My wife is at a plateau...
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Oversyte
Posts: 482 Member
She's frustrated that she has been at the same weight for 3 months... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks
She's 5"6
CW 145 lbs
Will anyone drop any advice/suggestions below?
Regardless, thanks for reading
She's 5"6
CW 145 lbs
Will anyone drop any advice/suggestions below?
Regardless, thanks for reading
0
Replies
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Is she logging her diary here on mfp ? How many calories is she eating ?
Is she using a scale to weigh all her solids and measuring her liquids with a measuring cup? Is she consistently logging accurately ?
If she has been stalled for three months there is a good chance that she is consuming more then she thinks. She may be eating at maintenance instead of a deficit. Has she tried dropping her calories a little and seeing how it goes ? Is there any chance she is pregnant?0 -
@thorsmom01
She is logging here, she's eating 1804 calories. Her maintenance is 2081 according to what she used to calculate it.
She uses a scale and measures and consistently logs.
I'll see how she feels about dropping her calories a little more. She is not pregnant.0 -
Her calories seem right to me. Im close to her size (5'8-135)
Here's what happened to me - this may or may not apply to your situation but could help someone else reading.
After eating at a consistent deficit for quite some time , I forgot to account for the weight I had lost. I continued to eat the same calories and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing. It turns out that my calorie needs had changed due to losing weight . I needed less calories per day then I did before . I dropped my calories by 150 -200 cals per day and started losing again within a few weeks. Your wife's calorie needs may be very different then mine depending on her age and daily activity so I would be careful when lowering them .0 -
Maybe even start small by dropping 100 cals and see how that goes.0
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Why is she not posting this?0
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thorsmom01 wrote: »Her calories seem right to me. Im close to her size (5'8-135)
Here's what happened to me - this may or may not apply to your situation but could help someone else reading.
After eating at a consistent deficit for quite some time , I forgot to account for the weight I had lost. I continued to eat the same calories and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing. It turns out that my calorie needs had changed due to losing weight . I needed less calories per day then I did before . I dropped my calories by 150 -200 cals per day and started losing again within a few weeks. Your wife's calorie needs may be very different then mine depending on her age and daily activity so I would be careful when lowering them .
This is basically what I was going to suggest.0 -
@Fuzzipeg
We both recently learned about the MFP community... she's not comfortable with being a part of it yet.
@thorsmom01
That actually makes sense. She just told me she doesn't want to be at a deficit anymore... she has been over a year.
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@thorsmom01
She is logging here, she's eating 1804 calories. Her maintenance is 2081 according to what she used to calculate it.
She uses a scale and measures and consistently logs.
I'll see how she feels about dropping her calories a little more. She is not pregnant.
nope, she's eating at maintenance.
if she wants to cut some more she needs to lower her cals, up her exercise, or throw a couple fasted days in the mix.0 -
What for? What's the point of losing then gaining all over again? Why does a woman need to 'bulk' unless she's a bodybuilder? Seems pointless. If she wants to build muscle, she can simply train. If she wants to lose fat, get into a calorie deficit through eating less or moving more or both.... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks.0 -
What exercise does she do? How active is she in general? How often does she stick to that calorie goal?
At this point, dropping calories and sticking faithfully to that calorie goal is key. Even if she's truly eating 1804 and maintaining at 2081, her deficit is small and easily wiped out.
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I am 5'6" and 140lbs, maintenance for me is 1850 cals. I think she is probably eating at maintenance and so has stopped losing.
Get her to drop to 1450cals a day for a month and see how that goes. Of course she gets to eat back exercise calories if she wants.
The smaller you get the less food you get to eat. It is what drives me to work out daily. All about the food. I really want to be 130lbs, but I clearly do not want it badly enough to est less.
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She is at my goal weight (lucky girl). If it were me, I would eat at maintenance for awhile (assuming the calculation is correct) and up my exercise to create a deficit.0
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I am the same height a weight as her. She needs to eat clean. Lean meats and veggies mostly. Do this and only have one cheat meal a week. Have her check out my meal prepping forum. I am going through the same thing and I finally had to start meal prepping and eating even better than I was.0
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Traveler120 wrote: »
What for? What's the point of losing then gaining all over again? Why does a woman need to 'bulk' unless she's a bodybuilder? Seems pointless. If she wants to build muscle, she can simply train. If she wants to lose fat, get into a calorie deficit through eating less or moving more or both.... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks.
Wanting to add muscle is not pointless nor is it only for body builders. It's a personal preference. Building muscle is done most efficiently during a bulk cycle.
Bulking is eating above maintenance calories with sufficient protein so that specific training will lead to muscle gain.0 -
ressapowell wrote: »I am the same height a weight as her. She needs to eat clean. Lean meats and veggies mostly. Do this and only have one cheat meal a week. Have her check out my meal prepping forum. I am going through the same thing and I finally had to start meal prepping and eating even better than I was.
It does not matter what she eats, for weight loss purposes, but how much she puts in her mouth on a daily basis.
Clean can be still too much food. Junk can still be too little.
Eating clean means absolutely nothing when it comes to weight loss. She could eat two big macs a day and still lose weight. Now she might feel better on a whole food diet, but that is personal choice. If her body needs 1500 cals a day to lose 1 pound a week it does not matter where those calories comes from, in terms of pure weight loss. I think the "clean is the only way to lose" myth really trips people up.
Cheating is an odd concept. Just have the foods you like to eat and fit them in your calorie goals. But I appreciate we all need to find our own way.
To clarify, I think I eat a 90% very healthy diet, but I do enjoy dark chocolate and some wine at weekends. But I account for it.
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You don't have to eat above maintenance to build muscle. Eat at maintenance with a higher protein intake and you can build muscle AND lose fat. Bulking seems pointless to me as well.0
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Traveler120 wrote: »
What for? What's the point of losing then gaining all over again? Why does a woman need to 'bulk' unless she's a bodybuilder? Seems pointless. If she wants to build muscle, she can simply train. If she wants to lose fat, get into a calorie deficit through eating less or moving more or both.... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks.
On a cut you target fat loss, and it's a good idea to get sub 20% body fat before, as the leaner you are before you start, the more likely you are to gain a higher muscle ratio on the bulk.
So if you mostly lose fat on a cut, gain half and half muscle on a bulk, then lose mostly fat on the final cut you are very likely to completely recompose your body.
This is how I went from over 30% body fat to 15%. Not in one go, in two or three cycles. My body totally changed. Recomps don't work for me.0 -
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shawna101711 wrote: »You don't have to eat above maintenance to build muscle. Eat at maintenance with a higher protein intake and you can build muscle AND lose fat. Bulking seems pointless to me as well.
Maybe a little for someone that has never lifted before but, no generally you cannot build muscle without an excess of calories. I tried everything, and bulking and cutting totally did it for me. But you have to be meticulous and lift heavy and progressively.0 -
ressapowell wrote: »I am the same height a weight as her. She needs to eat clean. Lean meats and veggies mostly. Do this and only have one cheat meal a week. Have her check out my meal prepping forum. I am going through the same thing and I finally had to start meal prepping and eating even better than I was.
It does not matter what she eats, for weight loss purposes, but how much she puts in her mouth on a daily basis.
Clean can be still too much food. Junk can still be too little.
Eating clean means absolutely nothing when it comes to weight loss. She could eat two big macs a day and still lose weight. Now she might feel better on a whole food diet, but that is personal choice. If her body needs 1500 cals a day to lose 1 pound a week it does not matter where those calories comes from, in terms of pure weight loss. I think the "clean is the only way to lose" myth really trips people up.
Cheating is an odd concept. Just have the foods you like to eat and fit them in your calorie goals. But I appreciate we all need to find our own way.
To clarify, I think I eat a 90% very healthy diet, but I do enjoy dark chocolate and some wine at weekends. But I account for it.
thank you.0
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