Plateau Advice?

ammataylor
ammataylor Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! I am becoming a little frustrated with my process and am reaching out for some advice on why I can't seem to lose the weight & inches I want. I started my new diet and exercise routine on May 12 at 136.4 lbs. I have been doing the Focus T25 work out (so 5-6 times a week) with a 1200 calorie goal, and I also eat a low carb,low sugar, high protein diet. I lost about 5 lbs in the first 10 days, but ever since I haven't been able to budge past 131.4, exactly. And my inches are pretty much stuck as well. It had been about a month now that I haven't seen much change at all. I might just be being impatient, but if anyone knows what I could do to get things going again it would really be great. Also, the rest of my info is:
5'2"
22 yrs old
Starting Weight:136.4
Current Weight: 131.4
Goal Weight: apprx. 115

Replies

  • danfeldman494
    danfeldman494 Posts: 18 Member
    Hey there,

    based on your height and weight, you have a BMI of 24, which indicates that you are at a healthy weight.

    That being said, I understand that you still may want to lose excess fat.

    For people who do not have very much weight to lose (such as yourself) eating less and doing more cardio is probably a BAD idea. As you lose weight and get lighter, you will naturally tend to burn less calories as your metabolic rate slows down. Hence the "plateau" effect that many people experience.

    I STRONGLY suggest that you engage in some sort of strength training. I suggest exercises such as pull-ups (or lat pulldowns on a machine), tricep dips, pushups, squats, lunges, etc. These exercises target many muscles at once.

    Muscle mass will literally burn more calories just by sitting on your body, and muscle tissue also competes with fat tissue for glucose. Which means that building muscle will help prevent you from storing body fat and it will help to increase your metabolic rate.

    And, unless you take steroids, you will NOT end up looking bulky from lifting weights. It will make you look more toned and do wonders for your body's ability to burn fat.

    Strength training is an often overlooked way to lose bodyfat and get lean - especially for women.

    Hope this helped!!

    Good luck!
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
    Have you been tracking body fat %? I've been on a 3-month long "plateau" where my weight has not budged. However, my body fat % has dropped from 9.5% to 7.7% in that time. Things that are easy to miss can still be happening. You may need to be eating more. Try bumping up to 1400 cal/day for a week and see how your body reacts. What are your macros set to?

    Allan
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,031 Member
    20lbs to lose on a small frame? It's gonna take time since you have little to lose. Figure you lose .5lbs a week and need to lose 20lbs that's 40 weeks. Come back then if your results are still the same.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ammataylor
    ammataylor Posts: 7
    Hm, good point. Thank you! I have been trying different macros, I'm not sure what's really the most beneficial. Do you have a suggestion?
  • Arleigh7
    Arleigh7 Posts: 150 Member
    I hit a plateau a bit over 2 months ago and started working with a new trainer. he had me change EVERYTHING I was doing. Our bodies adapt to the exercise and food we do so everything becomes less effective overtime.

    He had me cut way back on my exercise as I was going in 1 to 2x a day to do cardio and lifting and he felt that my body was in a constant state of being tired which can cause it to produce excess cortisol. He also changed my lifting and cardio and made everything shorter in terms of time of exercise but increased the intensity so I was pushing harder but for a shorter time.

    For the diet he increased my calories but spread them out and pushed me to weigh everything and eat as clean as possible. Especialy staying away for any processed foods.

    Net net is I'm down 20 lbs in about 8 weeks and getting close to my goal weight. I've asked him if we are gong to change up what I'm doing now and he said of course! But when my weight loss either greatly slows or completely stalls out.

    So this worked great for me and might be something for you to consider. All the best!
  • anngroschup
    anngroschup Posts: 11 Member
    All 3 of those guys are right!! ^^^ I have also been on a plateau and was super frustrated. I workout 5 days a week, cardio and strength, was eating 1200 cal and still getting nowhere on the scale or inches (or body fat %) I popped in and talked to a trainer and she told me that since I am basically doing the same routines everyday (which I have a feeling you may be doing also if you're using the same set of videos) then my body is used to it so I need to change it up. I also added back some calories, up to 1500. Lost 2lbs the 1st week of making those 2 changes! Hopefully you can find whatever it is that is holding you back and adjust it some! Good luck!!
  • abbyblackcft
    abbyblackcft Posts: 23
    Your calories are too low. Are you eating dairy? Are you drinking soda? Are you drinking enough water? Are you eating "non-fat" foods full of preservatives and artificial flavors?

    Let us know.
  • ammataylor
    ammataylor Posts: 7
    Oh god! Haha. Okay well I guess I just need to be patient. It's just frustrating that I did the same diet, no exercise, last year and lost 15lbs in 3 months. And very quickly at first. But of course I gained it all back even faster, so this time I am going for healthy and fit, rather than just skinny. Thanks!
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    Are you weighing and measuring all of your food? It's very common to underestimate intake and overestimate burns.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    Also read the following:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • ammataylor
    ammataylor Posts: 7
    I eat cheese, occasional diet soda. About 10-12 glasses of water/day. Most of my food is just home cooked meat and veggies.
  • ammataylor
    ammataylor Posts: 7
    I do measure my food, and I pretty much only log a fraction of my workouts (for ex,
    I log my T25 but don't eat extra calories for work, walking, and work outs outside of the DVDs.)
  • ammataylor
    ammataylor Posts: 7
    Oh wow thanks! I am also constantly exhausted, as I also just started working an on-my-feet kind of job, plus work outs, plus low cal, plus low carb. I am definitely going to have to make a new plan.
  • ammataylor
    ammataylor Posts: 7
    I totally agree, I know I need to be weight training but I haven't look at it quite that way. Thanks for the advice!

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