Serious Plateau! HELP!

holapaola7

Well, since April 13, 2012, I have lost 85lbs, but recently, well the last month and a half, I have not lost any weight. I am stuck. I have been working out like crazy at least 6 times a week, burning at least 700+ calories daily and eating around 1200-1300 calories a day. I am doing cardio (zumba, step, water aerobics) and strength training as well. I'm not sure what else to do and why I am not losing any weight. I don't feel or notice that I am losing any inches either. Clothes fit the same, for the exception of a tiny bit less of a bulge on my belly.

Anyone have any ideas? Words of advice? Anything!

Thanks!

donnamfreitagross

your probably not consuming enough calories, did you update your stats?

salmonmama

I'm not an expert, but I definitely think you should eat more. Even in my first weeks of MFP, I thought 1200 was way low (netting 800-900 with workouts).

Have you calculated your TDEE and BMR?

I used this post to help reevaluate my calorie goals:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/680246-tdee-bmr-what-they-are-and-what-to-do-with-them

donnamfreitagross

according to what you posted your at most consuming 600 calories a day, that is not near enough, your body needs good calories just to function.

djames92

workout more and eat more

christa96

If you are burning at least 700 calories per workout, only eating 1200-1300 calories is not enough. Increase your calorie intake, eat more! Change the setting to lose only 1 lb. per week. Also, search the "eat more to weigh less" threads. That should give you some ideas as well. Good luck!

djames92

and by workout i mean weights not cardio

AlongCame_Molly

Relax, and just wait it out. Wight loss is not linear, it spikes and troughs naturally. The worst thing you can do though is throw in the towel and quit, because usually the end of the "trough" is only a few days around the corner. I was stuck in a plateau for three months, and I just waited it out, and when my body was ready, I lost 13 more pounds in four months. You can't force it, you'll just drive yourself nuts.

juggz212

and by workout i mean weights not cardio

This

emills1970

bump

onyxgirl17

Relax, and just wait it out. Wight loss is not linear, it spikes and troughs naturally. The worst thing you can do though is throw in the towel and quit, because usually the end of the "trough" is only a few days around the corner. I was stuck in a plateau for three months, and I just waited it out, and when my body was ready, I lost 13 more pounds in four months. You can't force it, you'll just drive yourself nuts.

I need to hear more stories like this!

AmyRhubarb

If you're not eating back those 700 workout calories, I'd say under eating is likely the problem. I found this topic to be very helpful in setting my calorie goals: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Great info in there.

juggz212

Relax, and just wait it out. Wight loss is not linear, it spikes and troughs naturally. The worst thing you can do though is throw in the towel and quit, because usually the end of the "trough" is only a few days around the corner. I was stuck in a plateau for three months, and I just waited it out, and when my body was ready, I lost 13 more pounds in four months. You can't force it, you'll just drive yourself nuts.

by wait it out I hope you mean do work! FORCE your body out of the plateau! Switch up your routine if you must, but by no means do you wait to start losing weight again

ashleab37

If you're not eating back those 700 workout calories, I'd say under eating is likely the problem. I found this topic to be very helpful in setting my calorie goals: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Great info in there.

You are not eating enough. Read this link and you WILL succeed.

kacarter1017

You're not eating enough

Jred36

Congrats on the weight loss!! I agree you are not eating enough calories. I was told the same thing and when I increased, I started to lose again. I did the BMR calculator on MFP and actually it says I should eat more than a different calculator I used. I split the difference but if I hit another plateau, I will increase. Also don't focus on the pounds loss right now, focus on inches. Muscle weighs more than fat and I am sure with as much working out you are doing, you are toning. Celebrate the success!

jaymek92

A person should burn 2000 calories a week, excessive burns will cause free radical productions which are harmful to the body.

source this *kitten*.

holapaola7

Thank you all for the feedback, I thought I might be eating too few calories because of my workouts, but it worked at first, so I had stuck with it. I will definitely refigure my daily calorie intake and try switching up my workouts.

I'm in no way giving up! I have a goal to meet and I will get there!

RachelSRoach1

Eat more.

Check out calorie staggering if completely upping your calories by a few hundred sounds hard for you.

mommamellymac

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12


This is the best thing I've read! It helps you figure out your TDEE! Now that you weigh less, and have done WONDERFULLY btw, you can refigure everything out!!

good luck!!!

ninerbuff

Thank you all for the feedback, I thought I might be eating too few calories because of my workouts, but it worked at first, so I had stuck with it. I will definitely refigure my daily calorie intake and try switching up my workouts.

I'm in no way giving up! I have a goal to meet and I will get there!

If that's what you did, then chances are you lost quite a bit of lean muscle at the same time, which would lower your metabolic rate and eventually stop weight loss in it's tracks.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

taso42

I have been working out like crazy at least 6 times a week, burning at least 700+ calories daily and eating around 1200-1300 calories a day.

Therein lies the problem

elisa123gal

You have lost so much weight and have done a great job. I'm just starting and have no right to tell you what to do.. but from all my reading on the forum..if you eat more you'll start losing. I have seen countless posts saying this.

jaymek92

A person should burn 2000 calories a week, excessive burns will cause free radical productions which are harmful to the body.

source this *kitten*.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12023865

you can also type it in google and find studies.

i did google, also google scholared. didn't find anything.
also, loving them abstracts! especially where it says "although there is no evidence that this affects sporting performance in the short term, it may have longer term health consequences."
to repeat, NO EVIDENCE for the short term, MAY in the long term.
also curious where you got the number 2000 from. maybe you were looking at the year the article was published, 2002. there have been no major articles that i'm finding written on the subject in the past 10 years, and generally speaking, the older a source is, the less reliable.

jaymek92

A person should burn 2000 calories a week, excessive burns will cause free radical productions which are harmful to the body.

source this *kitten*.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12023865

you can also type it in google and find studies.

i did google, also google scholared. didn't find anything.
also, loving them abstracts! especially where it says "although there is no evidence that this affects sporting performance in the short term, it may have longer term health consequences."
to repeat, NO EVIDENCE for the short term, MAY in the long term.
also curious where you got the number 2000 from. maybe you were looking at the year the article was published, 2002. there have been no major articles that i'm finding written on the subject in the past 10 years, and generally speaking, the older a source is, the less reliable.

There are full ones on the subject as well on google . Here is one from the "Journal Of Exercise Science And Fitness"
http://www.scsepf.org/doc/pdf_mem_only/Free radicals and exercise implicaton in health and fitness.pdf

You think there is "short term" evidence smoking is bad for us? Or alcohol consumption?

The 2000 calories a week came From Dr.Bear Sears PhD (biochemistry)

here's another one
"Soy Reduces Harmful Free Radical Formation During Exercise Better Than Whey."
http://www.cbn.com/health/nutrition/freeradicals.aspx
sources are at the bottom of the page of course.

http://www.uhs.hku.hk/he/smoke/health_effect-eng.htm
short term effects of smoking
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-term_effects_of_alcohol
short term effects of drinking.

your second article is about how soy reduces the number of free radicals and is from the christian broadcasting network. that's not the question here, nor is it a reliable source. i don't care that the guy has a doctorate. in fact, if anything, it biases his opinion, given that he works for a company that sells soy products. obviously, he wouldn't say "hey, antioxidants aren't created during exercise and/or soy does nothing to remove them so you have no reason to buy my products!"

your first article says that oxidative stress helps prevent against further oxidative stress.
in their conclusion, "[W]e can still safely recommend the following: eat well, avoid harmful lifestyles (such as excessive alcohol drinking and smoking), and exercise regularly."
doesn't sound like they're too concerned about the effects of free radicals.

bear sears... you mean barry sears? the creator of the zone diet? because (surprise!) i can't find anything where he says you can't burn more than 2000 calories per week. unless it's in his anti-aging diet book, but i still probably wouldn't see that as too reliable.
the degree you have doesn't necessarily qualify you to make claims.

as a future chemist with a concentration in bioscience, if i were to make the claim that eating 500 g of carbs a day would prevent you from dying and published a book, would you believe it?

kcallas88

I loose more weight eating 1600 cals a day and strength training 4times per week then I did eating 1200 calories per day and doing cardio 4 days a week and strength 3...

wahmx3

You are starving your body and have been doing so for awhile now. To make it worse, you are losing muscle not fat. Please redo your numbers and start eating to fuel your body, only then, will you will be able to start losing fat once again.

holapaola7

I loose more weight eating 1600 cals a day and strength training 4times per week then I did eating 1200 calories per day and doing cardio 4 days a week and strength 3...

So, do you eat 1600 cals a day and just do strength training? No cardio?


Thanks all for the great advice, I have already reconfigured my daily calorie intake. It's a bit hard since I have been doing it for so long, but I am changing it. I never knew I was starving my body.