I keep hitting one plateau after another!!!!!

ashesfromfire

So I am aware that one’s body adapts to whatever we’re putting it through and in my case, where I had about 80 pounds to lose, I expected to have the occasional scale stick. However, I seem to be hitting a plateau about every 5 pounds. I have managed to drop about 30lbs so far (some of which before joining here). Is it happening just because I have less to lose? I’m 5’5”, SW approx. 240, CW 210. GW 160. Ever since I got to about 225 it’s been a nightmare. I know some of it is from muscle gain (I did the 30DS, lost inches but not weight, and I’m totally fine with that). I also know the scale isn’t THAT important and it’s my overall health I should be concerned with – but lets face it – being 210 IS unhealthy and that number needs to drop! Every time I hit a sticking point I change up my routine, but that’s also really frustrating because I’m the type of person that needs SOME kind of set routine to keep me on track and changing it up every few weeks is killing my motivation.

The plates will last around a month

And yes, I use weights, I'm a weakly and am dying with only 5 and 10 pound weights still, but I'm finally getting ready to up them to heavier ones.

ascotton80

How long are these plateaus lasting?

krae84

I had the same problem until i started adding weights. I just used to do cardio and now i use Jillian Michaels 30 day shred and lost 2.3 lbs in 5 days. It really got me over the hump. Are you doing any muscle exercies? I also try a mild cheat day once per week and find that can also get me over the hump...by minor cheat day I mean a sweet snack and supper out not an all out gorge.

ashesfromfire

The plates will last around a month

And yes, I use weights, I'm a weakly and am dying with only 5 and 10 pound weights still, but I'm finally getting ready to up them to heavier ones.

TheCandel

So I am aware that one’s body adapts to whatever we’re putting it through and in my case, where I had about 80 pounds to lose, I expected to have the occasional scale stick. However, I seem to be hitting a plateau about every 5 pounds. I have managed to drop about 30lbs so far (some of which before joining here). Is it happening just because I have less to lose? I’m 5’5”, SW approx. 240, CW 210. GW 160. Ever since I got to about 225 it’s been a nightmare. I know some of it is from muscle gain (I did the 30DS, lost inches but not weight, and I’m totally fine with that). I also know the scale isn’t THAT important and it’s my overall health I should be concerned with – but lets face it – being 210 IS unhealthy and that number needs to drop! Every time I hit a sticking point I change up my routine, but that’s also really frustrating because I’m the type of person that needs SOME kind of set routine to keep me on track and changing it up every few weeks is killing my motivation.

have you thought about doing an intermittent fast? set yourself an eating window where you get all your cals you need then fast the rest of the time. try it for a week or two, drink lots of water with some apple cider vinegar to get rid of some water weight and allow your body to burn your stored fat for a longer period of time than just sleeping alone. try fasting for 16 hours then an eating window for 8 hours only. fat will start falling off.

Koldnomore

I'm about an inch taller and started pretty well the same place as you. I haven't hit anything close to a "plateau" but I did slow down a couple of times and stop losing for a couple of weeks. For me the problem was that I was not getting enough calories. I upped my intake and started losing again.

I don't know if what is in your diary is ALL that you eat but if so then I can see why you have stopped losing. In 2 weeks I did not see one day where you hit your goal of 1500 (which I can tell you is still low for your height/weight) Your sodium is also very high and I did not see any water being tracked so I can't comment there.

Stop worrying so much about your exercise and start concentrating on your calories and working out your proper numbers - you don't need to work out to lose weight when you have a good amount to play with. Make small changes and be honest with yourself. You will see results.

ttoftwo

I don't have an answer, but wanted to comment so that I can come back and see what others have said.
I hit a plateau every 8-10 pounds. I'm currently stuck at 223-225. I was stuck at 233, 242, 252, etc... I mix it up, like you do. Hopefully someone can help us.

Cupcakehippiemommy

The one month I didn't see a change was at the beginning when I started in Feb. I slacked big time on exercise and getting into the groove of a eating better.I had to retrain myself to eat when I was hungry and not graze all day or eat mindlessly.Good luck doll!

CATindeeHAT

have you thought about doing an intermittent fast? set yourself an eating window where you get all your cals you need then fast the rest of the time. try it for a week or two, drink lots of water with some apple cider vinegar to get rid of some water weight and allow your body to burn your stored fat for a longer period of time than just sleeping alone. try fasting for 16 hours then an eating window for 8 hours only. fat will start falling off.

^^^THIS. Broke my stall and made me 5 pounds lighter.

ashesfromfire

I have thought of trying it, but don't think it would suit my lifestyle. I have a pretty physically demanding job and not refueling my body during the day just does not sound like a smart or safe option. I'm constantly lifting, climbing, jogging, dashing about with heavy objects - I need to be fueled and alert.

AND - I have a past history of anorexia. I'm trying to be healthy and good to myself now. I get crazy about even hitting my calorie goal as it, and I don't want to give myself an excuse to not eat; I'm worried I'd run it with it too far.

Anna800

When you did the 30 day shred, did you do just one 20 min workout per day?
Have you changed your diet? Because weight loss is 80% diet.

Just looking at your diary I think you need to find an alternative for your coffee creamer, it's too many calories. You're not getting enough protein at breakfast, I always tell people a bagel with cream cheese doesn't keep you full long and is not a good breakfast option.

Having chinese takeout one day a week will keep you at a plateau as will eating 2 containers of gummy worms in one sitting.
You have to eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day and you really need to watch your sodium which means cooking more meals at home.

Once you clean up the diet the lbs will melt off of you. Good luck!

ashesfromfire

So I am aware that one’s body adapts to whatever we’re putting it through and in my case, where I had about 80 pounds to lose, I expected to have the occasional scale stick. However, I seem to be hitting a plateau about every 5 pounds. I have managed to drop about 30lbs so far (some of which before joining here). Is it happening just because I have less to lose? I’m 5’5”, SW approx. 240, CW 210. GW 160. Ever since I got to about 225 it’s been a nightmare. I know some of it is from muscle gain (I did the 30DS, lost inches but not weight, and I’m totally fine with that). I also know the scale isn’t THAT important and it’s my overall health I should be concerned with – but lets face it – being 210 IS unhealthy and that number needs to drop! Every time I hit a sticking point I change up my routine, but that’s also really frustrating because I’m the type of person that needs SOME kind of set routine to keep me on track and changing it up every few weeks is killing my motivation.

have you thought about doing an intermittent fast? set yourself an eating window where you get all your cals you need then fast the rest of the time. try it for a week or two, drink lots of water with some apple cider vinegar to get rid of some water weight and allow your body to burn your stored fat for a longer period of time than just sleeping alone. try fasting for 16 hours then an eating window for 8 hours only. fat will start falling off.

I have thought of trying it, but don't think it would suit my lifestyle. I have a pretty physically demanding job and not refueling my body during the day just does not sound like a smart or safe option. I'm constantly lifting, climbing, jogging, dashing about with heavy objects - I need to be fueled and alert.

AND - I have a past history of anorexia. I'm trying to be healthy and good to myself now. I get crazy about even hitting my calorie goal as it, and I don't want to give myself an excuse to not eat; I'm worried I'd run it with it too far.

Greenrun99

ya need to figure out what you should be eating.. use one of the calculators posted on here to find your TDEE and take a 15% cut from that and try eating at that.. I see most days you don't even eat what you should and your netting sometimes under 1200 calories.. at your weight/height you should probably be eating more with your activity level.. plus the gain is most likely not from muscle but retaining/cutting water weight

ashesfromfire

When you did the 30 day shred, did you do just one 20 min workout per day?
Have you changed your diet? Because weight loss is 80% diet.

Just looking at your diary I think you need to find an alternative for your coffee creamer, it's too many calories. You're not getting enough protein at breakfast, I always tell people a bagel with cream cheese doesn't keep you full long and is not a good breakfast option.

Having chinese takeout one day a week will keep you at a plateau as will eating 2 containers of gummy worms in one sitting.
You have to eat a minimum of 1200 calories a day and you really need to watch your sodium which means cooking more meals at home.

Once you clean up the diet the lbs will melt off of you. Good luck!

hahahaha yes the gummy worms were a bad choice - I way over indulged that day. My kitchen has been under a full remodel for about a month now (no appliances to speak of) So I've been eating out all the time. Most days I try really hard to make healthy choices (today got to eat was a ton of fruit and tea) but yes, I will fall to a desired crappy takeout meal a time or two a week.

Anna800

Do you still have a fridge? You can make spinach salad for lunch. You can buy a crockpot and cook meals in there.
Snack on hummus with bell pepper and yogurt.

Go to a friend's house and borrow her kitchen to bake a casserole or soup to last you a week.

You're on the right track with your turkey sandwich.

bcattoes

As long as you keep hitting one plateau after another I wouldn't worry too much. That would have to mean that you are losing between plateaus. It's fun and encouraging to lose weight quickly and can be very frustrating to lose it slowly. But losing slowly usually leads to a healthier loss and a better chance of keeping it off.

Just keep your workouts intense enough to challenge you and stick with it. You'll get there.

DopeItUp

I wouldn't call that a plateau. A plateau is when you stop losing weight altogether.

The thing is, weight loss isn't linear at all. Sometimes I will weigh exactly the same for weeks at a time. Or I will even gain weight for a week for no reason. Then suddenly I'll lose 5lbs the next week. It's just the way it works, look at the big picture and don't focus too much on the short term. Bring up your reports and look at your weight loss over the course of the year and you can see it a bit easier as you slowly move down the graph.

californiagirl2012

So I am aware that one’s body adapts to whatever we’re putting it through and in my case, where I had about 80 pounds to lose, I expected to have the occasional scale stick. However, I seem to be hitting a plateau about every 5 pounds. I have managed to drop about 30lbs so far (some of which before joining here). Is it happening just because I have less to lose? I’m 5’5”, SW approx. 240, CW 210. GW 160. Ever since I got to about 225 it’s been a nightmare. I know some of it is from muscle gain (I did the 30DS, lost inches but not weight, and I’m totally fine with that). I also know the scale isn’t THAT important and it’s my overall health I should be concerned with – but lets face it – being 210 IS unhealthy and that number needs to drop! Every time I hit a sticking point I change up my routine, but that’s also really frustrating because I’m the type of person that needs SOME kind of set routine to keep me on track and changing it up every few weeks is killing my motivation.

The plates will last around a month

And yes, I use weights, I'm a weakly and am dying with only 5 and 10 pound weights still, but I'm finally getting ready to up them to heavier ones.

It's great that you are lifting. Keep it up, just do what you can. It will get better. I love it when I see women lifting weights. Lifting weights is KEY. I recently had my DXA scan done and at 51.5 years of age I have the bone density of a super athletic 30 year old. That is a direct result of lifting for over 30 years. Now if that is not scientific proof that lifting weights keeps you younger I don't know what is! Also I believe it is why most people think I look much younger than I really am.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

To say eat more is wrong.

To say eat less is wrong.

To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.

Some people can eat at a big calorie deficit and some people can't. Everyone is different. Even a small calorie deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones as such, add a new workout routine, and those will make more spikes. This is a huge waiting game and requires much patience. Add in emotional eating issues and then you have more complications.

Also people play mental accounting games with calories just like with finances. Make steps to make sure you are making accurate measurements. Packaged foods can have MORE than they say but not less (they get in trouble if less so they would rather error with MORE).

If you typically intake sodium at a certain rate your body adjusts, but if you make a sudden change then you will see a spike.

Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and Adonis Index Manuals)

The good thing is you don't have to worry about the starvation mode myth if you are fat. Only skinny people have to worry about starvation mode. It does not mean you have the capability to eat at a large calorie deficit if you have emotional eating disorders or other issues going on, but at least you don't have to be afraid of it anymore.

The Theory of Fat Availability:
•There is a set amount of fat that can be released from a fat cell.
•The more fat you have, the more fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•The less fat you have, the less fat can be used as a fuel when dieting.
•Towards the end of a transformation, when body fat is extremely low you
may not have enough fat to handle a large caloric deficit anymore.

At the extreme low end, when your body fat cannot ‘keep up’ with the energy deficit
you've imposed on your body, the energy MUST come from SOMEWHERE. This is
when you are at risk of losing lean body mass during dieting (commonly referred to
as ‘starvation mode’). This happens at extremely low levels of body fat, under 6% in
men and 12% in women [Friedl K.E. J Appl Phsiol, 1994].

-Brad Pilon and John Barban (from The Reverse Taper Diet in The Adonis Index and Venus Index manuals)

briannadunn

I'm about an inch taller and started pretty well the same place as you. I haven't hit anything close to a "plateau" but I did slow down a couple of times and stop losing for a couple of weeks. For me the problem was that I was not getting enough calories. I upped my intake and started losing again.

I don't know if what is in your diary is ALL that you eat but if so then I can see why you have stopped losing. In 2 weeks I did not see one day where you hit your goal of 1500 (which I can tell you is still low for your height/weight) Your sodium is also very high and I did not see any water being tracked so I can't comment there.

Stop worrying so much about your exercise and start concentrating on your calories and working out your proper numbers - you don't need to work out to lose weight when you have a good amount to play with. Make small changes and be honest with yourself. You will see results.

I totally agree,try adding more fruits and veges and legumes and out excess sodium, it is working for me and I have a sodium intolerence.

kellicci

So I just plugged your numbers into the BMR calculator and your BMR is 1723! If you were sedentary (which you are not you say you have a very active job) your TDEE would be 2067! For Moderately active it would be 2670! You're only eating 1500 or so a day. That's just not enough. Your bosy is resisting losing weight b/c it needs more fuel!

My suggestions would be 1 eat more probably around 1800 a day.2 Try some HiiT intervals they help you burn fat longer. 3 select a macro set up with slightly more protein. I realize evry thing doesn't work for every one but those all helped me big time.

InPieces3

So I am aware that one’s body adapts to whatever we’re putting it through and in my case, where I had about 80 pounds to lose, I expected to have the occasional scale stick. However, I seem to be hitting a plateau about every 5 pounds. I have managed to drop about 30lbs so far (some of which before joining here). Is it happening just because I have less to lose? I’m 5’5”, SW approx. 240, CW 210. GW 160. Ever since I got to about 225 it’s been a nightmare. I know some of it is from muscle gain (I did the 30DS, lost inches but not weight, and I’m totally fine with that). I also know the scale isn’t THAT important and it’s my overall health I should be concerned with – but lets face it – being 210 IS unhealthy and that number needs to drop! Every time I hit a sticking point I change up my routine, but that’s also really frustrating because I’m the type of person that needs SOME kind of set routine to keep me on track and changing it up every few weeks is killing my motivation.

have you thought about doing an intermittent fast? set yourself an eating window where you get all your cals you need then fast the rest of the time. try it for a week or two, drink lots of water with some apple cider vinegar to get rid of some water weight and allow your body to burn your stored fat for a longer period of time than just sleeping alone. try fasting for 16 hours then an eating window for 8 hours only. fat will start falling off.

Really? Huh! I've been stuck in the past at 229. I gave up, gained, went back up to 240, then 237, and here I am again at 229. That number upsets me more than anyone could possibly know. Was stuck at it for 2 months. I'm seriously considering this.