Stubborn plateau!!!

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BanannaNut
BanannaNut Posts: 25 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I've actually been off and on My Fitness Pal for a couple years, just jumped back on because I'm having a really hard time losing the last 10-15 lbs.

I know this is common, but it's been over a year and my weight is EXACTLY the same. So I'm doing something wrong.

I'd love to hear about easy menu ideas, tips, workouts, anything that has helped you break through that plateau!!!

Briefly, I play tennis twice a week, am on week 6 of the C25K and also do Pure Barre 3-4 times a week. I am a chef so my diet to pretty good, I'm educated on nutrition BUT I'm a major wine lover (is this the problem???)

Thanks for your help!
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Replies

  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    I think the best tip I could give you is buy and use a food scale. Weigh/measure all you eat and drink. If you're the same exact weight for a year, it means you're eating at maintenance. With only 10-15 lbs to lose you have to be consistent with all your intake. This thread might be able to help you more:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner/p1
  • BanannaNut
    BanannaNut Posts: 25 Member
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    Interesting, hadn't even thought of that.... Best part is I have one!!!
  • leanne0627
    leanne0627 Posts: 109 Member
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    You are eating at matience if you havnt lost in a year. You could cut out the wine for a couple months to lose the last few pounds. Although i like to drink once in awhile too so understand thats hard to do! You are also at your body's set point... the weight it wants to be at. So you may find that your body will shift around its composition instead of losing weight. The numbers on the scale do not mean anything..they are not an indicator of how fit you are. Maybe try to let go of the need to be a certain number on the scale and just focus on being healthy. Good luck!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    100 calories per day = 10 pounds per year. That's about 1 glass of wine per day. I'm not saying you have to reduce your wine, but since you asked, it's an obvious way to reduce calories that provide no nutrition.
  • BanannaNut
    BanannaNut Posts: 25 Member
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    I'm 5'4 and 145 lbs so I'm fit, but definitely squishy, I feel like I could stay where I am, but I'm honestly just interested in seeing how far I can take my body in getting fit. Mainly toning and tightening seems to be my issue. The other thing you actually touched on Leanne is with the whole wine thing... I could give it up, but I like it, so I feel I would gain the weight right back. I probably have an odd diet imbalance I'm not aware off...
    lorrpb wrote: »
    100 calories per day = 10 pounds per year. That's about 1 glass of wine per day. I'm not saying you have to reduce your wine, but since you asked, it's an obvious way to reduce calories that provide no nutrition.

    Man putting it like that makes me feel a bit different about cutting back...
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    BanannaNut wrote: »
    I'm 5'4 and 145 lbs so I'm fit, but definitely squishy, I feel like I could stay where I am, but I'm honestly just interested in seeing how far I can take my body in getting fit. Mainly toning and tightening seems to be my issue. The other thing you actually touched on Leanne is with the whole wine thing... I could give it up, but I like it, so I feel I would gain the weight right back. I probably have an odd diet imbalance I'm not aware off...
    lorrpb wrote: »
    100 calories per day = 10 pounds per year. That's about 1 glass of wine per day. I'm not saying you have to reduce your wine, but since you asked, it's an obvious way to reduce calories that provide no nutrition.

    Man putting it like that makes me feel a bit different about cutting back...

    As far as "toning & tightening" you might want to look into a lifting weights. A progressive load program like strong lifts, new rules of lifting for women, strong curves or even a body weight program. Reasons why, see this thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1

    And yeah, if you don't want to give up the wine you don't have to in order to lose weight. As long as the wine fits into your calorie goal you CAN drink it.

  • BanannaNut
    BanannaNut Posts: 25 Member
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    I'm glad no one has yelled at me yet for my wine drinking, thanks guys :)

    I lift *sometimes* but not consistently and certainly not heavy. The weight room intimidates me. It's probably time for me to get over it and get in there.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    You can eat and drink whatever you want, the key here is logging it and being within your calorie goal. Accuracy is crucial when you're so close to goal or losing so called "vanity" pounds.

    You could start with bodyweight training at home to begin with, something like Fitness Blender strength training or You Are Your Own Gym are good. I never go near a gym but do a lot of strength training at home and will be upgrading my dumbbells soon.
  • BanannaNut
    BanannaNut Posts: 25 Member
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    It's interesting, I've always looked at these pounds as something I had to lose, but having outside perspective makes me look at them differently. "Vanity" pounds is 100% accurate. This will have to be tackled as more of a project than just "work out, eat right and drop the pounds" like I did before.

    I'll look up those workouts, I'd love to do them at home, thanks for the tip!
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    You'll be amazed the difference you can make to your body with strength training, you may find you don't need to lose as much as 15lbs if you do some resistance work.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    VintageFeline wrote: »
    You'll be amazed the difference you can make to your body with strength training, you may find you don't need to lose as much as 15lbs if you do some resistance work.

    butting in to say... I LOVE your profile pic, those glasses are hawt!
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    strong_curves wrote: »
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    You'll be amazed the difference you can make to your body with strength training, you may find you don't need to lose as much as 15lbs if you do some resistance work.

    butting in to say... I LOVE your profile pic, those glasses are hawt!

    *Blushes* Thank you!
  • Talan79
    Talan79 Posts: 782 Member
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    I suggest strength training as well. I only did cardio before. It's really made a difference for me.
    I loved my wine too. But I did cut out the daily drinking. A glass or two on weekends is what I'll now have. Vs the 2 glasses every night.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    BanannaNut wrote: »
    I'm glad no one has yelled at me yet for my wine drinking, thanks guys :)

    I lift *sometimes* but not consistently and certainly not heavy. The weight room intimidates me. It's probably time for me to get over it and get in there.
    No need to unless you are underestimating how much wine you drink. Cut the calories by 100, use the food scale to see where you are overestimated, and see what happens.
  • bthao7
    bthao7 Posts: 54 Member
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    strong_curves wrote: »
    VintageFeline wrote: »
    You'll be amazed the difference you can make to your body with strength training, you may find you don't need to lose as much as 15lbs if you do some resistance work.

    butting in to say... I LOVE your profile pic, those glasses are hawt!

    Actually the hair is even hawter!!
  • bthao7
    bthao7 Posts: 54 Member
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    Agree with other posts. Cut back on the wine. Moderation buddy! Are your tennis games pretty intense? How long do you typically play?
  • BanannaNut
    BanannaNut Posts: 25 Member
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    Hey again! I'm logging my wine and trying to fill up on other beverages like unsweetened green tea and le croix waters, water is so boring at dinner. I also did a HUGE grocery shop and stocked up on fish, lean meats and loads of veg to make logging meals easier.

    My tennis workouts are an hour and I would say moderately intense, pure barre is the most difficult of my workouts, but it's just isometric moves not cardio. Should I do more cardio? Just take up lifting??
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    BanannaNut wrote: »
    Hey again! I'm logging my wine and trying to fill up on other beverages like unsweetened green tea and le croix waters, water is so boring at dinner. I also did a HUGE grocery shop and stocked up on fish, lean meats and loads of veg to make logging meals easier.

    My tennis workouts are an hour and I would say moderately intense, pure barre is the most difficult of my workouts, but it's just isometric moves not cardio. Should I do more cardio? Just take up lifting??

    My advice would be small steps.

    Give the strength training a try for a couple months - and see where that gets you. If you're playing moderately intense tennis for a couple hours a week, that's probably sufficient cardio.

    If you're still not getting the results, try dropping 100 calories out of your average daily diet (via wine or otherwise) for a while.
  • provencal73
    provencal73 Posts: 1,275 Member
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    I'd incorporate lifting, reduce the wine and maybe try carb cycling. High intensity interval training is amazing as well. These have helped me break my plateaus. Just thoughts.
  • tincanonastring
    tincanonastring Posts: 3,944 Member
    edited January 2016
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    With that little left to lose, it sounds like you need a body recomposition, not a calorie deficit. Check out this thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat/p1

    With the body recomp, you're lowering BF% while maintaining weight. You don't need to cut down your calories, but you do need to pay closer attention to the macros/micros.

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