Anyone else...

conniestar

...ever had a plateau lasting 7 months?

Here's my story:
I am considerably overweight with about 80-90 pounds to lose. I have been keeping my net kcalories at about 1200-1300/day since August. I lost weight in August and September, but since the beginning of October, my weight - as well as measurements - have basically been the same. I have been eating my exercise calories - or at least some of them, quit drinking sodas, increased the amount of fiber I eat as well as the amount of water I drink. I have also added weight training to my cardio regimen.

I have been tested for thyroid problems, and all my tests are normal. My doctor sent me to see the dietitian, who basically said based on what I eat and my exercise program, she couldn't see any reason why I wasn't losing weight. I am currently decreasing the amount of blood pressure medication I take - with my doctor's guidance - which she seems to think is causing the standstill. So far, no miraculous weight loss.

So since the beginning of October, I have lost and gained the same 3-5 pounds, and maintained my current measurements. It is quite frustrating, yet at the same time I realize I have improved my health in a lot of ways, yet the scale is not moving. The truly amazing part is that I haven't quit trying after all this time, because Lord knows I have felt like it.

I guess, I was hoping for any thoughts aside from the things I am already doing; as well as offering support to anyone who is in the same boat as me.

Thanks for your listening ears...Y'all rock!

brodeghero

Since you added weight training, maybe you're gaining muscle and losing the fat so it won't show on a scale. Is there any way you can keep track of fat percentage?

Hang in there! Sounds like you're doing everything right.

♥seoid♥

have you ever tried increasing your calorie intake a day or two a week? sometimes that gets your metabolism going.

tiffanygil

have you ever tried increasing your calorie intake a day or two a week? sometimes that gets your metabolism going.

I agree just for a a couple of days...any time I hit a stalemate I did this and it acutally worked. Also have you changed how you get in your cardio? like try increasing your speed or incline on the tredmil or switch to an elpitical. Or vise versa if your primary cardio machine is the elpitical.

Good luck you can do this and the meds are prob. making a difference but once you get that worked out you will loose faster than average.

I think all of our bodies are different therefore what works for some of us doesnt work for all of us. For me not eating my exercise cal worked. But as I have found out lately now that I'm trying to maintain.... I gain wt even at eating 1700 cals a day consistantly so I will prob always have to keep my intake much lower than those around me =( Just play around and dont be afraid to try new things.

ltlhmom

I agree I would change it up a little bit by taken in more calories or maybe not eating your exercise calories. Make sure you are getting you water in.

Hope the scale goes down soon. And congrats on sticking it out!

mromnek

Connie, you may not like this post, because I don't have any ideas for a magic bullet. Likewise, I will not offer trite platitudes. I hope that this post will provide you with some perspective to keep you going.

You have consulted medical and nutritional experts to rule out medical issues and get perspective on your diet. Neither of these experts have found anything that would explain your inexplicable plateau. So, it seems there are two possible courses you can take. The first would be throw in the towel, go ahead and go back to your previous lifestyle, and weight.

However, I would suggest that you continue your current course. There are several reasons. The biggest reason is that one day, perhaps next week or perhaps next year, you may fall over the ledge of this infernal plateau. The next reason is that while you may not be loosing weight or inches, I contend that your lifestyle with exercise and healthy eating is a better lifestyle than your old lifestyle. This means that your odds of enjoying your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren goes up.

Finally, it may be that your faith is being tested. We live in world obsessed with instant gratification. I think that one of the best ways God can test our faith is put time delays in our lives. Everything works in God's time, not our own. Therefore, quitting because we are not seeing the results we want is telling God that we do not have faith in him.

I hope that you stay the course and continue eating right, working out, and living healthy.

conniestar

Thanks for your input - I just want to respond to a couple things...I have a scale that measures my % body fat. In August and September, that was coming down slowly. Since October, it hasn't budged. I have tried increasing my calories, but found that to be unfruitful - in fact, I felt bloated and all around not so good, and even gained a couple pounds.

I recently started some interval training - all out as fast as I can for 2 minutes, then 1 minute to recover, then all out again. I started the other way around - 1 minute all out then 2 minutes to recover, so I think I am improving. However, it doesn't seem to be making a difference in my weight.

I do realize that the changes I have made in my lifestyle are for my good, whether or not the scale is moving. I am a firm believer in God's timing, mromnek, and I know He knows me best. In the last 7 months, I have gotten rid of a lot of nasty habits and replaced them with some pretty good ones. For that I am thankful. I am looking forward to falling off the ledge!

Thanks again for your thoughts and time. Be blessed on your journey...Connie