'Plateau' for the last three-four months.

striveforhealthy

So, I've lost almost 60 lbs and have been continuing what I have been since I started But, since September I've been between 142-146 and can't seem to break below 142. (I gained back up to 146 after emotionally eating for like a week straight after something really tragic happened in November.) I tried switching my foods around. I've tried adding more lean proteins. More water. Tried incorporating new foods I wasn't eating before.

Is it possible that my 1200 calorie in-take is no longer sufficient and is actually leading me into starvation mode? I am working out 4-5 times a week and burning ~300 calories. I haven't been eating my calories back. If I eat my calories back, do you think that will kick start my weight loss again? I know no one here can really know for sure but from anyone elses personal experiences...how did you overcome a plateau?

I'm female at 5'4" by the way.
And below are my weigh-ins:

CW 09/19 - 146.0
CW 09/26 - 145.0
CW 10/03 - 145.0
CW 10/10 - 144.2
CW 11/14 - 142.8
CW 11/28 - 146.2
CW 12/05 - 144.2
CW 12/12 - 143.6
CW 12/19 - 143.2
CW 12/26 - 142.6
CW 01/02 - 142.6
CW 01/09 - 142.0

Zoey290

Tip #1 - Increase your calories. The first tip to break a plateau is by increasing your calorie consumption by 500 calories per day for 7-10 days. That doesn't mean go off your diet. You just need to give your body a little nudge to get it going in the right direction.

Increase your carbohydrate intake to give your body a break from carb restrictions. After the 7-10 days cut your calories back to where they were. This will help give your body a nice little shock that can you get back on track.


Tip #2 - Your intensity level. When trying to drop those last few pounds it is often an issue of intensity that is causing your weight loss plateau. In these situations you need to crank up the dieting and exercising for a few weeks to help you blast through it.

Exercising a little harder or being a little stricter on your diet can give you that extra little boost that you need


Tip #3 - Change your exercise routine. The way you exercise can play a vital role in how you burn fat. Doing the same routine for too long allows your body to adapt and work more efficiently. If you have been using the same workout routine for more than 4-6 weeks it's time for a change.

A Simple solution to this problem is to change how you workout. For example, add weight training to your program or increase your sets and reps or change how many days a week you workout. Do this every 4-6 weeks to keep your body from adapting


Tip #4 - Reduce your carbohydrates. Yes this is the opposite from the first tip but it can work really well to help you break through your weight loss plateau. By lowering your carb intake down to a ketogenic level it forces your body into a fat burning mode. This works best if you aren't already on a low carb diet (less than 100g/day).

Try lowering your carb intake to 20-40g/day for 2 weeks whenever you hit a plateau. This is the most difficult of all of the tips but also the most shocking to your body


As frustrating as weight loss plateaus are, they are a normal physiological occurrence. That's why it is always important to change up your routine in order to keep your body from adapting. By using one of the strategies listed above you will be able to break through your plateaus and continue to lose weight.


Hope this helps

striveforhealthy

Thank you so much for the tips! I'm going to increase my calories first and see if that helps. And then follow one of the other tips if it doesn't seem to help. Much appreciated.

albayin

I don;t think you stopped losing. It was slow but the trend was going downward.

cmriverside

Eat more in general. You should have your goals set at "Lose 1 pound a week" or even a half pound. I assume you only have 15-20 pounds left to lose?

1300 cals without eating exercise calories is too low for you to continue to lose. That was fine when you were overweight. It will come off much slower when you have less to lose.

The really low calorie days, since they were only a few, should not affect you long term. Plateaus are common. Do a search here, there are many threads about it.