I've hit a plateau please help :)

cvicarspugh

Hi,
First off I am really proud of the weight (103 lbs) I have lost, but recently I have not lost anything. I have 30ish pounds to go to get to my healthy weight range, and I really want it to happen. I log daily. I recently (this week) started weight training, and I run 3-4 times a week, do the elliptical when I am not running. I also try to walk or ride my bike most places. I have my settings set to lose 1.5 lbs a week, and I do eat back some of my exercise calories. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just want to get out back to losing. And it doesn't have to come off fast to make me happy, it just needs to come off.

danielhutchins

Congratulations on the loss of 103 lbs! That is awesome and inspiring. I lost a bunch of weight quick and hit the wall. I struggled with it in my mind and tried so many different things but sat still. One of the best pieces of advice I've gotten is to stop worrying about the scales so much. Below I've posted some pictures (I started MFP/diet on Jan 11, 2013 at 470 lbs). I'm down around 25 lbs or so since March, and have been sitting at the same weight for around 3-4 weeks, but have lost inches. This is a MUCH GREATER excitement than the scales to me. I could not buy pants at the BIG MAN'S STORE at Christmastime because none fit my big body. I bought pants a couple of weeks ago, meaning I'm down between 14-16 sizes...not inches but sizes. I feel so much better, as you obviously do. One thing I know is that stepping back from the scales has helped me to relax a bit.

ninerbuff

Hi,
First off I am really proud of the weight (103 lbs) I have lost, but recently I have not lost anything. I have 30ish pounds to go to get to my healthy weight range, and I really want it to happen. I log daily. I recently (this week) started weight training, and I run 3-4 times a week, do the elliptical when I am not running. I also try to walk or ride my bike most places. I have my settings set to lose 1.5 lbs a week, and I do eat back some of my exercise calories. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just want to get out back to losing. And it doesn't have to come off fast to make me happy, it just needs to come off.

If you just started weight training, then weight stall for a week or two isn't uncommon due to water/glycogen retention. Just keep at it and reassess in a couple of weeks.

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

stevesilk

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!! 103 lbs is no small feat. You understand way more today about how your body works and what it responds to than when you started. Your diary is private, so no real way to give you feedback, but look at your TDEE as well as your BMR in determining where you should be (http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/). Remember that it's as easy to eat too little as too much, and our bodies react to both scenarios. At the point you are at, you probably want to have your weight loss in the 1 lb per week range, so ideally you would be at about a 500 per day calorie deficit. I don't want to make any assumptions about whether you are measuring your intake accurately. Additionally, water consumption is critical. Finally and most important, how are your measurements? We can be losing inches and not have it show up on the scale. This is a very critical point and often overlooked when we get so consumed with "losing weight" when in fact we are interested in losing fat.

Feel free to send me a message if you have more questions. Also, the EAT, TRAIN, PROGRESS forum is an excellent one for feedback from the moderators.

And once again, great progress. I hope you are very proud of how far you have come.

blc1971

Hello and congrats on your loss! That is amazing progress! I just wanted to sympathize with you on the plateau. I've been stuck for about 4 weeks now after losing 40 lbs since starting this journey in September, 2012. I would like to lose approx. 23-25 lbs more. I've been trying hard not to focus on the scale and instead focus on my health and how I feel. That is hard to do when most of us are motivated by numbers. I do believe my plateau is related to starting back on my exercise routine after being sick for a couple of weeks straight (thanks for the confirmation Ninerbuff!!). I've been doing 30DS and Zumba 3-4 days per week (trying to up that to 5), and some free-weight lifting. My eating hasn't changed, so I do believe it's related to water retention for muscle repair. As for me, I am planning to continue drinking lots of water, vary my calorie intake by a couple of hundred for the next few days, and continuing to vary my workout routines. I read these are things that may help blast thru a plateau. Finally, I'm praying for patience!! That's probably the biggest thing I need to work on anyway. LOL!! Good luck to you on your journey!

tfpdunn

Hi,
First off I am really proud of the weight (103 lbs) I have lost, but recently I have not lost anything. I have 30ish pounds to go to get to my healthy weight range, and I really want it to happen. I log daily. I recently (this week) started weight training, and I run 3-4 times a week, do the elliptical when I am not running. I also try to walk or ride my bike most places. I have my settings set to lose 1.5 lbs a week, and I do eat back some of my exercise calories. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just want to get out back to losing. And it doesn't have to come off fast to make me happy, it just needs to come off.

If you just started weight training, then weight stall for a week or two isn't uncommon due to water/glycogen retention. Just keep at it and reassess in a couple of weeks.

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

I just recently experienced this - I lost my first 30+ pounds prior to beginning my weight lifting routine. In fact, I started it because I'd stalled and hit a plateau. After about 2 1/2 weeks of lifting and no weight change, I've dropped 2 pounds in the last week.

Keep at it and don't get discouraged!!!

cvicarspugh

Thanks for all the feedback! And congrats to all of you for sticking with it, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. :-).

I am going to up my calorie intake, and add some interval training to my runs. I also realize that I probably have water retention from weight training and the humid weather. And yes I drink lots of water :-)
What is TTDE and BMR?

_Resolve_

Congrats on the success! I have been on a plateau for the past 3 weeks, this morning I weighed in and saw a 2.5lb difference. All i did to break it was up my calories from 1750 to 2000 and changed up the gym routine a little. Just keep pushing and it will break!

cvicarspugh

Sounds like a good plan! Plus, I have no desire to stop, so I might as well switch it up. I agree it will budge. It just takes time.

sweetpea129

Congrats to you!! I am no help but just wanted you to know you aren't alone. I've lost 120 lbs and my scale stopped moving 6 weeks ago. Still doing everything the same. I have about 15 lbs to goal so i guess its going to be a long time LOL.

amyloutoyou

Shake things up a bit. Cross train. Try some new exercises. Have a higher calorie day and have an extremely restricted day. You know how to do this: you are already a big success.