Why am I not losing anymore?

Hoping people can help/give me some advice with my weight loss. I am 5lbs from my goal, and have been for about a year now. I just can not seem to lose these last 5lbs. I started my weight loss journey in March of 2013 when I joined weight watchers. It total I have lost 101lbs starting at 253 and am now 152. I am 26 years old, 5'8.5", just some back round info.

I consistently lost weight every week, and if I didn't I could pin point what I did wrong that week, exp. had a "cheat dinner" of pizza and wings, holiday, someone's birthday party, etc.

My weight loss seems to have come to a complete halt no matter how healthy I eat or how much I exercise. I try hard to stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet (have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING religiously), work out 6 times a week which includes 5 7.5 mile runs and 1 9 or 10 mile run. Strength training 2x per week for about 30min. I do allow myself to drink on the weekends, something I am not willing to give up.

Let me know if you have any advice. Since I just joined I can not open my food journal to the public, but can post an average daily food intake if needed.

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If you're that tall, could it be that your body doesn't want to lose any more because you've already lost all the extra fat, and need what you have left to be healthy? You sound pretty lean already.

Sounds like you have hit a hard plateau. Try carb cycling, it has worked wonders for me. Here's a link that gives you some suggested tips based off your body stats. http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

Hi, Terra. In my experiences, and opinion, here are a few tips that helped me throughout my weight loss. I did get stuck here and there, but no more than a couple of weeks at a time, and it wasn't too often.

1) If you want to maintain weight, I'd stick with 125 to no more than 175 Grams of Carbs a day. To lose 1-2 lbs a week, I'd stick with 100-150 Grams of Carbs a day. Less than 100 Grams of Carbs is really not the healthy way to go as far as Carbs.

2) Make sure you are eating at least 30-40 Grams of Protein a day, if not double that IF you are exercising like you noted.

3) Make sure you stay within 20 to no more than 45 Grams of Fat a day, and this would mostly consist of healthy fats that we need (EVOO Oil, Avocado, Nuts, Healthy Peanut Butter, etc).

4) For me to stay strict with myself and stay on the right path, I got on the scale every single day so I would know where I am at daily. It helped me to figure out what I needed to add more of or to cut down on, etc.

5) Make sure you stay clear of alcohol, which is loaded with sugar, yeast (which turns to sugar), and it has elements of toxins that release into your blood system and can cause damage later down the road.

6) Make sure you stay clear (as much as possible) of white refined sugar and white refined flour, because those are loaded with empty calories and high in Carbs. If you use flour, you can replace that with Oat Flour, etc. It would still be high in Carbs, but a much healthier alternative.

7) Rely on listening to your body, when it's hungry, when it's full, etc. I didn't do that in the beginning and it got me in trouble, so to speak.

8) Lastly, as far as losing weight, make sure you are not using up your exercise calories that you burned in eating those at all. Example: If you have 1,200 calories to eat with, and you burned 300 Calories in exercise, I wouldn't eat 1,500 worth. Stick with the 1,200.

I hope this helps.

MostlyDickWeight wrote: »

Sounds like you have hit a hard plateau. Try carb cycling, it has worked wonders for me. Here's a link that gives you some suggested tips based off your body stats. http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/

Remind me not to hit the HARD plateau. It sounds painful...smh

There are two things that can be going on. It could be that you are eating more than you think you are or you are eating back too many calories. Since you were on WW and I hear that they have zero point items, it could be that those are throwing you off and adding calories. They may be zero points but they still have calories. It could be a combination of the two as well.

I'm 5' 8" and my thinking is you're where you should be. Also, I learned the hard way to NOT eat 1200 calories. I stalled out for 3 years at that calorie intake and being very active. I began EM2WL and happily eating 2,000 calories a day and losing again. There's a great group here on MFP for Eating More 2 Weigh Less. BTW, I too lost 100 pounds and then stalled out.

keeponkickin wrote: »

I'm 5' 8" and my thinking is you're where you should be. Also, I learned the hard way to NOT eat 1200 calories. I stalled out for 3 years at that calorie intake and being very active. I began EM2WL and happily eating 2,000 calories a day and losing again. There's a great group here on MFP for Eating More 2 Weigh Less. BTW, I too lost 100 pounds and then stalled out.

Everyone reacts differently with each scenario. I eat 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day, depending on my workouts/exercise, and have no problem with it and losing weight, too. Just thought I'd let you know that. :-)

TerraThomas1 wrote: »

Hoping people can help/give me some advice with my weight loss. I am 5lbs from my goal, and have been for about a year now. I just can not seem to lose these last 5lbs. I started my weight loss journey in March of 2013 when I joined weight watchers. It total I have lost 101lbs starting at 253 and am now 152. I am 26 years old, 5'8.5", just some back round info.

I consistently lost weight every week, and if I didn't I could pin point what I did wrong that week, exp. had a "cheat dinner" of pizza and wings, holiday, someone's birthday party, etc.

My weight loss seems to have come to a complete halt no matter how healthy I eat or how much I exercise. I try hard to stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet (have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING religiously), work out 6 times a week which includes 5 7.5 mile runs and 1 9 or 10 mile run. Strength training 2x per week for about 30min. I do allow myself to drink on the weekends, something I am not willing to give up.

Let me know if you have any advice. Since I just joined I can not open my food journal to the public, but can post an average daily food intake if needed.

Maybe this is your problem

One thing is sure when you dont lose weight you eat...(drink) more than you think.
You might destroy your whole deficit with what you drink in the weekends.

When you weigh 152 pounds you dont have a large deficit like being 253 pound. Your deficit gets smaller when you lose your weight.
So in the begin when you start you easy lose weight on 1200 calories. Your deficit is bigger... the drinking at that point still was not destroying your deficit totally
Now that you get lighter your deficit get smaller and smaller till the point that your intake calories is the same as your burned calories...so your maintaining at that point.

It seems you have reached that point.

When you eat less calories you WILL lose weight!
So you are eating/drinking too much

Alex37166 wrote: »

keeponkickin wrote: »

I'm 5' 8" and my thinking is you're where you should be. Also, I learned the hard way to NOT eat 1200 calories. I stalled out for 3 years at that calorie intake and being very active. I began EM2WL and happily eating 2,000 calories a day and losing again. There's a great group here on MFP for Eating More 2 Weigh Less. BTW, I too lost 100 pounds and then stalled out.

Everyone reacts differently with each scenario. I eat 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day, depending on my workouts/exercise, and have no problem with it and losing weight, too. Just thought I'd let you know that. :-)

I did fine at 1200 for a year. Lost a large amount of weight that I'm thankful for BUT like the OP, I stalled out. I continued to eat 1200 for 3 years, saw doctors about not losing, had lab tests to check thyroid, etc. Was told to lower cals more to 1,000. Glad I ignored them and looked at EM2LW and bumped up calories and in the last week I have lost 5 pounds. I believe now you should NEVER eat below your BMR and really should just take a cut off your TDEE. OP, give it a try....look into the EM2WL. Win Win to eat more and lose.

TerraThomas1 wrote: »

My weight loss seems to have come to a complete halt no matter how healthy I eat or how much I exercise. I try hard to stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet (have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING religiously), work out 6 times a week which includes 5 7.5 mile runs and 1 9 or 10 mile run. Strength training 2x per week for about 30min. I do allow myself to drink on the weekends, something I am not willing to give up.

How much do you want to lose weight?

are you using a food scale?
how long have you been dieting?

Have you been at 1200 calories since March 2013??! No diet break?

Machka9 wrote: »

TerraThomas1 wrote: »

My weight loss seems to have come to a complete halt no matter how healthy I eat or how much I exercise. I try hard to stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet (have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING religiously), work out 6 times a week which includes 5 7.5 mile runs and 1 9 or 10 mile run. Strength training 2x per week for about 30min. I do allow myself to drink on the weekends, something I am not willing to give up.

How much do you want to lose weight?

please, drinking on the weekend is not going to result in a long term plateau …

I drink on weekends and have no issue with losing….

Your body doesn't magically hold onto weight because it's "good for your height" or because you're "eating too little". Those last 5lbs are going to come off excruciatingly slow. Calculate your TDEE, and create a deficit from there (MFP does this for you). If it helps you to know, I have my stuff always set to sedentary, .5lbs a week loss. I add back exercise I do deliberately (but that is not very often with my busy schedule). I've logged for 116 days and have been losing an average of .7lbs a week. It's slow, but it's progress.

keeponkickin wrote: »

I'm 5' 8" and my thinking is you're where you should be. Also, I learned the hard way to NOT eat 1200 calories. I stalled out for 3 years at that calorie intake and being very active. I began EM2WL and happily eating 2,000 calories a day and losing again. There's a great group here on MFP for Eating More 2 Weigh Less. BTW, I too lost 100 pounds and then stalled out.

THIS! OP I don't know how you do all that exercise and get by on 1200 a day - do you eat back burned cals?? I'm your height, and nearly twice your age, and reached goal weight (135lbs) eating 1800-2000 cals a day (that includes exercise) and have kept it off.

Make sure you're eating enough cals - if you consistently eat low, the body adjusts, and then you have nowhere to go but down further in cals. No bueno. Have you recalculated all your info since losing the weight? Accounting for your high activity level and current weight? You don't want to over eat, but under eating over a long period of time can land you with a mess of new problems.Check out the EM2WL group - great info there.

ndj1979 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

TerraThomas1 wrote: »

My weight loss seems to have come to a complete halt no matter how healthy I eat or how much I exercise. I try hard to stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet (have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING religiously), work out 6 times a week which includes 5 7.5 mile runs and 1 9 or 10 mile run. Strength training 2x per week for about 30min. I do allow myself to drink on the weekends, something I am not willing to give up.

How much do you want to lose weight?

please, drinking on the weekend is not going to result in a long term plateau …

I drink on weekends and have no issue with losing….

i know
i drink sometimes a bottle or even 2 of pink champagne
But in my calorie allowance

OP consumes probably too much calories.....and not by eating maybe but by drinking more calories on top of his eating.

ndj1979 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

TerraThomas1 wrote: »

My weight loss seems to have come to a complete halt no matter how healthy I eat or how much I exercise. I try hard to stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet (have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING religiously), work out 6 times a week which includes 5 7.5 mile runs and 1 9 or 10 mile run. Strength training 2x per week for about 30min. I do allow myself to drink on the weekends, something I am not willing to give up.

How much do you want to lose weight?

please, drinking on the weekend is not going to result in a long term plateau …

I drink on weekends and have no issue with losing….

You might not, but the OP is having trouble losing weight. If she/he is correct that she/he weighs and logs "everything religiously" ... then we've got to look at the obvious.

So back to the OP ... TerraThomas ... do you log what you drink?

ndj1979 wrote: »

Machka9 wrote: »

TerraThomas1 wrote: »

My weight loss seems to have come to a complete halt no matter how healthy I eat or how much I exercise. I try hard to stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet (have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING religiously), work out 6 times a week which includes 5 7.5 mile runs and 1 9 or 10 mile run. Strength training 2x per week for about 30min. I do allow myself to drink on the weekends, something I am not willing to give up.

How much do you want to lose weight?

please, drinking on the weekend is not going to result in a long term plateau …

I drink on weekends and have no issue with losing….

Depends on how much the OP drinks. You can quickly wipe out your weekly deficit if you smash a hard weekend drinking beer

the problem is starving slows your metabolism. after a while, 1200 might be no more than you need. you need to establish how much you burn each day (basal metabolic rate) and adjust accordingly. also, give up drinking. I had like 5 beers this saturday and that's 1100 calories, so if you did that you'd just about double your daily intake (when I saw this I decided I wasn't going to drink anymore).

Alcohol is a good place to reduce calories, since it is just a lot of empty calories.

Machka9 wrote: »

TerraThomas1 wrote: »

My weight loss seems to have come to a complete halt no matter how healthy I eat or how much I exercise. I try hard to stick to a 1200 calorie per day diet (have a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING religiously), work out 6 times a week which includes 5 7.5 mile runs and 1 9 or 10 mile run. Strength training 2x per week for about 30min. I do allow myself to drink on the weekends, something I am not willing to give up.

How much do you want to lose weight?

Basically right now it is just about getting to my goal weight. I would like to lose an additional 5 lbs.

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