Frustrating Plateau

MimiGroveOwen
MimiGroveOwen Posts: 9 Member
edited November 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi....I've been having some good success with MFP and exercise for about the last 6 months! I've been fairly religious with my 1200-1400 calories per day, and exercise 1.5 to 2 hours about three times a week to include weights, 3 miles on the bicycle, and a mile on the treadmill. Thrilled with progress as I'm down almost 30 pounds. But I've been on a plateau for the last 6 weeks and can't drop any no matter what I do. I have about 20 more pounds to go.

I got a fit bit Blaze for Christmas, and it seems to have been worse since I've been using that. I try not to go above the daily calories added by fit bit, and really never eat more than 1400 even when fitbit ads more.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Do you weigh everything you eat with scales?
  • AverageJoeFit
    AverageJoeFit Posts: 251 Member
    Everything that people have said above. You could also try a re-feed week. Normally is the kinda thing weight lifters do, but it might break your plateau.

    Just take a week and set your MFP goal to maintain weight. It isn't an excuse to fall of the band wagon, but a chance to let your body know everything is all good.

    Just an idea.
  • GeordieLaforge
    GeordieLaforge Posts: 40 Member
    edited February 2017
    I agree with @Loomisj72 a refeed week might be just what you need. Refeeding has been what gets me out of every plateau I've had. When you spend a lot of time on a deficit your metabolism starts to slow down to compensate (it wants to prevent you from losing too much because it thinks you're in hard times).

    It's a little terrifying at first because you literally just eat anything and everything you want for an entire week. But it basically primes you to lose again afterward because you fire up your metabolism again.

    Depending on what you do right now for fitness, you could also try adding in some High intensity interval training. A lot of people (myself included) find this helps with weight loss.

    As a side note, I'm 5'5 and I eat about 2500 Cals per day on average (net 1650 Cals). So perhaps you're not eating enough to begin with (which causes your metabolism to slow even more). I do have a lot of muscle mass though, its not the same for everyone.
  • chrislee1628
    chrislee1628 Posts: 305 Member
    Know the feeling, great that I have lost nearly 40lbs, but sucks that I am now hovering around 200lbs

    Eating around 1200-1500 calories and doing between 15k-30k steps a day, some are saying that I am not eating enough calories, but if I eat what MFP says I should be, I gain weight
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    I know the feeling. Since November I have been bouncing around in the same 4lb range. I've played with my calories, macros, and work out routines. It's frustrating. I'm 10-15lb from goal now and starting to wonder if I'll get there.
  • AverageJoeFit
    AverageJoeFit Posts: 251 Member
    SCoil123 wrote: »
    I know the feeling. Since November I have been bouncing around in the same 4lb range. I've played with my calories, macros, and work out routines. It's frustrating. I'm 10-15lb from goal now and starting to wonder if I'll get there.

    FYI the last 10 - 15 lbs are the longest and hardest. Hang in there and maybe try to start recomp early so that you know how to maintain the weight you are at. :smiley:
  • MimiGroveOwen
    MimiGroveOwen Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks guys. 3 pound range drops about a pound per month. So I guess slow progress is better than no progress. Have found that a couple of nights of Lean Cuisines help push things along a little better, but wondering if a high protein diet (using Kodiak cakes) might help redistribute calorie composition and help. Any ideas? The Risperidol I have to take doesn't help either.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Do you weigh everything you eat with scales?

    This. You really should be losing if you are only eating 1400. Make sure you are weighing EVERYTHING.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    FIRST thing I would do is increase intensity of your exercise. And that could just mean pedaling a little faster than usual, and or using more resistance in your weight lifting. The body can adapt to physical exercise pretty easily and if you don't CHALLENGE your body, adaptive thermogenesis can happen. Again, it doesn't have to be crazy increase, just a little one.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,600 Member
    Since you mention your Blaze, any chance it's over-counting some of your exercise, like stride length issues, weight training counted as more intense cardio when heart rate clicks up, that sort of thing?
  • MimiGroveOwen
    MimiGroveOwen Posts: 9 Member
    Thanks everybody. Will consider all your suggestions. Getting ready to do some traveling that will include a lot of walking, so hoping this may help to jump start some new progress.
  • kyubeans
    kyubeans Posts: 135 Member
    I'm sort of in the same situation. I've been hovering between 225 and 222 for the past three weeks. I'm trying not to get frustrated, and I'm still logging everything, telling myself all the usual: Weight loss isn't linear, make sure you log as accurately as possible, don't live or die by the scale, etc.

    It's tough not to get annoyed when you see that same number again each morning though, despite your best efforts.

    Some people have suggested a "re-feed" day or week..... This doesn't make sense to me, in the simple world of CICO... shouldn't I lose if I keep to my daily goal? Is there science behind this whole cheat day/re-feed concept?
  • db121215
    db121215 Posts: 60 Member
    MimiGroveOwen wrote: »
    Thanks guys. 3 pound range drops about a pound per month. So I guess slow progress is better than no progress. Have found that a couple of nights of Lean Cuisines help push things along a little better, but wondering if a high protein diet (using Kodiak cakes) might help redistribute calorie composition and help. Any ideas? The Risperidol I have to take doesn't help either.

    Try replacing those low cal likely high sodium Lean Cuisines with the same cals of fresh food. That will help even more. And I'm not trying to be sarcastic. I used to think soups, though just 250 cals for the can, were good. Good for cals, bad for sodium and water retention.
  • GeordieLaforge
    GeordieLaforge Posts: 40 Member
    edited August 2017
    kyubeans wrote: »
    I'm sort of in the same situation. I've been hovering between 225 and 222 for the past three weeks. I'm trying not to get frustrated, and I'm still logging everything, telling myself all the usual: Weight loss isn't linear, make sure you log as accurately as possible, don't live or die by the scale, etc.

    It's tough not to get annoyed when you see that same number again each morning though, despite your best efforts.

    Some people have suggested a "re-feed" day or week..... This doesn't make sense to me, in the simple world of CICO... shouldn't I lose if I keep to my daily goal? Is there science behind this whole cheat day/re-feed concept?

    @kyubeans The purpose of a refeed is to encourage some metabolic upregulation. When you consume a deficit of calories consistently for a long time, your body knows it will die if it keeps allowing you to waste away. It starts shutting down non-essential processes like heat production and sex organs (which is why we tend to feel cold and have a low libido during weight loss). But when you periodically overfeed it, it thinks "ay, we okay" and diverts energy back into these non-essential systems.

    I personally hit a plateau any time I go too long without a refeed.

    Also, if it's not something you do already, try incorperating some HIIT into your training regime. I find that very helpful too! :)
  • ncsubeachgirl
    ncsubeachgirl Posts: 97 Member
    If you don't measure yourself, start! I did that when I started to slow down loosing it on the scale and it has helped me stay motivated bc I'm seeing losses in other ways now :)
  • steelaxitute2127
    steelaxitute2127 Posts: 159 Member
    Hi! I'm currently 170.6 pounds (according to my weigh-in this morning) and have a 36% body fat. I'm trying to get into the Army and need to either be at 147 or 32% body fat before I can start my testing. I was doing pretty well with losing about two pounds a week, but now I'm gaining those pounds back. I workout twice a day with one session as cardio and the other as a HIIT workout involving kickboxing at 9Round. I also try to keep me calorie intake around 1200. Why am I still gaining weight? If I use weights, I try not to go above 10 pounds. Please help!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    steelaxitute2127 wrote: »
    Hi! I'm currently 170.6 pounds (according to my weigh-in this morning) and have a 36% body fat. I'm trying to get into the Army and need to either be at 147 or 32% body fat before I can start my testing. I was doing pretty well with losing about two pounds a week, but now I'm gaining those pounds back. I workout twice a day with one session as cardio and the other as a HIIT workout involving kickboxing at 9Round. I also try to keep me calorie intake around 1200. Why am I still gaining weight? If I use weights, I try not to go above 10 pounds. Please help!
    If you're gaining weight, it's because you're eating more than you think. Inaccurate measuring of intake is usually the main reason that one stalls on weight loss or loses no weight at all.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • steelaxitute2127
    steelaxitute2127 Posts: 159 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    steelaxitute2127 wrote: »
    Hi! I'm currently 170.6 pounds (according to my weigh-in this morning) and have a 36% body fat. I'm trying to get into the Army and need to either be at 147 or 32% body fat before I can start my testing. I was doing pretty well with losing about two pounds a week, but now I'm gaining those pounds back. I workout twice a day with one session as cardio and the other as a HIIT workout involving kickboxing at 9Round. I also try to keep me calorie intake around 1200. Why am I still gaining weight? If I use weights, I try not to go above 10 pounds. Please help!
    If you're gaining weight, it's because you're eating more than you think. Inaccurate measuring of intake is usually the main reason that one stalls on weight loss or loses no weight at all.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    Do you have a suggestion for how I can measure accurately?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    steelaxitute2127 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    steelaxitute2127 wrote: »
    Hi! I'm currently 170.6 pounds (according to my weigh-in this morning) and have a 36% body fat. I'm trying to get into the Army and need to either be at 147 or 32% body fat before I can start my testing. I was doing pretty well with losing about two pounds a week, but now I'm gaining those pounds back. I workout twice a day with one session as cardio and the other as a HIIT workout involving kickboxing at 9Round. I also try to keep me calorie intake around 1200. Why am I still gaining weight? If I use weights, I try not to go above 10 pounds. Please help!
    If you're gaining weight, it's because you're eating more than you think. Inaccurate measuring of intake is usually the main reason that one stalls on weight loss or loses no weight at all.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    Do you have a suggestion for how I can measure accurately?
    Get a food scale. Believe it or not, the few grams that some foods are off make a difference.

    If one eats 100 calories over their TDEE consistently for a year, that's a 10lbs gain. That's how weight creeps up on us.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
    1. Get a food scale and weigh everything, but especially hard to judge things like pasta and cereals, and things that are very high fat/calorie like cheese.
    2. Measure yourself - you might be toning up and muscle is denser than fat so the inches can drop while the weight stays the same (or even goes up as it did with me - very scary!)
    3. Compare what fitbit says for exercise with the MFP estimate for your height/weight - when I was looking to buy a tracker I went for a Garmin because I read a Which? review which said fitbits regularly over-estimate calorie burn by up to 40%
    4. Work out your TDEE and set you calorie level to that less 100 or 150 calories. I did that when I stalled and actually upped my calories, but the weight came off.
    5. Finally, maybe switch round your exercise - if you always do the same thing at the same intensity at the same time/day of the week your body gets used to it and its less effective. Throw in a "surprise" day off (when you just walk or cycle slowly), try a new exercise or a new routine. Obviously if you go to a class then those are pretty much fixed, but maybe try the same sort of class at a different venue, or get a DVD to do at home.

    You can break the plateau, you just need to tinker about a bit!
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