Plateau after starting exercise program!

loribethrice
loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, all the weight that I have lost so far was strictly from counting calories. Back in July I decided to start working out, so I have been going to the gym 5 days a week ever since and using the rower (I started out at 30 minutes and am now up to 43) and if someone is on the rower I use the recumbent bike for 45 minutes and then do the rower after for 10 minutes. Ever since I started exercising I haven't lost anything! I have been completely stuck. It is driving me insane because I weigh myself once a week and I am not budging at all. I'm starting to get to the point where I am thinking that maybe I should have just stuck to counting calories instead of adding in a work out. I wanted to exercise in hopes that all my lose skin would tighten up and that my stomach would flatten out.

I am 5'9.
SW: 204lbs
CW: 158lbs
GW: 140lbs

Replies

  • OllyJ_79
    OllyJ_79 Posts: 126 Member
    Are you eating back the exercise calories? Its likely that the numbers are too high if so, which is putting you at maintenance.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Ok first you are doing a crapton of cardio. And that can sometimes cause your body to start storing extra energy reserves in your muscles. This can mask quite a lot of weight loss.

    Second cardio will NOT help you with loose skin much. In fact it will probably result in more weight loss that will make the problem worse. If you want to tighten loose skin i suggest you start lifting some weights =)

    And just in case you ask no you will not get "bulky" not unless you take steroids.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    Are you eating back the exercise calories? Its likely that the numbers are too high if so, which is putting you at maintenance.

    No. I only eat back about 65 of them.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    Ok first you are doing a crapton of cardio. And that can sometimes cause your body to start storing extra energy reserves in your muscles. This can mask quite a lot of weight loss.

    Second cardio will NOT help you with loose skin much. In fact it will probably result in more weight loss that will make the problem worse. If you want to tighten loose skin i suggest you start lifting some weights =)

    And just in case you ask no you will not get "bulky" not unless you take steroids.

    The rower says it's supposed to be good for cardio and for strength, but I also try to do the assisted pull up machine after. I have dysautonomia, so usually once I'm done with cardio I'm pretty spent.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    Are you eating back the exercise calories? Its likely that the numbers are too high if so, which is putting you at maintenance.

    I also never changed my stuff on here. I left it at sedentary and 1lb a week, so I only do 1400 calories a day plus the 65 I eat back after exercise.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    a Plateau is usually 4-6 weeks...and new exercise causes water retention which masks weight loss...but if you are sure of your intake (weighing solids, measuring liquids, choosing correct entries and logging everything) then don't worry, you will get a woosh...

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html


    Rowing is not strength training it would be considered resistence training but it is cardio.
  • RHachicho
    RHachicho Posts: 1,115 Member
    Ok first you are doing a crapton of cardio. And that can sometimes cause your body to start storing extra energy reserves in your muscles. This can mask quite a lot of weight loss.

    Second cardio will NOT help you with loose skin much. In fact it will probably result in more weight loss that will make the problem worse. If you want to tighten loose skin i suggest you start lifting some weights =)

    And just in case you ask no you will not get "bulky" not unless you take steroids.

    The rower says it's supposed to be good for cardio and for strength, but I also try to do the assisted pull up machine after. I have dysautonomia, so usually once I'm done with cardio I'm pretty spent.

    The rower really wont help that much with strength. True it puts more resistance on the muscles than most cardio. But it's still cardio. Also yeah you don't do cardio before strength training. You do strength training first when your muscles are still fresh. After a 5 minute or so warm up. Trust me strength training may make your muscles ache and feel tired a bit at first. But it won't wipe you out for cardio. When you lift weights you are using a rather different energy system to cardiovascular activity. Trust me when I say lift weights for half an hour THEN hit the cardio machines.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    a Plateau is usually 4-6 weeks...and new exercise causes water retention which masks weight loss...but if you are sure of your intake (weighing solids, measuring liquids, choosing correct entries and logging everything) then don't worry, you will get a woosh...

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html


    Rowing is not strength training it would be considered resistence training but it is cardio.

    I haven't changed a thing in my diet since I started the exercise regime. Same as when I wasn't exercising at all. So, I know it's not that. I don't even like eating back the 65 calories I do after exercising because I don't want to gain any weight, but I figure I should since I am eating 1400 a day before exercise.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    Ok first you are doing a crapton of cardio. And that can sometimes cause your body to start storing extra energy reserves in your muscles. This can mask quite a lot of weight loss.

    Second cardio will NOT help you with loose skin much. In fact it will probably result in more weight loss that will make the problem worse. If you want to tighten loose skin i suggest you start lifting some weights =)

    And just in case you ask no you will not get "bulky" not unless you take steroids.

    The rower says it's supposed to be good for cardio and for strength, but I also try to do the assisted pull up machine after. I have dysautonomia, so usually once I'm done with cardio I'm pretty spent.

    The rower really wont help that much with strength. True it puts more resistance on the muscles than most cardio. But it's still cardio. Also yeah you don't do cardio before strength training. You do strength training first when your muscles are still fresh. After a 5 minute or so warm up. Trust me strength training may make your muscles ache and feel tired a bit at first. But it won't wipe you out for cardio. When you lift weights you are using a rather different energy system to cardiovascular activity. Trust me when I say lift weights for half an hour THEN hit the cardio machines.

    It's rough because my dysautonomia makes me black out when I'm exercising if I'm not careful. I can't do anything standing like elliptical or treadmill and I used the rower at cardiac rehab, so I figured it was safest. I am just getting frustrated because I am far into the "normal" BMI range and I at one point was doing hundreds of crunches and then hundreds of sit ups a day and my stomach still won't change. I feel as fat as I did before I lost any weight and I'm going crazy.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    a Plateau is usually 4-6 weeks...and new exercise causes water retention which masks weight loss...but if you are sure of your intake (weighing solids, measuring liquids, choosing correct entries and logging everything) then don't worry, you will get a woosh...

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html


    Rowing is not strength training it would be considered resistence training but it is cardio.

    I haven't changed a thing in my diet since I started the exercise regime. Same as when I wasn't exercising at all. So, I know it's not that. I don't even like eating back the 65 calories I do after exercising because I don't want to gain any weight, but I figure I should since I am eating 1400 a day before exercise.

    Then it's the water retention...it's simple..new exercise can cause your muscles to retain water for up to 4 weeks...maybe longer if you aren't consistent with your water intake...

    Eating back exercise calories or at least some of them is important for your exercise.

    I have use this analogy before...

    Your car has a full tank of gas...you drive it to poiint A and it takes 3/4 tank...you need more gas to get back so you put in 1/2 tank...you are back up to 3/4 tank so you know you can get back...but now the car is on empty...in order to drive it farther you need to put more gas in it...that is what eating exercise calories back is like...fuel for your next workout and you need to eat at least 50% back and tweek as necessary depending on energy levels before/during/after working out.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    a Plateau is usually 4-6 weeks...and new exercise causes water retention which masks weight loss...but if you are sure of your intake (weighing solids, measuring liquids, choosing correct entries and logging everything) then don't worry, you will get a woosh...

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html


    Rowing is not strength training it would be considered resistence training but it is cardio.

    I haven't changed a thing in my diet since I started the exercise regime. Same as when I wasn't exercising at all. So, I know it's not that. I don't even like eating back the 65 calories I do after exercising because I don't want to gain any weight, but I figure I should since I am eating 1400 a day before exercise.

    Then it's the water retention...it's simple..new exercise can cause your muscles to retain water for up to 4 weeks...maybe longer if you aren't consistent with your water intake...

    Eating back exercise calories or at least some of them is important for your exercise.

    I have use this analogy before...

    Your car has a full tank of gas...you drive it to poiint A and it takes 3/4 tank...you need more gas to get back so you put in 1/2 tank...you are back up to 3/4 tank so you know you can get back...but now the car is on empty...in order to drive it farther you need to put more gas in it...that is what eating exercise calories back is like...fuel for your next workout and you need to eat at least 50% back and tweek as necessary depending on energy levels before/during/after working out.

    I drink around 4 litres of water a day, every day. I'm constantly thirsty (part of my lovely dysautonomia) so water is the only thing I do drink. Hopefully then this plateau will crap out next week and I'll at least lose a bit! I think next week will be week 5 since I started exercising.

    Thanks for the food advice also! :)
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
    The more you exercise, the hungrier you get, the more you eat. Infrequent, short intensive exercise is the best in losing weight and getting fit.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    The more you exercise, the hungrier you get, the more you eat. Infrequent, short intensive exercise is the best in losing weight and getting fit.

    I honestly don't eat any more than I normally would. I have extreme restraint when it comes to food because I truly hate it. I can only do seated exercises which is why I stick to the rower and the recumbent bike. My autonomic nervous system dysfunction makes me have bad tachycardia, shortness of breath, and black outs which seems to freak people out around me.
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    If you make your diary public, people may be able to give you some targeted responses.

    In my mind, you're eating too little, but I don't know what you weigh, how tall you are, etc. but I know that if I'm doing 45 minutes of pretty intense cardio, I'd be needing to eat back more than 65 calories to keep my NET calories even remotely close to my BMR.

    If you don't know what BMR and TDEE are, that's a great place to start. BMR is basically what you would burn if you were in a coma. I'm 5'6ish, 170ish lbs, and my BMR is 1620 -- so that's the amount of calories NET I need to eat to give my body the proper nutrition to function. TDEE is basically your BMR plus any activity you do, this website tries to calculate a rough TDEE for you, but since yours is set to seditary, but you're actually working out 5 days a week, you need to be eating back at least some of those exercise calories so that you're hitting your BMR.

    When you eat below your BMR, you aren't just losing fat, but lean muscle mass as well. And over time, it puts significant stress on your internal organs and can lower your metabolism so that when you get to maintenence you'll actually have to eat less than you would have if you'd done your weight loss in a healthy manner, meeting your BMR.

    I know eating more seems counter-intuitive when you're losing weight, but if you aren't giving your body what it needs, you aren't doing this in a sustainable manner and in two years you'll be back on this website starting all over again, back at your original weight. Do things that are sustainable; if you can plan to work out 4-5 days a week for the rest of your life, continue doing that. If that's less than realistic, get to a point that is.

    I wish you all the luck in the world, and feel free to send me a friend request if you'd like some support, we can all use a little more right? Congrats on your weight loss thus far and I hope you'll be able to hit your goal :)
  • coachfeliciad
    coachfeliciad Posts: 54 Member
    So, all the weight that I have lost so far was strictly from counting calories. Back in July I decided to start working out, so I have been going to the gym 5 days a week ever since and using the rower (I started out at 30 minutes and am now up to 43) and if someone is on the rower I use the recumbent bike for 45 minutes and then do the rower after for 10 minutes. Ever since I started exercising I haven't lost anything! I have been completely stuck. It is driving me insane because I weigh myself once a week and I am not budging at all. I'm starting to get to the point where I am thinking that maybe I should have just stuck to counting calories instead of adding in a work out. I wanted to exercise in hopes that all my lose skin would tighten up and that my stomach would flatten out.

    I am 5'9.
    SW: 204lbs
    CW: 158lbs
    GW: 140lbs

    How many calories a day are you eating? Are you eating enough? Are you eating at a good deficit? Also I saw where you said you haven't changed your active status from sedentary. If you're doing that much cardio/exercise you are no longer sedentary. You're at least active. This will have an impact on your day to day. You also need to incorporate some strength/resistance training. This will not bulk you up. It will build muscle but it will be lean muscle and muscle burns fat. Even if you don't like the idea of weights just do body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, etc). Stomach, unfortunately, is the last to go. You can't spot train although that would be great. But the stomach has the most layers of fat and until you get closer to your ideal body fat % you won't see abs or that flat/cut stomach you're wanting. But you're on the right track weight loss wise. You only have 18 lbs to go which is awesome! One reason you could be plateauing is that your body has probably adjusted to what you're doing. It's not surprised anymore. It's not being challenged anymore. I workout the same way everyday for 4 weeks and then I change it for 1 week and i just do this back to back. This keeps my body guessing. And as long as it's guessing it's not learning and catching on. I hope this helps!!
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    So, all the weight that I have lost so far was strictly from counting calories. Back in July I decided to start working out, so I have been going to the gym 5 days a week ever since and using the rower (I started out at 30 minutes and am now up to 43) and if someone is on the rower I use the recumbent bike for 45 minutes and then do the rower after for 10 minutes. Ever since I started exercising I haven't lost anything! I have been completely stuck. It is driving me insane because I weigh myself once a week and I am not budging at all. I'm starting to get to the point where I am thinking that maybe I should have just stuck to counting calories instead of adding in a work out. I wanted to exercise in hopes that all my lose skin would tighten up and that my stomach would flatten out.

    I am 5'9.
    SW: 204lbs
    CW: 158lbs
    GW: 140lbs

    How many calories a day are you eating? Are you eating enough? Are you eating at a good deficit? Also I saw where you said you haven't changed your active status from sedentary. If you're doing that much cardio/exercise you are no longer sedentary. You're at least active. This will have an impact on your day to day. You also need to incorporate some strength/resistance training. This will not bulk you up. It will build muscle but it will be lean muscle and muscle burns fat. Even if you don't like the idea of weights just do body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, etc). Stomach, unfortunately, is the last to go. You can't spot train although that would be great. But the stomach has the most layers of fat and until you get closer to your ideal body fat % you won't see abs or that flat/cut stomach you're wanting. But you're on the right track weight loss wise. You only have 18 lbs to go which is awesome! One reason you could be plateauing is that your body has probably adjusted to what you're doing. It's not surprised anymore. It's not being challenged anymore. I workout the same way everyday for 4 weeks and then I change it for 1 week and i just do this back to back. This keeps my body guessing. And as long as it's guessing it's not learning and catching on. I hope this helps!!

    I eat between 1355-1400 calories a day. I am afraid to change it from sedentary to something else because I am super afraid of gaining weight back. I'm not afraid of resistance/strength training, I just have issues doing it because of autonomic nervous system dysfunction. I don't like blacking out at the gym. Everyone panics and then I feel like an idiot! I definitely eat at a deficit. When I come home from the gym I have an extra 65 calorie snack just so I'm not too low calorie wise and then I go to bed since I work out after working 11p-7a. I was at first just doing rowing and then I added in random recumbent bike + rowing to switch it up a bit. I am pretty limited since I can only do seated exercises, so maybe I'll add in a day of weights.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    So, all the weight that I have lost so far was strictly from counting calories. Back in July I decided to start working out, so I have been going to the gym 5 days a week ever since and using the rower (I started out at 30 minutes and am now up to 43) and if someone is on the rower I use the recumbent bike for 45 minutes and then do the rower after for 10 minutes. Ever since I started exercising I haven't lost anything! I have been completely stuck. It is driving me insane because I weigh myself once a week and I am not budging at all. I'm starting to get to the point where I am thinking that maybe I should have just stuck to counting calories instead of adding in a work out. I wanted to exercise in hopes that all my lose skin would tighten up and that my stomach would flatten out.

    I am 5'9.
    SW: 204lbs
    CW: 158lbs
    GW: 140lbs

    How many calories a day are you eating? Are you eating enough? Are you eating at a good deficit? Also I saw where you said you haven't changed your active status from sedentary. If you're doing that much cardio/exercise you are no longer sedentary. You're at least active. This will have an impact on your day to day.

    You also need to incorporate some strength/resistance training. This will not bulk you up. It will build muscle but it will be lean muscle and muscle burns fat. Even if you don't like the idea of weights just do body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, etc). Stomach, unfortunately, is the last to go.

    You can't spot train although that would be great. But the stomach has the most layers of fat and until you get closer to your ideal body fat % you won't see abs or that flat/cut stomach you're wanting. But you're on the right track weight loss wise. You only have 18 lbs to go which is awesome!

    One reason you could be plateauing is that your body has probably adjusted to what you're doing. It's not surprised anymore. It's not being challenged anymore. I workout the same way everyday for 4 weeks and then I change it for 1 week and i just do this back to back. This keeps my body guessing. And as long as it's guessing it's not learning and catching on. I hope this helps!!

    All the bolded parts are incorrect.

    1. You do not put active in your status unless you are active pre exercise. MFP is designed for you to log your exercise and the deficit given is pre exercise to lose the weight you want.

    2. Strength training is important but chances are unless you are quite over weight or very new to lifting you will not build any muscle at a deficit...and even a new lifter will only see a minimal amount of muscle gain.

    3. This is not a plateau.

    4. You don't have to change up your exercise to "trick" your body. Exercise is exercise and your body doesn't "get tricked"

    As I said...it is water retention and glycogen stores most likely from the New exercise...give it some time.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    So, all the weight that I have lost so far was strictly from counting calories. Back in July I decided to start working out, so I have been going to the gym 5 days a week ever since and using the rower (I started out at 30 minutes and am now up to 43) and if someone is on the rower I use the recumbent bike for 45 minutes and then do the rower after for 10 minutes. Ever since I started exercising I haven't lost anything! I have been completely stuck. It is driving me insane because I weigh myself once a week and I am not budging at all. I'm starting to get to the point where I am thinking that maybe I should have just stuck to counting calories instead of adding in a work out. I wanted to exercise in hopes that all my lose skin would tighten up and that my stomach would flatten out.

    I am 5'9.
    SW: 204lbs
    CW: 158lbs
    GW: 140lbs

    How many calories a day are you eating? Are you eating enough? Are you eating at a good deficit? Also I saw where you said you haven't changed your active status from sedentary. If you're doing that much cardio/exercise you are no longer sedentary. You're at least active. This will have an impact on your day to day.

    You also need to incorporate some strength/resistance training. This will not bulk you up. It will build muscle but it will be lean muscle and muscle burns fat. Even if you don't like the idea of weights just do body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, etc). Stomach, unfortunately, is the last to go.

    You can't spot train although that would be great. But the stomach has the most layers of fat and until you get closer to your ideal body fat % you won't see abs or that flat/cut stomach you're wanting. But you're on the right track weight loss wise. You only have 18 lbs to go which is awesome!

    One reason you could be plateauing is that your body has probably adjusted to what you're doing. It's not surprised anymore. It's not being challenged anymore. I workout the same way everyday for 4 weeks and then I change it for 1 week and i just do this back to back. This keeps my body guessing. And as long as it's guessing it's not learning and catching on. I hope this helps!!

    All the bolded parts are incorrect.

    1. You do not put active in your status unless you are active pre exercise. MFP is designed for you to log your exercise and the deficit given is pre exercise to lose the weight you want.

    2. Strength training is important but chances are unless you are quite over weight or very new to lifting you will not build any muscle at a deficit...and even a new lifter will only see a minimal amount of muscle gain.

    3. This is not a plateau.

    4. You don't have to change up your exercise to "trick" your body. Exercise is exercise and your body doesn't "get tricked"

    As I said...it is water retention and glycogen stores most likely from the New exercise...give it some time.

    I'm so hoping you're right! Before my chronic illness got bad in 2011 I used to work out 5 days a week doing weights and cardio and it was a great combo for me. Then I ended up not being able to work out for a year and a half until I went to cardiac rehab and finally this past month I have been able to work out as long as I make sure to drink water and not kill myself. I guess I am just frustrated because I really thought that by now, even without exercise, I would have lost all the weight I need to because it has been 9 months and at 2lbs a week I figured I would have only had maybe 4-8lbs left to lose. My BMI is good now, but I still feel overweight and gross because of how my body still looks.
  • 365andstillalive
    365andstillalive Posts: 663 Member
    So, all the weight that I have lost so far was strictly from counting calories. Back in July I decided to start working out, so I have been going to the gym 5 days a week ever since and using the rower (I started out at 30 minutes and am now up to 43) and if someone is on the rower I use the recumbent bike for 45 minutes and then do the rower after for 10 minutes. Ever since I started exercising I haven't lost anything! I have been completely stuck. It is driving me insane because I weigh myself once a week and I am not budging at all. I'm starting to get to the point where I am thinking that maybe I should have just stuck to counting calories instead of adding in a work out. I wanted to exercise in hopes that all my lose skin would tighten up and that my stomach would flatten out.

    I am 5'9.
    SW: 204lbs
    CW: 158lbs
    GW: 140lbs

    How many calories a day are you eating? Are you eating enough? Are you eating at a good deficit? Also I saw where you said you haven't changed your active status from sedentary. If you're doing that much cardio/exercise you are no longer sedentary. You're at least active. This will have an impact on your day to day.

    You also need to incorporate some strength/resistance training. This will not bulk you up. It will build muscle but it will be lean muscle and muscle burns fat. Even if you don't like the idea of weights just do body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, etc). Stomach, unfortunately, is the last to go.

    You can't spot train although that would be great. But the stomach has the most layers of fat and until you get closer to your ideal body fat % you won't see abs or that flat/cut stomach you're wanting. But you're on the right track weight loss wise. You only have 18 lbs to go which is awesome!

    One reason you could be plateauing is that your body has probably adjusted to what you're doing. It's not surprised anymore. It's not being challenged anymore. I workout the same way everyday for 4 weeks and then I change it for 1 week and i just do this back to back. This keeps my body guessing. And as long as it's guessing it's not learning and catching on. I hope this helps!!

    All the bolded parts are incorrect.

    1. You do not put active in your status unless you are active pre exercise. MFP is designed for you to log your exercise and the deficit given is pre exercise to lose the weight you want.

    2. Strength training is important but chances are unless you are quite over weight or very new to lifting you will not build any muscle at a deficit...and even a new lifter will only see a minimal amount of muscle gain.

    3. This is not a plateau.

    4. You don't have to change up your exercise to "trick" your body. Exercise is exercise and your body doesn't "get tricked"

    As I said...it is water retention and glycogen stores most likely from the New exercise...give it some time.

    I'm so hoping you're right! Before my chronic illness got bad in 2011 I used to work out 5 days a week doing weights and cardio and it was a great combo for me. Then I ended up not being able to work out for a year and a half until I went to cardiac rehab and finally this past month I have been able to work out as long as I make sure to drink water and not kill myself. I guess I am just frustrated because I really thought that by now, even without exercise, I would have lost all the weight I need to because it has been 9 months and at 2lbs a week I figured I would have only had maybe 4-8lbs left to lose. My BMI is good now, but I still feel overweight and gross because of how my body still looks.

    2lbs a week is not realistic at your current weight, especially if you're already in a healthy range for your body. Most people who only have less than 20lbs to lose, have to lose about 1/2 to 1/4lb a week. So that's 1-2lbs a month. Is it slow? Definetly. But eating at a deficit to lose 2lbs a week means you're losing lean muscle like crazy instead of fat, which will make your body composition worse, not better.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    So, all the weight that I have lost so far was strictly from counting calories. Back in July I decided to start working out, so I have been going to the gym 5 days a week ever since and using the rower (I started out at 30 minutes and am now up to 43) and if someone is on the rower I use the recumbent bike for 45 minutes and then do the rower after for 10 minutes. Ever since I started exercising I haven't lost anything! I have been completely stuck. It is driving me insane because I weigh myself once a week and I am not budging at all. I'm starting to get to the point where I am thinking that maybe I should have just stuck to counting calories instead of adding in a work out. I wanted to exercise in hopes that all my lose skin would tighten up and that my stomach would flatten out.

    I am 5'9.
    SW: 204lbs
    CW: 158lbs
    GW: 140lbs

    How many calories a day are you eating? Are you eating enough? Are you eating at a good deficit? Also I saw where you said you haven't changed your active status from sedentary. If you're doing that much cardio/exercise you are no longer sedentary. You're at least active. This will have an impact on your day to day.

    You also need to incorporate some strength/resistance training. This will not bulk you up. It will build muscle but it will be lean muscle and muscle burns fat. Even if you don't like the idea of weights just do body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, squats, lunges, etc). Stomach, unfortunately, is the last to go.

    You can't spot train although that would be great. But the stomach has the most layers of fat and until you get closer to your ideal body fat % you won't see abs or that flat/cut stomach you're wanting. But you're on the right track weight loss wise. You only have 18 lbs to go which is awesome!

    One reason you could be plateauing is that your body has probably adjusted to what you're doing. It's not surprised anymore. It's not being challenged anymore. I workout the same way everyday for 4 weeks and then I change it for 1 week and i just do this back to back. This keeps my body guessing. And as long as it's guessing it's not learning and catching on. I hope this helps!!

    All the bolded parts are incorrect.

    1. You do not put active in your status unless you are active pre exercise. MFP is designed for you to log your exercise and the deficit given is pre exercise to lose the weight you want.

    2. Strength training is important but chances are unless you are quite over weight or very new to lifting you will not build any muscle at a deficit...and even a new lifter will only see a minimal amount of muscle gain.

    3. This is not a plateau.

    4. You don't have to change up your exercise to "trick" your body. Exercise is exercise and your body doesn't "get tricked"

    As I said...it is water retention and glycogen stores most likely from the New exercise...give it some time.

    I'm so hoping you're right! Before my chronic illness got bad in 2011 I used to work out 5 days a week doing weights and cardio and it was a great combo for me. Then I ended up not being able to work out for a year and a half until I went to cardiac rehab and finally this past month I have been able to work out as long as I make sure to drink water and not kill myself. I guess I am just frustrated because I really thought that by now, even without exercise, I would have lost all the weight I need to because it has been 9 months and at 2lbs a week I figured I would have only had maybe 4-8lbs left to lose. My BMI is good now, but I still feel overweight and gross because of how my body still looks.

    2lbs a week is not realistic at your current weight, especially if you're already in a healthy range for your body. Most people who only have less than 20lbs to lose, have to lose about 1/2 to 1/4lb a week. So that's 1-2lbs a month. Is it slow? Definetly. But eating at a deficit to lose 2lbs a week means you're losing lean muscle like crazy instead of fat, which will make your body composition worse, not better.

    I didn't realize that. I'll lower it to a 1/2lb a week. Thank you! :)

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