Plateau for a month: suggestions?

For a year or so, I did nothing but split a little wood and mow my lawn. Then, 3 months ago, I started strength training with a trainer and doing basic cardio (with some intensity) on the machines, with a little riding. I lost about 16 pounds in the first 2.5 months. Feeling good, doing well.

For the past month, I have not lost any weight. I still strength train 3xWeek, getting stronger. Still doing about the same cardio, with intensity. Still writing down everything I eat, counting calories, fat, carbs and protein grams. Doing pretty well with eating, I think.

Have only done the "impulse" body fat test, but it tells me my body fat is increasing, which I do not buy, because I am thinner, AND I can see and feel more muscles on my body than when I started. I am stronger.

Suggestions for busting through this plateau? I have about 20-25 more pounds to lose. THanks for any help. (I searched "plateau" but couldn't find a dedicated thread?)

First of all - congrats on the loss...that's awesome!

To break your plateau - you need to change something. Either pick a different type of intense cardio or change your diet. Or both.

For cardio, you can either keep the same intensity but change the action (like go from running to spinning or from biking to step aerobics, etc) or you can change the intensity. If you are doing a lot of steady state high intensity cardio - try intervals once a week. If you are already doing intervals, try throwing in a long, low intensity workout one day.

For diet - maybe switch out some of the types of veggies you eat, or perhaps eat more. Or if you get most of your protien from chicken, try using more fish. Small changes within the framework of what is already working for you should help.

Or...you may just have to wait it out. Sometimes the body needs to hang out at a certain level for awhile. If you are consistent with what you are doing and you are creating a deficit, eventually the weight has to come off. The question becomes, can you wait it out? (I never seem to have the patience, myself! ;))

Hey GLC, good to "see" you! Hope you guys are still enjoying OR!

So...you think that changing types of things I eat...even if the calories stay the same and it is all just different healthy stuff...helps? This is a new idea for me. (Which is why I posted this thread! ;) Thanks...and please elaborate.)

Well - it might help. I mean, the protein and fats in chicken are different than the protein and fats in fish...so the end result is that your body has to work at it a little differently. Same holds true for say leafy greens vs broccoli all the time. Or quinoa vs oats, or goats milk vs cows milk :p. It may not be enough of a change to matter, but it certainly can't hurt - and the variety might do your body good. Also, I assume that you are measuring everything? I do know of quite a few women who got 'stuck' and found out through measuring that they'd let their calories/portions creep up.

I assume that your weight routine is predetermined by your trainer, right? Have you asked them their opinion? Honestly, for me, changing up my weight training was the best way to shake plateaus but I figured that wasn't an option with your current routine.

And 'hi' back! I'm glad to see you still here - perhaps we'll get a chance to finally meet and ride together next summer?? :)

I think it makes sense what you say about foods, and I think maybe I have gotten sloppy with measuring.

The weight routine changes a lot. I really like this trainer...all kinds of weird things all the time. He pushes me, watches my form, and we vary it a lot.

I am going to try what you suggested with the foods, and I think I might split the cardio into 2xDay a few days/week.

And, maybe we will meet? I could see coming down for a ride in OR next year. I can't decide what my goal should be for next summer. Have you kept riding continuously? I have only ridden my bike a couple times this year.

Yeah, my riding dropped off significantly when we moved out here. It's pretty pathetic compared to previous years. I've also gained a bunch of weight - so I need to take some of my own advice and buckle down. I really struggled with riding this summer because I was so heavy. I started loathing hills and they used to be my favorite part!

My only definite goal for next summer is to do the Crater Lake Century. Other than that, I can't really justify training for long rides because we now have a farm to worry about. I just can't take that much time for training anymore. But,this winter I am working on getting back into shape, dropping the extra weight, commuting when I can....all with the goal of being ready to RIDE again come next spring! :)

Sounds like we are in a little of the same boat (except I don't have a farm!). That Crater Lake Century looks awesome. That is a fantastically beautiful area. I have vacationed in that neck of the woods.

Hey Starfish - I was thinking about this thread last night and I thought of something else. You've lost 16 lbs - have you changed your profile in whatever nutrition software that you are using? A 16 lb loss could very well have reduced your caloric needs, so you may find that now you need to cut back even more. What worked when you were X weight might no longer work when you are X-16. While your current level of consumption might have created a caloric deficit at your starting weight, it might be closer to 'maintenance' level at your new weight - hence the lack of progress. If you think this might be the case, you might want to look into dropping your intake by a small amount and see if that gets the loss moving again. :)

I know that for me, the effort that I have to put in to lose weight at 166 lbs is way less than the effort I need to put in to lose weight at 150 lbs. It's unfortunate, but it's true. ;)

Hey Starfish - welcome back! :)

Yeah - welcome back!

I was at 142 for most of my adult life. Then I started Pilates, addressed serious stress issues, and started eating apples and more protein. And the weight melted off.

I was on a 7 week plateau this summer. It was very frustrating. I had to add a lot more activity to get off the plateau, even though I was following the weightwatchers program pretty faithfully and on the lowest number of points you are allowed. I think GLC's suggestions about changing what you eat can be helpful, and changing the kind of activity as well might be helpful.

I have read some things that say your body starts to think it's starving and slows down the metabolism, so sometimes you need to eat more ... though I have a hard time actually following that myself.

Good luck

Thanks, everyone!

I have about decided that I am going to keep with about the same calories (as it is already fairly low, but I adjust depending on workouts), but really change up what I am eating and when. I have gotten in the habit of using a lot of processed foods because it is easy to read the nutrition labels and control calories/portions.

But, I think I have gotten away from fresh food basics, and I think too many of my calories are after 6pm.

All of your suggestions make sense, and I am going to try a combination of all of them. (GLC, I am not using an online nutrition thingy...just writing everything down off labels, etc.)

Thanks, everyone. (MP & Jo, hello! I don't know how "back" I am, but we will see.) ;)

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Originally Posted by Starfish

(MP & Jo, hello! I don't know how "back" I am, but we will see.) ;)

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Well, it's nice to hear from you nevertheless!

Oh ladies! Dear Ladies, dont cut calories too far!
'There is proof to show that when you do long term cardio endurance exercise, to decrease you fat mass and have not added weights as well - you are burning off that hard earnt muscle tissue and using it for energy ! Your lean body mass( LBM) is directly associated with your RMR( resting metabolic rate). As your LBM decreases, so does you RMR. This means your body will use fewer calories at rest now that you weigh less. So either you will have to increase your cardio longer or increase you intensity However the physical activity of your TDEE( total daily expenditure) caps out at about 30 %. Once you get to that high physical activity expenditure, you body starts to adapt and conserve. Therefore a time will come ehrn you plateau and will not be able to lose one more pound without severe caloric restriction( probably our least fav alternative)".
This is why you need strength training. It raises your metabolic rate( burns more calories), it adds muscle( you burn 317 KJ each kilo, to 17 KJ 1 kilo fat!- about 100 calto 5 cal). You also burn slightly more fuel after working out, for several hours.
Plus, as you age put on about 5 ot 15 kg of body weight between ages 20 and 50. But you alos LOSE 7 kilos of muscle, that same time So you are actually gaining 22 kilos of of fat!And a loss in metabolic rate..

Only strength training( with a structured program of gains) can keep weight off, keep age related weight off, keep lost weight off and also, prevents you from aging too!!

( Im studying to be a cycling coach, and parrt of course to be fitness instructor is strength training!!

The bike does not have enough ummph to fill this part. You need free weights and a good instructor or 'Strength Training for women' by Lori Incedon.

I tried all that cardio stuff and lost heaps, and ran heaps and then ended up a skinny little thing that couldnt eat anything, as my metabolism went WAY down.
Now I work out and I EAT ALL DAY LONG :D( ride my bike too)

cylegoddess - while what you say is absolutely true - it is a bit misplaced. The original poster clearly stated that she is working with a trainer on weight program and that he continues to challenge her. While it's common for some cyclists to blow off the importance of weights, no one here in this thread is talking about pure cardio or endurance training at all.

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Originally Posted by GLC1968

cylegoddess - while what you say is absolutely true - it is a bit misplaced. The original poster clearly stated that she is working with a trainer on weight program and that he continues to challenge her.

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Thanks, GLC.

And, thanks for all the suggestions here. I lost a couple finally this week. I took several of your suggestions. I recommitted to measuring food and I changed up some types of foods. I also switched around a couple foods in terms of when during the day I eat them.

Feeling better...nice to see the scale change a little. And, today I started a 4-day split schedule of weight training that is going to leave Saturdays free to start building up my cardio volume toward those long rides a little later on.

Thanks for all the encouragement & support.

Sorry lovely ladies. Was ill and not on the ball, my apologies for spouting off!