Any plateau breakers out there?

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13

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  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
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    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.

    Thank you...The scale is my WORST enemy.
  • wahmx3
    wahmx3 Posts: 646 Member
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    Switch up your exercise, if you are usually doing the same thing, change it and possibly up your calories. I upped mine recently and finally lost about 2 pounds.
  • getfitdiva
    getfitdiva Posts: 1,148 Member
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    We may need to start a group b/c I have gained and lost the same 5 lbs since September 2011. . . For the past 3 weeks I have increased calories and started some heavy lifting even reading NROLFW (New rules of lifting for women).

    I have done everything under the sun known to man.
    -Did crazy workout change up! (many times)
    -Clean eating (I tend to mess up on the weekends)
    -Did the Dukan diet LOL
    -Low Carbing & Increase Protein
    -I burned 13K calories in 1 week!
    -Gotten as close to 3 lbs from my goal (FOR 1 DAY!)
    -I'm now part of a fruit/veggie challenge w/ MCT Oil & Raw fiber (I'm doing so-so)
    -10 day juice fast/cleanse
    -Only was drinking water for a long time

    I FOUND THESE ARTICLES b/c I read all articles on plateaus
    http://doingspeed.com/fat-loss/how-the-hell-do-i-break-this-weight-loss-plateau/
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wescott4.htm
    http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sclark56.htm
    http://fitnesswithnatalie.blogspot.com/2011/05/most-dreaded-word-in-weight-loss.html

    Even Bob on Biggest Loser said do your circuit/weight training in reverse (did that too)
  • emrys1976
    emrys1976 Posts: 213 Member
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    I don't know if this would work for anyone else but I'll share what I did. I lost 50 and got stuck back in late December. I tracked everything I ate, stayed within calorie target for the week,etc., but after a month the scale nor the measuring tape would budge. I started struggling with my motivation and sorta took a break from dieting. I spent about a month eating my maintenance calories and giving myself as much of a break as possible and during that time, my weight stayed on track. Two weeks ago I knuckled down and got my calories back into weight loss zone except for one day a week when I hit or exceed maintenance just to give my body a little extra fuel and to give me a chance to indulge in a more controlled fashion. I've dropped 7 pounds during these two weeks (granted, I have some ED issues so don't follow my lead exactly!). Perhaps giving my body a break and time to relax and repair made it possible for it to start shedding weight again. Maybe other people's bodies need the same from time to time.
  • hemlock2010
    hemlock2010 Posts: 422 Member
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    Starting in September, my weight loss slowed to almost nothing (still more than 25 pounds from goal). I tried more exercise, different exercise, more calories, fewer calories--basically everything anybody suggested.

    Here's what finally worked.

    Keeping my calories the same (1680), I changed my macros to 40% carb, 30% protein, and 30% fat. I also set my total sugar from all sources (including milk, fruit, etc) to 86 grams. This was a big increase in protein and decrease in carbs and sugar (no change in fat), and it did require some significant rethinking of my food choices, but it succeeded in breaking the plateau.

    I decided on this approach after reading some of the body building listservs. I'm not a body builder (yet), but I want to increase lean mass while decreasing fat, so it seemed to me to make sense to do what the body builders do. So far, it's working. :-)
  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
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    THANKS ALL!

    I had upped my calories back in January to 1800 and the scale didn't budge :(

    In february, I lowered them to 1600...Same.

    At the beginning of March I decided to only net 1550 and the scale did start moving again for a 4 pound lost total last Friday(1 pound a week)...And then this morning...Back up the 4 pounds.

    Will definitely keep at 1550 in case it is JUST water but THIS IS SO DEPRESSING :(

    Will also continue to increase strenght training like I have in the last couple of months...

    Thanks again for listening...
    xo
  • Virginia90
    Virginia90 Posts: 317 Member
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    I would do a Spike Day (some call it a cheat day). I spike weekly and belong to the Spike84 group, and a lot of people in the group have broken through plateaus by Spiking.
  • marbly
    marbly Posts: 103
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    Bump for reference.
  • sloanie1
    sloanie1 Posts: 276 Member
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    intermittent fasting
    increasing calories
    eating different foods
    cutting out a certain food (i.e. sugar or alcohol)
    more protein
    more strength training
    more cardio
    less cardio
    less strength training
    taking a break from logging foods for a week
    eat at maintenance for two weeks
    metabolic conditioning
    less carbs
    less sodium/less processed foods
    more water

    Yep we are twins girl! I've tried all of the above mentioned and NADA.....actually gaining....O....V....E....R it!!!!
  • persilcolours
    persilcolours Posts: 92 Member
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    bump
  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
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    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.

    Thanks :)
  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
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    intermittent fasting
    increasing calories
    eating different foods
    cutting out a certain food (i.e. sugar or alcohol)
    more protein
    more strength training
    more cardio
    less cardio
    less strength training
    taking a break from logging foods for a week
    eat at maintenance for two weeks
    metabolic conditioning
    less carbs
    less sodium/less processed foods
    more water

    Yep we are twins girl! I've tried all of the above mentioned and NADA.....actually gaining....O....V....E....R it!!!!

    SLOANIE!!! IF I LOOKED LIKE YOU I WOULD BE THRILLED TO BE AT A PLATEAU ;)

    Hugs...xo
  • Twins2007
    Twins2007 Posts: 236 Member
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    I suggest adding in more exercise...perhaps cardio.

    I workout on my ellitical 3-4 times a week and Zumba twice a week....Plus the bootcamp style workouts are also cardio...Trust me ;)

    you should do less cardio. thats probably what is holding you back. more lifting will help you out. have you heard of staci?? because she is awesome. http://nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    Thanks...Will check her out :)
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
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    I don't know if this will help, but I broke through a very stubborn plateau by just including dark chocolate as a late night snack. I guess my body needed something from it. :)

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/bjohs/view/plateau-vs-chocolate-who-won-116497
  • sailorsiren13
    sailorsiren13 Posts: 460
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    This has been me i lost the first 10 now can't stop gaining and losing the same 5!!!
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
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    Plateau Breaker...

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  • Nursepkj
    Nursepkj Posts: 6
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    Inches are a big deal. you must be adding muscle.
  • KATIEHUGGIES
    KATIEHUGGIES Posts: 27
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    bump
  • jbuntu
    jbuntu Posts: 54 Member
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    This might help. Good luck!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/501511-great-read-on-plateau-ing

    ^^^this. It's excellent info on hitting a plateau.
  • CallmeSbo
    CallmeSbo Posts: 611 Member
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    don't give up.

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