HELP!!! Plateaued!

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I'm stuck! I've been losing & gaining the same 5 lbs for almost a month. I stay within my calories 99% of the time &rarely have a cheat day. I work out a minimum of 6-7 times a week. I completed 30 Day Shred then immediately started Ripped in 30. I'm on day 2 of week 3 right now. I also do additional cardio most days. Depending on the day I've lost 94-99 lbs so far. I started this journey in 11/11 but got serious in February of this year. I initially started just eating healthier, but when my weight loss slowed down I started exercising. This is the longest I've went without losing weight & I'm not losing inches either. I should mention that I have a lot of loose skin, but underneath, especially on my legs, is all muscle. My goal weight at this time is 163. I'll reassess when I get there. My diary is open & I'm hoping someone has suggestions on what I need to change. Oh & I have my macros set at 40/40/20. I'm 35 & 5'2. If you need to know anything else that I've left out, just ask. I'm an open book.

Replies

  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
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    Just going back 5 or 6 days, I think I'd have to blame the sodium. If you can get the processed food down a bit and substitute fresh-made food, I think it might benefit you.

    But wow - congratulations on your accomplishments thus far!
  • Amlong1977
    Amlong1977 Posts: 125 Member
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    My sodium is usually high. Everything has so much sodium in it. I was trying to watch it pretty carefully but it got overwhelming. EXCUSE! I do drink a ton of water, but I don't log it because besides 1 diet soda a day it's all I drink so it's hard to track. Thank you!
  • Mathguy1
    Mathguy1 Posts: 207 Member
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    There's a simple formula to remember:

    Calories burned > Calories consumed = Weight loss (for most of us w/out thyroid or some other medical issue)

    Since you are on an extended plateu that means Calories burned = Calories consumed (over a weeks time)

    Which means:

    1. You aren't logging in your food correctly (portion sizes, not entering everything, etc) and underestimating what you are eating
    2. You are over estimating your calories burned "General Circuit Training" seems very vague. Just because MFP says that 40 minutes of doing something means you are burning 500+ calories does not make it so.

    Assuming you are logging everything you eat, and your portion sizes are accurate, I would simply decrease the number of calories consumed per day by 200-250 and give it 2 weeks. You'll resume losing weight.

    Your other option is to continue to do what you were doing during the times you were losing those 5 lbs and stop doing what you have been doing while gaining back those 5 lbs.
  • juliaamilee
    juliaamilee Posts: 262 Member
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    I have been plateaued for over a year. I am at a loss.. Reading the above poster I am going to go for that and look at it weekly, maybe that is my down fall. I measure most things, So I am going to strictly measure every thing. MY weekends SUCK I am going to get tough and break thru. I stay between 164-169 depending on sodium. I use a HRM for all of my workouts. And I started strength training, last week.
  • Molly_Maguire
    Molly_Maguire Posts: 1,103 Member
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    Avoid excess sodium like the plague, try tostay within you calorie goal 100% instead of 99% of the time, NO CHEAT MEALS, and just be patient. I was stuck at my plateau for three stinking months and it was absolutely terrible. Nothing you can really do but stick it out and show you plateau that you are the more stubborn of the two! Don't slack off, and just push trough it. It'll eventually break. Hopefully sooner than mine did! :tongue:
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    I just went back about a week - and you are under eating - if you don't feed your body to do its job and lots of exercise it will rebel and you aont lose weight...
    Up your protein and start eating...
  • Mbishop7684
    Mbishop7684 Posts: 171 Member
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    From looking at the past week of your diary I would suggest paying stricter attention to your macros. Lower your sodium- HELLO WATER RETENTION, lower carbs and up protein. You seem to consistenly go over your sodium and carbs (sodium more so than carbs) but in the last week you have NEVER hit your protein. If you are working out like its listed you need your protein, try adding in a protein shake like isopure the chocolate is delicious!

    Also, if you are going to consistently go over your sodium, drink a LOT of water. I'm talking over the 64oz/day and drink it slowly throughout the day so you can flush your system. Think about it; when you cook its suggested to use salt on meat to help keep the meat moist as it cooks (ie retaining liquid). Just saying :-)

    Other than that, get a heart rate monitor so you know PRECISELY how many calories you are burning. That way you know you are eating the right amount back. The generic calculators can be off by 100s of calories and your perceived effort doesn't always translate into what you ACTUALLY you burned. It can help to switch up your workouts too. I've heard- once the muscles get used to the same workout (several wks down the road) they dont' work AS hard because they are becoming conditioned to the same exercise.

    Plateaus are hard. Stick with it. Like the old addage says, "you didn't get this way overnight". GOOD LUCK!
  • Helen_Luvnlife
    Helen_Luvnlife Posts: 230 Member
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    You are doing fantastic! I don't think you should decrease your calories. You are quite low for the amount you exercise. I too was on a plateau for 3 or 4 months. It seemed like it didn't matter what I did the weight wouldn't come off! A trainer told me it was my bodies way of resetting so that you don't gain weight back as easy. Be patient and look at how far you have come. :happy:
  • Amlong1977
    Amlong1977 Posts: 125 Member
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    I was drinking protein shakes everyday & actually had one today. I wasn't drinking them for a few days. It's hard for me to up my protein, which I've been trying to do, without raising my sodium. I do drink 8+ glasses of water throughout the day. I realize MFP probably over estimates my exercise so I don't eat all my calories back partly because of that. Assuming no one really went back more than a week because my carbs have been higher this week. General circuit training is what I was told to log my Jillian Michaels DVD's under. I switch up my workouts with those either ever 7 or 10 days. If anything I probably over estimate my food. Unfortunately I can't afford a HRM or food scale right now, hoping for Christmas. Keep the suggestions coming. Oh & I really haven't done anything different on the weeks I've gained & the weeks I've lost which is what's so confusing. I WILL NOT GIVE UP!!!
  • Kimscloud9
    Kimscloud9 Posts: 4 Member
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    Yeah, your sodium is high. When you get down to the nitty gritty, the cleaner you eat, the better. Less processed foods.
    Lots of leafy green veg, complex carbs and good fats. Try switching brands of tuna. And your salad dressing is off the hook.
    Walmart sells the brand Walden farms now. Zero everything. Something I spurge in for my salads. I opt for turkey sausage
    for protein. Bacon is deffinitely high in sodium. There is low sodium bacon. It was very hard for me to get in all my protein to
    at first. My ideas, are 1 percent cottage cheese -1/2 cup for I think 12 g of protein. Pairs well with fruit. Greek yogurt very high
    in protein, can use in shakes. Almonds at a reasonable amount. Also I think maybe a different choice in cheese slice. 320
    sodium for 1 slice, yikes!!. There is an option of pb2 powder for peanut butter substitute. Great for shakes. Great on apples.
    Sold in organic section of local grocery stores of whole foods stores or online. I don't buy often. Sometimes I opt for real
    peanut butter depending on my fat count. An Hrm would be good. I feel you for the price. My son is a personal trainer. He
    bought mine as a gift. But, it is the most truest accurate reading for all exercise.
  • Kimscloud9
    Kimscloud9 Posts: 4 Member
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    I meant nitty gritty as the tail end of your weight loss.
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
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    Yeah, your sodium is high. When you get down to the nitty gritty, the cleaner you eat, the better. Less processed foods.
    Lots of leafy green veg, complex carbs and good fats. Try switching brands of tuna. And your salad dressing is off the hook.
    Walmart sells the brand Walden farms now. Zero everything. Something I spurge in for my salads. I opt for turkey sausage
    for protein. Bacon is deffinitely high in sodium. There is low sodium bacon. It was very hard for me to get in all my protein to
    at first. My ideas, are 1 percent cottage cheese -1/2 cup for I think 12 g of protein. Pairs well with fruit. Greek yogurt very high
    in protein, can use in shakes. Almonds at a reasonable amount. Also I think maybe a different choice in cheese slice. 320
    sodium for 1 slice, yikes!!. There is an option of pb2 powder for peanut butter substitute. Great for shakes. Great on apples.
    Sold in organic section of local grocery stores of whole foods stores or online. I don't buy often. Sometimes I opt for real
    peanut butter depending on my fat count. An Hrm would be good. I feel you for the price. My son is a personal trainer. He
    bought mine as a gift. But, it is the most truest accurate reading for all exercise.


    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ this CLEAN eating = lots less sodium
    Up protein by eating Dannon Light & Fit Nonfat Greek Yogurt <<<< has 4 grams more protein than most brands, 10 less carbs, and less calories !!!!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Here is what I always suggest for plateaus. First, stop all exercise for one week and set your account to maintain. Next, when you come off of you set your account to 1 lb per week and either eat 50% of your exercise calories or what I prefer is if you workout 5-6 days a week, then set your account to moderately active and not worry about eating back exercise calories. Then I would also suggest altering your macro's, set them to 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. If you need protein, eat more lean meats (chicken, turkey, bison, lamb, sirloin, duck, etc..) or add beans, nuts, avocado or oils (like EVOO) to your diet. If you concentrate on whole natural foods then sodium will automatically decrease.

    Now when you get back into exercise drop some of the cardio and work on more weight training. WT is much more effective for fat loss than cardio. Cardio is good for heart healthy and burning tons of calories. Also, you need to give your body rest (at least one full day). Rest is actually where you make your improvements. Rest builds up the muscles that exercise tears down.

    Now if you want to workout at home, you can look at programs like chalean extreme, p90x, new rules of lifting for women or even go onto www.bodyrock.tv or youtube for routines. You can either use resistance bands or weights. And you want to do real weight training, where you are doing reps (which you want to limit 10 or less) for maximum strength gains.


    Lemon
  • Amlong1977
    Amlong1977 Posts: 125 Member
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    Thank you everyone! Eating clean has been something I'm working on. I've added a lot more vegetables. Salads have become a staple lately. I really need to cut the cheese out altogether. I didn't know yogurt was a good source of protein. I did eat fish today, but it had quite a bit of sodium. I'll check out different tuna options. I'm a broke *kitten* & eating healthy can get really expensive. I'm going to try these suggestions & see what happens. I will try the reset thing, but to be hones it's really scary for me. Not exercising for a week freaks me out. I definitely want to try weight training but I don't have a gym membership & only have 3 & 5 lb hand weights. Again $$$ comes into play. I'll check online to see if I can find something. Thanks again!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    Options
    Thank you everyone! Eating clean has been something I'm working on. I've added a lot more vegetables. Salads have become a staple lately. I really need to cut the cheese out altogether. I didn't know yogurt was a good source of protein. I did eat fish today, but it had quite a bit of sodium. I'll check out different tuna options. I'm a broke *kitten* & eating healthy can get really expensive. I'm going to try these suggestions & see what happens. I will try the reset thing, but to be hones it's really scary for me. Not exercising for a week freaks me out. I definitely want to try weight training but I don't have a gym membership & only have 3 & 5 lb hand weights. Again $$$ comes into play. I'll check online to see if I can find something. Thanks again!

    Go to amazon or target and get a few resistance bands.. they have kits for like $30. Also, its worth giving something a try for a few weeks.. the method i described broke my plateau as well as every other person i work with.
  • Amlong1977
    Amlong1977 Posts: 125 Member
    Options
    Thank you everyone! Eating clean has been something I'm working on. I've added a lot more vegetables. Salads have become a staple lately. I really need to cut the cheese out altogether. I didn't know yogurt was a good source of protein. I did eat fish today, but it had quite a bit of sodium. I'll check out different tuna options. I'm a broke *kitten* & eating healthy can get really expensive. I'm going to try these suggestions & see what happens. I will try the reset thing, but to be hones it's really scary for me. Not exercising for a week freaks me out. I definitely want to try weight training but I don't have a gym membership & only have 3 & 5 lb hand weights. Again $$$ comes into play. I'll check online to see if I can find something. Thanks again!

    Go to amazon or target and get a few resistance bands.. they have kits for like $30. Also, its worth giving something a try for a few weeks.. the method i described broke my plateau as well as every other person i work with.

    Thanks! I'll do that Friday!
  • Kimscloud9
    Kimscloud9 Posts: 4 Member
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    Walmart also has resistant bands. They just got new ones in my store
  • Amlong1977
    Amlong1977 Posts: 125 Member
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    Walmart also has resistant bands. They just got new ones in my store
    Thank you! Walmart tends to be a little less expensive.
  • ggsmamma
    ggsmamma Posts: 117 Member
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    Here is what I always suggest for plateaus. First, stop all exercise for one week and set your account to maintain. Next, when you come off of you set your account to 1 lb per week and either eat 50% of your exercise calories or what I prefer is if you workout 5-6 days a week, then set your account to moderately active and not worry about eating back exercise calories. Then I would also suggest altering your macro's, set them to 35% carbs, 40% protein and 25% fats. If you need protein, eat more lean meats (chicken, turkey, bison, lamb, sirloin, duck, etc..) or add beans, nuts, avocado or oils (like EVOO) to your diet. If you concentrate on whole natural foods then sodium will automatically decrease.

    Now when you get back into exercise drop some of the cardio and work on more weight training. WT is much more effective for fat loss than cardio. Cardio is good for heart healthy and burning tons of calories. Also, you need to give your body rest (at least one full day). Rest is actually where you make your improvements. Rest builds up the muscles that exercise tears down.

    Now if you want to workout at home, you can look at programs like chalean extreme, p90x, new rules of lifting for women or even go onto www.bodyrock.tv or youtube for routines. You can either use resistance bands or weights. And you want to do real weight training, where you are doing reps (which you want to limit 10 or less) for maximum strength gains.


    Lemon

    Thank you, Lemon. This is super helpful. I have been stalling out for the past 2.5 months now too.