Fail question ??

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rrichichi
rrichichi Posts: 11 Member
in Motivation and Support
2 years ago I started this same diet trying to lose 2 lbs per week - well all was good for about 3 months as I dropped 25 lbs. (255 to 230) but then for the next 4 weeks I didn't lose anything although still following the same diet, but was recalculated for the weight loss. Needless to say I got discouraged and went off the diet completely.

Well guess what I gained back all that I lost and 20 lbs. more. I weighed 275 when I started 5 weeks ago. I have since lost 16 lbs. down to 259 but I'm afraid I will reach that same plateau in a month or two and stop losing the weight. I have some health issues but I can walk a few miles per day 15-20 min. mile.

Any thoughts or suggestions for this 61 yr old male who is just plain tired of being fat. I was 173 back 10 years ago when I quit smoking and since then the pounds have slowly been added on. I want/need to get back to that 173 weight!!!

Replies

  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
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    Just don't stop.

    Easier said than done, I know.

    I've been in the same situation where I'd plateau after a few months, fall off track and gain it all (plus more) back. Expect it, and push through it. This time around I used plateau's as practice for maintenance. As long as you keep logging and stay within calorie allowance it WILL come off.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,971 Member
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    Yeah, you really just have to stick with it.

    Loss plateaus happen to lots of people.

    It usually means you need to make some changes to your "plan" whether that is adding more exercise, eating a bit more or a bit less, or really buckling down on your food choices,

    You need to consistently log your food and stay within your calorie goals.
  • coral_b
    coral_b Posts: 264 Member
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    After you drop the initial weight do you re-calculate your needed calorie intake? You could be eating more than you body needs after the weight loss, so slowing down your over all loss? Hope that makes sense. (For example, your BMR at 250 is more than your BMR at 230) x
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
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    I hit a plateau at some point when i was losing and i read somewhere that your body will eventually get used to what you are doing then eventually begin to lose again. I had to change up my workout routine, I ate fatty meals to kind of shock my body but eventually i went back to losing again. It might take a month or two on the plateau but dont give up and dont constantly look at the scale. Eventually your body will know and go back to losing again.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    Just don't stop.

    Easier said than done, I know.

    I've been in the same situation where I'd plateau after a few months, fall off track and gain it all (plus more) back. Expect it, and push through it. This time around I used plateau's as practice for maintenance. As long as you keep logging and stay within calorie allowance it WILL come off.

    ^This
  • Runs4Wine
    Runs4Wine Posts: 416 Member
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    Someone once told me this - I'm not sure if it's scientifically true but it seems pretty accurate for me:

    Your body has a bit of "memory" to it. If you think back when you were in your "weight gaining mode" did you sit at a particular number longer than others? If so as you start to lose you will "plateau" at or around the same number.

    Keep doing what you're doing, change things up a bit (measure foods, add new/different exercises, etc) and you will eventually break the plateau.
  • dbanks80
    dbanks80 Posts: 3,685 Member
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    This is a good article

    http://www.thatsfit.com/2010/07/27/5-ways-to-get-off-a-weight-loss-plateau/

    Surprisingly, there's little research on weight loss plateaus. Not surprisingly, there's plenty of advice about how to get past one. Let me offer you five methods I think are worth considering. Try them all separately, in some combination or all at once, and see what works for you.

    Method 1 – Calorie confusion. Your body is smart, but easily confused. It quickly realizes when you're giving it, say, 1,800 calories a day but is thrown off kilter when you alter your calorie intake from day to day. Many dieters purport that upping calorie intake by 300 calories for two days, dipping below that threshold for two days and continuing that cycle for several weeks will keep your body guessing and jolt it back into the fat-melting business.

    Method 2 – Split workouts. Exercise does not cause a permanent uptick in metabolism, but it does cause a temporary increase each time you hit the treadmill or weight room, especially if you don't just go through the motions. Working out several times a day (two to three short, quick, intense workouts lasting anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes) not only burns the same number of calories as if you did it all at once but presumably delivers several periods of metabolic "after-burn," during which the body continues to burn calories at a higher rate even after you have stopped exercising. So instead of one after-burn period, you now have several and should theoretically burn slightly more calories.

    How many more? It's hard to say. It may not add up to more than 20 to 30 calories over the course of a 24-hour period, but in the weight loss game, little changes can potentially mean a lot. They might be the few extra calories that tip the scales in your favor.

    Method 3 – Change your exercise routine. In any way. If you run, cycle. If you ellipticize, walk. If you swim, dry yourself off, change your clothes and hit a step class. This is based on the same principle as calorie confusion, which is that any change is good and will get the body's fat-burning gears revved up and moving once again. One change I've found especially helpful is to emphasize strength training for a while, especially if you've recently slacked off in that area. Strength training, particularly at a high intensity, will give you a greater after-burn. Though, as with split workouts, it's unlikely to provide much in the way of permanent metabolic effect, those temporary turbo boosts may add up to some real body composition changes.

    Method 4 – Fidget. If exercise and diet aren't doing it for you, aim to burn several 100 more calories throughout the day through lifestyle activities. Many people who are dedicated exercisers and watch what they eat sit at a desk all day without so much as shifting in their chairs (as I mentioned in a recent post, the average American now spends more than half the day sitting). Even if you just commit to standing for several hours a day, the calorie burn could add up. Sitting at your desk burns about 80 calories an hour, whereas standing burns about 115. Over the course of the day, that's an opportunity to expend about 175 calories. Multiply that out for an entire year, and that's 64,000 calories you didn't burn, or 18 pounds you either gained or didn't lose.
  • TwelveSticks
    TwelveSticks Posts: 288 Member
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    Keep up the walking - it'll do you all sorts of good. The rest is simple really - if you consistently eat less (over a week) than you burn, you will lose weight. Maybe not every week, but the overall trend will be downwards. The only caveat I would add to this is that if you eat TOO LITTLE, you may also not lose weight, because your system believes it is being starved (it is right!) and shuts down your metabolism to suit - i.e. you burn much fewer calories than usual, so return to the burn less than you eat situation and don't lose weight.

    So... the trick is to find the level that you need to eat in order to lose and stick to it. If your weight loss slows for more than a couple of weeks, adjust the amount you eat. If you were eating the right amount to start with, as long as you haven't started exercising more, this will almost certainly mean you will eat less and less as time goes on.

    My own formula for success was this: Set MFP to tell me what to eat in order to lose 2 lb a week, assuming I was completely sedentary. Eat that, PLUS eat 2/3rds of all my exercise calories (for a long time all I did was walk). I also set a cap on exercise eat-back calories at a maximum of 500 per day.

    I should add that the last 75 lbs were lost while following the 5:2 (fasting) lifestyle, but that just added to my calorie deficit and thus weight loss. Without the 2 fast days a week, I would still expect to lose up to 1 lb a week by following the 'rules' I mentioned above.
  • rrichichi
    rrichichi Posts: 11 Member
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    Wow what a great group. I was taken back by the quick responses as well as all the encouragement & ideas. I will certainly heed your advice and push through or change it up if I hit any plateaus this time around. Thanks for the sound advice!!
  • rrichichi
    rrichichi Posts: 11 Member
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    5:2 Diet I am not familiar with it except for the basic understanding of it. Eat normal for 5 days, fast on the other 2 days - Would you care to expound on this particular diet - I would love to hear your first hand knowledge.

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