Plateau advice from those that met their goal

Google Fat to Fit Radio Tools.
Do the military body fat calculator
then the BMR tool.

You will be happy and surprised!

Do it now btw.....

I was so NOT happy by this. Surprised...yes. It says my BF % is 20 but my scale says it's 16.5%. Arrrggg!

neither are really accurate ways to measure. Body fat calipers are a much better measure to understand body fat. Both those sites have me rated around 18% body fat, even when I was measured at 12. The difference in your metabolic rate would be about 50 calories for the two different body fat %.

Unless you have calipers or even a water tank its hard to get perfect measurements.
The military BF calc tends to give a few numbers.
I tend to pick the one in between!

Interesting info from Jillian Michaels
What advice do women always ask you for?
They get caught on plateaus. In that case what you need to do is give yourself a couple of days of rest and bump up your calories by 10 percent. When you lose weight quickly, your body often responds by releasing hormones to increase your appetite and store more fat. That's a survival instinct meant to help us conserve fuel during times of famine. You can outsmart it by eating a little more and resting. That usually helps jump-start your metabolism again.
Hope this helps ive been stuck at the same weight for weeks!!!!! Good Luck!

I really agree with this! I ended up falling off the wagon for a week in both exercise and eating habits, then got back into it and BOOM, weight loss. Adios plateau!

BUMP

I agree with everyone. I have lost almost 50 pounds since July. I've had moments with zero weight loss for a few weeks and I'd change things up as each one of you have alluded to. One thing that I tend to do is zig-zag my calories which prevents my body from getting use to the normal routine. On some days I'll eat 1200 on others 1500 some days 1300 etc. When I noticed my first plateau...that lasted around three weeks i had an emotional eating moment and consumed around 2100 calories unintentionally of course... the next day I got back on track and contnued as i normally would until my next weigh day. To my suprise I lost 4 pounds. I did some research and found that allowing yourself occasional overages can be helpful. Occasional means occasional with control and consciencious choices.

How often should you update your TDEE and BMI??? I adjusted it after I lost five pounds cause it changed slightly. I keep all my percents and calculations on a notecard to keep track. It is more fun for me to do than simply just step on a scale.

I really think the earlier advice of measuring is helpful....a lot of times your weight stabilizes (especially when you are close to goal or only have a little to lose), but the inches keep creeping off. I also think the type of calories you consume can make a difference. I can't eat 1200 calories that are carb heavy & lose weight, but can eat the same 1200 calories with a higher protein ratio, and the weight keeps coming off slowly & steadily. Just don't give up, and trust your smart choices & healthier lifestyle. You can do it.

I learn a lot from this thread. good job posting this questions and thanks for those who replied

My workouts were always pretty consistent. I never upped my workout routine to get out of a stall. But I did up my calories. Many times. As time goes on and you get closer and closer to your target weight, you should be increasing your calorie intake, so that your calories approach maintenance as your weight approaches goal. Make sense?

Something to keep in mind when wondering why your weight loss may have slowed or plateaued is that sometimes you start gaining muscle more from your exercise, which weighs TWICE as much as fat does.

Switching up calorie intakes, raising your workout intensity, it all helps. Good luck!

BUMP

My first ever Spike Day 8 years ago broke my diet plateau and I spiked my way to losing over 100lbs. Even better I've kept it off and I'm in the best shape of my life. Just pick a day coming up and try to eat a small calorie surplus. It only takes a day of overeating to restore the "ant-starvation" hormones.

I have pretty much been at a plateau for almost a year, so I understand how it can be frustrating. One thing that has kept me motivated and focused has actually been to avoid setting a specific goal. When I started on my "healthier living" journey I routinely told myself that my only true goal was to try to be at least as healthy, if not a little bit healthier than the day before. If I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes one day, maybe the next time I was at the gym I would up it to 22 minutes...or maybe run a little faster. If I had a small bag of pretzels one day for a snack, the next day I would try to just have half that. Without setting a goal on the scale, I just focused on being fit and aware of my eating habits. I lost about 50 pounds and have gone up and down a few pounds here and there...but I always make sure to get myself back into the gym, or dancing, or doing yoga or going for a walk. Ultimately, I figure the whole reason I wanted to lose weight was to live a longer, healthier and more energized life. I can do that give or take a few pounds.

Eat more for a couple days and rest. Also, take measurements!! I have seen inches lost when I haven't seen the scale move.

Bump. I need this for later

Unless you have calipers or even a water tank its hard to get perfect measurements.
The military BF calc tends to give a few numbers.
I tend to pick the one in between!

Completely agree. I was merely stating that neither are perfect. Heck, calipers can be off as well depending how you use them.