This plateau is driving me nuts.

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2

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  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Eat more!! Bump up your calories, bring down your carbs and sugar a little, get a lot of good fats... if you're over exercising - stop.
    Why would she bring down carbs and sugar?

    OP, as most people said, you need to up your calories. Check out all the links provided, and get a plan that is totally tailored to you. And remember it does take awhile for results to show, so be as consistent as you can.
    Continue weighing and measuring everything and it will come!

    Also, once the weight starts to come off, remember to redo your plan every 10lbs so that it's very accurate to your current stats!

    Good luck!
  • hamburgerbetty
    hamburgerbetty Posts: 8 Member
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    Protein Protein Protein. Kick the Carbs aside for the next few weeks (you're not going to get sick or loose energy). No Booze, sugar, pasta or bread. Have a small portion of veggies once a day. Shock your body. You may not see it, but you are still losing. The same thing happened to me. I stopped losing for months and months until I went on Atkins and it moved things along. It's not forever. It will just shock your body and move things along. I also noticed that my body is repositioning the fat. Once it readjusts, it lingers there for a few weeks and then BOOM! It drops off. Our bodies are so strange. Also note: you will not lose just water weight. Eventually you ill start to burn off the excess, stubborn fat.
  • mbcaldwell123
    mbcaldwell123 Posts: 79 Member
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    Weights will help. Add more weights to your program. Careful of overdoing the cardio. Keep your muscle. You will need the calories. Keep the body guessing. Change up your program every week. Do not get stuck in rut doing the same routines. The body quickly adapts.



    This!!!!!!
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    edited November 2014
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    Protein Protein Protein. Kick the Carbs aside for the next few weeks (you're not going to get sick or loose energy). No Booze, sugar, pasta or bread. Have a small portion of veggies once a day. Shock your body. You may not see it, but you are still losing. The same thing happened to me. I stopped losing for months and months until I went on Atkins and it moved things along. It's not forever. It will just shock your body and move things along. I also noticed that my body is repositioning the fat. Once it readjusts, it lingers there for a few weeks and then BOOM! It drops off. Our bodies are so strange. Also note: you will not lose just water weight. Eventually you ill start to burn off the excess, stubborn fat.
    LOL, no.


    OP, don't listen to this guy. There is no reason to cut anything from your diet (unless you have a medical condition).

    Weight loss comes from calories in vs. calories out, that's it.
  • jessiemjporter
    jessiemjporter Posts: 174 Member
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    eldamiano wrote: »
    eldamiano wrote: »
    News... it isnt a 'plateau'. It is you. You aren't losing weight because you arent eating at a calorie deficit, not because of some magical plateau.

    I don't appreciate the snark. I clearly stated in the OP I have lowered my calories again because I am maintaining at where I am at. I understand what a calorie deficit is. Hence me attempting to create one.

    Not wrong though am I?

    I stated that fact in my original post. You repeated what I said.

    hey sweetie, ignore this person, trust me they are full of useless information.
    I started a Thread and they kept saying, im eating too much (when im clearly eating less than recommended) either way!
    Im stuck on a plateau too for 5 months too.. im heavier than you though, i have decided to go back and do what i first did when losing weight, within this first 3 days i have lost 0.5lb. i feel good thinking even doing what i use is going to work for me again (walking 4x a week for 1 hour).
    Maybe look at what you changed 5 months ago and perhaps try just doing what you did at the beginning of weight loss to change it up a bit :smiley:

    Good Luck xx
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDE weights will totally help!!!!!!!!! i was stuck in the same exact rut and thank god i branched out lolol GOOD LUCK! i hope you keep sharing updates!
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    jkwolly wrote: »
    Weight loss comes from calories in vs. calories out, that's it.


    this is the golden rule for weightloss.

    thankfully, it is not the rule for lowering your bodyfat%!

    tumblr_lxuyrspehO1rn95k2o1_400.gif



  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
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    Plateau?

    9. The Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau…

    Were you previously losing weight, but then it just stopped? If so, you’ve hit the dreaded weight loss plateau and that can only mean one thing: you’re still eating too many calories. Let me explain…

    A weight loss plateau is what happens when the caloric deficit you successfully created has ceased to exist. There’s a few reasons for why this happens and why it’s so common, but it would honestly take its own article to fully explain (don’t worry, it’s on my to-do list).

    But the gist of it is simple… calories in vs calories out still remains true, it’s just that your specific numbers in that equation have changed as a result of the weight loss you’ve already experienced.

    This is partially because being in a deficit causes your metabolic rate to slow down a bit over time (a process known as “adaptive thermogenesis”), but it’s mostly just because you’ve already lost weight… so the calorie intake that worked when you were 250lbs doesn’t work the same now that you’re 200lbs.

    And this is all just another way of saying that you’re eating too many calories for your new current weight and the required caloric deficit no longer exists. Eat a little less (or burn a little more) and you’ll magically break that plateau.

    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/blog/why-am-i-not-losing-weight/
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
    edited November 2014
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    People are saying to up your calories, which always sounds counter intuitive. It helps when someone explained a little better to me what they really meant. Its not just about eating more.

    You need a deficit of 500 calories to lose one pound a week. That does not matter if you are eating 1200 and buring 1700, or eating 2000 and burning 2500. Both have a deficit of 500 calories and will generally cause you to lose about a pound a week. BUT - eating 2000 calories you will be MUCH happier in general, it will be much easier to stick to long term, and you will have the ENERGY to do the work needed to burn 2500 calories. Remember FOOD=CALORIES=ENERGY.

    My trainer had my slowly increase my calories about 100 at a time, every few weeks. I use a fitbit for my "burn" number (underestimated as it doesnt include weight lifting, but good for an estimate). I noticed that every time I bumped up my calories in eating, my activity almost naturally increase 100-200 calories on average a day. Basically I was bopping all over the place - not just working out a little harder (FUEL!) but walking faster all day long, squirming if I had to sit too long etc.

    So increasing my calories caused me to (both deliberately and unconsciously) increase my activitys/calories burned. And eating more meant I had more energy and better mood. Win all the way around.

    Your goal should be to eat the most you can, while still losing weight. Most people concentrate way too hard on lowering their calories eaten to make the deficit, but just additional movements, a few short walks, etc can increase the calories out enough that you can eat more in general. And of course building muscle will let you eat more as well Less noticable at first but after a year of weight training, you could be able to eat 200 more calories a day - random guess - while not changing much else about your activity. A 125 pound woman with 100 pounds of muscle can eat more than a 125 pound woman with 90 pounds of muscle and keep her weight the same. I want to be that person :)

    Dont just increase calories and change nothing else. Start weight training, and resolve to be more "active" all day - if you have a desk job, set a timer to get up and walk 5 min per hour. Every time you go to the bathroom, take the long way. Walk your dog 5 minutes longer. Do pushups every time you go to the bathroom. Do squats while cooking dinner. Fidget in your seat. DANCE around the house with music blaring while you clean. Its fun, and pretty easy, especially if you get to eat more and have enough energy you dont want to stop!

    Oh, and just my observation, but my tends to let go of weight easier when I maintain my 500 calorie deficit at the high end rather than the low end. I.e. I lose weight more easily when I eat 2000 and burn 2500 rather than eating 1200 and burning 1700. Completely anecdotal of course, but I dont stall as much, and I have much more control.

    Also, starting at a higher number like this, you have somewhere to go if you do plateau. If you get "stuck" lower your calories by 100 every few weeks - once it starts moving again, keep it there, and eventually move back up. If you start at the bottom, there really is no where to go when you get stuck.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    Protein Protein Protein. Kick the Carbs aside for the next few weeks (you're not going to get sick or loose energy). No Booze, sugar, pasta or bread. Have a small portion of veggies once a day. Shock your body. You may not see it, but you are still losing. The same thing happened to me. I stopped losing for months and months until I went on Atkins and it moved things along. It's not forever. It will just shock your body and move things along. I also noticed that my body is repositioning the fat. Once it readjusts, it lingers there for a few weeks and then BOOM! It drops off. Our bodies are so strange. Also note: you will not lose just water weight. Eventually you ill start to burn off the excess, stubborn fat.

    I'm really not into cutting out entire food groups from my diet, or going low/no carb.
  • AllTheNoms
    AllTheNoms Posts: 135 Member
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    Hi chica, I'm not here to drop knowledge (based on your daily logging it always seems like you are doing what you 'should' be doing) but wanted to chime in to let you know I'm thinking positive thoughts for you and am here for you whenever you need a rant.

    For what it's worth, I do think that the lifting program will help. In the last 6 weeks since I started lifting I have only lost 5 lbs but have seen much more movement in my measurements and am happier at my current weight than I have ever been at this weight before.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    Lifting, definitely. make those muscles work for you. your increased deficit is a good idea too. you're on the right track, just stick with it!
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    If your photos are recent I think you look really, really good.

    I hear that the closer someone gets to goal weight, the harder the pounds come off? But then I'm seeing that there is no such thing as a plateau. So I don't know. I wish I had some helpful advice to give you, but I just wanted to let you know that I think you look fantastic.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    If your photos are recent I think you look really, really good.

    I hear that the closer someone gets to goal weight, the harder the pounds come off? But then I'm seeing that there is no such thing as a plateau. So I don't know. I wish I had some helpful advice to give you, but I just wanted to let you know that I think you look fantastic.

    It definitely is true...they're holding on for dear life right now! Unfortunately holding on in all the wrong places.

    I appreciate the comments though, thanks!

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I'm guessing the problem is that your muscle mass is low and that's why your metabolism is not as high as it should be... If you can't lift weights now, google some body weight exercises or something.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    I'm confused. The fat is "melting off your stomach"....you mean currently? So you are losing weight, just not in the places you want, or was this previously?
  • akaMrsmojo
    akaMrsmojo Posts: 764 Member
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    Maybe your weight loss goal is too aggressive. How tall are you? I am 5'5 and my goal is 133, but I am happy at 143. My body is really happy at 143.
  • Jennisin1
    Jennisin1 Posts: 574 Member
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    You are pretty thin if your left picture in the side by sides is correct so I expect you are just unhappy with your body composition and the physical appearance of it as it sits. I can't say anything other than weights (which you said have to wait till after the new year).. but there are tons on body weight exercises or simple dumbell exercises you can probably do now.

    Push ups, Tricep Dips, Assisted pull ups, some Plyo work. And change up your cardio from steady state to intervals where you are giving it every thing you have for short periods followed by short periods of rest, repeat, repeat.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    I'm confused. The fat is "melting off your stomach"....you mean currently? So you are losing weight, just not in the places you want, or was this previously?

    Previously; my measurements have stayed pretty much the same the past few months. I haven't actually lost any additional weight or inches in months.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    AllTheNoms wrote: »
    Hi chica, I'm not here to drop knowledge (based on your daily logging it always seems like you are doing what you 'should' be doing) but wanted to chime in to let you know I'm thinking positive thoughts for you and am here for you whenever you need a rant.

    For what it's worth, I do think that the lifting program will help. In the last 6 weeks since I started lifting I have only lost 5 lbs but have seen much more movement in my measurements and am happier at my current weight than I have ever been at this weight before.

    Thank you! Glad to see you pop in here. :)