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Old 02-20-2004, 11:28 PM   #1  
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Default Help I've Hit A Plateau

I'm looking for tips to get past my weight plateau. I have 14 pounds left to reach my goal and the scale is not budging. I need to lose 4 pounds by March 22 to reach my short term goal but I don't know if it's going to happen! I run 13 miles and cycle 2 hours a week. I also do 300 crunches per day. My calorie intake is 1700 per day. I know weight training would help this plateau but I just don't have time with my return to work full-time, 2 kids and a husband. Any suggestions?
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Old 02-21-2004, 06:18 AM   #2  
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Scoob, why don't you take this down to the Ladies Who Life Forum. There is such a thing as too much cardio. Personally, I would drop the cycling and replace it with weight lifting.

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Old 02-22-2004, 09:29 PM   #3  
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Default Diphthong

Thanks for your opinion. I think I might just amp up the running to 15 miles a week and cut way down on cycling time. I do have 5/10/15 pound weights and ankle and wrist weights at home. I'll go to the Ladies Who Lift and ask them about what I can do with the weights that I have in the house. If this doesn't work I may have to drop the cycling and go to the gym 2 or 3 days a week. It looks like I have dropped a half pound. I'm still losing 1 pound per week but the slowdown really scared me. I guess I can't expect the last 14 pounds to just melt away like they did when I was at a higher weight.
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Old 02-23-2004, 05:36 PM   #4  
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Not to be discouraging, but it may well be that your body has reached its goal weight. One hundred forty-four pounds is a perfectly normal & healthy weight for someone your height. From what I'm seeing, the calculators that give a weight range give the range of 118 to 155 for someone your height. Your BMI (and I hate that calculation, since it doesn't account for muscles or frame size) is 23, which is within the healthy range as well. By your own account, you're active and eat reasonably...So you're healthy by any measure.
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Old 02-23-2004, 10:11 PM   #5  
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Default GreatBigMonsterMomma

I know that I am actually falling within my height and weight range but my normal weight before 2 children was 140 pounds (only 3 years ago) and I wasn't exercising or watching my diet. I used to be a workaholic though. About 3 years previous to that I use to run 30 miles a week, didn't watch my diet and I weighed 124 pounds. I'm wondering if having children messed with my metabolism or is that just a cop out? By the way, I don't just run to lose weight, I actually like it and hope to one day enter some races.
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Old 02-24-2004, 03:54 PM   #6  
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Congratulations on all your hard work! I too think 144 is pretty reasonable, although going a little lower wouldn't do any harm. But if your body has found its setpoint it may be more trouble than it's worth, and massively time-consuming.

I think Dipthong has a good idea about weight lifting-- that may lower your fat % and change your shape, even if there are no pounds lost. And at your level fat % is a more important gauge of health than pounds, as you are now "average" weight and exercise a lot. I have read that having children changes your hormonal balance to prefer a little higher fat %. Try reading Covert Bailey's "Ultimate Fit or Fat," he has a lot to say on the topic.

In any case, I'd say just try to relax about the whole thing. I can see you are very disciplined and "Type-A" which is great, but try to be flexible, too. Setting a goal "in concrete" by a certain date could set you up for frustration, and at this point you have every right to be celebrating, not annoyed with yourself!
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Old 02-24-2004, 10:44 PM   #7  
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Thanks you made me feel better! I am so type A it drives me crazy sometimes. I actually dropped 2 pounds this week so maybe I just had a temporary blimp the last couple of weeks. You know I don't actually exercise all that much though. I run a 10 minute mile so I only run for 40 minutes 4 times a week and I cycle twice a week for no more than 40 minutes per session. I hope I don't have to weight train I hate it! Thanks again for making me see the positive!
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Old 02-24-2004, 11:56 PM   #8  
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OK, a question for you: are you breastfeeding? It's best for mommy & baby (you know I believe that; I'm nursing both my girls ), but the slight downside to it is that your body will want to hold on to some fat stores to ensure your supply. Even if you're bottle-feeding, your body may well take a while to get the message; it's the hormones of pregnancy that tell our bodies to store that extra fat. I was reading a book on breastfeeding this evening that mentioned that the majority of moms take 5 1/2 months to lose their pregnancy weight, regardless of feeding method. Is there a chance something like that can factor into things?

If you hate "pumping iron" as it were, you can look into training with resistance bands. I bought some about a week ago at Wal-Mart of all places, and have found them to be pretty fun. The ones I bought came with an exercise book. They go by resistance (light, medium, heavy), so I'm not certain how they correlate to dumbbells, but if feelings count for anything, I get as least as good a workout with the medium band as with my dumbbells. Not certain if they translate as well to bodyfat loss as weights, though. I don't have enough experience with them yet.
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Old 02-25-2004, 02:54 PM   #9  
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I've heard about the weight retention with breastfeeding. I finished breastfeeding my son 5 months ago so that's not it. Resistance bands sound like an excellent idea! Everyone seems to be using "the ball" also. Maybe I'll check that out too. I know when I get back to work that I'm guaranteed to lose at least 3 more pounds. Last time I went back after my first maternity leave I lost 5 just from all the running around. I work in the lab at a large textile plant and it's back and forth from one end to the other... up the stairs...down the stairs. You know I'm feeling pretty good about myself for losing 20 pounds and if I only loose 2 more that would be great. That would mean that I lost all the pregnancy weight that I gained from both pregnancies. I want to get down to 130 which is actually my fantasy weight but I would be overjoyed with 135. Before at 140 I was inbetween sizes. A size 10 was too big and a size 8 too small. My hats off to you for continuing to breastfeed your older child as well. You must be superwoman!
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