When Does Slow, become a Plateau?

goldspaula

I know this is a silly time of year to ask this question, but I have been so good over the holidays. I have tracked everything, stayed under my calories, exercised at least six days a week and got down to 204 right before Christmas, but here I am, back at 206 and I seem to be stuck! I know I pledged to maintain not gain during the holidays, but I really was counting on losing. It's so hard to be so close to under 200 to have it feel so far away. K, enough whining. How long should I wait before I start looking for ways to get off the plateau?

Thanks so much.

Nannettemilligan

What are you doing for your workouts ..

Nightdust

From my personal experience some of my plateaus have lasted 3-6 months but that was after I lost a big chunk of weight. Starting out.. I think it was 3 months? When I would get stuck I would cut another 50 calories from my daily allowance.

Sometimes your metabolism/body needs to adjust. Just keep working at it.

*edit*

Do you eat your exercise calories? That will make a big difference.

gussmi

Your weight goes up and down during the week so don't worry about it. It is not an indication of where your actually weight is. For example. before I went to Negril for vacation on December 10, I was 193. Two days later at the resort I was 199. During the vacation I balloned to 210! Now I am back down to about 199. What I am saying is that you should weigh yourself, in the morning, every two weeks. As long as you see a downward trend, you are doing okay. Remember, losing weight is a lifestyle change that takes time. Do not get discouraged.

gussmi

By the way, I am definitely in the "you don't have to and probably shouldn't eat your exercise calories" camp.

carl1738

Try adjusting your calories a bit and change up your workouts. If you haven't been doing strength training, now would be a good time to start. A lot of people stick with just cardio, not realizing that they're losing muscle along with the fat, which drops their BMR and makes it harder to lose weight.

AdamATGATT

I was on a small plateau before Thanksgiving. During that holiday, I let myself be a little more lenient and ate some sweets and other food I would not have otherwise. My calories went up closer to my net calorie limit, but never really over. I got home and realized I had lost two pounds during my trip, and another pound or two fell off pretty quickly. Once I got home I started eating better (like before I left)...and I hit that plateau again...hard. I actually gained a pound back and it stayed there.

That was until Christmas. I followed the same eat habits as I did during Thanksgiving, and allowed myself some cheats. I just got home and I've lost two pounds (and really, really close to losing another).

Sometimes you have to eat more to lose more.

Edit: By the way, I've been doing Power 90 through all of this. Probably why I needed the extra calories. I may have gone into starvation mode, even with my net calories over the general 1200 calorie limit. That's not the limit for everyone, and may be higher for some people, as I found out.

goldspaula

Monday - 30 min treadmill 3-4 mph intervals Weight Machines full body workout 20 Minutes and then 30 minutes on Stat. Bike.
Tuesday - Treadmill and bike
Wednesday - Same as Monday.
Thursday - Same as Tuesday
Friday - Same as Monday and Wednesday
Saturday Swim laps 50 min and hot tub for a blessed 10.
Sunday, chase grandkids, clean house, and cook dinner, and clean up from that. My day of rest.

AdamATGATT

Monday - 30 min treadmill 3-4 mph intervals Weight Machines full body workout 20 Minutes and then 30 minutes on Stat. Bike.
Tuesday - Treadmill and bike
Wednesday - Same as Monday.
Thursday - Same as Tuesday
Friday - Same as Monday and Wednesday
Saturday Swim laps 50 min and hot tub for a blessed 10.
Sunday, chase grandkids, clean house, and cook dinner, and clean up from that. My day of rest.

How often do you increase your intensity (overall, not during your intervals)? Are you challenging yourself any? When was the last time you did intervals at 4-5, or 5-6 mph? Do you mix up your weight machine routine any, by doing various machines that work similar muscle groups differently?

You're body can become accustomed to the same workout, day in, day out. The same way with eating. If you keep eating the same thing every week, keeping your calorie intake at the same level, you're going to get stagnant in your weightloss as well.

Your body and your diet need variety!

goldspaula

Monday - 30 min treadmill 3-4 mph intervals Weight Machines full body workout 20 Minutes and then 30 minutes on Stat. Bike.
Tuesday - Treadmill and bike
Wednesday - Same as Monday.
Thursday - Same as Tuesday
Friday - Same as Monday and Wednesday
Saturday Swim laps 50 min and hot tub for a blessed 10.
Sunday, chase grandkids, clean house, and cook dinner, and clean up from that. My day of rest.

How often do you increase your intensity (overall, not during your intervals)? Are you challenging yourself any? When was the last time you did intervals at 4-5, or 5-6 mph? Do you mix up your weight machine routine any, by doing various machines that work similar muscle groups differently?

You're body can become accustomed to the same workout, day in, day out. The same way with eating. If you keep eating the same thing every week, keeping your calorie intake at the same level, you're going to get stagnant in your weightloss as well.

Your body and your diet need variety!

goldspaula

I will start mixing it up for sure! Thanks!