Hit a plateau Cutting

Cuttingg

So I have lost 45lbs in 3 months from 230 to 185 on a low carb diet.

My meals and routine consists of

8:30am: 5 egg white omelette with spinach and onions with a couple pieces of fruit (some days 1/4cup of stoved cooked oatmeal)

9-12: 20G protein shake ( 90 calories)

12-2: Exercise

2:00: Grilled chicken no salt seasoning with healthy carbs from vegetables

2-5- snack on peanuts

5:00 : Chicken or fish on top of a leafy green salad (mixed greens or arugula)

8:00 : 25G of protien from non fat Greek yogurt

I drink a gallon of water a day as well

I have hit a bit of plateau at 185.

Any recommendations on diet to drop the rest of the body fat, build some muscle and get those abs to pop out?

xplosion80

Plateau sucks and demotivates. So keep going and you will come over it in couple of weeks if not days.
Increase your calorie intake and shift the exercise patterns. Like Cardio Vs Strength or just jog/walk in park.

You did excellent so far. Keep moving.

Cuttingg

Thank you for the advice! I will Increase calories and I will change up workouts a bit

cajuntank

Plateau sucks and demotivates. So keep going and you will come over it in couple of weeks if not days.
Increase your calorie intake and shift the exercise patterns. Like Cardio Vs Strength or just jog/walk in park.

You did excellent so far. Keep moving.

Uhh.... NO! OP, not going to take the time to calculate your calories on the diet you have listed, but if you are not losing, then you are eating more than you think. If your maintenance is 2500 calories, then eating 2600 calories of meat and low carb whatever will still make you gain weight. If you want to low carb for the sake of that's what you adhere to better, then by all means, low carb. But low carb does not "hack" the body into losing weight any better than eating at a caloric deficit which by the way, is what you were evidently doing all this time as you lost weight. But now you are lighter and have a lower caloric need, so what you have been eating to lose is now your current body's maintenance level. Upping calories will only make you gain weight. Now that's not to say you couldn't use a diet break if you have been dieting for an extended period of time to help reset a depressed metabolism (think of your metabolism like a bow and you pull the string back and it can only go so far back...it's good to release the tension to reset and then you can start to pull back again).

You are 18 years old and a guy. You will never again have this period in your life again (unless you use "medical help") to take advantage of the hormones in your body right now for weight training. Diet is the key to weight loss, strength training is the next priority to help keep existing lean muscle and build some to help calorie burn even further (get on a good proven strength program, ie... Strarting Strength, StrongLifts, All Pros, Ice Cream Fitness, etc...). Cardio is good for additional caloric burn and heart health if needed, but if it impedes on you ability to recover from weight training, then reduce cardio or eat a little more to balance the two.

SezxyStef

Plateau sucks and demotivates. So keep going and you will come over it in couple of weeks if not days.
Increase your calorie intake and shift the exercise patterns. Like Cardio Vs Strength or just jog/walk in park.

You did excellent so far. Keep moving.

worst advice ever.

How long has this "plateau" been 2 weeks? 3 weeks? if it hasn't been 6-8 weeks it is not a plateau it is a normal weight loss non linear moment.

You do not have to shift exercise...esp replacing lifting with cardio...:laugh:

If it has been 6-8 weeks you are at maitenance and increasing your calories will not "break" this it will make you gain.

To lose weight you need to be in a deficet...to make sure you are in a deficet you have to log accurately which entails weighing food, measuring liquids, choosing correct entries and/or looking at your calorie burns and ensure you are accurate with those as well.

If you are using MFP burns they are often over estimated so suggestion is to eat 50-75% of them back...

PHATmommy68

I have lost 8 - 10 pounds in a month and a deficit already. Can age be a factor? I am 46

eldamiano

No such thing as a plateau. The formula is always the same. Calorie deficit = weight loss.

PHATmommy68

Totally disagree. I have a calorie deficit every day and NOTHING!!!

karinawiser

I SO understand you. First, I think guys should not argue with women about this whole 'deficit' story. Plus age IS a factor. When I was 20-25, just not eating after 6pm would get me into a nice weight loss. And a little deficit went a long way. Now... after having kids.. it is a totally different story. But I digress..
For me, fasting always works for plateau (real or not... not going to debate that either). What I do, is I fast one day (24 or 36 hours) - this really helps get things going again. Just make sure not to overeat the next day...

PHATmommy68

fasting is dangerous. My friend who is a trainer told me just yesterday that I am not getting enough carbs and probably too much fat!

hitsnooze

Totally disagree. I have a calorie deficit every day and NOTHING!!!

you probably don't then

CA_Underdog

The real question is, what are your calories in vs. calories out? You ultimately need to burn more than you take in, whether you ultimately decide on low-fat, low-carb, low-protein, or a balanced diet.

CA_Underdog

> I have a calorie deficit every day and NOTHING!!!

For calories in, consider using a food scale to measure your portions. For calories out, consider using a heart rate monitor to measure your burn more accurately than estimates based on the exercise type and your height/weight/gender. Get your VO2 measured if you really need to. Note, there can be some day-to-day variation based on water retention and bowel movements, of course.