Plateau-Close to goal Question?

HIIT

two weeks at the same weight when you're near to goal while increasing exercise is probably not a plateau.

i've been hovering around 148 for a month while increasing my fitness rapidly. weight isn't changing, but inches are falling off.

i'd say give it a bit more time and check your measurements.

looking gorgeous, by the way

HIIT

What? lol

High Intensity Interval Training...

I don't really do HIIT, but probably should! I do run/walk intervals (with varying intensities) on the treadmill at times and do think it's an effective calorie burner. As far as the plateau....that's a hard one. I have only about 7 pounds to go and I am in the same boat unfortunately!

with weights, make sure you are working each muscle group not just the ones you can see.
eg 2 exercises for arms, 2 for shoulders, 2 for back, 2 for legs, 2 for pecs

Jillian Michaels would certainly count as interval training. Anything that raises your heart rate, then brings it back down again, and then up again etc will make your body work harder. I have heard it is the most effective way to burn. My session at the gym includes a 10 min warmup, weights for about 20 minutes then I do 20 minutes of interval followed by stomach exercises and then if I'm still not done, another 10 mins of cardio.

Also, I am not sure what you're eating but I've heard the last 10lbs are the most stubborn. You're probably eating well already considering how much you've lost but if you haven't already, start looking at the kind of calories you're consuming vs plain calories. A high protein diet might kick your off your plateau and get you going again.

Good luck

I have seriously hit a plateau. I have been stuck at 145 since April 8th. 2 weeks tomorrow. I've done this twice before. I was at 169 for a little over 2 weeks. & 155 for 2 weeks. I don't know what's going on. My calorie intake is good. I've actually started jogging every day. And I've added an upper arm routine with 5 lb. weights. The only thing I can think of is that I am building muscle and retaining water as the muscles heal. It's just frustrating after doing so well, to be stuck. I am so close to my goal. Just 10 more lbs. I'm tired of the 140's. lol. Anyone else experience this after a steady weight loss success? And what did you do to break the plateau?

The closer to your goal that you get, the slower the weightloss. Do nto be fooled however, stick to your plan, continue your exercise - eventually you reach your goal - but yes, it does tend to slow towards the end.

two weeks at the same weight when you're near to goal while increasing exercise is probably not a plateau.

i've been hovering around 148 for a month while increasing my fitness rapidly. weight isn't changing, but inches are falling off.

i'd say give it a bit more time and check your measurements.

looking gorgeous, by the way

Thanks. Well, it feels like a plateau to me, because I lost almost 2 lbs. a week steadily for almost 8 months. lol. I've lost 80 lbs. in about a year. Now that I am close to my goal it seems really hard to lose. I check my measurements the beginning of each month.

Did it stop losing almost immediately - like when you started exercising?
Or did it slow down the weeks before, 2lbs loss, 1.5, 1, .5, nothing, nothing?

And did you increase calories or feed those workouts when you started them?

And is this the first decent aerobic workouts you have been doing up until now?
Running really trains the muscle to store glucose/water, since it's generally needed. And if going at high intensity mainly burning carbs, body responds by trying to store more of them.

I lost about 2 lbs. a week since Sept 2011 til Feb, 2012. After Valentine's Day I have lost about a lb. a week. until April 8. I haven't lost any weight since then. I started running right around that about a week before that.

I do 120 min. of elliptical every day at about 50 to 60 RPM at a level 5 resistance. I have been doing elliptical since Sept, 2011, never missed a day. Thanks.

No comment about increasing calories.

You've probably gotten to the level that even though your metabolism should be slower at less weight, it's even slower than that, and you increasing burn and a bigger than wise deficit and not feeding the workouts is causing you to slowly enter eating at maintenance level.
Explains why you slid into this, didn't just stop.

If you are adding workouts, you need to eat more. Your deficit that has been potentially realistic this whole time no longer is, and you've added to it by more workout using up eaten calories first.

You really don't want to go into goal weight with slower metabolism, you'll find it very difficult if not discouraging to try to eat at maintenance and gain weight.

As others suggested, change goal to 1lb or 1/2 lb weekly, and feed that additional workout.

You probably are not adding new energy stores since you've already been doing cardio, so that's not it.

I have been struggling with a plateau for about 2 months. I've upped my calories, varied workouts from running to insanity, now I'm trying to zig zag my calories. It's very very frustrating. I plateaued once I went into my healthy BMI level but I'm still about 15 pounds away from pre pregnancy weight. It's bizarre bcuz I went on vacation for 3 days with no workouts and no watching my foods and I still maintained. I've started with net 1200 then upped to 1300 then upped to 1800 then since I work out at least hour 6 days a week, upped to 2000. And I haven't lost or gained. It's so strange. How can I effectively add HIIT to help me?

Before raising calories Im pretty sure I was eating below BMR most of the time. I wasn't watching too much bcuz I wasn't really aware of my BMR. I had just started website and assumed the 1200 calories I was getting was enOugh

Then your BMR had to slow down, and the body slowed down other daily activity so BMR was left with something.

Net effect, you've been eating a whole lot closer to maintenance level lately than you were originally, so less or no weight loss.

Good job raising the calories. So think about how long it took for the weight loss to become less and less and stop, and it may take that long to get going again.