Weight just isn't going down.

allen83

I started a pretty aggressive diet back in January where I consumed under 1200 net calories a day in conjunction with a 5 day a week cardio work out which consisted of 60 - 80 minutes of cycling at ~13 - 15mph on my exercise bike on weekdays and 2 hours+ on the weekends. This worked out really well and I was down 30 pounds as of 2 weeks ago. After that initial 30 pound drop I can't seem to lose any more weight. I weigh myself every 2 days and my weight has basically hovered at a constant 180 pounds for 2 weeks (1 - 2 pound variance due to water) dipping to 179 once.

I've started cycling for an additional hour a day starting today and I want to know is there anything I can try doing diet or exercise wise to get the weight dropping again? I'd like to lose another 15 pounds by the end of June.

Thanks.

erickirb

You may have hit the dreaded "starvation mode" you were not and are not eating enough. There is no healthy reason to restrict calories that much. Follow MFP eat the 1500-1800 depending on your goal and make sure you eat back your exercise calories. A man should not go below 1500 Net calories (1500 plus calories burned through exercise).

When you first add calories back you may gain a couple of pounds as it sounds like your metabolism has slowed down and the only way to get it back up and running is to eat more.

If you don't eat more you will end up burning muscle, instead of fat, to use as fuel.

pilotgirl2007

Start eating more calories. The 1200 calories is the bare minimum and that is not taking into account any exercise. If you are eating a 1200 calorie diet you need to eat those exercise calories.

I experienced the same thing and I am still trying to figure out how many calories I should eat and at this point I am eating between 1370 and 1600 calories a day + my exercise calories and I have finally started to see weight come off again.

You need to find what works for you but you need to make sure you are eating enough

Peep_chic

Are you measuring yourself? You are working out so you're burning fat but at the same time also gaining muscle. You might have lost inches.

Steveeee

Sounds to me like you need to eat more.

craek

Seems like you need to add more fuel to your body. If you are working that hard and eating less then 1200 you are going to be at a stand still.. Thought about upping your calorie intake? Muscle needs fuel.

erickirb

Start eating more calories. The 1200 calories is the bare minimum and that is not taking into account any exercise. If you are eating a 1200 calorie diet you need to eat those exercise calories.

I experienced the same thing and I am still trying to figure out how many calories I should eat and at this point I am eating between 1370 and 1600 calories a day + my exercise calories and I have finally started to see weight come off again.

You need to find what works for you but you need to make sure you are eating enough

He is a man so the minimum should be 1500 not the 1200 that MFP uses, which is for women.

Dantdc

Hi, you shouldn't obsess over the numbers on the scale. How do you clothes fit? You are probably building muscle which weighs more than fat . Don't get discouraged, your workouts sound great!!

pilotgirl2007

When you first add calories back you may gain a couple of pounds as it sounds like your metabolism has slowed down and the only way to get it back up and running is to eat more.

When I started to eat more I gained for a couple of weeks and then hit a plateau where I no longer gained weight, don't freak out its a good sign because trust me it is much easier to stick to a healthy lifestyle than it is to stick to a diet and that is what you are going for, lifestyle change not a diet.

brafordrm

"I consumed under 1200 net calories a day in conjunction with a 5 day a week cardio work out which consisted of 60 - 80 minutes of cycling at ~13 - 15mph on my exercise bike on weekdays and 2 hours+ on the weekends."

This is probably your problem. Going under 1200 net calories will throw your body off guard...your metabolism probably adjusted to the lack of nutrition and threw your body into the dreaded "starvation mode." You've plateaued. Calorie deficits create weight loss, yes. But when you exert as much energy as you have...you need fuel. Try upping your calories a bit, and continue working out. You may gain initially, but you'll get that metabolism back in order, and you'll be able to lose fat again, rather than allowing your body to use your muscle as fuel. Watch your water intake as well. If you drink to little, you will retain.

hpsnickers1

You have to change your goals and eat more. Based on the way you lost the first 30 pounds you have lost a lot of muscle mass - this slows the metabolism. Adding more cardio will have a detrimental effect. (Severe calorie restriction and cardio exercise cause muscle loss). Start incorporating some strength/reisistance training into your routine rather than more cardio.

Re-calculate your goals and change your weight loss goal. If you are set to lose 2 per week then drop it to 1 per week. You have put yourself into "starvation mode" (eating under 1200 (women only - men the minimum is higher - I think 1600) then exercising and burn 400 will put you under 800 NET and that is very, very bad).

http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html

The law of unintended consequences
Your body is an amazing feedback system aimed at balance and survival. Humans are at the top of the food chain because they are able to adapt to their environment. Every action produces a reaction. Every change in its environment triggers a survival response. It's important to keep that in mind when you plan your fitness program. If you treat your body as an enemy to be conquered, you'll produce unintended results.

For example, if you severely cut off the supply of food to your body, it will defend itself by slowing down its metabolism to survive starvation. The body will shed muscle mass the same way that you would throw cargo from a plane that was low on fuel, and it will reduce its thyroid activity to conserve energy. The body will also actually defend its fat stores. In anorexia, muscle loss can be so profound that fat as a percentage of body weight actually rises. Extreme carbohydrate restriction also causes muscle loss, dehydration, and slower metabolism, which is why even successful Atkins dieters can have a significant rebound in weight after they stop the diet (don't worry – the advice on this site will prevent that from happening).

As another example, if you put your body under stress through overexertion and lack of sleep, it will respond by slowing down, reducing muscle growth, and increasing your appetite for junk food, carbohydrates and fat. If you feed your body excessive amounts of sugar and quickly digested carbohydrates, and it will shut off its ability to burn fat until those sugars are taken out of the bloodstream.

This website will show you how to work with your body to quickly produce the changes you want. In order to do that, you need to take actions that push your body to adapt – to build strength, burn fat, and increase fitness. You need a training program, not an exercise routine. You need a nutrition plan, not a diet. You need a challenge, not a few good habits you usually try to follow except when you don't.

Setting the right goal
John Dewey once said that a problem well-stated is half-solved. If you want to reach your goal, you have to define it correctly. See, a lot of people say “I want to lose weight.” Well, if losing weight is your goal, go on a no-carb diet. You'll lose a lot of weight – some of it will be fat, a lot of it will be water, and a dangerous amount will be muscle tissue. You'll lose weight quickly, but you'll slow your metabolism and gain fat more quickly once you go off the diet. Trust me on this. I've been there, done that.

The problem is that you've set the wrong goal. If you want to look better, have more energy and enjoy better health, the goal is not simply to “lose weight.” The goal is to improve your fitness level and body composition. That means losing fat, improving your aerobic capacity, training your strength and defending your muscle tissue. You can't do that with a no-carb diet. You will do it using the approach you'll learn on this website. Trust me on this one too. I know what it's like to feel fat, tired and helplessly out of shape. The whole point of this site is to help others avoid that, by sharing lessons that I had to learn the hard way.

erickirb

Hi, you shouldn't obsess over the numbers on the scale. How do you clothes fit? You are probably building muscle which weighs more than fat . Don't get discouraged, your workouts sound great!!

No way he is building muscle on a diet that restricted in calories. Muscle building takes a caloric surplus.

JinnJinn

You need to eat more calories, or atleast eat your exercise calories. You would be suprised. You need to kick start your metabolism again.

maggiecosmo

you might want to switch your cardio routine, your muscles get used to what you do and they wont have effect on your weight. Another factor is that you start building up muscle and they are heavy , so measure your inches you might notice a difference... i hope this helps.

erickirb

you might want to switch your cardio routine, your muscles get used to what you do and they wont have effect on your weight. Another factor is that you start building up muscle and they are heavy , so measure your inches you might notice a difference... i hope this helps.

No it is not muscle, Can't build muscle on a caloric restricted diet such as this, as I said above muscle needs a caloric surplus to build any noticeable amount.

You are correct in that he should switch up the fitness routine, this should be done every 4-6 weeks.

Chrissy_Michelle

Use your muscles! Not so much cardio! Muscles burn more fat. You need cardio and resistance; weight/strength training

HJSilva

Along with eating more healthy calories maybe you should change your gym routine.

apax

Try something different... like swimming or walking. I think that your body gets use to what you are doing. I have talked to multiple personal trainers. Every time I tell them I level out they tell me to switch it up. Don’t just cycle everyday, try something else too. Maybe cycle two days a week and do something else the next day. I always loose the most weight on the days that I swim. Also another suggestion would be try intervals. Do 20 min of all out sprints (3 min easy 1 min as hard as you can go for 20 min) but it isn’t an everyday thing. Like every other day. Then just do something active (taking a walk) if you feel like you need to work out more then just 20 min. Hope this helps.

shaunshaikh

Classic starvation mode.

pilotgirl2007

Start eating more calories. The 1200 calories is the bare minimum and that is not taking into account any exercise. If you are eating a 1200 calorie diet you need to eat those exercise calories.

I experienced the same thing and I am still trying to figure out how many calories I should eat and at this point I am eating between 1370 and 1600 calories a day + my exercise calories and I have finally started to see weight come off again.

You need to find what works for you but you need to make sure you are eating enough

He is a man so the minimum should be 1500 not the 1200 that MFP uses, which is for women.

Sorry didn't realize that... I guess I was speaking from experience and didn't think to even pay attention.

PlanetVelma

ya gotta eat more! I'm a girl and I'm eating about 1500 calories per day. Each person is different but if you're net calories (after exercise) is below 1200-1500 you're body is going into starvation mode. Reset your goals and go from there....

allen83

Thanks for the tips, I think I'll start walking in the evenings instead of biking that extra hour in addition to upping net calories to ~1500. I have been doing some weight training, basically bicep curls and military press with 5 pound weights (up to 10 pound weights now). I did lose 6" off my waist though.

ladyhawk00

As everyone has said, you're not eating enough. Here are some threads that help explain how to use MFP, how metabolism works, and why it's vital to fuel the body properly.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/153704-myth-or-fact-simple-math-3500-calories-one-pound-eat

PlanetVelma

Thanks for the tips, I think I'll start walking in the evenings instead of biking that extra hour in addition to upping net calories to ~1500. I have been doing some weight training, basically bicep curls and military press with 5 pound weights (up to 10 pound weights now). I did lose 6" off my waist though.

I would definitely check out your goals and use the "Guided" option and see what MFP suggests your caloric intake should be. You may also want to run the "Net Calories" report. When I thought I was exceeding 1200 calories, I was actually waaay under where I should have been. Those reports can be really handy to track sodium intake, protein, etc....

Can anyone say "nerd alert"? LOL

Leopardliz

Your body could also be gettin used to the same routine. Change yiur cardio once in a while and maybe some weight training could totally change your body. I am trying to do this and hopefully it'll work. Good luck!

allen83

you might want to switch your cardio routine, your muscles get used to what you do and they wont have effect on your weight. Another factor is that you start building up muscle and they are heavy , so measure your inches you might notice a difference... i hope this helps.

No it is not muscle, Can't build muscle on a caloric restricted diet such as this, as I said above muscle needs a caloric surplus to build any noticeable amount.

You are correct in that he should switch up the fitness routine, this should be done every 4-6 weeks.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm in a bit of a predicament when it comes to exercise variety, I live in a cramped apartment miles away from any fitness facilities so all I really have room for is my exercise bike and some free weights. I've been doing bicep curls in between biking but aside from walking is there anything I can do? Does upping the resistance on the bike count as changing it up?

angiemartin78

I agree, maybe you should start incorporating some weight training into your routine. Also, up your caloric intake...you can start slowly and then add more until you start to see the weight coming off again. You could also go see a nutritionist to make sure that you are eating the appropriate number of calories. MFP has me at 1200 calories a day, but my nutritionist says that it's ok to consume between 1200-1400. But, that is for me...Everyone is different.

Good luck!