major plateau

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shellbak
shellbak Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok when I started this weight loss journey...I was eating better with smaller portions and exercising 30 minutes a day 2 to 3 times a week for 12 weeks. I lost weight, at least one pound a week which made me really happy! I took two weeks off, where I didn't eat the best and didn't have a chance to exercise and gained 3 pounds. So I started again 6 weeks ago and have been really good about my calorie intake and I have been doing the insanity workout 6 days a week for 40 mins a day and also walking 45 minutes in the morning at least 3 to 4 times a week. For the last six weeks I have worked my butt off harder than ever and have gained .4 pounds. I know my body is changing and muscle weighs more than fat, but I still have 12 pounds I want to lose, so what can I do? I have been trying to be patient as it has been 6 weeks, but come on nothing has come off yet and I am getting very frustrated. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • deannarey13
    deannarey13 Posts: 452
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    As crazy as you may think this sounds, I have found it to be true. If you are using the calorie suggestions on MFP you may be eating too LITTLE. This site suggests that I eat 1200 calories to lose a pound per week and I only started losing when I changed my settings and started eating MORE. If your body views your caloric intake as too little, it is actually storing rather than burning. Also, if I could view your diary I may be able to give you more insight not that I am an expert by any means but I may see something that would help you.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
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    shelbak, I gotta tell ya, I plateaued for 7 weeks in Dec and Jan of this year..........Ok, the scale stopped moving ,but I could tell my pants were getting bigger and bigger..........Trust me, dont have that scale as your baramotor for weight loss..........

    Get a very , very tight fitting blouse or pair of pants.......put em on, if you have to squeeze and pull them up, like putting a balloon over a watermelon, then do it

    then , and again, this is how I lost weight, try em on in 3 weeks................................Seee.................

    Im not kidding, I did this for one year, I had pants still in my closet from 34 in the waist to 52...................

    Im now wearing 34s, and the scale just started to move again............after almost 2 months.........

    You can lose inches and not pounds, I know what Im talking about, it happened to me.......................

    Just because your scale isnt moving doesnt mean you arent losing weight. Youre getting healthy as well as losing inches elesewhere............trust me, just keep trying on tight fitting clothes regularly and you ll see what I m talking about........this is what helped me understand weight loss, its not the numbers, its the amount of inches as well............Best wishes
    Lloyd
  • vanadia
    vanadia Posts: 18 Member
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    I'd say you're definitely gaining muscle mass. I know you want the weight loss, but maybe also start taking your body measurements. Hopefully you'll see some improvement there.
  • RochelleBlack
    RochelleBlack Posts: 66
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    Make sure you adjust your settings, as when you lose weight, you have a lower caloric need. but also, it could be that eating too FEW calories might be contributing! I can't see your diary but those would be the first two things I'd tinker with...

    :blushing:
  • Confidentqueen
    Confidentqueen Posts: 1
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    I was on a 7 month plateau. I know it sounds crazy but it is true. It wasn't until I did exactly what "deannarey13" said, I started eating more. I realized I was buring 600-1000 calories a day and only intaking 1200 total that was putting my body in something, I forgot what they call it but a trainer told me to increase my calorie intake and I will loose and my first lost after 7 months was 7-lbs. I haven't been on the scale since, only because I am using inches and other things to tell that I am loosing weight. The scale discourages me so I made a vow to get on it once a month!!
  • shellbak
    shellbak Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks for the comments and all the help! I have up'd my calorie intake from food as MFP told me to do 1200 calories a day in order to lose 1.5 pounds a week. I did my BMR and that says I should be eating 1324 a day. Plus all the exercising I am doing, I burn a ton of calories, yesterday alone I burned over 1000 calories, so I guess I am supposed to make up for that in food as well? So according to MFP and in order to lose weight I am supposed to get my daily calories remaining to zero, no positive or negative numbers? Is that correct? I'm so confused!
  • wingchunrick
    wingchunrick Posts: 267 Member
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    Your body could be going into "starvation mode" if you're not eating enough. If you're still worried, try getting some body fat calipers to measure your body fat %. I'm sure that you've actually gained lean muscle but if you have, you need to feed it by eating little and often. Hope that helps.
    Rick
  • mindypie
    mindypie Posts: 6 Member
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    I am having the exact same problem. When I was just dieting I lost much more weight than when I started exercising. I'm very frustrated. I don't think I could eat any more than I do. I'd like to know the same answer as you. Do I have to eat my exercise calories? That doesn't make sense. You have to burn 3500 calories to lose a pound so how would you ever lose if you eat your daily calories and exercise calories too?

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