weight loss plateau!

[calidreamin0]

I know this is a normal thing with dieting and exercise... but Im on a weight loss plateau! I've been losing at least a pound per week for the past few months, and now nothing!

 

I've increased cardio by 20 more min.s each time I do it. Tonight for example, I went to yoga, a 60min bootcamp cardio class, did 45 mins of cardio, then did a little toning on the legs.

 

I've come to the conclusion it could be what I am eating. But I am a very healthy eater!!! I only eat fish, no other meats... and I eat fish at least every other day. I have oatmeal for breakfast. A sandwich or something similar on wheat for lunches. And diner varies.. but nothing too crazy. If i splurge for desert its usually sorbet or non fat frozen yogurt. I don't eat anything with trans fats... nor did I ever really much before.

 

So I am just curious as to whats happening with my body? I am getting more toned and I notice my body changing a lot. Especially with pants! But why isn't that scale moving? Is my body bulking up?

 

Need some advice!

[waveseer]

Try eating a protein and a complex carb three times a day, with a fruit and a dairy product twice a day in between. You end up eating 5 times a day or roughly every 3 hours. This will crank your internal furnace (metabolism) up to hot, hot, hot and you will burn, burn, burn calories.

[diabolik]

Don't focus on weight. Focus on how you feel and how you look nekkid and how your clothes fit. Weight tells you nothing about body composition (muscle/fat mix), and the latter is a much better determinant of how good you look.

 

Sounds like you are looking better, so I'd say keep doing what you're doing until it's no longer working.

 

Oh, and please don't refer to it as "bulking up" - it reinforces a terrible image in your mind of overly muscular women, which I know most women dread. What is happening is you are adding *lean* muscle - not only does this accentuate your curves, but muscle burns calories all day long, even when you're sitting or sleeping. And since you are adding some muscle without gaining weight, you must be losing fat.

[calidreamin0]

I make a protein shake with non fat greek yogurt, half a banana, and whey protein powder. I usually blend it with water or soy milk. Its been good as a post workout snack/meal.

 

As far as what to eat during the day... im practically a vegetarian... so Im running out ideas from where to get protein from. Fish, peanut butter, eggs. I eat all of those. And try to rotate them throughout the week. I just don't know what else to eat? Its crazy cause I see smaller people eat fries, beer and chips and I never have these things except the very occasional beer. I know they are probably not as healthy on the inside as I am ... but its still frustrating!

[thezebra]

probably what you're eating. my mother changed her diet and lost 10 20 lbs maybe. there are certain foods that don't go with your body, the tricky part is finding the ones that do.

[ScorpiGal83]

what might help is if you did MORE weights instead of only going crazy with the cardio all the time. Because if you don't build up muscles, your body will burn muscles since you're not using them much. Instead of "a little toning on the legs", you should try doing a LOT of legs, arms/shoulders and back presses to build up the muscle. Yes, muscle weights more than fat but in the long run having more muscles actually burns more fat which is what you want, right? So when you do weight training you might "gain" a little bit due to muscles being built up, but after you have the muscles, fat burns away fast and in fact, merely HAVING muscles while not doing anything burns calories.

[arwen]

The increase of muscle-mass can mask the loss of weight: fat is lighter than muscles! So 'toning' could coincide even with gaining weight, but you are less 'flubby' because it is not fat that you gained.

 

I also think that if the plateau is a healthy weight, it is just the weight that your body naturally stabilizes at. I had to gain quite a bit the past months, and I was scared it would just not stop. I am at a plateau now too, but came from the other side. What is your bmi?

[Twist Down]

I agree with those who suggest trying to add more weight training into your program. Muscles burns calories more effectively than fat. Thats a part of the reason why as we grow older our metabolism slows down, we lose muscle and gain fat.

 

You are performing a lot of cardio which is good to see. What are you cardio sessions like? have you ever tried high intensity interval training (HIIT) ? Might be worth looking into to add a bit of mixture to your current routine and you might find it an effective form of cardio.

 

Also ensure you are getting enough rest, sometimes plateaus can be caused from simply not getting the rest our bodies need.

 

As for sources of protein have you tried eating beans or lentils, certain nuts are also beneficial, exciting stuff eh?

 

Keep up the hard work, it will pay off!

[Striker17]

I've lost 50 lbs throughout the last 9 months, and I'm still going. If there's one thing I learned about weight loss, it's this:

 

Weight loss happens in the kitchen, not in the gym. What you eat, and how much you exercise, is nowhere near is important as how much you eat. Try eating smaller portions, and you will lose weight.

 

Use a website like link removed to figure out how many calories you're eating every day. It'll also be able to tell you how many you should be eating in order to lose weight. Trust me, if you go down to about 1700/day (You might be able to get away with more depending on your current weight), you'll be losing.

 

Sure, exercise is great too, but it has more to do with health than weight.

[COtuner]

I've plateau'd too (trying to lean out a bit more) and have been doing the 5 times a day thing for a while. I'm alternating calorie levels now.... lower some days, higher on other days. Also continuing to change up my exercise routine so I'm doing something different every single time I go to the gym (I'm on about a 7 day cycle before I repeat anything)

[diabolik]

I'm alternating calorie levels now.... lower some days, higher on other days.

Why are you doing this?

[COtuner]

It has shaken up my metabolism in the past when I do it for short periods of time (like 2 -3 weeks). I do it on two to three day intervals, not daily. I do keep healthy levels of nutrients though. My normal intake is about 2000-2300 calories a day. On a "low day" I'll drop to about 1300 -1400. On a high day I'll go up to about 2500. (I'm 5'1, 115 pounds, working out 4-5 times a week for 60 minutes a day, plus an active day at work)

[diabolik]

It has shaken up my metabolism in the past when I do it for short periods of time (like 2 -3 weeks). I do it on two to three day intervals, not daily. I do keep healthy levels of nutrients though. My normal intake is about 2000-2300 calories a day. On a "low day" I'll drop to about 1300 -1400. On a high day I'll go up to about 2500. (I'm 5'1, 115 pounds, working out 4-5 times a week for 60 minutes a day, plus an active day at work)

Interesting. I would have thought that your block of low days is sending your body all the wrong signals. And it may be that it is, but your activity level is so high that it compensates for it.

 

So let's say your weekly caloric intake is 15k calories (2150 calories/day) regardless of whether it's the same daily intake or fluctuating daily intake (though this may not be the case?). You find dramatically fluctuating intake every 2-3 days works better for you in terms of keeping off the fat than staying at the same intake every day?

[ghost69]

for me, i found eating more frequently but smaller portions worked the best. i don't eat to be completely gut busted full. just enough to get me to the next 2-4 hours before i eat again. no, i don't wake up in the middle of the night and eat. lol but i think this has really kicked in my metabolism into high gear. now, if i don't eat for a good 5 hours, cause it happens, i'm sick to my stomach with hunger.

[COtuner]

Interesting. I would have thought that your block of low days is sending your body all the wrong signals. And it may be that it is, but your activity level is so high that it compensates for it.

 

So let's say your weekly caloric intake is 15k calories (2150 calories/day) regardless of whether it's the same daily intake or fluctuating daily intake (though this may not be the case?). You find dramatically fluctuating intake every 2-3 days works better for you in terms of keeping off the fat than staying at the same intake every day?

 

It has worked for me in the past. I'm hoping to kick up my metabolism a bit now - I think once I get the muscles in my core to start coming back around (they are my weakest right now) I'll start burning more calories through the day. Even with 5 healthy meals a day, and 600 cal burn on the elliptical and stuff, I wasn't leaning out fast enough.

 

I'm fluctuating between 24 and 25 inch waist (size 0 in my Calvins) but I'm not back to being as lean as I was 3 years ago yet. So old tricks are being employed for the month of April to see if it shakes things up a bit. I'm never dropping below recommended calorie levels for my age and fitness level, BTW. I tried to drop down to 1200 but I was so hungry all the time, it just was not going to work.

[diabolik]

I'm fluctuating between 24 and 25 inch waist (size 0 in my Calvins) but I'm not back to being as lean as I was 3 years ago yet. So old tricks are being employed for the month of April to see if it shakes things up a bit. I'm never dropping below recommended calorie levels for my age and fitness level, BTW. I tried to drop down to 1200 but I was so hungry all the time, it just was not going to work.

OK, I was worried you were going to induce a starvation response - i.e., your metabolism would slow down in the presence of a low calorie diet. Take a look at the Cunningham equation - it will get you much closer to estimating your caloric burn than some table that uses your age and fitness level (what about weight?), assuming that's what you're currently using.

[calidreamin0]

hm, these are good suggestions. I will try to cut down my portion sizes. But i don't eat large amounts of food. But I will see what I can cut back on.

 

My theory was I was building muscle mass and so that my weight was not changing, I haven't gained anything so thats gotta be a plus! I know im eating healthy and working out a great deal... so I think I should continue on this pace and cut back on some calorie intake!

[DenialTwist]

Sometimes in these cases a tape measurer is a better indication of progress rather than a scale. You could easily have put on muscle mass, which is much better!

[diabolik]

Sometimes in these cases a tape measurer is a better indication of progress rather than a scale. You could easily have put on muscle mass, which is much better!

Better yet, a caliper.

 

But none of these things are really necessary. If you are getting stronger, and your weight is not changing over the course of several weeks or months, it is safe to assume you are gaining muscle and losing fat.

[waveseer]

for me, i found eating more frequently but smaller portions worked the best. i don't eat to be completely gut busted full. just enough to get me to the next 2-4 hours before i eat again. no, i don't wake up in the middle of the night and eat. lol but i think this has really kicked in my metabolism into high gear. now, if i don't eat for a good 5 hours, cause it happens, i'm sick to my stomach with hunger.

 

That's the part I like the least. I keep high protein bars around for emergencies. Eating every 3 hours is like having another job, and it does really hurt when I postpone eating!

[diabolik]

Eating every 3 hours is like having another job, and it does really hurt when I postpone eating!

Ain't that the truth.

[calidreamin0]

Better yet, a caliper.

 

But none of these things are really necessary. If you are getting stronger, and your weight is not changing over the course of several weeks or months, it is safe to assume you are gaining muscle and losing fat.

 

This is what I've been thinking. Also many people have said I look like I've lost a lot of weight. And I haven't lost much in the last couple weeks so I must be gaining some muscle mass.

[ScorpiGal83]

I think when it comes to weight loss you need to be careful when cutting down calories - if not done right this will actually cause your body to hang on more tightly to your fat rather than burning it off, because it thinks you are going through a period of famine or something.

 

yes, overeating causes weight gain but if you are being active and burning it all off, it kicks your metabolism into high gear anyway. Just eat when you're hungry and go for healthier options - don't starve yourself, it makes your metabolism sluggish and makes you a)gain weight faster and b)have a tougher time trying to lose it!