Stubborn plateau!!!

BanannaNut

Hi everyone! I've actually been off and on My Fitness Pal for a couple years, just jumped back on because I'm having a really hard time losing the last 10-15 lbs.

I know this is common, but it's been over a year and my weight is EXACTLY the same. So I'm doing something wrong.

I'd love to hear about easy menu ideas, tips, workouts, anything that has helped you break through that plateau!!!

Briefly, I play tennis twice a week, am on week 6 of the C25K and also do Pure Barre 3-4 times a week. I am a chef so my diet to pretty good, I'm educated on nutrition BUT I'm a major wine lover (is this the problem???)

Thanks for your help!

strong_curves

I think the best tip I could give you is buy and use a food scale. Weigh/measure all you eat and drink. If you're the same exact weight for a year, it means you're eating at maintenance. With only 10-15 lbs to lose you have to be consistent with all your intake. This thread might be able to help you more:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner/p1

BanannaNut

Interesting, hadn't even thought of that.... Best part is I have one!!!

leanne0627

You are eating at matience if you havnt lost in a year. You could cut out the wine for a couple months to lose the last few pounds. Although i like to drink once in awhile too so understand thats hard to do! You are also at your body's set point... the weight it wants to be at. So you may find that your body will shift around its composition instead of losing weight. The numbers on the scale do not mean anything..they are not an indicator of how fit you are. Maybe try to let go of the need to be a certain number on the scale and just focus on being healthy. Good luck!

lorrpb

100 calories per day = 10 pounds per year. That's about 1 glass of wine per day. I'm not saying you have to reduce your wine, but since you asked, it's an obvious way to reduce calories that provide no nutrition.

BanannaNut

I'm 5'4 and 145 lbs so I'm fit, but definitely squishy, I feel like I could stay where I am, but I'm honestly just interested in seeing how far I can take my body in getting fit. Mainly toning and tightening seems to be my issue. The other thing you actually touched on Leanne is with the whole wine thing... I could give it up, but I like it, so I feel I would gain the weight right back. I probably have an odd diet imbalance I'm not aware off...

lorrpb wrote: »

100 calories per day = 10 pounds per year. That's about 1 glass of wine per day. I'm not saying you have to reduce your wine, but since you asked, it's an obvious way to reduce calories that provide no nutrition.

Man putting it like that makes me feel a bit different about cutting back...

strong_curves

BanannaNut wrote: »

I'm 5'4 and 145 lbs so I'm fit, but definitely squishy, I feel like I could stay where I am, but I'm honestly just interested in seeing how far I can take my body in getting fit. Mainly toning and tightening seems to be my issue. The other thing you actually touched on Leanne is with the whole wine thing... I could give it up, but I like it, so I feel I would gain the weight right back. I probably have an odd diet imbalance I'm not aware off...

lorrpb wrote: »

100 calories per day = 10 pounds per year. That's about 1 glass of wine per day. I'm not saying you have to reduce your wine, but since you asked, it's an obvious way to reduce calories that provide no nutrition.

Man putting it like that makes me feel a bit different about cutting back...

As far as "toning & tightening" you might want to look into a lifting weights. A progressive load program like strong lifts, new rules of lifting for women, strong curves or even a body weight program. Reasons why, see this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

And yeah, if you don't want to give up the wine you don't have to in order to lose weight. As long as the wine fits into your calorie goal you CAN drink it.

BanannaNut

I'm glad no one has yelled at me yet for my wine drinking, thanks guys

I lift *sometimes* but not consistently and certainly not heavy. The weight room intimidates me. It's probably time for me to get over it and get in there.

VintageFeline

You can eat and drink whatever you want, the key here is logging it and being within your calorie goal. Accuracy is crucial when you're so close to goal or losing so called "vanity" pounds.

You could start with bodyweight training at home to begin with, something like Fitness Blender strength training or You Are Your Own Gym are good. I never go near a gym but do a lot of strength training at home and will be upgrading my dumbbells soon.

BanannaNut

It's interesting, I've always looked at these pounds as something I had to lose, but having outside perspective makes me look at them differently. "Vanity" pounds is 100% accurate. This will have to be tackled as more of a project than just "work out, eat right and drop the pounds" like I did before.

I'll look up those workouts, I'd love to do them at home, thanks for the tip!

VintageFeline

You'll be amazed the difference you can make to your body with strength training, you may find you don't need to lose as much as 15lbs if you do some resistance work.

strong_curves

VintageFeline wrote: »

You'll be amazed the difference you can make to your body with strength training, you may find you don't need to lose as much as 15lbs if you do some resistance work.

butting in to say... I LOVE your profile pic, those glasses are hawt!

VintageFeline

strong_curves wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

You'll be amazed the difference you can make to your body with strength training, you may find you don't need to lose as much as 15lbs if you do some resistance work.

butting in to say... I LOVE your profile pic, those glasses are hawt!

*Blushes* Thank you!

Talan79

I suggest strength training as well. I only did cardio before. It's really made a difference for me.
I loved my wine too. But I did cut out the daily drinking. A glass or two on weekends is what I'll now have. Vs the 2 glasses every night.

20yearsyounger

BanannaNut wrote: »

I'm glad no one has yelled at me yet for my wine drinking, thanks guys

I lift *sometimes* but not consistently and certainly not heavy. The weight room intimidates me. It's probably time for me to get over it and get in there.

No need to unless you are underestimating how much wine you drink. Cut the calories by 100, use the food scale to see where you are overestimated, and see what happens.

bthao7

strong_curves wrote: »

VintageFeline wrote: »

You'll be amazed the difference you can make to your body with strength training, you may find you don't need to lose as much as 15lbs if you do some resistance work.

butting in to say... I LOVE your profile pic, those glasses are hawt!

Actually the hair is even hawter!!

bthao7

Agree with other posts. Cut back on the wine. Moderation buddy! Are your tennis games pretty intense? How long do you typically play?

BanannaNut

Hey again! I'm logging my wine and trying to fill up on other beverages like unsweetened green tea and le croix waters, water is so boring at dinner. I also did a HUGE grocery shop and stocked up on fish, lean meats and loads of veg to make logging meals easier.

My tennis workouts are an hour and I would say moderately intense, pure barre is the most difficult of my workouts, but it's just isometric moves not cardio. Should I do more cardio? Just take up lifting??

juggernaut1974

BanannaNut wrote: »

Hey again! I'm logging my wine and trying to fill up on other beverages like unsweetened green tea and le croix waters, water is so boring at dinner. I also did a HUGE grocery shop and stocked up on fish, lean meats and loads of veg to make logging meals easier.

My tennis workouts are an hour and I would say moderately intense, pure barre is the most difficult of my workouts, but it's just isometric moves not cardio. Should I do more cardio? Just take up lifting??

My advice would be small steps.

Give the strength training a try for a couple months - and see where that gets you. If you're playing moderately intense tennis for a couple hours a week, that's probably sufficient cardio.

If you're still not getting the results, try dropping 100 calories out of your average daily diet (via wine or otherwise) for a while.

provencal73

I'd incorporate lifting, reduce the wine and maybe try carb cycling. High intensity interval training is amazing as well. These have helped me break my plateaus. Just thoughts.

tincanonastring

With that little left to lose, it sounds like you need a body recomposition, not a calorie deficit. Check out this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

With the body recomp, you're lowering BF% while maintaining weight. You don't need to cut down your calories, but you do need to pay closer attention to the macros/micros.

BanannaNut

I'll try that! I guess at this point it's going to be a bit of tinkering with my workouts/diet instead of just workout and drop pounds.

Boo! I like it the easy way!

BanannaNut

tincanonastring wrote: »

With that little left to lose, it sounds like you need a body recomposition, not a calorie deficit. Check out this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

With the body recomp, you're lowering BF% while maintaining weight. You don't need to cut down your calories, but you do need to pay closer attention to the macros/micros.

That's a great link, thanks! The whole decomposition thing <--- LOL! Meant to say REcomposition thing is really interesting, didn't know about that, it's confusing! I'll read up on it, thanks again!

danika2point0

The motto here is usually calories in-calories out. You are eating at maintenance if your weight has not changed. As a previous poster wrote, the difference between maintaining and losing can be a small amount of calories cut per day. You don't have to give up your wine if you don't want! You might find that you can have a lighter lunch or dinner or swap out a heavier calorie food for a lower one. Either way...I'd recommend you figure out your TDEE - there are many online calculators. Deduct 10%-15%. Hit that calorie goal or slightly less. Use a scale to weigh and measure everything you eat. Log diligently. You should lose weight.

Best of luck x

P.S. If it's any inspiration, I recently went from 155 to 132 at 5'4'' as well. I didn't have to do anything too crazy in terms of changing my habits, but it did require diligence.

ninerbuff

Plateaus are rare. People confuse inconsistency as a plateau. Get consistent and bet "plateau" doesn't exist. Be honest with oneself and you'll see that it has nothing to do with a plateau.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

daniwilford

tincanonastring wrote: »

With that little left to lose, it sounds like you need a body recomposition, not a calorie deficit. Check out this thread:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

With the body recomp, you're lowering BF% while maintaining weight. You don't need to cut down your calories, but you do need to pay closer attention to the macros/micros.

^
This!
@tincanonastring, that is quite the trim you did. Is that how you broke your plateau?

errollmaclean

Lots of good advice. I agree with the lifting, and especially the food scale!!! If you weren't using one, your calories intake wouldn't be very accurate and that could easily wipe out your deficit.

No need to give up wine, as long as it's logged accurately.

AdrianChr92

Fun fact. Alcohol and losing weight don't blend well. For more reasons than calories. Like protein synthesis and fat oxidation. In before bioscience

Edit: this is a great article
http://www.leangains.com/2010/07/truth-about-alcohol-fat-loss-and-muscle.html?m=1

juggernaut1974

Chiruadr wrote: »

Fun fact. Alcohol and losing weight don't blend well. For more reasons than calories. Like protein synthesis and fat oxidation. In before bioscience

Yeah that is our motto around here

Broscience before bioscience

BanannaNut

danika2point0 wrote: »

P.S. If it's any inspiration, I recently went from 155 to 132 at 5'4'' as well. I didn't have to do anything too crazy in terms of changing my habits, but it did require diligence.

That's awesome, and that's right where I want to be!

I will have to be more diligent and I hope the food scale can help.

Here's the deal with the wine. I'm a chef. I cook and taste for a living, my boyfriend is a bartender and we both are passionate about wine and craft beer. It's part of my lifestyle. If I gave it up completely to lose weight is gain the weight back. I'm not trying to be ripped, I was 129 as a senior in high school and comfortable, I just want to get back there.

I think the key for me with the wine is cutting back and logging consistently and accurately. Sorry science, I like to drink

successgal1

I just suffered through a 2 week stall and water retention. What worked was metamucil for extra fiber, and turmeric and ginger capsules as internal anti inflammatories. It took 3 - 4 days but then 4 pounds dropped off in 2 days.