Help! I've hit a Plateau!
mecaseyrn
Posts: 76 Member
Hello everyone! I am here for some advice. Since November I have been using MFP religiously and exercising 6 days a week. I lose weight at a very slow pace but its usually consistent. Today marks my first plateau so I am here for some advice. I have opened my diary for people to see.
A little about me:
When I started in November, I was a runner, not a very good one but I had completed 2 half marathons, multiple 5ks and 10ks without to much difficulty prior to this. In November, I decided to start eating cleaner (but not fully clean), started watching my Macros, and just start being more accountable. Did I mention I also weight and measure all my food?
The weight slowly started coming off. In January, I started training again for another half marathon. I was running about 20 miles a week. I changed my eating style to add in more protein, which helped speed up the weight loss a little bit. (I have never been the person who loses 2lbs a week, but more like the person losing 0.5lb per week). I ran my 3rd half in May, and PR'd it. I did it easily. After a short break to heal, I started a PIYO/Running hybrid. I follow PIYO religiously and today finished month 1. I run two days a week for 5miles at 5mph. I also do the ellipitical 1 other day for an hour. and bike for an hour on the 4th day. Plus I walk an hour during my lunch break at work. So if you total it up I work out about 1.5 hours per day, except Thursdays which is truly a rest day.
So......what am I doing wrong?? Why this plateau? and How do I break it?
A little about me:
When I started in November, I was a runner, not a very good one but I had completed 2 half marathons, multiple 5ks and 10ks without to much difficulty prior to this. In November, I decided to start eating cleaner (but not fully clean), started watching my Macros, and just start being more accountable. Did I mention I also weight and measure all my food?
The weight slowly started coming off. In January, I started training again for another half marathon. I was running about 20 miles a week. I changed my eating style to add in more protein, which helped speed up the weight loss a little bit. (I have never been the person who loses 2lbs a week, but more like the person losing 0.5lb per week). I ran my 3rd half in May, and PR'd it. I did it easily. After a short break to heal, I started a PIYO/Running hybrid. I follow PIYO religiously and today finished month 1. I run two days a week for 5miles at 5mph. I also do the ellipitical 1 other day for an hour. and bike for an hour on the 4th day. Plus I walk an hour during my lunch break at work. So if you total it up I work out about 1.5 hours per day, except Thursdays which is truly a rest day.
So......what am I doing wrong?? Why this plateau? and How do I break it?
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Replies
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Did you mention how long you've been at a plateau? Maybe I just missed it.0
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How long has it been since you have lost weight?0
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Are you saying it's been since you started Piyo that you haven't lost? A plateau is 4-6 with absolutely no changes.
Looking at your diary, though, it does appear you're eating more than you think. If you don't have one, you may want to consider purchasing a food scale and weighing everything--cup measurements aren't as accurate.0 -
do you use a food scale?
do you eat back 100% of exercise calories?0 -
Maybe lower your caloric intake.0
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Here is what the OP said...
" Did I mention I also weight and measure all my food?"
Along with...
"I have opened my diary for people to see."
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Are you saying it's been since you started Piyo that you haven't lost? A plateau is 4-6 with absolutely no changes.
Looking at your diary, though, it does appear you're eating more than you think. If you don't have one, you may want to consider purchasing a food scale and weighing everything--cup measurements aren't as accurate.
True. Have you lost inches even if you haven't lost any according to the scale? If so, you are not in a plateau. Short stalls (2-4 weeks) are not unusual. Make sure you are doing everything right as far as your weighing, measuring, and logging. Weigh all solids and semi-solids (like peanut butter) and measure liquids. Log everything. If you are already doing that, be patient . . . stalls happen.
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Hi! I have been at a plateau for 4 weeks. Since starting Piyo basically.
I weigh my meats out, and yes I use a measuring cup for the fruits and the yogurt, etc. In the beginning I was weighing out all the things and found there wasn't much difference. Plus, their definitely is not a true half a cup of strawberries because I don't puree them or anything. It ends up being like 4 strawberries. I do weigh the sweet potato also.
I do not eat my exercise calories back.
My calorie intake is 1350. Anything less made me crazy and fatigued.
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Hi! I have been at a plateau for 4 weeks. Since starting Piyo basically.
I weigh my meats out, and yes I use a measuring cup for the fruits and the yogurt, etc. In the beginning I was weighing out all the things and found there wasn't much difference. Plus, their definitely is not a true half a cup of strawberries because I don't puree them or anything. It ends up being like 4 strawberries. I do weigh the sweet potato also.
I do not eat my exercise calories back.
My calorie intake is 1350. Anything less made me crazy and fatigued.
how come most of your entries from today are cups and tablespoons?
I would suggest weighing all solids for the next three weeks and see what happens.
A half cup of blackberries is going to vary depending on how you fill said half cup. Weighing it out in grams will be much more accurate.
Also, are you using the correct entries rom MFP database? I usually cross check them agains self.nutrient.com0 -
Ya. I can start measuring the solids on a scale. I do not usually cross check. It's probably my bad to assume things are correct on here.0
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Ya. I can start measuring the solids on a scale. I do not usually cross check. It's probably my bad to assume things are correct on here.
the mfp database is like the wild west…
I usually try to use the USDA entries or look for ones that have been confirmed by multiple members.
Do you use the bar scanner from your phone? That is very helpful as well.
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also, if you are training for a half marathon you could have some water retention going on which is masking your loss…
You can try to increase your water intake to where you are peeing a lot more which would help flush some of that out….0 -
Thank you so much this has all been helpful! On Sunday when I make my meals I will definitely be weighing my food on the scale and double checking. I do use the bar code scanner for the processed things which is why the yogurt is measured in half a cup. But all the produce does not have a bar code.0
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Thank you so much this has all been helpful! On Sunday when I make my meals I will definitely be weighing my food on the scale and double checking. I do use the bar code scanner for the processed things which is why the yogurt is measured in half a cup. But all the produce does not have a bar code.
give that a shot for two weeks and see how it goes….0 -
Hi! I have been at a plateau for 4 weeks. Since starting Piyo basically.
I weigh my meats out, and yes I use a measuring cup for the fruits and the yogurt, etc. In the beginning I was weighing out all the things and found there wasn't much difference. Plus, their definitely is not a true half a cup of strawberries because I don't puree them or anything. It ends up being like 4 strawberries. I do weigh the sweet potato also.
I do not eat my exercise calories back.
My calorie intake is 1350. Anything less made me crazy and fatigued.
how come most of your entries from today are cups and tablespoons?
I would suggest weighing all solids for the next three weeks and see what happens.
A half cup of blackberries is going to vary depending on how you fill said half cup. Weighing it out in grams will be much more accurate.
Also, are you using the correct entries from MFP database? I usually cross check them against self.nutrient.com
I agree... In your diary sometime you have "2 slices of bacon - 80 calories" and others "3 slices of bacon - 80 calories"... Double-check which values you are using, and weigh the bacon to better estimate. Also, you have 3 oz of chicken breast as being ~83 calories--most of the sites that I've seen reference USDA values say that 3 oz of chicken has 135-160 calories.
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Your total intake is ONLY 1350 while exercising 5 more days a week for more than an hour? Sounds more like your body is adapting to the lack of calories.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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Your total intake is ONLY 1350 while exercising 5 more days a week for more than an hour? Sounds more like your body is adapting to the lack of calories.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
I guess my next stupid question would be, if 1350 is not acceptable for the amount that I work out, then what is?
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Hi! I have been at a plateau for 4 weeks. Since starting Piyo basically.
I weigh my meats out, and yes I use a measuring cup for the fruits and the yogurt, etc. In the beginning I was weighing out all the things and found there wasn't much difference. Plus, their definitely is not a true half a cup of strawberries because I don't puree them or anything. It ends up being like 4 strawberries. I do weigh the sweet potato also.
I do not eat my exercise calories back.
My calorie intake is 1350. Anything less made me crazy and fatigued.
how come most of your entries from today are cups and tablespoons?
I would suggest weighing all solids for the next three weeks and see what happens.
A half cup of blackberries is going to vary depending on how you fill said half cup. Weighing it out in grams will be much more accurate.
Also, are you using the correct entries from MFP database? I usually cross check them against self.nutrient.com
I agree... In your diary sometime you have "2 slices of bacon - 80 calories" and others "3 slices of bacon - 80 calories"... Double-check which values you are using, and weigh the bacon to better estimate. Also, you have 3 oz of chicken breast as being ~83 calories--most of the sites that I've seen reference USDA values say that 3 oz of chicken has 135-160 calories.
Yikes, you are correct. I did not realize the chicken was so incorrect. That was totally my bad. The bacon is two different types of bacon, the one is ready bacon, which I scanned and the other is another brand that I scanned in.0 -
Relax and take a breather. Unless you're into fitness/bodybuilding competitions or something similar there's really no need for breaking out a food scale, your diet is super easy to figure out especially with a site like this. The first thing I do when I notice myself hitting a plateau is take a week off (in most cases plateaus are you body's reaction to being overworked). Don't stop the clean eating but give your body a chance to relax a bit, you'll be surprised how effective it is. Next is your diet, you can't eat like you're doing 30 minutes of cardio a day and trying to drop a few pounds if you're training for marathons it simply won't work. When you put your body into too much of a calorie deficit and continue to push it it recognizes it as a famine situation and will start hoarding all the fat possible (hence the plateau), the only way to stop it is to take a break, eat a few more calories than usual, and let your body reset. This is also why you shouldn't go any longer than 90 days without taking at least a full week off. Eat 4-6 times a day and simply use your hands as guidelines, for main meals carbs and proteins should be about the size of the palm of your hand or the size of your closed fist, eat at least 2 servings of veggies a day and you'll be fine. Keep things as simple as possible and use the site recommendations on boosting calories when you're burning as much as you are, loosing 2 pounds a week may seem slow but it's better than plateauing0
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Hi! I have been at a plateau for 4 weeks. Since starting Piyo basically.
I weigh my meats out, and yes I use a measuring cup for the fruits and the yogurt, etc. In the beginning I was weighing out all the things and found there wasn't much difference. Plus, their definitely is not a true half a cup of strawberries because I don't puree them or anything. It ends up being like 4 strawberries. I do weigh the sweet potato also.
I do not eat my exercise calories back.
My calorie intake is 1350. Anything less made me crazy and fatigued.
how come most of your entries from today are cups and tablespoons?
I would suggest weighing all solids for the next three weeks and see what happens.
A half cup of blackberries is going to vary depending on how you fill said half cup. Weighing it out in grams will be much more accurate.
Also, are you using the correct entries from MFP database? I usually cross check them against self.nutrient.com
I agree... In your diary sometime you have "2 slices of bacon - 80 calories" and others "3 slices of bacon - 80 calories"... Double-check which values you are using, and weigh the bacon to better estimate. Also, you have 3 oz of chicken breast as being ~83 calories--most of the sites that I've seen reference USDA values say that 3 oz of chicken has 135-160 calories.
Yikes, you are correct. I did not realize the chicken was so incorrect. That was totally my bad. The bacon is two different types of bacon, the one is ready bacon, which I scanned and the other is another brand that I scanned in.
don't trust the scans either....I scanned a yogurt once...it came up as cheese.0 -
So much wrong in so little space.4thhorseman wrote: »Relax and take a breather. Unless you're into fitness/bodybuilding competitions or something similar there's really no need for breaking out a food scale, your diet is super easy to figure out especially with a site like this. The first thing I do when I notice myself hitting a plateau is take a week off (in most cases plateaus are you body's reaction to being overworked). Don't stop the clean eating but give your body a chance to relax a bit, you'll be surprised how effective it is. Next is your diet, you can't eat like you're doing 30 minutes of cardio a day and trying to drop a few pounds if you're training for marathons it simply won't work. When you put your body into too much of a calorie deficit and continue to push it it recognizes it as a famine situation and will start hoarding all the fat possible (hence the plateau), the only way to stop it is to take a break, eat a few more calories than usual, and let your body reset. This is also why you shouldn't go any longer than 90 days without taking at least a full week off. Eat 4-6 times a day and simply use your hands as guidelines, for main meals carbs and proteins should be about the size of the palm of your hand or the size of your closed fist, eat at least 2 servings of veggies a day and you'll be fine. Keep things as simple as possible and use the site recommendations on boosting calories when you're burning as much as you are, loosing 2 pounds a week may seem slow but it's better than plateauing
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4thhorseman wrote: »Relax and take a breather. Unless you're into fitness/bodybuilding competitions or something similar there's really no need for breaking out a food scale, your diet is super easy to figure out especially with a site like this. The first thing I do when I notice myself hitting a plateau is take a week off (in most cases plateaus are you body's reaction to being overworked). Don't stop the clean eating but give your body a chance to relax a bit, you'll be surprised how effective it is. Next is your diet, you can't eat like you're doing 30 minutes of cardio a day and trying to drop a few pounds if you're training for marathons it simply won't work. When you put your body into too much of a calorie deficit and continue to push it it recognizes it as a famine situation and will start hoarding all the fat possible (hence the plateau), the only way to stop it is to take a break, eat a few more calories than usual, and let your body reset. This is also why you shouldn't go any longer than 90 days without taking at least a full week off. Eat 4-6 times a day and simply use your hands as guidelines, for main meals carbs and proteins should be about the size of the palm of your hand or the size of your closed fist, eat at least 2 servings of veggies a day and you'll be fine. Keep things as simple as possible and use the site recommendations on boosting calories when you're burning as much as you are, loosing 2 pounds a week may seem slow but it's better than plateauing
Oh dear... where to start....
"When you put your body into too much of a calorie deficit and continue to push it it recognizes it as a famine situation and will start hoarding all the fat possible (hence the plateau)" no, doesn't work like that. Eating too little will not stop you losing weight. http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
"Eat 4-6 times a day" or eat however many times a day you like, doesn't matter.
"loosing 2 pounds a week may seem slow but it's better than plateauing" slow?? 2lbs/week is the fastest recommended rate of loss for anyone that isn't under medical supervision. 1lb/week is usually recommended.0 -
4thhorseman wrote: »Relax and take a breather. Unless you're into fitness/bodybuilding competitions or something similar there's really no need for breaking out a food scale, your diet is super easy to figure out especially with a site like this. The first thing I do when I notice myself hitting a plateau is take a week off (in most cases plateaus are you body's reaction to being overworked). Don't stop the clean eating but give your body a chance to relax a bit, you'll be surprised how effective it is. Next is your diet, you can't eat like you're doing 30 minutes of cardio a day and trying to drop a few pounds if you're training for marathons it simply won't work. When you put your body into too much of a calorie deficit and continue to push it it recognizes it as a famine situation and will start hoarding all the fat possible (hence the plateau), the only way to stop it is to take a break, eat a few more calories than usual, and let your body reset. This is also why you shouldn't go any longer than 90 days without taking at least a full week off. Eat 4-6 times a day and simply use your hands as guidelines, for main meals carbs and proteins should be about the size of the palm of your hand or the size of your closed fist, eat at least 2 servings of veggies a day and you'll be fine. Keep things as simple as possible and use the site recommendations on boosting calories when you're burning as much as you are, loosing 2 pounds a week may seem slow but it's better than plateauing
If I didn't use a food scale, I would still be 250 pounds (and probably pushing 260 at this point) instead of 188. Starvation mode...nope, that does not happen. Eating 4-6 times...meal frequency is irrelevant. And like I said before, estimating like that would mean I would still overeat.0 -
Thank you all for your insight. I do feel that I was doing something right because I would not have lost 24lbs without doing something correctly.
Sometimes, we make errors, which is why I reached out. But I have also learned that things that works for others may not work for me. To the guy who said "relax and take a breather." I think he is right, and I know a lot of you disagree. It seems there is a lot of negativity and hostility here and that is not healthy for anyone. Sometimes, when we focus to much on one thing our bodies react and increase the stress levels which then causes weight gain (you can all start with the negative comments here).
The really helpful thing is seeing that I made errors with calorie counts on a lot of the chicken which then messed up my daily counts. I feel that measuring things like vegetables via scale or cups is helpful and helped me lose the 24lbs in the past. I do measure the carrots on a scale and I do measure the meats on a scale. To the person who suggested this and pointed it out, thank you.0 -
Hi! I have been at a plateau for 4 weeks. Since starting Piyo basically.
I weigh my meats out, and yes I use a measuring cup for the fruits and the yogurt, etc. In the beginning I was weighing out all the things and found there wasn't much difference. Plus, their definitely is not a true half a cup of strawberries because I don't puree them or anything. It ends up being like 4 strawberries. I do weigh the sweet potato also.
I do not eat my exercise calories back.
My calorie intake is 1350. Anything less made me crazy and fatigued.
how come most of your entries from today are cups and tablespoons?
I would suggest weighing all solids for the next three weeks and see what happens.
A half cup of blackberries is going to vary depending on how you fill said half cup. Weighing it out in grams will be much more accurate.
Also, are you using the correct entries from MFP database? I usually cross check them against self.nutrient.com
I agree... In your diary sometime you have "2 slices of bacon - 80 calories" and others "3 slices of bacon - 80 calories"... Double-check which values you are using, and weigh the bacon to better estimate. Also, you have 3 oz of chicken breast as being ~83 calories--most of the sites that I've seen reference USDA values say that 3 oz of chicken has 135-160 calories.
Yikes, you are correct. I did not realize the chicken was so incorrect. That was totally my bad. The bacon is two different types of bacon, the one is ready bacon, which I scanned and the other is another brand that I scanned in.
you mentioned not eating back exercise calories..you may want to start eating back half of them…
how long have you been eating 1350 for and working 5 days a week?0 -
4thhorseman wrote: »Relax and take a breather. Unless you're into fitness/bodybuilding competitions or something similar there's really no need for breaking out a food scale, your diet is super easy to figure out especially with a site like this. The first thing I do when I notice myself hitting a plateau is take a week off (in most cases plateaus are you body's reaction to being overworked). Don't stop the clean eating but give your body a chance to relax a bit, you'll be surprised how effective it is. Next is your diet, you can't eat like you're doing 30 minutes of cardio a day and trying to drop a few pounds if you're training for marathons it simply won't work. When you put your body into too much of a calorie deficit and continue to push it it recognizes it as a famine situation and will start hoarding all the fat possible (hence the plateau), the only way to stop it is to take a break, eat a few more calories than usual, and let your body reset. This is also why you shouldn't go any longer than 90 days without taking at least a full week off. Eat 4-6 times a day and simply use your hands as guidelines, for main meals carbs and proteins should be about the size of the palm of your hand or the size of your closed fist, eat at least 2 servings of veggies a day and you'll be fine. Keep things as simple as possible and use the site recommendations on boosting calories when you're burning as much as you are, loosing 2 pounds a week may seem slow but it's better than plateauing
so much bro and pseudo science in such small space….0 -
Thank you all for your insight. I do feel that I was doing something right because I would not have lost 24lbs without doing something correctly.
Sometimes, we make errors, which is why I reached out. But I have also learned that things that works for others may not work for me. To the guy who said "relax and take a breather." I think he is right, and I know a lot of you disagree. It seems there is a lot of negativity and hostility here and that is not healthy for anyone. Sometimes, when we focus to much on one thing our bodies react and increase the stress levels which then causes weight gain (you can all start with the negative comments here).
The really helpful thing is seeing that I made errors with calorie counts on a lot of the chicken which then messed up my daily counts. I feel that measuring things like vegetables via scale or cups is helpful and helped me lose the 24lbs in the past. I do measure the carrots on a scale and I do measure the meats on a scale. To the person who suggested this and pointed it out, thank you.
as you want to get leaner you have to be a lot more stricter with logging, weighting, etc….0 -
Hi! I have been at a plateau for 4 weeks. Since starting Piyo basically.
I weigh my meats out, and yes I use a measuring cup for the fruits and the yogurt, etc. In the beginning I was weighing out all the things and found there wasn't much difference. Plus, their definitely is not a true half a cup of strawberries because I don't puree them or anything. It ends up being like 4 strawberries. I do weigh the sweet potato also.
I do not eat my exercise calories back.
My calorie intake is 1350. Anything less made me crazy and fatigued.
how come most of your entries from today are cups and tablespoons?
I would suggest weighing all solids for the next three weeks and see what happens.
A half cup of blackberries is going to vary depending on how you fill said half cup. Weighing it out in grams will be much more accurate.
Also, are you using the correct entries from MFP database? I usually cross check them against self.nutrient.com
I agree... In your diary sometime you have "2 slices of bacon - 80 calories" and others "3 slices of bacon - 80 calories"... Double-check which values you are using, and weigh the bacon to better estimate. Also, you have 3 oz of chicken breast as being ~83 calories--most of the sites that I've seen reference USDA values say that 3 oz of chicken has 135-160 calories.
Yikes, you are correct. I did not realize the chicken was so incorrect. That was totally my bad. The bacon is two different types of bacon, the one is ready bacon, which I scanned and the other is another brand that I scanned in.
you mentioned not eating back exercise calories..you may want to start eating back half of them…
how long have you been eating 1350 for and working 5 days a week?
Lets see.....I have been on 1350 calories since November-ish. And Until May I was running 4-5x a week (20 miles a week or so), In mid may I started working out 6 days a week with less running. I take Thursdays off from all exercise (well except my work walk).
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