hitting a plateau that won't budge

[nightowl81]

For some reason my weight refuses to budge under 160lbs. Has anyone else just had their weight get stuck and not go any further? Anything that worked for you?

I'm 5'9", so it's not a heavy weight but noticeable with the soft spots still hanging out I need to lose 10-20 more and firm up(unless theres some muscle going on under this layer of flab).

I know I shouldn't look at the scale, and I don't too often, I go by how my jeans feel and if I can get into a smaller size as well, and just how I look in general. But my pants still fit the same, and the next size down I still can't button.

A couple years ago I was around 230lbs and lost it, and got stuck at this weight about a year ago. So, I actually quit my clean eating for a year thinking whats the point if I'm not losing. I only went up to 5-7lbs with my bad eating (I was still exercising) and decided these last few months to try getting back on it, because I'm really not happy with how my body looks. I'm back to 160lbs..and sure enough, it's been a month and just hoovers around 160-163lbs.

I read to switch up your workouts, but I'm not sure if that's the problem, since i'm actually doing something different every week hoping something will budge my weight. I go from Cathe, the Firm, SS, whatever else I have. I wonder if that's the problem, not giving workouts enough of a chance?

I'm currently keeping my calories around 1500k since I'm not really sure how much I should eat, but from reading so much info on weight loss on other forums(beachbody, etc) and magazines(celebs) most aim for 1500cals.

I count out and measure everything and plan it out on fitday. Breakfast is kashi cereal with light soy milk or protein shake, snack piece of fruit with almonds, lunch is salad with some chicken or veggie burger on whole wheat bread, then another protein shake after working out, and dinner is tofu/vegetable stirfry or egg beaters with vegetables and low fat cheese. then if I remember or still hungry i'll have a casein protein shake few hours before bed.

I'm thinking of going completely lowcarb, like the first stage of Atkins/South Beach diet but I get hungry on that for some reason and don't stick it out.

Any ideas? Thanks all for any help!

 

[amyg]

http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=179012&highlight=plateau

http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=229125&highlight=plateau

http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227274&highlight=plateau

http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=225133&highlight=plateau

http://www.thecathenation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=224619&highlight=plateau

 

[maddiesmum]

Do you really need all those protein shakes? I would start by cutting those out and replacing them with fruit and yoghurt if you really need those 2 extra meals. Question is: do you really need them?

Clare

 

[RapidBreath]

thats not enough

Food that is. Try adding another 500 calories every other day. Protein, good fats and veggies of course. Also, instead of changing the workout every week try changing it every day. Something different every day. And are you watching your intensity? Is it high enough? I see the most shift when I am above 150 to 180 beats per minute for over 40 minutes. (I'm only 30 yo btw so my target might be a little higher than some of the ladies on here.)

I started at over 250 btw so I really know how you feel and I'm still a lot more than you (lol 160 is my goal weight this year.) I was in a plateau for 8 months and broke it with the calorie cycling and Cathe. Hot hot hot cardio and I don't mean good looking I mean you think you may melt. Your clothing is soaked through. Oh, and don't forget some yoga to help de-stress-it makes a difference on the scale.

 

[nightowl81]

I should add besides workouts, I'm pretty lazy the rest of the day and just sitting in front of the computer. So, that's why I'm not sure how much I should be eating. I also don't have kids, so not doing any extra running around activity.

The protein shakes... well, thats were another part of eating gets confusing. Like I mentioned I'm reading so much stuff; like on the body for life diet they say it's ok to have a protein bar or shake as one of your meals. I know alot of people drink them after working out. Not sure if I'm supposed to drink them after cardio? And on the bodybuilding site they suggest having the casein around before bedtime so your body doesn't break down muscle, not that I'm looking to become a bodybuilder or to build a ton of muscle. I'd just like to not look lumpy in clothes and firm up my arms and legs so they aren't flabby.

As you can probably tell from what I eat, I don't like cooking and don't eat alot of meat.

Working out; I'm not sure what works best for weight loss. I see people getting ripped with Gym Styles P90x, and lose a bunch of inches with SS. I was thinking of sticking to something like 4Day Split where I read a theory if you work muscles before cardio you use up your body's glycogen stores, so when you do cardio you burn more fat?

I make sure my cardios are tough; drill max, kickboxing, or when I get off my treadmill I'm drenched. My HRM says I'm in the 150-180 depending on the workout.

Thanks all to who responded so far. I'd like to try and be at my goal by next summer.

 

[CollinsMom]

I would suggest two things, if you haven't already tried them. First, HIIT. It sounds like you need to shock your body, and this will do it. Google "high intensity interval training" or check out this article http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=621 Also, how heavy are you lifting? I know for me, that is where I really see the numbers start to drop. But I know everyone's body is different.

 

[nightowl81]

I'm not lifting too heavy..heaviest is 10lbs, but that still feels heavy to me where I can't lift anymore after a few reps with most exercises. I was thinking of going through a round of P90X because I would like to lift a little heavier, but I read it's hard to gain muscle while losing fat. Would doing something like Gym Styles for awhile be better?

Thanks again.

I would suggest two things, if you haven't already tried them. First, HIIT. It sounds like you need to shock your body, and this will do it. Google "high intensity interval training" or check out this article http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/fitness_articles.asp?id=621 Also, how heavy are you lifting? I know for me, that is where I really see the numbers start to drop. But I know everyone's body is different.

 

[DirtDiva]

I'm 5'9" also and weigh 153. I'm 17% bodyfat, and I lift heavy, concentrating on larger compound moves involving my legs, glutes and back muscles. Not to sound demeaning, but if you are tiring at lifting 10 pounds for only a few reps, then you haven't yet developed the muscle mass needed for strength. (For example on a dumbell fly I'm using 30 pounders in Slow & Heavy.) You have to decide which way you want to go and settle in on that goal. If you want to loose fat and concentrate on cardio only, then I don't believe you need a protein shake after cardio only. If you are concentrating on building muscle and lifting heavy, then I would definitely have a pre-workout form of bcaa (branched chain amino acids) then a protein shake afterwards. My protein shakes are with water also, as I don't want milk in my diet at that part of the day. I'm not totally convinced that you can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. I needed to lose 17 pounds this past winter into spring, but I also needed to gain muscle mass for endurance for my sport. I attacked it by HIIT 3 times a week for no less then 60 minutes, with 3 other steady-state types of cardio in the week. Regarding lifting, I focused on free weights and full body workouts three times a week. Pyramids, Muscle Max, Muscle Endurance, Power Hour and Slow & Heavy. I also lift heavy at a gym and I always have a protein shake or BCAA before and afterwards.

I think 1,500 calories per day is too low. Although its easy to misjudge caloric value or measure incorrectly, you need 1,800 to 2,100 calories a day for your height, then you should burn the excess off. Take a day or two in the week to lower your caloric amount downwards to 1,400 and then bring it back up again. By constantly restricting calories, the metabolism slows down. And even though kashi is better in standards of boxed cereal, oatmeal (steel cut) ground flax seed, some blueberries and skim milk is better. This is just me, but I'm not a fan of soy milk. Your diet is likely the fastest way to loose fat, and by eating clean and knowing where to cut out the junk will speed you on your way.

I'm a big, big believer in lifting weights AND cardio. I know that everyone is different, but I lost a lot of weight doing cardio, then maintained the loss by building muscle. Good luck and don't give up!

 

[CollinsMom]

I'm 5'9" also and weigh 153. I'm 17% bodyfat, and I lift heavy, concentrating on larger compound moves involving my legs, glutes and back muscles. Not to sound demeaning, but if you are tiring at lifting 10 pounds for only a few reps, then you haven't yet developed the muscle mass needed for strength. (For example on a dumbell fly I'm using 30 pounders in Slow & Heavy.) You have to decide which way you want to go and settle in on that goal. If you want to loose fat and concentrate on cardio only, then I don't believe you need a protein shake after cardio only. If you are concentrating on building muscle and lifting heavy, then I would definitely have a pre-workout form of bcaa (branched chain amino acids) then a protein shake afterwards. My protein shakes are with water also, as I don't want milk in my diet at that part of the day. I'm not totally convinced that you can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. I needed to lose 17 pounds this past winter into spring, but I also needed to gain muscle mass for endurance for my sport. I attacked it by HIIT 3 times a week for no less then 60 minutes, with 3 other steady-state types of cardio in the week. Regarding lifting, I focused on free weights and full body workouts three times a week. Pyramids, Muscle Max, Muscle Endurance, Power Hour and Slow & Heavy. I also lift heavy at a gym and I always have a protein shake or BCAA before and afterwards.

I think 1,500 calories per day is too low. Although its easy to misjudge caloric value or measure incorrectly, you need 1,800 to 2,100 calories a day for your height, then you should burn the excess off. Take a day or two in the week to lower your caloric amount downwards to 1,400 and then bring it back up again. By constantly restricting calories, the metabolism slows down. And even though kashi is better in standards of boxed cereal, oatmeal (steel cut) ground flax seed, some blueberries and skim milk is better. This is just me, but I'm not a fan of soy milk. Your diet is likely the fastest way to loose fat, and by eating clean and knowing where to cut out the junk will speed you on your way.

I'm a big, big believer in lifting weights AND cardio. I know that everyone is different, but I lost a lot of weight doing cardio, then maintained the loss by building muscle. Good luck and don't give up!

I agree with everything said ^^^!!