Exactly what is a plateau?

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wewon
wewon Posts: 838 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is a plateau simply your body going into starvation mode or is it a sign that you're getting lazy in your routine or something else?

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  • beccafertig
    beccafertig Posts: 61 Member
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    It's a sign that your body has adjusted to your current habits. Not necessarily a bad thing if you've really been diligent in working out and eating right. It's simply the body's way of saying that in order for you to continue with additional weight loss, it's time for a change. That doesn't necessarily mean working out harder or longer, just trying something different. Some of my friends who have hit plateaus switched over to different exercise routines, including videos like Jillian Michael's 30 day shred or p90x. Have you reached a plateau, or just curious?
  • thirtyby40
    thirtyby40 Posts: 702 Member
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    A plateau could be because your body is going into starvation mode from being on a low caloric diet for a stretch of time, but it could also be that it is used to your routine and you need to push your limits.
  • soze
    soze Posts: 604 Member
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    Constipation and Sodium!
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
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    My main cause of hitting a plateau is not giving my muscles enough time to fully recover from heavy weight sessions, if I give them a weeks full rest after a few months of heavy training I come back stronger than before. Plateau over come! Or plateaus can be caused by your body adapting to a workout regine, so mix things up, and let your body suffient recovery time.
    Plateau and starvation mode are 2 totally different things! Starvation is not give your body enough nutrients to survive so it holds onto what it already has.
    Plateaus are not food related its more exercise related!
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
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    Different, but the net results seem to be the same....stagnation.
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
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    I agree-stagnation sounds like a good word. I think I hit a plateau back in November. I was exercising at home and watching my eating habits on here, but wasn't losing any more weight, and I had about 10 lbs to go. I joined a gym and those last 10 lbs came off-so I think it had alot to do with changing up my exercise routine and increasing the intensity of my workouts.

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