Plateau - should I reduce calories? Topic

AliBee 07/26/23
Hello,
I have been using MND for 18 months and have lost 48 lbs in that time. I'd like to lose another 20 lbs or so. But for the past several weeks, I have been stuck at the same weight. I don't think my logging habits have changed - I'm pretty good at weighing my food, reading labels carefully, etc. I've tried increasing the amount of exercise I do and switching up my exercise routine. I'm also getting more protein in my diet. I'll give it a few more weeks to see what happens. If I'm still plateauing, I was considering cutting my daily calorie budget from 1600 to 1500 calories. Is that a good idea? I've read conflicting articles online about whether you can break through a plateau by cutting calorie intake.

Thanks for your help,
Alison

U1196206371 07/26/23
Try changing up the time you eat maybe do your heavier meals during breakfast and lunch and smaller meals before bed. Good luck!

Dietician 07/27/23
Hi Alison,

Congrats on your weight loss! Impressive! Yes, plateaus can be frustrating. Let's see if we can get the scale moving again. You could decrease your calories to 1400-1500 per day to see if your weight starts going down. I would also revisit the accuracy of your intake, making sure you are not going over, especially if you increased the protein.

Here are some articles for other tips for breaking through a plateau that you may find helpful.

https://www.mynetdiary.com/dieting-and-exercising-but-not-losing-weight.html

https://www.mynetdiary.com/weight-loss-plateau-tips.html

Please keep us posted! Brenda (MyNetDiary Dietitian)

U1196348597 08/16/23
Have you considered maybe switching up what you eat? Example: for Taco Tuesday do lean ground turkey but add in roasted zucchini, yellow Squash, red onion and broccoli that has been tossed in garlic powder, onion powder etc.., along with a bit of coconut aminos low sodium. Skip the oil!!

Just warm your tortillas and add your ground turkey & top with roasted veggies, and make a greek yogurt, lime and cilantro sauce with a bit of seasoning. Top it of with this and a bit of your choice of salsa or taco sauce. Skip the cheese! It tastes great without it!! You can also swap tofu for the ground turkey it’s so good, just cook it as you would ground turkey.

You’ll cut calories and fat by doing this meal swap from original tacos but you’ll still get the necessary protein.

U1196348597 08/16/23
and fiber

Plateau - should I reduce calories?