Week 4 slow down

[KettleBelle]

Hi everyone. I was inspired by the success of my daughter to use the NHS 12 week plan. Today I was feeling quite positive as I stepped on the scales for my weekly reality check. My chart was telling me all calorie and exercise targets were met or exceeded.

No! A second week and same weight. I moved the scales. Tried again. Same story. Frustrating or what? MyFitness app is in constant use so I think I may need to go to a lower calorie intake.

I did the 5:2 successfully when it first came out on 1200 cals and 2 fast days. Took six months but a steady reductionand 9 kg loss to 22.5 Bmi. Have slipped a bit but just want to lose about 4kg and feeling this may take a long time.

Should I stick to 1400 or reduce down to 1200? Advice welcome.

KB

[Hidden]

Have you checked your calorie allowance on the NHS calculator?

Sometimes if we don't eat enough calories our bodies think they are being starved so hold onto whatever weight we have left.

I have read about members of this forum who had to increase their calorie allowance by a couple of hundred per day to get their weight loss shifting again after a plateau.

Good luck 👍

[GoogleMe]

The weekly weigh-in is still only a snapshot and could have caught you on a peak.

I find that weekly weighing isn't right for me. I now weigh daily which means that I don't have all the baggage of hopes and expectations getting on the scales with me and can see just how much my weight can vary. Over the course of this week I've done really well and then gained a lot and now it is half way between those two and I can see that the trend is still downwards - which is what really matters if weight loss isn't just a hobby.

I reckon that MyFitnessPal overestimates calories burned for me so I don't use that part of it. I have found it very interesting having a Fitbit to discover how much variability there is in the calories I burn on different days. I wouldn't suggest that you set yourself a lower calorie limit but nor would I recommend that you try to eat very close to the 1400 every single day - if you've got over 1,000 or so and not by skipping any meals and you are not feeling hungry then don't bother eating up to the target, but don't aim for this on a regular basis. (That woudl probably be about concentration which as you've found, will eventually slip) Calorie values are not exact, even if you are weighing and measuring scrupulously (which is the thing to try if your results continue to be plateau'd)

[KettleBelle in reply to GoogleMe]

That's a good idea. I had such high expectations for my weekly weigh in.

I don't subtract the exercise elements using mfp.

I do find it enables me to justify a mid evening fruit snack so perhaps I should resist that.

I'll try the daily scales date. On holiday right now for a long w/e so a challenge on all fronts.

KB

[KettleBelle]

Hi @isou7000

Thanks for replying. That was my first post! Always good to be encouraged. I like your logo. What does it mean?

I have been on the BMI calculator but it doesn't give me a recommendation. Perhaps it's because I am in the healthy range (top end at 24?) Or perhaps you only get that on the iPhone version. I use an Android phone.

I have a desk job and work from home so no natural opportunities for lots of movement. I stand to work but have since read that this does not add much to calorie burn.

I have been walking virtually every day and I use a 6kg kettlebell for strength exercises 2 or 3 times a week.

It must be doing my health good even if the scales won't budge!

Anyone else stuck?

[GoogleMe in reply to KettleBelle]

Yes, that's right, that calculator doesn't give you a range if you are not deemed to need to lose weight by virtue of your BMI alone.

[Hidden in reply to KettleBelle]

You're welcome.

Thank you. It's Arabic "Allahu Akbar" - God is great. Well that's what it's supposed to say, but couldn't get the image to fit properly lol

Yes you're right. If you're within the healthy weight range, they assume you don't need to lose anymore, so they don't give you a calorie allowance.

I use an app called Lose it! and it gives me an exact allowance based on my height, weight, age and sex. Does MFP do that? If not, I know there are online sites that will work it out for you.

My weight is also just in the healthy range and I joined this site back in March with the aim of trying to lose around 20lb so I was sitting comfortably within the range and not just teetering on the edge. I lost 6lb, then put it all back on again when fasting in Ramadan because I consumed over my allowance to keep me going through the fast and also I couldn't exercise as I couldn't drink water. Anyway after Ramadan I lost the 6lb after 3 weeks, then the 4th week I gained 2lb back, but I think this may have been from muscle soreness due to adding in extra exercise. Anyway if I've knocked 1lb off by tomorrow 's weigh-in, I'll be happy. I'm just trying to get below 10st 8lb, I have been there several times, but never break the barrier lol 😂

I'm a full-time mum and I work from home too. My kids are very little, so the only time I can exercise properly is when they're asleep, so I use a workout video 4-5 times a week. It has strength exercises in it too. Maybe if you're pushed for time, you could workout at home?

😊

[KettleBelle in reply to Hidden]

Ah, I thought it may be Arabic. I was in Ethiopia at the end of Ramadan this year and was thinking how challenging it has been this year in the UK with the long days.

I have done lots of fasting in the past; not eating at all but I did drink water. It is easy after the first 3 days. Appetite switches off.

We do need to be sympathetic to the stage of life we are at and the needs of our families.

Well done for setting personal goals.

I use a Kettlecise DVD for strength exercises. The music is annoying but I just listen to a podcast to keep it bearable.

Thanks for advice about the app. I'll look it up.

KB

[IndigoBlue61]

If you are at a healthy weight perhaps focus on inches and toning? Use a mirror and s tape measure 😊 You sound as if you are doing everything right! Good luck 😊

[KettleBelle in reply to IndigoBlue61]

Thanks. Will do. Certainly feel thinner in the mornings.