Plateau Need help....

sailfast23

I lost about 20lbs over a year ago on weight watchers and then starting MFP and lost another 60 lbs. I am now struggling to lose the last 10 or so that I need to get to a healthy weight. I workout daily, watch my calories like a hawk and eat pretty healthy overall. Any advise. I very frustrated.

benjamin1226

You might want to do carb cycling; you will bust through a plateau in no time.

sailfast23

Thanks for the advise. I googled carb cycling and it looked like a common practice among body builders. I looking to get more lean then build. Is this still a good option for me?

Koldnomore

You are 29, weight about 150, work out 6 days a week and your on 1200 calories. Most of the time you do not eat back exercise. Change goals to lose .5 lbs/ week and eat back your calories. With 10 lbs to lose you can't lose 2 lbs / week...your TDEE is around 2000 so you need to be eating WAY MORE.

blackmantis

You are 29, weight about 150, work out 6 days a week and your on 1200 calories. Most of the time you do not eat back exercise. Change goals to lose .5 lbs/ week and eat back your calories. With 10 lbs to lose you can't lose 2 lbs / week...your TDEE is around 2000 so you need to be eating WAY MORE.

Agreed!

testease

sounds like youve been dieting for a long time... Id suggest a diet break where you eat at maintenance for a couple weeks, then resume a more modest deifict to lose the rest of your weight.

Ge0rgiana

At bare minimum you need to eat back your exercise calories.

metacognition

My weight loss has slowed down over the past few weeks. Then I cut loose on Thanksgiving and the day before, and consumed 3000 calories on each. I could actually see the difference in the mirror but I kept exercising and using my food diary. I calculated that I could eliminate the holiday calories in a week by sticking to my plan. I got on the scale this morning - seven days later - and almost fell over. I didn't just lose Thanksgiving - I lost an additional three pounds and 2% body fat. Some of that weight is probably water, but I didn't just break the plateau, I shattered it.

I think eating more (in this case, a lot more on one day) and then exercising harder in the next few days helped my body to let go of fat. When I stay perfectly on 1200 calories for too long, not only do I feel tired during exercise but my weight loss slows to a crawl. If I eat more every three or four days - probably a couple hundred calories is enough to make a difference - I avoid the plateau.

I never thought overeating would be a positive thing, but in moderation it is helping my weight to drop, faster.

So try to eat a little more, and definitely ramp up the intensity of your exercise for a couple days after.

sailfast23

Thanks for the advice. I will try to eat a little more, but I am afraid to gain back. I put weight back on very easily. Any suggestions on what to eat more of? protein, veggies, etc.

metacognition

To be honest, I did gain over half a pound back from those days I overate, and I could see a big difference in my stomach when looking in the mirror. I was very worried about it. But that excess almost triggered a switch to lose even more calories the second I went back to a healthy eating and exercise plan.

At the end of the day, calories matter. I would try to avoid the junk - although on the days I overate, I went for anything. There is a difference between craving extra helpings of normal food and craving a quick dose of sugar, such as ice cream or cake. Try to avoid anything high in sugar, I find it leaves me even hungrier.

psuLemon

Thanks for the advice. I will try to eat a little more, but I am afraid to gain back. I put weight back on very easily. Any suggestions on what to eat more of? protein, veggies, etc.

You don't put weight back any more easily than anyone else. You still need to eat 3500 calories more than you burn to gain a lb of fat. Here is the advice I always give. Set you account to maintain for two weeks. Do not workout. You need to let your body repair itself and regulate it's hormones. Also, try to eat higher protein foods as they will help repair the muscles. After two weeks, set your account to 1/2 lb per week and eat back 50% of your exercise calories. Also, if you aren't weight training, start! You will see much greater strides in body changes when you start this.

During your lcd, you probably lost a lot of muscle, so now you need to work on sustaining it. You can do that with weight training and adequate protein. I like macro's to be set at 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats.

frnnmiller

I have lost 59 lbs since May. I am on a 1200 calorie diet and I exercise 5-7 days a week (run 3 miles every other day, then elliptical and various other exercise on the other days.) I usually stick to the 1200, but sometimes I eat back the calories burned from exercising. I usually have one cheat day a week. This has worked since May.

The problem? Up until yesterday, I had not lost any weight in the last week and a half to two weeks. I think I am beginning to plateau, but I want to lose another 31 lbs by 3/17/12. I'm 37 years old. I weighed 240 lbs when this all started, I now weigh 181 lbs and I want to get to 150 lbs.

Any recommendations will help. My health has improved greatly (lower cholesterol and Blood Pressure) and I do not want to lose the progress I have already made.

psuLemon

I have lost 59 lbs since May. I am on a 1200 calorie diet and I exercise 5-7 days a week (run 3 miles every other day, then elliptical and various other exercise on the other days.) I usually stick to the 1200, but sometimes I eat back the calories burned from exercising. I usually have one cheat day a week. This has worked since May.

The problem? Up until yesterday, I had not lost any weight in the last week and a half to two weeks. I think I am beginning to plateau, but I want to lose another 31 lbs by 3/17/12. I'm 37 years old. I weighed 240 lbs when this all started, I now weigh 181 lbs and I want to get to 150 lbs.

Any recommendations will help. My health has improved greatly (lower cholesterol and Blood Pressure) and I do not want to lose the progress I have already made.

Eat more.. like 1700-1900 calories and start weight training. Both will improve your running. Also, adjust your macro's to 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats so you help maintain your lean body mass.