Plateaus ... Booooo.

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Naughtybiscuit
Naughtybiscuit Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I think I've hit my first plateau. For three months now I've been so smug, finding it all very easy, losing 2lbs a week or so until 2 weeks ago when BOOM I have just stopped!! I'm so annoyed!

My plan is to drink lots of water and swap my gym time for swimming time - I'm hoping this will kick things off again.

Anyone out there got any plateau-busting tips?

Replies

  • Allyson1985
    Allyson1985 Posts: 148
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    Try eating more for a week...not a ton, but add in 500 or so calories and it may help break the cycle.

    I calorie cycle and haven't had a plateau in 3 months.
  • kjannan
    kjannan Posts: 248 Member
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    I was on a 3 week plateau that I've just broken. I was the same, 2 & a half months of 1lb a week loss, then nothing :angry:
    I got out of my comfort zone & ate over my calories for a couple of days & it worked!

    I pigged out on chocolate & chocolate biscuits, I felt bad but REALLY good at the same time lol

    I've also added new exercises to what I'm doing to shock my body a bit more, it's working :wink:
  • Naughtybiscuit
    Naughtybiscuit Posts: 71 Member
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    I am loving the "eat more" advice :) I could kill for toast and biscuits hahaha! I've seen some people mention calorie cycling before, how does that work? If I do one day at 1200, one day at 1500, one at 1800 - have I understood this correctly?
  • PeaceLuvVeggies
    PeaceLuvVeggies Posts: 375 Member
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    I want to know as well. Been at the same weight for two weeks now! I want to start losing again!
  • tashstodd
    tashstodd Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm currently trying to break a plaueau as well. I've read posts from others who said zigzaging their calories worked to help break their plateau, so I'm going to try that for a few weeks and see what happens. Good luck!! :)
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
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    I'm not sure a plateau is 2 or 3 weeks... some people lose every week, some people don't. When these stalls happen have a look at what you have been doing and see if there is anything you can change. Sure you can eat more, but is it maybe WHAT you are eating? You have to really make sure you are being honest with yourself too. A lot of times we say we are "doing good" but there are probably things that can be improved upon. It's a learning process!
  • Allyson1985
    Allyson1985 Posts: 148
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    I am loving the "eat more" advice :) I could kill for toast and biscuits hahaha! I've seen some people mention calorie cycling before, how does that work? If I do one day at 1200, one day at 1500, one at 1800 - have I understood this correctly?

    Consider your daily caloric needs ... and calculate your weekly needs based on this number. Ensure you hit your total weekly needs, but split the calories up differently on a day by day basis.
  • krysydawn
    krysydawn Posts: 231 Member
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    I try and just switch it up. I think you have the right idea by switching your exercise for a bit. That normally helps me TONS.
  • crudd12
    crudd12 Posts: 63
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    I've been doing Weight Watchers for a year and I've been at a plateau since last February! What I did was stop exercising and eat more for a few weeks! It worked! I'd tried everything to break this plateau but nothing worked! i was walking 3-4 miles a day and following ww but nothing was working! I've now lost 2 weeks in a row! Also this website helped me to see how many calories I should be eating each day to lose weight! I realized all this time I wasn't eating enough so my weight loss stalled! How I wish I could have found this website last February! Cathy
  • craft338
    craft338 Posts: 870 Member
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    my losses were slowing down, too. i raised my calories by about 400, and i lost 2.4 lbs in a week. that was the second time that raising my calories has helped me out! treat yourself to some good food, stay active, and you'll be just fine =)
  • em1976
    em1976 Posts: 119 Member
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    Mix it up,change your exercise program and shock your body.I find if i shock it to the point of actually doing a workout that makes me sore does the trick.I do it every time I get stuck.I forgot what being sore was,like I know my workouts hurt but im not sore after doing them for a few weeks or months.Once I reach the point of not being sore,I change to a new routine that makes me sore again.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
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    I really don't think the solution is to change your exercise routine or add more exercise.

    Eating only 1200 calories is usually the more likely cause.

    I encourage you to read the posts from the women in this group:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/17-women-eating-2-000-calories-per-day
  • em1976
    em1976 Posts: 119 Member
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    I really don't think the solution is to change your exercise routine or add more exercise.

    Eating only 1200 calories is usually the more likely cause.

    I encourage you to read the posts from the women in this group:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/17-women-eating-2-000-calories-per-day

    On a side note when I change my exercise I change my calories too.I eat my exercise regardless of calories burned.I find 1200 for me isnt enough,I cant stay around that mark,lowest I think Ive ever had is around 1400,add my exercise somedays and the number is significant.
  • mgmlap
    mgmlap Posts: 1,377 Member
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    Try cutting out all carbs except for veggies and fruit
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
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    I have been on a plateau for two years.

    TWO YEARS

    trust me, you can just "change up" now but if you don't look deeper into what you are doing and how you are doing it you will run into this problem again. You can eat whatever calorie level you want, but if it's not the "right" stuff, you will get stuck.

    Just my two eurocents.
  • Naughtybiscuit
    Naughtybiscuit Posts: 71 Member
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    I think I'm eating the "right" things for me - I eat 1400 calories (plus all my exercise calories!) and I eat a pretty wide range of stuff, lots of veggies, I tend not to eat much rubbish stuff, I usually hit my macros ... I don't want to cut carbs out because I don't think I could sustain that indefinitely. A life without toast is not worth living haha :)

    I think I'm going to try calorie cycling for the next couple of weeks and see where that gets me ...
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
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    you can certainly try and I hope that works for you! I truly do!

    I'm only saying that if toast may be the culprit, or other carbs, then you have to be willing to cut them OR accept that this is where your body may want to be.

    And by the way, I don't advocate cutting anything at all. I would say eat the BEST carbs you can - complex, no refined sugars, no processed carbs. If you have white flour toast you may want to switch to whole wheat or other complex grains.

    Your diary is not public so I couldn't say either way what you could try to change or not. But you know yourself better than anyone. And you just have to be honest, open and WILLING to try anything and decide that you CAN sustain certain things if it means that you ultimate have better health, fitness and optimum weight level.
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
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    I kill all threads.
  • Naughtybiscuit
    Naughtybiscuit Posts: 71 Member
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    I kill all threads.

    Oh no! I thought it was only me that did that ...

    Thank you for all your advice, you've been very helpful.

    There, now you didn't kill it :)
  • runlaugheatpie
    runlaugheatpie Posts: 376 Member
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    haha! I was just noticing that I generally kill all the threads I post in :)

    I hope things are going well for you!

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