PLATEAU!!!!!!!!

ctooch99

Started at 205lbs on January 1st. Made my goal (175lbs) about 2 weeks ago. Currently weighed in at 171.

I hit a Plateau in April at 182lbs. I stayed at that weight for about 3 weeks. Basically I kept plugging along. What seemed to get me through it was one day of light calorie intake followed by a day of intense exercise.

So for example - I play league inline hockey on Sunday mornings - so during my plateau, I would eat really light on Saturday (I would do just a protein shake for dinner that night), then the next morning I would play two league games in a row (about 2 hours of intense athletics) - when I came home I would be super light (almost 4-5 pound water weight loss).

The I would basically return to my normal healthy eating regimen on Sunday afternoon - after about two-three weekends like this, I broke through the 182 barrier and I started weighing regularly at 176-178 and kept going down there.

I am plateauing now at 171-172, but this is the exact weight I want to stay at, so I consider this hitting my goal, not being stuck.

desilu69

I am stuck after 10 pounds down. One of my MFP friends made a comment one day that said "good tracking but may want to watch that sodium intake". A light bulb came on in my head and I thought maybe that is why I haven't lost anymore weight. So I changed my diary settings to show sodium intake and it has been hard but I am watching that, trying to get in my water and have upped my water. Getting in more exercise and going to try and get a variety in. We will see if that works. If any thoughts from any of you out there, please feel free to comment.

Dauntlessness

Plateaus don't exist. It's in your head. Eat better food, eat less, exercise more, or just stay off the scale if you're sure you're doing everything right. Focus on other NSV's for a bit to keep your confidence.

It's probably a combination of factors. Bodies are complex, and you have multiple variables in play.

Just like 2000 years ago people thought dancing a certain way would bring rain, or sacrificing a virgin to the volcano gods would prevent destruction. They sacrificed the virgin, no destruction, and the local religious leaders were hailed as saviors of the community, with further tips to the gullible masses on how to live their lives.

Good luck.

--P

I disagree. Your talking to someone who was at least 10,000 under her calorie goal each week and didn't lose anything. I was eating a balanced diet and exercising 6 days a week and most Sundays. My body truly stalled out. I upped calories and Boom! I lost weight. I see the same thing with many of my friends.

Your entitled to your opinion but I am in shocked that you said "Its all in your head" when she is clearly eating right and exercising. She is ONLY eating 1200 calories a day and you want her to eat less AND exercise more??? Dang...thats really unhealthy.

In MY opinion, don't listen to this. Your doing good, just change things up but in a healthy way.

DebbieMc3

I broke my plateau by increasing my calories.
Looking at your diary, try increasing your calories to meet your goal. After doing that for at least a few weeks, you can then call it a plateau.

Prahasaurus

Perhaps I worded that too strongly. I suppose in some people there can be real physiological reasons for weight loss to stall. But I do believe the dreaded "plateau" is mainly a psychological phenomenon for the vast majority of people, yes.

My guess is that people's diaries are +/- 20-30% of reality. And this probably varies over different periods. Portion size mistakes, oversights, subconsciously trying to maintain a daily number, not wanting to disappoint friends, choosing similar foods in the database that don't reflect actuals, etc., etc. Not to mention bad days that just never get recorded. Sure, some people overestimate their calorie intake on purpose. But knowing human nature, most people probably do the opposite. The bias is probably even worse for exercise calories. That 20 minute walk to the post office gets recorded at 300 calories to scarf down another plate of brownies.

When you oftentimes look at how people "broke through" their "plateau," it seems to involve a change in diet, or more exercise. They will call it "confusing their body" with different food or different types of exercise, but the reality is that weight loss is not so complex at the basic level, and your body is certainly not getting confused. In the end, they got back to a calorie deficit, and, suddenly, out of the blue, a miracle....

--P

Dauntlessness

Oh that's well put now. Sorry if I came off a lil "strong". Im kinda tired this morning. haha. Thanks for clearing that up and I cant agree more. I think an HRM and measuring your food is sooo important. That's what I do.
It drives me nut when people think they burned 1000-1200 calories an hour. Sure, there are athletes out there that can and do but most people well, just don't. That can screw up your diary so much!

Thanks again. haha

greggags2

To break my Plateaus I switched up my workouts by doing different moves and routines. I also started Shakeology to help my nutrition plateau and get my body everything it needs

brendaschmitt1

Thanks for all the responses. This is definitely helpful. Everyone has a different point of view, but it all makes sense. I will incorporate this to my diet. I will increase my calories with the right foods, (smaller portions 5-6 small meals a day) and see what happens. Plus I'll change up my excercise routine at the gym.