Plateauing.

CallMeMamaBoo

Discuss. I am so frustrated with this month long plateau. I want to kick scream and cry and if I thought it would burn enough calories to keep me losing, I would do all three. Seriously, tho. Tell me about your experiences with plateauing. I've always been able to bust out of them within 2 weeks and it seems I just can't shake this one off.

I am 5' 5 1/2".... currently I am gaining and losing the same 3-4 lbs between 149-153. I don't obsessively weigh myself but I do every morning. It works for me, so don't tell me to stop. It's a daily motivator. I have a current bf% of 27. At 149-150 lbs, I cross over to the healthy BMI range. I am hoovering at this weight. My entire adult life (9 years) this is the lowest I have weighed. Hubs and family say I look thin... but I still feel flabby and want to tone and tighten...more. I run about 20-30 miles a week. I bike the same amount on a good week. I am doing Supreme 90 Day workouts, Jillian's Ripped in 30 and occasionally some Zumba or other Jillian workout dvds. I don't and won't go to gym. I prefer my home and making most of my exercise time part of family time. I feel like I am still pushing hard and getting great burns in. I do, however, panic when it comes to food. I was set at 1500-1600 calories for so long that moving on to a bigger allowance is scary. I'm afraid of gaining weight back. In my fear, I sometimes don't eat back many of my exercise calories but this week I am working more aggressively at conquering that fear. Do you think that will help bust this plateau? I've had a few weekends of 'pigging out'. In fact, Sunday and Monday, I was 1000 calories over and weighing in at 153-155 and woke up Tuesday to 149.6. Maybe it's possible that I can start eating more now that I have gained a more muscular body and want to keep it that way. I guess I am looking for affirmation or for someone to tell me their same experiences that turned out successful? I don't know. JUST SO FRUSTRATED!

ChristyP0303

I was stuck too for 2 weeks! Went from 1500 calories a day to 1800-1900 a day. I usually burn 300 calories, 6 days a week. I don't worry about eating my calories back unless I burn more than usual. I increased my calories last Tuesday and by Friday I was down another pound. Also weighed in today and was down 1 more pound! Try increasing your calories...

SarahLovesCheesecake

Log (very) accurately.
Change up your exercise / increase.
Simple.

CallMeMamaBoo

I did move my daily up to 1800 calories because I read an article about how many calories we should be eating to lose weight and it says to take 11-15 cals x Your current weight to get your daily allowance. It was shocking to me to see the numbers range from 1650-2250 (depending on activity levels) for someone that weighs 150 lbs when MFP tells us numbers between 1200-1600. So I am new at this 1800 a day thing. I am a week into it and still have a fear of eating them all PLUS my exercise calories which average between 400-1000 a day.

McKnightAM

Honestly it sounds ilke you need to increase your calories. I know it's scary but it will get you over that hump especially with as much exercise as you do.

CallMeMamaBoo

Log (very) accurately.
Change up your exercise / increase.
Simple.

If it was that simple, I would be past this hump. LOL I do just those things on a daily basis. Like I mentioned, my daily burns are between 400-1000 a day. I was even told to do the exact opposite of what you say by a trainer. She says stop logging completely for 2 weeks but I can't bring myself to do it. Ugh.

stormieweather

This is probably what is called a 'setpoint', in your weight. Mine was 158. I had a several month's long plateau.

I took a break and ate at maintenance for 2 months. I didn't log, but I knew how to eat by then. I put on 5 pounds (carb and water retention).
When I started back (Jan 1), I logged precisely (weighing, measuring)
No cheat meals/days, but I allow myself 1 week at maintenance every 3 months. Restores my leptin levels and sanity.
I bought a FitBit so I know exactly what I'm burning.
I graph the trends, longterm, so I can see what is happening.
I changed exercise forms, and began doing THE single most difficult form for me - running.
I never give up or quit, because I realized that I am not a scientific miracle...If I eat less than I burn, I WILL lose weight. And I do.

Good luck!

SarahLovesCheesecake

I keep a precise log / almost obsessive log of my cals etc but all it is, is a hand written log of the MFP numbers. I look for trends, patterns of loss etc.

I noticed that when I eat a bit more, exercise a bit more & change exercise routines, I lose.

SarahLovesCheesecake

I am not a scientific miracle...If I eat less than I burn, I WILL lose weight. And I do.

Like that, well said...

SarahLovesCheesecake

Log (very) accurately.
Change up your exercise / increase.
Simple.

If it was that simple, I would be past this hump. LOL I do just those things on a daily basis. Like I mentioned, my daily burns are between 400-1000 a day. I was even told to do the exact opposite of what you say by a trainer. She says stop logging completely for 2 weeks but I can't bring myself to do it. Ugh.

OK fair comment, forgot to add that every one is different....Thing is tho, and sorry if this annoys you, it IS simple, been there...

Angie80281

For me, it only takes a day or two of increasing my calories to break a plateau, then I go back to my normal amount as per MFP. For that day or two, I may track what I eat on here, but I don't limit myself to a calorie goal. I eat what I want and I satisfy any cravings that I have, although I still try to be reasonable about it (i.e. I won't eat an entire bag of chips or box of cookies). I understand that this may not work for everyone, but it's proven successful for me. If you're scared of a calorie increase, a 1 or 2 day bump may be better suited for you, and you can always set a limit for yourself for those days.

SarahLovesCheesecake

I really have nothing more to say, I tried to stay away from this question. Plateaus are for ppl who are doing something wrong, you just havent figured out what yet....Not meant to offend, so please dont have a go at me....You will see one day, when you get over it and look back that I speak sense.

CallMeMamaBoo

I noticed that when I eat a bit more, exercise a bit more & change exercise routines, I lose.

I had one month not long ago that I lost 12 lbs in that month and it was just after I increased my calories to 1550-1600 and did Jillians Ripped in 30 for the entire month along with 30 miles of running per week. I thought I would try that same exercise routine again..but summer heat and asthma is preventing me from getting in the runs that I am capable of doing. Blah. Maybe I just need summer to go away. lol But you are absolutely right. I probably need to eat more. Ugh. Funny how the thing that makes us fat...is also the thing that helps us lose it.

brianna626

I am in the same boat I am 5'4 5'5 and have been stuck for about a month at 128-133. Same loss and gain, I can't figure out how to fix it either. Good luck!

CallMeMamaBoo

I really have nothing more to say, I tried to stay away from this question. Plateaus are for ppl who are doing something wrong, you just havent figured out what yet....Not meant to offend, so please dont have a go at me....You will see one day, when you get over it and look back that I speak sense.

If you read my post, you would know that I have had several plateaus that I have broken. So I know exactly what you are saying. You don't lose 60 lbs and not gain some experience with plateaus. I am certain your right...for you. But in doing all of these things this time around, it's not working for me. As someone who doesn't want to offend and wants to stay away from this 'question', you have definitely made yourself offensive and present. lol It's okay...I understand the need for people to believe they know everything there is to know about things that they have gone through. As someone who has gone through this over and over and successfully came out of it every time, this is frustrating. What I 'thought I knew everything about' is NOT helping me.

I've tried having a few 'big calorie' days along the way and have found that they just don't work any more like they used to. Maybe I'm doing those days wrong... or maybe like you said, I am doing everything wrong and getting no results and it's my fault that I can't get my body to lose. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.

Grimmerick

I really have nothing more to say, I tried to stay away from this question. Plateaus are for ppl who are doing something wrong, you just havent figured out what yet....Not meant to offend, so please dont have a go at me....You will see one day, when you get over it and look back that I speak sense.

haha you are not very good at posting, plateaus are for ppl doing something wrong?! Plateaus happen when what you are doing isn't working for you anymore, I don't look at that as being wrong and for you to say so sounds condescending and rude. Work on your posting skills before you reply to peoples posts if you are really serious about trying to be helpful.

Anyways to the question, I know you are scared to stray from what has been working for you so far but you have to be willing to try new things for new things to happen, consider it trial and error. Don't worry you won't gain 20lbs overnight, if it doesn't go the way you want try something different until you find that avenue thats just what your body needs. Good Luck

Mysticmarduk

I like this article.

http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

It looks to me your an everyday type excerciser.

5'5" 150lb 26 female = 1490 BMR
Daily calorie Need (BMI) = very active = BMR * 1.725 = 2570.25.
Stay within 1000 calories of 2570 + excercise.

If you excercise 500 calories a day (7 days a week) you should be eating 1000- (2570 + 500) every day minium.
3070-1000= 2070 minimum.

Hence, Eat more. If you were at 1500 calories per day, increase it by 200 or 300 and i bet you see another set of lb's shed off.
Make sense?

BaileyBoo13524

I was also stuck for about 3 weeks and I was eating 1200 calories a day and working out 6 days a week and burning a lot of calories doing so. I am also the kind of person who was scared to up my calorie intake, but I did. I increased my intake from 1200-1400 to 1400-1600. I think just switching up what your intake is and how many of your workout calories you eat back will help you! I dropped 2lbs this last week just by switching up my intake! Hope this helps!!

allybally6

I'm in the same place right now. Been at 145 for the past 11 days.

CallMeMamaBoo

I like this article.

http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

It looks to me your an everyday type excerciser.

5'5" 150lb 26 female = 1490 BMR
Daily calorie Need (BMI) = very active = BMR * 1.725 = 2570.25.
Stay within 1000 calories of 2570 + excercise.

If you excercise 500 calories a day (7 days a week) you should be eating 1000- (2570 + 500) every day minium.
3070-1000= 2070 minimum.

Hence, Eat more. If you were at 1500 calories per day, increase it by 200 or 300 and i bet you see another set of lb's shed off.
Make sense?

Incredibly helpful and probably exactly what I need to hear. Thanks! So much easier said than done tho.

Huskeryogi

I try to do a "maintenance" day once a week. I think it kicks my metabolism back up. I used mine on 7/4 and ate 2500 calories. It was scary, but I continue to see a drop.

You could also consider zigzagging your calories goals daily. Have a daily average of 1700 but rotate between 1500-2000 over the course of a week.

tmtrack

I recently had a plauteu for 6 weeks!!!!! I back off the the carido a bit and strength training for about a week. I did gain some weight! But when I started up again this week, full force and more I have lost the weight I gained and more! I also started drinking more water! I noticed that I had decreased in water consumption that 6 weeks! So I hope this helps! I don't know if this will work for you. But it did for me, and since last monday have lost 9lbs!!!!

melsinct

I was stuck for 2 months bouncing between 158-161 (below 160 pounds I fall into the "normal" BMI range). I increased my calories from 1200 to 1700 and the weight started coming off again, but ever so slowly. It sounds like you aren't eating anywhere near enough. I am guessing you aren't logging your calorie burn at all in MFP if it is only giving you 1400 calories to eat, which you should log. You should likely be taking in significantly more calories.

rainbowbuggy

I do the same thing...lose the same 3 lbs over and over. Gonna change things up a bit and see if that helps. Good luck to you as you have made wonderful strides! :-)

cee134

This is interesting.

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/seven-diet-tricks-for-weight-loss-1078/1

By "cycling" your calorie intake throughout the week, you can expedite weight loss by tricking the body’s own fat-preservation methods, said Brad Schoenfeld, a fitness trainer in Scarsdale, N.Y., and author of "Women's Home Workout Bible" (Human Kinetics, 2010).

For example, if your target calorie intake is 1,500 calories a day, you would eat 1,200 calories on Monday, 1,500 on Tuesday, and 1,800 on Wednesday, and then repeat.

"This helps to override the body's natural starvation mechanism, tricking it into greater fat loss," Schoenfeld said.

XBabigrl72

Have you tried letting yourself have a "cheat" day. Being taking it easy on the workout and just doing a walk or something, and eating a little more than you usually would. I think one of the main things with you if fear that if you let go once you're gonna go all out. But you're doing really good. A day or two isn't going to hurt. After go right back to your hard core workouts but try to eat about the same. Shoot for eating at least half of what you burn. Start small and work your way up.

cee134

I have also heard that eating more will get you off a plateau. That is to say still eat healthy food and don't do it more the one or two days. In theory your body will jumpstart back into losing weight. Indvidual results may very.

CallMeMamaBoo

This is interesting.

http://www.myhealthnewsdaily.com/seven-diet-tricks-for-weight-loss-1078/1

By "cycling" your calorie intake throughout the week, you can expedite weight loss by tricking the body’s own fat-preservation methods, said Brad Schoenfeld, a fitness trainer in Scarsdale, N.Y., and author of "Women's Home Workout Bible" (Human Kinetics, 2010).

For example, if your target calorie intake is 1,500 calories a day, you would eat 1,200 calories on Monday, 1,500 on Tuesday, and 1,800 on Wednesday, and then repeat.

"This helps to override the body's natural starvation mechanism, tricking it into greater fat loss," Schoenfeld said.

I do zig zag. Thanks for the suggestion!

CallMeMamaBoo

I was stuck for 2 months bouncing between 158-161 (below 160 pounds I fall into the "normal" BMI range). I increased my calories from 1200 to 1700 and the weight started coming off again, but ever so slowly. It sounds like you aren't eating anywhere near enough. I am guessing you aren't logging your calorie burn at all in MFP if it is only giving you 1400 calories to eat, which you should log. You should likely be taking in significantly more calories.

I do log If I set it at what MFP suggests my daily would be 1600 BEFORE I log exercise. I should have clarified, I guess. But according to other things I have read, what MFP suggests BEFORE exercise is still too low for me. Time to bump up the calories and ACTUALLY eat them.