I’ve been plateau-ing for a couple of months now and im getting really frustrated. I know these things can last some time but really? I have lost a good bit of my inspiration. Its discouraging. Im over half way to my goal and I was so insired then..well…we all know the story, your body seems to just lose interest.
ANYWAY, my main question is this. I apologize for having such a remedial question but I think im just missing something. I know the basic idea behind the dreaded plateau, but I just don’t get how it works. If one is physically burning more calories a day that one takes in, how can the body reject losing weight? The math just doesn’t add up.
My second mini inquiry is if anyone has any tips to kick start the weightloss again. I think I’ve tried everything. I work out 4 days a week, (1 hour cardio, 30min stretching, 30min weights) . I have tried everything from adding more calories, lowering calories, exercising more/ less. Ive changed y food to try to mix things up. I have added more/less protein, same with carbs. Ive even tried the wacky idea of having a small binge for 2 days to try to re-convince the body that its not starving. I have tried every combination of the things I listed. If there is anything I have not tried, please let me know. Im going nuts.

OK - first, define plateau. No losses at all for those few months? Are you losing sizes/inches, or are you completely at a standstill?

Second, what are you eating? Both in terms of nutrients (ie how many calories/protein/fiber a day) and in terms of actual foods? Some people can't break through a plateau unless they are "eating clean" - give us a sample day or two of menus so we can look at what you're eating.

Third, when you tried all of those above...did you give them enough time to work? Your body probably won't register weight loss due to a changed calorie intake for a few weeks...so lets say you decided to drop your calories by 100 a day - you'd need to stay at that level for a good two weeks or more to determine if it is working.

Fourth, what sort of cardio do you do? The same thing each day? Different things? Sometimes your body adjusts to whatever form of exercise you do, and needs new challenges.

Fifth, what is your water intake?

This is going to be my signature little "guy" (girl?)---I just love "him/her"

Well, I was on a plateau for four weeks. I would love to say that I was being super human but I wasn't. I had one really stellar week out of those four. The other ones were a delivery pizza and then eating a package of trail mix for lunch THEN looking at the fat and calorie content and almost fainting. Like deep water, look before you leap!

Then, this past Saturday I stepped on the scale and I lost 6 lbs. I was so stunned-I checked it four times.

I think the moderator mentioned the things I would have thought. I expect that I will experience more plateaus as this progresses. I do love to exercise, my strength, but I also like to eat, weakness. Have you heard of the Set Point Theory? I figured that my body was hanging on for dear life to a weight I had been in the past and I have those particular weights marked on my weight chart as a red flag that I may experience "set points" again in the future.

My plan is stay on track, do I need to do, and let my body and God do the rest.

I did thank God and I have had two and half really good blissful days.

Good luck

With a bit of patience, a little experimentation, (trial and error) lots of determination and commitment, you'll be busting through that plateau in no time.

I'm with Amanda here. We need a little more info though to help you. I would also ask, just how closely and accurately are you tracking your caloric intake? Get back to us, we'll figure something out.

I'm in the same place as you, have been "stuck" here for 2.5 months now. Something's gotta give...

I'm having incredibly slow to non-existant scale movement too. I have no words of wisdom but just know for myself that I have to keep at this. As frustrating as it is for the scale not to move, it would be worse if I gave up and gained back what I've lost.

I was talking about this same situation with a trainer at the gym today and her recommendation for me was to do some really intense interval training during my cardio sessions. For example, do 20 second intervals....maximum level you can handle and then back it down and make this change every 20 seconds. Once I can handle that, she said to do 12 seconds/8 second intervals. I'm going to give it a try - what do I have to lose? Oh yea.......MORE WEIGHT hopefully!

Good luck and hang in there.

i am doing about 1200 calories a day with excersise. i excercise 4 times a week.(which is all i can afford with my work and schookl schedual) i add little things in also, like taking the stairs and parking at the far side of the parking lot.

when i say plateau i mean i have been hovering at my weight give or take a pound (but i account that to water weight and what i ate the day before and whatnot)

i eat as LITTLE processed food as i can. its all fresh veggies for me. i am keeping a food journal and have a well established idea of what i can and cant eat. what has and has not worked for me. ive been seriously dieting since....february(?). and i have kept the journal since then..ish (or when i can remember to put it in my freakin purse)

i drink roughly 70 ounces of water a day. it sounds like a lot but once you get into the swing of it its helpfull. (70 ounces= half my body weight in ounces which was recomended to me by my doctor) it keeps me very hydrated.

i give about 2 weeks + for each of my trials.

excersise; i do an hour (roughly) a day 4 days a week. either in running (which i HATE...back and knee problems) the elyptical..ellyptical(?) i will go roughly 6 miles withought killing myself. i have to watch what i do cardio wise because i have asthma and more than once i have had to stop what i am donig to continue breathing. . stretching is my favorite thing in the world. it relives stress and i do it after my cardio to help get my heartrate down after my cooldown. then comes muscle work. weights and whatnot.

as for the set point theory, i have not heard of it, but if i think i understand. i dont know if i fall in it. i have always been heavy, i havent changed weights (before dieting) in probably....4 or 5 years.

i have been experimenting with the interval training for a while. i like it. i will move to the beat of my music (fast dancy techno-y stuff) some faster than others, some crazy enough to make me red in the face. it keeps me changing paces.

i think i coverd it.

thanks, i hafta thank everyone for helping, i get no sapport at home or with friends, i always get the "why are you dieting, you look fine the way you are" oy vay.

lastly ( and i appologize for such a long post) i was wondering if anyone had and idea about my first question, about how a plateau works. the math just doesnt add up in my head.

Yeah, the math DOESN'T add up. My personal theory is that your metabolism adjusts to keep the body at certain "set point" weights (which you may or may not have hit previously). You're doing everything the same, but you're burning less calories doing it, since your body is trying to keep your weight the same. Its frustrating, its annoying, but hey, it eventually ends.

I was stuck at 168 for six months. I tried everything...going up in cals, going down, upping the exercise, having a splurge meal, having meatless days...then due to a knee issue, I had to stop doing my regular forms of cardio completely and have surgery/go into physical therapy. For a couple weeks, I was limited to UB workouts and ab work. I don't know if it was the surgery, the weeks of rest, the increased UB muscle, the different types of exercise in physical therapy, or the getting around on crutches that did it, but I ended up dropping 4 lbs overnight two weeks post-surgery. Then another 2 lbs a few days later. I don't think I'll EVER know what changed, but something did.

Its frustrating, but it'll end. You're doing great - keep doing it and the scale will eventually move.

Hey Samantha!

I assume you're using FitDay or another tracker to figure your calories... Gosh, 1200 a day? Really? Hmm... And all that exercise! And going to school!

You are in your 20s--is that the case? Well... I'd say something that may seem weird to you. Increase your calories. Go up to between 1300 and 1400 a day, and stay there for a week or even two... don't do it for two or three days and then panic if nothing happens... stay with it and see if something doesn't give. This is just my hunch. If you want to, try it and report back.

Jay

Samantha

The 1 mile walk away the lbs video is only about 16 min. Something you could add that doesn't take much time. Yes, maybe you aren't taking enough calories in.

You aren't eating very much to accomodate all that exercise. Don't think of yourself as a modern woman surrounded by snackpacks and Pizza Huts, imagine you are a prehistoric woman, chased by lions and eating roots. If you were a prehistoric woman, barely eating enough roots and being chased by lions everyday, what would you want your body to do? Slow down your metabolism and hold on to every ounce of fat to protect you from starving.

Our current American culture of plenty is still very new (biologically speaking) - our bodies are still geared for famine and wagon trains west and ice ages.

All of my thinking is based on my own experience. In 2004, I started losing weight in July. I started at 200 lbs and by February 2005 I was 140. I didn't lose another pound from March until June. I ate less, I exercised more, I zig zagged calories, I weighed myself every day and was pretty miserable. Around May, I decided that my body was just done losing and I should start maintaining. So, I upped my calories to 1800-2000 or so and started enjoying my new slender body (much clothing was bought).

Sometime in June, the scale hit 138. That was a pleasant surprise. Without even really trying, I was 135 in November 2005, and the weight steadily kept dropping until Feb 2006 - when I weighed 127 lbs. I eat exactly the same thing, but my weight is pretty stable from 127-130. (it was sloooow loss, though)

So, my own personal pet theory for ME, is that my body just got tired of feeling threatened by low calories (1400-1600), it battened down the hatches and got serious about keeping me alive. When I ate more, the body took that as a sign the famine was over and it started releasing my stored fat reserves.

Only a theory but I am unsure how else to explain losing the last stubborn 10 lbs eating MORE calories than the first 60.

i have taken more calories (i think, i try not to subconciously convinse myself that i have) sometimes i feel so guilty about eating more. i worry because so far, with the settings i have now, i have been so sucsessfull. 27 lbs is a big deal to me and im so scared of messing that up. the thing is,..i dont really feel any hungrier. i also worry that once i start eating more..that i might turn into a little more...then a little more...ect...

::sigh::

maybe its just mental. but its frustrating.

i think i need to just take a deep breath.

the encouragement feels good. its tough, like i said i dont realy have anyone to tell me "good job" or "you'll get through it" it feels good to read such possative feedback.

27 lbs in a big deal to EVERYone. You ARE doing a great job. And with that persistence and determination of yours, you most certainly WILL get through it.

Hang tough, something is bound to give.

If you are really tracking your calories, then you will not be guessing about it. This is the only way to be sure about the numbers.

You have to give your body something to work with, and if you are really only eating 1200 a day, that might not be enough given your exercise level.

BTW, you're not having a "cheat day" every week, are you? Where you just eat whatever and don't count it? I ask because some members do this and then wonder why they aren't losing...

Good luck--don't guess--keep going!

Jay

Yup, 1,200 is not enough for your exercise level! I had the same problem: I was eating around 1,200 calories a day and exercising about the same amount as you are. We are also the same age.

anyway, I *increased* my calories, and lost 5 pounds in about 2-3 weeks! I started cycling them - eating something like 1,600 one day, 1,500 the next, 1,700, then down to 1,400, then 1,200, then 1,500 - just doing random numbers and averaging around 1,500. My weight loss is slowing down again, so I'm probably going to go back to 1,200 just to keep my body guessing, but sometimes you just need to eat more. It's kind of ironic, I know.

Do you eat snacks? It's a good idea to eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, then dinner. Snacks keep your metabolism going because your body has to digest the food that you put into it, which burns some extra calories.

Exercise tip: ever heard of the 6/9 method? (No, no, it's not dirty! ) Anyway, what you do is pick an exercise of your choice, most likely either running or biking. Sprint as fast as you possibly can for 6 seconds, then slow down to about 50% of your max for 9 more and repeat this for as long as your body can take it. I suggest 20-30 minutes - it will give you an amazing (even if short) cardio workout and will definitely burn some excess fat.