getting super fit and now at a plateau...is it because of to

balconywriternb
balconywriternb Posts: 21
edited September 29 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all!
So I've been stuck at a plateau for about a month now. For 3 months straight I was losing about 2 pounds a week by maintaining a 1500-2000 calorie diet and exercising 5-6 days a week. When I hit my first plateau after month 2, I was told to increase calories to beat it and it worked. But this time around increasing calories is not working for me. I've done everything I can think of. I've switched up my workouts. I do cycling one day, then run the next, the swim the next...I also lift weights twice a week and I do abdominal exercises every day. I'm still losing inches and my body is getting super fit. But the weight is not coming off and I still wanna lose 15 more pounds! So somebody said maybe I ought to not work out as much cause as of now I work out almost every day. But I love working out. It makes me feel so good! So my question is, will decreasing my workouts help me to lose weight? That doesn't really make sense to me which is why I'm asking. Also, another friend of mine says maybe the reason I'm plateauing is because I'm at my body's ideal weight. I'm 5'11", athletically built 24-year-old. I used to weigh 200 lbs and now I'm at 174 lbs. My goal is 160. Any help would be much appreciated :-)

Replies

  • jamielise2
    jamielise2 Posts: 432 Member
    Try switching up your calories...eating more one day and less the next. Are you re-eating your workout calories? Your NET calories should be between 1200-1500. For me, some days I can't eat my NET. Like yesterday my NET was under 900, which is OK if it's rare. I think it keeps my body confused, so it keeps burning.
  • parkgirl1
    parkgirl1 Posts: 41 Member
    sounds like your doing everything right but one thing to remember muscle weights more than fat and it might be that its taking your body a little longer to re-adjust to more muscle ??? so long as your loosing inches dont worry. I think sometimes its better to check our weight not just with the scales but the tape measure and how our clothes fit..good luck and great weight lose in total :) xx
  • gatorflyer
    gatorflyer Posts: 536 Member
    If you're still losing inches, that is an NSV. As for the actual weight loss, it might be time to reduce your calorie limit instead of increasing it. Also, make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Also, make sure that you aren't under-estimating calories and look at what it is that you are eating, not jsut the calorie count.
  • lloydrt
    lloydrt Posts: 1,121 Member
    tallgirl........I plateaued for 4 months, from Jan 2011 till April of 2011.........gain a pound, lose a pound, gain a pound , lose a pound......

    after 4 months, I increased the size of weights I was using, lowered my calorie intake for the day, and didnt eat but half my exercise calories back. When I was eating my exercise cals, all of em, I plateaued, so I cut it in half and it worked..........I ve lost 30 lbs in the last 3 months, after losing 100 plus in 2010. I know some people say eat em back, some say dont, but what worked for me was only eating half back....trail and errror is how I did it................Best wishes, Lloyd
  • Larius
    Larius Posts: 507 Member
    I'm still losing inches and my body is getting super fit.

    That's what matters. You're the only one looking at your scale. The scale isn't really a goal. The scale is just an imperfect way to gauge your progress toward your goal.
  • omid990
    omid990 Posts: 785 Member
    from what i know, the exact opposite would be true. if you hit a plateau, you should increase your exercise. because you're already exercising everyday, i would increase the intensity of your exercise. when you hit a plateau, it's because your body gets used to your routine so you need to break up your routine. play around with your calorie count too. increase or decrease until you find a number that gives you a jump start.
  • Shizzman
    Shizzman Posts: 527 Member
    Are you doing any lifting or just cardio..?
  • kristy_estes21
    kristy_estes21 Posts: 434 Member
    One pound of muscle is smaller than one pound of fat so if you're losing inches, but the scale isn't moving then it's because you are increasing your muscles and the fat is going away. This is what you want!!! It's SO hard not to get fixated on the number you see on the scale, but at this point, I would gauge your goals more on inches lost. If you look at two women weighing 160 pounds, one may look thinner than the other depending on their muscle mass. I definitely think inches lost is more important than pounds lost because isn't that what you want? To LOOK thinner? No one except you sees the number on the scale. They see the size of your body. :)
  • Stephinow
    Stephinow Posts: 273
    Hi, tallgirl! You are super fit! Sounds like you have a great routine. I read in a Jillian Michaels' article that we have a hard time losing those last 10-20 pounds because our body is happy with what you weigh and wants to stay there. She says to lose those last pounds, you should do this for 30 days -- drink at least 80 oz of water a day, lower your sodium intake to 1000 mg a day, cut out processed food (which you will have to to get that sodium level down), abstain from alcohol, and work out at 85% of your maximum heart rate for 60 minutes 5 days a week (I think it means an average of 85% of your MHR). After one week of doing this because I was on a plateau, I lost 3.9 lbs. Good luck to you!
  • rachmaree
    rachmaree Posts: 782 Member
    Sounds like you have a great routine! Suggestions...Why not lift weights 3 days a week, and zig zag calories? You don't need to work abs every day, 3-4 times a week is enough.
  • TranceGirl
    TranceGirl Posts: 121 Member
    I went through the exact same thing and it turned out i was eating too many calories. I do insanity and they recommended I eat 1800-1900, I didn't lose a single pound doing that. I lowered my calories to 1600 a day and now the extra weight is coming off. Remember one thing though, the closer you get to your goal, the harder it will be to lose weight. Unfortunately that's just the way it goes. So you may no longer be losing 2 pounds a week but .5 pound a week and thats perfectly fine. Since you're only 15 pounds over your goal weight, losing 2 pounds a week would do your body more damage than good. Best of luck!!
  • balconywriternb
    balconywriternb Posts: 21
    I looked back on my net calories and actually rarely do I end up having a net calorie total over 1200. So I believe I might be putting my body in starvation mode which is why I'm plateauing.
  • balconywriternb
    balconywriternb Posts: 21
    thanks for all the great tips and suggestions, everyone! :-)
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I looked back on my net calories and actually rarely do I end up having a net calorie total over 1200. So I believe I might be putting my body in starvation mode which is why I'm plateauing.

    more than that, as you approach your weight range (note it should be a range, not a number), your deficit needs to shrink. The less fat you have to lose, the smaller your deficit should be (or in other words the higher your NET calories consumed needs to be).

    A 5'11" 24 year old relatively active girl weighing 174 lbs should not be eating 1200 calories a day, more like close to double that.
  • balconywriternb
    balconywriternb Posts: 21
    i still eat anywhere from 1500-2000 a day, but once you subtract calories burned I usually hit around 800-1000. Sometimes I'm just not hungry enough to get my net calories over 1200. Funny how eating more can be difficult with dieting at this stage. But thank you for your advice.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    i still eat anywhere from 1500-2000 a day, but once you subtract calories burned I usually hit around 800-1000. Sometimes I'm just not hungry enough to get my net calories over 1200. Funny how eating more can be difficult with dieting at this stage. But thank you for your advice.

    Look at what you're eating. I can't see your diary but most of us who are trying to lose weight eat "light" this, "lite" that and "low fat" of the other. A very easy way to get in more calories without eating more food is to eat the regular versions of these foods. Greek yogurt instead of nonfat, 2% milk instead of skim, regular mayo instead of light. You get the idea. Those lowfat versions are just trading fat for sugar and/or sodium, so they're not as good for you anyway. Fat is not always the enemy. Also, try a protein shake or fruit smoothie for some drinkable calories.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories