Very frustrated. Plateau
 

I've spent the past 6 weeks hovering between the same 3 pounds. I keep hitting plateaus every 10 pounds or so now. 228,212,200,189 -.- For the most part I am sticking to my plan of eating between 1500-1600 a day, although for the past week its been upped to about 2000 and I didn't gain or lose. I'm exercising for 45-6o minutes 6 days a week and mixing it up everyday so I don't get to used to what i'm doing. And i'm still stuck. Anyone have any suggestions?

I don't really know how I broke the other plateaus..and 228, and 212 after I stalled there, I stopped trying to lose, and even not watching what I was eating still stayed the same weight. 200 broke right around christmas, after stuffing my face full of delicious food for over a week. Still don't know how that happened.

Baker, all I can say is don't give up! :hug: I know plateaus can be very frusterating but giving up can lead to regain.

Interesting that your last plateau broke after Christmas, when you ate more or just ate more sweets???

Thank you ^_^ I know I can't give up now. I'm 15 pounds away from my goal and it would be like climbing everest and stoppinng right before the top. I'd cry...And it was definitely more sweets. Even after christmas, I was nibbling on chocolate candy for a week after and lost another 5 pounds to get down to where I am now 0.o...

assuming your weight is what it is on your avatar there, then 2000 calories a day is about maintenance for you, or maybe even a little above.

You won't lose weight with those numbers.

The 'average' is 10 cals per body pound for maintenance, so 2000 calories a day supports a 200 pound person.

It may be time to reevaluate where you stand and maybe change your calorie targets a bit.

It working in the past, would be because your weight was higher.

Right now, to lose weight, I cycle about 5 days of 1000 calorie days with 3-4 days of 1200 calorie days, and I am not losing dramatically fast all.

With a solid 1500 and that amount of exercise, you will continue to lose, but it will be fairly slow and you can't afford many higher calorie days at all.

You have come a long way! Just use the tools you've learned and get to where you want to!

Originally Posted by Katydid77:
The 'average' is 10 cals per body pound for maintenance, so 2000 calories a day supports a 200 pound person

That equation seems unbelievably low. Are you referring to losing calories? I'm 5 ft 3, 43 years old, and weigh 135-137. I can maintain that on 2100-2200 calories per day. I do exercise at least an hour, 6 days a week and I move a lot, so maybe that's why. I lost approx. 40 lbs. eating an average of 1400 per day, and by my estimate, I was probably losing almost 2 lbs. a week (I didn't weigh myself at the time, but I"m going by how much I lost and the time that it took me).

To the OP, did you track your calories those other times when you broke through your plateaus? If so, look back to see how much you were eating. I found that when I raised my calories to 1700 later on in my weight loss journey (so I weighed less than at the beginning), the weight seemed to fall off me (judging by the looseness of my clothing).

Whatever you're doing, change it up a bit. That means even your exercise routine. Sometimes, our bodies get adjusted to our plan, and that makes it harder to lose.

Also, try cycling your calories, i.e., have approximately the same number per week but eat a different amount (100-300 more or less) per day.

Originally Posted by Katydid77:
assuming your weight is what it is on your avatar there, then 2000 calories a day is about maintenance for you, or maybe even a little above.

You won't lose weight with those numbers.

The 'average' is 10 cals per body pound for maintenance, so 2000 calories a day supports a 200 pound person.

I weigh 108 and will lose weight consistently on more than 1,500 calories a day with exercise just three times a week. And I'm almost 39 with a normal metabolism that is aided only by a very strong muscle-to-fat ratio (something that has been shown to have far less effect upon metabolism than was once believed). I can't imagine anyone eating just 1,080 calories to maintain at 108.

I know that there are people and companies who espouse this, but it is incredibly low. I don't know anyone who needs to eat this little to maintain.

Originally Posted by :
assuming your weight is what it is on your avatar there, then 2000 calories a day is about maintenance for you, or maybe even a little above.

My usual calorie limit is 1500-1600. Since I was stalled at that weight I decided to up it to 2000 the past week without changing my excerise or anything else. Just to see if maybe I can get things to move along as i've heard that it'll sometimes help. I kept the same weight even while increasing my intake by 3500 calories for the week. :) Last year on days when I did add up my calories I found that I could still maintain by eating 2500, although some days I would eat more, when I was holding steady at 212. :)

Originally Posted by :
To the OP, did you track your calories those other times when you broke through your plateaus?

No I did not. I didn't start tracking calories everyday until I hit 200. The week I broke that number, after being there for 6-7 weeks when trying to lose, was christmas. And I didn't pay any attention. :) The few times I did track before hitting 200, I would add everything up at the end of the day just to get an estimate of how much I was eating. But never during any plateau's :) For my cardio excerises I do try and switch up the amount of every activity everyday. Say one day I'll be on the treadmill and i'll jog at a steady pace for 15-20 minuntes. The next day I may just walk while i'll spend alot of my energy working hard on another machine. I'll try and switch it up and add different machines and new excerises in though

well, there are big variables, and i can only say what I've used consistently for me in the past.

I know that everyone says that number is low, and believe me, I am all for it being too low. lol. I have a very active job and workout fairly often, and 1200 cals is what I can get away with and still lose weight.

One thing I worry about is underestimating calories. My lines have always been so 'fine' that I just never have had much wiggle room.

I have had the same experience as everyone else, where you eat high for a week and your body breaks the plateau.

At the end of the day, it's all about consistency I am sure, and the OP has come so far.

Either way you manage it, I know there will be a victory dance when the plateau is broken. :smug:

<<The 'average' is 10 cals per body pound for maintenance, so 2000 calories a day supports a 200 pound person. >>

Just thought I'd mention that none of the caloric allowance calculators I've used come up with this figure. I'm now at a maintenance weight of 145 lbs, and based on my moderate activity level, most calculators come up with 1,900-2,000 calories for me. Even if I were completely sedentary (which I've input as a variable just to find out), the figure would be about 1,700.

I believe that weight x 10 gives you the approximate figure for BASAL metabolic expenditure. If you do anything more than lie comatose all day, your total should be higher.

Freelance

My only suggestion is to potentially change your exercises or exercise routine. Maybe, if you're doing the same exercises every day, your body has adjusted to those exercises and has learned to become efficient at them (meaning fewer calories burned).

Have you tried a different type of exercise? Or a higher intensity level on whatever you are doing right now?

Well, this be the worst answer (lol) but sometimes plateaus just happen! I tend to go a week or two with no movement and then it starts again and stops. Everyone and every Body is different! I find when I get stressed out over my weight or not losing "enough" the week, the month or whatever, I just sabotage myself. I stress, I stall. But that's just me :)

A plateau just means your body has caught up to your intake...in other words you have to eat less, or work out more because you don't burn as much at the weight you are now.

Try to cut out another 100 calories, or work out a little longer (or both if you want)..see if that helps!