Overcoming "The Plateau"

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  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    DELETED!

    Forget it - you asked for advice, then want to snivel over others taking the time to brainstorm this with you?

    I'm not sniveling - I'm having a discussion. And what you don't know is that I sent her a personal message to apologize if that came off wrong. Unfortunately you can't always catch someone's tone via electronic communication.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,699 Member
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    I was working with a personal trainer from July 2011 - January 2012 and my workouts are different every day because I'm in a tri club and do most of my workouts in a group setting. Training season just kicked off 2-3 weeks ago, though,so I may just be adjusting to the new workouts still. This is my (new) current schedule:

    Monday - rest
    Tuesday - trainer ride, 30 minute interval run
    Wednesday - bootcamp (H.I.I.T.)
    Thursday - swim group, 30 minute tempo run
    Friday - rest
    Saturday - swim, weight train
    Sunday - long run

    My workouts are pretty intense Tues-Thurs, thus the second rest day on Friday that I've implemented starting tonight. I'm really hoping upping my calories some will help...
    IMO, you're too much on the cardio. If it were me training you, I'd have you cut it back to 3 times a week, then just concentrate on some heavy *kitten* weight lifting with some high volume.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Captian_Dathon
    Captian_Dathon Posts: 73
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    I do the most common thing;
    Switch the calorie intake up a LOT.

    I still have a weekly total that will be the same, but how I distribute the weekly calories will just be insane for a week to a month until I drop.

    I have awful plateaus for every tens number I hit. D:

    I've never changed the substance of my diet or exercise to get over those bumps! xD
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
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    Deleted....
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Dial up to maintenance calories for 2 weeks. Then go back to regular loss-level calories.

    I set it to maintenance and it says 2,130 calories/day - that seems like A LOT!

    Depending on your activity level - having 2130 for maintenance isn't really all that high. I can easily maintain my weight (and have been for 18 months) by consuming 2300-2500 net calories a day. It's all about how active you are.
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    I was working with a personal trainer from July 2011 - January 2012 and my workouts are different every day because I'm in a tri club and do most of my workouts in a group setting. Training season just kicked off 2-3 weeks ago, though,so I may just be adjusting to the new workouts still. This is my (new) current schedule:

    Monday - rest
    Tuesday - trainer ride, 30 minute interval run
    Wednesday - bootcamp (H.I.I.T.)
    Thursday - swim group, 30 minute tempo run
    Friday - rest
    Saturday - swim, weight train
    Sunday - long run

    My workouts are pretty intense Tues-Thurs, thus the second rest day on Friday that I've implemented starting tonight. I'm really hoping upping my calories some will help...
    IMO, you're too much on the cardio. If it were me training you, I'd have you cut it back to 3 times a week, then just concentrate on some heavy *kitten* weight lifting with some high volume.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    Thanks! I'll definitely take that in to consideration!
  • david081
    david081 Posts: 489 Member
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    I don't eat back exercise cals. Recently looked at a lot of advice re plateaux, and maintenance for a short spell was a common method, as was zig-zagging calories. I sometimes (rarely) go on a 36-hour fast to clean-out my system, drinking loads of water, and still taking vitamins & supplements. This has worked fine for me.

    Good luck, and best wishes,

    David
  • lkm111
    lkm111 Posts: 629 Member
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    Wow, we could be twins. I've been beating my head against a wall for a long time - so glad to have found you!

    I have lost a total of 60 lbs. (37 since joining MFP). It has taken me 2 1/2 years. I wore size 22 jeans, now I wear 16.

    I am stuck at the same weight as you, and I've been stuck since last March, so almost a year. I started out walking, added Zumba, KettleWorx, and now I do TurboFire. I drink my water and eat as healthy as possible, staying under as often as possible. I'm not perfect, I do have days I go over.

    I am interested to see what advice you get. I will say I've tried upping calories and every time I end up gaining.

    On the bright side, I've kept off what I've lost for a long time (for me anyway). My frustration is that once I hit 220, I knew Onederland would be right around the corner. I was so excited! Still waiting.....

    Thanks for posting. Can't wait to help you break this plateau! :smile:
  • tritta01
    tritta01 Posts: 311
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    http://www.burnthefat.com/break_weight_plateaus.html
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    Almost a year?! :noway:

    Must. Find. Solution!!
  • gregpack
    gregpack Posts: 426 Member
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    I finally hit a plateau in the latter stages big loss last year. I was working out six days a week and eating about 1800 calories a day, about 1200 below maintenance. My weight loss stalled, my pulse rate slowed to 48, and I experienced some other symptoms that led me to believe I may have some issues with the hormone Leptin and my body was trying to hang on to my fat stores. After reading up I went to a carb rich diet and ate closer to maintenance intake. In just a few days my pulse rate went back up. Honestly I felt so good and my workouts and stamina improved so much I took a break from my diet for the month of January. I ate 3000calories per day and continued my workouts. I ate more than I have in six months and still managed to lose almost three pounds.

    Anyway, I'd suggest trying a few high carb days. You will gain some water weight but it will come back off in a couple of days. You might also want to search here for what is commonly called spike days, or cheat days.. It's worth trying.

    Google leptin for some information that may be of interest to you. Bodyrecomposition.com has some good articles on the subject.

    I don't really believe in low-carb dieting unless you're specifically trying to build muscle. I'm a runner, and runners thrive on carbs, so my diet is by no means low-carb. I probably need to re-evaluate the value of my carbs and check out some of those articles. Thanks for the input!!

    My reference in the thread to carbs is that IF it is an issue with Leptin, the best results to normalize leptin levels is a caloric surplus high carbohydrate diet for a few days. Lyle McDonald at bodyrecomposition has some great articles on leptin, and search engines will bring up a lot on the subject too.
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    http://www.burnthefat.com/break_weight_plateaus.html

    Interesting read! Thanks!!
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    [/quote]
    My reference in the thread to carbs is that IF it is an issue with Leptin, the best results to normalize leptin levels is a caloric surplus high carbohydrate diet for a few days. Lyle McDonald at bodyrecomposition has some great articles on leptin, and search engines will bring up a lot on the subject too.
    [/quote]

    I've honestly never even heard of leptin...looks like I've got some studying to do!
  • AbbeyWebber
    AbbeyWebber Posts: 2
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    That is very interesting to me. My HR has always been slow but had also gone down to 48 or lower sometimes. The last few weeks Ive noticed it is up a bit, coinciding with my breaking through a plateau. In fact the last couple of weeks the weight has been almost falling off! I am starting tracking on MFP tommorrow, just finished a subscription service today and my training partner and husband have had great success with MFP. I was going to shoot for 40 30 30 carb protein fat breakdown but I think I will read up on this first!
  • Athena413
    Athena413 Posts: 1,709 Member
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    That is very interesting to me. My HR has always been slow but had also gone down to 48 or lower sometimes. The last few weeks Ive noticed it is up a bit, coinciding with my breaking through a plateau. In fact the last couple of weeks the weight has been almost falling off! I am starting tracking on MFP tommorrow, just finished a subscription service today and my training partner and husband have had great success with MFP. I was going to shoot for 40 30 30 carb protein fat breakdown but I think I will read up on this first!

    40-30-30 is what I've been shooting for, too, but the leptin thing has my interest now...
  • monkeymouse74
    monkeymouse74 Posts: 288
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    :blushing: Bump...
  • marekdds
    marekdds Posts: 2,211 Member
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    Lost from 215 to 185, then stopped for six to eight months. Didn't gain any, but didn't lose any. Quit stressing about it. Started eating a little more, good stuff, but definitely more carbs. Have lost another 40 since then. Just my 2 cents, it is what worked for me.
  • kimberg75
    kimberg75 Posts: 412 Member
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    I lost 40 lbs. b/4 I hit the dreaded plateau. I was eating 1200 calories and exercising, eating back most of my exercise calories and everything was going along just fine, losing 1-2 lbs. a week then nothing for 2 months. I know how frustrating it can be. So I did a lot of researching about plateaus. One thing I read (and wish I would have bookmarked b/c I have no idea how to find it now) said that after losing a lot of weight the body will automatically plateau b/c it has to go through a reconfiguring process. It said this process usually takes 1-2 months and once it's done you will start losing again. I found this interesting b/c my plateau lasted for 2 months then I started losing again. The things I did change were: I upped my calorie goal from 1200 to 1400, I changed my workout routine (started doing Jillian dvds 4-5 times a week), and I started watching my sodium and sugar levels when before I didn't have them in my diary to worry about.
    If I were you I would definitely try upping your calories a bit...not necessarily maintenance level but you could try upping them by 200 or 300 calories. Change up your workouts. It sounds like you get a variety now but try a new variety of moves to confuse your body.
    Good luck! You will start losing again eventually if you keep at this and don't give up.
  • emermaid
    emermaid Posts: 6 Member
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    If you're open to trying something a bit different, why not try EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique, or 'tapping') to remove any subconscious blocks you have to getting slimmer. Lots of people have done this with great success, and you can get free resources at eftuniverse.com and by googling "Carol Look EFT weight loss". It costs nothing and is very powerful.

    What happened the last time you were at your ideal weight? Your body will hold onto weight in certain circumstances. If last time you were slim you had unwanted male attention, or were even attacked/abused, it will be hard to get slimmer without clearing the fear that it will happen again. Or if being slim is associated (in your subconscious) with unhappiness in any other way - if you were last thin because you were miserable after a relationship breakup, or if last time you successful shed some pounds you were criticized by jealous or unsupportive friends or family members.... there are many reasons why our bodies refuse to co-operate, but you can clear these reasons with a bit of gentle tapping. I've just written a blog post about it, check it out if you're curious. It could definitely be the answer to breakin your long plateau.

    x
  • sandiburn
    sandiburn Posts: 149
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    I was at a plateau till this week. I did a 1 day liquid detox drink and I lost 2 lbs that day and 1/2 lb the next day. Here is the plan.
    1 cup unsweetened cranberry juice, 1 cup unsweetened pomegranted juice, 7 cups water, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cardamom, and a pinch of ground cloves. In a large sauce pan bring all liquids to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in spices. simmer for 5 min. Warm juice before drinking. Makes 9.5 cups. This is a 2 step process. Every other hr you drink 1 cup of detox juice and the other hr you drink 1 cup water with 1 tbs of lemon juice. Sample schedule: 7 am 1 cup lemon water, 8 am 1 cup detox juice, 9 am 1 cup water, 10 am 1 cup detox juice.

    I got this receipe from another mfp member. It works. Good luck.

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