I hit a plateau help!
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FitnessFreak1821
Posts: 242 Member
Ok, I'm 30 year old female.(31 on thursday) 5'5 and currently weigh 142-144 pounds. Today I am 144 pounds. Yesterday I was 142.8(trying to keep weighing once a week but it has become addicting). I gave birth to my daughter November 2018 and was at my heaviest not pregnant four months post partum 174 pounds.(I was 189 pounds pregnant). Last july I decided to try and lose the weight and I'm down 31 pounds. I have hit a plateau, last week i was doing pretty good. Ate 1300-1800 cals and worked out 4 days of the week for 30-40 mins. I'm thinking I'm going to have to be alittle more strict again food and amp up my work outs to 45 minutes most the week in order to lose the extra 12 -13 pounds. I haven't been drinking enough water either like I was doing in the beginning. Hopefully this will help. My birthday is this week and I'm going to Jack astors. I want to enjoy it but don't want to mess up what I'm going to do the rest of the week.
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
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Replies
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A plateau is 2-4 weeks. If it hasn't been that long, don't change anything.7
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Grab a water when you feel like a snack and with meals.
If you dread workouts, add some other exercise like walking, biking, yoga - every bit helps.3 -
XoXashleighXoX wrote: »Ok, I'm 30 year old female.(31 on thursday) 5'5 and currently weigh 142-144 pounds. Today I am 144 pounds. Yesterday I was 142.8(trying to keep weighing once a week but it has become addicting). I gave birth to my daughter November 2018 and was at my heaviest not pregnant four months post partum 174 pounds.(I was 189 pounds pregnant). Last july I decided to try and lose the weight and I'm down 31 pounds. I have hit a plateau, last week i was doing pretty good. Ate 1300-1800 cals and worked out 4 days of the week for 30-40 mins. I'm thinking I'm going to have to be alittle more strict again food and amp up my work outs to 45 minutes most the week in order to lose the extra 12 -13 pounds. I haven't been drinking enough water either like I was doing in the beginning. Hopefully this will help. My birthday is this week and I'm going to Jack astors. I want to enjoy it but don't want to mess up what I'm going to do the rest of the week.
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
If you are weighing more frequently, use a trend weight app like Happy Scale (iPhone) or Libra (Android).
Weight loss isn't linear, you'll have weeks when you won't see any loss, you'll have weeks where you may gain. If you are logging accurately then trust the maths/science - if you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose fat, you just may not see that reflected on the scale.
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giancarlov1191 wrote: »A plateau is 2-4 weeks. If it hasn't been that long, don't change anything.
Ok good to know it's been a month so I think I need to change things. I'm going to really try to stick to just 1200 calories like this app suggests and drink mainly water , workout bit more. Hopefully that kicks it up again ! Thanks1 -
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tinkerbellang83 wrote: »XoXashleighXoX wrote: »Ok, I'm 30 year old female.(31 on thursday) 5'5 and currently weigh 142-144 pounds. Today I am 144 pounds. Yesterday I was 142.8(trying to keep weighing once a week but it has become addicting). I gave birth to my daughter November 2018 and was at my heaviest not pregnant four months post partum 174 pounds.(I was 189 pounds pregnant). Last july I decided to try and lose the weight and I'm down 31 pounds. I have hit a plateau, last week i was doing pretty good. Ate 1300-1800 cals and worked out 4 days of the week for 30-40 mins. I'm thinking I'm going to have to be alittle more strict again food and amp up my work outs to 45 minutes most the week in order to lose the extra 12 -13 pounds. I haven't been drinking enough water either like I was doing in the beginning. Hopefully this will help. My birthday is this week and I'm going to Jack astors. I want to enjoy it but don't want to mess up what I'm going to do the rest of the week.
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
If you are weighing more frequently, use a trend weight app like Happy Scale (iPhone) or Libra (Android).
Weight loss isn't linear, you'll have weeks when you won't see any loss, you'll have weeks where you may gain. If you are logging accurately then trust the maths/science - if you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose fat, you just may not see that reflected on the scale.
Thank you! I'm very determined to get the last few pounds off! Hopefully I can lose the rest in the next couple months. I'm determined.1 -
XoXashleighXoX wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »XoXashleighXoX wrote: »Ok, I'm 30 year old female.(31 on thursday) 5'5 and currently weigh 142-144 pounds. Today I am 144 pounds. Yesterday I was 142.8(trying to keep weighing once a week but it has become addicting). I gave birth to my daughter November 2018 and was at my heaviest not pregnant four months post partum 174 pounds.(I was 189 pounds pregnant). Last july I decided to try and lose the weight and I'm down 31 pounds. I have hit a plateau, last week i was doing pretty good. Ate 1300-1800 cals and worked out 4 days of the week for 30-40 mins. I'm thinking I'm going to have to be alittle more strict again food and amp up my work outs to 45 minutes most the week in order to lose the extra 12 -13 pounds. I haven't been drinking enough water either like I was doing in the beginning. Hopefully this will help. My birthday is this week and I'm going to Jack astors. I want to enjoy it but don't want to mess up what I'm going to do the rest of the week.
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
If you are weighing more frequently, use a trend weight app like Happy Scale (iPhone) or Libra (Android).
Weight loss isn't linear, you'll have weeks when you won't see any loss, you'll have weeks where you may gain. If you are logging accurately then trust the maths/science - if you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose fat, you just may not see that reflected on the scale.
Thank you! I'm very determined to get the last few pounds off! Hopefully I can lose the rest in the next couple months. I'm determined.
Bear in mind if you're close to goal you should be reducing your rate of loss and things will be slower.
1200 is the lowest amount recommended by the app, but that's based on the rate of loss you've chosen. You should be aiming for 0.5lb loss per week for the last few pounds.2 -
need to confuse your muscles by changing up to a differant exercise or change your emphasis with your exercise program. An all salad, vegetable-fruit day added to that and your slump will be over VERY soon!
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wanttobeslender wrote: »need to confuse your muscles by changing up to a differant exercise or change your emphasis with your exercise program. An all salad, vegetable-fruit day added to that and your slump will be over VERY soon!
Muscles do not need "confusing" and a veg/fruit only day is absolutely unnecessary.3 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »XoXashleighXoX wrote: »tinkerbellang83 wrote: »XoXashleighXoX wrote: »Ok, I'm 30 year old female.(31 on thursday) 5'5 and currently weigh 142-144 pounds. Today I am 144 pounds. Yesterday I was 142.8(trying to keep weighing once a week but it has become addicting). I gave birth to my daughter November 2018 and was at my heaviest not pregnant four months post partum 174 pounds.(I was 189 pounds pregnant). Last july I decided to try and lose the weight and I'm down 31 pounds. I have hit a plateau, last week i was doing pretty good. Ate 1300-1800 cals and worked out 4 days of the week for 30-40 mins. I'm thinking I'm going to have to be alittle more strict again food and amp up my work outs to 45 minutes most the week in order to lose the extra 12 -13 pounds. I haven't been drinking enough water either like I was doing in the beginning. Hopefully this will help. My birthday is this week and I'm going to Jack astors. I want to enjoy it but don't want to mess up what I'm going to do the rest of the week.
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
If you are weighing more frequently, use a trend weight app like Happy Scale (iPhone) or Libra (Android).
Weight loss isn't linear, you'll have weeks when you won't see any loss, you'll have weeks where you may gain. If you are logging accurately then trust the maths/science - if you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose fat, you just may not see that reflected on the scale.
Thank you! I'm very determined to get the last few pounds off! Hopefully I can lose the rest in the next couple months. I'm determined.
Bear in mind if you're close to goal you should be reducing your rate of loss and things will be slower.
1200 is the lowest amount recommended by the app, but that's based on the rate of loss you've chosen. You should be aiming for 0.5lb loss per week for the last few pounds.
All of this needs more visibility.
At your current weight and height, you have less margin for error as you get closer to your goal. Worry less about how much water you're drinking/day and "amping up your workouts" and more about guaranteeing you're consistently in a caloric deficit; as that's the only thing that truly matters for fat loss.
- if you're not already, use a food scale to weigh all portions where practical.
- Weighing daily is ok, just monitor the trend with an app like HappyScale, don't react to daily fluctuations
- Drink enough water so that you're hydrated but don't get bogged down by hitting arbitrary goals
- Exercise for fun, fitness, aesthetics-related goals, not solely for the calorie-burn.2 -
I agree with "don't panic": stay hydrated, weigh/measure your food, be consistent, and continue to exercise. When I first started my weight loss journey I reacted badly when my weight fluctuated (even a little). I was looking for a continual downward weight loss. I started using the HappyScale app and I am more relaxed. The app shows your weight loss trend. You may think you are in a plateau, but maybe in reality your not.2
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XoXashleighXoX wrote: »Ok, I'm 30 year old female.(31 on thursday) 5'5 and currently weigh 142-144 pounds. Today I am 144 pounds. Yesterday I was 142.8(trying to keep weighing once a week but it has become addicting). I gave birth to my daughter November 2018 and was at my heaviest not pregnant four months post partum 174 pounds.(I was 189 pounds pregnant). Last july I decided to try and lose the weight and I'm down 31 pounds. I have hit a plateau, last week i was doing pretty good. Ate 1300-1800 cals and worked out 4 days of the week for 30-40 mins. I'm thinking I'm going to have to be alittle more strict again food and amp up my work outs to 45 minutes most the week in order to lose the extra 12 -13 pounds. I haven't been drinking enough water either like I was doing in the beginning. Hopefully this will help. My birthday is this week and I'm going to Jack astors. I want to enjoy it but don't want to mess up what I'm going to do the rest of the week.
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
I'm 5' 5" (though much older than you!) and 144 is my end goal, so congrats on being where you are already! I have 7 pounds to go to get to where you are, and it's tougher now than it was for me when I started this at my peak of 173. I feel your frustration.
But if this is the first plateau you've hit, then that's impressive. It's easy to look at our inevitable plateaus as frustrating set-backs, but I look at them this way. Our bodies are always seeking balance; homeostasis. Because of our amazing ability to store fat in times of famine, your body doesn't know the difference between intentional weight loss and famine. Plus, as we lose fat and mass, we burn fewer calories than we did in the beginning of our journey. At your height, gender and weight, you are likely very close to where your ideal weight lies, depending on frame and muscle mass, and the closer you get, the slower the loss. It's just logical.
For some more info, here's an article on what plateaus are and some ideas on how to nudge out of one. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/2018-02-09/3-reasons-youve-hit-a-weight-loss-plateau-and-how-to-break-through.
So, just keep doing what you're doing, measure your food and drink, don't stress, and congratulate yourself on achieving this important marker. And happy birthday!!!! 🤗1 -
thedavestandard wrote: »What does everyone think about weight loss supplements?
Personally, I don't like them for me because I would rather my weight loss success be because of my own work and than pushed artificially by an outside force. Also, I'm cheap. lol
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XoXashleighXoX wrote: »Ok, I'm 30 year old female.(31 on thursday) 5'5 and currently weigh 142-144 pounds. Today I am 144 pounds. Yesterday I was 142.8(trying to keep weighing once a week but it has become addicting). I gave birth to my daughter November 2018 and was at my heaviest not pregnant four months post partum 174 pounds.(I was 189 pounds pregnant). Last july I decided to try and lose the weight and I'm down 31 pounds. I have hit a plateau, last week i was doing pretty good. Ate 1300-1800 cals and worked out 4 days of the week for 30-40 mins. I'm thinking I'm going to have to be alittle more strict again food and amp up my work outs to 45 minutes most the week in order to lose the extra 12 -13 pounds. I haven't been drinking enough water either like I was doing in the beginning. Hopefully this will help. My birthday is this week and I'm going to Jack astors. I want to enjoy it but don't want to mess up what I'm going to do the rest of the week.
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
I'm 5' 5" (though much older than you!) and 144 is my end goal, so congrats on being where you are already! I have 7 pounds to go to get to where you are, and it's tougher now than it was for me when I started this at my peak of 173. I feel your frustration.
But if this is the first plateau you've hit, then that's impressive. It's easy to look at our inevitable plateaus as frustrating set-backs, but I look at them this way. Our bodies are always seeking balance; homeostasis. Because of our amazing ability to store fat in times of famine, your body doesn't know the difference between intentional weight loss and famine. Plus, as we lose fat and mass, we burn fewer calories than we did in the beginning of our journey. At your height, gender and weight, you are likely very close to where your ideal weight lies, depending on frame and muscle mass, and the closer you get, the slower the loss. It's just logical.
For some more info, here's an article on what plateaus are and some ideas on how to nudge out of one. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/2018-02-09/3-reasons-youve-hit-a-weight-loss-plateau-and-how-to-break-through.
So, just keep doing what you're doing, measure your food and drink, don't stress, and congratulate yourself on achieving this important marker. And happy birthday!!!! 🤗
I agree, I should be happy how where I am and stop stressing. The rest will come off soon in time if I keep at it and Thank you! Hopefully I can enjoy my birthday but not go over in calories. I'm going to try my best and not stress
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Thank you everyone0
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XoXashleighXoX wrote: »XoXashleighXoX wrote: »Ok, I'm 30 year old female.(31 on thursday) 5'5 and currently weigh 142-144 pounds. Today I am 144 pounds. Yesterday I was 142.8(trying to keep weighing once a week but it has become addicting). I gave birth to my daughter November 2018 and was at my heaviest not pregnant four months post partum 174 pounds.(I was 189 pounds pregnant). Last july I decided to try and lose the weight and I'm down 31 pounds. I have hit a plateau, last week i was doing pretty good. Ate 1300-1800 cals and worked out 4 days of the week for 30-40 mins. I'm thinking I'm going to have to be alittle more strict again food and amp up my work outs to 45 minutes most the week in order to lose the extra 12 -13 pounds. I haven't been drinking enough water either like I was doing in the beginning. Hopefully this will help. My birthday is this week and I'm going to Jack astors. I want to enjoy it but don't want to mess up what I'm going to do the rest of the week.
Any tips ? How long does it usually take to get out of a plateau?
I'm 5' 5" (though much older than you!) and 144 is my end goal, so congrats on being where you are already! I have 7 pounds to go to get to where you are, and it's tougher now than it was for me when I started this at my peak of 173. I feel your frustration.
But if this is the first plateau you've hit, then that's impressive. It's easy to look at our inevitable plateaus as frustrating set-backs, but I look at them this way. Our bodies are always seeking balance; homeostasis. Because of our amazing ability to store fat in times of famine, your body doesn't know the difference between intentional weight loss and famine. Plus, as we lose fat and mass, we burn fewer calories than we did in the beginning of our journey. At your height, gender and weight, you are likely very close to where your ideal weight lies, depending on frame and muscle mass, and the closer you get, the slower the loss. It's just logical.
For some more info, here's an article on what plateaus are and some ideas on how to nudge out of one. https://health.usnews.com/wellness/food/articles/2018-02-09/3-reasons-youve-hit-a-weight-loss-plateau-and-how-to-break-through.
So, just keep doing what you're doing, measure your food and drink, don't stress, and congratulate yourself on achieving this important marker. And happy birthday!!!! 🤗
I agree, I should be happy how where I am and stop stressing. The rest will come off soon in time if I keep at it and Thank you! Hopefully I can enjoy my birthday but not go over in calories. I'm going to try my best and not stress
One day of going over your calories is not going to do any damage in the long run. You may see the scale jump up a bit if you eat and drink (particularly booze) more than normal but it'll come back down a few days later.
Enjoy your birthday, when it does jump up, just remember the 3500 calories maths. You'd have to go pretty much all out to reach your maintenance + 3500 cals (+ the deficit you'd created in days prior) to gain 1lb of fat. It seems unlikely you'll be eating/drinking in the region of 6000 calories.3
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