Not panicking, just curious

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PhilipByrne
PhilipByrne Posts: 276 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone plateaued in their weight loss and managed to overcome that plateau by increasing their caloric intake.

I know this is a common reponse when people discuss plateauing and I am NOT interested in the arguments for and against. I am aware of these. I just want to hear from people who have had success by doing this.

Thanks ever so.....

Replies

  • Pidders89
    Pidders89 Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Hey,

    I had a 3 week plateau so i had a increased calorie weekend then upped my exercise the week after and it worked :D i lost 2 lbs
  • skinnylizzard
    skinnylizzard Posts: 460 Member
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    It happened to me once, but I'm not sure if it was coincidence because I tried it again and it didn't work.
  • deadstarsunburn
    deadstarsunburn Posts: 1,337 Member
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    Worked for me. I'm assuming you're a runner as well, you'll need more calories to fuel your body! =]
  • AggieCass09
    AggieCass09 Posts: 1,867 Member
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    *raises hand*

    i was eating 800 cals a day net and have gradually increased to 1680 over the period of a year...i've lost 10 lbs doing this
  • JoAnn73
    JoAnn73 Posts: 161 Member
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    Yes, at least 3 times in the past 17months. I'm constantly changing or making adjustments to either my diet and or workouts. Now I’m running three miles during my lunch at work and I am eating only at certain times during the day to help keep my metabolism running. The smaller I get the harder it is to lose.
  • hazelnut861
    hazelnut861 Posts: 390 Member
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    I did. I had 1200 calories then platued. I gave myself a window between 1200you and 1500 net calories and as soon as my weight started to budge I dropped to 1300. I don't stick to 1300 on the dot but pretty close. I've lost 3.5 pounds this month. I was stuck at 142 and now I'm 138. Woo hoo lol. It's obviously different for everyone but I believe in variation.
  • tcpowell25
    tcpowell25 Posts: 292
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    I increased my caloric intake and mixed up my workouts.
  • time2shine29
    time2shine29 Posts: 104 Member
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    Every time I hit a plateau I try to switch something up, either exercise or food and the types of food I'm eating. For me, sticking with more veggies and protein seems to help the scale go down. :)
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 827 Member
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    It definitely worked for me. I was stressing less about food choices once I increased my calories too, so maybe the combination of higher calories/less stress was what did it. :laugh:
  • cduell
    cduell Posts: 5
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    Actually, I just learned some secrets! Seriously, I've been struggling for a long time with tops and starts because I had no energy and was not losing an ounce (for sometimes weeks on end). SO......flash forward to the next days.......I went on a 35% carbs, 45% protein, 20% fats nutrition program and I DOUBLED my food intake.

    I start with 1800 calories a day at six meals and the more exercise I do, the more I eat according to the adjusted additional calories that myfitnesspal gives me when I work out.

    The result? Energy has skyrocketed, lost 2" on my waist, and the best yet? Dropped 12 pound over the 10 day period my "engine" has turned on and I have dropped 13 pounds!

    I know it sounds *kitten*-backwards, but I finally learned that I need to "feed" the engine between 250-400 calories every two to three hours......

    I seem to always be eating but I finally found the "secret".
  • mma1987
    mma1987 Posts: 3
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    it's not about the overall calories but what kind of calories you increase. the main reason this type of change works is because they had an increase in complex carbohydrates that provide the body with more energy to burn fat and higher amounts of protein which is the main building block in muscle and adding muscle burns fat. Alot of people experience a plateau in weight loss because they are adding muscle which weighs more than fat hence it seems like they're at a stand still but they're actually still dropping fat content and becoming physically leaner. that is why most people stop a workout program around 3-4 weeks because they get discouraged. so if anything start taking a whey protein shake in place of a snack and eat foods with complex carbohydrates to fuel your body preferably in the mornings (oatmeal is a great source of complex carbs) this will give your body the fuel it needs to burn fat all day long. i hope this helps
  • PhilipByrne
    PhilipByrne Posts: 276 Member
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    Thanks a lot guys.

    I am currently working at 1,430 net cals (a caloric deficit of 1,000, this is quite a lot as my BMI is slightly under 30). I do quite a bit of exercise and generally eat back must of my calories. I have plateaued for the last few weeks and just wondered if I needed to up the cals.

    It seems counter intuitive, but it obviously worked for some of you.

    Thanks again.
    Phil
  • Jennyisbusy
    Jennyisbusy Posts: 1,294 Member
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    If not upping it maybe the zigzagging thing would work for you. I have seen people have some compelling results. It's something I plan to try in the future :)

    I would look for one with numbers that would be close to or slightly above your average calories now.
    http://www.naturalphysiques.com/64/zig-zag-calculator-for-fat-loss-andor-muscle-gain
  • FaithHopeBELIEVE
    FaithHopeBELIEVE Posts: 626
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    If not upping it maybe the zigzagging thing would work for you. I have seen people have some compelling results. It's something I plan to try in the future :)

    I would look for one with numbers that would be close to or slightly above your average calories now.
    http://www.naturalphysiques.com/64/zig-zag-calculator-for-fat-loss-andor-muscle-gain

    I'm doing this right now. Go to freediet.com. I entered my stats and printed out the varied cals for the week. Yesterday was my low cal day, 1095 (yeah right) so I burned 556 cals in excercise and ate those back, and today is a high cal day of 1643 and I might not excercise today or do something light. This is my first week but me and another friend on here are doing it. BUT I had a friend post today that she plataeued (sp?) for weeks. She decided to up her cals and lost a lb in that week. We just have to change our mindsets from so many years of thinging less cals is better. :) IT IS SOOO HARD but there IS success.
  • amfmmama
    amfmmama Posts: 1,420 Member
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    definately works for me. Now, I kind of up my calories preventively... I mix up my days, and allow myself to increase on weekends and stuff. It seems to keep things moving.
  • cduell
    cduell Posts: 5
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    MMA1987 - Well said.....it has been amazing to see the differences when I eat "the right way" and supplement with good Whey Proteins to get to my daily totals, a good recovery drink within 30 minutes of a workout and proper timing. I wish I had understood this sooner.

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