HELP Plateauing for about 3-4 weeks! HELP

greenhumanclay

Hey MFP's I have been with MFP since late January and started out at 172 but 177 being my highest weight. I have been consistently losing the weight and have recently plateaued at 136 or so, I'm 5 ft. even so I know that my body has at least another 15-20 lbs. lt needs to lose. It's frustrating but by no means am I discouraged. I tried zig zagging but not sure if I'm doing it correctly thought. Am I suppose to eat the calories it says every day plus my exercise calories or or net that total amount of calories it suggests regardless if I exercise. I'm confused but I did start increasing the intensity of my workouts and added an additional day of exercise from 4-5 to 5-6 per week. If anybody has any tips or can share something that has worked for ti\hem please let me know, thanks in advance!!! :happy:

Hanna82

I found the best way to beat a plateau is to stagger your calories. one day go over the next go low. it bumps your metabolism and got me through three stand stills

Majunta

To zig zag, I would decrease the number of pounds you want to lose in a week which will increase your daily cal intake. That's what I did and it seemed to work. I plateaued for about 6 weeks.

phitmom4life

You may also want to look at changing up your routine/workouts if you haven't. If you keep doing the same thing, your body will get use to it. Also, are you strength training?

kylakesgal

I agree you need to change your goals. I've had to adjust mine twice already lowering my goal loss per week which will give you more calories to eat. It works!! Yes you should be eating your exercise calories too. The closer you get to your goal, the more you will need to eat as close to your daily intake creating a smaller deficit. I'm currently set at a 1/2 lb a week loss and I know it's kinda frightening to eat more to lose but try it, it will pay off for you:):) Make sure you aren't netting less than 1200 calories per day. Good luck to you and your continued success:):)
PS. Another thing that helps if you haven't already been doing strength training, add it. Our bodies burn about 20 calories less for every lb we lose:( If you add muscle, you will burn more calories all the time even while you are sleeping:):)

mitchellsmama

You may also want to look at changing up your routine/workouts if you haven't. If you keep doing the same thing, your body will get use to it. Also, are you strength training?

I agree with phitmom...do something out of the ordinary...go hiking or swimming, take a martial arts class...SHOCK the body! Good luck!

greenhumanclay

Thanks everyone I hike about twice a month and started taking Bikram Yoga which is very difficult but I haven't done any strength training at all I have been wanting to. I gues it must be my calorie intake I usually don't feel hungry to add another 200-400 calories I will definitely do that as ironic as it sounds I keep reading that it works. Crossing fingers thanks everyone once again!!

Thankilates

Agree totally with what everyone is saying!

Change up the amount of calories you are eating... Also up the amount of calories you are eating too since the last pounds are the hardest!

Do something different for a workout

Drink more water! Quit using salt (if you use it at all).

And yes, add weights to your routines! More muscle burns more fat!

lucisept61

You are doing GREAT! Congratulations!

If you've been cutting fats, spend a week or two eating at the upper end of your fat range instead of the lower edge. If you've been cutting carbs see if you should be adding more whole grains or milk for a week or two to get some nutrients your body is craving.

Who is your exercise buddy? If you don't have one, get one for the week or so that you are plateau-ing. If you have one, add another one - maybe someone who pushes you harder or won't let you stop for that snack or to answer your phone or whatever bad habit might have sneaked into your routine.

This is a great time to look at how you want to live your life once you reach your goal weight. Focus on the life changes you want to see instead of just numbers on the scale. Do you want to be more careful with money when you have hit your goal weight? Do you want changes in your romantic relationship? Do you want to learn new skills? Do you want to redecorate your home so it feels more like the new you? Look at what small steps you could be taking now to get closer to those goals while your body adjusts to your weight loss. Can you start a savings account or sign up for term life insurance? Can you paint one room? Or sign up for one class? Or flirt a little or change your approach?

You can also just shake up a few things in your life: look at your menus for the last month, do you see foods you ALWAYS eat? Pick one or two of those and take a few days or a week without them. Maybe you always peel a certain veggie and you should try it with the peel on, or you always boil something that you could try steaming, maybe you need a new breakfast cereal. You could flip your mattress and wash your curtains and try some new sheets to freshen your outlook on your life. You could look for an inspirational book/video/audio recording that will help lift your focus from those pesky numbers.

Good luck and enjoy the whole process of becoming a healthier, more complete you!

TiffanyA2008

Google Zig Zag calorie counter.

A site that I came across gives you daily calorie goals to follow. It takes into consideration your age, gender, height, current weight, and fitness level. You should check it out.

Also, adding more exercise isn't really what makes you lose the weight. Yes exercise helps, but losing weight is more about your diet and how your eating.

I was working out 5 to 6 days a week for an entire month and didn't even lose ONE POUND. Not one pound at all. That's when I started to Google about the zig zag diet because I wanted to make sure I was doing it correctly.

How much water are you drinking?? Make sure to get plenty of water daily to keep your body hydrated and your system flushed. Google "water calculator for weight loss." You'll find a calculator that will recommend the amount of water you should drink daily due to whatever your fitness level is.

Good luck

albayin

I found the best way to beat a plateau is to stagger your calories. one day go over the next go low. it bumps your metabolism and got me through three stand stills

I should try this. I have been over 3 months with the same weight.

meagalayne

90% of the time, it's not a plateau! It's just your body doing it's own thing. There's normally not anything at all wrong with what's been working all along. Calories in/Calories out DOES work. The math just makes sense. Of course, that's if you're only concerned with weight loss...

If you are looking to lose fat and gain lean muscle, especially once you are well within your healthy weight range, the source of your calories, your macro nutrients, and even food preparation start to matter.

Here are a few things to consider, assuming you are not a really hard-core athlete (ie: you lead a pretty regular life):

How much fiber/sodium/sugar are you getting and what KINDS of fiber/sugar/fat/protein/carbohydrate are you eating? Is most of your fuel coming from "products" - or produced/man made fuel - versus food, which your body has to work harder to digest and use as fuel? Are your sugars processed/refined or natural, like those found in fruits and vegetables? Are your proteins lean and your fats most from healthy natural sources, like nuts, avocados, and plant-based oils? Do you try to eat mostly high-fiber, low-glycemic carbohydrates or are you hooked on white rice/breads/cakes/cereals?

Are you exercising regularly, at different intensities and with enough diversity to keep your body guessing? That means some days of longer, lower intensity workouts, some days of higher intensity or more strenuous cardio, and a few days worth of strength training - with lots of good stretching and core work for balance?

Are you staying hydrated? Sleeping well? Majorly stressed out?

And IMO, the most important consideration: How honest are you being with yourself? MOST people either under-estimate or over-estimate both their expenditure and their intake. This can put up a lot of barriers to weight loss as your margin of "loss" gets smaller and smaller. So...

Are you eating back your exercise calories? And are you sure you're burning as much as you think? Are you using a HRM?
Are you weighing your foods and being honest when you "binge" or treat yourself, even if you go over some days? \
And are you allowing yourself to "give in" without major guilt? Stress can be one of the biggest hurdles we face in weight loss because our body KNOWS when we are stressed and does not work as efficiently. Just as when we are fending off illness, our body holds onto reserves thinking we are faced with serious uncertainty.

Just my $0.02... It's very general advice, and not directed AT you. Just what I've noticed trolling the boards, losing my own 70 or so lbs, and being around the block on MFP a few too many times

Acg67

try a big carb refeed, shoot for 300-500 over your maintenance cals, get about 1g per lb of bw of protein, your EFAs and the rest in CHO

greenhumanclay

Thanks everyone

Meag Lots of great info and on the Plus side: i use a really good heart rate monitor and change it when i lose weight.
I am definitely honest with what i eat and log everything and measure daily, kinda obsessed, I eat plenty of fruit daily and avoid packaged, pre-made food, I do go out to eat once or twice a week at most. I am definitely not a hard core athlete at all, I definitely need to add more protein to my diet and need to consume more h20 for sure. I usually go over on the generalized fiber intake, and I don't eat white bread, cakes or cereal ver often, usually my breads oatmeal pastas are whole wheat, whole grain. I rarely go over my calorie intake and Im starting to think i need to really up my calories and change the settings for more food allowance. I do not strength training at all and need to work on my core, with Bikram i have noticed this past week Im feeling like I get better workouts since it's pretty intense for me. I exercise regularly and try to switch it up, I definitely don't sleep well and feel overwhelmed with school, work, and a solid consistent workout schedule so that has been stressful recently. I have allowed my self to go over on the calorie intake and honestly didn't feel guilty but felt good to be able to eat rich food and enjoy it. Going to give this zig zag another try I'm sure I was not doing it correctly I was confused on it, going to hydrate more, up my calories and continue to challenge myself when working out and incorporating strength training which will be new to me, Im not shooting for just weight loss, I was hoping Icould reach 115 120 and start to really tone up but I definitely would rather be heavier on the scale but smaller in size rather than thinner an unfit, Thanks for everyones opinions greatly appreciated, going to allow my body some time before i get to frustrated... Thanks again everyone!