Eat more to break your plateau!
BFDeal
Posts: 3,160 Member
Wait. Or not since that what I did and gained 5-6lbs. So much for that advice. Anyone else got any pearls of wisdom they can share to help out? I realize helping a guy out who has 40lbs to lose isn't as rewarding as helping a 125lb chick get to 123 so she can squeeze in to a slightly smaller bikini but perhaps someone can throw me a bone. IIFYM and lifting lost me 20lbs from the end of May until October. Until it stopped. For. No. Reason. Yes I have a food scale. Even with my 5lb regain I've lost 130lbs total over the course of a few years. Let's say I'm a tad familiar with the concept of weighing food. Other ideas besides buying a food scale?
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What size bikini do you wear currently, and are you losing inches?
ETA: I don't have any specific advice. I would change my exercise, get in more cardio to widen the deficit, but perhaps you've considered that.0 -
Good question! When you get some suggestions let me know. I have hit a hard plateau that I simply cannot get past. I am in the process of gradually increasing my calories before I cut back to see if it gets me back on track. I am also changing my exercise routine from aqua athletics and weight training to rowing and cycling. If it works I'll let you know.0
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Wait. Or not since that what I did and gained 5-6lbs. So much for that advice. Anyone else got any pearls of wisdom they can share to help out? I realize helping a guy out who has 40lbs to lose isn't as rewarding as helping a 125lb chick get to 123 so she can squeeze in to a slightly smaller bikini but perhaps someone can throw me a bone. IIFYM and lifting lost me 20lbs from the end of May until October. Until it stopped. For. No. Reason. Yes I have a food scale. Even with my 5lb regain I've lost 130lbs total over the course of a few years. Let's say I'm a tad familiar with the concept of weighing food. Other ideas besides buying a food scale?
Congratulations on your weight loss!
Plateau, huh? You're simply eating at maintenance. Have you adjusted your weight loss goals since losing all that weight? You are a small guy now, which means you need less calories to function. Adjust accordingly.
Love my food scale. It really does help to keep calories in track.
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Do you log everything, I only went a couple of days back but it looks like you don't log any vegetables at all and lots of potentially high sodium foods
How long was your "plateau"?
Do you recalculate your calorie defecit when you lose weight? Are you eating back exercise calories to 100%
If you're eating 2-3k calories daily why would you increase to lose more? Try cutting a few hundred calories and refocusing on what you eat
And I couldn't care less about anybody's bikini but my own so maybe the chip on your shoulder is weighing you down?
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I'm guessing that you've plateaud since October.. Losing weight gets harder the more you lose, so plateaus are bound to happen, but there are ways to break them. Have you updated your stats on IIFYM and MFP? Try low-carb (at first it will be water weight that's lost, but it can kick-start more fat-loss). Also, try changing your workout regime - sometimes you plateau because your body gets used to the exercises. Drink lots of water. Are you measuring? Plateaus might just be muscle gain and fat loss, but that will show in inches/cms, not on the scale.
Hope some of this helps0 -
Under no circumstances will eating more calories lead to greater weight loss.
None.
If it does, you have broken fundamental laws of physics, and have permanently solved the problem of the world's future energy needs.
Who gave you this (non)advice and why on earth would you believe it?
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Yes eat more, but, doing more is what worked for me . I'd hit a six week plateau and knew I needed to monitor my foods better and do more exercise. So I joined the Y and started taking classes. I went from 150 minutes to 360 minutes of exercise ; the first two weeks nothing happened, same weight. My appetite also increase and I ate more and then finally this week boom I dropped 3 lbs. I also weighed and measured better. I also drank more water. I'm half way to my goal.0
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bjabdullah wrote: »Yes eat more, but, doing more is what worked for me . I'd hit a six week plateau and knew I needed to monitor my foods better and do more exercise. So I joined the Y and started taking classes. I went from 150 minutes to 360 minutes of exercise ; the first two weeks nothing happened, same weight. My appetite also increase and I ate more and then finally this week boom I dropped 3 lbs. I also weighed and measured better. I also drank more water. I'm half way to my goal.
Right, but adding more exercise, and then eating more to compensate for the extra exercise, you were still in a calorie deficit.
Never does eating more lead to weight loss.0 -
Hey! Who says bikinis are a female only garment? :-p.
My advice would be to make sure you weigh and record everything that passes your lips. Sad to say but eating more does not help a plateau. A plateau simple means you have found the maintance amount of calories for that weight. Only way to lose again is to create a bigger deficit (whether it be from eating less or moving more).0 -
Eat fewer calories.
I'll send you my bill.0 -
Never made sense to me how people can actually tell someone to "eat more and you'll lose"...cuz science.
How long has your plateau lasted?0 -
Changing your exercise can help - over time your body gets more efficient at doing the same things, so you're going to burn fewer calories. Otherwise - eat less. It looks like you were eating 5-600 fewer calories per day in September.
I've had anecdotal experience with "eat more and lose", but it's two very specific circumstances, neither of which applies here. First is when my fat feels a specific kind of squishy and a single day of higher calories triggers the loss of water weight. The other is when I'm feeling very low energy from excessively low calories - my NEAT goes to near-zero. I eat more, NEAT rises, and the net energy change is negative.0 -
I know this works for some people, but personally, it has never worked for me. Generally, I just wait it out and wait it out and wait it out, making sure I'm tracking accurately and all my settings are correct (sedentary for me), and eventually things move again.
OTOH, I have a lot of weight to lose. It may get tougher as I get closer to goal...but I do know that thus far, anyway, eating more to get weight loss going again hasn't worked.0 -
They say that many people hit a point where the weight loss becomes ridiculously difficult. If you maintain for a few months (or gain a smidge), then start dieting again, it gets easier again.
It works for some people, anyway.
A lot of people report success by eating more, then dropping back down and losing easier, too. Some may lie about it, but I don't think they're all lying.
I think there is something to all of it and if I were a betting girl, my money would be on the fact that they'll learn more and it will bear out what everyone says and what some studies have found.
I'm not saying it will work for you! No way for me to know.
I know none of that will be exceedingly (or at all) helpful, but there you go.
I hope you lose your forty pounds. When you do, you should fit into a bikini and post a pic. 0 -
The only thing that has worked for me in this regard is to switch up types of exercise. It doesn't even have to be harder, it just has to be something different that your body is totally unaccustomed to. Is there a YMCA or something with an indoor pool where you can swim laps, or something like that? If you swim at a good pace it will burn fat off of you and it will leave you quite tired. You won't know how tired you are until you get out of the pool and into the shower and suddenly OMG! haha.... before I developed all these annoying skin problems and could stand the chlorine, I used to swim and it kept me quite lean back in the day. won't bang up your joints, either. Good for the lungs. You breathe every 4th stroke, not every other stroke. Or if breast stroke, every other stroke and not every one.0
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I will second switching up the exercise. That helps me every time and if I had a plan, would have to say that was part of it.
Swimming is never excluded, though. If you haven't tried swimming, DO IT. It's easy on the joints. You don't feel hot and sweaty like you will with any other cardio. And nothing burns fat like swimming.
Start swimming and watch the fat melt away. 0 -
The only way changing up exercise to get past a plateau is if you choose something that burns more calories than what you're currently doing. Otherwise, keep the same exercise and increase time or intensity to create your calorie deficit. Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and decide to stall weight loss.0
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You've lost a lot of weight.
Your previous deficit has now become your maintenance.
Eat fewer calories.
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SergeantSausage wrote: »Under no circumstances will eating more calories lead to greater weight loss.
None.
If it does, you have broken fundamental laws of physics, and have permanently solved the problem of the world's future energy needs.
Who gave you this (non)advice and why on earth would you believe it?
Not strictly true, any time I plateaued I upped my cals by 100 and lost. Currently I'm maintaining eating more than ever before, 2100 cals a day and I'm petite/very active).
Changing workouts help, change them up, try something different etc. Circuits/HIIT worked great when I plateaued.
The last few pounds are hardest to lose and we do have to be very accurate with food tracking at that stage or else we stall - inaccurate logging can lead to you maintaining instead of losing.
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The only way changing up exercise to get past a plateau is if you choose something that burns more calories than what you're currently doing. Otherwise, keep the same exercise and increase time or intensity to create your calorie deficit. Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and decide to stall weight loss.
The body gets used to the same exercise in around 8 weeks, that's why changing things works, even just for a few weeks of something else then returning to preferred or previous exercise. Always works for me ☺0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »The only way changing up exercise to get past a plateau is if you choose something that burns more calories than what you're currently doing. Otherwise, keep the same exercise and increase time or intensity to create your calorie deficit. Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and decide to stall weight loss.
The body gets used to the same exercise in around 8 weeks, that's why changing things works, even just for a few weeks of something else then returning to preferred or previous exercise. Always works for me ☺
Of course it worked-you increased your calorie deficit. Weight loss works only if a calorie deficit is involved.
Tell me more about body getting used to exercise because I've never experienced it in all my years of doing weight lifting, running, and other cardio. The only changes I ever make to exercise are for challenging myself: increasing distance, more weights during heavy weight lifting, but I've always ran, weight lifted, and did the cardio machines at the gym. 0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »SergeantSausage wrote: »Under no circumstances will eating more calories lead to greater weight loss.
None.
If it does, you have broken fundamental laws of physics, and have permanently solved the problem of the world's future energy needs.
Who gave you this (non)advice and why on earth would you believe it?
Not strictly true, any time I plateaued I upped my cals by 100 and lost. Currently I'm maintaining eating more than ever before, 2100 cals a day and I'm petite/very active).
Changing workouts help, change them up, try something different etc. Circuits/HIIT worked great when I plateaued.
The last few pounds are hardest to lose and we do have to be very accurate with food tracking at that stage or else we stall - inaccurate logging can lead to you maintaining instead of losing.
But, you were still in a calorie deficit.0 -
Of course, else I wouldn't have lost.RunRutheeRun wrote: »SergeantSausage wrote: »Under no circumstances will eating more calories lead to greater weight loss.
None.
If it does, you have broken fundamental laws of physics, and have permanently solved the problem of the world's future energy needs.
Who gave you this (non)advice and why on earth would you believe it?
Not strictly true, any time I plateaued I upped my cals by 100 and lost. Currently I'm maintaining eating more than ever before, 2100 cals a day and I'm petite/very active).
Changing workouts help, change them up, try something different etc. Circuits/HIIT worked great when I plateaued.
The last few pounds are hardest to lose and we do have to be very accurate with food tracking at that stage or else we stall - inaccurate logging can lead to you maintaining instead of losing.
But, you were still in a calorie deficit.
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »The only way changing up exercise to get past a plateau is if you choose something that burns more calories than what you're currently doing. Otherwise, keep the same exercise and increase time or intensity to create your calorie deficit. Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and decide to stall weight loss.
The body gets used to the same exercise in around 8 weeks, that's why changing things works, even just for a few weeks of something else then returning to preferred or previous exercise. Always works for me ☺
Of course it worked-you increased your calorie deficit. Weight loss works only if a calorie deficit is involved.
Tell me more about body getting used to exercise because I've never experienced it in all my years of doing weight lifting, running, and other cardio. The only changes I ever make to exercise are for challenging myself: increasing distance, more weights during heavy weight lifting, but I've always ran, weight lifted, and did the cardio machines at the gym.
I read about it lately, but it made sense to me that the body would indeed get used to the same old same old so hence doing more or doing something different helped. For me personally it worked... when I think about it, my stamina has increased over the past few years so now I think nothing of an hour running etc when once I would have found 20 mins tough.
You've been doing more/challenging yourself anyway so for you it wouldn't apply. I'm no expert, just speaking from experience and my findings.0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »RunRutheeRun wrote: »The only way changing up exercise to get past a plateau is if you choose something that burns more calories than what you're currently doing. Otherwise, keep the same exercise and increase time or intensity to create your calorie deficit. Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and decide to stall weight loss.
The body gets used to the same exercise in around 8 weeks, that's why changing things works, even just for a few weeks of something else then returning to preferred or previous exercise. Always works for me ☺
Of course it worked-you increased your calorie deficit. Weight loss works only if a calorie deficit is involved.
Tell me more about body getting used to exercise because I've never experienced it in all my years of doing weight lifting, running, and other cardio. The only changes I ever make to exercise are for challenging myself: increasing distance, more weights during heavy weight lifting, but I've always ran, weight lifted, and did the cardio machines at the gym.
I read about it lately, but it made sense to me that the body would indeed get used to the same old same old so hence doing more or doing something different helped. For me personally it worked... when I think about it, my stamina has increased over the past few years so now I think nothing of an hour running etc when once I would have found 20 mins tough.
You've been doing more/challenging yourself anyway so for you it wouldn't apply. I'm no expert, just speaking from experience and my findings.
It seems to me that you're saying you got a bit bored with the same exercise so you changed, thus increasing your intensity and your calorie deficit.
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Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and decide to stall weight loss.
The theory is actually that your body gets used to the same exercise and you improve efficiency. Most of that improvement seems actually be in technique. My suspicion is that advice works because people have a lousy ability to gauge exercise. Changing your exercise (running faster, cycling instead of running, etc) resets your expectations - even if the theoretical calorie burn doesn't change.
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It's nice to get a variety of ideas and experiences. Thanks for sharing it!RunRutheeRun wrote: »RunRutheeRun wrote: »The only way changing up exercise to get past a plateau is if you choose something that burns more calories than what you're currently doing. Otherwise, keep the same exercise and increase time or intensity to create your calorie deficit. Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and decide to stall weight loss.
The body gets used to the same exercise in around 8 weeks, that's why changing things works, even just for a few weeks of something else then returning to preferred or previous exercise. Always works for me ☺
Of course it worked-you increased your calorie deficit. Weight loss works only if a calorie deficit is involved.
Tell me more about body getting used to exercise because I've never experienced it in all my years of doing weight lifting, running, and other cardio. The only changes I ever make to exercise are for challenging myself: increasing distance, more weights during heavy weight lifting, but I've always ran, weight lifted, and did the cardio machines at the gym.
I read about it lately, but it made sense to me that the body would indeed get used to the same old same old so hence doing more or doing something different helped. For me personally it worked... when I think about it, my stamina has increased over the past few years so now I think nothing of an hour running etc when once I would have found 20 mins tough.
You've been doing more/challenging yourself anyway so for you it wouldn't apply. I'm no expert, just speaking from experience and my findings.
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Ok my advice would be to make some changes in what you are eating.
An apple often seems like your ONLY fruit or vegetable. Swap out one (or 2) of your bowls of captn crunch for fruit or veggies. Or swap out your ice cream sandwiches.
Do not eat back your exercise calories.
Yes I know these things worked before-and way to go on your weightloss-but try something new to continue losing in a healthy way.
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I'm in the same boat, and I have heard this same advice from many people, because it worked for them. I'm tempted to try it.
I started Nov. 23rd at 184 lb (I'm 41 y. old, female, 5'8") By December 15 I went down to 175.5 lbs. My calorie goal was 1400 which I usually stayed under, or maybe went over a little. I started walking 4-5 times / week about 20-40 minutes and did yoga once a week (started this workout on Nov. 23rd). Up until then I did very short walks with my dog, nothing that burnt a lot of calories.
Since Dec. 19 I haven't been working because I'm a teacher and I've been on winter break. I reduced my calories to 1300 and have been under every single day except for one, Christmas. I started jogging in addition to the walking (several times / week), take yoga once / week, and in the past 2-3 weeks I have taken 3 Zumba classes / week. I also joined a gym and did some weights, but that hasn't been consistent.
I weigh my food with a digital scale and I log every single bite.
I haven't lost anything, well, I did lose .5 lb a few days ago.
That's it. I know I've lost inches, because everything fits better, I can fit into clothes I couldn't before, my current jeans are too big. Even my face shows it.
But I have over 30 lbs to lose and I'm wondering when the scale will move again.
Several people said they took a few days with higher calories and the scale started moving. One friend who lost a lot, and consistently, said that she ate 6 days a week perfectly with 1 relaxing day every week and the scale kept going down.
I'm going to give it a try. I'm not going to pig out, I'm just going to eat about 300 more calories (all good stuff like lean meat, etc) and see what happens. I know I won't gain weight from it, but who knows, maybe the scale will move again?0 -
Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and decide to stall weight loss.
The theory is actually that your body gets used to the same exercise and you improve efficiency. Most of that improvement seems actually be in technique. My suspicion is that advice works because people have a lousy ability to gauge exercise. Changing your exercise (running faster, cycling instead of running, etc) resets your expectations - even if the theoretical calorie burn doesn't change.
No. Your body doesn't get used to the same exercise and stop losing weight, we get careless with our intake and/or exercise habits. When weight loss stalls, it's mostly because we are eating more than we think we are.
If you want to lose weight, you have to eat less than you burn. A calorie deficit comes from eating less or exercising more or a combination thereof. There are no special snowflakes when it comes to weight loss.
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