gloverlatasha001's Journal, 18 Jan 23

plateaus are very frustrating. I increased fiber and water for a while and it moved  

1200 calories is super low for an adult woman. Re-calculate your TDEE, more cals may be just the ticket 

I am working on cutting out breads and starches instead of cutting calories more.  

Yes, I drink about 12 glasses of water a day or more on average.... and I have increased my fiber and a pound and/or a few ounces moved but , nothing more. Thanks for your input❣️ 

Emma, I'm trying to add more calories now...my calculation says 1900 but that's a lot of eating for me so I'm starting off with 1500 for now and working my way up....thanks for your input👍🏽❤️ As of starting yesterday I saw 8 ounces drop by adding calories  

Maybe you are not losing weight, but you're physically changing. Adding muscle, and shedding fat... 

Abbadabaa, I don't eat alot of carbs...unless they are complex quinoa, brown rice (if at all, lol), sweet potatoes...I do my best to go for healthier items if I do. Also, I stay away from sweets( cookies, cake, candy etc) thanks for your input cause all input makes me go back over my needs for adjustment ❣️ 

Unanimous, I thought that too, but my measurements haven't changed either (though I'm not sure they should, lol) what are your thoughts there? If the scale doesn't move much should the measurement? 

At your current weight, you should be losing about half a pound a day on 1200-1300 kcal. As a suggestion, perhaps add an hour long walk after dinner (which should burn about 325 kcal) or on your lunch break. Sometimes just that little tweak can start things up again. I would NOT add calories at this point. Latasha -- how tall are you? 

There are a bunch of variables. Are you getting proper rest, are you eating foods high on sodium (which would make you retain water), stress level, etc. Also are you weighing yourself on the same day at the same time? Examples, just Mondays in the morning?  

Are you weighing your food? Not counting on weekends? It isn't possible to not lose fat at such a low number at your weight. Adding muscle is possible. Use tape to measure body parts and count the food before you eat it, many forget to log food. 

My new approach has been to vary my caloric intake each day and focus primarily on the total one week intake👍 

Unanimously, I sleep mostly 7 to 8 hours a night; I weigh myself 1st thing in the morning after using the bathroom...no clothing. I try to eat mostly whole foods and as far as stress Sometime I think we as people don't know when we are stress (LOL, that could be part of it) Just that I've been stuck on 203 to 202 for a month or so...I even gained some during the holiday and got right back down to the 203 to 202 area and at a stand still again  

Just bananas, I'm 5"4...though I workout about 40 to 50ish minutes a day maybe some extra cardio may help me out a bit 

Maguscanook, Thanks so much for your input...it kinda hard to hit the nail on the head everyday anyway...looking at overall at the end of the week sounds like a good idea 

Diablo, Thanks for sharing your input...I just started back weighing my food but, I do log my food intake daily (weekday and weekend). I wonder if I'm gaining muscle but, my measurements are the same. I will continue to weigh my food though  

Seems like you might be having trouble with calculating your CICO. You are eating more and burning fewer than you think.  

Zigzag calorie cycling is a weight loss approach that aims to counteract the human body's natural adaptive tendencies. Counting and restricting calories, as described above, is a viable method to lose weight, but over a period of time, it is possible for the body to adapt to the lower number of calories consumed. In cases where this happens, a plateau in weight loss that can be difficult to surmount can result. This is where zigzag calorie cycling can help, by not allowing the body to adapt to the lower calorie environment. Zigzag calorie cycling involves alternating the number of calories consumed on a given day. A person on a zigzag diet should have a combination of high-calorie and low-calorie days to meet the same overall weekly calorie target. For example, if your target calorie intake is 14,000 calories per week, you could consume 2,300 calories three days a week, and 1,775 the other four days of the week, or you could consume 2,000 calories each day. In both cases, 14,000 calories would be consumed over the week, but the body wouldn't adapt and compensate for a 2,000-calorie diet. This also allows a person more flexibility in their diet, allowing them to plan around occasions, such as work or family gatherings, where a person may consume more calories. Consuming a lower number of calories on other days can allow a person to enjoy these gatherings or even have a "cheat day" where they eat whatever they want without feeling guilty, since they can make up for the excess calories on their low-calorie days. There is no concrete rule or study that dictates the most effective way to alternate or spread out calorie consumption. How to vary calorie intake is largely up to personal discretion. Depending on a person's activity, it is generally recommended that the high-calorie and low-calorie days vary by approximately 200-300 calories, where the high-calorie day is often the number of calories a person needs to consume to maintain their current weight. For a person with a higher activity level, the calorie difference should be larger. The calculator presents two zigzag diet schedules. The first schedule has two higher calorie days and five lower calorie days. The second schedule increases and reduces calories gradually. In either case, the total weekly calorie consumption is the same.