Help, I've plateaued!!

desertrosepaint
desertrosepaint Posts: 13 Member
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone. I need some help.

I have been on a mission to lose weight since maybe around late January early February. Only in the last several months have I seen any change. Change is good! I'm 5'2" and I went from 128 (almost 129) to 119-120ish. I feel much happier but Im not quite satisfied yet. My goal was originally 110 but I was told that was unreasonable so I've changed it 115. However, if given the chance I'd still like to weigh between 110 & 113.

Now, I hit a plateau at 119. Then a few weeks ago, I began to gain weight again. I haven't changed anything!! I've gained back 3 almost 4 pounds. Help!! I believe everyone can see my diary (I'm new to this forum thing so if for some reason you can't see my diary let me know and also let me know how I can show it to everyone). My calorie limit is 1200 but I usually eat maybe 800-900 calories and I never eat back my exercise calories (at least I try not to). I am really beginning to feel discouraged and would really appreciate help in the most detailed form. I was really hoping to get to my goal and be happy by this summer, guess not!! My true goals are to weigh between 110-113 and to have lots of muscle especially in my core, chest and arms. I'm already a muscular person so my legs are ok! I would really, really appreciate any help, take a look at my diary and let me know what to do to get down and push through my 119 plateau.

Thanks all and happy 4th on Monday!

Replies

  • Amandanoralynn
    Amandanoralynn Posts: 231 Member
    Hi First thing I notice by reading your post is you are putting your body in starvation mode. You calories are too low and with not eating back your exercise calories than you are really too low. You body is going to hold every bite you get it as it feels you are not feeding it enough. Try to reach your 1200 and that includes exercise calories also.
  • s_a_ramey
    s_a_ramey Posts: 12
    If you are not eating your calories every day, your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto every calorie you eat. Your body doesn't know you are going to be supplying it with enough food again, so it holds on so you will have energy and it will have something to burn later. You need to eat all of your calories.
  • dnnmccloud
    dnnmccloud Posts: 124 Member
    You have to shock your body...it's gotten use to your routine...Try a new workout! Eat your calories and maybe 1/3 of your exercise calories....if you are not weight training be sure to try that 2-3 times a week. You've done an outstanding job and don't let anyone tell you that your goal is unreasonable..you know how strong you are just keep going!!!Congrats on all of your success!!!
  • Emmy_Ann
    Emmy_Ann Posts: 60
    Don't get discouraged!! Plateaus are dangerous things mentally :) Anyways, you mentioned muscle.. are you lifting at all?? Your body needs more food if you plan on lifting to help support muscle growth and maintaining.. I'd be eating 1200 right now if I wasn't lifting, but since I lift hard 3 times a week I eat around 1700ish kcal
  • js013
    js013 Posts: 1 Member
    Keep in mind that muscle is heavier than fat. Also, you are not eating enough! You body will go into starvation mode and hold on to all it can to survive.. You weight now seems fine for you height so be happy with you success and health. Life is too short-don't spend it hating a body that probably looks pretty good and spend it eating healthy and living well.
  • SailingMike
    SailingMike Posts: 237 Member
    I agree with Amanda, but remember it's should NOT be about weight, but GOOD HEALTH. I was listening to an interview with a famous gymnast, female, who said she does not have a scale in her home. She focuses on how she looks and how she feels. ALSO, your exercise can build muscle which weighs more than fat, which might account for some of your plateau. Eat a proper diet, don't starve, enjoy your life.
  • froggzy1015
    froggzy1015 Posts: 178 Member
    You're body sounds like it needs more calories. I eat my exercise calories back, usually about half. You need to switch it up a bit!
  • nikki3337
    nikki3337 Posts: 19
    Don't worry the same thing happened to me several weeks ago. I was only eating around 800 calories a day and then exercising a ton, but the weight just wouldn't budge. So I just ate normally for a week, and then started eating around 1200 calories a day and I lost four more pounds. I also started switching up my exercise routine, so I learned it was all about shocking my body and eating just a bit more so my body didn't think it wasn't going to get food. Good luck!
  • desertrosepaint
    desertrosepaint Posts: 13 Member
    Yes I'm lifting a little. However, I play competitive soccer year round as well as run as often as possible. Not to mention I fence. So I'm active it just doesn't seem active enough.
  • desertrosepaint
    desertrosepaint Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you everyone for your help. But if I eat more won't I sart to gain weight? That's the last thing I want to do. I have nine more pounds to go and I'm afraid that if I start eating more normally I'll gain again and never reach goal!
  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
    Eat more and include high intensity interval training and exercises with explosive movements (heavy weights & low reps - squats, deadlifts, power cleans, shoulder presses, kettlebells, etc).

    That'll wake up the fat burning furnace!!!!
  • VStar55
    VStar55 Posts: 75
    You're not eating enough.
  • desertrosepaint
    desertrosepaint Posts: 13 Member
    Eat more and include high intensity interval training and exercises with explosive movements (heavy weights & low reps - squats, deadlifts, power cleans, shoulder presses, kettlebells, etc).

    That'll wake up the fat burning furnace!!!!

    Thank you!!! I will definitely try that!
  • gregthegroove
    gregthegroove Posts: 98
    Hi First thing I notice by reading your post is you are putting your body in starvation mode. You calories are too low and with not eating back your exercise calories than you are really too low. You body is going to hold every bite you get it as it feels you are not feeding it enough. Try to reach your 1200 and that includes exercise calories also.

    Sorry I dont agree with eating back your excersise calories to lose weight at a nice pace. You will lose weight MUCH slower if you eat back your excersise claories. I say stick to around 1200 calories and that is it and keep excersising. Just MO
  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
    Hi First thing I notice by reading your post is you are putting your body in starvation mode. You calories are too low and with not eating back your exercise calories than you are really too low. You body is going to hold every bite you get it as it feels you are not feeding it enough. Try to reach your 1200 and that includes exercise calories also.

    Sorry I dont agree with eating back your excersise calories to lose weight at a nice pace. You will lose weight MUCH slower if you eat back your excersise claories. I say stick to around 1200 calories and that is it and keep excersising. Just MO

    So you are suggesting that she eat 1200 calories regardless of exercise or not? What if she burned off 1200 calories through exercise. That would net zero calories for the day... not a healthy choice if u ask me. The body needs calories to function AND repair itself from exercise. We should never race to lose weight... it's not the healthiest approach.
  • gregthegroove
    gregthegroove Posts: 98
    Hi First thing I notice by reading your post is you are putting your body in starvation mode. You calories are too low and with not eating back your exercise calories than you are really too low. You body is going to hold every bite you get it as it feels you are not feeding it enough. Try to reach your 1200 and that includes exercise calories also.

    Sorry I dont agree with eating back your excersise calories to lose weight at a nice pace. You will lose weight MUCH slower if you eat back your excersise claories. I say stick to around 1200 calories and that is it and keep excersising. Just MO

    It would be very hard for her to excersise 1200 calories at her weight. This is most likely not going to happen. IMO it just doesnt make sense to eat back your excersise calories. It defeats the purpose of working out. If she ever (which is not likely) burned off 1200 calories I would maybe think about eating an additional 300 - 400 calories. The point of what she is trying to do is lose weight and Im never saying to starve yourself, but choose whatever calories you want to consume be it 1200 - 1500 or whatever and dont really pay attention to NET calories. In our program that I take part in for weight loss (it could be because im way bigger still) our nutrition leader and she is also a trainer suggests not to eat back calories because it slows down weight loss. Now if thats not an issue for you and you are OK with losing half a poun per week and 5 pouns a month, thats not an issue. For somebody that wants to speed it up a bit, I dont think there is anything "wrong" or unhealthy about not eating back excersise calories.

    Most of us arent athletes and or olympic swimmers that need to ingest 8,000 calories a day because they are buring 10K like Michael Phelps or something. Its different IMO for the average joe.
  • randisaucier
    randisaucier Posts: 178 Member
    Thank you everyone for your help. But if I eat more won't I sart to gain weight? That's the last thing I want to do. I have nine more pounds to go and I'm afraid that if I start eating more normally I'll gain again and never reach goal!

    Not if you are eating the right foods!!!! Weight loss is NOT about starvation!
  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
    Respectfully, I regularly see people her weight (< 120lbs) on MFP burning in excess of 1200 calories DAILY through running and various Calisthenics... I have a few MFP friends who post their workouts every day. So we can't make a blanket statement that it can't be done or that she shouldn't eat back her calories.

    If we were talking about someone with A LOT of weight to lose, then we could meet somewhere in the middle... eat back some of those calories, however, the OP is already petite with only a few pounds to lose. So I say she should eat them all back, espeically if she wants to maintain lean muscle. IMO. :smile:
  • desertrosepaint
    desertrosepaint Posts: 13 Member
    Respectfully, I regularly see people her weight (< 120lbs) on MFP burning in excess of 1200 calories DAILY through running and various Calisthenics... I have a few MFP friends who post their workouts every day. So we can't make a blanket statement that it can't be done or that she shouldn't eat back her calories.

    If we were talking about someone with A LOT of weight to lose, then we could meet somewhere in the middle... eat back some of those calories, however, the OP is already petite with only a few pounds to lose. So I say she should eat them all back, espeically if she wants to maintain lean muscle. IMO. :smile:

    Thank you, I agree. Although I'm afraid to eat too much. I always feel like in eating too much and won't eat even if im hungry. How do I find a balance between the two? Eating enough and exercising but also losing the leftover fat. I am a small person, and I am largely built of muscle both naturally and because I'm a competitive athlete all year. If Im supposed to eat more, what do I eat more of and how much more are we talking?
  • desertrosepaint
    desertrosepaint Posts: 13 Member
    Oh, and do you mind telling me what MFP is? Just of total curiosity and ignorance!
  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
    MFP is the website you are on - myfitnesspal :smile:
  • AZTrailRunner
    AZTrailRunner Posts: 1,199 Member
    Respectfully, I regularly see people her weight (< 120lbs) on MFP burning in excess of 1200 calories DAILY through running and various Calisthenics... I have a few MFP friends who post their workouts every day. So we can't make a blanket statement that it can't be done or that she shouldn't eat back her calories.

    If we were talking about someone with A LOT of weight to lose, then we could meet somewhere in the middle... eat back some of those calories, however, the OP is already petite with only a few pounds to lose. So I say she should eat them all back, espeically if she wants to maintain lean muscle. IMO. :smile:

    Thank you, I agree. Although I'm afraid to eat too much. I always feel like in eating too much and won't eat even if im hungry. How do I find a balance between the two? Eating enough and exercising but also losing the leftover fat. I am a small person, and I am largely built of muscle both naturally and because I'm a competitive athlete all year. If Im supposed to eat more, what do I eat more of and how much more are we talking?

    This is where a personal fitness/ nutrition coach comes in handy. You have very specific goals, and generic advice may just confuse things.
    Strength training will help you burn off those last few pounds and let you keep that lean muscle. The trade-off is that you have to fuel the machine so it can repair itself from those workouts. You may need to adjust your fitness profile to "active", with .5lb loss per week. That will increase your daily calorie allowance here on MFP.

    I see too many people on this site who eat less than 1000 cals a day and can't understand why they aren't losing weight. You don't have the excess weight to pull that off, and will likely just lose muscle instead.
  • desertrosepaint
    desertrosepaint Posts: 13 Member
    Respectfully, I regularly see people her weight (< 120lbs) on MFP burning in excess of 1200 calories DAILY through running and various Calisthenics... I have a few MFP friends who post their workouts every day. So we can't make a blanket statement that it can't be done or that she shouldn't eat back her calories.

    If we were talking about someone with A LOT of weight to lose, then we could meet somewhere in the middle... eat back some of those calories, however, the OP is already petite with only a few pounds to lose. So I say she should eat them all back, espeically if she wants to maintain lean muscle. IMO. :smile:

    Oh duh! Ha, that was stupid. MFP, right.

    Ok, so up the strength and interval training in exchange more food.

    Thank you, I agree. Although I'm afraid to eat too much. I always feel like in eating too much and won't eat even if im hungry. How do I find a balance between the two? Eating enough and exercising but also losing the leftover fat. I am a small person, and I am largely built of muscle both naturally and because I'm a competitive athlete all year. If Im supposed to eat more, what do I eat more of and how much more are we talking?

    This is where a personal fitness/ nutrition coach comes in handy. You have very specific goals, and generic advice may just confuse things.
    Strength training will help you burn off those last few pounds and let you keep that lean muscle. The trade-off is that you have to fuel the machine so it can repair itself from those workouts. You may need to adjust your fitness profile to "active", with .5lb loss per week. That will increase your daily calorie allowance here on MFP.

    I see too many people on this site who eat less than 1000 cals a day and can't understand why they aren't losing weight. You don't have the excess weight to pull that off, and will likely just lose muscle instead.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories