Plateau busting tips PLEASE

rebeccap13

You know what... change up your workout and/or focus on eating more a couple days per week. You say you have done P90x and CLX many times... then your body is used to it. Do something different... INSANITY, BODY PUMP or heck... go out for a run or swimming.

I have done the shakeology cleanse, you might drop a couple lbs but I'm not a fan of it. See the thing is ... if you have been consuming 1200-1600 calories for a while than you have adjusted your metabolism to that amount. There fore... you should up your calorie intake to "change it up" (with healthy foods of course) ..

On the other hand, there is also the Ultimate Reset to consider. (21 days of a total food makeover cleanse)

What is 21 days of a total food makeover cleanse? Never heard of it!....and thanks to everyone else for your help!

I don't know what this 21 day total food makeover cleanse is but generally anything with "cleanse" in the name doesn't work.

As others have said, losing inches means you're not at a plateau. I didn't lose for 6 months but I dropped a pants size in that time which is perfectly fine with me. My recommendation, stop weighing yourself... use the mirror, measurements or how your clothes fit and how your body feels as your guide. Chuck the scale out the window.

Not sure what's worse, the novel long post or everyone quoting it to add a snarky comment, pic, or gif...

robin52077

california girl, people tend to completely gloss over your posts for two reasons. 1: you put way too much in one post, and B. you just copy and paste from all your other posts.

this

tlnurse

O.K.....so I just listened to Jillian's Podcast as mentioned previously on here....very interesting.

I am down to the final 10-15 lbs to lose.....I am 5'2" inches. 46 yo. Current weight is 142.4....1st goal is 135....but really want to hit 130 for some wiggle room.

I do NOT want to be SKINNY...but healthy. I also believe weight lifting is important especially as we get older....which is why I did P90x and Chalean Extreme. (also did Crossfit for awhile).

I appreciate that my BODY has completely changed as the measurements show....but still need to drop a few to be in the healthy BMI category....which is why the scale can be so frustrating. I was stuck at 143 for about 6 weeks....which is why I'm considering the 3 day shakeology cleanse (although the nurse in me really believes I will just mostly lose water weight and gain it right back!)

According to Jillian, I may need to increase my calories slightly. My BMR is 1249 ish....which I why I eat that as a minimum and up to 1500-1600 depending on workouts.....will keep plugging along!:flowerforyou:

Mrsbrandnewmeslimandtrim

bump

jmzz1

i did not even drop an inch neither did my scale come down for almost 8 months .......... any one any advice........

BeSexy

You know what... change up your workout and/or focus on eating more a couple days per week. You say you have done P90x and CLX many times... then your body is used to it. Do something different... INSANITY, BODY PUMP or heck... go out for a run or swimming.

I have done the shakeology cleanse, you might drop a couple lbs but I'm not a fan of it. See the thing is ... if you have been consuming 1200-1600 calories for a while than you have adjusted your metabolism to that amount. There fore... you should up your calorie intake to "change it up" (with healthy foods of course) ..

On the other hand, there is also the Ultimate Reset to consider. (21 days of a total food makeover cleanse)

What is 21 days of a total food makeover cleanse? Never heard of it!....and thanks to everyone else for your help!

The Ultimate ResetTM is a comprehensive, no-starvation inner- body tune-up that offers much more than the typical cleanse and detox programs on the market. The Ultimate Reset not only helps you eliminate toxins and waste gently and naturally, but it also maximizes your cellular energy production, helping your body process food more efficiently and your systems run more smoothly.* The Ultimate Reset is a complete three-phase 21-day mind and body program that provides everything you need to:
• Reclaim your body’s natural balance.
• Release the harmful materials you may be storing within you.
• Restore your system to its maximum health.


In just 21 days, the Ultimate Reset helps your body get rid of toxins you’ve been taking in for decades. You’ll replace the processed foods you’ve been eating with healthy foods. You’ll eat cleanly and take supplements designed to help your body remove toxins from your cells and organs. After 21 days, you’ll truly feel reset, renewed, and restored—you’ll feel healthy.
The Ultimate Reset can help you gently restore your body to its original “factory settings,” by safely and naturally helping you to:
• Flush your organs of toxins
• Improve your digestion
• Increase energy
• Have a more positive mood and better focus
• Lose weight (and improve your BMI)*
• Lower your cholesterol*
• Eliminate dependencies on sugars and caffeine
• Improve your overall health


“My cholesterol dropped 27 points, and I lost a total of 14 pounds. I put these pants on today, and—holy mackerel! I feel phenomenal!” —Jennifer K.

jmzz1

You know what... change up your workout and/or focus on eating more a couple days per week. You say you have done P90x and CLX many times... then your body is used to it. Do something different... INSANITY, BODY PUMP or heck... go out for a run or swimming.

I have done the shakeology cleanse, you might drop a couple lbs but I'm not a fan of it. See the thing is ... if you have been consuming 1200-1600 calories for a while than you have adjusted your metabolism to that amount. There fore... you should up your calorie intake to "change it up" (with healthy foods of course) ..

On the other hand, there is also the Ultimate Reset to consider. (21 days of a total food makeover cleanse)

What is 21 days of a total food makeover cleanse? Never heard of it!....and thanks to everyone else for your help!

The Ultimate ResetTM is a comprehensive, no-starvation inner- body tune-up that offers much more than the typical cleanse and detox programs on the market. The Ultimate Reset not only helps you eliminate toxins and waste gently and naturally, but it also maximizes your cellular energy production, helping your body process food more efficiently and your systems run more smoothly.* The Ultimate Reset is a complete three-phase 21-day mind and body program that provides everything you need to:
• Reclaim your body’s natural balance.
• Release the harmful materials you may be storing within you.
• Restore your system to its maximum health.


In just 21 days, the Ultimate Reset helps your body get rid of toxins you’ve been taking in for decades. You’ll replace the processed foods you’ve been eating with healthy foods. You’ll eat cleanly and take supplements designed to help your body remove toxins from your cells and organs. After 21 days, you’ll truly feel reset, renewed, and restored—you’ll feel healthy.
The Ultimate Reset can help you gently restore your body to its original “factory settings,” by safely and naturally helping you to:
• Flush your organs of toxins
• Improve your digestion
• Increase energy
• Have a more positive mood and better focus
• Lose weight (and improve your BMI)*
• Lower your cholesterol*
• Eliminate dependencies on sugars and caffeine
• Improve your overall health


“My cholesterol dropped 27 points, and I lost a total of 14 pounds. I put these pants on today, and—holy mackerel! I feel phenomenal!” —Jennifer K.

how to do tht ULTIMATE RESET 21 days program?

TheMommyWifeLife

if you dont want to stay the same weight, and just lose it, then i wouldnt be doing any exercises that build any type of muscle, because muscle weighs more and even if you got stick then, you would still weigh more than you think you should.

KJLIII

I have been on a plateau for about 6 months. My weight has fluctuated about 1 lb up and down since the very beginning of June. Well, until this past week, anyway...

I took a road trip and saw some friends in Washington a couple of weeks ago, and they wanted me to see a movie they were interested in called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" - about a guy who was overweight and had a chronic skin rash that he was taking medication for and who wanted to change his life. He started juicing raw vegetables and basically went on a "Mean Green" juice fast for (I think it was) about 60 days. He had some amazing results, and the movie was actually quite inspiring.

So my friend began the juice fast, and he lost 7 lbs in the first week. I thought I'd give it a go, but ease slowly into it... I am still eating protein and veggies, but I am juicing one meal, sometimes 2 meals a day. I also sometimes just do a fruit smoothie instead of the juice. I'm trying to listen to my body, and I have not done this juice fast thing to the "T".

But I've lost 5 pounds in the last week ! ! I am stoked ! !

I have to admit, I feel better than I have in a very LONG TIME ! ! And honestly - over this last year I've been trying to eat "clean" and have made a LOT of changes to my diet. In addition, I have exercised more in this last year than I have in my life! ! But the plateau was really getting me down. I'm really happy I started juicing, and feel the added raw nutrients to my diet have given me additional energy and has kept me from getting too hungry. I'm excited to see how much more I will lose doing this ! !

Just wanted to share this with all of you, since it seems to be working for me ! ! Hope it helps... :flowerforyou:

jmzz1

bump......

jmzz1

I have been on a plateau for about 6 months. My weight has fluctuated about 1 lb up and down since the very beginning of June. Well, until this past week, anyway...

I took a road trip and saw some friends in Washington a couple of weeks ago, and they wanted me to see a movie they were interested in called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" - about a guy who was overweight and had a chronic skin rash that he was taking medication for and who wanted to change his life. He started juicing raw vegetables and basically went on a "Mean Green" juice fast for (I think it was) about 60 days. He had some amazing results, and the movie was actually quite inspiring.

So my friend began the juice fast, and he lost 7 lbs in the first week. I thought I'd give it a go, but ease slowly into it... I am still eating protein and veggies, but I am juicing one meal, sometimes 2 meals a day. I also sometimes just do a fruit smoothie instead of the juice. I'm trying to listen to my body, and I have not done this juice fast thing to the "T".

But I've lost 5 pounds in the last week ! ! I am stoked ! !

I have to admit, I feel better than I have in a very LONG TIME ! ! And honestly - over this last year I've been trying to eat "clean" and have made a LOT of changes to my diet. In addition, I have exercised more in this last year than I have in my life! ! But the plateau was really getting me down. I'm really happy I started juicing, and feel the added raw nutrients to my diet have given me additional energy and has kept me from getting too hungry. I'm excited to see how much more I will lose doing this ! !

Just wanted to share this with all of you, since it seems to be working for me ! ! Hope it helps... :flowerforyou:

where u on a plateau just because u where consuming too few calories for a long time? if yes then u should have taken more calories but the juice diet reduces the amount of calories so how did u manage to get out of the plateau?

paxbfl

I've been having really good success beating plateaus with High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). I do it on a treadmill but you could do it on a cycle, elliptical, whatever. Here's what I do:

3 minute walk warm-up

Interval:

Walk 1 minute (fast walk)
Jog 1 minute
Run 1 minute
Sprint 1 minute

Repeat 3 times, then do 1 more interval where you push everything to the maximum you can handle. So 5 intervals total.

7 minute cool-down walk

30 minutes total

The interval training makes it hard for your body to adjust to the stress and the high intensity helps rev up your metabolism.

You do the levels that you can handle. As you get in shape, increase the levels to keep the intensity where it needs to be. I do HIIT every other day - any more than that and I think you'd risk injury. On the other days I lift and do some light cardio.

HarlCarl

:flowerforyou:
Hi there..does anyone out there have any Plateau "busting" tips to share? I work out like crazy and have only lost 3 lbs in the past 2 months....but I did lose 14.5 inches. I STILL NEED THE SCALE TO MOVE as well:)

Am thinking about trying the "Shakeology 3 day cleanse"...has anyone done that....and was it effective?

Please HELP!

There is no mystery to weight loss, everyone thinks something is wrong, their metabolism is broken, they have low thyroid, they have menopause or whatever issue, they are as unique as a snowflake, whatever. I thought a lot of these things once too but once the doctor helped resolve the health issues for me I learned there is still no magic pill. Most people eat more than they need to and are not at good at estimating calories as they think they are. Most people have a lower BMR than they think they do. The only way to know for sure is to go to a lab and have it tested. It doesn't seem fair to have to eat less and feel a little hunger. It's hard to face the truth of it, very hard. It's not fun. It's drudgery at times. But if you learn to enjoy your smaller amounts of food (necessary to lose weight, since the reason we got fat in the first place was eating too much whether we knew it or not), and rejoice in your victories it can be done.

All I can do is share what worked for me. I achieved my goal at age 50 after beating my head against the wall for 15 years. Yeah anyone can do it, but I can tell you that you are up against a lot when you are older and I believe females have some unique issue to face with hormones and such. The sooner you can get a handle on it the better. DO NOT GIVE UP. As I got older and the weight piled on (and I didn't feel I was eating too much!) everyone kept telling me to give up, this is what happens when you get older. I'm small, and I didn't realize how small I was until I lost the weight. Everyone said I had big bones. I looked hefty because I worked out. Once I lost the weight I realized how small I really was and that small people don't need to eat as much as big people. HINT: If you are short you are probably small.

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.


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.

It really is about calories. I tell people this all the time and they say "Well if calories are all that matter why do you eat so clean???!!" Well, because it makes me feel better, sleep better, and perform better at my sports.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

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)

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.

Start lifting now, lift heavy and change it up often, find a lot of weight routines with free weights, make it fun, embrace it, make it part of your life. Only 3 days a week is all it would take. Crank up your tunes and learn to love it, because your body will love it and it will make your quality of life better in many ways, especially when you get older like me.

Because of this I don't have to worry about osteoporosis. If you wait until you are older and your bones start to deteriorate it's a bit too late, you can't get back what you lost, and you can only start a resistance routine that will prevent further damage.

If you are female you don't have the hormones to get big naturally. I lift heavy and I'm still really tiny. My lean body mass is only 104 lbs and that is fairly heavy for a 5'1" female, and quite a bit of this is due to my having very dense bones from 30 years of lifting, not all muscle, and I'm still quite tiny.

My muscles really are not that big, but they show a lot of definition because I'm quite lean. If I gained some fat then I would have a softer more toned look (which is OKAY too!). Then if I gained more fat I would look bulky and hefty like I did most of my life until last year. YOU CAN HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. Lean and ripped, soft and toned, or hefty, it all depends on how much fat you leave on your body. Calories are the only thing that changes fat. Exercise is for changing or maintaining your lean body mass only. Lifting weights will give you the best bang for your buck for shaping your body. I finally changed my shape by putting lifting first and cardio 2nd. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

Being on a calorie deficit is hard. You can't do this journey on will power alone. You must set up your environment for success. Have a team around you in your real life, not just online. Get trigger foods out of the house. It will take some sacrifice and it's not easy. You might have to say no to some social events sometimes.

Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.


For me it's all about a calorie budget. I had less of a budget available when I was losing weight, more to spend now that I'm maintaining and all the tools I used for weight loss come into play for the rest of my life maintaining.

When you have accumulated excess fat, you have accumulated a debt. It is hard to pay off the debt (you have less calories to spend). If you are sitting next to someone your same gender and height and they are not overweight and you are, they get to eat more than you (have more calories to spend) because they are debt free. You have less calories to spend because you are paying off your debt.

The private message button is a truly powerful tool....I think I've read this before...oh I have....several times...on this site, actually. *scratches head*

TL;DR!!!

But be sure to quote it all for the next person.

LeggyAmericanGirl

stay on track and be patient

Lift_hard_eat_big

stay on track and be patient

^^^Great advice!!!

mockchoc

Your height and weight are almost the same as mine. I eat 10% below TDEE since I'm close to goal and I never have to eat as low as you do some days at around 1250 calories more like between 1400 - 1950 a day. I've heard that it's best to be eating closer to our TDEE the nearer we get to maintenence. I've never hit a plateau yet so maybe take a look at that beside some of the great advice you've been given.

Changing_Charity

BUMP

KJLIII

I have been on a plateau for about 6 months. My weight has fluctuated about 1 lb up and down since the very beginning of June. Well, until this past week, anyway...

I took a road trip and saw some friends in Washington a couple of weeks ago, and they wanted me to see a movie they were interested in called "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" - about a guy who was overweight and had a chronic skin rash that he was taking medication for and who wanted to change his life. He started juicing raw vegetables and basically went on a "Mean Green" juice fast for (I think it was) about 60 days. He had some amazing results, and the movie was actually quite inspiring.

So my friend began the juice fast, and he lost 7 lbs in the first week. I thought I'd give it a go, but ease slowly into it... I am still eating protein and veggies, but I am juicing one meal, sometimes 2 meals a day. I also sometimes just do a fruit smoothie instead of the juice. I'm trying to listen to my body, and I have not done this juice fast thing to the "T".

But I've lost 5 pounds in the last week ! ! I am stoked ! !

I have to admit, I feel better than I have in a very LONG TIME ! ! And honestly - over this last year I've been trying to eat "clean" and have made a LOT of changes to my diet. In addition, I have exercised more in this last year than I have in my life! ! But the plateau was really getting me down. I'm really happy I started juicing, and feel the added raw nutrients to my diet have given me additional energy and has kept me from getting too hungry. I'm excited to see how much more I will lose doing this ! !

Just wanted to share this with all of you, since it seems to be working for me ! ! Hope it helps... :flowerforyou:

where u on a plateau just because u where consuming too few calories for a long time? if yes then u should have taken more calories but the juice diet reduces the amount of calories so how did u manage to get out of the plateau?

When I started here, MFP had me at 1200 calories, but I was going crazy with being hungry ALL THE TIME ! ! Over time, I upped my intake to 1400, then 1500, then took a good look at several sites that help you calculate your RMR, BMR, TDEE, and etc. and decided to go with my current calorie level of 1650. I read and read the boards to try to figure out if I needed to eat back my exercise calories or not, and there was so much conflict over the whole thing, I decided to eat it back if I got hungry. I usually did. I trained over this last summer for a grueling Tough Mudder race, and completed that in October. But since then, I've slacked off exercising as much as I was, but I have still stayed within my daily caloric goals. My weight and measurements have pretty much remained the same.

Starting around the first of November, I began replacing a meal or two with the juicing, sometimes with just having a smoothie. Could it be that my body just needed something different? I don't know. I DO know that I feel better and have more energy. People say you need to switch things up to get things going... maybe that was it?? I'm still trying to figure it out. I don't believe I have been consuming too few calories. I have been striving for eating as clean as I can, and have pretty much stuck with lean meats and getting more veggies and fruits into my diet. I'm avoiding processed foods, and too much sodium. I just know that after I began juicing, the weight started coming down. My net calories are +/- 1500. I'm 52 years old, female, and 5' 6.5". I don't know what else to tell you, but I'm happy the weight is coming off ! ! = )

currierand

PLEASE ADMIN, once and for all, can you just cut and paste the CalifGirl diatribe in a sticky so those who want to read it can and the rest of us won't have to shield our eyes from it like we're staring into the blazing hot sun?

CalifGirl, we all realize you are trying to help, and this IS a public forum, but for gods sake, give it a rest.

Thank you.