Need help overcoming a plateau...

EmiluuRuiz

Hi, my name is Emily. I have been ramping up my exercise in the last 3 weeks to try and overcome a plateau I have been at about 2 months.

I exercise 3-4 times per week for about an hour, burning about 600 additional calories on those days.
My calorie goal daily without adding in exercise is 1640 calories. I consume almost all of the 1640 calories daily, but don't tend to go over, even after exercise. I am not specifically following a "type" of diet like low carb. I am just strictly tracking calories.
I am lightly active outside of the exercise. I am a floor nurse in a hospital, I do work on my feet three 12 hours shifts per week.
I am 26 years old, weight 231 pounds (after a 23 lb weight loss) and im 64 inches tall.

How many calories should I be eating? Will change in the number of calories make me break this plateau?

benday1671

What are your macro targets? And can you tell us a little bit more about WHAT kinds of foods you are eating?

rduhlir

Hi, my name is Emily. I have been ramping up my exercise in the last 3 weeks to try and overcome a plateau I have been at about 2 months.

I exercise 3-4 times per week for about an hour, burning about 600 additional calories on those days.
My calorie goal daily without adding in exercise is 1640 calories. I consume almost all of the 1640 calories daily, but don't tend to go over, even after exercise. I am not specifically following a "type" of diet like low carb. I am just strictly tracking calories.
I am lightly active outside of the exercise. I am a floor nurse in a hospital, I do work on my feet three 12 hours shifts per week.
I am 26 years old, weight 231 pounds (after a 23 lb weight loss) and im 64 inches tall.

How many calories should I be eating? Will change in the number of calories make me break this plateau?

Have you been taping yourself? It is quite possible that you are losing inches instead of weight, and your body is just finally watching up.

EmiluuRuiz

Perhaps Im a little uneducated about macro targets? Please explain.

Typical day ---
Breakfast - fiber one bar or cereal and reduced fat dairy beverage/almond milk

Lunch - Spinach salad with 1/4 cup reduced fat feta, 4 strawberries, 1/4 cup pecan halves, pmegranate vinagrette dressing
Natures own white wheat bread (2 slices), 4 slices reduced fat bacon, 1 slice reduced fat cheese, 1 tbs of light mayo

Dinner - typically consists of some sort of cooked chicken breast stuffed with cheese or veggies. Last night...
chicken breast stuffed with cream cheese and chives, oven roasted green beans and baked potatoe with no calorie butter spray and reduced fat sour cream

Snacks
Banana
Nectarine
Fiber one bar

twinmama1987

take a rest week, yoga and light walks, doing less can also shock your system. Almost always works for me. Or you could try cutting carbs a bit. There are a number of things you could do. Changing something in your diet can help.

AdrieneJ

I went through a 6-week plateau after the death of a very close friend of mine. Here's what to remember: At least you are not GAINING weight.

To get me out of the plateau, I took a week off, then I hit my workouts HARD. I started a whole new routine. I used Jillian Michaels Body Revolution because I like to work out at home, but you just need to find some way to change it up. Up your intensity, do High Intensity Interval Training, run a little faster, climb a little higher, sweat a lot more. Change it up every two weeks. The nice thing about a packaged workout is that that change is worked in for you, but it's not the only way to do it.

Change is what keeps you off a plateau.

RobinvdM

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

Lots of useful information. Then go hit one of these calcs:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

It will give you your BMR/TDEE and you can figure out what you should be eating.

Just stick with it, you sound like you are doing well. I didn't quite understand if you eat back your workout calories or not - if not you should, gotta feed the machine Good luck! :flowerforyou:

carlom18

OP, find a TDEE calculator online and calculate your calories from that. This includes how long you sleep, eat, cook, clean, work, workout and just general activities of everyday life and your BMR. then from this, subtract between 10% - 20% to get your deficit. stick with it for a few weeks and adjust accordingly to results.

As for the plateau. try the above and try changing your work outs and maybe what you eat. Can't really help you food wise as your diary isn't publicly available

GL!

stormsusmc

Dont complicate things by worrying about your macros down to a perfect percentage at this point, it's all about calories in < calories out....Make sure your meals are balanced in your macros. Don't go by weight, as you could be losing water, muscle, fat. You could be gaining muscle, but losing fat. Go by how you feel and take pictures. Try to change up your routine, do different things.

GurleyGirl524

if you upped your exercise, you probably should up your calories. I have been having the same problem and this is what I am being told that I need to do. Your body is trying to hold on to what it can since you are burning more. Check out this link. It was an eye opener to me this morning from one of my MFPs. Enter your info to calculate your BMR and then it will give a chart showing how much you should be eating. I am upping my calories from 1200 to 1600 and am terrified, but I have to do something to break this plateau.

http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

carlom18

I went through a 6-week plateau after the death of a very close friend of mine. Here's what to remember: At least you are not GAINING weight.

To get me out of the plateau, I took a week off, then I hit my workouts HARD. I started a whole new routine. I used Jillian Michaels Body Revolution because I like to work out at home, but you just need to find some way to change it up. Up your intensity, do High Intensity Interval Training, run a little faster, climb a little higher, sweat a lot more. Change it up every two weeks. The nice thing about a packaged workout is that that change is worked in for you, but it's not the only way to do it.

Change is what keeps you off a plateau.

This x1000

EmiluuRuiz

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

Lots of useful information. Then go hit one of these calcs:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

It will give you your BMR/TDEE and you can figure out what you should be eating.

Just stick with it, you sound like you are doing well. I didn't quite understand if you eat back your workout calories or not - if not you should, gotta feed the machine Good luck! :flowerforyou:

EmiluuRuiz

I dont typically eat back all of my exercise calories. Occasionally I may eat 100 to 200 more over my limit of 1640. I will check one of the calculators. My typical exercise is typically something at home. I have been doing a lot of Zumba on the Kinect. My floor is typically covered in sweat. Perhaps every two weeks I will switch back and forth.

Factory_Reset

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

Lots of useful information. Then go hit one of these calcs:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/

It will give you your BMR/TDEE and you can figure out what you should be eating.

Just stick with it, you sound like you are doing well. I didn't quite understand if you eat back your workout calories or not - if not you should, gotta feed the machine Good luck! :flowerforyou:

Definitely check this out and one of the calculators.

EmiluuRuiz

Macros? This means nutrients? Ill have to google this unless you can give me a general explanation?

stormsusmc

plenty of info on this site, but yes..google will work
Macronutrients
Carbs, Fats, Protiens.

EmiluuRuiz

Thanks everyone. I will try and change my workouts a little more frequently, learn what exactly macros mean and perhaps try to increase my calories slightly... Im deathly afraid I will gain this weight back.

Bebe1000

Hi,

When I did WW On-line a few years back, many people there broke plateaus by this techique of adding up their calories for the week. For you that would be 11,480 calories a week. They suggested, and had great success, by shaking up the daily calorie intake. You might have 900 cal one day, the next, 1,800 the next, 2,400 the next, etc.. But make sure over the week you get ALL your weekly calories and don't starve on any day. This upsets your body's set weight point. Your body doesn't get too comfortable and used to having the same calories every single day and you get off the plateau.

It worked for me. Good luck.

-Bebe

stormsusmc

If you saw a loss at your current calories, don't raise them...

If a 200lb male wanted to be 180lbs and stay that way - then they need to learn how to eat like a 180lb male. Bodies are different however find what works for you. Change things up, try lifting, try sprints, eat more clean..take a week off...get more sleep...

wahmx3

I think you need to be eating more and eat back at least half your exercise calories. You need to properly fuel your body, especially with increased exercise. Your heart, lungs, brain and every body organ needs nutrition to properly function....if they don't function like they should, it will be so much harder to lose the weight and keep it off.

AdrieneJ

I think you need to be eating more and eat back at least half your exercise calories. You need to properly fuel your body, especially with increased exercise. Your heart, lungs, brain and every body organ needs nutrition to properly function....if they don't function like they should, it will be so much harder to lose the weight and keep it off.

I agree with this. You must fuel your body to make it do what you need it to do to lose the weight. If you do not have the energy to move, you will not have the energy to exercise to make your metabolism go faster. But remember: Food is fuel. Treats are treats. Treats do not fuel you.