Any tips on how to get the scale moving again?

Brenda_Pancakes
Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok... so I think this is my first post... and I hate to put myself all "out on the internet with my problems"... but I'm gonna do it anyways :) Looking for any wise advise that people can give me that may have been in a similar situation...

I started on MFP 4 months ago. I love it. I log in everyday. First month and a half - the weight MELTED off. Like, 12 lbs in a month, something like that. I was loseing pretty steady and strong... and now I feel it's nearly come to a crawl.

I work 4 - 10 hr days during the Summer. But I still get up an hour early every morning and walk/jog for about 3 miles with my dog. This was enough in the beginning, I guess I need more (?). I'm exhausted by the end of the day, so I tend to not do another round of exercising at night... I *thought* the morning stuff, which I do about 6 days a week, would be sufficient.

I guess I need to give my body a jump start? Maybe I'm eating too much and don't realize it? What have others done to get that stinkin scale moving again?

Thanks for any help :)

Replies

  • dimplez55
    dimplez55 Posts: 4
    You might need to mix up your routine a bit. Your body has become accustom to walking and its probably bored. Try strength training and HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This should keep things moving.
  • JPal5
    JPal5 Posts: 178
    I'm no expert but your sodium count looks really high. Try cutting back the salt intake?
  • vklebanova
    vklebanova Posts: 152 Member
    I just broke out of a 5 week plateau so I feel you!!!

    First of all, are you drinking half your weight in ounces of water?
    Second of all, MIX IT UP .. I got off the treadmill and started doing insanity and lost a lb overnight! no seriously.

    Try also mixing up the things you eat as well - keep your body guessing!!!
  • callmeBAM
    callmeBAM Posts: 445 Member
    jump up and down on it?
  • jdploki70
    jdploki70 Posts: 343
    Throw it out of the window of a moving car...that'll learn it.

    If what you are doing isn't working, change something. Cut back salt, carbs, cholesterol, what have you. Remember, MFP is fairly generic, but each user is an individual. What may work for one will not always work for everyone.
  • gaiareeves
    gaiareeves Posts: 292 Member
    Calorie cycle! Honestly I used to plateau all the time but now I calorie cycle and I lose pretty much every week.

    My lowest intake is set at 1200, but you can adjust it to whatever suits you best.
    My weeks (NET) intake looks like this:

    Monday: 1200 calories
    Tuesday: 1600 calories
    Wednesday: 1800 calories
    Thursday: 1400 calories
    Friday: 1500 calories
    Saturday: 1900 calories
    Sunday: 1400 calories

    I've found by mixing up the amount you eat, as well as varying your exercise, can really help keep the scale moving.
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
    jump up and down on it?

    Funny - same solution from my husband.
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
    Calorie cycle! Honestly I used to plateau all the time but now I calorie cycle and I lose pretty much every week.

    My lowest intake is set at 1200, but you can adjust it to whatever suits you best.
    My weeks (NET) intake looks like this:

    Monday: 1200 calories
    Tuesday: 1600 calories
    Wednesday: 1800 calories
    Thursday: 1400 calories
    Friday: 1500 calories
    Saturday: 1900 calories
    Sunday: 1400 calories

    I've found by mixing up the amount you eat, as well as varying your exercise, can really help keep the scale moving.

    Ah, very interesting. Never thought of that. It just kind of happens naturally... I never thought of intentionally cycling it.
  • NewLIFEstyle4ME
    NewLIFEstyle4ME Posts: 4,440 Member
    Ok... so I think this is my first post... and I hate to put myself all "out on the internet with my problems"... but I'm gonna do it anyways :) Looking for any wise advise that people can give me that may have been in a similar situation...

    I started on MFP 4 months ago. I love it. I log in everyday. First month and a half - the weight MELTED off. Like, 12 lbs in a month, something like that. I was loseing pretty steady and strong... and now I feel it's nearly come to a crawl.

    I work 4 - 10 hr days during the Summer. But I still get up an hour early every morning and walk/jog for about 3 miles with my dog. This was enough in the beginning, I guess I need more (?). I'm exhausted by the end of the day, so I tend to not do another round of exercising at night... I *thought* the morning stuff, which I do about 6 days a week, would be sufficient.

    I guess I need to give my body a jump start? Maybe I'm eating too much and don't realize it? What have others done to get that stinkin scale moving again?

    Thanks for any help :)

    The same for me, when I first started, the pounds and inches were falling off of me like CRAZY...it was miraculous and fantastic Then in late March (I started in Jan.) BAM---no scale movement AT ALL. I tried eating more, nothing. Then I hurt my foot and wasn't working out as much, then the pounds started climbing back up:cry: The beginning of this month, I discovered thru experimentation and watching myself--that I need to MOVE more. My eating and drinking has always been terrific--very very healthy--but nothing was happening. Now that I've pumped up my exercising, daily outside walking and activities (joined a Tae Kwon class and bowling league--keeping my eating and drinking the same--BAM, the weight is starting to drop again.

    It's rare that I see a pound or two per week as my weight fell off before and again now, it's small changes...0.2 pounds here, 0.9 pounds there--but it's moving and so for me, it's a matter of being more active--not mere exercising active, but everyday stuff like long walking a couple or more times per day and getting involved in activities and gardening and mowing lawns too!

    Hope this helps...remember, we didn't get here overnight and it's going to take some time and experimentation to figure out what your body wants and needs to drop kick those pounds and inches to the place where the sun don't shine. Blessings and permanent weight loss to you:flowerforyou:
  • tony2009
    tony2009 Posts: 201 Member
    Hold heavy things when you get on the scale, that should make it go up some. Lift some of your weight off by holding onto something close by, that should make it go down some.

    Hope this helps.
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
    Yeah - I was thinkin the stinkin sodium may be a factor.

    I truely appreciate the comments/advise guys ;).

    Any tips for how to get into HIIT? Where's a good place to start researching a decent beginners routine?
  • lucyannp
    lucyannp Posts: 15
    I agree with dimplez55, your body gets used to exercise. If you still go out in the morning but do say a couple of minutes jogging and then a minute running full pelt you will wake your muscles up and burn more fat.

    Your muscles burn up sugars in your bloodstream first and if you do the same type & amount of exercies your body will adjust it's energy usage and make those sugars last (it actually becomes more efficient!). If you do high intensity bursts (interval training) your body is forced to use up all that sugar in one go because it can't second guess what you're going to do next. Once it's burnt up the sugar it then burns fat = better weight loss :)

    I use this principle a lot because I am no distance runner - I can only manage about 2km at a push. I use the treadmill at the gym and do a 10 min warm up jog then 10 mins alternating speed every minute. It's important for your body to not know what is coming next so always vary the intensity. I go from about 5.4 to between 8.5 and 10 on the speed on the treadmill.

    Try and get some extra strenght exercises in too - this could be lifting some 2kilo weights sat on the sofa when you get home or doing lunges in front of the tv. It doesn't have to be much. Just remember the more lean muscle you have the more energy it needs to work and so the more fat you will burn.

    Hope that helps!
  • Emancipated_Tai
    Emancipated_Tai Posts: 751 Member
    I would suggest lowering your sodium & carbs and raising your protein
  • cre8freedom
    cre8freedom Posts: 63 Member
    Ok... so I think this is my first post... and I hate to put myself all "out on the internet with my problems"... but I'm gonna do it anyways :) Looking for any wise advise that people can give me that may have been in a similar situation...

    I started on MFP 4 months ago. I love it. I log in everyday. First month and a half - the weight MELTED off. Like, 12 lbs in a month, something like that. I was loseing pretty steady and strong... and now I feel it's nearly come to a crawl.
    .........................

    I would suggest a jump start! Challenge yourself for at least 1 week to only eat clean/detox. No junk food, caffeine, sugars, extra salts, bread (yeast). Basically eat a lot of veggies, fruit, lean proteins, good carbs like oats, sweet potato and quinoa. If your body doesn't have to work so hard breaking down bad foods it may help to shed those extra pounds and it would be like shock therapy. I lost a bunch of weight last year then gained it back due to an accident but this was one of the ways that helped me.
  • Jesstruhan
    Jesstruhan Posts: 331 Member
    I have this problem periodically...I'd love to hear ideas.
    When the scale finally does drop it's after a really bad food day, followed by "food recovery", meaning I went back to eating like I should. but then I go right back to stuck stuck stuck. I just stick with it and eventually weight still comes off, but I would LOVE to have more than the every-other-week-I-drop-One-lousy-pound scenario. I was really busing my butt for a bit there and nothing budged.
  • lucyannp
    lucyannp Posts: 15
    just wanted to laugh as I couldn't work out why my post came up as 09:11am... then realised the time difference- I'm in the UK!
  • mfoutch86
    mfoutch86 Posts: 87
    I looked at your diary and it seems like it might be time to "refine" your eatting habits. Summer is the perfect season for that! Give your body quality fuel; lean protien, whole grains, fresh fruits and veg. Try and move away from processed foods and refined carbs. Nobody is perfect, but perhaps a change in diet will improve how you feel, and re-start the weight loss!
  • wells0707
    wells0707 Posts: 251 Member
    I would reccommend doing a different kind of workout for a while. I do the same thing every few months and it seems to help. It works for me, but I am no expert. Good Luck
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
    I looked at your diary and it seems like it might be time to "refine" your eatting habits. Summer is the perfect season for that! Give your body quality fuel; lean protien, whole grains, fresh fruits and veg. Try and move away from processed foods and refined carbs. Nobody is perfect, but perhaps a change in diet will improve how you feel, and re-start the weight loss!

    Yeah, I was thinkin it may be a part "need a healthier diet" part "crank up your exercise routine" issue.

    Since on MFP - my portions are a LOT better... but going thru my diary - I see a lot of periodic crap I probably am not doing much good for my body by eating. And I have a major sodium addiction. But yeah, you're probably right.
  • jeanzbeanz
    jeanzbeanz Posts: 64
    Gotta agree with the above posters. Shake it up. I was treadmill walking/kinda sorta jogging about 3 miles too. Got on a bike recently *pause so you can all giggle* and that did it. Came home and switched over to the elliptical. It was enough to budge the scale.

    Also stepped up the weights and tried 'planks'. New methods of torture!
  • spikefoot
    spikefoot Posts: 419
    Your body is bored, everything used to be so new and fun but now it is stale and predictable.

    Shake everything up and refine your eating. I'd suggest some hardcore dedication for the next 5 weeks only take measurements and stay off the scale.
  • Jaccyber
    Jaccyber Posts: 620 Member
    Throw it out of the window of a moving car...that'll learn it.

    This one ^^^ It would definitly move the scale or jump up and down. LOL

    Seriously though that calorie cycling sounds interesting. Sounds like you have the jogging thing down. Maybe include some strength training also. Just keep at it and keep up the great work.
  • Brenda_Pancakes
    Brenda_Pancakes Posts: 288 Member
    Your body is bored, everything used to be so new and fun but now it is stale and predictable.

    Shake everything up and refine your eating. I'd suggest some hardcore dedication for the next 5 weeks only take measurements and stay off the scale.

    Exellent Idea. I think I'm gonna do just that. I hit that scale way too much... I get really excited when it goes down - but equally disapointed when it goes up - even if it's by a tiny bit. I've just gotta hit it hard and strong for the next few weeks and shock my system.

    You guys all have really good suggestions :)

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