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Same weight for 3 weeks.. whats up??

Old 09-14-2011, 03:23 AM
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Default Same weight for 3 weeks.. whats up??

Hello, everyone need some advice help anything you can offer. I started documenting all my food intake as of August 12 so almost at 5 weeks. I have lost a total of 8lbs so far but I have been at a standstill for the third week in a row. I eat under 1700 calories a day every day varies but always between 1500-1700 although I tend to be closer to 1500 mark and very seldom do I go over 1700. I eat 3 meals a day 2 snacks, 8-10 glasses of water daily. I am really trying to cut my sugar and sodium intake which I am struggling with but I know I have cut it from before August 12. I work out 5 days a week for 1hr-1.5 hours per session. I do Zumba classes, switch up my weights and cardio machines also recently added in circuit training. A few questions: What is going on? Why am I not losing more weight? Can protein prevent you from losing weight? I know the ratio is suppose to be 30% protein 50% carbs and 20% fat. Right? I am usually at about 22% for protein. The extra bits go to fats and carbs. Is it because I am not eating enough protein? I am reading and reading and I cannot find anything other than a plateau. I couldn’t have already hit a plateau in 5 weeks could I?
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Old 09-14-2011, 03:41 AM
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Originally Posted by 21jamira
Hello, everyone need some advice help anything you can offer. I started documenting all my food intake as of August 12 so almost at 5 weeks. I have lost a total of 8lbs so far but I have been at a standstill for the third week in a row. I eat under 1700 calories a day every day varies but always between 1500-1700 although I tend to be closer to 1500 mark and very seldom do I go over 1700. I eat 3 meals a day 2 snacks, 8-10 glasses of water daily. I am really trying to cut my sugar and sodium intake which I am struggling with but I know I have cut it from before August 12. I work out 5 days a week for 1hr-1.5 hours per session. I do Zumba classes, switch up my weights and cardio machines also recently added in circuit training. A few questions: What is going on? Why am I not losing more weight? Can protein prevent you from losing weight? I know the ratio is suppose to be 30% protein 50% carbs and 20% fat. Right? I am usually at about 22% for protein. The extra bits go to fats and carbs. Is it because I am not eating enough protein? I am reading and reading and I cannot find anything other than a plateau. I couldn’t have already hit a plateau in 5 weeks could I?
We'd need to know your age, height and weight to get an estimate on what sort of calorie deficit you need to maintain for weight loss. But unless you are really light already I would think you'd see a pretty good loss, on average, at 1500 calories.

The percentages, in the long run, really don't matter for weight loss, but they are important nutritionally and to help you stick to your plan. There is no "right or wrong" mix. Personally, I go for around a 40/30/30 carb/protein/fat mix and try to get at least 100 grams of protein a day. For you, another mix might work better.

And you can hit a plateau anytime. I would make sure you are keeping at least a 500 to 1000 calorie deficit per day. This should give you a one to two pound per week loss (again, on average).

Hope this helps!

Regards,
Michael
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Old 09-14-2011, 05:07 AM
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Sorry I am 29 years old, I am 5'4 starting weight was 183.3 and I am now not at 175.8. According to this site I am suppose to eat 1711 calories a day but every other sites I go to suggest between 1200-1500 so I figured that i was safest around 1500... I am new to all this stuff and with multiple variations of information I am struggling with know what the right information is at this point. Any good website books suggestions I am welcoming those suggestions.
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Old 09-14-2011, 07:03 AM
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Well, you might try boosting your protein intake for a couple of days and increasing your water. Also you say 8-10 cups, but is that a "cup measure" or a random cup in the cupboard? The water intake I always go by is 64 oz baseline + 8 oz for every 10 lbs you want to lose. I don't know what your goal weight is but at 5'-4" I'm guessing somewhere between 130-150lbs. So if you're at 175lbs that would make your water intake 64 + 28ish = 92 oz, and possibly a little more with all that working out. Another thing you might look at is reducing your intake of sodium and nitrates/nitrites (all 3 cause water retention). I don't know what you're eating, but any sort of processed foods will be higher in those substances than fresh foods, that includes things like deli meat and eating out. And I always hate to suggest this to anybody, because personally it kills me to do it, but you might try dropping your calories down to 1,400 for a couple of days and see where that lands you on the scale. You might just have a lower metabolism than what is standard on the internet. This might be especially true if you have a desk job or are not particularly active outside of your workout. And instead of getting completely hung up on the number you might go by your measurements, that can be very rewarding when the scale won't budge.
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Old 09-14-2011, 10:33 AM
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Originally Posted by almeeker
Well, you might try boosting your protein intake for a couple of days and increasing your water. Also you say 8-10 cups, but is that a "cup measure" or a random cup in the cupboard? The water intake I always go by is 64 oz baseline + 8 oz for every 10 lbs you want to lose. I don't know what your goal weight is but at 5'-4" I'm guessing somewhere between 130-150lbs. So if you're at 175lbs that would make your water intake 64 + 28ish = 92 oz, and possibly a little more with all that working out. Another thing you might look at is reducing your intake of sodium and nitrates/nitrites (all 3 cause water retention). I don't know what you're eating, but any sort of processed foods will be higher in those substances than fresh foods, that includes things like deli meat and eating out. And I always hate to suggest this to anybody, because personally it kills me to do it, but you might try dropping your calories down to 1,400 for a couple of days and see where that lands you on the scale. You might just have a lower metabolism than what is standard on the internet. This might be especially true if you have a desk job or are not particularly active outside of your workout. And instead of getting completely hung up on the number you might go by your measurements, that can be very rewarding when the scale won't budge.
My goal weight for now is 140lbs then once i get to that I will decide if I want to lose more. I drink 4-5 bottles of water in a day sometimes more. but typically that is where I am at. The sodium/sugar thing I am really struggling with. EVERYTHING has high sodium in it. I have such a busy life i have been cooking on the weekends and freezing stuff to avoid bad choices. That really helps right now in my freezer I have meatballs, hamburger soup and stuffer peppers all made with extra lean turkey. With a half a cup of whole wheat pasta. Wraps with chicken or lean steak, salads for dinners for breakfast i usually eat a piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter or bran flakes.snacks i have fruit, almonds, yogurt and veggies. I am not extremly active outside of my workout but I never stop its go here go there not much time for rest. and I do work an office job however i dont stay sitting all day long. What is nitrates/nitrites btw?
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Old 09-14-2011, 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by 21jamira
What is nitrates/nitrites btw?
Basically they are forms of salt, used as preservatives in processed foods, deli style meats can be very high as can hot dogs. Any form of salt will actually cause the body to retain water, doesn't really matter what they call it.

As a woman you may be experiencing a little PMS bloating, it can be subtle enough that you don't really notice it, but your scale might. In addition you may also be a little irregular certain weeks of the month. So give it some thought could you maybe be a little constipated?

Have you tried cutting out all "white" foods, white flour, white rice, white sugar, potatoes? Some people count all potatoes as a "white" food, but I only include "russet" varieties. It's just a thought. And yes it is difficult to cut out sugar and sodium in this day and age, it's in absolutely everything in staggering amounts.
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Old 09-15-2011, 05:12 AM
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Yes all white is cut out except on occasion if I go to someones for dinner or stuck in a situation where that is all there is to choose from. I think it is salt because I weighed my self today and I am exactly 2lbs lighter then yesterday. CRAZY can not escape the sodium at all... Is it true if you do eat lots of sodium one day that you drink more water that day aand it will help flush it out? That would probably also explain why i lost 5lbs in the first week right water loss? Makes sense to me. Also does going in a sauna help with water loss? SO I am really going to be more consious od sodium intake and eat a bit more protein and try to cut my calories down but 100... so Ill bring it down to 1400 oppose to 1500... see if that works I will post in a week or 2 to see if i make a difference.
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Old 09-24-2011, 10:07 PM
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Even only eating 1 or 2 processed foods a day I'm still going about double the daily recommended amount of sodium. I've come to the conclusion that the only way to be at the recommended level of sodium is to cut out nearly all processed foods. This is almost impossible seeming to me but it probably IS possible.

One dilemma I run into is that low fat/low sugar foods have to have something to give them flavor, hence all the salt in those foods. Low fat and/or sugar free processed foods almost ALWAYS have a huge dose of sodium.
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Old 09-25-2011, 01:53 AM
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Yeah, sodium is a tough one! Canned foods are the worst. It's a shame you can have healthy foods corrupted by super doses of Na when they're canned. It's best to cook fresh or frozen foods instead. Forget about fast food and lunch meats altogether if you're trying to get sodium down.

As far as plateaus, a tool that broke mine within a week (along with switching up macros, varying exercise, and eating new, different kinds of foods) has been this zig-zag calculator:

Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs
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Old 09-25-2011, 03:44 AM
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Am I right in thinking you lost 8 lbs in 5 weeks? That's about right. 2 pounds a week is kind of high. A half pound to 1 lb a week is a good rate - to lose and keep off the weight you lost.
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