Plateau or No?

mrmdjones

Hey all,

This is my first forum post, I haven't felt the need to post before as most of my questions have been answered, but now i'm all confused.

So, i'm down to 11stone ish (fluctuating a bit) having lost 28lbs in the year and a bit i've been on here. I currently have MFP set to 1200 cals and I thought I was being pretty diligent about eating the right number. I'm doing the 30 day shred every day and for the past few months i've also been generally active... climbed mount snowdon, did weekly body pump, play a sprinting zombie a couple of nights in a street chase game etc. I cycle to work every day (its only 10 mins each way!) but I have a sedentary desk job. I don't have a car so I walk or bike everywhere in the city.

For about 3/4 weeks now, my weight hasn't moved much. If anything, it has gone up a little. I was seeing a regular drop on the scales every couple of days, at about 1/2lb to a 1lb a week. Since doing heavier exercise more recently, the weight loss has stopped. I'm eating my exercise calories back when I work out.... but I just cant work out what is happening.

I weigh in the morning, before anything goes in or out, so to speak.

A friend has suggested that the increased exercise is building muscle and this is why I am not seeing a weight decrease. I don't quite understand if this can be true, as 30DS isnt particularly hard work on the muscles (i'm planning on joining a gym and doing something a bit more strenuous come the end of the month). Or it could be that i'm holding onto water, or that my muscles are in a constant state of minor repair because of the daily shred and are holding onto blood and fluid?

Or, quite simply... I could be not being that truthful with myself about food. I log everything quite religiously, but looking back my food diary is over more like 1500 per day, rather than 1200.

So what now? Is there any truth in the idea of "starvation mode"? Science seems to say no... am I eating too little? Am I eating too much? Should I increase to 1600 and try that, or reduce to 1200 and stick to it?? Is there too much sugar? Too much carb?

I'm very frustrated and could do with some advice... please help!

Thanks,

Mike