Dreaded plateau

[Menora]

I have hit a plateau after 8-9 weeks of weight loss (1 stone total) now I am going up 1lb then losing the 1lb over and over for 3 weeks.

I’ve done a lot of research into what my daily calories should be - it’s always something different wherever I look! most of them say I should eat 1700-1800 per day.

I am 41, 14st 2, 5ft 5 and have an office job. I have been eating about 1300-1500 a day. No dairy, higher protein, no processed carbs (only Wholemeal and small amounts), no white potatoes, no processed sugar foods, no chocolate and basically no treats to try get out the plateau.

I have upped my exercise. I am not going to join a gym so I have been walking briskly for at least 30 mins a day and counting my steps overall. I have been doing exerting/strenuous housework/garden work.

I had a look over my weekly calories last week it was 10,700. Should I be cutting that down to 9,000 a week?

I lost the 2lbs. To do this I had to do about 25,000 steps over the weekend, eat 1200 calories all week. It’s going to be slow going! I got in touch with a PT, she charged £45 a session. A womens only gym is £65 a month!

Have you taken your body measurements? I've found that if you don't lose any/much weight you can find you've lost a couple of centimetres somewhere.

With the best will in the world housework and gardening really don't count as exercise unless you're building a shed! Hoovering and dusting don't raise your heart rate significantly enough to have any effect.

Ok I am sorry I keep getting peeved on here. I just see so much crap online and I do find it irritating. Where do you get this kind of thing from in terms of science? In science terms doesn’t your body burns calories all day even when you are asleep? Just from breathing and being alive? Moving around is good for your circulation. It’s good for your mobility. Clearing out your shed taking crap to the dump, mowing grass, lugging bags, cleaning a car, lugging laundry about is moving around and moving all your muscles and not going to be 56bpm resting heart rate. You don’t know what my heart rate was when I was doing any of this stuff!

did you mean to say it will not use as many calories compared to something more intense? If you look at a medical chart of heart rates, it recommends between 90-150 to ‘burn fat’. If my heart rate was 90, I just need to do things for longer than if I did them for a shorter time at a more intense 150bpm and I won’t benefit from the after effects of recovery where you can burn more.

it doesn’t ‘count for nothing’

The amount of water our bodies carry and hold onto varies from day to day and for women, it can vary depending on the time of the month. Providing you are in calorie deficit, you will lose weight. Most weight loss is down to consuming fewer calories than you expend. A very small proportion is down to exercise, but the health benefits of exercise are proven so being active is better for you overall than being sedentary.

You've lost another 2lbs which is a healthy weight loss figure. Some weeks you may lose more of less which can be to do with water retention and loss.

Thanks I am out of the plateau now I think. For now! I’ve lost 17lb total so far

yes long winded but that was my point thanks @WeAreTheHeroes unfortunately exercise is something that can be much more difficult to take part in, due to time, money and mobility whereas I can control what I eat myself. Any exercise/movement is ok I would have thought and I don’t like to be made to feel laughed at or dismissed because I am not at HIIT class in Lycra or running 5k every day after work. I think it’s ok to do gentle exercise if it’s right for you. I have read many stories on MN of women who lost weight and didn’t join a gym or learn to run

Glad you're out of your plateau. And much sympathy, it's horrible when you're feeling you're doing everything right but nothing happens. I am a big fan of Andrew Jenkinson's Why we eat which talks about set points where your body sticks for a while then budges again. There's a thread on here for it if you're interested.

On the food, I would agree with adding some healthy fats and protein, and getting variety.

On the exercise, that sounds difficult. Any chance you could get a standing desk in your office?

I walked around the block 7 times tonight till it got cold and dark I did about 7k steps this evening. I will just have to try fit in this kind of thing regularly.

fasting may be your answer if you've not tried it already.

I seem to get a migraine if I go too long without food. It is a trigger unfortunately. I am losing weight I have lost 17lb. I just need to accept it’s a long game that will take months.

I too get migraines if I haven't eaten by a certain time, however I've found that's only the case in the evening. Skipping breakfast makes no odds, it's when I eat my evening meal that's key.

Do you wear a watch that counts your steps or do you have a smartphone? Wear or carry that on your person and you'll be surprised how many steps you take without even thinking about them. They all count.

I do take my phone everywhere. I just got in from work. I was sitting from 8-6pm! No lunch break and it was raining. I’m now cooking then I will go for my walk around the block. Then collapse into bed. I have no time in the day!

Well that's not healthy - make time to walk away from your desk for lunch, walk around on phone calls, etc.

OP, come join us on the low carb boot camp thread. I've found it really works, and we're only just kicking off week 2 (people can join anytime).

No doubt you've considered this, but any chance you can work from home? That way you'd save time on the commute to exercise instead?

Also, that's bullshit about needing a gym. Gardening is mega hard work!

Fald you're losing op, I know it's such tough going

Hi Op,

I am glad you have started loosing again.

Like you I have an office job, my job rarely includes anything that doesn’t involve sitting, maybe the occasional trip to the photocopier or scanner. I am able to do some wfh, is that something worth asking for? I try to walk or do a HIIT before work, a walk at lunchtime and a walk after work. It is much easier to fit this in when I’m wfh granted! When it’s raining I do a walking walkout on my iPad. Which again it’s not something you would do in the office!

Have you seen the Fit On app? It’s free and there are plenty of weighted work outs on there. I think it’s worth downloading and having a look.

Increase your calories for 2 weeks. Have some treats
It will kick start your weight loss again

Just seen this thread and had to share this article with you as it really helped me to keep going!

It explains how our bodies need to adjust to the recent weight loss to then lose more.

Your weight, height etc are the same as mine and I plateaued lots of time and this article helped me stay on track and keep going with the healthy eating, exercising etc and not throw in the towel, I lost 36lbs last year but still had the yo-yo 2lbs here and there.

You're doing great, keep at it and good luck!

www.secondnature.io/guides/mind/motivation/weight-loss-plateaus-explained?campaignid=8918399894&adgroupid=87186600622&adid=411990390160&gclid=CjwKCAiAv_KMBhAzEiwAs-rX1JrbfsoA0UO8-3riolFSbAYpPhquqQ8aN_GpoGFbtCDSy8OoLYJUAhoC0m0QAvD_BwE