I think I’ve reached my Plateau?

tashafrzn
tashafrzn Posts: 12 Member
edited November 22 in Motivation and Support
I lost 30 pounds from April to now doing the same routine and now it feels like I can’t make any progress. I burn 600 calories on the elliptical everyday + rotate b/w upper body, core and legs following a routine.

I got this app two days ago so I think tracking might help but I’m still hoping I can lose 10 more before Christmas :( how did you guys break your plateau?

Replies

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    How are you determining you're burning 600 calories on the elliptical? Are you working out over 2 hours on it a day?

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  • Buff_Man
    Buff_Man Posts: 623 Member
    Now you're on here, work out the required calorie deficit to lose 10lbs. To be honest it's not a lot of weight. I would start by just tracking your food intake and workouts and seeing if more weight comes off. Then if it doesn't use the app to workout required calories deficit and stick to it.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    I lost 30 pounds from April to now doing the same routine and now it feels like I can’t make any progress. I burn 600 calories on the elliptical everyday + rotate b/w upper body, core and legs following a routine.

    I got this app two days ago so I think tracking might help but I’m still hoping I can lose 10 more before Christmas :( how did you guys break your plateau?

    If you are maintaining your weight for a few weeks without a loss, that means that you are eating at maintenance. So if your body maintains its current weight at 2,000 and you're burning 200 on the elliptical (which is more realistic, fyi, you're not likely burning 600), that means that you are currently eating 2,200 calories. You're working off the surplus with exercise, but you need to be in a deficit to lose. I made up those numbers. Track your calories using myfitnesspal and set it to lose .5 lbs/week.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    I lost 30 pounds from April to now doing the same routine and now it feels like I can’t make any progress. I burn 600 calories on the elliptical everyday + rotate b/w upper body, core and legs following a routine.

    I got this app two days ago so I think tracking might help but I’m still hoping I can lose 10 more before Christmas :( how did you guys break your plateau?

    Tracking will absolutely help if you’re accurate with it. Because it’s about ensuring you eat less than you burn. I’m assuming you weren’t counting calories before?
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    tiffaninghs wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    How are you determining you're burning 600 calories on the elliptical? Are you working out over 2 hours on it a day?

    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
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    is there a reason why u think she would have to do 2 hours on the elliptical? i burn 600 calories when i do 60 minutes of working out aslong as im putting forth all the effort necessary
    Because burning 600 calories ISN'T easy for non athletic people to burn in an hour even if they think they are training hard. That's a consistent burn of 10 calories a minute for 60 minutes.
    Just to put it into perspective, Michael Phelps burns 14 calories a minute racing FULL SPEED (100% effort) doing the butterfly. I truly doubt anyone is burning the same rate on an elliptical. The average person MAY do 85% effort and that's not going to get a 600 calorie burn unless possibly they are really really heavy (over 200+lbs)

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    A more reasonable estimate is around half of that 600... or maybe even less.

    For a 200lb+ person at high resistance and high speed that 600 is possible, but unlikely at best especially maintaining that intensity.

    At 240 lbs, I generally estimate 250 calories for 30 minutes if I'm doing hill/random drills at 75% resistance and a high speed. But I can't maintain that for 60 minutes...
  • tashafrzn
    tashafrzn Posts: 12 Member
    600 in 60 mins is very possible. It’s 10 calories per minute. It’s just about being consistent with pace. My incline is usually 15 and recline is at 8.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    600 in 60 mins is very possible. It’s 10 calories per minute. It’s just about being consistent with pace. My incline is usually 15 and recline is at 8.

    Not unless you're well over 200 lbs
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    600 in 60 mins is very possible. It’s 10 calories per minute. It’s just about being consistent with pace. My incline is usually 15 and recline is at 8.

    However exercise machine calorie estimates are typically unreliable.
    https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2015-12-23/do-exercise-machines-lie-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-feedback-you-get
  • tashafrzn
    tashafrzn Posts: 12 Member
    I’m not sure why you’re giving out false advice. I weigh 170 lbs and burning 600+ is totally doable lol. If I pushed more I’m sure I could hit 700. 60 minutes is a long time period :)
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    I’m not sure why you’re giving out false advice. I weigh 170 lbs and burning 600+ is totally doable lol. If I pushed more I’m sure I could hit 700. 60 minutes is a long time period :)

    NO it's not.

    You're burning at most 350 and probably closer to 250.

    But by all means, look for other things to blame for your alleged plateau than your overestimation of CO.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    When was the last time you changed your calorie goal?
  • wmd1979
    wmd1979 Posts: 469 Member
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    I’m not sure why you’re giving out false advice. I weigh 170 lbs and burning 600+ is totally doable lol. If I pushed more I’m sure I could hit 700. 60 minutes is a long time period :)

    Keep in mind that you came here asking for advice and the advice you have gotten is completely accurate. You can argue about your calorie burn over 60 minutes but the scale is obviously telling a different story. You aren't burning more calories than you are taking in, so you need to either eat less, or move more to increase your calories out. Log everything you eat and drink and make sure you measure with a scale so you are accurate. Set your calorie deficit goal and don't be fooled by what the calorie burn on the machine tells you. I wouldn't eat back more than half of your exercise calories just to be safe, and depending on what the scale says you may need to adjust that. You can choose to ignore the advice given to you and stay at your current weight, or you could listen to the advice given to you and continue towards your goal. The people commenting here(especially in this thread) are extremely knowledgeable and are simply trying to help so don't take their disagreement with you as a personal attack.
  • tashafrzn
    tashafrzn Posts: 12 Member
    Okay.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,741 Member
    In my experience, calorie burn numbers on the elliptical are WAY off, much more than the treadmill. I just did the elliptical for 65 min. Monday night, 20 incline (highest it will go) and moderate resistance and it said I burned 720 cals! Ha! Not even close. I probably burned maybe 1/3 of that.

    So yes, don't rely on the read out of the machine. Tracking your calorie intake here is most important.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    I’m not sure why you’re giving out false advice. I weigh 170 lbs and burning 600+ is totally doable lol. If I pushed more I’m sure I could hit 700. 60 minutes is a long time period :)
    Did you read what I said about Phelps? Do you believe you equal the the output of an Olympian swimmer in 1 minute?

    That said, if you aren't losing, then why would you think that you're out exercising what you're consuming?



    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
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  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    Okay.
    So is that okay as in "eyeroll you don't know what you're talking about" or "okay, maybe I'm overestimating my calorie burn?"

    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
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  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    I’m not sure why you’re giving out false advice. I weigh 170 lbs and burning 600+ is totally doable lol. If I pushed more I’m sure I could hit 700. 60 minutes is a long time period :)
    Did you read what I said about Phelps? Do you believe you equal the the output of an Olympian swimmer in 1 minute?

    That said, if you aren't losing, then why would you think that you're out exercising what you're consuming?



    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
    9285851.png

    Serious question: wouldn't he be more "efficient" and therefore burn less per minute? So sorry for the ignorance.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    aeloine wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    tashafrzn wrote: »
    I’m not sure why you’re giving out false advice. I weigh 170 lbs and burning 600+ is totally doable lol. If I pushed more I’m sure I could hit 700. 60 minutes is a long time period :)
    Did you read what I said about Phelps? Do you believe you equal the the output of an Olympian swimmer in 1 minute?

    That said, if you aren't losing, then why would you think that you're out exercising what you're consuming?



    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
    9285851.png

    Serious question: wouldn't he be more "efficient" and therefore burn less per minute? So sorry for the ignorance.
    Let's say that's so. He's still burning 14 calories per minute at FULL SPEED. He WOULDN'T be able to sustain that for 60 minutes, which is the point. This is a pro athlete who probably has some of the BEST cardio fitness in the world. Even many amateur athletes would have to bust their butt to do that. And we're talking of an average gym goer on an elliptical machine.

    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
    9285851.png
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    zachbonner_ wrote: »
    I burn over 1200 calories doing stationary bike for 60 minutes
    Haha! That must be a 400lbs bike you're lugging around!

    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
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  • AbbyPort89
    AbbyPort89 Posts: 28 Member
    Sorry to thread jack, genuine question.....what would be a semi-accurate way to measure calories burned on an elliptical? I use an apple watch and it does estimate numbers in the 600's for me.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    Focus less on exercise and more on what you're eating. Identify the amount of calories you have to eat to lose 1-.5lb a week, buy a food scale, measure everything that you eat.
  • max1mus2124
    max1mus2124 Posts: 6 Member
    Hello! How's it going? Don't worry about losing weight just for holidays. You need to take it one day at a time, focus on your diet and exercise, change up your routine a little, so you can maintain a healthy lifestyle. Then over time, the plateau phase will go away. I'm dealing with this similar situation myself, so I know how you feel. Sometimes, the number on the scale can be ambiguous even though your body figure has changed and you feel much better. Stay positive!
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited November 2017
    If you were losing weight, it would be fine to claim you were burning that much. It might not be true, but it wouldn't hurt anything. You're not losing weight, so it is hurting you. You need to adjust your calorie intake and exercise expenditure until it matches reality, because reality is not going to adjust itself to you.

    By the way, Mapmyhike gave me a 490 calorie burn for 31 minutes of slowly walking around shopping the other day. Probably not true. A little common sense goes a long way.

    Do I understand that you haven't been logging your food? Start there. It's very common for people to unconsciously adjust their food intake upwards when they exercise more.
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