Need some help please!

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genie98
genie98 Posts: 62
in Health and Weight Loss
I think I have hit my first plateau. I have only lost 1 lb in the last month. I do usually stay under my cals. I dont usuallly eat the same foods except for mornings. I workout 5 days a week with usually 30 mins of cardio. I do go over cals sometimes. My food diary is open to public. I try to stay under on sodium. Not sure what I am doing wrong. I do different workouts everyday usually. Like for instance Monday I did elliptical, Tuesday I did a workout video with some light weights and today I will do a walk slim video with light jogging. Not sure what I can change to make the weight come off again. I still have 25 lbs to lose. Thanks for any help!
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Replies

  • ivansmomma
    ivansmomma Posts: 500
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    There are times that our body just needs to readjust. By your post, you are doing everything correct except eating all of your calories. That may slow you down a bit. Also, how are your clothes fitting? Are they looser? I haven't lost much weight, but I'm losing inches and my clothes are loose. This, too, shall pass and you're doing great! Take care.
  • LaDiablesse
    LaDiablesse Posts: 862 Member
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    Are you doing that same routine of workouts every week? Are you doing any kind of strength training? Have you tried extending the length of time of your cardio workouts?
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
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    If you are eating your exercise calories, consider increasing your calories by 200 calories and see if adjusting helps you get the weight to come off.

    Plateaus happen, unfortunately, and when they do, that only means that it is time for a change, because your body has grown accustomed to what it was used to doing. Once it is adjusted, you will get stuck on a plateau and start to feel discouraged.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Try eating more you are consistently under your daily goal by 300-500 calories. You are supposed to be as close to your goal as you can be (this includes your daily amount plus eating back what you burn from exercise). Since you don't have much to lose eating all of your calories is even more important as you don't have as much fat stores to draw from.
  • WiiFitFan
    WiiFitFan Posts: 156 Member
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    I would suggest that you start tracking your sugar and sodium intake, as well. Go into settings and change your diary settings so that sugar and sodium will show up. Also, less fast food and processed food and lots more vegetables and make sure you drink lots of water. You are doing good. Just try to make some healthier food choices and see if you see a change. Best wishes!
  • natekorpusik
    natekorpusik Posts: 176 Member
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    Honestly, looking at your' diary it looks as if you are leaving too many cals on the table at the end of the day. A lot of days you had 300-450 cals left over. Your body could be compensating by storing the calories it is getting. Try eating back most of your calories and leave only a few at the end of your day. Try zig zagging your metabolism. I would try to have 0-150 calories left over at the end of the day. Good luck.
  • ocrunner11
    ocrunner11 Posts: 293 Member
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    Sounds like you are doing everything right, stay focused and positive:happy: I just made my goal of losing 5lbs in 2 months. I saw that I was losing inches, not pounds, so the theory of turning fat to muscle could be the case. Are you drinking enough water each day? Wishing you lots of happiness today :flowerforyou: Stick with it, it will come off :heart:
  • deboney
    deboney Posts: 5
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    First of all, congratulations for losing 34 pounds! that is awesome!! Second, you might not be eating enough. Even though it's great to stay under your calories, your metabolism will slow down if it doesn't have fuel to burn.
    While I'm no expert, I have heard from a lot of people that eating is important. Good luck with the rest of our journey..I know you can do it !!
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    You probably need to kick your workouts up a notch, because it sounds like you're doing pretty good with the diet part.

    If workout time is an issue, instead of 'light jogging', try some hard (all-out) sprints..like walk for 2 minutes, then run as fast as you can for one. Repeat this pattern for your 30 minutes and you will get your heart rate up higher, and will have ran 10 whole minutes (start with 30 second sprints if you aren't much of a runner and build that up).

    BTW - you've done fantastic so far...keep up the good work!
  • drsub
    drsub Posts: 6
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    I would suggest staying an extra 20% under your caloric limit at this stage - the plateau may be a sign your body has altered it's metabolism to a new equilibrium point. Also a little patience - smile, and relax - allow your body some time - this is a longterm venture - right? Cheers.
  • feliciapeters
    feliciapeters Posts: 525
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    It has ony been a month & some peoples bodies need more time to adjust
    By looking at your food diary, I would say you need to eat more (especially protein)
    and try a little strength training
    strength training builds muscle
    muscle burns fat
    protein feeds muscle
    dont worry, you wont "bulk up"

    this has been working fairly well for me, especially after I increased my strength & cut back a little on my cardio
    upping the water alittle always helps me

    Try Jillian MIchaels 30 day shred, (dvd) it combines everything & most people have had excellent results with it
  • nkbee
    nkbee Posts: 1
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    You should try incorporating interval workouts into your gym routine. It will not only help you to build muscle, but you will burn more calories. If on the elliptical, increase resistance for 3 minutes, and then do a minute recovery before increasing it again for 3 minutes. If on the treadmill, try alternating between running a lap uphill and running a lap at a goal pace. These types of workouts also keep you from getting bored. Good luck and keep up the good work! :smile:
  • dianediaz
    dianediaz Posts: 53 Member
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    Hey there, Genie. I think I can offer up some thoughts on what to do different to get a kick start. First of all, you are in the right place using MFP to track and reaching out for feedback, so good for you for that!!

    I took a look at your diary and I see some areas where you can make some changes. First off, it looks like for breakfast you only really have coffee and a banana. Breakfast is what gets your metabolism going. For example, I eat most of my calories in the early part of the day and much less for, say, dinner. So I recommend some kind of protein for breakfast, an egg or egg white omelette. You could even split up breakfast. I eat some fat free Eggo waffles before my workout. Then when I come back from the workout I have an egg white omelette. So I get carbs and protein.

    I also noticed that you seem to be eating a lot of processed/fast foods. To be perfectly honest, I think you'll really have to cut those out of your diet. The thing is, they are so high in calories and sodium with little nutritional value. So you might eat, say, some pizza which is tons of calories and sodium but may not really keep you full for very long. Not to mention the fat content. But if you were to eat, for example, a salmon filet, steamed veggies, and brown rice, you'd probably eat less calories but for sure less sodium and fat. And you'd stay fuller longer and get more nutrition.

    I try to eat more times throughout the day to keep my blood sugar stable and keep myself from bingeing. Then I feel like I'm eating more but calorie wise I'm not. Plus blood sugar is consistent and I don't get a ton of sodium.

    Anyway, these are some of my thoughts on what to do different. On the workout front you may try adding in weight training. This can help to burn more calories. You still need the cardio, but adding weights will help to build some muscle and add definition, overall toning.

    Hope this all helps. Best of luck and stay positive. You'll get there!!!!
    Di
  • feliciapeters
    feliciapeters Posts: 525
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    , so the theory of turning fat to muscle could be the case.

    fat doesnt "turn to muscle" its would be like turning water into wine ( i wish)
    You BUILD muscle
    and BURN fat
    2 seperate things that can occur at the same time

    BTW as many people seem to think muscle DOES NOT weight more than fat
    A lb of muscle & a lb of fat both weigh a lb

    muscle is more compact & denser than fat so 1lb of fat is is more actual mass than a lb of muscle
    example a lb of feathers & a lb of rocks
    both weigh a lb but theres ALOT more feathers than rocks
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    BTW as many people seem to think muscle DOES NOT weight more than fat
    A lb of muscle & a lb of fat both weigh a lb

    Thank you!

    Not trying to hijack the OP's thread, but it absolutely drives me crazy when people say that "muscle weighs more than fat"...its such a silly statement when a pound is a pound......
  • genie98
    genie98 Posts: 62
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    Thanks for all the responses. I will try adding some strength training and eating more cals. I dont have access for lunch to cook or warm up foods so that is the toughest right now since I started back at work. I have turbo fire which has band resistence and think I will try that tonihht instead. The walk slim light jogging is a little easier for me. Maybe I will do a little bit of both. Thanks for all the input!
  • feliciapeters
    feliciapeters Posts: 525
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    BTW as many people seem to think muscle DOES NOT weight more than fat
    A lb of muscle & a lb of fat both weigh a lb

    Thank you!

    Not trying to hijack the OP's thread, but it absolutely drives me crazy when people say that "muscle weighs more than fat"...its such a silly statement when a pound is a pound......

    drives me nuts too lol
  • tomomatic
    tomomatic Posts: 1,794 Member
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    Hey hey. Congrats for losing 34 pounds! Here's some of my first thoughts:

    1. I think you should add more columns to what you're tracking to. Sugar intake would be a good one to add. And Fiber. Fiber is so important because it's so filling.

    2. The same workout you were doing before may no longer make your heart race. You're simply stronger, and in better health than when you started. Consider getting a heart rate monitor and establish a goal for your heart rate to stay in during your workout. When I first plateaued, it was because I wasn't even breaking 99 bpm on the cardio bike... it had become too much of a cake walk. So I slapped on the HRM, and tried to keep it at 133 bpm's or above for 30-45 minutes. Nowadays, I do whatever I have to to stay in that zone, whether it's kicking up the pace, resistance, arm circles, shoulder presses (with resistance bands) or bicep curls while pedaling.
  • feliciapeters
    feliciapeters Posts: 525
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    I dont have access for lunch to cook or warm up foods so that is the toughest right now since I started back at work. I

    i grill 12 chix breasts a few times a week. some bagged salad & cut up chicken or chciken sandwich is a great bring with you lunch that doesnt need to be heated up. u can pack it in a cooler if you dont have refridgeration

    i bring several to work every day, and i just nosh on chix all day long whenever im hungry. chix in one hand, typig with the other lol

    raw veggies are another good no heat needed lunchtime nosh
    cold grilled shrimp

    the thing is you DO have to prepare ahead
  • hummingbird71
    hummingbird71 Posts: 298 Member
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    I have been on this for almost 6 weeks and last week was my first week WITH NO weight loss and a small gain. So I know what you are going through. I decided to drink MORE water throughout the day and even drink a cup of it after I brush my teeth first thing in the morning, helps get me started off right. I have also started eating more protein and going to "mix-up" my exercise routine. I walk for about 30-40 mins daily. I am still going to continue to do that but add in some lunges along the way, and maybe even some skipping. Stopping for some jumping jacks as well. Yes I walk outside in my neighborhood so I am pretty sure I will get some looks and laughs along the way but I SIMPLY DON'T CARE. I am working out, I am feeling good, I am loosing weight and if I put a smile on some ones face because they think what I am doing is silly, well then so be it... I got them to smile today, good for me! I am taking on the attitude of "dance like there is no one watching"! I have not been doing any weight lifting but starting tonight I plan to change that as well. So try mixing things up. Don't just "do the same exercise" every day. Oh and it helps for me to have my 11 yr old with me when I go on these walks because he LOVES TO DO silly things like skipping with me. Good luck and keep up the good work! Good things DO COME to those who wait!

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