First time poster here and i am not sure if this is the right forum for this question. But here is my story. After starting out at 283 pounds I lost 40 in 7 months then then managed to go down another 30 in 8 more months. but then about 5 months ago i Hit a plateau and can not get passed it. I excercise 5-6 days a week and drink tons of water and nothing else and havent even deveated from a healthy eating plan. I have tried changing my excercise routine around from different weight exercises but have kept the same cardio workout. Is there someone out there who has had a similar problem and has had success getting passed it.
It has become very frustrating to say the least.

Hi! Congratulations on your great success!! You have a lot to be proud of, but I know it can be very frustrating when you hit a plateau. What is your eating plan like? Sometimes increasing your calories by just a little bit can actually make you start losing again.

Keep up the great work!

increase hmmmmmmm so maybe i should not have cut out a meal in the day cause i thought i was getting to many calories(lol). I usually eat egg whites and couple of slices of whole wheat toast then a snack of fruit then somthing like a tuna fish sandwich with a v8 for lunch then later some fuit and a protien drink(about 220 cal) and then for dinner usually carrots chicken breast and white rice or pasta.

You might also try cutting out some of the carbs and replacing them with protein. I exercise 5-6 days a week too, and when you're building up muscle, your body needs the protein to build the muscle. Then the muscle will continue to burn fat all day, as opposed to the fat which just sits there.

If you're not eating enough calories, your body will not let you drop the weight. It thinks you're starving it and you won't lose. Cutting your calories even more just makes it worse. I know, that's always my first reaction too, but it doesn't help things any. Try increasing your calories just a little bit, and replace some of your carbs with more protein.

Or sometimes, I take just one day off to shake things up a bit and that usually gets me started losing again too.

Whatever you do, don't quit. You've made some wonderful lifestyle changes and I'm sure you're healthier and feeling better. Even if the scale isn't moving, you could still be losing fat and building muscle.

makes sense
what kinds of carbs should I be replacing and how?should I be eating meals with out carbs? and eating larger protein portions?
Man I must be annoying.

And should i be concerend more about the amount of carbs then fat in the food. lIke should I eat hardboiled eggs for a snack instead of fruit. argggggg this was all so simple the first 70 pounds.

And after prwsing the other forums it seems that i am not consuming nowhere enough calories for my excercize program and the fact i am on my feat at work like 6 hours a day.

ok I will shut up now

You're definitely NOT annoying. We're all here to learn, and I definitely don't have all of the answers, but you're right, you've got to get enough calories so that your body doesn't hoard the fuel you're giving it because it's afraid you'll starve. It sounds funny to refer to your body as if it's seperate from you, but it will try to protect you and doesn't want you starving.

You're right, it's much simpler in the beginning and it comes off much faster in the beginning. After your body becomes more fine tuned from the healthy eating and the exercise, it becomes more difficult.

My advice, and again I don't have all the answers so maybe someone else will have a better answer for you, would be to get rid of your white carbs like your white rice and pasta and switch to whole grain products. Eat lean proteins and fruits and vegetables. If possible, try whole vegetables intsead of the V8, they will fill you up better for the same amount of calories or even less.

The key is really finding what works for you. You may have to try different things to see what works and what will make you start losing again. Don't be afraid to switch things around.

Don't be afraid to keep asking questions either. That's what we're all here for!!

Mattgood, dont feel alone. I also had hit a plateau which was driving me crazy. In fact several months ago, I posted a thread about that very thing. I lost around 45 lbs in about 6 or 7 months, but for the last 5 months, I have only lost 5 more. My scale sat at 195 from June or July til YESTERDAY! I was coming to find my old post to update it since the scale finally moved but saw yours and decided to post here instead. Yesterday morning, it was right between 192 and 193. I know that's not much,but after NOTHING for soooo long, I was thrilled!! Wish I could say what caused it but I have no idea. I did like you, switched things, increased calories, changed some habits, etc and nothing seemed to work. I refused to give in and quit (mainly because people in 3FC wont let that happen ) and finally I'm off that stubborn 195. No matter what, keep working at it. Eventually the loss will start again. Good luck!

Miki

Hi lifters! The word, "plateau" always catches my attention. In fact, that's how I wandered into 3FC.

Anyway, I just read and highly recomend, an e-book reco'd to me by the Ladies Who Lift - Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto. http://www.tomvenuto.com/resudoc.cfm?doc=fatburn

The way he explains nutrition and physiology is just plain simple and awesome. Many of us at the LWL forum have discovered what we were doing incorrectly, and what to do for plateaus. I only wish I had read it a few months ago before reading others like Body for Life.

Good luck, and I hope you find what works best for you!

dip

Thanks for the info diphthong and miki . A couple of questions, are the exercise plans good for home use with just the basics and are the diet guidlines easy to follow?

Matt, YES! on both counts. I work out at home but go back to the gym every once in awhile for a change of scenery.

Lifting Work-outs depend on your level, of course. Venuto explains the nutrition and combining so simply that even this blonde "got it."

Hope you find your niche.