plateau ( your longest )

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cmcmommy
cmcmommy Posts: 197 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Question , How long was your longest Plateau? I've been on a plateau since Nov 2012, I've tried upping my calories ( currently) and have lowered calories . I recently added weights to my workout . Last summer I was only walking daily burning around 300-400 calories a day. Now I burn an average of 500-800 a day. its so frustrating. Some people have told me to take a week off just no exercising and not tracking food but i'm so afraid of gaining. So how long did yours last & how did you get over it?

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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Question , How long was your longest Plateau? I've been on a plateau since Nov 2012, I've tried upping my calories ( currently) and have lowered calories . I recently added weights to my workout . Last summer I was only walking daily burning around 300-400 calories a day. Now I burn an average of 500-800 a day. its so frustrating. Some people have told me to take a week off just no exercising and not tracking food but i'm so afraid of gaining. So how long did yours last & how did you get over it?

    you are a LOT less likely to see scale movement when you add strength training. however you will see fat loss, so you should measure yourself as well as/instead of weighing.
  • nashai01
    nashai01 Posts: 536 Member
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    My weight has been the same since around Oct of 2012 but around that time is when I started to srength train. My body looks so much better but the scale is not changing it sometimes goes up, but I love the way my body is transforming. I said all of that to say this, Don't focus on the scale. I try not to let it bother me anymore.
  • angieroo2
    angieroo2 Posts: 973 Member
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    I've been at almost the exact same weight for the last 5 months. However, I lost an inch all around (i.e. at all of the places I measure) for my monthly measurement so I'm not stressing over it (much).

    The plateau started when I started strength training for me as well.
  • kimmcb
    kimmcb Posts: 2
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    I agree with the other comments, as muscle weighs so much more then fat, if you are using weights and building muscle then you probably won't see much movement on the scales. Just remember theat increased muscle mass burns more calories, so although your weight appears to be the same, your fat ratio will be falling in the right direction. I'm just reading Jillian Michaels book 'Master your metabolism' which is a real insight in to how your hormones can impact on weight loss, and how to balance them to make your metabolism burn fat more effectively.
  • DontStopB_Leakin
    DontStopB_Leakin Posts: 3,863 Member
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    Stayed at a plateau for over 2 years.

    Had another plateau that lasted 3 months.


    Once I wised up and started losing weight the *right* way, I busted through my first plateau with ease. I got through the second plateau by going on a "maintenance break." I continued to exercise, by I ate at maintenance (and ate back *all* of my exercise calories) for 10 days. I highly recommend this method. Sometimes, our body needs a break. You can even choose not to exercise during those ten days. It's up to you.
  • Lupercalia
    Lupercalia Posts: 1,857 Member
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    Um...muscle does NOT weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same amount--1 pound. However, muscle takes up less space than fat so you will be smaller with the pound of muscle vs. the pound of fat, which is what most of us here are trying to do. I honestly don't care what number my weight is, as long as I'm feeling and looking good and my body composition is where I want it to be.

    I guess I haven't really had a plateau. There have been weeks where the number on my scale hasn't changed, but it does eventually, and all that time I am building strength and losing fat. I don't weigh myself daily or even weekly anymore. Just whenever I feel like it.

    It's true that sometimes our bodies need a break. Going off your diet (eating at maintenance) and not exercising is a good idea, just to give your body a break and let it catch up to the weight loss.

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