Plateau Help!!

ehines91
ehines91 Posts: 7
edited October 6 in Food and Nutrition
Hey everyone, was hoping for some advice on pushing through this plateau I've hit on my weight loss journey. I've debated about posting this due to repetition, however, I've read through a ton online on different theories on pushing through plateau's but haven't really found much on the situation I'm in.

A disclaimer: if the story below has been answered on another thread (either here or somewhere else) please feel free to post the link and I will check it out.
_______________________________________

Here's the situation:

In mid-October I started a weight loss journey with a goal to lose 65lbs. My starting weight was 230 and I wanted to get down to 165 (I'm a 5ft. 10in 26yr old male).

I started P90X and did it religiously for two months (until the guy downstairs complained I was making too much noise lol) and also ran anywhere from 1-2 miles every other night outside.

I limited my daily consumption of calories to 1500 per day (yes there were occasional slip-ups, but mostly I stuck around 1500).

By December 5th, I weighed 200 and have been stuck here ever since.

My workout routine has changed since it is cold here in Michigan and the guy won't let me do P90X anymore. So, I currently joined a gym and have been working out 6 out of 7 days. My current workout routine is as follows:

Monday: back/bi's and 3 miles running
Tuesday: chest/tri's and 3 miles running
Wed: 5-6miles running
Thurs: legs and 3 miles running
Fri: Shoulders and 3 miles running
Sat: Abs and 5-6 miles running

I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now and have still been stuck at 200 lbs. I'm not sure if it is because I've still been eating 1500 calories (which I've read is very low -- so I'm not sure if my body is in "starvation mode"). The thing is my body does not tell me it's hungry. I've been so used to eating 1500 calories, that I don't really get hungry.

So, I guess my questions are as follows:

1) What are your suggestions to breaking through this plateau and losing an additional 35lbs (goal is by end of March)?
2) Does my plateau have anything to do with a low calorie count (I've since upped my intake to 1800, but haven't worked out for a few days due to stomach virus -- thank you inlaw cooking!)

Thanks for your help and I'll look forward to your suggestions!
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Replies

  • 0PhAtDaDdY
    0PhAtDaDdY Posts: 569 Member
    Exercise Less, Eat More for few Days you will break the spell upon you....
  • ItsLessOfMe
    ItsLessOfMe Posts: 374 Member
    I would say mix up your cardio. You are running everyday. You may need to shake it up. Try a group exercise class, a stairmaster or elliptical, maybe even swimming.

    I broke through my plateau by cutting out ALL sugar. 1 hr of cardio a day and a gallon of water per day. (of course I havent been doing so hot since the holidays)
  • LoveLiveLift
    LoveLiveLift Posts: 459 Member
    Sorry if I'm not much help, but 1500 seems a little low for a male. I have my activity level set to sedentary and I'm 5'7" and 141 lbs and I get more than 1500 cals. I think you may want to try eating more. Also, if you search calorie zig-zagging on the forums you will probably find some helpful advice.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    Well, I wouldn't consider that a plateau, but, you are a 26 year old man with only 35 lbs to lose. My BMR, as a 26 year old woman who is also 5'10", is higher than your daily calorie intake. Which means you need to eat a lot more.

    What is your MFP weight loss goal set at (lose 2 lbs per week, 1 lb per week, etc.)? Do you eat back the calories that you burn during exercise (my guess is you don't). My suggestion is to set it at 1 lb per week and eat all of your exercise calories. It's going to be a lot more food, but you can probably work your way up to it.
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
    Switch up your cardio! Instead of running try swimming, the erg (row machine), spin class, a step aerobics class, anything that gets your heart pumping and your body sweating. Still keep at the running, but instead of doing it 6 days a week, limit it to 3 or 4 and do a different form of cardio on the other days.

    Make sure too that you're not only counting calories in food, but you're watching whats actually in the food as well, as far as nutrients are concerned. Have you ever heard the saying "Abs are made in the kitchen"? From personal experience and from what I've learned in my classes at school (I'm an exercise science major with a minor in food science), weight loss diet is 80% of the work. If you aren't feuling your body correctly, its not going to function correctly and you aren't going to get the results you want. Think of it this way: you can fuel your car with any grade of gasoline you want and it will still run, but if you fill it with diesel when its meant to take premium, its not going to run as smoothly as you would like. Eat fresh, eat simple, eat at home.

    If you want me to check out your diary or have any questions, feel free to message/add me!
  • 21karensmith
    21karensmith Posts: 50 Member
    When I plateau I take a week off, exercise wise ... I still watch what I eat, but then after a week I come back harder and stronger than b4, by changing up what I do, that usually works for me. A full week off tho, no cheating lol :-). I think that you might need to increase your caloric intake aswell. The amount of cardio you do seems to be a aweful large amt compared to the 1500 calories your eating. You can also try drinking green tea it helps boost your metabloism, they say like 1 cup twice a day is best.... I also add cayenne pepper to my foods, not a lot :) but it also helps your metablism too :) You can google both, theres some good studies out there on both :D. Hope that helps, best of luck!!!
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,985 Member
    Bust your *kitten* and lift heavy! 3 sets for each exercise for 8 reps with AS MUCH WEIGHT AS YOU CAN HANDLE for those 8 reps.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Bust your *kitten* and lift heavy! 3 sets for each exercise for 8 reps with AS MUCH WEIGHT AS YOU CAN HANDLE for those 8 reps.

    And EAT MORE!!!
  • LelliAmi
    LelliAmi Posts: 327 Member
    Bob Harper's Total body transfomation!!! hardest workout ever!!!!
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    I'm with ninerbuff, get your muscle up, up your calories so that you are at a deficit that is no more than 20% of your TDEE
  • firefighter12
    firefighter12 Posts: 2 Member
    What is your calorie breakdown, i.e.- protien, carbs, fat? When you run is it always steady pace, if so you should try intervals for a higher intensity workout.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    I'm with ninerbuff, get your muscle up, up your calories so that you are at a deficit that is no more than 20% of your TDEE

    Yes. Right now at 1800 kcal a day, you are *barely* eating at your BMR.
  • shavura
    shavura Posts: 2
    :glasses: Try eating 900 calories for one day and 1/2 cantaloupe before bedtime with 16 ounces of water....and if that works. Do the same every 3rd day of the week to see if it will start moving again.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    :glasses: Try eating 900 calories for one day and 1/2 cantaloupe before bedtime with 16 ounces of water....and if that works. Do the same every 3rd day of the week to see if it will start moving again.

    What? :noway:
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,985 Member
    :glasses: Try eating 900 calories for one day and 1/2 cantaloupe before bedtime with 16 ounces of water....and if that works. Do the same every 3rd day of the week to see if it will start moving again.
    Uh NO.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
    :glasses: Try eating 900 calories for one day and 1/2 cantaloupe before bedtime with 16 ounces of water....and if that works. Do the same every 3rd day of the week to see if it will start moving again.

    Most random advice ever.
  • sunflower_yogi
    sunflower_yogi Posts: 78 Member
    Bust your *kitten* and lift heavy! 3 sets for each exercise for 8 reps with AS MUCH WEIGHT AS YOU CAN HANDLE for those 8 reps.

    And EAT MORE!!!

    Yes, this^^. I am a 5'7", 136# woman and often will eat more than 1500 a day.
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    :glasses: Try eating 900 calories for one day and 1/2 cantaloupe before bedtime with 16 ounces of water....and if that works. Do the same every 3rd day of the week to see if it will start moving again.

    :huh:

    My suggestion is to also ignore stuff like this.
  • Lift_hard_eat_big
    Lift_hard_eat_big Posts: 2,278 Member
    :glasses: Try eating 900 calories for one day and 1/2 cantaloupe before bedtime with 16 ounces of water....and if that works. Do the same every 3rd day of the week to see if it will start moving again.

    You is tripping, you trying to get the OP to Lose even more muscle mass
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    I'm with ninerbuff, get your muscle up, up your calories so that you are at a deficit that is no more than 20% of your TDEE

    In addition to this (and what Ninerbuff suggested regarding weight training) I would first consider taking a stretch of days (a week or so) eating AT your TDEE. You can estimate it here:
    http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

    You should end up anywhere in the neighborhood of 2400-2850 at a glance.

    I would recommend roughly the following macronutrient intake for starters:

    180g PRO Minimum
    80g FAT Minimum

    Fill the majority of your extra calories with carbohoydrates and this value will fluctuate as you go over the above listed minimums.

    After a few days (5-7) at this intake (AT your TDEE) I would resume deficit which would put you at roughly 1900-2300 kcal. Leave the above mins the same and reduce carbs to get here.

    PM me if you take this advice and have further questions, and good luck even if you don't take it!
    =)

    EDIT: And actually do the TDEE estimate in that thread I linked, using multiple methods. Do not just take my "eyeballed" estimate for TDEE. You CAN however use the macros I posted above as those are based on weight.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    :glasses: Try eating 900 calories for one day and 1/2 cantaloupe before bedtime with 16 ounces of water....and if that works. Do the same every 3rd day of the week to see if it will start moving again.

    Also, you have to do a cartwheel every morning before 5am and bury an eye of newt in a graveyard during a full moon.
  • ehines91
    ehines91 Posts: 7
    Wow, you guys are fast!

    I went to the store and came back and am processing this and will reply as soon as I get the gist of everyone's responses (minus the grapefruit one lol).

    Thank you so much for the fast input!

    I think my biggest fear is putting on more calories bc I lost the 30lbs so fast by cutting down to 1500 calories, but I know something has to change bc I've been stuck here for a while.

    I'll keep you posted!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    :glasses: Try eating 900 calories for one day and 1/2 cantaloupe before bedtime with 16 ounces of water....and if that works. Do the same every 3rd day of the week to see if it will start moving again.

    Also, you have to do a cartwheel every morning before 5am and bury an eye of newt in a graveyard during a full moon.

    ^ You are so awesome =)
  • Coopertown3
    Coopertown3 Posts: 34 Member
    When I hit my plateau I lowered my total carbs for the day and uped my protein intake---I would also try mixing up the cardio--maybe some circuit training--check to see what classes your gym has--mixing it up always seemed to help me. Good Luck and congrats on your weight loss so far!!!
  • ehines91
    ehines91 Posts: 7
    Well, I wouldn't consider that a plateau, but, you are a 26 year old man with only 35 lbs to lose. My BMR, as a 26 year old woman who is also 5'10", is higher than your daily calorie intake. Which means you need to eat a lot more.

    What is your MFP weight loss goal set at (lose 2 lbs per week, 1 lb per week, etc.)? Do you eat back the calories that you burn during exercise (my guess is you don't). My suggestion is to set it at 1 lb per week and eat all of your exercise calories. It's going to be a lot more food, but you can probably work your way up to it.

    My BMR is 1,893

    So I'm assuming I'm at a net -393, if I eat 1500 calories and DO NOTHING... however this is not the case -- I'm assuming with just a basic workout I'm burning 800 calories (rough estimate -- probably more), so I'm looking at -1193... plus, whatever activities I'm doing throughout the day (I have a two year old, so your guess is as good as mine).

    Is my math correct that I'm usually at a net loss of anywhere from -1000 to -1500 per day? IDK, I'm pretty new to all the acronyms and nutrition "terms".

    My MFP weight loss goal is set to the following:

    Current weight => 200lbs
    Goal weight => 165lbs
    Height => 5ft. 10in
    Gender => Male

    # Times/wk = workout --> 6 times @ 45 min each
    Very active

    Goal is 2lbs a week

    From this, it gives me around 1,930 calories/day

    Also, to answer your question about eating back my calories I burn... you are correct, I have not been eating back my calories.

    Weird question, and I'll probably get a lot of flack from this (well, I guess I won't get as much as the guy who suggested grapefruit, so here goes nothing...) but what is the point of eating back the calories you burn? Is it because the calorie MFP gave me is already enough to lose the 2lbs/wk?

    Well, again, thanks for your help and I'll look forward to hearing from you.
  • carrie_eggo
    carrie_eggo Posts: 1,396 Member
    Is it because the calorie MFP gave me is already enough to lose the 2lbs/wk?

    BINGO!!
  • ehines91
    ehines91 Posts: 7
    Ok, after reading through this, here are my responses (again, thank you for all your advice).

    What I've gotten from everyone is that I obviously need to increase my calories... I had a feeling that was what was the problem, but wasn't positive.

    @21karensmith | As far as the metabolism advice goes... thank you! I love green tea and I have heard that from a few dr's that green tea can raise the metabolism due to the caffeine and herbs. I am also a huge spicy foods person (love jalepeno's) and my wife is Mexican, so I always have spicy food ;)

    @ninerbuff | Question for you... I've been doing 3 sets of weights @12-15 reps a piece to keep the heart moving and also to burn fat. Is this a myth (doing 12-15 reps) or should I be switching to the 3 sets of 8 reps to build muscle mass? I don't really know much about weight training (I've always been a cardio man, which may be my downfall).

    @firefighter12 | Great question... I took a DNA test earlier this year through: www.inherenthealth (disclaimer: not intended to be an endorsement, just letting you know what I used) and the results came back that based on my DNA, I should be consuming the following: 65% Carbs, 20% Fat, and 15% Protein (this is in a nutshell). Upon looking at my journal, I realize, I need to work on this! Also, to answer your cardio question... when I was running outside, I was training for a 10K and was doing all interval training, mixed with every now and then straight, even runs. Now that I'm inside (it's cold in MI), I've been doing all straight, even runs... I'll probably get back to intervals though, because they are fun ;)

    @sidesteal | I might be taking you up on your advice (as well as the others), and I will get back with you within a week or so, once I fight off this stomach virus!

    @everyone else... sorry if I forgot you, and if anyone has any other questions and/or advice, that would be awesome. Feel free to add me as a friend or message me.

    I'm so grateful for your input and am excited to lose the remainder!
  • _GlaDOS_
    _GlaDOS_ Posts: 1,520 Member
    Does your activity level you entered (very active) include your exercise? This is one way to set up your calorie goal here, but it doesn't sound like what you are trying to do. Your activity level should be based on your daily activity on a day without exercise. So, for example, if you work a desk job, you may want to set your activity level at sedentary. If you work on your feet all day, maybe lightly active or moderately active. Then you add in your deficit by saying you want to lose 1 lb per week (I really recommend 1 lb per week - I think others would too, but if you want to try 2 lbs per week, by all means). Then when you add in the calories you burn from exercise, you eat those calories back, especially if you already set your goal to lose 2 lbs per week. If you didn't eat those calories back, you would have an even larger deficit (which doesn't usually equal more weight loss, especially if you don't consistently eat those calories).

    And since your BMR (the number of calories you would burn basically laying in bed all day) is 1893, you should probably be eating at least that.
  • ehines91
    ehines91 Posts: 7
    Does your activity level you entered (very active) include your exercise? This is one way to set up your calorie goal here, but it doesn't sound like what you are trying to do. Your activity level should be based on your daily activity on a day without exercise. So, for example, if you work a desk job, you may want to set your activity level at sedentary. If you work on your feet all day, maybe lightly active or moderately active. Then you add in your deficit by saying you want to lose 1 lb per week (I really recommend 1 lb per week - I think others would too, but if you want to try 2 lbs per week, by all means). Then when you add in the calories you burn from exercise, you eat those calories back, especially if you already set your goal to lose 2 lbs per week. If you didn't eat those calories back, you would have an even larger deficit (which doesn't usually equal more weight loss, especially if you don't consistently eat those calories).

    And since your BMR (the number of calories you would burn basically laying in bed all day) is 1893, you should probably be eating at least that.

    Yes, my activity level was including my exercise... oops. I will change it to sedentary, since most of the time I am at a desk or with a client.

    When I set my goal to 2lbs/wk I was given a budget of 1360 calories, and when I set it at 1lbs/wk, it bumped it up to 1860 (which I guess makes sense given 500x7days = 3500 cals = 1lb)... so help me with this logic here as now I'm a little confused.

    If I wanted to lose 2lbs/wk... I would limit my calories to 1360. If my BMR is 1893 and I'm taking in only 1360, I have a deficit of 500 calories (which over a week would equal a lb). However, since I'm working out, I should eat whatever I burn, and since I'm sedentary, I'm burning more than my BMR, which means I'll have more than a -500 calorie intake daily.

    Hopefully, I got it... I was basically doing what I just said (minus eating what I was burning) and having a huge deficit of calories, which may have shut down my metabolism causing a plateau.

    I think I just talked myself through this problem! Thanks ;)
  • Acg67
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
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