Help me break my plateau? Plus other questions...

Options
Hey guys, so lately I've been going thru a weight loss plateau (AGAIN). It varies from 155 to 157. I know it's not a big difference, but I'm desperate to hit 140 by the summer.
Anyway, here's my routine. Mon-Fri 50 minutes of workout. Cardio and strength, sometimes with a bit of stretching. In case you're wondering, it's Shaun T's T25. I do one alpha and one beta. I keep to calories to 1500-1700. Help please!!
Also I've been working out for almost a year (insanity, hip hop abs, turbofire, t25) and I haven't been getting abs? Lol, the pictures of results from the programs show abs in the span of a month.
Final question. I notice in the morning my stomach is small, and throughout the day after meals it gets bigger? Then the next morning it's small again. Does it have to do with drinking and eating? Is it normal?
«134

Replies

  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    Hey awesome job working out so much! I love t25, but 2 in a day? thats crazy haha. There are a bunch of things that could be causing your plateau so ill try to help here but it will be easier over private message. 1 and the most likely is what is called metabolic damage, you are working out ALOT and your calories arent low but not very high for that much activity, to fix that just add in 100 calories and watch what happens. 2nd you could be not getting sufficient protein so we could bump that up a bit to get things moving, 3rd you could be overtrained which can be fixed easily with a rest week.

    As for your stomach question that happens to everyone so dont worry about it! it depends on the foods and the fiber contents but depending on the time of day and the food I eat my stomach gets bigger too.

    Either way keep going strong sounds like youve been doing great!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Options
    Can you open your diary?
  • Sydking
    Sydking Posts: 317 Member
    Options
    Train harder. Push yourself to the next level each time.
  • Sydking
    Sydking Posts: 317 Member
    Options
    1 and the most likely is what is called metabolic damage, you are working out ALOT and your calories arent low but not very high for that much activity, to fix that just add in 100 calories and watch what happens.

    Yer im still skeptical about this. Unless you have been eating 500 cal a day for months then no metabolic damage.

    Even so if your still fat then your still giving the body excess calories
  • samanthapugliese
    Options
    xruss7 wrote: »
    Hey guys, so lately I've been going thru a weight loss plateau (AGAIN). It varies from 155 to 157. I know it's not a big difference, but I'm desperate to hit 140 by the summer.
    Anyway, here's my routine. Mon-Fri 50 minutes of workout. Cardio and strength, sometimes with a bit of stretching. In case you're wondering, it's Shaun T's T25. I do one alpha and one beta. I keep to calories to 1500-1700. Help please!!
    Also I've been working out for almost a year (insanity, hip hop abs, turbofire, t25) and I haven't been getting abs? Lol, the pictures of results from the programs show abs in the span of a month.
    Final question. I notice in the morning my stomach is small, and throughout the day after meals it gets bigger? Then the next morning it's small again. Does it have to do with drinking and eating? Is it normal?

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Options
    Hey awesome job working out so much! I love t25, but 2 in a day? thats crazy haha. There are a bunch of things that could be causing your plateau so ill try to help here but it will be easier over private message. 1 and the most likely is what is called metabolic damage, you are working out ALOT and your calories arent low but not very high for that much activity, to fix that just add in 100 calories and watch what happens. 2nd you could be not getting sufficient protein so we could bump that up a bit to get things moving, 3rd you could be overtrained which can be fixed easily with a rest week.

    As for your stomach question that happens to everyone so dont worry about it! it depends on the foods and the fiber contents but depending on the time of day and the food I eat my stomach gets bigger too.

    Either way keep going strong sounds like youve been doing great!

    You have no history of the OP and you're telling her she has metabolic adaptation??
  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    Sydking wrote: »
    1 and the most likely is what is called metabolic damage, you are working out ALOT and your calories arent low but not very high for that much activity, to fix that just add in 100 calories and watch what happens.

    Yer im still skeptical about this. Unless you have been eating 500 cal a day for months then no metabolic damage.

    Even so if your still fat then your still giving the body excess calories

    Sydking, check out some of Layne Nortons blogs, Metabolic damage can happen at any calorie level if you reduce your calorie intake for an extended period of time. All body builders including myself experience metabolic damage even at 3600 calories per day
  • samanthapugliese
    Options
    Your workout regime is great! What is your food intake like? How much protein and what sources? Clean healthy food is super important! In other words for the same amount of calories as a foot long sub you could be having quinoa, chicken and a spinach salad which your body could use more optimally. Maybe you just need to change up your foods?
  • Jakiepaper
    Jakiepaper Posts: 57 Member
    Options
    I'm no expert but I would do the opposite. I would cut out 100 calories and maybe do 60 mins of exercise.
  • JimFsfitnesspal
    JimFsfitnesspal Posts: 313 Member
    Options
    Based on my experience and what the poster told us, I agree with Chris.

    Eat more (protein and fat... not carbs). You should know your BMR and the adjusted numbers for weight loss and then make sure you hit a minimum.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    Options
    Hey awesome job working out so much! I love t25, but 2 in a day? thats crazy haha. There are a bunch of things that could be causing your plateau so ill try to help here but it will be easier over private message. 1 and the most likely is what is called metabolic damage, you are working out ALOT and your calories arent low but not very high for that much activity, to fix that just add in 100 calories and watch what happens. 2nd you could be not getting sufficient protein so we could bump that up a bit to get things moving, 3rd you could be overtrained which can be fixed easily with a rest week.

    As for your stomach question that happens to everyone so dont worry about it! it depends on the foods and the fiber contents but depending on the time of day and the food I eat my stomach gets bigger too.

    Either way keep going strong sounds like youve been doing great!

    *SMH* Not again.
  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    not again?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    @Chrisparadise579‌ I sent you a pm.

    And I second. .. not again, what??
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    Options
    Sydking wrote: »
    1 and the most likely is what is called metabolic damage, you are working out ALOT and your calories arent low but not very high for that much activity, to fix that just add in 100 calories and watch what happens.

    Yer im still skeptical about this. Unless you have been eating 500 cal a day for months then no metabolic damage.

    Even so if your still fat then your still giving the body excess calories

    Sydking, check out some of Layne Nortons blogs, Metabolic damage can happen at any calorie level if you reduce your calorie intake for an extended period of time. All body builders including myself experience metabolic damage even at 3600 calories per day

    I've read and watched a lot of Dr Norton's blogs and I don't recall anything about metabolic damage at 3600 cals. Got a link to the exact blog or video where he says this?
  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    Wheelhouse I dont have a link, but I would log to help! he mentions metabolic damage at high calorie levels in the podcast about sohee lees contest prep and there is another one with eric trexler. They are both on his website. I really enjoy his podcast heads up though they are all an hour long. also the 3600 calories specifically was my personal example, Im going into contest prep at 3600 calories
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    Options
    Wheelhouse I dont have a link, but I would log to help! he mentions metabolic damage at high calorie levels in the podcast about sohee lees contest prep and there is another one with eric trexler. They are both on his website. I really enjoy his podcast heads up though they are all an hour long. also the 3600 calories specifically was my personal example, Im going into contest prep at 3600 calories

    I think you better listen to it again. I don't think he was saying what you think he was saying.
  • Chrisparadise579
    Chrisparadise579 Posts: 411 Member
    Options
    also feel free to pm me, I love talking nutrition science
  • QTIN
    QTIN Posts: 12 Member
    Options
    Well first of all it's great your doing cardio and strength training, also yes eating can cause that especially if foods are higher in sodium, I guess I didn't really see that much about your diet on this post, work out 3 times a week eat right and you should have no problem!
  • Wheelhouse15
    Wheelhouse15 Posts: 5,575 Member
    Options
    also feel free to pm me, I love talking nutrition science

    So do I, that's why I study it as a hobby. I also have a background in neuroscience so I've taken courses related to it. There is enough evidence that adaptive thermogenesis exists but the effect seems to be around 5% on the BMR and some other minor gains on EAT and NEAT that aren't completely explained by loss in muscle but might be explainable in reduction in movement and some minor gains in efficiencies such as increases in mitochondria. However, these aren't enough to really stop weight loss and Lyle McDonald has proposed alternate theories based on cortisol and water retention.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    Options
    @Chrisparadise579‌ I sent you a pm.

    And I second. .. not again, what??

    That is all bull honkey. Haven't you been on the forums for a while? You should know this already.