Plateau? Maintenance? Or Keep Pushing?

keeponkickin · March 2012

When I joined MFP in January 2011 I set a goal weight for myself. I dropped 112 pounds in one year and for the past three months I have been plateaued. I am about 10 pounds away from the goal weight I set for myself. It's like I trained all year for a marathon, I am running the race and I see the finish line a 50 yards away and I can't cross it. This is how I feel. Mind you, I have done EVERYTHING to bust the plateau. I will move the scale a couple of pounds and without me doing anything, my weight pops back up the couple of pounds. So I am struggling with if my body is telling me the finish line isn't as far out as I once thought. How do I decide if this is a plateau or is this it?

I am also trying to ignore BMI numbers and the height and weight charts. I'm 5' 8" and started at 277 pounds with a bmi of 42.1 and I am now 165 pounds with a bmi of just hair over 25. The charts still tell me I am 1 pound over weight. Coming from a class 3 obese person I want to see "normal" as my number.

I actually didn't think a year ago I would have this struggle. Guess in a way it's a good thing.

277 Pounds

165 Pounds

86_Ohms · March 2012

The closer you are to your "normal" weight BMI, the harder the weight loss becomes.

If you're getting to your BMR calorie count, and you're still eating whole foods (only lean meats, beans, fruits, vegetables, etc.) and you're not losing weight over another 2 week period (even ounces), you could always schedule a physical with your MD and discuss your eating habits and weight fluctuation.

Nice job on the weight loss by the way.

keeponkickin · March 2012

The closer you are to your "normal" weight BMI, the harder the weight loss becomes.

If you're getting to your BMR calorie count, and you're still eating whole foods (only lean meats, beans, fruits, vegetables, etc.) and you're not losing weight over another 2 week period (even ounces), you could always schedule a physical with your MD and discuss your eating habits and weight fluctuation.

Nice job on the weight loss by the way.

Thank you :-) I'm actually followed closely by two doctors. No reason for the stall. I've done all the diet and exercise tweaking. It's very frustrating.

WILSONBA · March 2012

You have come a long way, and you look amazing. even though it is frustrating, remember where you have come from and how great you look! just keep working out and eating healthy, that is all that matters.

MJ7910 · March 2012

you look fantastic! maybe just take a month to maintain and then if you want to lose a little more, get back into it? sometimes i think we all need a break for a bit.

USCEE77 · March 2012

A few years ago I felt "stuck" even though I knew I was dieting and doing all the right things. One day I saw an ad for a 30 day Detox program. The purpose is NOT to lose weight, but to flush the toxins away. I did, however, lose weight, and the program I kept losing weight. I now Detox every 4 to 6 months to keep the poisons out of my body. If you're interested, find a nutritionist and join a group. we met once a week, and used the Paleocleanse products. Maybe it'll help you achieve the break thru you're looking for. The only hard part was getting off the caffeine, the first few days are grueling, but after that, you'll feel energized. Send me a message if you want more details.

Richdogg38 · March 2012

I hit plateaus also, but I keep pushing. I too am on my last 10lbs (11 but close enough) and it gets harder the slimmer you become. Just remember it is a marathon not a sprint. BTW, you look fantastice. Great work!

chuisle · March 2012

Maybe take a break from weight tracking and instead focus on and track your body fat percentage?

swthrtsmrf · March 2012

You look amazing! Congrats on the weight loss. Be proud of how far you have come. I do not have any advice. I hope you get past this. In the meantime keep up the lifestyle and relish in what you have achieved thus far.

darls25 · March 2012

I haven't lost as much as you and congrats by the way you look fantastic!! Anyways, a couple of weeks ago I was bouncing around between 3 pounds. I adjusted my calories everyday between 1500-1800 and that seen to work. You might try to adjust your calories everyday by 100-300 up and down

86_Ohms · March 2012

Also, have you done much strength training? Sometimes adding a little muscle can break some barriers during your rest period between hitting the gym and going throughout your daily activities.

TeresaWash · March 2012

First of all.... you look A-mazing. Nice work!

I say it is a plateau. I just experienced this also (except I have a lot more weight to lose) I lost 138 pounds and came to a hault, I couldn't budge it. I exercised every day, I ate very well I couldn't lose an ounce. I talked to my dietitian (i am a lap band patient) and she said I needed to shake up my exercise. She said that sometimes your body just simply says.... "nope, that is not who you are and you are staying this weight" It can adapt for quite some time apparently and mine did. I went almost 5 months with 0 weight loss. So she suggested interval training. I mostly exercised on an elliptical machine so I started a interval routine. 2 min slow, 2 min hard, 2 min slow, 3 min hardd, 2 min slow, 4 min hard... up to 5 and then worked my way back down. I didn't get on the scale for 2 weeks, and when I did 4.5 pounds gone.

Just about drove me insane.... but it's moving again. I say hang with it, change your exercise... eventually, it's got to give.

Keep up the Good Work!

j1rich · March 2012

You look fantastic!!!!

mes1119 · March 2012

Try not to look at BMI. From the picture, you appear to be a "normal" weight. Personally, my bmi is just a hair under the "overweight" category, yet I have only 21% body fat and wear a size 2 (sometimes even a 0).

While BMI is great indicator is some instances, for people like you and me that obviously train hard with exercise, the muscle mass bumps up that number considerably.

I'm about 10 pounds away from my goal but I have decided to enjoy my life and let my weight do what it wants. I'd love to lose those last 10 pounds but I'm happy with how my body looks and I feel healthier than ever. That is more important than the number on the scale.

I have been in "maintenance mode" for the past week and a half and am going to start watching my calorie intake again. I stayed the same weight the whole time so I'm hoping that the past week and a half was a mini metabolism boost and now that I'm cutting calories again I'll drop the extra weight.

Be proud of all of your hard work. You look amazing and are a true success story! :flowerforyou:

keeponkickin · March 2012

Also, have you done much strength training? Sometimes adding a little muscle can break some barriers during your rest period between hitting the gym and going throughout your daily activities.

Yep. This girl lifts weights like a man. LOL. No girlie weights for me. I push and lift heavy to the point of failure. I hit the weight every other day and I do a far amount of cardio and I take rest days.

Blacklance36 · March 2012

Nice to see someone looking as good as you do now. Thats what everyone here is trying for.

The last few pounds are the most difficult to lose. Your body does not want to give them up as these pounds are its reserves, but it will if you keep working at it. Just a heads up....I hit my goal weight a couple of weeks ago and went on to "maintainance". I was OK for a couple of days but then my weight started sneaking up again. MFP told me that the difference between maintainance and weight loss was 800 calories a day (2020 calories vs. 1200) but it was actually 600.

amaried621 · March 2012

I say keep pushing if you still have a goal to reach! I've been in the same mind frame lately and realized that I don't want to settle, I want to work hard and become what I dreamed of. Try switching up your exercises. If you walk on a treadmill, try walking backwards (and same for the elliptical). If you run, try biking, etc... You have come so far and can break through. I'm sure you will be happy you did.

keeponkickin · March 2012

I say keep pushing if you still have a goal to reach! I've been in the same mind frame lately and realized that I don't want to settle, I want to work hard and become what I dreamed of. Try switching up your exercises. If you walk on a treadmill, try walking backwards (and same for the elliptical). If you run, try biking, etc... You have come so far and can break through. I'm sure you will be happy you did.

Knowing me, I will keep pushing. I've done all the switching up of exercises. I've done everything known to man to break a plateau and no luck. So I will keep doing what I'm doing, I'm hanging onto my weight loss and this is a good thing.

susanb573 · March 2012

Sometimes our bodies just take a while to catch up. You have lost an enormous amount of weight. As frustrating as it is, I would focus on how far you've come and be happy to maintain for a bit. When your body is ready, it will release those final pounds. Even if it only comes off at the rate of 1 pound every 4 months, you still lose 3 pounds a year.

inside_lap · March 2012

You look WONDERFUL! It must be SO frustrating that even the medical professionals helping you can't seem to get you over the last little hump. But everyone's right, the last little bit is the hardest! Well, that and starting weight loss and sticking to it. You make it over that hurdle with spades. I'm sure you will be able to face down anything you put your mind to. Even if it's those last 10 pounds.

keeponkickin · March 2012

You look WONDERFUL! It must be SO frustrating that even the medical professionals helping you can't seem to get you over the last little hump. But everyone's right, the last little bit is the hardest! Well, that and starting weight loss and sticking to it. You make it over that hurdle with spades. I'm sure you will be able to face down anything you put your mind to. Even if it's those last 10 pounds.

Thank you. I've decided to keep pushing. If I don't lose the last 10, at least I'll be that much stronger. I've added p90x to my workout load as a good way to shake it up.

Plateau? Maintenance? Or Keep Pushing?

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