plateau

khalsey2011

So after a steady 90 lb weight loss over 9 months I have hit a HUGE plateau. Over the last 3 and a half weeks I haven't lost anything while sticking to my workouts and calorie counting. I am getting frustrated with myself and losing focus on my end goal. I have 25 more pounds to lose and don't know what to do to get off this plateau. Any suggestions?

ninerbuff

So after a steady 90 lb weight loss over 9 months I have hit a HUGE plateau. Over the last 3 and a half weeks I haven't lost anything while sticking to my workouts and calorie counting. I am getting frustrated with myself and losing focus on my end goal. I have 25 more pounds to lose and don't know what to do to get off this plateau. Any suggestions?

Stall not a plateau. Plateau's are 6 weeks or more of no weight movement while being CONSISTENT with diet and exercise. If you change ANYTHING, then it starts all over again.
If you're stalled, then you may try increasing intensity or duration of your exercise first to burn a few more calories.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

nomoredoughnuts

It sounds contradicting but I went through that just before summer and I just stopped for two months, ate whatever I wanted 70% of the time whilst reducing my exercise a little bit. I gained 3kg that I lost within a week and a half of getting back on track. By reducing my exercise I mean instead of exercising 4-5 times a week, I exercised 2-3 hours max and walked for about 20-30 minutes a few times a week. I literally ate anything and everything but mostly massive portions of healthy-ish food. It reached to the point where I was constantly full but hungry all the time. Then I knew I was there and just started listening to my body and eating clean again. It worked fine for me. I had to take some drastic metres because I had hit a plateau for months and months and no matter if I fasted, introduced Insanity and high intensity workouts or ate really carefully nothing worked.

Before that I tried exercising more and eating more as well as eating more and exercising less but nothing seemed to work. I didnt gain or didnt lose... I was very frustrated!

It was hideous seeing myrself gaining weight again after losing almost 15kg but sometimes all you need is a break for the sake of greater achievements

emilytaylo

I am in a similar 3 week "stall" (I didn't know a plateau was 6+ weeks). I haven't lost as much as you but about 52 lbs in 6 months with 30lbs to go.

This is my first time on the community area. I have been doing this on my own but if you are interested in helping each other stay motivated please feel free to add me as a friend

TwelveSticks

Kudos on the weight loss so far (both OP and emily!)!

Stalls or plateaux in weight loss aren't uncommon. They're usually a sign that you need to change something. The only question is 'what'? A lot depends on what you have been doing regarding your calorific intake and the amount of exercise you have been doing, so without seeing your diaries, it's difficult to predict. But at the en of the day, it comes down to one of two things, no matter what the reason is:

1. You may be eating too much.

As you lose weight, you need to eat less, so you may have reached a point where you are now eating a maintenance level. Or maybe you aren't exercising as much, or are simply burning fewer calories for the same exercises because you have become fitter.

2. You may be eating too little.

Many people start to 'chase' weight loss by eating less and less, often while exercising more and more. It sounds counter-intuitive, but this can lead to a stall, or even a weight gain.

The 2nd option above is the trickiest one to deal with, because it seems wrong to eat more in order to lose weight, but believe me, it can be the case - I found that I needed to start eating back my exercise calories once I started ramping up my exercise levels because my weight loss slowed to a stop. Once I started eating more, the weight loss started again.

Try to assess which is the most likley cause for yourself, based on changes in your food and/or exercise over the months. Then either eat a little less or a little more (or do a little more or less exercise, if you prefer). Stick with your new levels for at least 2 weeks and see what effect it has after that period. If you still haven't move, or you find you've put a pound or two on, then you chose the wrong option, so switch to the other one (i.e. if you decided to eat less, try eating more and vice versa).

emilytaylo

Thank you so much for the info. This far I haven't been "religious" in measuring/weighing my food. Good possibly I have been under estimating calories and it has now caught up with me. I also haven't upped my exercise (amount or intensity). I guess this should have been pretty basic but I'm learning. Thanks again!