Is it possible to hit a fitness plateau?

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  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    Assuming your weight stays the same you are not going to burn fewer calories. However, since you always do the same mileage at the same pace, week after week, you will plateau in fitness gains.
  • chubbylildiva
    chubbylildiva Posts: 2
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    Yes a plateau... I was 275 and it took me about a year and few months to get the weight off,i was 185 3 months ago and my body wants to stay at 200,oh no I'm not having it keeps trying fighting even harder and going to concentrate on my calorie intake and exercise so I' m going to reach my goal i want to run in next year breast and colon cancer race for my sister and brother that has past...God bless you and keep up the good work and don't let the body trick the mind to make us want to give up.
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
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    Assuming your weight stays the same you are not going to burn fewer calories.

    This. You're not going to burn less calories as you become more efficient (at least not many). Your calorie burn is based on the activity you're doing, not your heart rate. We're about the same size and my target is 1800 a day, too. I eat back all of my exercise calories, though, so I usually eat at least 2300 a day. Some days, I eat well over 3000 (10 mile run days). It seems widely accepted on here to reduce your carbs and increase your protein, but I think you might want to eat some more carbs to fuel your running. I generally eat over 300 a day and have been losing an average of 1 pound a week for 4 months. Also, I make sure to eat all of my exercise calories and don't stress if I go over by a few hundred, since that would still be a deficit. Your main fuel in running is going to be carbs, so you have to make sure you eat enough to fuel your runs. Another thought would be to slow down your runs to train your body to burn more fat. Try keeping your heart rate under 65% of max. If you don't have a HRM, don't go so fast that you can't easily talk. Save the intense effort for your strength training.
  • dawnemjh
    dawnemjh Posts: 1,465 Member
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    Assuming your weight stays the same you are not going to burn fewer calories.

    This. You're not going to burn less calories as you become more efficient (at least not many). Your calorie burn is based on the activity you're doing, not your heart rate. We're about the same size and my target is 1800 a day, too. I eat back all of my exercise calories, though, so I usually eat at least 2300 a day. Some days, I eat well over 3000 (10 mile run days). It seems widely accepted on here to reduce your carbs and increase your protein, but I think you might want to eat some more carbs to fuel your running. I generally eat over 300 a day and have been losing an average of 1 pound a week for 4 months. Also, I make sure to eat all of my exercise calories and don't stress if I go over by a few hundred, since that would still be a deficit. Your main fuel in running is going to be carbs, so you have to make sure you eat enough to fuel your runs. Another thought would be to slow down your runs to train your body to burn more fat. Try keeping your heart rate under 65% of max. If you don't have a HRM, don't go so fast that you can't easily talk. Save the intense effort for your strength training.


    I tried eating back exercise calories and I seemed to be gaining, so that was why i asked about fitness plateau. That was why I was thinking I might not be burning as much as I thought, since when I eat more I gain, but not eating exercise cals back I am gaining to!
    Ugh why does this have to be so complicated????

    Thanks for all the advice!

    @chubbylildiva: thanks! your sweet! Keep up the good work!
  • LordBear
    LordBear Posts: 239 Member
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    if you want to burn more while running . u need to increase the resistance .. i would say get some ankle weights or a back pack and put weight in it.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    if you want to burn more while running . u need to increase the resistance .. i would say get some ankle weights or a back pack and put weight in it.

    Or you can just......run faster and not put excess impact force on your joints. If a person has the fitness level to tolerate running with extra weight, they have the fitness level to run faster. Simpler, safer, and more aesthetic.

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