Frustrated because you’ve been exercising regularly and have a controlled diet, but can't seem to lose any weight. Plateaus can make you feel that way - particularly when it feels like you're doing all the right things.
Sixty to seventy percent of your calories are used just for the "bare basics" of life when your body is at rest: breathing, keeping your heart pumping, and regulating body temperature. Another 10 percent go for digestion and processing the foods you eat.
The last component, the one over which you have the most control, for physical activity (from just sitting around to working out), typically account for 15 to 30 percent of your daily expenditure.
The last component, the one over which you have the most control, for physical activity (from just sitting around to working out), typically account for 15 to 30 percent of your daily expenditure.
It's tough to say how many calories any one person burns each day because there is tremendous individual variation. In one study on overweight women of the same age, weight and height, calories needed to maintain the "bare basics" varied from 1,263 to 2,152 per day. If you were at the low end of that range, weight loss would take longer and potentially be more tedious for you.
So, what to do if your weight seems stuck?
Keep a log to see if you really are eating what you think you're eating. If you make note of everything you eat, not only will it help you pinpoint where some extra calories might be coming from, but it might make you stop and think before you overeat again.
Weigh and measure foods for a while - another way of making sure that you're not eating more than you think you're eating. See if you're consistently going over the recommended portions. You can probably stop measuring once you get the hang of it.
Step up your exercise - if you have the time and your body can handle it. Sometimes, however, the scale gets stuck for a while because of the added muscle. In other words, you could be losing fat but it won't show up on the scale right away because of an increase in lean body mass - great!
Try focusing on what you've already achieved and measure your success by more than just the scale. Commend yourself for being more fit, feeling better about yourself, being in a more "up" frame of mind - or whatever else your efforts at eating healthier and exercising are getting you.
