Help, I have plateaued and I have tried everything

missyleighRN82
missyleighRN82 Posts: 18
edited September 26 in Fitness and Exercise
I have lost 25 lbs since January. I am so greatful, have tons of energy, and feel great. However, I have started to plateau. I have tried eating the calories I have burned, changing up my diet, and adding high intensity exercise. Recently, I believe I started over training my body, and it caught up with me last week. I have injured both my knees. I took the weekend off from exercising and now the only thing I can do is the elliptical until they heal.
Is there any advice on things I can do to help overcome this plateau? I believe I still have 20-25 more lbs to go. Thanks

Replies

  • Mrz_Rich
    Mrz_Rich Posts: 90
    Bump...sorry I have minimal advice! I've plateaued also and want to see where this thread ends up! Good luck to you!!
  • Shawnalee0703
    Shawnalee0703 Posts: 1,093
    continue to take it easy for now and watch your diary closely. Avoid processed foods, if you are not doing so already and drink lots of water. I would not recommend cutting calories more, but eat the same or even a smidge more during your recovery then cut your calories back to your deficit... however much you have it set to, NOT less than 1200- no matter what.

    How long has your plateau been? In my weight loss I have had plateaus as long as months... if it is just a couple weeks I wouldn't stress just yet.
    Eat clean and move as much as you can without injury. Once you can hit the workouts again... try early AM cardio on an empty stomach... then eat.
    Or have you tries circuit training? Interval training? Just a few suggestions... :-D

    Keep the food fresh and the blood pumpin. Good luck hun and I hope you feel better!!!!
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    I just came off a plateau. (I won't post my loss until I've been at my new weight 3 days in a row)

    oddly enough I went out Saturday and went over my target by 500+ calories.

    I've heard people talking about *zig zagging* calories. I'm not sure how or why it works, but it seems to work for me.

    I seem to naturally do 2-4 days at or near my target then a day that's +200-300 cal.

    Also now that I've gotten closer to my goal I've gone to lose 1/2 lb/week.

    A friend of mine recently said that if you've lost more than 10% of you start weight you should maintain for a month or so. Then repeat everytime you lose another 10%. I haven't verified the validity of this, but it some how makes sense to me, because I did read a study that said the slower you lose the more likely you are to keep it off.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Here are a couple of threads that might help. Good luck with it!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20343-how-i-have-avoided-plateauing-length-warning

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/117726-eating-exercise-cals-slowing-your-weight-loss-read-this

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits
  • Azuleelan
    Azuleelan Posts: 218
    There can be many causes for this but one that occurs to me in your case is: there's a moment when you have a lot less fat for your body to get into. At the same time you are gaining muscle mass. Muscle weighs more than fat. If you are losing inches, this whole thing should not be an issue.
    As you don't have open your diary, I'm curious how many times you eat a day (5 small meals should speed up your metabolism), also try not eating back all your exercise calories. If you give your body all it wants in food, it will never go into its fat reserves, especially now that you have less of those. Just don't eat less than your baseline allows...
  • cupcakecarnivore
    cupcakecarnivore Posts: 267
    Definitely try "zig zagging" your calories:) It helped me get through my plateau. This is the calculator I used:
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
  • farmgirl88
    farmgirl88 Posts: 91 Member
    Have you tried a detox? I know several people have had great success by cutting sugar out of their diet and by trying to eat food as minimally processed at possible. I've been amazed to see how much salt, sugar, and fat are pumped into things... even things I thought were healthy! Yes, even my expensive organic tomato soup has had an obscene amount of ADDED sugar and salt in it!!! I'm doing the Clean & Lean 14-day detox to bust through my plateau.

    Good luck!
  • horizonsp
    horizonsp Posts: 134 Member
    I just read an article by Jillian Michaels which I am copying. hope it will help

    Have a Weight Loss Plateau? Let Me Help
    By Jillian Michaels


    There is nothing more discouraging than stepping on the scale after a week of diligent dieting and grueling workouts and not seeing any drop in the number. The plateau is a common problem among dieters and can typically be waited out, but there are measures you can take to keep your metabolism fired up even as you reduce your caloric intake.

    The best way to break a plateau is to keep your salt intake below 2,000 milligrams a day and drink lots of water. Make sure you're not eating any processed carbs, period. That's right — no chips, sugar, white flour, and so on. And hit the gym hard! The boost in exercise will make your body swell and hold fluids for a few days, but after a week you should see the benefits on the scale.

    You can also try playing around with your caloric intake a bit, varying it from day to day throughout the week while keeping the same weekly total. The body can't slow its metabolism to adjust to a reduced caloric intake if the intake isn't fixed from one day to the next. For instance, to bust my plateau, I might have 1,200 calories on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then eat 1,500 calories on Tuesday, 1,600 on Thursday, 1,400 on Saturday, and 1,700 on Sunday. Get it?

    The plateau effect can sometimes simply be a matter of flagging resolve. If mixing up your caloric intake just isn't working, make sure you're not slipping up on your diet or slacking off in your workouts. I'm serious; it happens.

    As with any program, there will be highs and lows, but stay with it. Your body is trying to adjust to the weight loss. Don't get scared or discouraged. Just be patient and know that you are worth it!

    link to this article - http://www.everydayhealth.com/have-a-weight-loss-plateau-let-me-help.aspx?xid=nl_LosingItWithJillianMichaels_20110408
  • droppin_lbs
    droppin_lbs Posts: 107 Member
    Bump - I've hit a plat that I can't break since Jan :(
  • Strokerjk
    Strokerjk Posts: 1
    I would recommend intervals with your cardio. very high intensity for short bursts of time. make sure you are getting enough protein, and maybe try some new stuff cardio wise.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    Definitely try "zig zagging" your calories:) It helped me get through my plateau. This is the calculator I used:
    http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

    thanks!
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