Plateau busters
bluehayan
Posts: 26 Member
Good morning! I was wondering if any of you possibly had some advice for a 33 year old dad that works full time, does school part time, runs a business on the side and helps take care of a one year old.
Since Jan 1 I've lost 30 lbs just using natural supplements and watching what I ate. Starting weight was 235, now I've been hovering around 205 for about 3 weeks. I've started working out to include weight training to help build lean muscle mass, started doing HIIT routines as well for extended calorie burn. I started using this app yesterday to better track calorie and macro-nutrient intake. I still plan on taking my greens, fat burner and fat blocker. I'm considering including another supplement that promotes HGH production as well as a multi-vitamin.
Any advice aside from what I'm already doing to bust past this plateau?
Since Jan 1 I've lost 30 lbs just using natural supplements and watching what I ate. Starting weight was 235, now I've been hovering around 205 for about 3 weeks. I've started working out to include weight training to help build lean muscle mass, started doing HIIT routines as well for extended calorie burn. I started using this app yesterday to better track calorie and macro-nutrient intake. I still plan on taking my greens, fat burner and fat blocker. I'm considering including another supplement that promotes HGH production as well as a multi-vitamin.
Any advice aside from what I'm already doing to bust past this plateau?
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Replies
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Dump the fat burners and fat blockers, get a food scale and get accurate with your intake. What is HCG? Dump that too!3
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What are your goals? I'm thinking from what you've posted that you may be better served asking in the body building forum as I'm guessing you want more than just the few pounds off.
If it is just weight loss, than @Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink is right, but if it is body building, I'm not sure that it is. Seems to me HGC is body building territory.2 -
If I'm stuck for 2 or 3 weeks, I'll have a get-out-of-diet-jail free day where I eat whatever I want and then get back at it the next day. Has worked wonders for me.
That pre-supposes you're already weighing and logging everything you eat and hitting your numbers. OP, I'd be very skeptical of those quick-fix supplements.0 -
If you just started working out and hitting the weights you might not see the scale move for a little bit. I've noticed this happens to me religiously when I pick up weights at the gym after being away for a while, even when my food is on point. Make sure you do measurements - you will see your progress there for the first little bit. Re-composition is a huge deal, the scale doesn't always tell us everything.
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I'd have to agree. The only thing the supplements are likely doing is adjusting your appetite. They do nothing to actually burn fat/lose weight. The only thing that can do that is calorie restriction. The supplements usually will either make you feel fuller, or in some cases make your stomach upset so you don't want to eat as often. It's also a mental crutch to think that if you take a pill and drink a bunch of water you won't be hungry. The sad fact though is you could have saved your money and just drank the water. If you're hovering at a specific weight then you're eating the calories required to maintain that weight. You'll need to further reduce calories to lose more weight. Logging and tracking what you eat, as well as logging and tracking your exercise calories can help, that's what MFP's diary is all about.1
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The supplements I've been taking helped to increase metabolism and burn fat as well as prevent absorption of fat/carbs. Not only did I lose 30 lbs but I dropped 4 notches in my belt. I'm not discounting water and diet as having anything to do with that weight loss, but a portion of it is due to supplements as well. I tried just changing diet and increasing water with little to no results in the preceding months.
It's apparent my body has gotten used to these initial changes, as explained by the plateau. I'm not opposed to cycling off of the fat burner/blocker. In fact, not taking them for a couple months could have better benefit if introduced later on.
Ultimately, my goal is to cut down in weight to get back to my weight when I left the Marine Corps of 180. I can't do that without also building some lean muscle mass, which will help to burn more fat as well. I don't want to put on too much muscle, just enough to be easy to maintain.
I'm just brainstorming ideas for other possible changes moving forward. I definitely appreciate everyone's feedback!0 -
Whether or not you drop or continue taking the diet pills/supplements really doesn't matter. You'll need to further restrict calories or increase exercise (or both) to continue to lose weight.1
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Accurate, honest calorie logging & patience.5
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Just as an update, I finally busted past the plateau of being at 205 for nearly a month. I weighed in at 200 this weekend. Now that I've hit my initial weight goal, I'm going to ramp up strength training for a few weeks before going back to HIIT for a few weeks so I can continue to change it up.5
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How did you bust the plateau? Any special tips?0
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StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Accurate, honest calorie logging & patience.
This is the only way.
No pill, supplement,fat burner or blocker will help.6 -
No pill, supplement,fat burner or blocker will help.
Totally agree.
I was thinking of "tips" like diet break or calorie cycling, high carb days or days off from exercising
But probably the best tip is just to have patience!
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trigden1991 wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Accurate, honest calorie logging & patience.
This is the only way.
No pill, supplement,fat burner or blocker will help.
Say what you want but I've gotten some pretty decent results with those things that supposedly don't work.3 -
What got me past the plateau was hitting up more HIIT, less strength training, further calorie restriction, more water3
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I've noticed that on these forums everyone seems to downplay any weight loss/fat burner pills. I have to agree with bluehayan that these supplements can be an additional weight loss help. Even if they just suppress your appetite, that alone can help you decrease your calorie count. By the way, what is HIIT? Also, can I ask what the name is of the supplement?2
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HIIT is high intensity interval training. There are many different forums and workout routines you can follow for this. Essentially, you rapid cycle high intensity intervals with low intensity intervals. It helps to actually burn more calories than cardio. I've used a couple different supplements, primarily Fat Fighters, Thermofit and Greens from It Works. The first 2 months I really didn't alter my diet too much or count calories and lost 30 pounds. Some of that was dropping soda, some of that was making smarter decisions with food, but some of that was also the supplements.1
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I'm at a Plateau right now. 46yrs old. 5'11. Started 1/25/17 @ 240lbs. 46 inch waist.
Now 225 @ 43 inch waist. But I've been stuck at that weight number for the last 3 weeks! The waist I didn't start measuring until 2/9. So from 2/9-3/29 my waist dropped from 46 in. to 43 in. But since 3/29 no waist size change. My calorie count says 2075 for a 2 lb/week loss, but that seems to be off.
I've also ramped up my exercising. I've been doing 20 min./day on the stairs burning 258 calories each day. I also go separately 4-5 times/week and lift weights (chest, legs, back, shoulders, abs doing 1 body part each time i go) Since I rest 2 min. between sets I don't say I burned any calories when I do weights. What else can I do??1 -
Good morning! I was wondering if any of you possibly had some advice for a 33 year old dad that works full time, does school part time, runs a business on the side and helps take care of a one year old.
Since Jan 1 I've lost 30 lbs just using natural supplements and watching what I ate. Starting weight was 235, now I've been hovering around 205 for about 3 weeks. I've started working out to include weight training to help build lean muscle mass, started doing HIIT routines as well for extended calorie burn. I started using this app yesterday to better track calorie and macro-nutrient intake. I still plan on taking my greens, fat burner and fat blocker. I'm considering including another supplement that promotes HGH production as well as a multi-vitamin.
Any advice aside from what I'm already doing to bust past this plateau?
First off, congrats on that huge weight loss achievement!
Plateau's are extremely frustrating especially when calories are restricted already.. I just got through mine and its always satisfying when you get through it. Before you drop anymore calories make sure you're weighing everything accurately. If you have already done that, its time to drop 200 cals off your current deficit. This will bust you through the plateau in no time.
I would lose the fat burner and dont worry about HGH unless advised by a doctor.
As you lose weight, your BMR drops and the new leaner you, needs less calories to maintain your weight, thus the need to also create a "new" deficit in calories. Usually, before i do this I have a cheat day for mental purposes. Then the next day I drop the extra 200 cals. Hope that helps.3 -
Not to be Debbie Downer, but those supplements will work now, and then they'll stop working when you stop taking them. The sudden lack of whatever boost they give you may cause you to regain.
Of course you should do whatever works for you, though!
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trigden1991 wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Accurate, honest calorie logging & patience.
This is the only way.
No pill, supplement,fat burner or blocker will help.
This. Especially since there is a mountain of proof that these supplements are a waste of money.
Why fat blockers, though? Fat is important.
No supplements work. None. I've tried them all. I'm guessing since you started eating more fruits and veg, you started eating more volume and less calories. That is what did it. If you actually do some research on how the human body works and how weight loss works, you'll see that some silly little supplements wasn't responsible for YOUR hard work. Why give the credit to something else? Why would those pills place a disclaimer that they work in conjunction with diet and exercise? Yeah....
You lost 30lbs in 2 months? That's a loss of 3.75lbs per week. As you just started losing, most of the loss from the first month are water weight. I recently gained and lost 14lbs of pure water weight in a week, and continue to lose 1-1.5lbs per week without silly pills. They're a waste of money. If they truly do work, why are these overweight people still walking around?
This is how weight loss actually works:
Everyone's body requires a certain amount of calories to maintain current weight; maintenance calories. If you eat under these calories, you lose weight. Simples. This is all you, not some silly pill that actually does make something lighter: your wallet.
Check out examine.com. You'll see all your supplements listed as poor.2 -
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The supplements I've been taking helped to increase metabolism and burn fat as well as prevent absorption of fat/carbs. Not only did I lose 30 lbs but I dropped 4 notches in my belt. I'm not discounting water and diet as having anything to do with that weight loss, but a portion of it is due to supplements as well. I tried just changing diet and increasing water with little to no results in the preceding months.
It's apparent my body has gotten used to these initial changes, as explained by the plateau. I'm not opposed to cycling off of the fat burner/blocker. In fact, not taking them for a couple months could have better benefit if introduced later on.
Ultimately, my goal is to cut down in weight to get back to my weight when I left the Marine Corps of 180. I can't do that without also building some lean muscle mass, which will help to burn more fat as well. I don't want to put on too much muscle, just enough to be easy to maintain.
I'm just brainstorming ideas for other possible changes moving forward. I definitely appreciate everyone's feedback!
No they didn't. If you read the instructions on those things they always say "along with diet and exercise." YOU are doing the hard work. YOU are responsible for your weight loss. Weight loss supplements are not regulated. Advertisers can make any kinds of claims they want.
Supplements that block fat absorption do exist (Alli). The calorie difference is small and the side effects can be horrible.
Weight loss is simply calories in vs. calories out. Water weight can mess with the scale, so don't expect linear weight loss. Measure your food intake to the best of your ability......and move more. Find exercise you enjoy, so you will want to continue when you get to goal.2 -
trigden1991 wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Accurate, honest calorie logging & patience.
This is the only way.
No pill, supplement,fat burner or blocker will help.
Say what you want but I've gotten some pretty decent results with those things that supposedly don't work.
Correlation =/= causation3 -
trigden1991 wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Accurate, honest calorie logging & patience.
This is the only way.
No pill, supplement,fat burner or blocker will help.
Say what you want but I've gotten some pretty decent results with those things that supposedly don't work.
Yes but what will you do when you stop taking these supplements and your appetite returns to your original level??? These typically help short term, but if you have not adapted permanent better eating habits, then you will most likely gain the weight back. The pills teach you nothing to sustain long term results. All you need is a calorie deficit...that is it. You say restricting didn't work before. I say you most likely weren't in a true deficit. If you weren't weighing your food and logging to be sure, "cutting back" doesn't always work. I've lost just over 82 lbs in the last 9 months by doing exactly what I just typed. I have not taken a single pill. I have 38 more lbs to lose and plan to lose that the same way. I don't think anyone is trying to argue with you, but most people on this site have lost with just a calorie deficit. We know what we are talking about.0 -
Great thread congrats on breaking through the plateau!1
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trigden1991 wrote: »StaciMarie1974 wrote: »Accurate, honest calorie logging & patience.
This is the only way.
No pill, supplement,fat burner or blocker will help.
Say what you want but I've gotten some pretty decent results with those things that supposedly don't work.
What exactly worked for you?0 -
People keep saying, "What happens when you get off the weight loss pills, blah, blah, blah, ". People, you need to understand that these pills worked for him WITHOUT much diet change. He said that already. My belief is that weight loss pills CAN help, but are not the be all, end all. It's a jump start help more or less. It may even be mental but who cares as long as it works. I'm on no pills, have adjusted my diet, but I'm still hungry as hell. I have had self control so far (since Jan. 25), but I am debating taking an appetite suppressant just to kill my appetite. Most likely I'll get lectured by yall.2
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