The dreaded plateau or am I doing something wrong?

KacieHetrick · May 2012

Hey MFP peeps! Lil' background, since October of 2011 I have lost a total of 61 pounds and gained 5 of those back! I've been stuck at a plateau, or making bad decisions and not realizing it for about a month now. My diary is open and I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback. I recently changed my settings from the fat2fitradio.com recommendations so it will look like I went over a lot of days since MFP doesn't allow your calorie count for that date to stay the same and it changes it all.

I'm currently doing 1500 (which is 89 calories over my BMR according to fat2fit) and eating back all workout calories.

I use a HRM to determine how many calories I burn by doing Zumba.

I try to limit processed food.

I do Zumba 3 x's a week, 2 of those days are 90 minute classes (high intensity, I usually walk away with 800+ calorie burns) and I try to walk for at least 15 minutes everyday.

I am currently weighing in at 210.8 pounds, up 5.8 pounds from about a month ago.

I have Hashimoto's Disease, Hashimoto's disease is a disorder that affects your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck, below your Adam's apple. The thyroid gland is part of your endocrine system, which produces hormones that coordinate many of your body's activities. In Hashimoto's disease, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, your immune system attacks your thyroid gland. The resulting inflammation often leads to an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism).

My next appointment with the Metabolic disease specialist is at the end of this month to make certain my levels are still within range.

...and if you're still with me please take a look at my diary! Thanks in advance!

Reedern · May 2012

I thought I had hit a plateau myself because I lost a few pounds then just stopped.... turns out, I have a baby on board!

MrsRawwwr · May 2012

How long ago did you increase your calories? When I did, i gained about five pounds, but then started losing again after a month.

kepete · May 2012

I'm down 95 pounds and experienced the same thing twice in this weightloss journey. The worse was from March 8th until May 4th of this year I put on and took off the same five pounds over and over and over again. It was a hard haul for me but taught me a lot about what it's going to take for me to keep the weight off once and for all. Hang in there and let your body get used to the new you and be happy with your accomplishments. YOU CAN DO It!!!

KacieHetrick · May 2012

They were increased for about 6 weeks, I lost 5 pounds the first 2 weeks and then it started going up. Now I think maybe I should increase them and leave them at the increased number for longer.

skybird455 · May 2012

hey Kacie....this happened to me too when I got below 180...didnt lose for a month. I added weight liftting and changed from zumba to HIIT, (high intensity interval training) and the weight is consistently coming off again at 2 lbs per week and .5% body fat per week. I dont know anything about how your medical issue affects your weight loss, but I will say it sounds like your body has gotten comfy and its time to really get busy changing it up. I do HIIT 3 x week, lift heavy free weights, and then regular run 4x a week, so one day I am doubling up. Just thought I would share what is working for me now.

LindaCWy · May 2012

When you get to a plateau, it usually means your body is getting used to everything you are doing for it, so basically you need to switch it up. From what you have said about exercise it seems like you are doing just cardio, which isn't bad. Have you considered trying a lifting program? 20 mins 3 days a week? If you add that in as well as try to consume more protein, your body will shift and start shedding weight again. That's what worked for me... *kisses arm muscles*

Klamber26 · May 2012

My sister has Hachimotos disease as well. About a year after having her second child she started feeling really terrible and a huge knot formed on her neck. I don't know what medication she takes, but I do know that within the last year she has dropped from 180 pounds down to 120.

SteveTries · May 2012

Are you absolutely sure about your caloric burn for cardio? It seems a bit high to me (but may not be). Do you have a quality brand HR? Is the data you've told it about you still accurate? I ask because it could be giving you a false sense for how many calories you should be consuming and you may not have the defecit you think.

I'm a 6ft 2" 200lbs guy and I'm eating less than you.

KacieHetrick · May 2012

I have a Polar FT7 HRM, I don't know if this is a good brand name or not but people seem to have good reviews regarding the accuracy.

KacieHetrick · May 2012

Thanks for the feedback! I'm going to try to lower carbs and increase protein and hopefully start a lifting program soon. There's a gym near my home but it's kind of rural and the hours are 7-6 pm which is all but a half hour when I'm working.

SteveTries · May 2012

Thanks for the feedback! I'm going to try to lower carbs and increase protein and hopefully start a lifting program soon. There's a gym near my home but it's kind of rural and the hours are 7-6 pm which is all but a half hour when I'm working.

Hold on a moment - whilst all of these are worthy and can benefit your body composition they aren't the answer to your question. The ever changing diet and fitness industry has us all seeking the complex answers when actually only one simple factor is important - caloric defecit.

Now all the other things that can enhance how well we lose weight often are genuine and beneficial, but it's too a small, small degree and it gets totally blown out of proportion (predominantly by manufacturers wanting to sell us stuff). My opinion, for what its worth is to focus on the fundamentals (caloric defecit) and do your own research on the so-called science and accepted wisdom before adopting it. Plenty of scholarly articles/studies exist on most topics.

lmbigsby · May 2012

Congrats on the baby, how exciting and to think you thought you had hit a plateau.

nixirain · May 2012

Thanks for the feedback! I'm going to try to lower carbs and increase protein and hopefully start a lifting program soon. There's a gym near my home but it's kind of rural and the hours are 7-6 pm which is all but a half hour when I'm working.

Hold on a moment - whilst all of these are worthy and can benefit your body composition they are the answer to your question. The ever changing diet and fitness industry has us all seeking the complex answers when actually only one simple factor is important - caloric defecit.

Now all the other things that can enhance how well we lose weight often are genuine and beneficial, but it's too a small, small degree and it gets totally blown out of proportion (predominantly by manufacturers wanting to sell us stuff). My opinion, for what its worth is to focus on the fundamentals (caloric defecit) and do your own research on the so-called science and accepted wisdom before adopting it. Plenty of scholarly articles/studies exist on most topics.

If you are eating less than her than you are probably eating too little. I do not mean this as an attack, but we are here to be healthy and eating too little will cause more problems than it is worth. Please do not jump on her for not listening to your advice.

ETA: To OP: I think you should keep your calories where they are if not up them to fuel your workouts! Have you measured? Its possible your weight is fluctuating but your size is going down.

stealthangel · May 2012

Hi everyone,

I have reached the same dreaded plateau. In the past 6 months i have managed to lose 21kg.. but now i have been stuck for the past 6 going on 7 weeks at the same weight. It's not for a lack of trying on the diet or the exercise front. Exercise wise i am working out 6 days a week, and my calories at the moment are around 1300. I'm kind of at my wits end about this. I've tried shaking things up by increasing my calories, and also my cardio, but i keep yo-yo-ing up and down, but not going down as i did before. It's very disheartening. Any advice on how everyone else managed to get through this?

Thanks

KacieHetrick · May 2012

I am eating at my BMR plus eating exercise calories, if I fall under my BMR I am depriving my body of the minimum number of calories it takes for my body to function in a day. Been there, done that, I lost my first 50 pounds at 1200 calories, plus eating back exercise calories (no energy) and I plateaued so that was obviously not the answer either and I had no strength, I'm now able to feel muscle from the minimal toning I do at Zumba.

I disagree with lowering my calories, what works for some may not work for all but I want to be healthy when I reach my goal, not just "skinny".

ladyace2078 · May 2012

Calculate what your TDEE is based on average exercise hours per week.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Eat (not net) a caloric deficit of 10-20% below TDEE for weight loss. It might be possible that trying to eat BMR and then all of your exercise calories back you are getting close to eating right at TDEE or even above TDEE. It was one of the reasons I stayed at my plateau and when I finally just started paying attention to what I eat, rather than what I net my weight started dropping.

Sorry, I only breezed through the post, but if you haven't been at the higher calories for at least a month, give it some more time. If you've changed your workout, also give it more time. You might just be dealing with water weight.

KacieHetrick · May 2012

Calculate what your TDEE is based on average exercise hours per week.
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Eat (not net) a caloric deficit of 10-20% below TDEE for weight loss. It might be possible that trying to eat BMR and then all of your exercise calories back you are getting close to eating right at TDEE or even above TDEE. It was one of the reasons I stayed at my plateau and when I finally just started paying attention to what I eat, rather than what I net my weight started dropping.

Sorry, I only breezed through the post, but if you haven't been at the higher calories for at least a month, give it some more time. If you've changed your workout, also give it more time. You might just be dealing with water weight.

This makes sense! Thanks!

cmriverside · May 2012

I agree with ladyace2078. You don't want to eat AT your BMR. You want to eat BELOW your TDEE by no more than 20%.

SteveTries · May 2012

If you are eating less than her than you are probably eating too little. I do not mean this as an attack, but we are here to be healthy and eating too little will cause more problems than it is worth. Please do not jump on her for not listening to your advice.

ETA: To OP: I think you should keep your calories where they are if not up them to fuel your workouts! Have you measured? Its possible your weight is fluctuating but your size is going down.

Blimey, those are some big assumptions you've made there based on zero information, let alone actual data and evidence.
I also resent the assertion that I attacked the OP. I did no such thing. I advised her to do some research before taking on board well meaning, but quite incorrect psuedo-science and dogma. I also suggested she might (MIGHT) be over estimating caloric burn and as a result overeating and suggested checking that wasn't the case.

For reference, I am neither eating too little nor unhealthy. I'm consistently acheiving a 0.6-1.0kgs weekly loss based on 6 days of 600-700 caloric defecit under a 2500 TDEE and one day at 1000Cals above TDEE. My weekly BF% measurement suggest negligible lean mass loss and my cardio performance continues to improve almost weekly. On workout days I increase my caloric intake by between 200 and 500 depending on the workout type. I record data carefully and adjust my approach based on actual observation and results and there are no indications of plateau.

But hey, thank you for attacking ME because my views don't match yours. Very nice.

The dreaded plateau or am I doing something wrong?

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