plateaued?

sathor

I seem to have plateaued at 225~230 over the last month, which is getting rather annoying. Could someone tell me if there is something I am missing in my diary?

EmmaM2211

I've had a quick look and there's quite a lot of processed foods, I'd recommend swapping some of those for fruits and veggies and maybe tracking your sodium. I never lose weight when I go over my sodium levels, not the same for everyone but that worked for me. Drinking water and loading up on potassium can help too but I tend to avoid it altogether now .:flowerforyou:

Hope that helps! xx

sathor

We don't have a kitchen, the contractor moved on to another job without reconnecting the sink. He did come back and got the stove plugged in, but our bathroom sink is too small to wash dishes in. I have yet to find anything that can put a dent in the potassium (bananas sure don't do much there) so....

Lesley2901

I've had a quick look and there's quite a lot of processed foods, I'd recommend swapping some of those for fruits and veggies and maybe tracking your sodium. I never lose weight when I go over my sodium levels, not the same for everyone but that worked for me. Drinking water and loading up on potassium can help too but I tend to avoid it altogether now .:flowerforyou:

Hope that helps! xx

^this^

EmilyDuby

I don't know how your exercise plan is but personally I just recently broke a plateau that was lasting over a month by stepping up my workout routine.

Capt_Apollo

One month does not a plateau make. Keep working hard and eating right. Change up your work outs and foods. Sucks about your kitchen. Adapt and overcome.

thriftycupl

I would highly recommend checking out the group here on MFP -- Eat More to Weigh Less. They have articles on plateaus, why are bodies hit them and how to move beyond them. They also provide a lot of great information on BMR, TDEE, etc which explains a lot about how our bodies work.

sathor

I don't know how your exercise plan is but personally I just recently broke a plateau that was lasting over a month by stepping up my workout routine.

That MIGHT be a problem... the last few days:


Sunday:
Bicycling, 12-14 mph, 162 min (30 miles)
Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace, walking dog 43 min


Monday
Bicycling 41 minutes (10~12 mph)
Walking 2.5 mph - 1:09
some light strength training (just did curls with a 30# dumbbell)

Tuesday:
Walking 3.0 mph - 37 minutes
Front Raises, Straight Arm 3 @ 25#
Lateral Raise, Dumbbell, Side 6 @ 20
Push Ups (push-ups) 13
Front Raises, Straight Arm 15 @ 15
Lateral Raise, Dumbbell, Side 10 @ 10
Abdominal Crunches 75 @ 10

Wednesday:
Walking, 3.5 mph, brisk pace 8 min
Walking, 4.0 mph, very brisk pace 30 min
Bicycling, 12-14 mph, 37 min
Walking, 3.0 mph, 10 min
Walking, 4.5 mph, 26 min
Standing One-Arm Dumbbell Curl 7 @ 30
Standing One-Arm Dumbbell Curl 20 @ 20
Standing One-Arm Dumbbell Curl 15 @ 10

---

I do actually realize that I torture myself yesterday, but only came out 23# over goal, but my body might be storing more water than normal to accommodate for yesterday, I did a lot more running than I expected, then I went out and did some more.

niss63

Not trying to beat you up, but you are eating foods that sabotage your every effort to lose weight. Clean up your diet, educate yourself on healthy food choices, drink plenty of water and you should see a change.

Google is your friend - search for "foods high in potassium" and you will get many hits. FWIW, sweet potatoes are a great source of potassium.

Having a torn up house is no fun, but it is just an obstacle, not something insurmountable. A microwave and some paper plates will allow you to cook most foods.

Your avatar appears to be you on a bike. If you are doing a lot of exercise, you will need to hit your potassium numbers and will need to up your protein - 15% is a pretty low goal for protein in an active male.

HTH

sathor

I would highly recommend checking out the group here on MFP -- Eat More to Weigh Less. They have articles on plateaus, why are bodies hit them and how to move beyond them. They also provide a lot of great information on BMR, TDEE, etc which explains a lot about how our bodies work.

I have considered changing the goal to 1.5# instead of 2#/wk but I wanted to get a bit lower first. My goal still sits at just over 1650, most of what i had seen of the whole EMWL group were people that had been given goals closer to 1200.

HideNGeek

I have looked at your diary, and whilst i'm by no means an expert it does look like your carbs/protein/fat ratios could be redone, with the amount you're working out I wouldn't have thought you get enough protein.

Have you edited the suggestions that MFP gives you or do you just use the suggestion as they were? I have changed mine to a ratio of 50/30/20, and it makes for a more effective eating plan (to me anyway).

sathor

I believe in the cal in < cal out ideas, the ratios don't really speak to me, but I do try to push myself in the protein area.

I am wondering if it would be better if I ate less of my exercise calories back, for example, on Tuesday, I really could have gotten away without the fries at lunch, yesterday I was hungry for everything I ate (I actually stomached the hottest sauce on the boneless wings) and since I am lactose intolerant, the fries were part of my survival there, and I was hungry enough I could have eaten another Chilto, but I refrained. It was probably not the best to have the coke and recess pieces before bed, but I walk/jogged to the store to get them, (Actually, I did that to a different store about a mile away, but it was closed. My ave speed was just over 4.5 at that point, and I pushed myself to keep that average to the store that was closer to home, and got it up to 4.7mph by then. I wanted that peanut butter by that point.)

chrisb75

I would decrease your cardio and increase your weights. You lifting pretty light weights. Trust me as someone who has done that for a year: I have seen more results in 4 WEEKS of heavy lifting than I had in a year with high rep light dumbells.

sathor

I would decrease your cardio and increase your weights. You lifting pretty light weights. Trust me as someone who has done that for a year: I have seen more results in 4 WEEKS of heavy lifting than I had in a year with high rep light dumbells.

Right now 30# is the heaviest I can curl, next week I will probably bump up to 35#. I might go back to benching later this week, but since pushups are already harder than I like... The machine I have access to maxes on squats at 240# and those are kinda easy. If it had the squats go lower, it would be a lot harder I am sure.

Sidesteal

I believe in the cal in < cal out ideas, the ratios don't really speak to me, but I do try to push myself in the protein area.

I also believe in the thermodynamic model. However, you may still benefit from adjusting your macronutrient intake and it will have an effect on lean mass. Protein intake looks low to me. Additionally, even though diet induced thermogenesis doesn't add up to a whole lot of expenditure, it is still part of the thermodynamic model. In short, upping your protein will increase your calories out -- although not by a whole lot.

erickirb

Wow, that is one of the most unhealthy diets I have ever seen on MFP (fast food, lack of fruit and veggies etc).

That being said weight loss is mainly cals in vs. cals out, but you are also probably retaining water with high sodium and low potassium.

How are you calculating calories burned? I am assuming you are over estimating your calories burned from exercise as moderate effort biking should not burn more than 10-12 cals/min. If you are using MFP estimates you are probably over estimating your burn by 10 to 40% for all activity.

Yanicka1

I just broke a plateau by eating maintenance for a few weeks the bringing down my calories 15%

manderswv

I have plateaued too, but only for about 3 weeks. Can someone take a look at my diary too? Thanks!

jackieatx

Everyone's body is different, intermittent fasting (the eat stop eat) method helped me break mine, and most people on here would promote EM2WL to you. The only thing I can really tell you is that after a few months at this you'll know how your body works and what you schedule/exercise routine is like, and you have to fit your diet to you. Read the stickies on a couple different groups, do some research, and try something new out.

Josie_lifting_cats

Okay, I do not agree with the entire eating clean thing. I should note that I bike, eat Fun Dip, like my mochas, and will NEVER give up my wine.

SO.... assuming you are much like me and like the food you eat (because I totally love the food you're eating...), let's approach this differently.

I calculated my BMR and TDEE. My BMR is 1,420, TDEE is 1,883. I do not eat over my TDEE as a general rule (although I will. Max of once a week. Without that "cheat" I would be a miserable person.)

I do bike. IF I bike, I might eat a few extra hundred calories but that is it. I'm not sure how you are calculating your burn from the bike rides, but I would say try to eat only half of your exercise calories back max.

Try to think of it in overall deficit terms. I aim for a 3,500 calorie deficit a week. That said, I'm only about 12 pounds from goal weight (and weight isn't that serious to me.... I'm judging more on pants size), so I'm okay with not losing a ton of weight.

I think that sometimes looking at your weekly numbers is easier than your daily numbers. I'll go over one day if I was under the day before. But I consider my BMR to my TDEE a floating range of what I can eat.

I know other people can be totally condescending, but honestly, you can eat the food you want to and manage it, and you will not suffer. It's a slower path than cutting calories, eating clean, etc., but that's okay with me. I'm happy with what I do. That's what matters!

nixirain

I am all in favor of the calories in vs. calories out approach, but you have taken this to a whole other level. I totally understand not having a kitchen avail to cook but there are alot HEALTHIER choices with fast food. eating Pizza, chili dogs, donuts etc. like you probably would before really isn't sustainable for long term weight loss.

I would 100% recommend once you have your kitchen (life) back to start eating at home again. But when you cannot cook some healthier options are:

Greek yogurt and high fiber cereal for breakfast. maybe add some nuts for a little more protein or a smoothie made with frozen fruit and coconut water (taste like nothing and is high in potassium) and a scoop of protein

Wendy's grilled chicken sandwich and a baked potato for lunch (potassium) maybe even a sweet potato.

Chickfila, well anything that isn't fried and it is all delicious. It's a little high in sodium, but will do in a pinch.

Almost all fast food chains have 1-4 at least healthier options.

Doing that much exercise (2400 calories in one day?!?!) Just to eat like crap will not last long and instead of worrying about not losing you will be dealing with gaining due to burn out.

terrirz

WATER, WATER AND MORE WATER, and just when you think youve had enough drink more! I had also pleatued and didnt loose much at all for the whole month of May.. I added calories, decreased my calories, stepped up my excercising etc and nothing worked. So this week I decided NOT to eat back my workout calories and drink a ton of more water and Im down 9 pounds in one week!! I know most of it was extra water weight but I can definitly feel the difference!!...

Lipodestroyer

I've been doing low-carb and I plateaued a little while ago. I just had a carb day (didn't go nuts, just ate the bread witht he sandwich, etc) and then went back to low carb and I've been trucking since.

ANewLucia

I would highly recommend checking out the group here on MFP -- Eat More to Weigh Less. They have articles on plateaus, why are bodies hit them and how to move beyond them. They also provide a lot of great information on BMR, TDEE, etc which explains a lot about how our bodies work.

I have considered changing the goal to 1.5# instead of 2#/wk but I wanted to get a bit lower first. My goal still sits at just over 1650, most of what i had seen of the whole EMWL group were people that had been given goals closer to 1200.

Hey there,

Kiki and I are the Admins for the EM2WL group and we have never told anyone to eat 1200...we suggest calculating your TDEE based on your correct activity level (which many underestimate which is why I say "correct") and then taking a small cut from there...15% max. As a matter of fact if we can persuade past VLCDs to do a full metabolic reset we sure do. :flowerforyou:

Please feel free to join and take a look at the stickies..you won't find a word on eating 1200 calories...lol.

MzVonda

I've had a quick look and there's quite a lot of processed foods, I'd recommend swapping some of those for fruits and veggies and maybe tracking your sodium. I never lose weight when I go over my sodium levels, not the same for everyone but that worked for me. Drinking water and loading up on potassium can help too but I tend to avoid it altogether now .:flowerforyou:

Hope that helps! xx

This is AWESOME advice because I am having the same freaking problem with sodium! It is killing me so I will have to swap my foods around!! Thanks!

islandnutshel

Your exercise is great. BUT you eat like a teenager. ( I didn't check your age) Sorry you don't have a kitchen, but there has to be a way. Keep up those fantastic work outs and make a big effort to get something green into you. Even a bagged salad would be better.

sathor

Hey there,

Kiki and I are the Admins for the EM2WL group and we have never told anyone to eat 1200...we suggest calculating your TDEE based on your correct activity level (which many underestimate which is why I say "correct") and then taking a small cut from there...15% max. As a matter of fact if we can persuade past VLCDs to do a full metabolic reset we sure do. :flowerforyou:

Please feel free to join and take a look at the stickies..you won't find a word on eating 1200 calories...lol.

No, I said that the people that are often directed towards your group are currently eating at the 1200 target before they are sent your way.

ANewLucia

I just broke a plateau by eating maintenance for a few weeks the bringing down my calories 15%

SWEET!

ANewLucia

Hey there,

Kiki and I are the Admins for the EM2WL group and we have never told anyone to eat 1200...we suggest calculating your TDEE based on your correct activity level (which many underestimate which is why I say "correct") and then taking a small cut from there...15% max. As a matter of fact if we can persuade past VLCDs to do a full metabolic reset we sure do. :flowerforyou:

Please feel free to join and take a look at the stickies..you won't find a word on eating 1200 calories...lol.

No, I said that the people that are often directed towards your group are currently eating at the 1200 target before they are sent your way.

Oh, I totally misunderstood.

Yes, that is true! But all are welcome.

xxzimmer

Have you ever heard the saying: "You are what you eat." That's your hold-up. Not having a kitchen is no excuse. I went without one for six months and still ate healthy. How many dishes get dirty making tuna for lunch? Or a pre-bagged salad? Or eggs? Instead of finding an excuse for not eating correclty, you need to look for an excuse to eat right. I.E. "If I make a 100% whole wheat sandwhich with fat free/low fat turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, and mustard then the only dirty dishes is a knife and a cutting board." And you seriously ate 5 pizza slices....come on man. Just because you can get the numbers to line up on the chart does not mean you are eating right.

It comes down to your daily choices. You either choose to eat right or not. You have to eat 5 times a day like clock work to speed up and maitain your metabolism. Also I would cut out all of the gatorades you are drinking and replace them with water. I drink 7-10 16.9 oz bottles every day. I would look into drinking one gatorade on the long bike rides, and maybe a recovery drink or 8 oz of chocolate milk after a good workout. Also add some unsalted nuts, fresh fruit, and fresh veggies into your diet. Dinner needs atleast 1 serving of green veggies or potatoes for potassium.

VVEXVVEX

Don't eat less. Eat better. Try to make one change a week -- a healthy but satisfying lunch or breakfast choice that you can enjoy. I'm confident that's the crux of the problem.

A simple start: Look at a superfoods list like this one and find one thing you like, and add it in. Fresh blueberries are in season!

http://www.oprah.com/food/Superfoods-Ingredients-and-Recipes-for-a-Healthy-Diet