Stuck...

[scionic-breeze]

I started this weight-loss journey at 186 lbs (I'm 5'6"). I had help from a dietitian. Most of my weight loss was purely from cutting calories.

I'm down to 143-145 right now, well within the proper BMI, but I would still like to lose an additional 10-15 lbs. My dietian had me down to eating 1100 calories a day. She had since moved out of my area & no other dietian (that will be covered by my insurance) is to be found in my area. I can tell I've gained some muscle mass, but I'm starting to get frustrated because the scale hasn't change in over a month. I don't want to cut my calorie intake anymore because of how low it already is...

Average Meal:

8:00am - 1/2-1 cup of fruit

10:00am - Non-Fat Dannon Yogurt or 100calorie instant packet of cream of wheat

12:00am - Chef Boyardee cup of ravoli 180 calories

2:30pm - Snack - Yogurt or Fruit or 90 Calories granola bar or 100 calorie bag of popcorn

5:30pm - Curves. Usually burn 450-500 calories per workout, according to their smart system

7:00pm (as soon as I arrive home) - Smart Ones Dinner (around 400 calories), or Egg White Sandwich on low-calorie honey wheat bread, with less than 1 serving of butter or less, and 2 packets of 100 calorie cream of wheat. (egg/CoW meal is just under 400 calories).

8:00pm - If I'm still hungry, I'll have a snack. 100 calorie bag of popcorn, fruit or a yogurt

I'm also drinking 10 - 20 16.9oz bottles of water every day.

Thoughts? Is the scale just not moving because I'm doing a pretty intense workout and just building muscle? I still have plenty of belly & fat on my arms to shed!!

 

[San2]

My first thought - you're not eating enough. With what you listed, you barely touch 1000 calories. Take away the 500 calories you burn off during your workout, and you have 500 calories left. Your body is starving, plain and simple.

Check the stickies about 'starvation mode' and calorie requirements and so on, it should give you a first idea of how much you should be eating, and then you can take it from there.

Just for the record, I can't believe that a dietitian would put you on 1100 calories. Don't get me wrong, I believe she said that to you, I just can't believe that somebody would suggest that and still be allowed to call themselves a 'professional'....

 

[scionic-breeze]

You've kinda confirmed what I was execting to hear. Even when I was at my heaviest, my dietian was only having me eat 1500/day. The weight just fell off then, but I think it was because my body was in shock, the reduced calories weren't expected, but since I've been doing this for awhile now, my body has adjusted and is in starvation mode.

One reason I tend to dislike health professionals is because you have no other option but to trust them completely... it looks like my trust was misplaced. Now, I have no dietian, and no plans to get another because my insurance won't help. I live in a very expensive place, so extra money doesn't fall into my lap often, lol.

Where should I add more calories to my diet? Lunch? Suggestions on what else to eat??

I often wondered about how to figure out net calories, but all the stuff i found online was very conflicting. I spoke with the dietian about joining curves and she said to stick to the same diet plan. Bah!!

 

[dilynnlew]

I agree you need more calories per day than this. Also, where are the vegetables in your diet? I see none...they aren't my favorite either, but you need to incorporate them somehow into your daily plan.

 

[antyoch]

Try this website:


I found it very useful and easy to use, I hope you find what you're looking for

 

[Madrone]

Adding Calories

I've been reading on this very thing and I'd suggest adding the calories at breakfast or in your morning snack. Now, I'm just as stuck as you and am not a dietician, but it has more to do with motivation than lack of calories for me.

Below is a section from a post on breakfast at zenhabits.com where Jonathan advocates around 400-500 calories to start the day. He has lost a fair amount of weight by switching to whole foods and exercising. YMMV

Balance
Plan and eat a balanced breakfast meal including complex carbohydrate, protein, fat, and a fruit or vegetable.

Quantity to Aim for:
1 to 2 servings of complex carbohydrates. One serving equals 1 piece of bread, ½ cup of cooked oatmeal, 1 cup of dry cereal, 1 English muffin, ½ bagel, ¼ cup of granola, 1 small muffin.

1 serving of protein. For example, 1 cup of yogurt, ½ cup of cottage cheese, 1 ounce of cheese, 1 large egg, 2 ounces of smoked salmon, 1 cup of milk or soy milk, 2 tablespoons (T) of peanut butter, or ¼ cup of nuts or seeds.

1 serving of fat. E.g., 1 teaspoon (t) of butter, 1 t of oil, 1 tablespoon (T) of cream cheese. But check your protein and carbohydrates for fat, there's no need to add extra if you have a serving of fat in your granola or omelet.

1 serving of a fruit or vegetable. That is, 1 medium piece of fruit, 1 cup of cut fruit, ¼ cup dried fruit, 6 ounces of fruit juice, 1 cup of raw or ½ cup of cooked vegetables, 1 cup of vegetable juice.

Some examples of energizing breakfast meals include:
Meal Equal to
2 pieces of toast
2 T of peanut butter
1 medium banana 2 servings of complex carbohydrates
1 serving of protein
1 serving of fat
1 serving of fruit

½ bagel
1 T of cream cheese
2 ounces of smoked salmon
½ cup of sliced tomatoes 1 serving of complex carbohydrates
1 serving of fat
1 serving of protein
1 serving of vegetables

1 cup of cooked oatmeal*with
1 cup of 2 percent fat milk
¼ cup of raisins 2 servings of complex carbohydrates
1 serving of protein
1 serving of fat
1 serving of fruit

1 small muffin
1 cup of plain low fat yogurt
1 cup of orange juice 1 serving of complex carbohydrates
1 serving of fat
1 serving of protein
1 serving of fruit

As you see, there are many delicious ways to get from point A to point B every morning. Imagine your surprise when you see the results with more energy!

 

[KaraCooks]

Yup. Agree with the others. Too few calories.

The easiest way I've found to figure calories is to take a figure of 14-15 calories per pound of bodyweight for a moderately active adult (as in, works out 2-3 times a week). I tend to use 14 for women and 15 for men, but either way.

14 * 143 = 2002 calories to maintain your current weight.

Subtract 30% from that to get a reasonable level of "diet" calories.

2002 * 70% = 1401 calories to lose weight.

You also need a much better balance of nutrients in your diet. You defintely need more veggies and more protein - and more healthy fat as well. You should aim for a 40/30/30 split of your nutrients - that's 40% complex carbs, 30% lean protein, and 30% healthy fat. (I can't believe a nutritionist/dietician didn't tell you this and help guide you that way).

Also I see a lot of processed foods in there and my experience has been that at some point eating too many processed foods will cause a stall in weight. Between the sodium and the chemicals, your body treats processed food differently than it treats fresh "real" food. I'd start adding more real food to your diet - and start eliminating the Chef Boyardee, the Smart Ones, the 100 calorie packs, etc.

Here's how I would tweak your eating plan if I were you:

8:00am - low fat plain yogurt with honey and fresh fruit (or serving of oatmeal with honey and fruit)

10:00am - apple and cheese

12:00am - 1/2 a peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread and some veggies (carrot sticks, celery, radishes, snow peas, etc.)

2:30pm - boiled egg, veggies or can of low sodium tomato juice.

7:00pm - some kind of grilled or baked meat (chicken breast, fish, pork chop, etc.), baked sweet potato, steamed veggies (or a big salad with a drizzle of olive oil dressing)

8:00pm - popcorn snack, low-fat frozen yogurt, some other low calorie "treat" snack