My wife is at a plateau...
Oversyte
Posts: 482 Member
She's frustrated that she has been at the same weight for 3 months... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks
She's 5"6
CW 145 lbs
Will anyone drop any advice/suggestions below?
Regardless, thanks for reading
She's 5"6
CW 145 lbs
Will anyone drop any advice/suggestions below?
Regardless, thanks for reading
0
Replies
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Is she logging her diary here on mfp ? How many calories is she eating ?
Is she using a scale to weigh all her solids and measuring her liquids with a measuring cup? Is she consistently logging accurately ?
If she has been stalled for three months there is a good chance that she is consuming more then she thinks. She may be eating at maintenance instead of a deficit. Has she tried dropping her calories a little and seeing how it goes ? Is there any chance she is pregnant?0 -
@thorsmom01
She is logging here, she's eating 1804 calories. Her maintenance is 2081 according to what she used to calculate it.
She uses a scale and measures and consistently logs.
I'll see how she feels about dropping her calories a little more. She is not pregnant.0 -
Her calories seem right to me. Im close to her size (5'8-135)
Here's what happened to me - this may or may not apply to your situation but could help someone else reading.
After eating at a consistent deficit for quite some time , I forgot to account for the weight I had lost. I continued to eat the same calories and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing. It turns out that my calorie needs had changed due to losing weight . I needed less calories per day then I did before . I dropped my calories by 150 -200 cals per day and started losing again within a few weeks. Your wife's calorie needs may be very different then mine depending on her age and daily activity so I would be careful when lowering them .0 -
Maybe even start small by dropping 100 cals and see how that goes.0
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Why is she not posting this?0
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thorsmom01 wrote: »Her calories seem right to me. Im close to her size (5'8-135)
Here's what happened to me - this may or may not apply to your situation but could help someone else reading.
After eating at a consistent deficit for quite some time , I forgot to account for the weight I had lost. I continued to eat the same calories and couldn't figure out why I wasn't losing. It turns out that my calorie needs had changed due to losing weight . I needed less calories per day then I did before . I dropped my calories by 150 -200 cals per day and started losing again within a few weeks. Your wife's calorie needs may be very different then mine depending on her age and daily activity so I would be careful when lowering them .
This is basically what I was going to suggest.0 -
@Fuzzipeg
We both recently learned about the MFP community... she's not comfortable with being a part of it yet.
@thorsmom01
That actually makes sense. She just told me she doesn't want to be at a deficit anymore... she has been over a year.
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@thorsmom01
She is logging here, she's eating 1804 calories. Her maintenance is 2081 according to what she used to calculate it.
She uses a scale and measures and consistently logs.
I'll see how she feels about dropping her calories a little more. She is not pregnant.
nope, she's eating at maintenance.
if she wants to cut some more she needs to lower her cals, up her exercise, or throw a couple fasted days in the mix.0 -
What for? What's the point of losing then gaining all over again? Why does a woman need to 'bulk' unless she's a bodybuilder? Seems pointless. If she wants to build muscle, she can simply train. If she wants to lose fat, get into a calorie deficit through eating less or moving more or both.... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks.0 -
What exercise does she do? How active is she in general? How often does she stick to that calorie goal?
At this point, dropping calories and sticking faithfully to that calorie goal is key. Even if she's truly eating 1804 and maintaining at 2081, her deficit is small and easily wiped out.
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I am 5'6" and 140lbs, maintenance for me is 1850 cals. I think she is probably eating at maintenance and so has stopped losing.
Get her to drop to 1450cals a day for a month and see how that goes. Of course she gets to eat back exercise calories if she wants.
The smaller you get the less food you get to eat. It is what drives me to work out daily. All about the food. I really want to be 130lbs, but I clearly do not want it badly enough to est less.
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She is at my goal weight (lucky girl). If it were me, I would eat at maintenance for awhile (assuming the calculation is correct) and up my exercise to create a deficit.0
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I am the same height a weight as her. She needs to eat clean. Lean meats and veggies mostly. Do this and only have one cheat meal a week. Have her check out my meal prepping forum. I am going through the same thing and I finally had to start meal prepping and eating even better than I was.0
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Traveler120 wrote: »
What for? What's the point of losing then gaining all over again? Why does a woman need to 'bulk' unless she's a bodybuilder? Seems pointless. If she wants to build muscle, she can simply train. If she wants to lose fat, get into a calorie deficit through eating less or moving more or both.... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks.
Wanting to add muscle is not pointless nor is it only for body builders. It's a personal preference. Building muscle is done most efficiently during a bulk cycle.
Bulking is eating above maintenance calories with sufficient protein so that specific training will lead to muscle gain.0 -
ressapowell wrote: »I am the same height a weight as her. She needs to eat clean. Lean meats and veggies mostly. Do this and only have one cheat meal a week. Have her check out my meal prepping forum. I am going through the same thing and I finally had to start meal prepping and eating even better than I was.
It does not matter what she eats, for weight loss purposes, but how much she puts in her mouth on a daily basis.
Clean can be still too much food. Junk can still be too little.
Eating clean means absolutely nothing when it comes to weight loss. She could eat two big macs a day and still lose weight. Now she might feel better on a whole food diet, but that is personal choice. If her body needs 1500 cals a day to lose 1 pound a week it does not matter where those calories comes from, in terms of pure weight loss. I think the "clean is the only way to lose" myth really trips people up.
Cheating is an odd concept. Just have the foods you like to eat and fit them in your calorie goals. But I appreciate we all need to find our own way.
To clarify, I think I eat a 90% very healthy diet, but I do enjoy dark chocolate and some wine at weekends. But I account for it.
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You don't have to eat above maintenance to build muscle. Eat at maintenance with a higher protein intake and you can build muscle AND lose fat. Bulking seems pointless to me as well.0
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Traveler120 wrote: »
What for? What's the point of losing then gaining all over again? Why does a woman need to 'bulk' unless she's a bodybuilder? Seems pointless. If she wants to build muscle, she can simply train. If she wants to lose fat, get into a calorie deficit through eating less or moving more or both.... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks.
On a cut you target fat loss, and it's a good idea to get sub 20% body fat before, as the leaner you are before you start, the more likely you are to gain a higher muscle ratio on the bulk.
So if you mostly lose fat on a cut, gain half and half muscle on a bulk, then lose mostly fat on the final cut you are very likely to completely recompose your body.
This is how I went from over 30% body fat to 15%. Not in one go, in two or three cycles. My body totally changed. Recomps don't work for me.0 -
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shawna101711 wrote: »You don't have to eat above maintenance to build muscle. Eat at maintenance with a higher protein intake and you can build muscle AND lose fat. Bulking seems pointless to me as well.
Maybe a little for someone that has never lifted before but, no generally you cannot build muscle without an excess of calories. I tried everything, and bulking and cutting totally did it for me. But you have to be meticulous and lift heavy and progressively.0 -
ressapowell wrote: »I am the same height a weight as her. She needs to eat clean. Lean meats and veggies mostly. Do this and only have one cheat meal a week. Have her check out my meal prepping forum. I am going through the same thing and I finally had to start meal prepping and eating even better than I was.
It does not matter what she eats, for weight loss purposes, but how much she puts in her mouth on a daily basis.
Clean can be still too much food. Junk can still be too little.
Eating clean means absolutely nothing when it comes to weight loss. She could eat two big macs a day and still lose weight. Now she might feel better on a whole food diet, but that is personal choice. If her body needs 1500 cals a day to lose 1 pound a week it does not matter where those calories comes from, in terms of pure weight loss. I think the "clean is the only way to lose" myth really trips people up.
Cheating is an odd concept. Just have the foods you like to eat and fit them in your calorie goals. But I appreciate we all need to find our own way.
To clarify, I think I eat a 90% very healthy diet, but I do enjoy dark chocolate and some wine at weekends. But I account for it.
thank you.0 -
Springfield1970 wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »
What for? What's the point of losing then gaining all over again? Why does a woman need to 'bulk' unless she's a bodybuilder? Seems pointless. If she wants to build muscle, she can simply train. If she wants to lose fat, get into a calorie deficit through eating less or moving more or both.... Her goal is to lean out a little more before she bulks.
On a cut you target fat loss, and it's a good idea to get sub 20% body fat before, as the leaner you are before you start, the more likely you are to gain a higher muscle ratio on the bulk.
So if you mostly lose fat on a cut, gain half and half muscle on a bulk, then lose mostly fat on the final cut you are very likely to completely recompose your body.
This is how I went from over 30% body fat to 15%. Not in one go, in two or three cycles. My body totally changed. Recomps don't work for me.
And I went from 32% to 17% body fat without going through a "get-thin-get-fat" cycle. And I plan to drop another couple points through proper diet and exercise and don't see the need to get fat again first.0 -
Bro science0
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Recomp and cut/bulk are both viable options. Neither of them need to be debated in this thread. If the OP's wife wants to cut/bulk that's her prerogative.
OP, is she lifting now? TDEEs can vary widely, even at the same height. A previous poster said hers is in the 1800s at 5'6". Mine is in the 2300s at the same height. Muscle mass and activity level make a big difference.0 -
I just posted a similar frustration for myself. I increased calories from 1200-1400 to 1600-1700 and dropped five pounds in two weeks. Idk her age but from what I've read women over 40 get really good at storing fat.0
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@thorsmom01
She is logging here, she's eating 1804 calories. Her maintenance is 2081 according to what she used to calculate it.
I'll see how she feels about dropping her calories a little more. She is not pregnant.@thorsmom01
That actually makes sense. She just told me she doesn't want to be at a deficit anymore... she has been over a year.
If she's eating 1800 and not losing, then that's her real maintenance level. If she doesn't want to eat less, that's OK too (I'm the same way). All she has to do to get off the plateau, is to increase cardio. She can either increase the duration or the intensity or both but that should work.0 -
Op- tell your wife that its totally okay If she doesn't want to eat at a deficit right now. I understand that all too well.
I dont want my current bulk to ever end ! Lol !
For me , I find that I see better results doing bulk and cut cycles . but she can go ahead and continue to eat at maintenance if that's what she wants to do. Just tell her to continue whatever progressive lifting program she likes and continue on with maintenance for now if that's what she wants to do. I go through times like that as well . for me, there's just times where I need a break so go back to maintenance for a while and that's totally okay. It's not a race ! So she can do whatever she feels comfortable with for now.0 -
shawna101711 wrote: »Bro science
What do you think is bro science and why ? Sometimes its helpful to other members if you counter misinformation with fact and explain why in your own words.0 -
Thank you all for your replies! I appreciate it! @thorsmom01 @Traveler120 @aduck2016 @jemhh @quinndeborde @Springfield1970 @shawna101711 @bogwoppt1 @brower47 @emdeesea @rainbowbow @Rocknut53
Based of all your comments my wife decided to incorporate more cardio, keep the calorie intake for now so that she can really put a microscope on what is the reason for her plateau. I will come back to this post to let you know how your advice helped with her progress... unless she decides to add you as friends herself.
Also, one factor I forgot to mention is that she is 27yo in 2wks...
She would also like to know which posters were mentioned. by these 2...Recomp and cut/bulk are both viable options. Neither of them need to be debated in this thread. If the OP's wife wants to cut/bulk that's her prerogative.
OP, is she lifting now? TDEEs can vary widely, even at the same height. A previous poster said hers is in the 1800s at 5'6". Mine is in the 2300s at the same height. Muscle mass and activity level make a big difference.I just posted a similar frustration for myself. I increased calories from 1200-1400 to 1600-1700 and dropped five pounds in two weeks. Idk her age but from what I've read women over 40 get really good at storing fat.
And this question was answered if you didn't see it:Why is she not posting this?quinndeborde wrote: »@Fuzzipeg
We both recently learned about the MFP community... she's not comfortable with being a part of it yet.
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I'm not sure what you mean by posters? I posted a question under 'women over 40'0
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I am the poster mentioned who's TDEE is 1850. That is the number I am given by online calculators. I am 5'6" and 140 pounds. I run 30k a week and probably briskly walk about the same. I lift some weights, but not often this year for a few reasons not health related. So despite being pointed out as probably inactive, I am in fact quite active and have well defined muscles.
I maintain at around 1800. I eat back most of my workout cals on the weekends. If I want to lose I eat 1450 and some exercise cals.
I am not sure that age makes a difference, I just turned 50. I think finding your own maintenance level is key and then playing with the numbers to see what makes you lose. Also moving, in whatever way works for you.
Best of luck to your wife, nice that you care so much.0
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