3 month plateau please help

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digregorio84
digregorio84 Posts: 27
in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost a grand total of 153 lbs in 2.5 years, but the last 2-3 months I have fluctuated around the same weight. I'd like to lose an additional 57 lbs (I'm 207 lbs, 5'8'' and male, I'd like to be 150). Not sure if I'm in starvation mode or what, before I started back calorie counting, I had estimated I was consuming around 1300-1600 cals per day. So I had upped my intake a bit to around 2000 and ended up gaining a few pounds. I lowered intake and lost those pounds I gained but now I'm stuck again. I tried lowering to 1000-1200 again with no luck. Cut, add, nothing's working. Not sure how to get out of this vicious cycle.

Side note I exercise 4-5 days per week, changing up between treadmill, bike, and weights.
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Replies

  • ggsmamma
    ggsmamma Posts: 117 Member
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    I have been in the doldrums too -- for about 2+ months -- and I was hoping that people would answer your thread so I could see what they said...Anyone have any great ideas?
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
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    Are you being really dedicated with the logging? Do you use a food scale for your food measurements? Are you tracking everything? Are you calorie burn estimates for exercise accurate? Remember this is simple math. Calories in - calories burned = weight loss/gain.

    You're missing a piece of the puzzle somewhere and your food diary isn't public so no one is really able to tell you much.
  • kaervaak
    kaervaak Posts: 274 Member
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    It's highly likely that if you've been eating at a deficit for 2.5 years that you've seriously depressed your metabolism. I'd suggest increasing your calories to maintenance for your height/weight/age for a month or two and then start back on a deficit.
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    You have trained your body to be more efficient at holding onto fat. You are undereating bigtime. You will have to slowly up calories (four weeks or so)and pay no attention to the scale......it will go up for a while. You need to get your calories up to around bmr which would probably be around 1900 calories a day for you. After doing this, pick a free day on the weekend and eat 2 x bmr on this day. This day will help your bodies hormones to not down regulate so much and allow you to keep losing.
  • digregorio84
    digregorio84 Posts: 27
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    Thanks so much for your responses. To answer your questions, yes I measure everything and log everything. My calorie burns are close to accurate, they come from the recumbent bike and treadmill I use. I realize these numbers are estimates though. I will try your suggestions and eat back up to 1900 calories. I'll probably gain, but if it'll help me lose in the long run then it's something I'll have to deal with. Thanks again guys for your help.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,411 MFP Moderator
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    You are definitely under eating. Also, 150lb might not be obtainable without losing some lean body mass. Considering, if you preserve your LBM from here on out, the only want you can hit 150 without losing muscle is if you are currently 32% body fat. If you don't know your body fat, get some calipers and find out so you can set a realistic goal. Use the link below.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/684493-how-to-determine-weight-goal?hl=how+to:+determine&page=1#posts-10001020

    Second, here is what I always suggest for plateaus. First, stop all exercise for one - two weeks 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.
  • digregorio84
    digregorio84 Posts: 27
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    You are definitely under eating. Also, 150lb might not be obtainable without losing some lean body mass. Considering, if you preserve your LBM from here on out, the only want you can hit 150 without losing muscle is if you are currently 32% body fat. If you don't know your body fat, get some calipers and find out so you can set a realistic goal. Use the link below.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/684493-how-to-determine-weight-goal?hl=how+to:+determine&page=1#posts-10001020

    Second, here is what I always suggest for plateaus. First, stop all exercise for one - two weeks 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.

    Thanks for the reply. I am about 28mm around the waist. I have not done my back or arm, but I think I am around 32%. 150 is just the mid range for my height and that's why I chose that as my goal, but I am confident if I can lose mostly fat, I can reach 150. The number isn't the most important thing to me anyway, it's the self-image and what I'm comfortable with. If I am happy at 160 or 170 then so be it.

    Thanks again on the advice. I have upped my calories to around maintain levels starting a few days ago but I haven't stopped exercising. Is that part really important? I feel terrible when I don't exercise.
  • BethanyJoSmith
    BethanyJoSmith Posts: 13 Member
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    Just come off of a 3 month plateau. Because work was so exhaustive I couldn't get to the gym for a week and had been going 6 days a week weight training and cardio every other day. One week of rest and I'm back on track lost 2.5 lbs this week and back to working out of course.
  • darbest
    darbest Posts: 22
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    Your body is used to what it has been getting for the last few months. Fool your body and have an intake of food that is really different from what you have been eating. Congratulation on you wt. lose. Is there a way you can not go on the scale and go by your clothes. Don't beat yourself up and don't get on the scale. If you were at 185 right now and looked great what would you do?
    I know that your in a weird spot now, look at the bright side.
    God Bless
    Darlene:smile: PS your body needs to adjust to the large amount that you lost. Just relax and enjoy.
  • darbest
    darbest Posts: 22
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    Good job, I am impressed that after one week you went right back on track, wonderful. That is a dangerous spot for me. I usually don't go back. Wow ! Great
    Darlene
  • njohnson1966
    njohnson1966 Posts: 58 Member
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    Bump.
  • kmshred
    kmshred Posts: 393 Member
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    FYI listen to this dude at all times.
    You have trained your body to be more efficient at holding onto fat. You are undereating bigtime. You will have to slowly up calories (four weeks or so)and pay no attention to the scale......it will go up for a while. You need to get your calories up to around bmr which would probably be around 1900 calories a day for you. After doing this, pick a free day on the weekend and eat 2 x bmr on this day. This day will help your bodies hormones to not down regulate so much and allow you to keep losing.
  • littlebuddy84
    littlebuddy84 Posts: 1,000 Member
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    Just come off of a 3 month plateau. Because work was so exhaustive I couldn't get to the gym for a week and had been going 6 days a week weight training and cardio every other day. One week of rest and I'm back on track lost 2.5 lbs this week and back to working out of course.
    Same thing happened to me. I went through a 13 week plateau. About 3 weeks ago I wasn't feeling well so i didn't exercise a whole lot that week. I weighed myself that Sunday and I had lost 2.6lbs. I've had a 1lb loss every week since :smile:
  • 4theking
    4theking Posts: 1,196 Member
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    You may lose without taking the exercise break but it's a good idea to take a small break from time to time. I have seen on numerous occasions a break in exercise break a plateau. First and foremost, keep those calories up. Only reduce in small increments and only when you have to.
  • digregorio84
    digregorio84 Posts: 27
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    Your body is used to what it has been getting for the last few months. Fool your body and have an intake of food that is really different from what you have been eating. Congratulation on you wt. lose. Is there a way you can not go on the scale and go by your clothes. Don't beat yourself up and don't get on the scale. If you were at 185 right now and looked great what would you do?
    I know that your in a weird spot now, look at the bright side.
    God Bless
    Darlene:smile: PS your body needs to adjust to the large amount that you lost. Just relax and enjoy.

    Thank you so much for the kind words
  • digregorio84
    digregorio84 Posts: 27
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    BUMP:

    So it's been 3 months. I followed the advice here, upped my calories to maintain. I ended up gaining 13lbs (from 204-217). I didn't waver. I stuck with it and my weight leveled off at 217. So then i cut about 3-400 calories to start losing again. Nothing. Weeks and weeks...nothing! So instead of being stuck at 204 I was stuck at 217. More depressed than I was previously! I went back to about 13-1500 calories and lost the weight I gained. Now I am back at 204 and guess what? Stuck again. I'm ready to give up thinking my body just doesn't want me to be thin. I've lost 156 lbs since 2010 and only to still be fat and well short of my goal. Good grief.
  • digregorio84
    digregorio84 Posts: 27
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    bump
  • croooz
    croooz Posts: 48 Member
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    Quite frankly if you ate at maintenance and gained then what is calculated as maintenance is incorrect for you. Google "theory of fat availability" by Brad Pilon and look into the Adonis Golden ratio. Pilon's book "Eat Stop Eat" is also very good. It dispels a lot of dieting myths and encourages keeping your diet the same but merely adding two 24 hour fasts. Too many times those calculators are wrong. I know for my wife and myself they are way off. I tried and tried using those and listening to trainers and nutritionists and what always happened is I would get the blame for "not sticking to it." I believe that biochemically and physiologically being obese isn't taken into account by the calculators. We have plenty of fat to accomodate what others would consider ridiculously low caloreis. So I'm doing the things I recommended to you and I'm losing weight and enjoying the process...(I'm not as strict as I should be but I'm not caring as long as I lose the fat.)
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
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    I don't know your financial situation, but it might be a good investment to go get an actual BMR test done.
  • deevatude
    deevatude Posts: 322 Member
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    diet break is needed

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