I'm not sure where to post this but I figured as most of you are at maintenance you have probably experienced a plateau at some point.
Here's my story:
I'm down to 180 from 208. For the past 17 days the scale has not moved, measurements have not changed either. I average 1600 calories per day and workout 5 days a week, lifting and an hour of cardio, burning approx. 500 calories per session according to my HRM. According to my calculations I burn over 2000 calories a day, not including exercise.
Until two and a half weeks ago this method was good for over 2lbs/week lost. I tend to believe this is a temporary slump and it will pick back up if I stay the course but I'm tempted to start changing things.
FWIW this weight does seem to be a sticking point for me, I got *stuck* here before. When that happened eventually I started lowering calories and increased my workout time and when I STILL didn't see results from that I gave up...and gained it all back, smart huh? So this time I'd like to just stick with what I'm doing now and wait it out if that will work.
Here's my questions:
When you hit a plateau did you change anything up (increase exercise intensity, lower calories, etc)?
How long did it take for weightloss to start up again?
When I hit a plateau I started drinking tons of water and actually upped my calories by about 200/day. I honestly don't remember how long it took for my weight loss to start again, but before the plateau I was eating 1200/day and not drinking much water, and after I was drinking 8 cups per day and eating 1400-1600 and was losing 1lb/week at that rate. I exercised 3x/week throughout.
First of all, congrats on your weight loss! I think that whenever I hit plateaus in my weight loss, I would first re-examine what I was eating. I'm not sure what you're following specifically for an eating plan, but I'd suggest checking to make sure that you're eating a good ratio of protein, healthy fats, and carbs. On one big plateau I discovered that I had inadvertently cut out almost all fat from my diet - I was eating <20 g fat/day - and also was eating too many carbs. When I increased my fat and protein intake it I started losing again. Some people also have success with calorie cycling - eating a few higher cal days, a few lower, but still averaging 1600 cal/day sort of "keeps your body guessing" so it doesn't get as efficient at storing any of those 1600 calories.
What kind of cardio are you doing for that hour each day? If you're doing the same workout over and over, your body gets used to the routine and it's no longer as challenging for the body. I've read articles where nutritionists and trainer-types suggest changing your workout every 6 weeks. You can change what you're doing (treadmill instead of elliptical, walking instead of jogging, etc.) and also increasing the intensity. Intervals are a good idea. Walk a bit, jog for a few minutes or to the next block or whatever, then walk, jog, etc. If it's all lower intensity, I would definitely suggest upping the intensity. For me, running is my "magic exercise pill" (just an expression, it sure doesn't feel like magic - I don't like it much!) but it burns more calories than anything else, despite what any calorie monitor or HRM says. Walking just doesn't cut it for my body in maintenance, it must be higher intensity.
2 1/2 weeks is not too long to be worried about a plateau yet, IMHO. Keep up the great work, and don't be discouraged! I hope this helps.
My plateaus...I had three of them...lasted for about 4 weeks. I didn't change anything except I would up my calories or the amount of free days I had a week. That would usually give me a good 2 pound loss. I think it was just my body preparing for maintenance as they all happened when I was within 15 pounds of my goal. Good luck!
Holly, did you know that you can still be losing fat, even though the scale isn't moving? When a fat cell empties out, sometimes it will temporarily fill back up with water. The result is that the scale stays the same, but in reality you've lost fat. So -- good things may be happening in your body right now, even though the scale isn't moving!
To answer your questions, when I hit a plateau -- which happened two or three times -- I dropped my calories. I started at 1600 when I was 257 and ended up around 1200. My body is stupid and only understands calories in versus calories out, so when I add calories, I gain weight. When I drop them, I lose. I wish I was one who could eat more and lose, but alas, I'm not.
If you don't want to drop your calories, my suggestion would be to up the intensity of your exercise. I don't know how intense your cardio is now, but please don't be fooled by the so-called fat-burning zones on machines. You said you have a heart rate monitor, so really push into moderate-high to high intensity zones. Studies have shown that interval training will burn more fat than steady state cardio and keep your metabolism elevated for hours afterwards.
Also, try to up the intensity of your weight lifting. Use supersets, cut down on your rest between sets, do cardio between sets, and/or lift heavy!
But whatever you do, don't lose hope! Be patient and your weight will start dropping again. So long as you're creating a calorie deficit, your body HAS to burn off stored fat. It can't help it. So hang in there!
I don't want to get hit or anything of that sort - but I never hit a plateau.
I was (stupidly) terrified of one. So I did everything in my power to avoid it (and llucky enough to be able to) and chose to make pre-emptive strikes. Meaning I was extremely consistient with my food intake, never going above it more then 10 X or so throughout my course of losing, and even those ten days were majorly minor.
What I did to to avoid it though is I steadily DECREASED my calories. I'm like Meg, not lucky to be one of the ones who can ADD calories in and lose. I still don't get that one Oh well. I started off at 287 lbs eating about 1800 calories, only stayed there for about 2 weeks, then dropped to 1600 and eventually wound up at 1200. I also increased my exercise - the amount of days, the hours per day and the intensity.
I also totally ignore those calories burned thingamajigs. I find them to be very inaccurate. I keep my exercise and my calories separate. I eat what I eat and I burn what I burn. One doesn't influence the other.
I'm a big believer in dropping the calories just a tad. I know not everyone around here is. Or increasing the exercise. Or both.
I'm also not sure of what TYPES of calories you are eating. Are you eating enough protein? Fiber? Too much fat? Too much carbs or sugars or processed stuff? Drinking enough water? Perhaps your menu could use a bit of tweaking. Just a thought.
I know it must be incredibly frustrating when a plateau occurs. Perserverance and trial and error will surely have you busting through it in no time at all. You are doing fabulously and I look forward to hearing about your continued success.
My cardio is either running, elliptical, walking at the highest incline, or a combination of the three. My heartrate is never less than 80% of my max and usually 85-90% so I think the only thing I could do there is increase the duration.
I could up the lifting intensity so I guess I'll have to try that. And I was thinking about trying to decrease the amount of processed foods I eat. There's not too many but less is always better.
I get so frustrated right at this weight because I feel like I'm so close to looking a lot thinner. Right now I just look like me at 208lbs but shrunk down a little. My big ol' belly is still the biggest part of me.
And this made my day!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Meg
When a fat cell empties out, sometimes it will temporarily fill back up with water. The result is that the scale stays the same, but in reality you've lost fat. So -- good things may be happening in your body right now, even though the scale isn't moving!
Even if that's not the case it still makes me feel better.
I lost around 60 lbs (from 200 to 140) very steadily and consistently from July 2004 until Feb 2005. I plateaued at 140 from Feb 2005 until June 2005. I figured my body was done losing so I moved into maintenance in June 2005 (gradually increasing my calories from around 1400/1600 to 1800). I started losing again in July 2005 and very slowly, I lost another 13 lbs. I reached 127 in February of 2006 (while eating around 1800 calories a day).
In the gentlest way, I don't think 17 days (basically 2 weeks!) is a plateau. Just keep doing what you are doing
I think the tough thing about plateaus is that it is really impossible to know exactly what ends them. Some people increase their calories and then the scale goes down, others add water and then the scale goes down, others decrease calories or increase exercise, and then the scale goes down.
Problem is, absent a controlled environment with all other variables constant, just because one event happens and is followed by another doesn't mean the first caused the second.
For this reason, I think it makes sense to stick to the basics. First, there can be tons of reasons the scale is temporarily stuck. Given that it's been only just over two weeks, you may or may not need to make any changes. In other words, it may not be a true plateau at this point. Just be patient.
If you do make changes, moving down your calories can be a good idea, and makes sense from a weight lose perspective. Just make sure you don't go so low so as to sabotage your efforts. Making exercise more intense, adding water... none of these are bad options. But you'll probably still need to be patient too!
As much as it really, really sucks to try so hard and not lose, I agree that 17 days is not really a plateau.
I'm currently on a 2 1/2 week "plateau" with exercising 3-4 days per week (walk/run) and keeping between 1200-1300 calories. This is AFTER having been on a 6 month "plateau" or maintenance phase and then suddenly putting on 6-8 pounds. I thought that the weight came on rather quickly and once I really put my mind to it and stayed on plan that I would have lost those pounds quickly, too. It's not happening.
But I'm not giving up! I'll keep at it and if need be, I'll tweak my plan in some way or another and at some point my body just HAS to start responding!!!
I have been at the same weight for going on six months. There have been some extenuating circumstances: I finished grad school, moved several states away, started a new career, and had minor surgery in that time. But I've really been trying to break this plateau and so far nothing's worked. I don't know if that will make anyone feel better or worse, but I'm keeping at it until *something* happens.
Hmmm, when I was losing I went pretty consistenly - if slowly - from 240 to 170, then lost NOTHING for nearly 6 months. I played around with my food a little, but there wasn't much room to do that (though I did make sure I was getting a good ratio of p/c/f), and increased my exercise. To my surprise, even though I lost no weight, I went down 3 sizes. Everyone has good advice. Be patient, and keep doing what you know works - eat less, move more
My measurements and clothing sizes haven't changed, I'm sad to say. I don't really have any calorie wiggle room (and I've tried going up, which just makes me gain). So I am working out harder and hoping for the best. Something has to give eventually!
I've never had a true plateau either, that I couldn't explain. I have stayed the same weight for months but lost considerable body fat while gaining muscle and losing inches. The only times that nothing was happening, I was really in denial about how clean I was eating. For a while I had planned free days or free meals which were completely sabotaging all my efforts the rest of the week. I was getting a lot stronger, but not losing fat.
Ad wyllen said, we can't generalize based on a sample size of one. We are each our own experiment and can't even draw conclusions sometimes as to why something happened because we don't live in a controlled environment with bodies that are invariate machines. OK, that might not be a word. But personally, if I'm not losing or maintaining, it's because I'm eating too much or eating the wrong things.
Height: 5 foot 2 and a half (Don't forget the half lol!)
1st- 6wks. (Did an hr long session of Tae bo two days in a row. I guess it shocked the fat off of me again.)
2nd- ongoing since April. (Decreased calories, water, exercise sessions, weights. Weights are starting to make a difference alongside a 200 increase in calories. I'm on my period, so I'll need to wait to see. I think it might be working. Last yr, at the start of my period, my weight would go higher and decrease across the wk, but during this plateau is went higher and stayed there. Now with the increase in weights and food, my weight has been getting lower during this period. I hope it's working!)
Plateau-How long did yours last?
smart huh? So this time I'd like to just stick with what I'm doing now and wait it out if that will work.
Oh well. I started off at 287 lbs eating about 1800 calories, only stayed there for about 2 weeks, then dropped to 1600 and eventually wound up at 1200. I also increased my exercise - the amount of days, the hours per day and the intensity.
