don't tell me I've already plateaued....

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hellomeghan
hellomeghan Posts: 37
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been at this weight loss thing since the beginning of January and I've lost roughly 20lbs, give or take a pound depending on what day it is. The first half month was based solely on better food choices, and only for the past 3 1/2 - 4 weeks have I been going to the gym on almost a daily basis in addition to eating better. The first week I would do half cardio, half strength, but I've switched my routine to strictly cardio since then. Oddly enough, even though I've been doing strictly cardio and burning at least 250-400 calories daily from that, and even though I've been staying around my daily calorie allotment (which is supposed to make me lose 2lbs per week), I've been stuck around the same weight for over a week now... Have I already plateaued? Has this happened to anyone else? Any suggestions?
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Replies

  • blytheandbonnie
    blytheandbonnie Posts: 3,275 Member
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    Yep. Exact same thing happened to me. I'll give you the same (good) advice I got. Eat your exercise calories. Keep doing what your doing. Be patient. Good luck. :wink:
  • georgina1970
    georgina1970 Posts: 333 Member
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    With the extra cardio you will have developed some muscle. This weighs more than the same volume of fat, so your weight doesn't change but you are probably slimmer. Remember to take your measurements. These give a better picture of where you're at.
  • hellomeghan
    hellomeghan Posts: 37
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    thanks, guys!
    BlytheW, just out of curiosity, why should I eat the calories I burn? I mean I believe you but I feel like that just cancels out my workout, you know?
  • kaitlynn29
    kaitlynn29 Posts: 24 Member
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    i think i have too! i definitely gained a lot of muscle but i'm still not losing inches...
  • hellomeghan
    hellomeghan Posts: 37
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    i think i have too! i definitely gained a lot of muscle but i'm still not losing inches...

    hmm, what exercises have you been doing to gain muscle? just curious :)
  • bluberrygoo
    bluberrygoo Posts: 222 Member
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    I plateaue every 10 lbs I lose, after that happens I wait a week to see if my weight changes, if it doesn't, I fast for a day, then my weight starts dropping again. This may not work for you, I just know it works for me. I was around 130 lbs when I started actively losing weight, now I'm 97 lbs.
  • kaitlynn29
    kaitlynn29 Posts: 24 Member
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    Lots of leg exercises for sure. I use a few weight machines. oh and the stair stepper really helps a lot too. It tones and is great cardio
  • fearlessbetz
    fearlessbetz Posts: 97 Member
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    I'm trying upping and lowering my calorie goal every day. I was at 1400 today, I'll add a couple hundred tomorrow and drop it back down. I also am mixing up my cardio with some different routines, to shock my system.
  • coraliethomas
    coraliethomas Posts: 336 Member
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    I plateau every 10lbs too! Then one morning I get on the scale and poof! 2lbs gone and then Im back on my weekly track until my next 10lbs.. Just keep doing what you are doing, take your measurements (those are what get me through the days where my scale is being mean).

    Also.. that time of the month will get ya sometimes too.. drink lots of water!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    thanks, guys!
    BlytheW, just out of curiosity, why should I eat the calories I burn? I mean I believe you but I feel like that just cancels out my workout, you know?

    Because MFP already calculates in a way for you to eat less than you burn throughout the day, when you work out, you need to eat more to make sure you aren't eating too little. Eating too little can cause you to plateau.
  • nikkiespo
    nikkiespo Posts: 42
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    I plateaued after my first 10 lbs lost... I think i'm getting out of it as we speak. I never eat my calories back that I lost through exercise for that day, I just make sure I eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. If you go under that, your body goes into starvation mode ( i accidentally did that which is what I believe started me on the plateau in the first place). I exercise every day, particularly with leg exercises, so I know I won't see as much of a weight loss due to gaining muscle. I HAVE lost inches though, considerable amount. I'm almost down 2 pants sizes.

    Don't give up, only check your weight about 1 to 2 times a month, but go by your measurements. That's the real progress.
  • hellomeghan
    hellomeghan Posts: 37
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    I plateaue every 10 lbs I lose, after that happens I wait a week to see if my weight changes, if it doesn't, I fast for a day, then my weight starts dropping again. This may not work for you, I just know it works for me. I was around 130 lbs when I started actively losing weight, now I'm 97 lbs.

    hmm I might try that. when you fast do you just chug water? because today I barely ate anything the first 5 hours I was awake and I wanted to pass out!
    Lots of leg exercises for sure. I use a few weight machines. oh and the stair stepper really helps a lot too. It tones and is great cardio

    that stair stepper kills me, but I definitely fit it into my routine every day! try to give the weight machines a break for about a week or two and do strictly cardio. you might see a little bit of difference :)
    I'm trying upping and lowering my calorie goal every day. I was at 1400 today, I'll add a couple hundred tomorrow and drop it back down. I also am mixing up my cardio with some different routines, to shock my system.

    I've never heard of the upping and lowering calorie technique. how long have you been doing that? :)
  • hellomeghan
    hellomeghan Posts: 37
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    thanks, guys!
    BlytheW, just out of curiosity, why should I eat the calories I burn? I mean I believe you but I feel like that just cancels out my workout, you know?

    Because MFP already calculates in a way for you to eat less than you burn throughout the day, when you work out, you need to eat more to make sure you aren't eating too little. Eating too little can cause you to plateau.

    Oh, that makes sense. I get so confused. You know how people say that you need to expel more calories than you consume? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?
    I plateaued after my first 10 lbs lost... I think i'm getting out of it as we speak. I never eat my calories back that I lost through exercise for that day, I just make sure I eat between 1200-1300 calories a day. If you go under that, your body goes into starvation mode ( i accidentally did that which is what I believe started me on the plateau in the first place). I exercise every day, particularly with leg exercises, so I know I won't see as much of a weight loss due to gaining muscle. I HAVE lost inches though, considerable amount. I'm almost down 2 pants sizes.

    Don't give up, only check your weight about 1 to 2 times a month, but go by your measurements. That's the real progress.

    I'll definitely try to measure myself more often. the scale absolutely kills me....we definitely have a love-hate relationship!
  • blytheandbonnie
    blytheandbonnie Posts: 3,275 Member
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    thanks, guys!
    BlytheW, just out of curiosity, why should I eat the calories I burn? I mean I believe you but I feel like that just cancels out my workout, you know?

    Sorry I'm not answering. I was searching for the concise answer somebody gave to me when I asked that very question. It made sense to me, but I don't think I could explain it well enough to not just confuse you. Basically, though, MFP already figures in a calorie deficit based on your info when you signed up. So you eat those even if you don't do anything at all, exercise wise. But when you do exercise you burn even more calories so, as a result, your net calories (calories ate minus calories burned) can go too low causing your body to hoard the fat and doing other damage to your body. That said, I do not eat ALL my exercise calories because I want to make sure I'm not underestimating my calories eaten and overestimating the calories I burn. But I do eat most of them and I started losing again. Can't argue with success.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    A week is not a plateau, that's just normal variation that could be for all kinds of reasons.
    Keep eating well (don't cut calories too low, you need a bit more to fuel your body when you are exercising), keep exercising (moderation here too, there is no need to spend hours and hours in the gym each day.)
    Give it a few more weeks and if things aren't moving (either the scale or your measurements going down) then it's time to change things up a little.
    Be patient, weight loss isn't linear, and it isn't ever as quick as we want it to be!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    ....
    Oh, that makes sense. I get so confused. You know how people say that you need to expel more calories than you consume? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?

    Because you have to factor in the calories that your body needs just to keep you alive all day - even sitting on the couch or lying in a coma, you burn calories - to keep your heart pumping blood around your body, for digestion, brain function etc - and that's before we even get to walking, talking and the regular things you do around the house or at work each day.
    This is (more or less) your BMR number - mine is about 1400, so it means that I will burn 1400 cals each day without doing anything else except just existing. When you add in the calories burnt in my regular day plus a bit of exercise, I'm probably needing around 2000 cals a day to stay just the same weight. Eating anything less on a regular basis will (and has) result in weight loss.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,668 Member
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    With the extra cardio you will have developed some muscle. This weighs more than the same volume of fat, so your weight doesn't change but you are probably slimmer. Remember to take your measurements. These give a better picture of where you're at.
    Unless the cardio is HIIT, you don't build muscle on cardio. In fact, excess long bouts of cardio burn lean muscle tissue (especially if you in negative nitrogen balance) and lowers metabolic rate.
    Hit the weights hard and heavy. You'll raise your RMR and burn more calories.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    Oh, that makes sense. I get so confused. You know how people say that you need to expel more calories than you consume? HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?

    The majority of the calories your body burns in the day is from being alive. You don't just burn calories when you do intentional exercise. Calories are energy. Your body uses energy all day long to breathe, think, move, digest, pump blood, and everything else that's keeping your body functioning. To use me as an example, my body burns around 1720 calories a day just living life without doing any intentional exercise at all.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    I smell 1200 calorie team GOGOGOGOGO!!!!!

    Eat at maintenance for 2-4 weeks and start over.
    Cut 20% from TDEE and enjoy the fat loss.
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
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    Could be anything, but it has only been a week WAY too early to tell. Weight loss is not linear, and the weight on the scales is not always reflective of fat loss because your weight can fluctuate due to water retention sometimes for me that can add 5-6lbs of extra weight on the scales (and it usually drops down again the next day).

    Ditch the scales - go by measurements, stress less and stick to a plan that works for you.

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