Looking for those who started on a plateau

stc74
stc74 Posts: 297 Member
edited September 30 in Motivation and Support
I feel like I've started on a plateau!

I've been at this for 5 weeks (maybe 3 more before getting on here and tracking it) or so and at first I gained 4 pounds, lost them then dropped 3 pounds and have been fluctuating between 3 lost and the start weight. I've watched my calories, struggled to eat back my exercise calories but tried to eat pretty good, even when I have to eat out. I've been working out regularly, using hrm to know calories burned. I'm active with 3 kids home for the summer so its not always easy to keep up with this.

I know I have a wine and the sodium is a struggle but I always get my water even if I don't log it. Big water drinker, no soda and only 1 cup of coffee on summer mornings if any.

I'm wondering what others might have tried and what did & didn't work.

Currently I'm thinking of splitting my workouts in two when I can (not always easy with busy kids & hubby) and raising my calories to the goal of 1 1/2 loss each week. Maybe I'm not eating enough???

Replies

  • zohars
    zohars Posts: 29
    It doesn't look like you're eating so little that it would be a problem (the standard minimum for women is at least 1200 calories). Have you also been tracking your measurements? If you keep doing the right things, you will lose weight with time. The only thing I'd suggest you change is maybe adding in some bodyweight exercises (pushups, situps, there are lot of other things too) that way you can do better at losing fat rather than just losing weight.
  • kater8er
    kater8er Posts: 364 Member
    I started on a plateau! It took me 5 weeks and some big changes, but then I lost 8 pounds like *that*. Now I'm at another plateau, so we'll see how I can break it this time! What I did was recommended to me by another mfp user--and it's worked wonders so far.

    Food: Really watch sugar. Cut out most sources of refined sugar, i.e. flavored applesauces and yogurts and chocolate milk, which can be low in cals but have 20 grams of sugar. Also--if you're a big regular milk drinker, even skim has 12 g per cup....So watch that. I ended up switching to unsweetened almond milk.
    Eat more protein. This has become a staple, normally I'm *over* on protein every day because I haven't gotten around to changing my settings yet. For every meal I try to have some kind of protein source. I eat a boiled egg every day for a snack and almonds and peanuts every day for a snack as well.
    No starchy carbs after lunch. Any carbs I have after 2 pm are in vegetable form, not bread/rice/starch form. And the carbs I do consume are ALWAYS wheat bread, no exceptions. Brown rice, wheat toast (but watch out that the brand you're getting doesn't have too much sugar) black beans, etc.

    Exercise: When you do workout, try and do an interval type training. Examples of what I started with were on the treadmill I would sprint for 30 seconds and walk for 90 seconds, and my other workout was sprint for 60 seconds, walk for 60 seconds, jog for 60 seconds--did these for 20-25 minute workouts. My other workouts I did elliptical, swimming, and walking, and occasionally biking.

    Also drink a tonnnnn of water. Good luck!
  • stc74
    stc74 Posts: 297 Member
    My workouts are interval training on the treadmill with handweights, trying to do some 30DS but its killing my knees even w/o jumping and I do crunches just don't log them.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Check and see if you are potassium deficient. Potassium counters the effects of the sodium so not getting enough can lead to water retention. Also, you are getting a lot of protein. If you are working out, then you could be building muscle. Have you checked your measurements to see if there is a difference there?
  • jillcwhite
    jillcwhite Posts: 181 Member
    I am right there with you.................my plateau has lastest months. I work out 1 to 2 hours a day, with one day off a week. I also have kids at home I am active with. I have given up the wine and drinking for the summer with no weight loss as a result. The calories MFP gives me is 1200 to start. I usually eat back most my exercise calories because of the fact that 2 meals & 2 snacks at 1200 calories is hard. I do not want to slow my metabolism down anymore then it is.

    Let me know if you find a way to break the plateau - I could use the information
  • missmandylynn
    missmandylynn Posts: 1 Member
    Hello,
    I hit a plateau after losing 20 pounds and it sucked.. I was stuck at 165 on the scale and no matter what I did the scale would not budge my personal trainer had me eatting 1200 cals a day plus burning 400 a day and plus training with her every other day still no change I was losing inches but not the weight so my husband said to me one day your not eatting enough calories he told me to start eatting 1600 a day so I told him I would try and sure enough I dropped 6 pounds . I weigh 159 now and I seem to be stuck again but that might have something to do with the fact that we have been on vacation and schools out for the kids so getting to the gym is alot harder than just getting myself out the door I have to get 3 of us out the door and I havent been eatting as healthy as I was.. But I started back on weds and since have been eatting healthy and going to the gym no matter how long it takes me to get out the door.. I only have 19 lbs before my goal weight and I'm going to make it to the finish line this time... I would say just try to up your calories a little and see if that helps and try to eat every 3 hours and nothing after 6pm is what I do ..
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    I am right there with you.................my plateau has lastest months. I work out 1 to 2 hours a day, with one day off a week. I also have kids at home I am active with. I have given up the wine and drinking for the summer with no weight loss as a result. The calories MFP gives me is 1200 to start. I usually eat back most my exercise calories because of the fact that 2 meals & 2 snacks at 1200 calories is hard. I do not want to slow my metabolism down anymore then it is.

    Let me know if you find a way to break the plateau - I could use the information

    Go a day or two without eating back your exercise calories. As long as you ate 1200 in a day, you have met your nutritional requirements. Exercise does not diminish nutrition and if you net under 1200 one or two days, your body is not going to go into starvation mode. (Hate that term btw because starvation has nothing to do with it.) The body is designed to maintain weight. It will adjust to long periods of fasting so that it only needs what you consume. Take a risk and shake it up a little bit.
  • mehaugen
    mehaugen Posts: 210 Member
    You could have a food sensitivity. Fresh unaged dairy makes me slightly bloated and unable to lose weight (but no other GI issues, so its extremely mild intolerance).

    Try eating greek yogurt, live cultured (organic) cottage cheese, non dairy milk, aged cheeses (over 60 days), etc.
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