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    Plateau? Help!

    Posts: 354 Member
    edited February 14 in Health and Weight Loss
    So I'm not sure what's going on and I need help. I've been stuck at 137 for about 4 weeks (I bounce around 137-138 each day, never more than 139 never less than 137, mostly 137 though).

    I weigh everything.
    I log honestly.
    I'm not new to exercise (I've been HIGHLY active my entire life)
    I measure myself, in the past 2 weeks, no change in measurements.


    My BMR is 1362. I eat TDEE (sedentary)-20% which is 1391 + 50% exercise calories.

    I've gone over +100 twice and I went way over +1200 after 8 hours of exercise and my previous day was NET 200 (another day of 8 hours of ice climbing and I was SO tired I couldn't eat, I passed out without dinner-- we had an epic day where we were on top of a mountain and a snow storm rolled in and the sun set.) so those two days averaged I was still net under my calories.

    Otherwise I'm in the green.


    Am I at a plateau? Do I need to just be patient?

    For exercise, I rock climb, ice climb, CrossFit, and do HIIT work on my bicycle trainer.

    Edit: my legs look better (no more cellulite) and feel more firm. So changes are happening, but is this muscle building?!

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    Replies

    • Posts: 7,237 Member
      Initial impression is, you may be close enough to goal weight where 20% deficit is too aggressive. Also, how much protein are you getting? You probably are not building muscle on a calorie deficit.
    • Posts: 354 Member
      I'm aiming for 104g of protein and getting close most days. (I'm pescatarian, so I'm having a hard time getting over 100g-- I'm pescatarian due to allergies, so not helpful to suggest eating meat)

      My goal weight is 125.

      I'm eating (on normal fitness days) 1390-1650 cal
    • Posts: 354 Member
      You probably are not building muscle on a calorie deficit.

      That's what I thought. I'm just wondering what this is. If I were a women's magazine, I would call it "toning". However, I know that's a BS term
    • Posts: 7,237 Member
      Since you are only about 12 pounds from goal, I would do TDEE - 10% instead of 20%. Keep working on trying to keep the protein up.
    • Posts: 5,304 Member
      Since you are only about 12 pounds from goal, I would do TDEE - 10% instead of 20%. Keep working on trying to keep the protein up.

      QFT
    • Posts: 173 Member
      Since you are only about 12 pounds from goal, I would do TDEE - 10% instead of 20%. Keep working on trying to keep the protein up.

      Agreed! More weight training too if you can. This will help blast you past this plateau.
    • Posts: 86 Member
      Bumping to follow along...

      I'm struggling with the same thing. I just told myself I'm going to not weigh myself for 3 weeks & see where I am "on the other side". I'm noticing that I'm more toned, but that dang weight number won't budge. Trying to get less fixated on it. Also, I've been HUNGRY lately, so I tried reducing my goal from -2lbs/wk to -1.5lbs/wk. Not sure what will be my outcome, but trying not to stress about it. Let me know if you find something that works for you!
    • Posts: 3 Member
      Ever consider that maybe your body fat % has gone down? Just got my body fat # checked out this morning, I was pleasantly surprised! I just know I get crazy frustrated with the scale because my weight is not like my friends'... and I have to remind myself that I have a lot more muscle and also am taller than the average girl.

      http://www.bodyfattest.com/
    • Posts: 354 Member
      show previous quotes

      Agreed! More weight training too if you can. This will help blast you past this plateau.

      I lift a lot and it hasn't been helping. Well, I guess it hasn't been hurting, but it isn't pushing me over the plateau.
    • Posts: 354 Member
      Ever consider that maybe your body fat % has gone down? Just got my body fat # checked out this morning, I was pleasantly surprised! I just know I get crazy frustrated with the scale because my weight is not like my friends'... and I have to remind myself that I have a lot more muscle and also am taller than the average girl.

      http://www.bodyfattest.com/

      If I'm eating at a deficit and therefore not able to build muscle, I'm not sure how my % body fat can go down without losing weight. Also, my measurements haven't changed in the last two weeks.



      This is my biggest confusion. Because I would think that yes, my %body fat is changing, because I'm noticing a physical difference in my legs, but no numbers are changing (weight, measuremtns) so I'm not sure how this can be happening.



      HOW AM I "TONING" WHEN TONING ISN'T A REAL THING!?! I'M SO CONFUSED AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY BODY RIGHT NOW!
    • Posts: 354 Member
      show previous quotes

      QFT


      What does QFT mean?
    • Posts: 14,776 Member
      show previous quotes


      What does QFT mean?

      quoted for truth.
    • Posts: 7,237 Member
      show previous quotes

      If I'm eating at a deficit and therefore not able to build muscle, I'm not sure how my % body fat can go down without losing weight. Also, my measurements haven't changed in the last two weeks.



      This is my biggest confusion. Because I would think that yes, my %body fat is changing, because I'm noticing a physical difference in my legs, but no numbers are changing (weight, measuremtns) so I'm not sure how this can be happening.



      HOW AM I "TONING" WHEN TONING ISN'T A REAL THING!?! I'M SO CONFUSED AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON WITH MY BODY RIGHT NOW!

      You can reduce body fat without your weight going down.
    • Posts: 12
      What are your current goals? From your post I can only assume it is weight loss? But how much? How tall are you?
    • Posts: 9,026 Member
      So I'm not sure what's going on and I need help. I've been stuck at 137 for about 4 weeks (I bounce around 137-138 each day, never more than 139 never less than 137, mostly 137 though).

      so you're not really stuck then, are you?
    • Posts: 354 Member
      show previous quotes

      You can reduce body fat without your weight going down.

      But I have to replace it with muscle to get my weight to not go down and I thought you can't build muscle on a deficit. This is my confusion.
    • Posts: 809 Member
      Why are you set for sedentary if you are highly active and exercise regularly?
    • Posts: 354 Member
      What are your current goals? From your post I can only assume it is weight loss? But how much? How tall are you?

      I'm 5'6" my goal is to be a better climber and part of that goal is to increase my power to weight ratio. I would like to drop weight (and keep the same, or increase power a little-- I've got a coach helping me with this part) but I've put on some weight in grad school, so I'd like to lose that and get back to about 125-130lbs.
    • Posts: 1,511 Member
      I am nowhere near you are, but I just came off of plateauing for 2+ weeks. Here's my own solution:

      1. Make sure you are going #2, and I mean big ones, not just small rocks. Getting stuff out is important. I eat air popped popcorn as a snack & put brewer's yeast on it and lecithin (as well as Kernal Seasonings & I spray it with vinegar, but that's me & how I like it). Popcorn is super fibrous and is now considered a superfood.

      2. Affirmations before you go to bed, like "my body is losing weight, I feel great, my body is releasing the weight", works too.

      GL!! :)

      PS, your body in the photo looks amazing, so great job so far!
    • Posts: 836 Member
      I am having the same problem. About 10-9 lbs to goal.... and be fluxuating the same lbs for weeks pretty much. Been told my net calories might be the issue with all the working out. I am sending my diary for a 7 day span to a dietitian in my Crossfit class and hoping to get some help.

      I know how frustrating it is.. but you are doing great!
    • Posts: 354 Member
      show previous quotes

      so you're not really stuck then, are you?

      Um, I am.


      I weigh myself every day because I like data. So 5 out of 7 days, I weigh 137.x lbs and 2 out of 7 days I weigh either 138.x or 139.x, usually those days are after a big work out where I can feel that my muscles are sore and repairing themselves, so I don't worry. But over the course of 4 weeks, the scale has been reading almost the same number every morning when I wake up.
    • Posts: 354 Member
      Why are you set for sedentary if you are highly active and exercise regularly?


      I'm really inconsistently active. Some days I work out 6-8 hours (climbing/hiking trips-- usually weekends) and some days I work out 3 hours, and then I have rest days.


      So maybe I'm doing this wrong, and I'm open to suggestions, but it seemed to me on the days that I'm doing a climbing trip, where I'm burning 1200-1400 calories, I should eat a LOT more than the rest days. And I'm a grad student so not like a waitress or construction worker or whatever so I didn't want to over eat on those days.
    • Posts: 7,237 Member
      show previous quotes

      But I have to replace it with muscle to get my weight to not go down and I thought you can't build muscle on a deficit. This is my confusion.

      Here is one example of someone who reduced body fat but ended up nearly the same weight:
      http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/709987-how-wrong-i-was-600-days-of-mfp-lotsa-pics

      There are a lot of other women here who have as well, this is the only one that I could think of her name to search for the story though.
    • Posts: 354 Member
      Edit.



      Ok. so I've been doing some non MFP research and I think that I might actually be building muscle/losing fat at the same rate. And I'm okay with this.
    • Posts: 354 Member
      Evidently posting was the key ;-) I'm down a pound from yesterday morning.
    • Posts: 836 Member
      Way to go!!!!!
    This discussion has been closed.

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