Hit a plateau and need your advice/ideas.

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hgellings
hgellings Posts: 295 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been losing and gaining the same pound for the last 3 weeks and it's getting really frustrating! I'm trying to figure out what I can do to get past this so please help by answering my questions and giving me ideas. Please and thank you! :smile:

When MFP says I should eat 1420 to lose 1lb a week does that mean net calories? My Food cals would ultimately be 1761... Doesn't that seem a bit high? I burned 341 cals in exercise today which is where I'm getting my numbers.

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  • ItsLessOfMe
    ItsLessOfMe Posts: 374 Member
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    Everyone has a different view on this but I stopped eating my exercise calories when this happened and it got the weight loss going again. I think with a plateau your body is just used to what you are doing. You have to shock your body by changing exercise or eating. In my case both.
  • AmberBarrios
    AmberBarrios Posts: 394 Member
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    I have had the same problem for months!!! I have tried it all am just hoping that by pushing harder and keeping up my intensity will get me past it. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!
  • natskedat
    natskedat Posts: 570 Member
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    I wrote an article on the subject a few weeks ago, and it's been well received. Have a read. I hope it helps. And no, 1700 does not sound high. It sounds closer to normal!

    http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

    Best of luck!
  • IndigoFlowers
    IndigoFlowers Posts: 221 Member
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    I just busted through my 3.5 week plateau! I changed up all my exercising... I upped my calories from 1350 to 1500.. And I stayed away from eating heavily processed foods.. OH! and added weight training in.
  • srp2011
    srp2011 Posts: 1,829 Member
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    Impossible to give advice without seeing your food diary. Many, many times it has more to do with what someone is eating than how much.
  • jjcook96
    jjcook96 Posts: 4
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    I joined MFP after losing 30lbs and hitting a plateau for 3 months. I had one HUGE cheat meal and then started eating my 1200 calories a day trying for 2lbs a week. I do not eat back my excercise calories! Since joining I have lost right at 2lbs a week and got off the plateau.
  • Ashleypeterson37
    Ashleypeterson37 Posts: 347 Member
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    I was stuck in a 3 week plateau also and I upped my cals from 1200 to 1370 and completely changed my exercise routine! Been losing a pound a week since then! Goodluck!
  • scarnall2
    scarnall2 Posts: 18
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    Definitely don't eat back your exercise calories. If you have to, try eating half of your exercise calories back. So if you burned 500 in one day, only eat 250 back. You have to burn 3500 calories in order to lose 1 pound of fat. That's 500 calories a day for 7 days. Good luck and keep on truck'n!
  • mclahey
    mclahey Posts: 81 Member
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    I got stuck for 4 weeks....then I went from walking on my treadmill at 4 m/hr for 30 mins to walk run in a 2 to 3 min ratio for 20 mins. Then I did stretches and crunches for 10 mins. I increased my water intake and voila....the lbs came off again....now in 4 weeks I have 5 lbs gone!
  • picturesing
    picturesing Posts: 228
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    I just busted through my 3.5 week plateau! I changed up all my exercising... I upped my calories from 1350 to 1500.. And I stayed away from eating heavily processed foods.. OH! and added weight training in.
    I did the exact same thing - 9 wk plateau....shoulda changed things up sooner!!!! LOL :wink:
  • hgellings
    hgellings Posts: 295 Member
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    When you guys say you upped your calories was that your overall cals or net?

    I also opened my diary...
  • Mommyof3texans
    Mommyof3texans Posts: 347
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    To answer your question, yes you would eat your 1420 plus your 341 exercise calories. Now, exercise calories can easily be incorrect so maybe shoot for eating half of them instead of all of them. Also, it is as important to watch WHAT you eat, not just calories. The better the foods (i.e. less processed, more whole) the better they are for you and will help with fat loss. Watch your sodium, keep it down and that will also help. Drink LOTS of water.

    Edit: Your diary looks pretty good looking back a few days. You might want to go in and manually lower your carb% and up your protein % and see if that helps. It looks like you're getting lots of protein anyway so that's good.

    Hmm...it might be time to change what kind of exercise you're doing...add in or increase strength training or change up your cardio to a more high intensity, lower time type of training.
  • hgellings
    hgellings Posts: 295 Member
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    I wrote an article on the subject a few weeks ago, and it's been well received. Have a read. I hope it helps. And no, 1700 does not sound high. It sounds closer to normal!

    http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

    Best of luck!

    Read your article... thanks!
  • brendalyne
    brendalyne Posts: 497
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    I wrote an article on the subject a few weeks ago, and it's been well received. Have a read. I hope it helps. And no, 1700 does not sound high. It sounds closer to normal!

    http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

    Best of luck!

    Great article....I haven't hit a plateau YET, but have bookmarked the article for future reference!

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