets by increasing their cal intake for a few weeks to raise their metabolism. metabolisms slowing down is not a thing?

No, not a thing. You need to count and track your calories more accurately not take a diet break.

[Darkius]

how is increasing calories non sensical? people have never taken breaks from diets by increasing their cal intake for a few weeks to raise their metabolism. metabolisms slowing down is not a thing?

Increasing calories is not to increase metabolism. It is for psychological recovery and to catch up on vitamins. Also gets your body used to your new weight a bit, or so that is the idea. I'd rather do a single cut that is the average of all that, rather than faster ones with breaks.



...

And don't eat what you want. Eat at maintainance.

[EiFit91]

so because i didn't weigh 3 tablespoons of peanut butter that means im off by hundreds of calories? you're on here telling me i dont know how to count and i'm the one arguing? there is no way me not weighing that pb is the difference in hundreds of calories. i came here to ask for advice on whether i should take a break from dieting because maybe my metabolism has slowed or if i should cut my calories further. instead, you just came on here and said "you're not counting correctly" with no supporting evidence to make such a claim.

That's just one example that you don't know what you are doing.

As an experiment I just weighed two table spoons of pb at home. One of them contained 130 calories, the other 260 calories, so a difference of 130 calories. Multiply that by three (three tablespoons) and that would be a difference of 360 calories for those 3 tablespoons.

A single counting error like this adds about 50 calories to your daily average over an entire week.

Add to this the fact that your appetite is a powerful force that will conspire against you in a deficit. That will make you more likely to take bigger tablespoons (perhaps unconsciously) and convince yourself that you aren't. So the counting errors may be systematically related to how many calories you are taking in.

Metabolism does slow down during dieting, but you cannot manipulate that by increasing your calories. You may manipulate water weight but not actual fat loss. If you increase calories you will slow down the fat loss.

[EiFit91]

only difference is that in december i had one cheat day, while this month i've had three.

For me, a cheat day would be something like 4500 calories. Suppose I eat 1200 calories every single day of the month except those three cheat days.

(1200*28 + 3*4500)/31 = 1519

So here's about 300 calories to your daily average over an entire month. If I only have one cheat day with 4500:

(1200*30 + 1*4500)/31 = 1306

So that's a difference of about 200 calories (daily average) between those two months.

If you use 3500 for the cheat day,

(1200*28 + 3*3500)/31 = 1422

So it still makes a big difference to your daily average.

[youknowit84]

That's just one example that you don't know what you are doing.

As an experiment I just weighed two table spoons of pb at home. One of them contained 130 calories, the other 260 calories, so a difference of 130 calories. Multiply that by three (three tablespoons) and that would be a difference of 360 calories for those 3 tablespoons.

A single counting error like this adds about 50 calories to your daily average over an entire week.

Add to this the fact that your appetite is a powerful force that will conspire against you in a deficit. That will make you more likely to take bigger tablespoons (perhaps unconsciously) and convince yourself that you aren't. So the counting errors may be systematically related to how many calories you are taking in.

Metabolism does slow down during dieting, but you cannot manipulate that by increasing your calories. You may manipulate water weight but not actual fat loss. If you increase calories you will slow down the fat loss.

is there a way to increase metabolism then? i'm finding that eating at this calorie intake has been getting much harder the past couple weeks. 2 months ago i would almost never experience hunger throughout the day and would have to force myself to eat at night to get to 1200 cals. there were alot of days where i was at 1000 for the day and was not hungry at all. now its the opposite. i'm fending off hunger all day. im eating the same things. my physical activity has been the same. this is the only reason i'm questioning my metabolism because i'm eating and doing everything the same way but am noticeably more hungry.

[air2fakie]

this is the only reason i'm questioning my metabolism because i'm eating and doing everything the same way but am noticeably more hungry.

Good thing you have those cheat days then to help the hunger. Wonder why you're not losing weight, must be your metabolism.

[Tommy W.]

is there a way to increase metabolism then? i'm finding that eating at this calorie intake has been getting much harder the past couple weeks. 2 months ago i would almost never experience hunger throughout the day and would have to force myself to eat at night to get to 1200 cals. there were alot of days where i was at 1000 for the day and was not hungry at all. now its the opposite. i'm fending off hunger all day. im eating the same things. my physical activity has been the same. this is the only reason i'm questioning my metabolism because i'm eating and doing everything the same way but am noticeably more hungry.

you need understand that you can’t increase your metabolism. Adding muscle adds very little, most people think it adds a lot. Your NEAT calorie burn is what people think is metabolism changes.

[youknowit84]

you need understand that you can’t increase your metabolism. Adding muscle adds very little, most people think it adds a lot. You’re NEAT calorie burn is what people think is metabolism changes.

ok so theres no way to increase it. i can understand that. however my metabolism was definitely higher when i first started dieting. the first month dieting i was eating 1800 calories per day losing 2 lbs per week. the next month i was eating 1600 cals per day and still stayed with that 2 lb per week average. the next month 1200-1300 cals and still losing 2 lbs per week. this month, appears to be around .5 lbs per week. i'm eating the same diet as last month when i was losing 2 lbs per week and eating 1200. so it does appear like my metabolism was slowing as my cal intake and weight were going down. naturally, i would think that eating more would create an uptick in my metabolism. if that's not true i can accept it. im just confused as to why my metabolism ever lowered to begin with then and why my fat loss is also slowing. and what's making it even more confusing on top of that. i'm more hungry then i was last month on the same diet which would lead one to believe that my metabolism has either increased or my cals are higher than i think. but there not! because im eating the same diet as last month where i was losing alot more.

[Tommy W.]

ok so theres no way to increase it. i can understand that. however my metabolism was definitely higher when i first started dieting. the first month dieting i was eating 1800 calories per day losing 2 lbs per week. the next month i was eating 1600 cals per day and still stayed with that 2 lb per week average. the next month 1200-1300 cals and still losing 2 lbs per week. this month, appears to be around .5 lbs per week. i'm eating the same diet as last month when i was losing 2 lbs per week and eating 1200. so it does appear like my metabolism was slowing as my cal intake and weight were going down. naturally, i would think that eating more would create an uptick in my metabolism. if that's not true i can accept it. im just confused as to why my metabolism ever lowered to begin with then and why my fat loss is also slowing. and what's making it even more confusing on top of that. i'm more hungry then i was last month on the same diet which would lead one to believe that my metabolism has either increased or my cals are higher than i think. but there not! because im eating the same diet as last month where i was losing alot more.

how tall are you?


You need to stop cheat days and have a more consistent calorie program that will help with the hunger. No loss at 1200 a day and you’re either holding homeostatic water or you’re taking in too many calories