9 months out????

I am almost 9 months out and at a stand still. Sometimes I even put on a lb only to lose it by the end of the week. I can't seem to get beyond the 89-90 hump. <br />
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HELP!!! <br />
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Really discouraged,

How much should I be eating?

Anyone have a sample menu they use?

How long have you been at a stand still?  How often are you weighing yourself? How many calories are you eating? What is the balance of nutrients for those calories?  (protein/carbs/fats) How much protein are you eating? What is a typical day's eating look like for you? Are you drinking with your meals? Are you getting in all your water for the day? Are you taking your vitamins and supplements? What exercise are you doing and how often? Answers to these questions might help us figure out what's best for you. Pam

I've been at a stand still for over 2 months
Weigh once a week on saturdays
I average 900-1000 calories
Mostly protein, some carbs, very little fat
I probably get 50-80g protein daily

Typical day is:
B: Coffee w/2% milk, splenda
1 egg white w/salsa
S: Cottage cheese
L: lean cuisine (15 carbs max)
S: fruit
D: something small...protein n' veggie

It depends on how dry the food is. If i'm in the middle of work I do tend to eat n' drink a little
Yes, I get tons of water in daily
Yes, very religious on my water
I'm a nursing student so getting to the gym is pretty rare but I'm on my feet running back and forth all day so I'd call that a little bit of exercise.

Thanks for your help!

Are you actually tracking your food intake on a journal like www.fitday.com?  Or are you just guesstimating your numbers? I took your sample day of eating and entered it into Fitday.  Here's what I came up with. Egg & Salsa === 80 calories, 6g protein Cottage Cheese === (based on 6oz.) 100 calories, 13g protein Lean Cuisine === (I used one I eat sometimes) 210 calories, 13g protein Fruit == (1/3c grapes) 37 calories, no protein Protein & Veggies == (4oz chicken breast and broccoli) 150 calories, 27g protein Total is: Calories: 589 Protein: 61g My guess is you're not eating enough.  You should REALLY be up to your guesstimate of 800-1000 calories and be up to the higher end of your protein goal of around 70-80g.  tracking your food for a few weeks will help give you a better idea of what you're actually taking in. That's my best guess. Pam

Can you give me a sample of what 800-1000 looks like. I thought I was eating way more calories than I was.

Any sample ideas of what I should be doing on a daily basis would be awesome. I feel like I've failed my tool and I'll never reach goal.

Thanks for your help

I'm 6 months out and I usually hit around 900 calories per day and about 90g of protein.  Here's a sample day for me: Pre-Breakfast (commute) -- protein shake Breakfast -- Kroger brand carb master yogurt (12g protein) or fruit & cheesestick Lunch -- Chili & salad or casserole & salad or Lean Cuisine & salad Snack -- cheesestick or protein bar or dry roasted edamame Dinner -- tortilla pizza or something similar to what I had for lunch If I eat anything with carbs, I always have something with protein.  So when I have fruit, I don't eat it alone - it always goes with cheese or peanut butter or something.  My afternoon snack is always protein based and since I'm at work, it's gotta be easy.  I try to get 1 serving of fruit and 2 servings of veggies per day.  Plus try to get 1 serving of whole grain starch per day.  This really helps me keep my fiber count up in the 25-30g range which helps keep me regular.  I track all my food intake on FitDay.  I can see very early in the day if I'm on track with my protein.  If I'm low by the time I leave the office I can adjust my plans for dinner accordingly.  If I'm still low at the end of the day I can have an extra protein shake before bed. I try to hit 90g protein every day -- or at least most days of the week.  Yesterday was a bad eating day for me and I only at 650 calories and 60g protein... I was dragging by the end of the day and so tired. You haven't failed your tool.  You just need to make a few adjustments and move on.  It's good that you are recognizing something is off now rather than waiting another few months before getting things moving again.  You WILL reach your goal.  It just takes a lot of work to get there.  HTH Pam

You are not getting enough calories in and your body is in survival mode.  Eat palm size meals (Every 2-3 hours), I usually eat now about 7x a day. Here is a sample of my menu. PB- Minute maid lite orange juice Breakfast- Palm size portion of shredded hash browns w/ diced onions and mushrooms sautee. Snack- Granola Mix (Trail mix is fine also), palm size. Lunch- Veggie chicken sandwich w/ lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and veganaise on wheat. Snack- (1) Medium banana nut muffin with vegetarian whipped spread Dinner- Palm size portion of veggie lasagna. Snack- (1) Sunkist seedless orange

When I eat like this, I have no cravings and do not overeat and my blood sugar is stable. The stall will end when you up your eating with good whole foods.

I agree that you're not eating enough at all. We're all different, but I'm 8 months out and eating between 800-1000 a day. YMMV, but for body, when I cut back, my weight loss would stop completely. I even gained weight. Here's what I ate last Thurs me. Breakfast Protein bar 190 cal 1/2 banana 40 cal 1/2 oz cheese 55 cal Total 285 cal Postworkout snack Carb control yogurt 60 cal 1/2 banana 40 cals Total 100 cal Lunch (I usually only eat 3/4 and save the rest for the next day or snack later) Spinach Tortilla 140 cal 4 slices lean turkey 100 cal 2 tbsp grated cheese 50 cal 2 tbsp FF ranch dressing 35 cal 1/4 cup Alfalfa sprouts 0 cal Total 325 cal Dinner  grilled chicken breast 150 grilled veggies (small amount of olive Oil added) 50 cal whole wheat bun (bottom only) 85 cal 1 oz crumbled feta 75 cal Toal 360 cals 1070 cals It sounds like a lot of food, but I can tolerate almost everything and I work out really hard 3-4 days a week. I try to keep  my meals to about 300 cals regardless of what I eat. Snacks are high in protein and under 100 calories. I eat lots of hard cheese and low sodium luncheon meats or grilled chicken.  In honesty, I seldom "clean my plate", so the actual number is less. Occasionally will have skim milk. I also drink 4-5 low calorie Fuze drinks a week.

Thank you so much for your experience and for your "sample day menu." Reading it, I would never think I could eat all that but I guess it's kind of mind over matter.

I'm going to start hitting the grind stone again and really focus on my eating and documenting every little thing I stick in my mouth.

I found some really yummy protein drinks (RTD) from vitamin shoppe (Pure Protein) they are low carb, 35g protein and are OMG delish!

I am going to "try" and up my workout. I'm a full time nursing student and full time mommy to a toddler so not sure how much more I can up it. Maybe if I at least get my caloric intake up to par the scale will start moving again.

Thanks again,
Jo