Getting past a weight-loss plateau?

loveskinny27

Hi There Im looking for a bit of advice I am currently at a little plateau in my weight loss journey. I have been doing so well since april this year i have lost 29lbs and I am so desperate to get over the 30lb mark i still have another 20+lbs to be at goal weight. I had a little break for 2 weeks I was reasonably sensible whilst having my little diet holiday (I was on leave from work) and I only gained half a lb which was gone witing 2 days of being back on the wagon. But after 2 weeks back on the wagon the scales will not budge!!! Im not eating anymore than 1500 cals a day usually about 1300 but if i exercise i tend to eat a few of the extra calories back as this has always worked I dont usually go over 1500 as my BMR is 1566.

This week i am trying a low carb diet and plan doing at least 40 mins cardio a day but i would really like some tips on how to kick start my weight loss back up again and get past this plateau?

Many Thanks

Jo

:-))

avocado12

I'd drop 100-200 calories and see if that kick starts it x

birdieaz

Figure out your TDEE and go from there, cutting back more is counterproductive in the long wrong. I wish someone would have told me that and saved me two months of not losing at all.

sgarrard01

Figure out your TDEE and go from there, cutting back more is counterproductive in the long wrong. I wish someone would have told me that and saved me two months of not losing at all.

This person is telling the absolute truth, you need to learn the difference in BMR and TDEE! I suggest you start eating your exersize calories back not only 'a few' and take the strain off your body a bit! if you want to know more than listen to Fat2Fit radio, it's all on there!!!

Sam_Hain

Figure out your TDEE and go from there, cutting back more is counterproductive in the long wrong. I wish someone would have told me that and saved me two months of not losing at all.

What in the heck is TDEE?! *googles* Okay, seriously. Just when I think I got this thing figured out...

Resistance, strength, or whatever training. Build muscle. At least this is what worked for me last time. I'll let you know how it goes this time.

Capt_Apollo

I'd drop 100-200 calories and see if that kick starts it x

i'd the exact opposite. i'd add calories, maybe 200, and start eating those exercise calories!! also, what kind of foods do you eat? foods out there with natural good fats can help you lose weight, such as avocado.

yes, figure out your TDEE and your BMR, and try and eat somewhere in between.

also, you don't mention the kind of exercise you do. is it just cardio, or do you do some strength training??

Joannie30

I've found changing my exercise routine has helped me to start losing again. It seems your body gets used to it if you do the same routine everyday so i've started switching things about and i'm making small losses every week again now.

Good luck!

Melzona

So I went on a site and it said 2672 for my TDEE. Is that how many calories I should be eating? Myfitnesspal says I should only be eating 1200 and that's all I have been and man has the process been slow!

Any advice would be appreciated.

meerkat70

So I went on a site and it said 2672 for my TDEE. Is that how many calories I should be eating? Myfitnesspal says I should only be eating 1200 and that's all I have been and man has the process been slow!

Any advice would be appreciated.

No, you need to cut from that - your deficit is worked out from your total daily energy expenditure. Most people seem to go with about 15% off the TDEE. Work out how much you want to lose (and can realistically lose - people who have only got a little bit to lose shouldn't be trying for 2lb a week!). Work out the deficit you need to establish to do that.

How much are you working out? Be as accurate as you can in establishing TDEE in the first place.

Capt_Apollo

So I went on a site and it said 2672 for my TDEE. Is that how many calories I should be eating? Myfitnesspal says I should only be eating 1200 and that's all I have been and man has the process been slow!

Any advice would be appreciated.

tdee is your total daily energy expenditure. it takes into account your activity level for your age and height and weight and recommends how much maximum you should be eating. BMR is your basel metobolic rate, or how much your body would need if it was just laying their doing nothing all day.

you should be eating some where in between these numbers to lose weight.

my tdee is 2888, and bmr is 1863. if i were trying to lose weight, i would eat somewhere in between those numbers. i'd probably eat somewhere around 2400 calories.

ladies, 1200 calories is usually way too low for most of you. eating more will actually alow your body to burn more, because you'll have more energy for day to day activities, not to mention having more energy for exercise.

one of my female friends on here was eating 1200 calories for months and i suggested that she up her calories to 1400 for 2-3 weeks. she initiall balked, but afterwards found that she had more energy and was less cranky and moody, and was more enthusiastic about exercising. she now eats a lot more, and does a great combination of cardio and strength training.


remember, all of these calorie numbers are guesses. reletivly accurate guesses, but guesses none the less.

birdieaz

So I went on a site and it said 2672 for my TDEE. Is that how many calories I should be eating? Myfitnesspal says I should only be eating 1200 and that's all I have been and man has the process been slow!

Any advice would be appreciated.

My TDEE is 2266 and I can lose on 1750 cal maybe more if I'm very active. You have a lot of room to up your calories, start slow if you feel unsure. It was overwhelming at first thinking about eating that much when for 5months I'd been on strictly 1200 cal.

MY BMR is1280, which is why it made sense to me to eat 1200, now its clear the goal should be somewhere between BMR and TDEE. It might take some tweaking to find the right numbers but in the end you will feel so much better nourishing your body.

McBully4

I have been stalled at 230 for nearly a month now. I'm not to sure what to do my BMR is 2049 and my TDEE is 3412. Lately I've been finishing the day around 2600 after eating my exercise calories. I feel that I already eat a lot should I eat even more, or just keep doing the same and eventually this will pass?

psuLemon

Whats your workout routine? Also, since you have kids i assume you are pretty active.

lord_lethris

I found this -> http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators.html
It has a good explination for every Diet Buzz-Acronim

Christi6604

You might have to try a couple things to find what works - try not to get too discouraged. It's frustrating, I know.

I plateaued for about 6 months and what worked for me was upping my cals by about 100-150 a day and decreasing my cardio. I'm in the process of upping my cardio back again now.

I found this article posted on the forums helpful: http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

Good luck

Garethkk

Dare I say "intermittent fasting"?

celtictechie

Commenting to follow post. This is something I encountered, and you described my exact situation! I'm already trying upping my calories some, it seems to be helping a little, but I want to see what everyone else offers here.

kobashi

Hi There Im looking for a bit of advice I am currently at a little plateau in my weight loss journey. I have been doing so well since april this year i have lost 29lbs and I am so desperate to get over the 30lb mark i still have another 20+lbs to be at goal weight. I had a little break for 2 weeks I was reasonably sensible whilst having my little diet holiday (I was on leave from work) and I only gained half a lb which was gone witing 2 days of being back on the wagon. But after 2 weeks back on the wagon the scales will not budge!!! Im not eating anymore than 1500 cals a day usually about 1300 but if i exercise i tend to eat a few of the extra calories back as this has always worked I dont usually go over 1500 as my BMR is 1566.

This week i am trying a low carb diet and plan doing at least 40 mins cardio a day but i would really like some tips on how to kick start my weight loss back up again and get past this plateau?

Many Thanks

Jo

:-))

I found that sometimes eating a little more and increasing your workout helps. This helped me get past my personal plateau.

crimznrose

Read up on calorie cycling. I plateaued in March and it took me till June to finally get it back in gear because my body got used to working on less calories.

irisannRN

Dare I say "intermittent fasting"?

YES ! Everytime I get in a plateau, I do this for awhile and always jumpstarts weight loss. I don't eat any less calories, but just eat them in a different way.

bestbassist

I'd drop 100-200 calories and see if that kick starts it x

Totally agree. I hit a plateau a while back so I dropped my intake by 200 calories at the advice of my trainer and started losing again. This was AFTER I tried raising my calories, which made me gain a few pounds back.

chelledawg14

I had only lost 2 lbs in two months after losing at a steady pace from January to May. I've been running more and with the same fear everyone has of upping their calories, I did it anyway. I first went from 1530 to 1790 then to 1970 and finally this past week I went to 2130 cals/day. Woohoo! I lost two pounds in the past week! The scale actually said I was down four this morning, but I'm afraid to believe that. I kept getting off and on the scale because I couldn't believe it. I'm a definite believer in the eat more method. There is no way I could survive on 1200 cals/day.

loveskinny27

So I went on a site and it said 2672 for my TDEE. Is that how many calories I should be eating? Myfitnesspal says I should only be eating 1200 and that's all I have been and man has the process been slow!

Any advice would be appreciated.

My TDEE is 2266 and I can lose on 1750 cal maybe more if I'm very active. You have a lot of room to up your calories, start slow if you feel unsure. It was overwhelming at first thinking about eating that much when for 5months I'd been on strictly 1200 cal.

MY BMR is1280, which is why it made sense to me to eat 1200, now its clear the goal should be somewhere between BMR and TDEE. It might take some tweaking to find the right numbers but in the end you will feel so much better nourishing your body.

Firstly thank you to everyone who has posted a reply I have found this very helpful.
I think I will start and up my calories slightly and jiggle my exercise about I may up mu intensity & add another days running or circuits.

I walk for 40 mins 5 days a week Then in addition I do circuits once a week and then run 2 days a week. I usually have a rest day on a weekend but end up doing household chores also.

I agree with ^^^^^
It is so hard to consider eating a lot more calories & fat when you have been loosing on such low 1200cals a day _ like I say i usually eat around 1400 but finding the plateau a bit of a brick wall.

I will keep you posted with my progress I am weighing in on friday so hopefully my weight or at least measurements will have lowered.

Thank you everyone again

)

Garethkk

Dare I say "intermittent fasting"?

YES ! Everytime I get in a plateau, I do this for awhile and always jumpstarts weight loss. I don't eat any less calories, but just eat them in a different way.

Good! I didn't want to rattle any cages as it's fairly controversial, but there's some very sound science behind it

wewon

Plateau?!? There is no such thing as a plateau!!

Calories in-calories out! Eeezy-peeezy.

Have you guys ever heard of the 2nd law of thermodynamics!!

Garethkk

Plateau?!? There is no such thing as a plateau!!

Calories in-calories out! Eeezy-peeezy.

Have you guys ever heard of the 2nd law of thermodynamics!!

Of course! Brian Cox makes it easy

Gnienay

I am in the same place..... Down 23 pounds with 26 more to go.......Started in April as well.

An suggestions would be much appreciated!!!

sarahleeroy

I don't know about eating more to break the plateau...As you get smaller, your body burns less calories so it's natural you would plateau if you're eating the same amount of calories as when you were heavier. I would say eat less, and don't change your exercise routine while also cutting back on starches.

yougojo170

Thanks everyone! I never heard of TDEE before. I've hit plateau's in the past and never knew how to get past them. Now I have a much better idea of what to do when I hit a plataeu again. You guys are the best!!! I learn so much from this site.

psuLemon

Based on your stats and workout routine, I would have you around 1800-1900 calories if your BMR is estimated correctly. You can also adjust the macro's to increase protein. I generally suggest 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats.

loveskinny27

Thank you everyone for your replys I am Low carb this week & going to have a nosey at intermittent fasting? never heard of this before but i will give anything & everything a try to get this weight loss going!
Ive never really hit a plataue before I've seen it on the bigest looser when contestants try for weeks to get past a certain weight and they cant and I'm like how? why you have all the training, exercise & diet etc how?? and now I know & I feel as though thats me just gant get those numbers rolling down...........

I will update this week at weigh in . :-)