Stuck

[limewave]

Okay girls, I'm stuck. My weight has not dropped an ounce in two weeks and I've been working my butt off. I've been really careful to make sure I'm eating enough healthy foods to keep my body from going into starvation mode while I'm working out--but not so much that I shouldn't be losing weight. Any suggestions to get things going again? My doctor said I need to lose about 15-20 more pounds before I can call it good. I'm so frustrated right now.

Thanks for your help.

[traveller_62]

Hang in there Limewave. It is not at all uncommon to hit plateaus during weight loss. I have the exact same problem. It took me almost an entire year to shed 10 pounds last year. I worked and worked and was very diligent about my diet and yet the weight came off very slowly. My body shape changed but the weight didn't.

I think part of it is that you might be adding muscle mass and muscle tissue weighs more than fat. So even though you are doing good things for your body you aren't yet seeing the results as weight loss.

A lot of people restrict their calories too much during dieting and this triggers the "starvation" response in which the body tries to compensate by slowing metabolism. It sounds like you are aware of this phenomenon and aren't restricting your calories too much.

If you can, see if you can get a resting metabolism rate test. My understanding is that this is an easy, non-invasive test and it will give you a sense of what your normal metabolic rate is.

Try focussing on other goals...like working out at least X number of days a week and on continually improving your diet. Try not to put so much emphasis on weight loss as the goal. If you focus on healthy living eventually that weight will come off. If it comes off because you've really changed your eating and exercise habits for the long term it is more likely that the weight will stay off.

-traveller

[Veronica]

Ha - my doc just told me I could lose a few pounds. I kind of glared at her (my husband says I should have punched her in the nose.) I see her once a year, so I cut her some slack. They go strictly by BMI. According to BMI - I am overweight. And for those of you who know my husband - he's borderline! Needless to say, we don't use BMI to gauge our health. I know what my body fat is - I had it tested at a Sports Medicine Facility. Yes, I have gained 3 pounds since then, but I doubt they are all fat.

More important than the number on the scale is how do you feel? Do you feel healthy and happy?

V.

[Grog]

I agree that you have to be careful. You're most likely gaining muscle so that doesn't change your weight but it sure changes your silhouette. Measuring yourself with a tape might be another way of seeing your progress (or seeing your you fit in your old pants!).

How do you feel about your body (not about your weight loss)? is also a good question to ask.

Take care!!

[runnergirl]

Do you calorie count now, or do you go by paying attention to when you're no longer hungry? You might try switching from one to the other. I broke through a 2 year plateau that way.

Also, I think it was you that posted an awsome women's ride poster a while back. Is there any chance you could email me a high-res copy? I'd love to use a similar one here.

[Selkie]

Ha - my doc just told me I could lose a few pounds. I kind of glared at her (my husband says I should have punched her in the nose.) I see her once a year, so I cut her some slack. They go strictly by BMI. According to BMI - I am overweight. And for those of you who know my husband - he's borderline! Needless to say, we don't use BMI to gauge our health. I know what my body fat is - I had it tested at a Sports Medicine Facility. Yes, I have gained 3 pounds since then, but I doubt they are all fat.

More important than the number on the scale is how do you feel? Do you feel healthy and happy?

V.

Brava, V!! What a healthy attitude. You are an inspiration.

[Veronica]

Thanks - it took me awhile to get to this place. A lot of it is coming to terms with the parts that aren't going to change. And the realization that I will never weigh 120 as long as I'm alive, 'cause that's how much just my bones, muscles and other non fat bits weigh.

V.

[DirtDiva]

The lightest I've been in my full-grown life is 55kg/121lbs and I'm only 160cm/5'3". Heck, I'm the same clothes size now as I was then (NZ/UK 10, which I think is a US 6) but I'm 5kg/11lbs heavier. It's not like I'm seriously muscled or anything, I just must have been made of something different when I was 18 than I am now.

[Melody]

I had a doctor once tell me "Don't worry about your weight... Look instead at how many clothing sizes you've gone down." This is especially true whenever you're building muscle.

I used to have a personal trainer at the health club I'm a member of. When I first signed up they asked "What are your goals?" and I said "to lose weight." The guy looked at me and said "You want to lose fat specifically right?" and told me that while I was working out, especially weight training, my weight would probably go up, but my fat mass would go down.

It was nice of him to explain things but I guess that's what PTs are for

Mel who hates the elliptical trainer :P

[RoadRaven]

It has already been said... we reach plateaus... don't be disillusioned...

Personally, I would not be weighing myself wekkly or fortnightly, but rather over months...

I wrote a month or two back that after a year of training I had not dropped weight - but I had dropped two dress sizes... I was very disappointed to not have dropped numbers on the scales but absolutely thrilled to fit clothes that I had not worn for a few years...

Just always bear in mind that muscle weighs more then fat, and although you may still be losing fat, if you have gained a little muscle, then you may not notice a change on the scales.

Also remember the BEST and LONGEST-LASTING weight loss is that which occurs over months and months... most people who lose weight quickly will invariably put it back on... you need to give your metabolism time to adjust to new demands and to new ways of being 'fuelled'.

[SilverComet1945]

One last bit of advice: WATER! Drink it! and Then Drink some more. Especially when you are trying to loose weight, being totally hydrated is so very important. I am taking the post-breast cancer drug Tamoxifen and last year when I visited my Oncologist, he surprised me by saying "So it IS possible to loose weight while on Tamoxifen." Well, I had been dieting of course, (Adkins) but I noticed that the weight only came off when I superhydrated myself. Try for a gallon a day. That is if you are not heavily exercising. More if you are. GOOD LUCK. Liz

[Nanci]

Don't forget that, as you weigh less, it takes less to maintain that weight, so you have to drop your calories down, too. (Yes, that really sucks!!) I started out at 1500, then 1400, and am now at 1300, which barely seems like enough to stay alive, but I have had it with being fat.

I went through years of that whole "eating healthy, exercising (MTBing and running 40 miles a week) accepting my body how it is" thing. Yeah, turning 30, 40, childbirth- pretty soon I went from 110 in my 20's to 178***EEK*** in my 40's. Last summer, that became unacceptable.

So just realize, that over the years, those couple-five pounds a year _do_ add up.

Nanci

[sandraseigle]

Hi everyone

We've all hit those plateaus (sp?), Limewave, so hang in there A good thing to keep in mind is that our bodies adapt very well to certain behaviors - excercise, the way we eat, NOT excercising...so try changing your routine a bit. Also try eating a little more. I know it doesn't make sense, but if you eat light - LIGHT, mind you, lol - snacks throughout the day, and keep up your protein and fiber, and a little carbs, you'll max out your metabolism, making you burn weight even when you're sleeping.

Melody made a good point, too - when you build muscle, you may actually become heavier than you would before - but it's lean muscle mass, not fat (muscle weighs quite a bit more than fat). Having more muscle also means you'll burn more calories, so maybe try a little strength training.

Try finding some extra info, on specific diet and excercise regimens, by doing a search of "women's fitness competition." Sounds crazy again, I know - but these women aren't body-builders, they're normal women like us, who have simply refined their diet and excercise techniques to acheive and maintain maximum health, and improve muscle tone, without bulking up (which I have a BIG problem with, if I excercise a certain way...). Hope this helps, and good luck to you!

Sandra

[sandraseigle]

WHOA! Nacy, It just registered to me what you said in your post. Sweetie, you DON'T have to keep depleting your calorie intake like that! At least you're at 1300, which isn't entirely unhealthy...in fact, it's about right, but it all depends on how active you are. Remember, it takes burning 3500 calories OVER your caloric intake to burn 1 pound.

Ideal caloric intake is your ideal weight X 10 if you have a slow metabolism or aren't very active, 11 if your metabolism is normal and you are fairly active, and 12 if you have a high metabolism and/or are very active. When you reach your ideal weight, you stick with that caloric intake to maintain, and subtract roughly 300-500 calories a day, if you want to lose weight. Healthy weight loss is about 1-2 lbs a week, but like it's already been said, if you're building muscle, don't even worry about what your scale says, it's all about how you feel, look, and how your clothes fit you

Since this is a cycling forum, I assume most of us are at least fairly active...But remember, the more active you are, the more calories you need!

Do some research, you don't have to take my word for it There are plenty of places you can find on the internet about calories and weight loss.

Again, good luck!

Sandra