I am STUCK!!!!!!

kbeatty1015
kbeatty1015 Posts: 56 Member
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
I have done well consistently losing weight for the past two months. I hit a plateau about three weeks ago and my weight will not budge! Honestly, I was not eating as many calories as I should for many weeks and this week I decided to hit as close to my 1200 as possible. I have been exercising about 400-700 calories a day and my scale hasn't moved past 150.8 this week (with 149.4 being my previous low). I'm not sure if I should take a break from exercising (maybe I am "over-exercising") for a week and just watch calories or what.... Help!!!!

Replies

  • jaylyn2004
    jaylyn2004 Posts: 8 Member
    either change up your exercise routine or drop your calorie intake.
  • carpar1
    carpar1 Posts: 211 Member
    Sounds like you need to eat more then 1200 calories if you are burning 400-700 calories a day.
  • jarredondo
    jarredondo Posts: 284 Member
    Before you take a break try mixing things up. Try different workouts and different thins to eat.
  • jenniferg83
    jenniferg83 Posts: 278 Member
    i wouldnt lower you cal intake, sounds like it's low to begin with. i think if anything just change up the foods or the types of exersice and go "balls to the wall" (as my husband calls it) and push harder with workouts and maybe less often
  • cody0505
    cody0505 Posts: 1
    Have you tried shifting the way you diet? For instance trying to watch carb's, protein and calories. I had a similar issue and when i started keeping my carbs as close to 50g/per day as possible along with increasing protein and keeping my calories in check I was able to break through my plateau. Good luck and keep at it!
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    when you up your calorie increase (as is often necessary the closer you get to yout goal weight) it can take a couple of weeks for your body to recognize it is getting enough fuel for your metabolism to work efficiently again... you may need give it time..i know i definitely used to struggle with eating my full 1200, but once i managed to do so, all of a sudden i started seeing more weight dropping.

    soon time for me to get serious about adding more exercise now i think. so will mean more adjustments for me as i end up taking in yet more calories. but.. is a good feeling to know we are doing it the right way huh? *S*
  • larsbeachgirl
    larsbeachgirl Posts: 39
    Sometimes 'plateau' is muscle building - don't forget it weighs more than fat.... but muscle is our friend :wink: :smile: and if plateau is around for too long then as everyone says you probably need to change things up a bit - give yourself a kickstart :smile:
  • jennyb31
    jennyb31 Posts: 166 Member
    I have had the exact same problem at the exact same weight and I always increased my calories and it worked for me. Also changing your exercise helps too. Either increase your intensity, or increase your weight when lifting. Just something to change things up a bit.
  • sweetsarahj
    sweetsarahj Posts: 701 Member
    either change up your exercise routine or drop your calorie intake.

    Yah---- NO. You need to eat more, not less. 1200 is the absolute minimum. Your body is storing everything because you're not giving it enough fuel.
  • jonathandavid_t
    jonathandavid_t Posts: 107 Member
    If your calculated calorie intake for sensible weight loss is 1200kcal/day, and you're exercising around 500kcal/day, you need to be eating a TOTAL of around 1700kcal/day to prevent your body slowly reducing its metabolic rate to compensate for you effectively starving it.

    Your body is probably recognizing the lack of nutrients and calories and switching to maximally-efficient energy use and production and therefore conserving as much body mass as possible as it's probably switched into a self-preservation mode.
  • suemar74
    suemar74 Posts: 447 Member
    I agree with carpar...I think you need to eat more. I know it's a scary concept when you're trying to lose weight, and it goes against everything we *think* we know about weight loss, but I really think that's what is missing in your routine.

    Best of luck on breaking through your plateau!
  • Sonofabiscuit2
    Sonofabiscuit2 Posts: 323 Member
    At the end of the day you need to be at 1200 calories, that means you burn 100 add 100 to your intake. This is what they mean when they say eat your exercise calories. That being said the website does overestimate calorie burn from exercise, using a heart rate monitor will help with input of the correct caloric burn. Also a pound of fat is equal to a pound of muscle is equal to a pound ff feathers. It's the amount of space they take up that differs.
  • gupton11
    gupton11 Posts: 80
    I love how everyone thinks 1200 calories is the de facto standard for everyone no matter their body type. I've read studies that suggest you can go as low as 800 calories a day for up to 8 weeks without entering the so called starvation mode.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/81391-starvation-mode-myths-and-science

    There are lots of things that can be causing your plateau. The human body adapts and you may need to mix up things a bit... Aslo since you are only a couple of months in you are probably seeing some muscle growth it usually takes a little while to kick in, I hear people say all the time muscle weighs more than fat. This is not true... A pound of muscle is a pound of muscle, and a pound of fat is a pound of fat. Muscle is just much more dense.

    You can try eating a little more, or a little less. Or it could be when you eat, try to make sure you're working out on an empty stomach and don't eat for a while afterwords (I wait 2 hours) or else you're negating all that hard work you just did. I use intermittent 24 hours water only fast 1-2 times a week, it allows your liver time to catch up and lowers the insulin levels in your blood which is a necessary part of your body turning fat into energy. Studies show that as long as you use resistance training and you have fat to burn you will not loose muscle mass in brief periods of fasting(up to 72 hours). I actually have super boost of energy when in a fasted state because it actually naturally boost your HGH levels and you burn fat which is obviously is turned in to fuel for your body.
  • gupton11
    gupton11 Posts: 80
    Also don't forget if you have say a BMR of 1500 calories burned per day in a rested state. Then you burn roughly 62 calories an hour doing nothing. You need to subtract that from your calories burned when exercising. I usually try to over estimate calories in by 10% and understatement calories out by 10% the labels on your food are just averages and are not necessarily accurate.
  • nyctraveler
    nyctraveler Posts: 305 Member
    Bump
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
    I love how everyone thinks 1200 calories is the de facto standard for everyone no matter their body type. I've read studies that suggest you can go as low as 800 calories a day for up to 8 weeks without entering the so called starvation mode.

    This is corrent, but it should be done under a doctor's care, to carefully monitor one's health.
  • gupton11
    gupton11 Posts: 80
    I love how everyone thinks 1200 calories is the de facto standard for everyone no matter their body type. I've read studies that suggest you can go as low as 800 calories a day for up to 8 weeks without entering the so called starvation mode.

    This is corrent, but it should be done under a doctor's care, to carefully monitor one's health.

    Doctors? What the heck do they know??? Just kidding... This is true of any exercise, or diet program.... Especially if you are in terrible shape to begin with. I won't argue, 800 calories a day is pretty drastic and most people won't have the discipline to 1. not binge, 2. go back to eating more than their BMR after their goal is reached just to gain the weight back.
  • Sonofabiscuit2
    Sonofabiscuit2 Posts: 323 Member
    While gupton11 is correct that 1200 calories is not the de facto number it is likely the correct number, but as stated you should consult a physician before taking on a 800 cal diet. 1200 -500= 700 maybe my math is wrong
  • dragonflytwt
    dragonflytwt Posts: 49 Member
    I am in the same boat! For me the scale goes up then down and then down and up. If you find anything that works for you, let me know!
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