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Old 09-21-2006, 12:12 PM   #1  
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Exclamation Stuck and not losing!

Someone help me please!!! I am going to post all my stats so that I can get the most help. I started on May 28, 2006 at a weight of 215. My current weight is 194. I really thought I was doing good. I try to eat about 1400 calories a day give or take 100. I generally stay in that range. I do cardio everyday and weight training a couple times a week. I always fit some kind of exercise in. I was using low weights (2s and 3s) but just upped it a little bit this week to 3s and 5s. My problem is that I've stopped losing. I have been at 194 for almost 4 weeks now! I'm not seeing any changes in my inches (i take measurements every two weeks and weigh myself once a week) or on the scale. I feel pretty much the same. I've tried switching up my cardio sessions and weight sessions and basically my whole workouts but I'm still not seeing results again. Does anyone have any ideas on how to kick start my weight loss back again. I'm at loss of what to do. Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
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Old 09-21-2006, 03:48 PM   #2  
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Hi Salina

Sounds like the dreaded "plateau." Sometimes it takes your body awhile to catch up with your weight loss. Human beings have been programmed over a gazillion years to hold on to body fat as a survival mechanism, so your body doesn't want to let it go. Your body's job is to do everything as efficiently as possible in order to keep lots of energy in reserve for the day your dearly beloved DOESN'T come home with a 100-ton wooly mammoth for dinner.

So sometimes you have to kind of "trick" your body by shaking things up a bit -- which you said you've done already. But maybe your body needs more of a shake-up because it's so used to what you've been doing. If your cardio is usually 20 mins at one intensity, go for 15 at a higher intensity. Do a different cardio activity, "surprise" your body with new muscle movements, etc. If you do the elliptical, try swimming. If you jog, try a stationary bike or join a step class or try kick-boxing.

Another thing to remember is the old saying that nature abhors a vacuum. When your fat cells begin to release the fat to use as fuel (ie: cardio), those little cells are still there -- just emptier. And they don't wanna be empty. In order to fill themselves up, the little cells start collecting water to replace the lost fat. So my long and rambling point here is that you may have actually burned lots of fat from your fat cells but the fat cells are still "full" (of water). Therefore, your measurements may not change much.

I'll follow that profoundly boring paragraph with a personal story: Last summer I was religious about eating well and exercising. I went TWO MONTHS without losing a single pound. I was very depressed about it but just kept plugging along. Then suddenly I dropped a bunch of weight. I told my personal trainer it was like (literally) I woke up one morning and had hip bones. She said sometimes it happens that way...our bodies have their own plan. All we can do is keep on keepin' on and know that what we're doing will pay off in the end.
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Old 09-21-2006, 06:17 PM   #3  
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A lot of people here have broken through their plateaus by eating more or doing calorie cycling (eating 1400 cals one day, 1600 the next, 1800 the one after, then starting over again). If you're exercising nearly every day you could probably use a few hundred calorie more. It seems so counter intuitive to lose more by eating more, but it really does work!

Way to go on sticking to your program!
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Old 09-21-2006, 07:49 PM   #4  
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What do you eat? A lot of us have found that a calorie is not always a calorie. No matter how little I ate, I was never able to lose weight or keep it off if I did manage to lose a few pounds until I stopped eating processed food, with added sugars, high fructose corn syrup, white starches, or fried foods.

Also, what kind of weight training are you doing? If you've been working out since May, moving from 2-3 pound weights to 5 pound weights doesn't sound like a very intense workout.

What kind of cardio do you do? How long? How intense? Do you do a steady state for your heart rate or high intensity intervals?

I'd suggest getting a copy of Body for Life for Women by Dr. Pamela Peeke. It's a real good explanantion of the interaction and importance of proper nutrition, cardio, and weight training for various stages of our lives, along with specific diet and exercise plans. You may not want to actually do her plan, but you'll have a better understanding of the variables that you can tweek to make it all work for you.

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Old 09-22-2006, 08:44 AM   #5  
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I just wanted to offer some encouraement too. You are doing so well, don't give up just because you'e not seeing the results right now. YOu will!!! Like the one lady said in the post "you will wake up one morning and be amazed at how much you've lost"
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Old 09-22-2006, 08:49 PM   #6  
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Thank you all so much for the encouragement... I don't really have much support for this from my friends and boyfriend. They think I am find the way I am and can't understand that I want to feel good about me.

I am a veggie. I don't eat any kinda of meat or fish. I drink milk and eat eggs if they are in something but not alone. I try to keep away from the processed foods mostly. ( i try to follow the 20/80 plan) I only recently moved up my weights because of my back. I was in physical therepy for 6 months for a shoulder and back injury last year. I don't want to use to much weight and strain and I dont want to get bulky. I only recently felt strong enough to move up. My cardio is pretty good I guess. I use my crosstrainer 30-45 minutes or I do a Turbo Jam cardio party (or 20mins if im low on time). When I get to the gym I use the bike for 10 mins switch to the crosstrainer for 10 then switch twice more. Or I just stay on one for 45 mins.

I considered bumping up my calories to 1500 or even 1550. Maybe it will make a difference. Also, I was waiting for a plateau but didn't expect it until I was aleast half way to my goal. Most people I know experienced it with only 20 or 10 lbs left to go.

It's hard to keep going when your not seeing change. It is easy to lose hope but you all are really helping. Anymore ideas are appreciated. I'm going to keep trying to stick it out. Hopefully I'll start seeing some changes.


Last edited by SalinaMoonMare; 09-22-2006 at 08:57 PM. Reason: Add Ticker
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Old 09-22-2006, 09:27 PM   #7  
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I really like using the stepmill at the gym -- it is different from the stair master because it is actual steps and that is a GREAT workout for me -- going up the stairs has always been a problem for me. I also think that getting your heart rate up is the plan for exercising.
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Old 09-23-2006, 09:46 AM   #8  
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Talking Yay!!

I weighed in this morning (even though I really didn't want to). I'm down to 192!!! Yay! It only took about a month.

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