Any plateau breakers out there?

Twins2007
Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
edited December 16 in Health and Weight Loss
Soooo...To make a LONG story short, I lose 26 pounds from Jan 2011 to August 2011 using MFP the way it should...Tracking my food, drinking my water, exercising and logging it, eating back my exercise calories and so on...

Since September of 2011...NADA.

Always gaining and losing the SAME 5 pounds. OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

In January I started switching my workouts, not eating ALL my exercise calories as I suspected maybe I was overestimating (HRM) my exercise calories, started eating meat again and added a daily protein shake, added some Zumba and strenght training and although I have lost about 8 inches since January...I have only managed to go down a couple of pounds for a total loss of 28.

This morning i weighed myself and I had GAINED 4 pounds.

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON.

I know it must be water weight. I know muscle weighs "more" than fat (1 pound is 1 pound but is different), yadi yadi yada.

I just don't get it.

I REALLY don't get it.

I am not eating big macs in secret.
I am not drinking alcohol in secret.
When I do indulge, I track it.

Is it possible that my weight loss is done?

I am so bitter about hearing all these success stories when I work damn hard too.

I lost 28 pounds in 15 months. That's not even my half-way point...

Signed,

The broken record plateau lady.
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Replies

  • jilliew
    jilliew Posts: 255 Member
    I sure hope someone has an answer to this, because I am being haunted by 3lbs, and I am equally frustrated.
  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
    Well if you are like me and you have worked your @$$ off for the last 15 months...The scale not consistently going down is FRUSTRATING, DEPRESSING AND YES...HAUNTING.
  • nullmom
    nullmom Posts: 10
    Dont give up!!!! Inches lost is far more important than pounds lost because muscle weighs more than the fat does. Just keep doing what you are doing and you will reach your goal!! Best of luck to you!! I know you can do it (even though I don't know you : ) you are doing everything right) Just stick with it so it doesnt stick to you : ) lol
  • tyra47
    tyra47 Posts: 97
    i am going thugh the same thing. I hope someone has an answer.
  • jodyl70
    jodyl70 Posts: 94
    i am hoping for the answer as well as it is the same couple of pounds that are like a terrible yo-yo!
    Makes me crazy! :frown:
  • iloveflipflops1
    iloveflipflops1 Posts: 16 Member
    Hang in there!!! I am going through the same thing. I joined WW Jan 2nd. I have not cheated at all. Counted all of my 26 points a day. I sometimes eat my extra points, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I walk 80 minutes, sometimes I don't. No matter what I do, I am ONLY down 8 lbs since then!!! that's like 3 months!! 8 lbs.

    I have gone down 2 pants sizes so I know something is happening but what is the scale doing????

    GEEZ, now I am going to count my calories and hope this works a little better!!!!
  • Sl1ghtly
    Sl1ghtly Posts: 855 Member
    One week of active rest. Maybe a diet evaluation.
  • mamapuddin17
    mamapuddin17 Posts: 108 Member
    bumb
  • reedkaus
    reedkaus Posts: 250 Member
    get more tedious for about 2 weeks. track your macronutrient ratios, and set your calories from carbs/proteins/fats as 55%/30%/15%. this short lived tweak should give you the little boost you need to break through that barrier. good luck to you
  • ahni77
    ahni77 Posts: 75
    i feel like i'm a professional plateau-er :(
  • fugaj01
    fugaj01 Posts: 171 Member
    maybe if you open your diary we can see what you are eating and give more specific information that may help.
  • MelissaL582
    MelissaL582 Posts: 1,422 Member
    I had to re-evaluate what I was eating. I added more greens and dropped my calories down to 1200 from 1550. With me having the extra weight..having a goal of 1200 a day isn't so bad. I exercise every day and I eat fairly well. People will have their opinions about doing this but it's working for me. I've been on the site since Jan 2011.
  • ejcverkerk
    ejcverkerk Posts: 7 Member
    bump
  • kevsprincess
    kevsprincess Posts: 102
    I feel your pain! I have been dealing with the same issues since August! Iv'e been killing myself! I got some help and was told with strength training to only work your large muscle groups. Actually with any workout the more you use your large muscle groups ie: legs, back so on.... and keep switching up your routines. Keep adding new workouts especially cardio wise. And don't cut back on eating! Make sure your within 100 calories of your daily goal, 250 max! This is what I was told to do, and this week i lost 1 lb and more inches. So i'm praying it's working?? Just don't give up!! I know it pisses you off, but use that anger to your benefit with workouts! You got this! Keep goin!
  • PlainJade13
    PlainJade13 Posts: 22
    I suggest adding in more exercise...perhaps cardio.
  • tjsusong
    tjsusong Posts: 195 Member
    Try a cleanse? I dont want to recommend any one in particular, but look for a good 3 -7 day cleanse that could detoxify your body and reset your ability to lose weight.
  • pinkita
    pinkita Posts: 779 Member
    Try gradually increasing your calories--like 100-200 a day. Speaking from my own experience and from so many others here, most plateaus seem to be broken by eating more, not less.
  • ingfit
    ingfit Posts: 180 Member
    This might help. Good luck!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/501511-great-read-on-plateau-ing
  • racerchick48
    racerchick48 Posts: 23 Member
    Depending on what your calorie goals are set at, it may be beneficial for you to actually increase your calorie intake for a few days without burning those cals through exercise (by a hundred or two, not a thousand!), then drop back down. It's worked for me a few times in the past year. Plateaus suck, and so far that's the only thing that has helped me. During the time I ate more, I would cut back to light(er) exercise like walking, then hit the gym hard again after dropping back down. Hope you can bust through and start losing again!
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
    UP. YOUR. CALORIES.
    STEP. UP. YOUR. WORKOUTS.
    AND THROW OUT YOUR SCALE.

    your body isnt the same body it was when you started this weight loss journey...its going to need more intense exercise (try circuit training and HIIT...dont stop working out till you drip!). in order for your body to handle this, youre going to have to consume more calories. eat several small meals throughout the day and eat more protein. what helps for me is making breakfast the biggest meal (carbs and protein) and having a small dinner (lean and green). it sounds scary to up your cals but if youre KILLIN it in the gym it can benefit you by cutting the fat and strengthening that muscle.

    i say throw out the scale because its easy to get caught up in pounds and such. unless youre gaining 10/15 pounds at a time, the 5 pound fluctuation could be related to water retention or youre getting muscle. both things are honestly not worth the extra stress. weighing yourself less often may help you work harder at the gym too...i find myself in a better place psychologically if i am not weighing myself everyday, which makes me less prone to binges. :flowerforyou: hope this helps!! just try it for a week and see where it puts you.
  • luvred51
    luvred51 Posts: 163 Member
    You can do it. just don't give up. I have faith in you... :wink:
  • glennstoudt
    glennstoudt Posts: 403 Member
    Try using Body Fat percentage as a measuring stick. It sounds to me as if you are doing lots of great exercise and the evidence is your reference to loss of inches. Maybe your goals need to change, not your workout. It's no surrender, but at some point we have to accept a certain genetic presentation. I am white, 57 and male. I can not be another race, younger, and you get the point. I have personally had a few plateaus I have broken through. I suspect I am at another one at the moment. No worries, it will happen eventually, or it will not, but in the interim I will get in better shape or maintain it at worst. Muscle will build, slowly at my age, but it will build, and I may gain weight or lose it more slowly as a result, but the other benefits outweigh that. None of us are getting paid for this in currency, but the money we will save on medical care will be a return on our time investment many fold greater than money. Be patient. It is a marathon not a sprint. Good luck.
  • cloud2011
    cloud2011 Posts: 898 Member
    If you've lost 8 inches since January, you're losing bodyfat. So you're bodyfat percentage is improving even if the scale is the same, or up or down a few pounds.
  • Mompanda4
    Mompanda4 Posts: 869 Member
    Bump
  • fittiephd
    fittiephd Posts: 608 Member
    It may help if we can see your diary, because we could offer input on what you're eating.

    I think a lot of times when people plateau they are not eating enough calories. If you're eating 1200 calories, it's not enough. Aim for 1400-1800 instead. I recently posted a thread with how to calculate how many calories you should be eating to lose weight healthily --- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/538943-how-to-calculate-calorie-goals-according-to-nrolfw

    Also, I think a lot of other people who had trouble with plateaus found it helpful to begin heavy lifting or really switching up their workout routines. If you've been doing steady state cardio, that is probably your problem. Steady state cardio really only helps you to a certain point. Try switching to HIIT type activities either on the treadmill or elliptical or through DVDs like TurboFire or through workouts on sites like bodyrock.tv. The "New Rules of Lifting for Women" book has a lot about heavy lifting and 6 months worth of workout routines and it has recipes and meal plan suggestions and how many calories you should be eating, so that could be a really helpful resource for you.

    In the end if trying everything doesn't work, then you could try seeing a nutritionist or personal trainer who may help you with what you're eating or help push you past what you think your limits are while working out :)

    You are amazing - I don't think I could have as much patience as you during such a long plateau!! I know you will figure it out and you will succeed!!! Someone with your determination is guaranteed to succeed eventually!!!

    Good luck!! xox
  • ronitabur
    ronitabur Posts: 178 Member
    I like Reedkaus' reply.

    I would like to add to it. Try reducing your sugar intake to 20 grams per day (including your fruit consumption) and increasing your fiber to 30 grams per day. Make sure the breads, pastas, crackers and rice that you eat is made of 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat. (if it's says enriched wheat on the ingredients, then it is not "100% whole wheat") I recommend the book "The S.O.S Diet" by Dr. James Surrell. No matter what diet you are on, you can integrate his "rules" into it, and you will find consistent success as I have.

    Sounds like you might already be instituting the "muscle confusion" technique since you are doing different types of exercise, but it's hard for me to know for sure. Just ask yourself one question, "Do I ever do the same workout twice?". If so, then you might want to shake it up a little more. I use the weight training books "Weight Training Workouts That Work" and I'm really happy with the results. In addition, I take all sorts of classes at the gym - spin, pilates, yoga, LesMills CXWorx, etc... I also bike, walk, elliptical, etc..

    I have lost 47 pounds, but my nutritionist tells me that I've gained 10 pounds in muscle, based on caliper measurements. So, my fat weight loss is 57 pounds. So yes, it does happen.

    Good luck resetting your weight loss!
  • fugaj01
    fugaj01 Posts: 171 Member
    i would up calories. you half to take in enough for your exercise and daily living. but less than total daily expenditure. figure that out and you will figure out how much you need to eat.
  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
    maybe if you open your diary we can see what you are eating and give more specific information that may help.

    Diary is open to my friends only.
  • minadeathclutch
    minadeathclutch Posts: 375 Member
    sprints.
    oatmeal.
    protein powder.
    weights!
    THIS WORKED FOR ME. plus clean eating, no dressings, no ketchup, no fruits,
  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
    i would up calories. you half to take in enough for your exercise and daily living. but less than total daily expenditure. figure that out and you will figure out how much you need to eat.

    THanks...That's the thing..I now have an "easy fit" and I am at a deficit :( I usually net about 15-1600 calories and my data is usually around 2300-2600 calories.

    I tried eating more and the results were the same....:(
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