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At a stand-still? How many calories do you eat and how much do you workout?
Hi, ladies.
I'm at a Plateau (with a capital "P"). I've been trying everything and need some advice. I've read a ton of things on PCOS. But, it is difficult to understand how to mix calories and work-outs. I've been running/walking (3 days a week) and also incorporating body pump (3 days a week). How much are you ladies eating when doing hard workouts? It seems I only lose when I drop my calories LOW. I know that isn't good in the long run as I don't want to lose muscle. However, 1500 calories and hard workouts and I don't lose a thing! I've tried eating more and that is WORSE. So, I thought I would see what is working for everyone else.
I've been trying to keep my carbs under 100 (avg 75-85). But, my fat is really high on those days. Any suggestions?
I cant do hard workouts. If I did I'd probably go to 1400-1500.
I'm very short, lightly active and sometimes sedentary (student so usually sitting). I take spironolactone which may be helping.
Is Body Pump a relatively new addition for you? Sometimes when you add in weights, you can stall out for a little while.
ETA: Just realized this is PCOS/IR related. I don't have any advice specific to that, but still think the addition of weights could be contributing if it's a new activity.
Last edited by Blueberries; 03-06-2012 at 02:01 PM.
I finally had to go see a nutrionist who worked with pcos patients and diabetic patients. the things I was eating (example: cherrios, skim milk, and bananna for breakfast) I thougt was a good breakfast but for someone who has pcos it was too many carbs for me. she reduced my carb intake to 45grams per meal and since last june i have lost 30 pounds. I was taking 4 metformin per day my hba1c was 6.7. I went to the doctor last month and she reduced my metformin to 1 per day and my hba1c has dropped to 5.4. When i return to see her in August if my numbers still look good she thinks that i can have a normal period!!! So try to work on your carb intake and see if that helps. Also i have noticed if i eat fatty foods some times I lose more weight..Good luck to you in your journey!!!
@Blueberries I started Bodypump to break the plateau. I've been doing it for a couple of months. I stopped this week and focused on running. Im going to aim for 1300 cals with 3-4 runs per week and see what happens. I'm completely sedentary (office job). So, I don't think I'm over-exerting and burning too many calories.
Thanks for the info, ladies! I lost more weight when not exercising. But, my skin looked horrible (visualize me melting). Exercise is necessary...it's just so hard to account for it calorie-wise. All of the calculators say I should eat 2100 calories and that DID NOT work. So, I'm going to go back to what was working!
Last edited by poeticmuz; 03-07-2012 at 09:27 PM.
Reason: edited a word (mistake)
Crystal101 - What dose of spiro are you taking? I just started taking 25mg, but I don't even feel the diuretic side effect. I'm wondering if my does is too low.
Poet - I don't really have any advice since I'm struggling to lose myself, but I wanted to congratulate you on your 60 lb loss!!!
My calories are always really low. I'd say around 1000 somedays less, I just listen to my body, and I still work out 1 hr a day on the treadmill, trying to become a full runner. couch 2 5k kinda thing.
I been hitting plateaus as well, and it's like you gotta shock your system, eat less or eat even healthier(way more veggies is what I do), and then really push yourself at your workouts or even add a day. Sometimes I even shock by going to a buffet and eating more than I would but still exercising that day. It's about confusing the bodies set routine I think.
I can now run longer than I ever could in my life and it feels awesome.
I actually like running, and I like eating low carb.
The weight will come off the way I'm living now, it's a permanent change for me, just takes time and a little thought.
I guess I'm different from everyone else here - I eat between 1400-1600 daily, and sometimes a little more if I do a big workout.
My doctor told me that if you're working out for 60 minutes and burning 800ish calories, which I do about 5x week, you shouldn't be eating 1200 calories or less because ultimately your body will go into starvation mode.
I've consistently been losing 2-3 pounds per week (when giving full effort), but I shake things up every few days with regard to the types of foods I eat to what types of exercises I do. Sometimes your body needs to calibrate itself or rest.
Try shaking things up and test out different foods/routines. Eventually the scale will move. In the meantime, maybe try to focus on exercising as a way to be healthy rather than thinner. Just my two cents.
I do P90X 5 times a week, interspersed with 1-2 times of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred. Sometimes I allow myself a day off, usually not. My calories are about 1500 per day. I'm not losing though, so I'll have to reevaluate.
I seem to be a bit of a anomally....when i eat low 1200-1300 cals it just sends me into a bad binge cycle. I have lost 203 pounds to date with another 15-20 pounds to lose to get to my ultimate weight. I have been doing weights 1-2 times per week so I know especially on my upper body i do have quite a bit of muscle. I am currently eating 1700 calories which I cycle and I try and avoid carbs at dinner most nights. As a general rule my exercise routine is:
mon - 30 mins boxing + 45 mins body combat
tues - 1 hour cardio PT session (interval running. stair climbing etc)
wed - 30 min weight PT session + 45 mins cycle class
thurs - rest day
friday - 45 mins body pump
saturday - outdoor strength training PT session + 60 mins body pump + 60 mins body balance
This works for me altho i have been gaining and regaining the same 5 or so pounds for several months...but ive decided at this point to just try and maintain...my bodys lost a lot (over 5 years) and it may just need a break
I stay under 1650 calories BUT my endo put me on a strict diet and I am not allowed to have over 50 carbs per day. If I go over that, I gain weight.. or rather, I do not lose weight at all. No matter how much I work out or decrease calories, the scale will not budge if I go over by more than a few carbs. I could eat 2000 calories and lose, as long as the carbs are spot on. The endo told me the fat doesnt really matter but of course "healthy" fat is better.
I follow the IR diet which recommends no more than 30g carbs per meal and a minimum of 15g protein at the same time. I lose steadily (but kinda slowly!) eating around 1300 a day on that plan with little/no exercise. Now that I've started to 'melt' (great term!) I've added in some exercise but it's not affecting my number losses one way or the other. I cycle up to about 1500/1600 every few days and find that kickstarts things again if I flatline.
At a stand-still? How many calories do you eat and how much do you workout?
