Plateau, how to get past it?

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pallavnarang92
pallavnarang92 Posts: 7 Member
edited March 2016 in Fitness and Exercise
So Ive been Training over a year and a half now, came down from 156kgs to 88kgs,
started off with moderate cardio and no strength training moved up to HIIT and high volume training and its been 3 months now where Ive been shuffling high intensity cardio with moderate weight training and low intensity cardio with heavy weight training. Im these 3 months I saw good weight drop with noticable muscle gain as well intill the last month where it just hit a point where I wont drop below 88, diet is fairly normal with good carbs spread around the morning and protein almost every meal, veggies in good propotion and no carbs at night. I train in the morning after a fasted cardio session.
Cheat meal every weekend
a couple of trainers suggested putting on a few kgs and go for a strict high protien low carb diet and blasted cardio for a week. Thoughts? :)

Replies

  • SR_86
    SR_86 Posts: 58 Member
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    The cheat meal every weekend might be something to do with it?
  • pallavnarang92
    pallavnarang92 Posts: 7 Member
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    Thanks for the reply!
    That cheat meal is necessary to keep the metabolism shaken (It is debatable though but I find it suits me as I saw good weight drops during the weeks when I took that meal in contrast to the weeks when I dint)
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
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    You lost weight in the first place (well done btw!) by creating a calorie deficit. Your calorie needs have reduced.

    Find your maintenance number then take 10-20% off per day.
  • wilsoncl6
    wilsoncl6 Posts: 1,280 Member
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    Once you hit a certain point, you're body wants to try really hard to hold onto the last bit of fat but if you see no change it's because you haven't adjusted your caloric intake to match your TDEE. You will always lose fat if you cut more calories. Just have to get more restrictive on the calories. I'd say drop an additional 100 calories from your calorie count and then increase each week until you start to drop again and then when you get close to goal, do the exact opposite until you stop losing to come to a soft landing.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
    edited March 2016
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    pallavnarang92 wrote: »
    Thanks for the reply!
    That cheat meal is necessary to keep the metabolism shaken (It is debatable though but I find it suits me as I saw good weight drops during the weeks when I took that meal in contrast to the weeks when I dint)

    Cheat meals have nothing to do with metabolism, but is fine. I suspect though, if you haven't lost weigh in a while, that your cheat meal is eliminating your weekly deficit, which is why you aren't losing weight. And as you get smaller, the less room for error you have, which will mean you probably need to tighten up your logging practices.

    No carbs at night is broscience. You can eat carbs whenever, as long as it doesn't cause you any indigestion.

    Also, going low carb for a week won't do anything except for deplete some glycogen, which you will gain back if you restore carbs to previous levels.

    Edit: and fasted cardio is personal preference.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    pallavnarang92 wrote: »
    Thanks for the reply!
    That cheat meal is necessary to keep the metabolism shaken (It is debatable though but I find it suits me as I saw good weight drops during the weeks when I took that meal in contrast to the weeks when I dint)

    if you don't want to cut the cheat meals, then cut how many calories you eat during the rest of the week. Do you even know how many calories you are eating during the cheat meal? (mostly likely no if it really is a cheat)

    Also, the correlation of cheat meal to weight lost isn't real, it is just coincidence that you observed. I've lost weight 1 day after consuming a 800 calorie milkshake. That doesn't mean that 800 calorie milkshakes help with weight loss.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
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    I'd recommend getting out of the "cheat meal" mentality.
  • trjjoy
    trjjoy Posts: 666 Member
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    wilsoncl6 wrote: »
    Once you hit a certain point, you're body wants to try really hard to hold onto the last bit of fat

    Is that why the starving children in Africa are so plump?
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
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    trjjoy wrote: »
    wilsoncl6 wrote: »
    Once you hit a certain point, you're body wants to try really hard to hold onto the last bit of fat

    Is that why the starving children in Africa are so plump?

    No, that is why the starving children in Africa don't have 3%BF and look like skinny bodybuilders with striations and tons of vascularity.
  • EatKleanGetLean
    EatKleanGetLean Posts: 10 Member
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    Try finding a slightly healthier version of the "cheat meal", with a little less calories. Switching up some of my weight lifting routines has helped me in the past. Try some new workouts you haven't done before. Look up compound workouts.
  • pallavnarang92
    pallavnarang92 Posts: 7 Member
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    EatKleanGetLean wrote: »
    Try finding a slightly healthier version of the "cheat meal", with a little less calories. Switching up some of my weight lifting routines has helped me in the past. Try some new workouts you haven't done before. Look up compound workouts.

    I will definitely add compound workouts in my routine! Thanks
  • pallavnarang92
    pallavnarang92 Posts: 7 Member
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    nordlead2005 wrote: »
    pallavnarang92 wrote: »
    Thanks for the reply!
    That cheat meal is necessary to keep the metabolism shaken (It is debatable though but I find it suits me as I saw good weight drops during the weeks when I took that meal in contrast to the weeks when I dint)

    if you don't want to cut the cheat meals, then cut how many calories you eat during the rest of the week. Do you even know how many calories you are eating during the cheat meal? (mostly likely no if it really is a cheat)

    Also, the correlation of cheat meal to weight lost isn't real, it is just coincidence that you observed. I've lost weight 1 day after consuming a 800 calorie milkshake. That doesn't mean that 800 calorie milkshakes help with weight loss.

    Correct! Weight drop is not because of the cheat meal its just I push even harder the next week when I know I have a medium cheese burst pizza in my system that I have to burn off, somehow that meal keeps me going for the next 2-3 days, its basically psychological.

    However cheat meals are not necessary for anything. Will go a couple of weeks with on paper diet and hydrate. Thanks!

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