massive plateau - PLEASE HELP.

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2

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  • SKIMOBOB
    SKIMOBOB Posts: 5
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    Hi there.
    I can't shift my weight either. I've got half a stone to lose and it won't budge. I did two weeks of just vegetables and fruit and the occasional rice cake. Water, fruit tea and no alcohol. I exercised every day and didn't lose a pound. To say I was disheartened is an understatment. I was using protein shakes and the odd protein bar so wonder if that may have made a difference? Any ideas would be much appreciated. I can usually shift at least a couple of pounds a week and I should have on that amount of food.
  • SKIMOBOB
    SKIMOBOB Posts: 5
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    What is TDEE?
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    You are barely eating 1200 calories most days, and you are not eating all your exercise calories back.

    Unless you are 5ft tall and do absolutely nothing all day, you should up your calories. Either eat a suitable amount (at least your BMR PLUS ALL exercise calories) or do the TDEE minus 20% thing and don't eat your exercise calories.

    In addition, I dont see any running in your exercise for the last 2-3 weeks. If you are running, log it and eat the calories back.

    1200 calories is not enough. Recalculate your numbers. And aim to lose max half a pound a week.

    This!!! 1200 cal isn't enough for a mouse let alone for a healthy adult exercising.
  • wibutterflymagic
    wibutterflymagic Posts: 788 Member
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    What is TDEE?

    It' your total daily enery expenditure.....how many calories you burn after all is said and done with your activity.
    Go to this site and you can calculate your BMR(basal metabolic rate)...amount of calories you need just to survive and your tdee and it will give you your daily calories needed based on your activity level.

    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • agggie550
    agggie550 Posts: 281 Member
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    Lift Heavy weights, that's what you should be doing, hell that's what everyone should be doing (unless you have a legit medical reason not to).
  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
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    Search the topic in the forums "In the place of a roadmap" Also check out the eat more to weigh less group and be sure to read the stickies.
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,124 Member
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    OK - Went through this very same thing. I started at 181 - got to 153 then stopped. DON'T BE LIKE ME AND GIVE UP! I gained it all back!!

    Now.. to re-iterate what other people have said, up calories, do lifting... but it seems like you're eating lots of sodium packed foods... I don't see any veggies/fruits on there... and you don't log water... are you drinking your 8 glasses/day? You might be retaining water with all that sodium!

    FRUITS/VEGGIES! Good luck! :)
  • FATJAKE5
    FATJAKE5 Posts: 162
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    ^^^^^^^ and ditch all the processed food. Eat only fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meats instead. Salmon and skinless chicken are great on the barbecue or a "George Foreman Grill". cut your cooking time on the GF in half. I would also like to see how much Sodium your getting.
  • ze_hombre
    ze_hombre Posts: 377 Member
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    As others said, you should up your calories if you are running 4-5 times a week. I would also try running further to increase the distance (and therefore the calories burned). Just make sure and up your calories to compensate. I would also go for higher protein and fat in your food and reduce the carbs.

    I have basically been on a plateau since January. I recently started training for a half marathon so instead of running 3 miles 3-4 times a week I am now doing two 4 mile days and one 6 mile run (and the mileage increases over time). I am now losing weight again. I am pretty sure it was the added mileage to my runs that is what caused me to start losing again.
  • earthpagan87
    earthpagan87 Posts: 17
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    I also seem to have reached a plateau after 15lbs loss despite keeping within my allownace and exercising. Have you tried measuring yourself? I hadnt lost weight but had lost an inch from my neck/waist/hips after 3 weeks which has given me a boost. Still would like to keep losing though!
    Its always a very good Idea to re-calculate your BMR and your TDEE after a loss of 5lb. As you drop weight your body changes and so does your calorie intake

    Best of luck !

    what is this?
  • xx2ryhp
    xx2ryhp Posts: 9
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    hi, i have been successful logging my food and exercise consistantly but i plateu, be patient yet you may need to eat as little
    as possible.
  • kimheiman
    kimheiman Posts: 29 Member
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    I am at that very same plateau I started at 183 and I now weight 159 how weird is that. I've been stuck for about 6 weeks. I have changed up my healthy eat plan and exercise and we will see if that helps I think this to will pass and we will start losing again. I also measure and am losing inches. Good luck!
  • ChrystalDutton
    ChrystalDutton Posts: 84 Member
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    try adding more fiber and protein!
  • atb0821
    atb0821 Posts: 458 Member
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    hi, i have been successful logging my food and exercise consistantly but i plateu, be patient yet you may need to eat as little
    as possible.

    NO. Not unless you want to make your plateau worse and last longer.
  • kuntry_navy
    kuntry_navy Posts: 677 Member
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    try adding more fiber and protein!

    yup^
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    OK thanks for some advice – however in terms of food – I do eat a variance of foods but for breakfast, I would rather stick with my porridge with water, it’s the only thing low in sugar which keeps me full and every other cereal which I’ve tried (Weetabix) is still quite high in sugar. Sometimes I have protein and sometimes toast.

    I have been at 158 for about a month now….

    I measure too – I’ve lost inches without losing weight but its hard not to see weightloss too.

    I run 3-4 times a week except for this week as I’m in the process of moving house.

    I guess I need to ‘shock’ my body out of its routine.

    ok but what do you mean by plateu? how much were you losing ON AVERAGE weekly, and how many weeks have you gone without weightloss?
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    I am at that very same plateau I started at 183 and I now weight 159 how weird is that. I've been stuck for about 6 weeks. I have changed up my healthy eat plan and exercise and we will see if that helps I think this to will pass and we will start losing again. I also measure and am losing inches. Good luck!

    if your losing inches, i dont think you have hit a plateu...
  • Thinnyminime
    Thinnyminime Posts: 41 Member
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    Measure yourself. That could be what is happening. Switch up what you are doing. Trick your body into more work. Get up one hour earlier in the morning...this changes the time you are eating, switch the number of calories in each meal...heavier breakfast lighter supper, stairs instead of elevator, park car in the back of the parking lot. Turn on music when you are preparing meals doing chores and dance a bit. These subtle changes make a huge difference to your psychological view of the plateau and the best way to overcome a plateau is gently. Once you lose that first pound you can make a drastic change like fierce intensity in your workouts or drop your calories or fat intake.
  • kellyetaylorsmith
    kellyetaylorsmith Posts: 5 Member
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    Instead of focusing on "losing weight", why not focus on losing body fat? When the body fat is low, someone will look lean and toned, even if the number of the scale is not budging. My thought is that if you are losing inches, but the number on the scale is not moving, you may be doing just this and not necessarily plateauing. Building muscle will make you smaller, but because muscle is more dense than fat, it takes up less space. Think of it like a pound of feathers and a pound of meat. Takes a much greater quantity of feathers to equal the quantity of meat that weighs a pound. Focus on building muscle through lifting weight (or doing body weight exercises) and definitely up your calories. You should never go below 1200 calories without a doctor's supervision.

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