How did YOU get through your plateau?

Options
wattsy84
wattsy84 Posts: 123
in Health and Weight Loss
Bit about me.......started at 178lbs in jan, got to 164lbs by feb (target 150lbs) but have been stuck there ever since, learnt a lot on the way, upped my cals to 2470 as i was eating way too low (1400).... no change, now lowered them again slightly (2160) with no effect and incorporated heavy lifts 3x a week with cardio 2x and football on Saturdays (also my cheat day) so far still stuck (after 3 weeks). Have given each change 3 weeks, can see any physical changes either!. Currently in a TDEE -20% deficit. Eat pretty clean (chicken breast,veggies,nuts,Greek yog,eggs,cottage cheese,oatmeal,fruit,salad) 160g protein daily. Do have occasional off days where I go over because I binge at night mainly on cereal! But determined to stop those!

What was the best way you guys got through your plateau?. Please help!
«1

Replies

  • squatsandlipgloss
    squatsandlipgloss Posts: 595 Member
    Options
    Maybe upping your calories by 1,070 at once is what led you to not see any change?

    I hit a plateau after losing 25 lbs on 1,200 cals. Increased it to 1,500 and saw an immediate loss. Maybe you should have slowly increased your cals? I would say give it more time. Those who go from eating below their BMR to going TDEE or TDEE-20 sometimes wait for 2 months before anything happens.
  • JamesHalterman
    JamesHalterman Posts: 3
    Options
    Underestimating just how much food you've eaten is a common mistake, one that can lead to a weight loss plateau or weight gain. Yet keeping a diary of your daily food intake (every bite, taste, or lick) can help you see where you're going wrong. Try these food diary tips:

    Track the time of day and your feelings when you eat to discover problem times and emotions that cause you to binge eat.

    Recognize your eating triggers and find healthier foods to satisfy your hunger or better alternatives than food to cope with your emotions.

    Monitor your progress, track your new behaviors, and reward yourself with a manicure or movie for all your hard work.

    It really works! Also cut dairy out of your meals for a month and see the results.

    Your Friend in fitness
    James
  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    Sounds like you've been low calorie eating for far too long... how are your cheat days? They should be well above maintenance with low fat and very high carb (starchy carbs specifically). For someone of your weight, I would recommend a solid refeed day in the 3-4000kCal range for 1 to 2 days... TDEE for your weight is about 2300-2500
    Bit about me.......started at 178lbs in jan, got to 164lbs by feb (target 150lbs) but have been stuck there ever since, learnt a lot on the way, upped my cals to 2470 as i was eating way too low (1400).... no change, now lowered them again slightly (2160) with no effect and incorporated heavy lifts 3x a week with cardio 2x and football on Saturdays (also my cheat day) so far still stuck (after 3 weeks). Have given each change 3 weeks, can see any physical changes either!. Currently in a TDEE -20% deficit. Eat pretty clean (chicken breast,veggies,nuts,Greek yog,eggs,cottage cheese,oatmeal,fruit,salad) 160g protein daily. Do have occasional off days where I go over because I binge at night mainly on cereal! But determined to stop those!

    What was the best way you guys got through your plateau?. Please help!
  • wattsy84
    wattsy84 Posts: 123
    Options
    How do I reset my metabolism?
  • wattsy84
    wattsy84 Posts: 123
    Options
    Sounds like you've been low calorie eating for far too long... how are your cheat days? They should be well above maintenance with low fat and very high carb (starchy carbs specifically). For someone of your weight, I would recommend a solid refeed day in the 3-4000kCal range for 1 to 2 days... TDEE for your weight is about 2300-2500
    Bit about me.......started at 178lbs in jan, got to 164lbs by feb (target 150lbs) but have been stuck there ever since, learnt a lot on the way, upped my cals to 2470 as i was eating way too low (1400).... no change, now lowered them again slightly (2160) with no effect and incorporated heavy lifts 3x a week with cardio 2x and football on Saturdays (also my cheat day) so far still stuck (after 3 weeks). Have given each change 3 weeks, can see any physical changes either!. Currently in a TDEE -20% deficit. Eat pretty clean (chicken breast,veggies,nuts,Greek yog,eggs,cottage cheese,oatmeal,fruit,salad) 160g protein daily. Do have occasional off days where I go over because I binge at night mainly on cereal! But determined to stop those!

    What was the best way you guys got through your plateau?. Please help!


    My cheat days are a good 3000+ BUT i play 90 mins of competitive football on that day burning a good 1000+ cals but I eat a lot of carbs on that day specifically for the football (oatmeal,bananas,brown pasta/rice etc)

    My TDEE is apparently closer to 3000 due to working as a decorator 8hrs a day then weights or cardio in eve! I didn't realise this at the start, hence eating 1400 and I found out my body could be in starvation mode so that's why I upped it!

    Shall I reset my metabolism then start over at 2200 cals?
  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    Yes - do a hard reset of your metabolism... general guidelines for this would be eating 200-300kCal surplus for 2 weeks... then carry on with a -20% deficit.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Options
    Kept eating a deficit.
  • magpie0
    magpie0 Posts: 194 Member
    Options
    I went waaaay over my goal for the day and stopped exercise for a few days! I was stuck at 133 for 3 weeks and after Easter, lost 3lbs!
  • wattsy84
    wattsy84 Posts: 123
    Options
    Yes - do a hard reset of your metabolism... general guidelines for this would be eating 200-300kCal surplus for 2 weeks... then carry on with a -20% deficit.

    Will I put on weight doing this? Is that 2-300 over TDEE? Should I carry on my exercise routine?
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    Options
    Yes - do a hard reset of your metabolism... general guidelines for this would be eating 200-300kCal surplus for 2 weeks... then carry on with a -20% deficit.

    Will I put on weight doing this? Is that 2-300 over TDEE? Should I carry on my exercise routine?

    I did a hard reset in January and gained 3-4 pounds I ate what the charts said was my TDEE and did little exercise. Then went to a deficit February 1st that was more than what I did before my weight loss stopped and upped workouts lost 6 pounds. Figured my actual TDEE (based on calories in and pounds lost) and went with a 25% cut (I still had more than 50 to lose) and lost 5 1/2 in March. Re-ran the numbers and have gone up again. Good luck I hope it works for you.
  • wattsy84
    wattsy84 Posts: 123
    Options
    So do I eat at TDEE (maintenance) or above for 3-4 weeks? My TDEE is around 3000 that's a lot to eat lol
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Options
    So do I eat at TDEE (maintenance) or above for 3-4 weeks? My TDEE is around 3000 that's a lot to eat lol

    TDEE for a couple weeks for sure. Assuming your calculated TDEE is correct.
  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
    Options
    Minimum at TDEE... i would highly recommend 200 above... yes you may gain some weight... but it's very likely that you will upregulate your thyroid and in turn drop some fat and water in the process.... in the long-run you'll be better off... after about 2 weeks eating TDEE+200 or so you can resume dieting at -20% - about 2400kCal per day incorporating bi-weekly refeeds

    Not to mention if you're lifting heavy during this time then any fat gain would be almost entirely mitigated.
    So do I eat at TDEE (maintenance) or above for 3-4 weeks? My TDEE is around 3000 that's a lot to eat lol
  • Rivers2k
    Rivers2k Posts: 380 Member
    Options
    I will let you know when I do. Going on 5 weeks now UGH!!!! Decided today to change up my work out. Doing lifting before cardio maybe that will shock something into a change.
  • Shetchncn1
    Shetchncn1 Posts: 260 Member
    Options
    I found this interesting:
    http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/3-rules-reboot-metabolism. Good luck! I haven't lost enough weight to reboot yet :)
  • daniellacastelucci
    daniellacastelucci Posts: 7
    Options
    Losing weight is an aggresion to our body - no matter if this is for a good end. So best way is to give your body time to adapt to the changes - 1 month per 2 pounds lost. It is normal to be some months in this plateau. If it lasts more than a few months, my recommendation is always to visit a personal dietician. Mine is helping me a lot!
  • wattsy84
    wattsy84 Posts: 123
    Options
    So do I eat at TDEE (maintenance) or above for 3-4 weeks? My TDEE is around 3000 that's a lot to eat lol

    TDEE for a couple weeks for sure. Assuming your calculated TDEE is correct.

    How can we get a true TDEE calculation? Every one I use comes out different?
  • wattsy84
    wattsy84 Posts: 123
    Options
    Can someone work out my TDEE based on this..........

    5"10 29 male
    A 16hr day for me consists of...
    7 hours a day constantly on my feet, decorating,climbing ladders/scaffold,rolling ceilings/walls etc
    2 hrs playing with kids/doing chores
    1hr stretching or exercising weights/cardio
    1hr doing things around the house
    0.5-1hr driving
    2 -2.5hrs watching tv then bed

    Also 3 hours fishing one night a week
    And 90 mins of competitive football on Saturdays

    I worked it out at either 2850 or 3160 on this site http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee#tdee
  • mountaingirl2207
    mountaingirl2207 Posts: 181
    Options
    I'm not a guy, so I don't know if I can help, but I don't think you were eating too low for too long. I would keep at it for another couple of weeks at 2100 or so. I started the same as you, was too low (1200) for about the same amount of time, then bumped up to 1700. I lost a lb the first week, but I really felt it kick into gear when I started using the elliptical. I've since come off my plateau and lost another 5.
  • amann1976
    amann1976 Posts: 742 Member
    Options
    maybe your body is trying to tell you to man up... you are a man you are not suppose to weight 150lbs...

Categories