surfrgrl59's Journal, 16 Feb 23

Hello! I understand how frustrating it can be. Some tips that may help: 1. What is your daily calorie goal? is it low enough ? Do you know about your TDEE ? 2. Do you count everything? like everything ? Oil? Butter? Do you weigh your food? Counting calories takes time but its crucial to do it rigorously. 3. Have you perhaps gained muscle through training? Good luck and dont give up! 

More water, More sleep, More exercise, less stress?!?!?! All those stars 🌟 in line and that should help?!?! 

Are you tracking calories by weight or volume? Weight is more accurate. Also, nutrition info can be out by as much as 20% legally, so that my be part of the problem as well. High fibre, High protein are the secret sauce when it comes to calorie deficits. Good luck! 

1200 calories/40 carbs per day max Have my scale for weight on meat portions. Thinking of doing a plan for postmenopausal such as the Mediterranean diet. 

Another thing is I do not sleep well. Haven't for years. Exercise is limited due to knees and low back. I do light weights and treadmill work. 

Have you had your magnesium and calcium levels checked? Or try supplementing with them to see if it helps. Particularly magnesium. Might be worth looking into. 

I don’t know if this is the same type of thing that happened to me quite some time ago, but I’ll share my story and you can decide if it might help you as well… I tried a “17 day diet”. I believe the jist was to take carbs out of your diet for 17 days, add a few back in for 17 days and then rotate back again, plus whatever else the diet plan asked for. I was sooo faithful to the plan! After 51 days I had lost exactly 1lb. My sister had lost 18 in the first couple of weeks! I was as frustrated as you sound. I started just eating carbs as normal, but I would make sure I was keeping my meals balanced and proportioned. The weight started falling off. I decided that for me, carbs were essential! My body wasn’t the same as my sister’s. Everyone is different, so just find something healthy that works for you and give it your best shot! 

get out your tape measure and take measurements around your waist, chest , arms thighs neck etc. you might be losing inches and toning. also make sure you are eating nutrient dense foods. the quality of your calories matters as much or more than the quantity. sometimes if you plateau it helps to mix up your calorie intake for a few days so your body gets confused. higher for a day or two then lower for a few days. ive also been told by a dietician not to eat 3 hours before bed otherwise that will all store as fat and not get burned off 

1200 calories may just be too low, so your body is holding on to every single one..  

i had plateaued myself, did a 72 fast to "kick start" my metabolism again, then went back to high protein, high fiber counts and it seemed to work! good luck and dont give up, you will get there 😁 

If you’re at 1200 calories at your body weight that seems very low. I’d look into doing a reverse diet. It will get your metabolism back up and will allow you to continue your weight loss. 

My situation was the same - no bread, no potato, no rice - nothing white, and I wasn’t losing. But I noticed I was losing inches which did not make sense to me. How could I be maintaining same weight but shrinking in inches? I decided to treat myself one day and had some rice, another day I had a sandwich, and on another Chinese food (yikes! Lots of calories in that!) although my portion was small (with no rice). I realized that I was not eating enough calories (1200) in a day, and also by throwing in the odd “white” it was kickstarting my system. The next day or two after I was down a couple lbs. 

lm the same so l'm going to try intermittent fasting. I don't eat after 8:00 p.m. and I don't start eating till 1:00. I have two good meals and fruits and vegetables for snacks.lve been doing it for 4 days every two weeks l will way. 

Intermittent fasting is a tool, but doesn’t create any results in and of itself. The results come from calorie restriction, and some people find fasting is a good way to restrict those calories. For others, however, fasting leads to cravings and binge eating, so be aware of that. One hack that is helpful for many people is to just focus on your calorie and protein targets, as those two will make the most difference when it comes to results. A formula I like is 8-12 calories per Lb of current bodyweight (play with that range and see what works best for you) and 1 gram of protein per cm of height. This simple formula puts the vast majority of people in a reasonable calorie deficit while keeping protein at appropriate levels. Target protein calories first writhing the budget, then disperse the rest as you prefer between carbs and fats. This works well for me and some others I know. Might work for you too. Good luck.  

I was just plateaued for 46 days. I feel your frustration. 

I’m following an exercise program called 30 day exercise challenge for women over 50 by Paula B. (YouTube). I’m consistently loosing about 0.8 kg (just under 2 lbs.) per week. I only exercise 5 days per week (take weekends off) and check my calorie intake… drink 2+ litres of water a day and it seems to work… I know it’s hard… hang in there! 

If you restrict your calories too much your body hoards all the calories as fat. Try using a calorie calculator to find out what your daily calorie need is. That number will be you maintenance number for your weight now. Subtract 500 calories from that and use that number as your daily calorie target. Peoples bodies are different so you may have to adjust it as you go along. Also have more protein in your diet, and exercise especially strength training. It has many benefits especially as we get older i know as i am in my late 50's and have started working out again. Made a world of difference. Hope this helps I believe in you. 😀 

You need to add more calories and good healthy fats. Your body thinks you're starving it and is holding on to everything for dear life. Add 500 calories at least to one of your meals of not 2 this week. (For example burger without bun- just from the meat) keep the rest of the days as per usual. Your body needs to learn that you will feed it and that it's safe to lose weight .