What have you done to break through a plateau?
trinalily
Posts: 18 Member
I'm just stuck. I train approximately 10 hours a week at triathlon (swim, bike, run), but the weight is not coming off. If anything, my jeans are getting tighter. I know this could be increased muscle mass due to really ramping up my training the last couple of months (just completed my first half ironman) but the fat is still there. So maybe I do have increased muscle mass, but with the original fat! Ugh! The more I train the hungrier I am, and I will admit that I haven't been exactly perfect with my diet, but with as much activity as I do you'd think I'd get a bit of a break. Not so.
Anyway, looking for suggestions on how to break through my weight loss plateau. I'm wondering if I should do something other than my three usual sports. Maybe weight training?
Anyway, looking for suggestions on how to break through my weight loss plateau. I'm wondering if I should do something other than my three usual sports. Maybe weight training?
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Replies
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I'm thinking that you need to review your diet. It's good to change it up every week.
I believe it would be good to cross train. You can do a mixed circuit training workout as you can easily do a short one at home. There are tons of free routines online.
Good luck busting through that plateau of yours. I'm still trying to bust through mine. I'm hoping this week will make a difference.0 -
I probably will give you an answer you may or may not want to hear. But I used to listen to a podcast that was very informational. It was called Fat to Fit Radio. They have a different philosophy about plateaues and you sound like you re experiencing a classic one! They recommend to not cut back but eat more. Crazy, I know!!! But it made sense to me! You are training and working out very hard but you are Sending the message to your body to save itself! Your body is automatically trying to conserve as much of its resources as it can and that can even mean your fat sources. You are basically putting your body in starvation mode. So...what this means for you is to relax! Continue to eat sensibly, buts give your body a break and eat a little more. This doesn't mean to go chow down on a big Mac though! Eat more of the good stuff, fruits, veggies, fiber, etc. let your body catch up to the hard work you are putting it through. Then it will relax as well and start letting go of some of that fat. They said this could take anywhere from 2-6 wks and don't be alarmed if you put a little of the weight back on. It will come off again. Just be patient and stay the course!
And kudos for training for a triathlon! I admire you already!!! Don't lose heart and keep heading in the right direction!!!0 -
Thanks, ladies. You've both given great advice. Being in my mid-40s sees my upper arms getting flabby, as well as other parts of my body - even with triathlon training. I will start weight training AND eating a bit more quality foods. I've heard this theory before, and I did increase my caloric intake (including the 10lbs that comes with it), but my weight never started coming off. I'm sure that eating out once a week is to blame, and I'm not exactly disciplined when it comes to portion control, so that may have something to do with it. All I know is that when my belly growls late at night, I feed it. It's always late at night when it starts this - morning, noon, afternoon and early evening are ok - it's just late at night.
Anyway, my sports nutritionist said to shoot for 1400 calories a day (taking into consideration my training schedule) and that should help me lose weight. With MFP this should be easier - I was also lax in logging my food!
We will see!0 -
Wow, only 1400 and you're training for a triathlon? I net 2000+ a day with weight training 3 days/wk & cardio 2 days/wk.0
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I know - it doesn't seem right. My RMR is 1660, and exercise 6-7 days a week, sometimes for hours at a time.0
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Oddly enough my tummy growls late at night too. Really late... like midnight and waking up hungry. This is when I make bad decisions because I'll grab cookies most of the time. I'm half asleep!0
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I was stuck at a plateau for almost 3 months...I went to a sports medicine clinic and meet with a team there...turns out, I was not eating what was right for my body type...a few minor changes in my diet plan more protein, less carbs, and I was well on my wa.0
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From all that training, I would think you would need at least 2500 cals per day, but try to keep the carbs to 30% or less. This should tell your body that there is plenty of food coming in (avoiding starvation mode) and the lack of carbs to convert to sugar should trigger the conversion of fat to sugar to fuel your muscles.0
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Oh I hear so many different things! The sports nutritionist I consulted with out of pure frustration at my plateau said that I need to have 60% of my food from carbs, 20% from protein, 20% from fat.
It didn't sound right to me - I need protein to feel full! I'm thinking less carbs and more protein, too!
So confused. Wish I could just have my meals delivered to my door and no other food in the house. See how that would work. I beginning to think it's impossible for me to lose weight!
I might need to reduce my training volume. I was losing a lot more weight when I was training for short distance triathlons. I'm now training for a half marathon - I run 9 miles tomorrow, so my training volume is still up there. Not half ironman volume, but still a little high.0 -
Bumping for later...is there another Podcast for fitness that others like? The Fat to Fit Podcast states it no longer is being done.0
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Running 9 miles? Yeah, you probably need some high carbs in there! If you make your food log public, we can give thoughts on that... And hold you accountable too.0
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I started cycling this year for fitness but then at some point achieving my riding goals kind of got in the way of achieving my weight loss goals. One would think they go hand in hand but I really ramped up my cycling all summer (and also my calories to fuel the rides) and even though I made some nice gains in my ability on the bike- I pretty much stayed at the same weight all summer which was frustrating considering all the hard work I was putting in. A few months ago I stepped back and reevaluated things and decided I wanted to get to my goal weight more than I wanted to be a fast/chubby cyclist. So at that point I scaled back the training to a moderate level (was doing 100+ miles per week- now more like 200-250 per month) and cut my calories from 3200 to 2800 but still eating plenty of carbs. Since reevaluating around Sept 1st I've lost 11 lbs- I still plan on going back to harder training but holding off until I get to my goal weight first.0
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It almost sounds like you're over training. I'd suggest taking a few days off (if possible) and up your good fats on a regular basis. I've found adding some avocado and cod liver oil (yes, not a great taste, but it works) seems to have helped me keep my energy up with the hormone spikes that come with being over 40 without bumping up the calories - and my weight has been slowly going down.
1400 cals sounds pretty sparse if you're training hard (unless you're truly a tiny person). I went to a sports nutritionist and she suggested 40/30/30 rather than 60/20/20and looked at 2000ish calories - I'm 5'8".
If your stomach is growly before bed, make sure you grab some soft protein - - eggs or yogurt do it for me. Don't eat carbs before bed.
Good luck in getting through your plateau!! And congrats on a 1/2 Ironman - that's quite an accomplishment!0 -
I was going to say the same thing! I'm at 1800 a day, and nowhere near triathlon training.Wow, only 1400 and you're training for a triathlon? I net 2000+ a day with weight training 3 days/wk & cardio 2 days/wk.
And I'm losing fat. Granted, we may be very different sizes, but still - sounds like you're pushing pretty hard in your workouts!
I was also going to suggest the possibility of over training. Great article here: http://www.shapefit.com/overtraining-exercising-too-much.html
And the topic that helped me bust through my plateau: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12
Links there to to the tools at fat2fit, and great info on eating & workouts. Although since you're training for a specific thing, adjustments would probably need to be made to keep with your training schedule.
Hope these things help and you can figure it out!0
