Plateau

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chuisle
chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! So I have been weighing in the same for the last three weeks. I have been slightly less strict about my diet (though not very much so) and just last week switched up my workouts from 5x a week at the gym (cardio+stregnth) to 3x a week of hot yoga and 2x of strength (full body).

My question is this, my instinct is to be as stict as possible on cals this week (perhaps eat back less of my exercise cals) but I've also heard that sometime eating a little more might get my body out of this rut (remember: the last few weeks my overall cal intake has probably been slightly higher than preceeding weeks anyways, mostly due to exercise cals)

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  • Miss_Chievous_wechange
    Miss_Chievous_wechange Posts: 1,230 Member
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    I was at a standstill for a couple of months and upped my calories intake (from 1200 to 1550) and that worked for me. Best of luck to you.
  • Lilium
    Lilium Posts: 1 Member
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    It could be water retention due to the workouts or other things. Yes muscle weighs more but it is hard to suddenly put on pounds of muscle. Have you taken body measurements? The scale does not tell all.
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
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    If you share your diary, we can be more helpful.

    I've had better success at 1500 cal. than at 1200, doing workouts 3-4x a week instead of 5-6. It worked for me and I finally broke through the 160 plateau and got down to 159! :)

    Whatever you do, please eat back your exercise calories. It ensures your body has enough fuel to keep you functioning.
  • CakeFit21
    CakeFit21 Posts: 2,521 Member
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    I've always upped my cals to break a plateau. Even added a cheat meal. The thought being that my body needs to know that the cals will always be available and it doesn't need to hold on to anything. Of course people argue this, but it has worked for me and I am below my goal weight for about 4 months now. You must add more water when you do this though because usually when you add a "cheat" meal generally you add lots of sodium and you def don't want to hold on to water instead. That would suck :wink: Good luck!

    oh, yes! I always eat my exercise cals or at LEAST 50% of them.
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback all. My diary should be public now...

    So I am thinking I should increase my NET calorie intake? I usually eat all of/most of my exercise cals (and do 1200 without those).

    It just seems a little scary! This is will start my 11th week of MFP (and eating better and exercise more) and I've gotten used to eating less. Eating more is so counterintutive!

    PS I am not SUPER concerned about the weight. I do keep track of fat, and continue to feel better but I DO need to lose lbs of fat to get to my goals.
  • wmjrigo
    wmjrigo Posts: 69 Member
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    You might wanna look into calorie shifting. This has helped me break a plateau. Just recently I had to break a plateau and I realized I was not eating enough calories. So I just took a day and eat whatever and then jumped back on and upped my calories a bit and that has really worked for me. I'm very extreme so its hard for me to eat more calories, but it has worked. Good luck!

    http://www.ehow.com/how_4452835_shifting-plan-lose-weight-real.html
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
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    Just to make sure I understand this...I should up my NET calories t o1500 for the week and see how it goes?

    Makes me nervous, but I trust you all!
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
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    Just to make sure I understand this...I should up my NET calories t o1500 for the week and see how it goes?

    Makes me nervous, but I trust you all!

    No, 1500 per day.
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
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    But then I'm not eating back my exercise cals...I get 1500 cals on the days I exercise generally
  • greeksinger
    greeksinger Posts: 7
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    Looking over your food diary, these are my suggestions:

    -Try to limit processed foods as much as possible (they have lots of sodium and refined carbs, which are not as good for you as complex carbs, which you need for as much exercise as you're doing!)
    -Increase vegetable intake (maybe substitute for fruit)
    -Cardio workouts to help lose fat; strength training helps with muscle tone but remember, as your muscles repair, your body retains water to repair them.
    -Take your measurements! With all the exercise you're doing, you may be getting slimmer instead of losing major poundage. Sometimes, how your jeans fit is a better gauge of success.

    You are doing great! Celebrate your positive changes, and keep it up!

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