if you plateau do THIS

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hidee14
hidee14 Posts: 110 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
About 5 months ago i plateaued at 150lbs. i tried EVERYTHING and I have to say that mfp was no help, all people told me was that I wasn't eating enough and I got so discouraged that i just quit mfp all together for about 6 months. I recently started counting again and my weight has started dropping again. I believe it was a few things 1 my body needed a break 2 i needed to change my exercises. I'm so excited to lose my last 30 pounds yay :smiley: so the reason I'm posting this is just incase there is someone out there who has a similar situation and mpf isn't helping and just saying you're doing everything wrong, try this! :smile:
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Replies

  • fitnessgrandma53
    fitnessgrandma53 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks for the advice, I have been stuck at 158 for 3months now cant get the scale to move. will try this.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Whatever makes you feel better.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    Ok, so quitting is the answer when I hit a plateau???
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Diet and exercise breaks are always good when you hit a plateau.
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
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    A plateau will end if you are eating at a deficit. The fact that you changed your exercises or changed your underwear has noting to do with it.
  • Tishasaltzman
    Tishasaltzman Posts: 3 Member
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    Thank you for mentioning this. I also have been stuck for the past few months, also have been told eating too few calories (1200-1300) - How is that possible, eat less & not lose? May have to try your suggestion, take a break for a month, then give it another go.
    BTW- what is wfp :\
  • Tishasaltzman
    Tishasaltzman Posts: 3 Member
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    OH!! mfp - duh, just figured it out! ;)
  • crystal8208
    crystal8208 Posts: 284 Member
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    No going to maintenance for a few weeks or months is what you can do to break it is what I think they meant. Maybe? :)
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited February 2015
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    hidee14 wrote: »
    About 5 months ago i plateaued at 150lbs. i tried EVERYTHING and I have to say that mfp was no help, all people told me was that I wasn't eating enough and I got so discouraged that i just quit mfp all together for about 6 months. I recently started counting again and my weight has started dropping again. I believe it was a few things 1 my body needed a break 2 i needed to change my exercises. I'm so excited to lose my last 30 pounds yay :smiley: so the reason I'm posting this is just incase there is someone out there who has a similar situation and mpf isn't helping and just saying you're doing everything wrong, try this! :smile:

    Wonderful! It sounds like you needed a break, and starting to log and count again put you back on track. That's what you've been doing, right? Because the only way to lose weight is to eat less calories than you burn. Nobody gets to be a special snowflake.

    Yeah, don't listen to anyone who tells you to eat more food when you're not losing weight. In fact, in order to lose weight by eating more you have to (1) know how much you are eating in the first place, (2) be accurately accounting for calories in/calories out, and (3) know your maintenance calories so you can stay below. Eating more to lose weight is about properly fueling your body, and not the random increase of calories. The gist is if we are in a "plateau," we are eating too much in the first place.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    edited February 2015
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    MrM27 wrote: »
    ummm ok
    Hornsby wrote: »
    Whatever makes you feel better.

    :D
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    im not sure why you think its novel advice, i see the same advice posted for others all the time. theres lots of tricks and tips for overcoming plateaus, different bodies respond to different things. and oftentimes, our bodies just need a break and need to be in maintenance mode for awhile.

    glad it worked for you though lol
  • clyn27
    clyn27 Posts: 102 Member
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    yeah I don't think the op meant quit I think they were suggesting you take a break for a bit, which is what I do when I hit a plateau
  • sherbear702
    sherbear702 Posts: 649 Member
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    So let me get this right, if you plateau you should just quit?

    I'll pass on that little pearl of wisdom.
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    sherbear702 wrote: »
    So let me get this right, if you plateau you should just quit?

    I'll pass on that little pearl of wisdom.

    One week break is typically all it takes.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    Yeah, I quit several times over, and restarted, and lost some, and quit and regained, and restarted....it sucks!

    I would not advise quitting at all! If you feel that you are in any sort of 'plateau', I would say re-evaluate your goals, calorie intake and exercise. And grab a measuring tape. Because often what is perceived as a standstill in progress is just the scale messing with your head. I dropped a full size without the scale moving at all - and that was over a six month period. Had I quit, I would have likely gained back the inches I had lost. Instead I went out and bought smaller jeans. B)

    Track measurements and how your clothes fit. Take comparison photos. Eat at maintenance for a week and/or take a full rest week if you want to change things up, but don't quit! Your body is still making progress even if you don't see it on the scale each week, as long as you're staying active and eating well.

    But if you quit, well...then you're not making progress at all, but likely backtracking.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Oh I'm sure it would break my plateau alright, and my weight would move... just not in the right direction.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    hidee14 wrote: »
    About 5 months ago i plateaued at 150lbs. i tried EVERYTHING and I have to say that mfp was no help, all people told me was that I wasn't eating enough and I got so discouraged that i just quit mfp all together for about 6 months. I recently started counting again and my weight has started dropping again. I believe it was a few things 1 my body needed a break 2 i needed to change my exercises. I'm so excited to lose my last 30 pounds yay :smiley: so the reason I'm posting this is just incase there is someone out there who has a similar situation and mpf isn't helping and just saying you're doing everything wrong, try this! :smile:

    Just curious what happened to your weight during your 6 month hiatus, and did you change your eating/exercise habits? Did you gain weight during that time, and now you are seeing some of that increase start to come off, which is not the same as breaking a plateau.... I'm not trying to diminish it, just saying that you are likely seeing the same results as any new person who is just starting on the program because you likely had weight increase during your 6 month break that is now starting to come off.

    I'm glad you are having success now OP, but "quitting the tool" isn't what helped you break your plateau.
  • crystalstinson7
    crystalstinson7 Posts: 101 Member
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    I took a break during the Christmas holiday and when I got back at it the beginning of January I lost some more weight. Losing weight is not just a physical thing, it's a mental thing, and, yes, sometimes we need a break. For some, losing weight is a real challenge. I worked my *kitten* off last year, literally. I desperately needed a break!

    Now that I'm close to my goal, it's getting harder to lose. I keep going up and down with my weight, but I haven't had a significant breakthrough in weeks. I also get really frustrated when I see people on here say, "If you're eating at a deficit you'll lose. Period." Nope. Not true. At least, not for everyone. I constantly eat at a deficit, and the scale has not budged in about a month. And, yes, I work out. I used to have a Bodymedia armband so I know how many calories certain activities burn. Now that I don't have it, I estimate, and I always estimate on the low side for my calorie burn, just to be safe. And, yes, I measure. My measurements have not changed either. No, I don't weigh my food, but when it comes to portions, I sometimes log a greater amount, just so that I'm not logging too little.

    I'm hoping it's just my winter fluff, and the last of my flab will go away when the weather warms up. *fingers crossed*

    At any rate, you just have to learn to take any advice on given on here with a grain of salt. Weight loss is not a one size fits all type of deal. Our bodies are different and our lifestyles are different so what works for some might not work for others. Glad you found something that helped you. It helped me too, and it might help someone else out there struggling.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,220 Member
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    People told you that you weren't eating enough, so you took a break and started eating more. You may not have "followed" their advice, but you increasing calories and taking a break worked. That's exactly what they suggested.

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