The Dreaded Plateau
krthacker
Posts: 7
Hi Everyone I need help once again, I've done very good since starting in April, I've managed to get from 198 to 175ish. But i've hit a plateau and I have no idea how to get past it. My appetite has decrease alot I only get 800-900 cal a day (no preaching I know its not good lol) But not because im deliberately not eating, I'm not hungry my body isn't telling me Hey your hungry I can roll all day on one thing for breakfast and i know thats bad but I can't force myself to eat I get nausea if i try to MAKE myself eat, is this a psychological thing or is this an actual problem with my body I'm not aware about? I know its been 40x harder than it should be to lose this weight i have lost and I haven't lost ANYTHING in my belly (my largest fat area) But who doesn't like skinny feet and hands?:huh: , (sarcastically)
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Replies
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Eat more. But gradually. It will boost your metabolism.0
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your metabolism has slowed down. i do caloric cycling. i eat maintenance calories (1600-1800) on the weekend so my body doesn't think i'm starving or the food supply is scarce and try to hold on to every calorie.0
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Eat more. But gradually. It will boost your metabolism.
Hate to say it, but at face value this statement is both true and NOT. Truth is the eating more (especially if it is harder to digest - protein) will minimally increase your metabolism. The "UNTRUE" part of the statement is that this will raise your base metabolic rate enough to not only burn the extra calories you just ate....but even more.
EXAMPLE: If your metabolism was a fire...and eating were like Karosene......you could start a pretty big blaze by adding a little. IF our bodies worked this way...then eating a bit more protein, for example, would churn up those fires and away our metabolism would run. Wouldn't that be nice.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work so well. Our metabolism is slow. Eating more will increase it slightly, but never enough to burn what we just added....let alone, more stuff.....it's like buying jewelry ....spend 100 dollars and you get 10 percent off. Spend 200 dollars and get 15 percent off. Well thanks. But in the first case I spend 90 dollars. In the second case I spend 185 dollars. Over double. Sure I got an added 5 percent discount...but it didn't discount enough to actually cost less than the 90 I first spent.
Our metabolism never increases enough to burn those extra calories your adding plus more. Why do you think people gain weight? If every time you ate more food your metabolism went up even higher you could actually eat yourself to death and get skinny at the same time. Sorry. I've never seen that happen!
People Plateau for different reasons. I'm beginning to study Plateau Science because I'm interested in it. One explanation is a body shift. (I.e. I gain a few pounds, but lost two inches in my waist....1 pound of muscle is much more dense than 1 lbs of fat. Replace 1 lb of fat with 1 lbs of muscle and you don't change weight, but you do get skinner and your measurements change. I'm sure there are many other reasons. When I learn about them I'd be happy to share them. For now just realize everyone goes through them and the length of time they last can vary.
Want to end a plateau? Exercise more. This will drive up your BMR. DO some resistance training - weight lifting...just enough..3 x a week.....Either make the exercise you're doing more difficult or add time. Either way, you'll bust through the plateau probably sooner. If you were going to do something about diet...you could eat less, not more.
One last thing...there are studies that suggest you should cut off your eating before 8 pm. Why people gain weight if they eat after that time period....everything else being equal is not really well understood. For now...just is.
PM me if you have questions. I'll try and answer them. Hope this helps.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter0 -
your metabolism has slowed down. i do caloric cycling. i eat maintenance calories (1600-1800) on the weekend so my body doesn't think i'm starving or the food supply is scarce and try to hold on to every calorie.
Again, part true, part not. Nice idea though. Like it. Just again not the way things really work.
Okay...the first part of the statement is totally true as we know it. YOUR METABOLISM HAS SLOWED DOWN. Ding ding ding.......we have a winner. She is absolutely correct here. Recent studies suggest that when you start losing weight...your brain has a "Weight Thermostat" that is stuck at the higher reading (the weight you left behind). As you lose your brain slows your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) trying to make you regain the weight back. Eating more calories...once again...will result in less weight lost, or weight gain. Your brain already thinks your starving..well maybe not starving....but it knows your weight is dropping and it wants it back. It doesn't care if you eat more caloires on the weekend...in fact it wants you to do this. Now the slowing of your BMR is small..but enough that over years you'll put the weight back on....so the best way to approach this is once again....raise your BMR by replacing Fat (which burns little calories) with Muscle and use the muscle..(burns more calories) and exercise often....studies suggest it should be about 30 minutes a day. This results in significant health benefits and makes it much more likely your quest for weight loss will be successful and you'll keep it off.....not to mention you'll get through the plateau!
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter0 -
Eat more. But gradually. It will boost your metabolism.
Hate to say it, but at face value this statement is both true and NOT. Truth is the eating more (especially if it is harder to digest - protein) will minimally increase your metabolism. The "UNTRUE" part of the statement is that this will raise your base metabolic rate enough to not only burn the extra calories you just ate....but even more.
EXAMPLE: If your metabolism was a fire...and eating were like Karosene......you could start a pretty big blaze by adding a little. IF our bodies worked this way...then eating a bit more protein, for example, would churn up those fires and away our metabolism would run. Wouldn't that be nice.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work so well. Our metabolism is slow. Eating more will increase it slightly, but never enough to burn what we just added....let alone, more stuff.....it's like buying jewelry ....spend 100 dollars and you get 10 percent off. Spend 200 dollars and get 15 percent off. Well thanks. But in the first case I spend 90 dollars. In the second case I spend 185 dollars. Over double. Sure I got an added 5 percent discount...but it didn't discount enough to actually cost less than the 90 I first spent.
Our metabolism never increases enough to burn those extra calories your adding plus more. Why do you think people gain weight? If every time you ate more food your metabolism went up even higher you could actually eat yourself to death and get skinny at the same time. Sorry. I've never seen that happen!
People Plateau for different reasons. I'm beginning to study Plateau Science because I'm interested in it. One explanation is a body shift. (I.e. I gain a few pounds, but lost two inches in my waist....1 pound of muscle is much more dense than 1 lbs of fat. Replace 1 lb of fat with 1 lbs of muscle and you don't change weight, but you do get skinner and your measurements change. I'm sure there are many other reasons. When I learn about them I'd be happy to share them. For now just realize everyone goes through them and the length of time they last can vary.
Want to end a plateau? Exercise more. This will drive up your BMR. DO some resistance training - weight lifting...just enough..3 x a week.....Either make the exercise you're doing more difficult or add time. Either way, you'll bust through the plateau probably sooner. If you were going to do something about diet...you could eat less, not more.
One last thing...there are studies that suggest you should cut off your eating before 8 pm. Why people gain weight if they eat after that time period....everything else being equal is not really well understood. For now...just is.
PM me if you have questions. I'll try and answer them. Hope this helps.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
That does make alot of sense I have been doing the exact same exercise since I started, would you make any suggestions about some exercises to bust this belly fat I have? I have scoliosis in my back so theres only so much I can do But I can do some things.0 -
Eat more. But gradually. It will boost your metabolism.
One last thing...there are studies that suggest you should cut off your eating before 8 pm. Why people gain weight if they eat after that time period....everything else being equal is not really well understood. For now...just is.
PM me if you have questions. I'll try and answer them. Hope this helps.
Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter
That does make alot of sense I have been doing the exact same exercise since I started, would you make any suggestions about some exercises to bust this belly fat I have? I have scoliosis in my back so theres only so much I can do But I can do some things.
I am not an expert in this field...but I talk to many of them often...and I read a lot! I am in the medical field. I am also not a personal trainer or Preventive medicine and rehabilitation specialist or a sports physician....I only started training with Resistance 4 months ago...but again..I have very good people advising me including my Ballroom instructor who is 3 time United States Champion...and she dated a professional body builder....and a fellow who has taken me under his wing lately - who was an olympic cyclist and use to manage a gym.
I can PM you the abs routine she gave me (see my photos) and it takes some time to lose the belly fat. Be patient. I went from never having a 6 pack to having one in about 60 days doing her exercises 10 minutes a day. Now whether they are good for you because of your condition..I can't say. Of course men get faster results ....because of how we are built..but she does the exercises and she is rock solid. Just let me know if you want to try them. You can do them at home. Only a mat is required.0 -
I think one of the best ways to break through a plateau is to do what seems obvious. In many cases, our bodies are maintaining because we are.The best way to bust through it is to change things up. This may mean very different things for different people, but I'm going through a period of that right now, I'll give you an idea of what I'm doing just as an example. I have started this as I have been at a plateau for the last 2-3 months now.
I am not sure if it is the best approach medically, but the research I have done seems to support it.
My regular routine is eating 1700 NET cals per day (1/2 - 1ld loss per week). Weight training 3x week (stronglifts program), cardio 2x week which is a mix of HIIT and steady state.
What I am doing at the moment is a low calorie diet (1200 per day), but making sure I keep my protein intake high (150-200g), and reduce my carb intake to 50-100g. Because I'm operating with less energy (though not too noticable a week into it) I've dropped the cardio and am just increasing my walking a little on the non-lifting days.
Before starting the program I had two days of high calorie, high carb eating (~3000 cals), and if I feel I need it I will have a similar day as a re-feed at some point too.
I do not see this as a long term strategy, but as a way of changing up what my body is used to (in terms of intake and exercise) it seems to be working. Less than a week into it I have dropped a couple of pounds, and while not all of this is fat, some of it will be. I plan to follow this for two weeks at this stage, and then re-assess. I wouldn't recommend being on a VLCD for too long for obvious health reasons, as well as social ones!0 -
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Hi Everyone I need help once again, I've done very good since starting in April, I've managed to get from 198 to 175ish. But i've hit a plateau and I have no idea how to get past it. My appetite has decrease alot I only get 800-900 cal a day (no preaching I know its not good lol) But not because im deliberately not eating, I'm not hungry my body isn't telling me Hey your hungry I can roll all day on one thing for breakfast and i know thats bad but I can't force myself to eat I get nausea if i try to MAKE myself eat, is this a psychological thing or is this an actual problem with my body I'm not aware about? I know its been 40x harder than it should be to lose this weight i have lost and I haven't lost ANYTHING in my belly (my largest fat area) But who doesn't like skinny feet and hands?:huh: , (sarcastically)
The way this looks to me is that right now your problem is not about losing weight or making your belly flatter, it is about eating a healthy amount of food to keep your body functioning well. I'm not going to preach - but you know that 800 cals a day is not much to sustain an adult human body, so you aren't going to get healthy and stay healthy eating that way.
My suggestion is that you put away the scales for a few weeks and focus on giving your body good nutrition.
Ignore "feeling hungry" or "not feeling hungry".
Plan a day's meals - make it small meals or snacks of things that are easy to eat.
Don't eat "diet" food, eat real food and watch your portion sizes.
Plan out a day that has 1000 calories and try to eat all of that each day for a week (or a few days). Then add another 100 cals/day and eat 1100 cals a day... gradually increase until you are eating about 250 cals under your maintenance calories (MFP will tell you this on your goals page) and keep eating this much.
Make sure you fit in some exercise - you'll probably find that as you eat more you have more energy to workout.
Once you've been eating at a healthy level and exercising regularly for a month or two - THEN step back on the scales and see how they loook. But also pay attention to how your body feels, how your energy levels have changed, how your measurements have changed - remember that scale numbers are only one part of the equation.0 -
Hi Everyone I need help once again, I've done very good since starting in April, I've managed to get from 198 to 175ish. But i've hit a plateau and I have no idea how to get past it. My appetite has decrease alot I only get 800-900 cal a day (no preaching I know its not good lol) But not because im deliberately not eating, I'm not hungry my body isn't telling me Hey your hungry I can roll all day on one thing for breakfast and i know thats bad but I can't force myself to eat I get nausea if i try to MAKE myself eat, is this a psychological thing or is this an actual problem with my body I'm not aware about? I know its been 40x harder than it should be to lose this weight i have lost and I haven't lost ANYTHING in my belly (my largest fat area) But who doesn't like skinny feet and hands?:huh: , (sarcastically)
The way this looks to me is that right now your problem is not about losing weight or making your belly flatter, it is about eating a healthy amount of food to keep your body functioning well. I'm not going to preach - but you know that 800 cals a day is not much to sustain an adult human body, so you aren't going to get healthy and stay healthy eating that way.
My suggestion is that you put away the scales for a few weeks and focus on giving your body good nutrition.
Ignore "feeling hungry" or "not feeling hungry".
Plan a day's meals - make it small meals or snacks of things that are easy to eat.
Don't eat "diet" food, eat real food and watch your portion sizes.
Plan out a day that has 1000 calories and try to eat all of that each day for a week (or a few days). Then add another 100 cals/day and eat 1100 cals a day... gradually increase until you are eating about 250 cals under your maintenance calories (MFP will tell you this on your goals page) and keep eating this much.
Make sure you fit in some exercise - you'll probably find that as you eat more you have more energy to workout.
Once you've been eating at a healthy level and exercising regularly for a month or two - THEN step back on the scales and see how they loook. But also pay attention to how your body feels, how your energy levels have changed, how your measurements have changed - remember that scale numbers are only one part of the equation.
Much here I agree with. Some I don't...but that's okay. Everyone has an opinion. I'll just tell you one quick story though. One of the patients I know of needs to lose weight and is quadraplegic. His base metabolic rate is so low that to do so the Dieticians feed him 900 cals a day. Now they are a healthy 900 cal per day...so one size doesn't fit all. You'll find the right number for you. As you increase your exercise you might need to increase your food a little. Quality food helps. Example: Quest Protein Bars - Several are all natural, 10 ingredients, and are 160 calories, 20 grams of protein, 17 - 19 grams of fiber, and less than 5 mg of cholesterol..and low sugar and net carbs. The sugar is from nuts. AND..they taste good - especially the Coconut Almond, Apple Pie, Cinnamon Roll, and Strawberry Cheesecake. I do use these as supplements because I might not want to eat a full meal late and this is a good source of protein and nutrition without the bad stuff. I also occasionally might do a protein shake to feel full and get high protein without high calorie, high cholesterol. Jay Robb for example is 0 fat, 1 carb, 0 sugar, 0 cholesterol, and 20 grams protein per scoop and 110 cals. Add unsweetened almond milk (1/2 cup) for only 20 more cals, 0 sugar, and frozen fruit and an ice cube or two and yum....for a low sum!0 -
It took me 4 weeks to even get to the point where I could really do it (touch my elbows to knees) so don't give up!
10 min / 90 day Abs
Do the first Six exercises for 30 seconds each. (that's 3 minutes) ....Do three sets (3 sets of 3 min is 9 min). There is one exercise at the end you do once.
1. Sit-up Crunches Lay on the floor/mat on your back. Feet in the air. Ankles crossed. Hands behind or on side of head. Touch your elbows to your knees. As many as you can do in 30 seconds. Contract your abs as you do it.
2. Leg raises - Place your hands under your butt. Raise your legs 8 inches off the floor. Hold for a second. Descend slowly. As many as you can do well in 30 seconds.
3. Bicycle - Legs bent in air. Hands at side or behind head. Touch right elbow to left knee and left knee comes in toward head and then touch right knee to left elbow. As many as you can do in 30 seconds
4. Punch Thru - Feet on floor flat. Knees bent. Sit up and punch your fists through your knees. 30 seconds. As many as you can do.
5. Obliques - Left foot on the floor. Left knee bent. Right ankle across left knee. Hands at side of head or behind head. Sit up and touch left elbow to right knee. As many as you can do in 30 seconds
6. Obliques - Same as #5 but this time with Right knee bend and left ankle crossed over right knee. Touch right elbow to left knee. As many as you can do in 30 seconds.
That's it...when you have gone through this routine 3 times...take a breath and add the final one below - one time
7. Roll-up - place your hands under your butt and back. Roll your feet up to the ceiling and point them up. Help support your back and push yourself up as you do it. (if you have scoliosis you might want to leave this one out)0 -
the belly fat may just be the last to drop, unfortunately. Seems to be the case with me too.
Some of your eating issues sound to be in your mind, a regular eating pattern of small meals and light snacks shouldn't make anyone feel nauseous.
If you are logging your eating here then making your diary public will allow people to comment on the what as well as the how much you eat. May also help keep you accountable.0
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