I'm 5'4, 150 lbs SUPER frustrated with my plateau!

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nyochum1
nyochum1 Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone! I've been on MFP for a while now, but never on forums. I started MFP at 182 lbs at 5'3 and 3/4. Everyone makes fun of me for saying that but I'm not 5'3 and I'm not 5'4 so yeah. Anyway, It's taken me a long year to lose the 33 lbs, but I always hit plateaus every 5 lbs lost or so. I'll be honest, I was super skinny at the beginning of high school (as are a lot of young people) weighing 115 lbs as a freshman and graduating at 135. I graduated in 2004. By 2011, I got married and got up to 182, and realized how fat I was and wouldn't go out of the house without crying and trying on every outfit in my closet to see what looked best only to be disgusted with myself. Honesstly, it is so hard to be the once skinny girl her whole life to the "curvy" over weight girl. I've always had a big butt and things. Anyone out there have any suggestions on how to get "over the hump" so to speak? MFP tells me to eat 1200 calories, I do, and lose nothing. Just stuck at 150 for almost 2 months! Honestly I only work out 2 times per week for a half hour doing daily burn's "MOVE!" dance exercises which KICK MY BUTT. Anyone have success with walking? I have tried C25k so many times and can't get past week 3 ever. I feel like even after 33 lbs I still don't look much different. I'd like to add some progress pictures but don't know how... :blushing:
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  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
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    I am 150, well right now I'm 153-154 because eating 1600 calories a day has made me gain. I was eating 1200 and doing cardio and a little lifting forever and lost very slowly, then stopped losing entirely. It is extremely frustrating. So I decided to eat more and lift even heavier. I think my body just adapted to what I was doing and stopped losing. I could do cardio for hours and not lose weight. I think you should change up your routine, start lifting weights, and take a look at the road map (just search "in place of a road map" to see what you should be eating.)

    Also, I am doing C25k and love it. It's increased my endurance so much. Give it another try, if you have to repeat weeks that's okay! I'm only on week 4 session 3 myself.
  • mayamagallanes
    mayamagallanes Posts: 85 Member
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    try swimming!! if you arnt eating enough then this will make you hungry! Dont be afraid to eat more then 1200 calories!! I recently started and its really fun! My goal is my senior weight in high school (5 years ago) of 155lbs size 3/5. Good luck!!!
  • nyochum1
    nyochum1 Posts: 26 Member
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    Do you think I need to increase my calorie intake or just keep on with the 1200. Some days I do fall under the 1200. Some days it's just plain difficult to track eating at other people's houses like family but I do my best to esitmate with similar searches. What is a road map? As far as C25K goes, I live surrounded by hills, so I have to drive about 20 minutes to get to a flat park which I was doing regularly in spring and stopped when it got very hot out. I'm a big baby with the heat and cold when it comes to running.:sad: If I walk around the neighborhood I get a good leg workout going up and down very steep hills. Running and building endurance is just a SUPER sloooooow process for me. I ran the color run back in July and it was pathetic lol.
  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
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    Do you have a gym you could go to? C25k is so much easier on a treadmill.
  • em3120
    em3120 Posts: 154 Member
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    When I first started MFP, it also calculated 1200 for me. I lost weight for about a month and then nothing. So I upped my calories a bit and bam! I started losing again! I am now up to netting 1500 calories a day and am very close to my goal as I am 5'4" 122 lbs with my goal being 115 or 19% BF, whichever comes first. I think you should try netting 1400. So say you exercise and burn 200 calories, then you would need to eat 1600 calories in order to net the 1400. It started my weight loss again! It may seem scary to eat more when you aren't losing weight eating only 1200, but try it for a couple of weeks! I gained 1 pound when I started but then lost 3 the following week! I also highly recommend Jillian Michael's 30 day shred program. I lost a total of 5 inches off my body the first time I did it! Definitely start taking progress pics! Do you take measurements? Measurements are incredibly important because sometimes you might not be losing pounds, but losing inches! Feel free to add me as a friend. :)
  • nyochum1
    nyochum1 Posts: 26 Member
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    I am a member of Planet Fitness, so that's a good place to do cardio but not a lot of weight lifting. I agree running on a treadmill is much easier. I guess I just felt like I was cheating doing that. lol
  • Carebear_14
    Carebear_14 Posts: 1 Member
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    Try looking at your carb/protein intake. Simply lowering your carbs under 100g per day and raising protein to 100+g could help get you over that hurdle, even without much exercise.
  • nyochum1
    nyochum1 Posts: 26 Member
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    Do you always eat back you calories? I have read all kinds of different opinions on this. I just feel like if I do there isn't enough of a deficit at the end of the week.
  • luckyduck768
    luckyduck768 Posts: 40 Member
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    I'm also 5'4", and at a 150 lb plateau! I'm currently trying to do Jillian Michael's 30 day shred: on day 3. Feel free to add me as a friend, and we can try to work through it!
  • janeite1990
    janeite1990 Posts: 694 Member
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    Did you say in your OP that you do cardio 2x a week for 30 minutes. If so, you were probably doing good to lose what you have already. Up that cardio and add weight. I can't lose without doing cardio at least 6x a week, and some of those need to be long than 30. It might help motivation to set your goal minutes for cardio. I like to set that and then try to exceed my goal. You've done a great job getting where you are, but if you want to go lower, you'll need to move a lot!
  • em3120
    em3120 Posts: 154 Member
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    Do you always eat back you calories? I have read all kinds of different opinions on this. I just feel like if I do there isn't enough of a deficit at the end of the week.

    What did you select your activity level as? I personally set my level as sedentary and then add any exercise I do. If you already have it set as active, there is no need to eat back those calories as MFP has already included them in your daily total.
  • nyochum1
    nyochum1 Posts: 26 Member
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    I have mine set as sedentary, which besides my 30 minutes of exercise 2-3 times a week, it is sedentary except when I work with kids 2 days a week.
  • shauna3666
    shauna3666 Posts: 7
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    try to never eat below 1200, it puts your body in starvation mode.

    eat 1200-1400 a day and try to get in some cardio 3 or 4 times a week and light lifting.

    I use a kettle bell for 15 minutes 3 times a week and it makes a huge difference!
  • nyochum1
    nyochum1 Posts: 26 Member
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    try to never eat below 1200, it puts your body in starvation mode.

    eat 1200-1400 a day and try to get in some cardio 3 or 4 times a week and light lifting.

    I use a kettle bell for 15 minutes 3 times a week and it makes a huge difference!

    I would LOVE to try kettle bells, but Planet Fitness only offers VERY BASIC equipment. It is definitely sufficient, but no kettle bells. Did you buy yours or use them at the gym?
  • shauna3666
    shauna3666 Posts: 7
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    I got it on amazon for $20 :)
  • nyochum1
    nyochum1 Posts: 26 Member
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    Wow! I'll have to look into that. What size kettle bells did you get?
  • fightininggirl
    fightininggirl Posts: 792 Member
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    I am 5"4 inches tall. I went from 250 pounds down to 186. working my way down. I would up your activity to active. sedentary is someone who doesn't work out or do anything. you sound really active on the working out. they say when you are at a plateau to step up your work out and activity level.
  • katy_trail
    katy_trail Posts: 1,992 Member
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    try strong lifts 3x5 or 5x5 program, super fast 30 mins, maybe less and you're done.

    or plyo. have you ever tried it ?
  • Slaci_Jo
    Slaci_Jo Posts: 69 Member
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    Nyochum your story sounds EXACTLY like mine, minus losing 33 pounds so far. When I graduated high school in 2004 I weighed 98 lbs. Now I am 162. For my wedding 2 years ago i had gotten down to 133, but since being married I gained everything back. We are the same height too!
  • DinahCakes
    DinahCakes Posts: 61 Member
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    I've had a similar walk to yours weight-wise. I will say more movement helps me get to the other side. I know u say u hv tried your c25k numerous times--I would counter that with when I was a vegetarian many, many times I attempted being a vegan. I failed easily 5 or 6 times. Then one day I didn't fail. And one day turned into two years, and now I can't even imagine living any other way. If u ask smokers did they quit the first time they tried, they would say no. It was the 8th time, the 30th time, the 35th time. Maybe those other times you tried wasn't really your last time. Maybe this next time is the try that becomes a DO, not a TRY. You won't know unless try again.

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