Any plateau breakers out there?

raevynn · March 2012

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.

What she said.

I went up to 2100 calories per day, and like magic, the weight is starting to fall off again.

Twins2007 · March 2012

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

Thank you

i have strated doing some tabata style workouts and some body pump too...What I just cannot understand is no matter what type of exercises one does...A deficit should be a deficit...No?

Thanks for the link...I think I already read it

xox

engineman312 · March 2012

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

HealthyHappy120 · March 2012

Bump

ihateroses · March 2012

HIIT!

Twins2007 · March 2012

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

Junee37 · March 2012

Bump

ihateroses · March 2012

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

I would say the opposite, less cardio and more weights/strength training. Because you do a lot of cardio, changing it up drastically will surely get the gears turning.

engineman312 · March 2012

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/

davenportk83 · March 2012

My daughter was stuck and took a full cheat day. Fed her cravings, local chicken salad, hot dogs, cake the whole nine yards. The next day she resumed her clean eating and lost 5 lbs at her next weigh-in. Leads me to believe her body needed a few more calories to shake up her metabolism.

Twins2007 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

Bump for reference.

sloanie1 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

bump

Twins2007 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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 · March 2012

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