Advice for hitting a plateau?
elzianne
Posts: 52 Member
When I first started watching my intake with MFP and working out regularly, I was having great success. I wasn't losing a ton of weight, but I don't have a ton to lose... so my rate of 1/2 pound to 1 pound a week was perfect! I went down a pant size, then it just stopped. I feel like nothing I am trying is getting me off of this plateau! (I am not losing inches either, by the way) I even started shelling out money for a personal trainer, and while I am seeing a major improvement in my fitness levels, my body doesn't seem to want to show it. In fact, the past couple of weeks I'm actually GAINING some weight. I am going to see my doctor to get a check up and make sure it isn't something like my thyroid (my energy levels have been really low too), but I wanted to see if any of you had experienced anything like this. Any advice would be appreciated!
This is a little bit more about my diet/exercise plan:
- I work out 6 days a week and am training for a half marathon. A typical week looks like this: Long runs of up to 11 miles on Sundays and 3-5 mile runs sometimes interval runs on Tuesdays & Thursdays (I have bad knees, so any more running days during the week gets them acting up). On Wednesdays & Fridays, I do 30 minute sessions with a personal trainer doing heavy lifting in a kind of circuit training style, and I'll usually do some kind of light cardio before or after. On Mondays, I usually do the elliptical & weights (heavy but not as intense as my training session) at the gym or I'll do a video like 30 DS or TurboJam. If I'm feeling particularly beat up from a long run, I'll just do light yoga and a walk on Monday. Saturdays are my rest day but I usually still try to walk, do light yoga, or do something else to move a little bit and stretch my body.
- I have MFP set to a sedentary lifestyle because my job requires me to sit at a computer pretty much all day. While I workout a lot, I spend about 8 or more hours a day sitting I have it set to lose 1/2 pound a week, so my goal is to net 1270.
- I eat back my exercise calories.
- I try to eat small meals and eat 5 times a day.
- I try to eat as clean as possible, keep a close eye on sugar, and do very little dairy.
- I usually have one day a week where I go over and let myself indulge a little bit.
- I weight about 146 (I had gotten down to 143) and am 5'6. I'd like to get to the 130s, but really if I can start losing some inches, I'll be more happy about that than the scale number.
I'm afraid to increase my calories because I spend so much of my day sitting. At the same time, when I reduce my calories by not eating back my exercise calories, I feel sick and light headed. Any ideas / any one else had this problem?
This is a little bit more about my diet/exercise plan:
- I work out 6 days a week and am training for a half marathon. A typical week looks like this: Long runs of up to 11 miles on Sundays and 3-5 mile runs sometimes interval runs on Tuesdays & Thursdays (I have bad knees, so any more running days during the week gets them acting up). On Wednesdays & Fridays, I do 30 minute sessions with a personal trainer doing heavy lifting in a kind of circuit training style, and I'll usually do some kind of light cardio before or after. On Mondays, I usually do the elliptical & weights (heavy but not as intense as my training session) at the gym or I'll do a video like 30 DS or TurboJam. If I'm feeling particularly beat up from a long run, I'll just do light yoga and a walk on Monday. Saturdays are my rest day but I usually still try to walk, do light yoga, or do something else to move a little bit and stretch my body.
- I have MFP set to a sedentary lifestyle because my job requires me to sit at a computer pretty much all day. While I workout a lot, I spend about 8 or more hours a day sitting I have it set to lose 1/2 pound a week, so my goal is to net 1270.
- I eat back my exercise calories.
- I try to eat small meals and eat 5 times a day.
- I try to eat as clean as possible, keep a close eye on sugar, and do very little dairy.
- I usually have one day a week where I go over and let myself indulge a little bit.
- I weight about 146 (I had gotten down to 143) and am 5'6. I'd like to get to the 130s, but really if I can start losing some inches, I'll be more happy about that than the scale number.
I'm afraid to increase my calories because I spend so much of my day sitting. At the same time, when I reduce my calories by not eating back my exercise calories, I feel sick and light headed. Any ideas / any one else had this problem?
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Replies
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Do you weigh all of your foods down to the gram? More than likely, you're either understating your intake or overstating your outtake. Also, one day of cheating can completely erase an entire week's of a moderate deficit. I'd stop cheating immediately until you get your weight loss moving again.0
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I measure out everything, but I don't weight it. I'll definitely try using a scale instead!0
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Bump - anyone else have advice too?0
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I dont know if this would be any help, but one time I did the HCG diet and they said that if you hit a plateau, eat six apples that day, not even water, just six apples and you will start losing again the day after. I have no clue if it works, but thought I'd bring it to your attention. A friend did it and swore by it.
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I dont know if this would be any help, but one time I did the HCG diet and they said that if you hit a plateau, eat six apples that day, not even water, just six apples and you will start losing again the day after. I have no clue if it works, but thought I'd bring it to your attention. A friend did it and swore by it.
Uh. I don't think that'd be wise. That would be way too much sugar and way too few calories.
When you do cheat days, do you still watch to make sure you're under or at your weekly goal? A lot of people seem to forget about this, but it is rather important. Like another poster said, you can do good 6 days a week, but if you go too far over on that 7th day, it can put your net over for the week and kind of wreck it.0 -
umm gonna have to disagree with sublog... when i cut those cheat days literally give my metabolism a kick!! i wake up the next morning feeling leaner and muscles feel fuller as they got proper nutirtion for a day...
heres a few ideas that i know u said u wont like haha
-eat a little more for 1 week.. round 1500-1600cals if uve been eating 1200...
-try anabolic diet (20-30carbs a day no more which will put ur body into ketosis)
-ur training seems good, for ur circuit training id switch excersises
-might not like it but concatrate more on building muscle for a month.. "lean bulk" do heavy training instead of circuit n lower cardio a little if possible... this will put on a little muscle, firm you up, confuse your body, and when u start cutting again u will go ALOT lower in weight alot faster!
e.g. my first bulk was 170lbs 17%bf -200lbs 15%BF then cut 175lbs at 7%BF then bulk again 210lbs at 11%bf now once i cut again ill prolly stay around 190+lbs and 5%BF... so each time you cycle you move forward in both directions.. building muscle and loosing fat thats why all bodybuilders (including women figure competitors) cycle cutting/bulking...
Your body e.g. my wifey is 5'3 130lbs n for the life of her she cant get below it because of the amount of muscle she has and shes still very small!!! so keep checking ur measurments n mirror vs scale.. oh n ur BF%
and then there is supplements which you can MSG me for more info!0 -
If calories in equaled calories out, then losing weight would be simple. Cutting out the sugar is good, now it's time to look at the other carbs you are eating. Cut the carbs and add protein and good fats. You will feel great and start losing again. Oh yeah, keep the cheat day, life is short.0
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If calories in equaled calories out, then losing weight would be simple. Cutting out the sugar is good, now it's time to look at the other carbs you are eating. Cut the carbs and add protein and good fats. You will feel great and start losing again. Oh yeah, keep the cheat day, life is short.
only has 1 post under his belt n gave amazing advice!!! good job!0 -
Change it up maybe?0
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If calories in equaled calories out, then losing weight would be simple. Cutting out the sugar is good, now it's time to look at the other carbs you are eating. Cut the carbs and add protein and good fats. You will feel great and start losing again. Oh yeah, keep the cheat day, life is short.
Short, sweet, and to the point! First post and it's amazing! :drinker:0 -
Change it up maybe?
lmao troll in thaaa houusseeeee0 -
maybe this is where the healthy version of your body is supposed to be? I am 5'7". Most of my life I have hovered in the high end of my supposed healthy weight range (140's-150's) and only when i STARVED myself could i go below that. I always was worried about that number, but the truth is I wore a size 6 and could run 10 miles, and could compete in arm wrestling with the boys. haha That was MY healthy weight range and it sounds like you might be in yours. I DO think it is good advice to increase protein and look for hidden calories or overestimated exercise calories burned... but this will likely just change your overall tone and not the scale by much. Best wishes!0
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Personally I believe that if you're training for a marathon, that you probably won't lose much more. Long endurance cardio has a tendency to catabolize muscle and that lowers your metabolic rate. Even if you lifted heavy and consumed a lot of protein, I doubt your body will change much. You've already admitted this to happening even while staying true to your workouts and eating.
If you goal is to complete the marathon, then that's what you should train for. After that you reassess your goals.
A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
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Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0
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