My wife is at a plateau...
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Springfield1970 wrote: »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.
And I went from 32% to 17% body fat without going through a "get-thin-get-fat" cycle. And I plan to drop another couple points through proper diet and exercise and don't see the need to get fat again first.0 -
Bro science0
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Recomp and cut/bulk are both viable options. Neither of them need to be debated in this thread. If the OP's wife wants to cut/bulk that's her prerogative.
OP, is she lifting now? TDEEs can vary widely, even at the same height. A previous poster said hers is in the 1800s at 5'6". Mine is in the 2300s at the same height. Muscle mass and activity level make a big difference.0 -
I just posted a similar frustration for myself. I increased calories from 1200-1400 to 1600-1700 and dropped five pounds in two weeks. Idk her age but from what I've read women over 40 get really good at storing fat.0
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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.
I'll see how she feels about dropping her calories a little more. She is not pregnant.@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.
If she's eating 1800 and not losing, then that's her real maintenance level. If she doesn't want to eat less, that's OK too (I'm the same way). All she has to do to get off the plateau, is to increase cardio. She can either increase the duration or the intensity or both but that should work.0 -
Op- tell your wife that its totally okay If she doesn't want to eat at a deficit right now. I understand that all too well.
I dont want my current bulk to ever end ! Lol !
For me , I find that I see better results doing bulk and cut cycles . but she can go ahead and continue to eat at maintenance if that's what she wants to do. Just tell her to continue whatever progressive lifting program she likes and continue on with maintenance for now if that's what she wants to do. I go through times like that as well . for me, there's just times where I need a break so go back to maintenance for a while and that's totally okay. It's not a race ! So she can do whatever she feels comfortable with for now.0 -
shawna101711 wrote: »Bro science
What do you think is bro science and why ? Sometimes its helpful to other members if you counter misinformation with fact and explain why in your own words.0 -
Thank you all for your replies! I appreciate it! @thorsmom01 @Traveler120 @aduck2016 @jemhh @quinndeborde @Springfield1970 @shawna101711 @bogwoppt1 @brower47 @emdeesea @rainbowbow @Rocknut53
Based of all your comments my wife decided to incorporate more cardio, keep the calorie intake for now so that she can really put a microscope on what is the reason for her plateau. I will come back to this post to let you know how your advice helped with her progress... unless she decides to add you as friends herself.
Also, one factor I forgot to mention is that she is 27yo in 2wks...
She would also like to know which posters were mentioned. by these 2...Recomp and cut/bulk are both viable options. Neither of them need to be debated in this thread. If the OP's wife wants to cut/bulk that's her prerogative.
OP, is she lifting now? TDEEs can vary widely, even at the same height. A previous poster said hers is in the 1800s at 5'6". Mine is in the 2300s at the same height. Muscle mass and activity level make a big difference.I just posted a similar frustration for myself. I increased calories from 1200-1400 to 1600-1700 and dropped five pounds in two weeks. Idk her age but from what I've read women over 40 get really good at storing fat.
And this question was answered if you didn't see it:Why is she not posting this?quinndeborde wrote: »@Fuzzipeg
We both recently learned about the MFP community... she's not comfortable with being a part of it yet.
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I'm not sure what you mean by posters? I posted a question under 'women over 40'0
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I am the poster mentioned who's TDEE is 1850. That is the number I am given by online calculators. I am 5'6" and 140 pounds. I run 30k a week and probably briskly walk about the same. I lift some weights, but not often this year for a few reasons not health related. So despite being pointed out as probably inactive, I am in fact quite active and have well defined muscles.
I maintain at around 1800. I eat back most of my workout cals on the weekends. If I want to lose I eat 1450 and some exercise cals.
I am not sure that age makes a difference, I just turned 50. I think finding your own maintenance level is key and then playing with the numbers to see what makes you lose. Also moving, in whatever way works for you.
Best of luck to your wife, nice that you care so much.0 -
Some of you people need to mid your own bizzwack and unless you're answering the question, what's it to you why she's not posting or why she wants to bulk.
If she's not losing weight, she's not in deficit. She can add a bit cardio see if that can do help with a cut0 -
I agree with upping the cardio...that's what I did and I undereat by 100 on some of my days...I started losing weight again and am probably 3 pounds away from goal. I am over 50 years old and work the night shift.
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Traveler120 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »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.
And I went from 32% to 17% body fat without going through a "get-thin-get-fat" cycle. And I plan to drop another couple points through proper diet and exercise and don't see the need to get fat again first.
Of course you can drop body fat from dieting.
But there's no way a 45 year old woman such as myself is going to build any muscle at all without excess calories and a heavy progressive weight lifting routine.0 -
She would also like to know which posters were mentioned. by these 2...Recomp and cut/bulk are both viable options. Neither of them need to be debated in this thread. If the OP's wife wants to cut/bulk that's her prerogative.
OP, is she lifting now? TDEEs can vary widely, even at the same height. A previous poster said hers is in the 1800s at 5'6". Mine is in the 2300s at the same height. Muscle mass and activity level make a big difference.I just posted a similar frustration for myself. I increased calories from 1200-1400 to 1600-1700 and dropped five pounds in two weeks. Idk her age but from what I've read women over 40 get really good at storing fat.
Not sure what you're asking but I'm guessing it was about activity level?
I lift weights 3-4 times a week. I guess you'd say I "lift heavy", though that phrase is getting annoying to me at this point. Anyway, I do that and I aim to walk 10,000+ steps per day. Once in awhile I run but it's normally when I want to get my steps in and am running low on time. I'm 3 months away from turning 40. I have no idea what my body fat% is. My body shape is different enough from the women on the body fat charts that I just really have no idea. Maybe 25%, maybe 35%.
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Springfield1970 wrote: »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.
false...recomp is a very viable option. However it is the slower of the two...
I get bulking just prefer not to do it personally so recomp it is.
OP if your wife doesn't want to be in a deficit but leaner see how she feels about a recomp.
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Springfield1970 wrote: »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.
false...recomp is a very viable option. However it is the slower of the two...
I get bulking just prefer not to do it personally so recomp it is.
OP if your wife doesn't want to be in a deficit but leaner see how she feels about a recomp.
Recomping is slow, hard to track and monitor, and for the rare person that can eat exactly to maintenance, has inhuman amounts of patience and is experienced in lifting/bulking and cutting. I find it an inferior and very hazy way of doing it.0 -
Springfield1970 wrote: »Springfield1970 wrote: »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.
false...recomp is a very viable option. However it is the slower of the two...
I get bulking just prefer not to do it personally so recomp it is.
OP if your wife doesn't want to be in a deficit but leaner see how she feels about a recomp.
Recomping is slow, hard to track and monitor, and for the rare person that can eat exactly to maintenance, has inhuman amounts of patience and is experienced in lifting/bulking and cutting. I find it an inferior and very hazy way of doing it.
it is slow but not hard to track or monitor... you don't have to eat exactly at maintenance.
You can eat just below or just over giving yourself a range.
No experience required in cut/bulk cycles required.
It might not be as "perfect" of a situation as bulk/cut cycles but some of us have a hard time wrapping our heads around gaining weight on purpose because with all bulks come some fat...
It is a personal preference based on personal history.
I am saying it is a viable option.
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@jemhh @aduck2016
by "poster" i think I meant "thread"... like i said, we recently found out about the MFP community and there's some lingo we're not used to... i may be wrong again... don't worry yourself to answer it, thanks anyways.lemonychild wrote: »Some of you people need to mid your own bizzwack and unless you're answering the question, what's it to you why she's not posting or why she wants to bulk.
If she's not losing weight, she's not in deficit. She can add a bit cardio see if that can do help with a cut
This is true. My wife just wanted the question answered. Which is why she isn't comfortable to be a part of the community yet. I, on the other hand, can tolerate all criticism and discern which is constructive and which is not. I appreciate ALL comments, for what they're worth. I recognize we are all here to help each other out. Whether it be with wise words, a gentle push, or tough love.
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There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you give us her username and her Diary Sharing settings are set to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings0
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My first thought, I'm pleased to say wrongly, was domestic abuse. This is a pet hate of mine and I would hope everyone else's. My first picture was of a man deciding his wife was not loosing to the weight or shape he wanted her to be, trying to use a forum like this to support his expectations.
I can well understand someone not being at ease with things on here. I'm only able to say what I think but not add pictures, links, bold, quote, whatever.0
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