The dreaded plateau

emileesgram

Hi all
Seems l have reached that dreaded plateau. I have consistently lost weight for 9 months, slowly but steadily. My last 3 weigh ins I have stayed the same. I go to the gym three times a week for one hour. 1/2 hour cardio 1/2 hour strength training each time I go and the routine always changes. I eat back my exercise calories and on days I don't exercise I stay around 1200. I have heard about eating more to lose more not sure that would work for me. On days I don't go to the gym I walk between 3-4 miles. Any suggestion? What has worked for you? I want to lose about another 7-10 lbs.
Thanks everyone I appreciate any feedback.

heybales

Hi all
Seems l have reached that dreaded plateau. I have consistently lost weight for 9 months, slowly but steadily. My last 3 weigh ins I have stayed the same. I go to the gym three times a week for one hour. 1/2 hour cardio 1/2 hour strength training each time I go and the routine always changes. I eat back my exercise calories and on days I don't exercise I stay around 1200. I have heard about eating more to lose more not sure that would work for me. On days I don't go to the gym I walk between 3-4 miles. Any suggestion? What has worked for you? I want to lose about another 7-10 lbs.
Thanks everyone I appreciate any feedback.

Plateau means no measurement changes in 3 weeks. You mention weight, which is one but not all possible measurements.

Been measuring with tape measure, in many spots? Just as you can't spot reduce, you may be measuring a few spots that aren't changing and others are.

So you have lost steadily at 1200. Which would mean that at the beginning, that was too low if you have kept losing that now.
Or perhaps you mean your daily goal was more and has lowered to 1200.

In which case, this close to final weight, 2lbs a week, if still selected as goal, is not realistic. Change it to 1 lb and do that until 5 lbs away, and then 1/2 lb for final 5.

Keep it up.

ChapinaGrande

Hey, Gram

I'd PM this to you, but it looks like other people were interested in other replies, so I'll post it. I was working my buns offand eating 1600-1700 calories for 5 months and I lost 5 pounds. I was getting so depressed and thinking of quitting. I joined the in place of a roadmap group and learned more about increasing calories for weight loss. The program told me I should be eating 2000 calories, or maybe more, per day. I was shocked and appalled because that sounds like a LOT, but I figured it was worth a shot. A change had to be made one way or another because what I was doing wasn't working. I have been eating 1800-2000 calories for two weeks and I have already lost 2 inches from my waist and hips and about 2 pounds and I didn't even go to the gym because I was feeling despondent. I'm going back to the gym this week and I'll keep you posted on what happens, but so far, I am a fan of eating more to lose!

TheRealParisLove

The last few pounds are the hardest. I have been working my butt off to lose this last bit. It is slow going, that is for sure. I go down a pound or two, then stall for a month. This last stall was only broken by a long distance bike ride (by long, I mean LOOOOOOOOOONG. 48.2 miles in ONE DAY).

Now, I'm doing at least some kind of intense exercise six days a week. My diet has gotten really strict, with treats only once or twice a week. I've increased my protein and fiber intake to 30% Protein and a minimum of 30 grams of fiber a day. I lift heavy, 3-4 days a week and I've added in high intensity interval training 3-4 days a week (on lift days). The other 2-3 days I do long bike rides of not less than 20 miles. One day week is dedicated to rest.

This is the stage where you have to fight mother nature tooth and nail.

ccmandel

Bump for additional responses

heybales

The last few pounds are the hardest. I have been working my butt off to lose this last bit. It is slow going, that is for sure. I go down a pound or two, then stall for a month. This last stall was only broken by a long distance bike ride (by long, I mean LOOOOOOOOOONG. 48.2 miles in ONE DAY).

Now, I'm doing at least some kind of intense exercise six days a week. My diet has gotten really strict, with treats only once or twice a week. I've increased my protein and fiber intake to 30% Protein and a minimum of 30 grams of fiber a day. I lift heavy, 3-4 days a week and I've added in high intensity interval training 3-4 days a week (on lift days). The other 2-3 days I do long bike rides of not less than 20 miles. One day week is dedicated to rest.

This is the stage where you have to fight mother nature tooth and nail.

Ugh, this is just going to result in you reaching a physical performance plateau.

If you are just using exercise as a means to lose weight, then just walk and don't eat as much.
If you are wanting to exercise because you want to actually improve your body, you are not getting as much out of your workouts as you could.

Because you don't actually let your body recovery and repair from one workout to another, and usually the intent of exercise is to get stronger, but if you never allow the repair to get you stronger, it can't.

No wonder you are fighting tooth and nail and have snails pace of a loss.

I'm betting your are undefeeding for your level of activity too.

Oh, not doubting you aren't pushing yourself, I'm sure it feels like you are since your body can't get stronger - but you really aren't doing yourself any favors with that kind of routine and thinking process.

Diet is for weight loss.
Exercise is for body improvement and heart health, it it can help or hurt the weight loss depending on how you do it.

Now, perhaps you have designed a smart workout routine, where you do NOT use the same muscles the day after lifting or HIIT (which if really done correctly is just like lifting), unless it's gentle cardio. But I'm betting not by your description.

You probably think if a little is good, more is better.
That kind of thinking is what causes people to create 2000 calorie deficits and wonder why weight loss stops.