Why have I stopped losing weight? (and what can I do to kickstart it again?)

Factual Questions
1

Greetings oh wise ones,

Let me start by saying that I don’t have a ton of weight to lose. I’m 5 foot 5, I had triplets 18 months ago, and I’ve been working hard to get rid of the weight. Although (ahem), I’m actually lower than I was before I got pregnant, so I can’t really blame the triplets for my weight gain as much as I blame the many many Quarter Pounders I used to consume when in the throes of a junk-food addiction.

Suffice it to say, I don’t eat junk food anymore, I don’t even crave it, it upsets my stomach anyway. So that’s all good. I’ve never in my life exercised for a prolonged (read: more than 3 weeks) period, because every form of exercise I’ve ever tried I’ve hated with a burning passion.

In the past my weight-loss diet of choice has always been to basically eat as little as possible, which does get results but ends up with me being skinnier, flabbier, weak, hungry, and miserable, and quickly regaining the weight.

So. About 6 months ago I accidentally started doing cardio-kickboxing. (I joined the Y, went nervously to the posted “Lite” workout, realized I was in the very very very wrong room, tried to leave, and was intimidated into staying by the instructor). Much to my surprise, I liked it. It was fun. It kicked my butt, but it was really great for getting out aggression and stress, and it wasn’t boring “grapevine left!” “grapevine right!” aerobic-Jane-Fonda type classes. This was cool, this was aggressive, this was a hell of a workout.

So, for the past three months, I have been dedicated to taking off the 30 pounds I need to lose to get to my goal weight of 120. I started at 149.8 (yes, my scale is anal) and dropped about 6 pounds in the first month, 2 in the second month, and 0, yes ZERO in the third month). I have been doing the cardio-kickboxing three times a week, an hour of cardio-kickboxing plus 30 minutes of abs and pushups. I do an hour of strength-training twice a week, once with a personal trainer and once on my own. I do abs every night. In addition, I am watching my food intake, and aiming for around 1500 calories a day, so that I don’t eat up the muscle I am putting on. Oh, and yes I drink water as much as I can.

Now, this past month the scale WILL NOT MOVE. 141. 142. 142. 143. 141 . You get the idea. On the good side, something is happening because I’ve dropped from a slightly-tight size 14 to a comfortable size 10. I know this matters more than the actual pounds on the scale, but I have a slight build and I know that I am not supposed to be this heavy. Plus there is much jiggle remaining.

:confused:

I just feel like I’m stuck. I’m probably in the best shape of my life fitness-wise, and cardio-wise, and muscle-strength wise. Am I just shallow in wanting to be at a more normal to thin weight for my height? I wasn’t overweight until I turned around 25 (I’m 32 now) and starting eating for comfort and eating lots of junk food, when going through infertility, reasons don’t matter much. Most of my life I have been 115-120 and quite happy there, not too thin. I have very thin wrists and ankles, and always measure in the “small frame” category.

I need help, I am afraid I will get so frustrated at the scale not budging that I will stop exercising, even though I like it, and will just put back on the 8 or so pounds I lost in the first six weeks. What can I do to jump-start my body off of this plateau it seems to be happy at? Personal stories are welcomed. Because I am not very overweight and don’t have 100 pounds to lose and am not in plus sizes, I have gotten pretty useless/negative responses when I try to get help from a weight-loss board (“I just wish I was 140”, “watch out or you’ll be anorexic girl”, “just be glad you’re not 300”).

I can’t throw my scale away, it just won’t happen, we like each other. If only I could just see 139 instead of 141. It’s a small change but it would be huge psychologically for me. So, any tips for a boost off my plateau? help? :confused:

thanks so much in advance! sorry to be so long. I’m nervous about posting all this so I tend to babble.

Karen :confused: :confused:

2

I’m not an expert, but muscle weighs more than fat. I always try to judge progress by the way clothes fit as well as by the scale.

It is easier to gain and harder to lose as we get older. I no longer call it a “diet” I call it a “liveit” because I just can’t eat like I used to and stay a reasonable size. So just enjoy your workout for itself (stress relief, etc) and not only as the means to an end.

Good luck, and hang with it.

3

Yep. Never forget from a health perspective your goal is to lose fat, not weight as such. If you want to lose size, you’re going to have to stop doing muscle-building exercise and find something aerobic (walking does it for me) you can stand.

4

Congrats!

You haven’t just reached a level, you are living it! If you are in smaller cloths and they look good on you then maybe you should ask yourself why are obsessed with getting to a certain weight.

As a guy, I would rather see a fit woman who is sure of herself and healthy than a skinny rail like girl. You are not overwieght. Most guys don’t really judge you by your weight as much as they do your presence. How you present yourself is the key. If you just try to be that skinny girl then you will not come off as you truely are and you will not be happy not being yourself. IMHO

Ask yourself, who am I trying to please. Some (OK a lot of) guys are not worth it. :dubious:

5

Maybe your metabolism has adjusted to your lower caloric intake, and needs an extra “push” to start breaking down fat cells.

To quote from The Hacker’s Diet, with which I’ve lost 35+ pounds so far:

The author suggests trying a two- or three-day temporary “starvation”, around 500 calories a day or so. You’ll be miserable and tired during the time, but that should shove your metabolism into “burn mode” and help you resume losing weight.

6

If your clothing is looser but the scale reads the same from day to day, as mentioned earlier, it’s a safe bet it’s muscle gain. Don’t sweat it. Just keep doing what you’re doing.

In the end, it’s how you look that matters, rather than some arbitrary numerical goal. If you feel better and you’re stronger, and you look good in the clothes you wear, that’s all that matters.

7

Geeze, you should get one like mine, where you only have to stand on it…

8

Your problem sounds similar to mine.
Last August I went back to the gym and eating right.
I was at 240. I wanted to be back at 200.
By February I was down to 210 but since then I haven’t lost a pound. Similar to you the scale reads everyday 210,212,209,211.
I think it’s because I have become too routine with my dieting and exercise and I need to “kick it up a notch”. I think if I can find some extra daily calories to cut back on and put in some extra cardio workout days I’ll start losing it again.

9

Well…

I know I’ve heard a lot of trainers say that when you plateau, it’s because you’ve gotten too good at the exercise your doing - too effecent, so you’re actually burning less calories than when you started (and you were clumsy, and non-aerodynamic, etc.)

The recommendation I’ve always heard is to mix it up a little - maybe add a cross training course in on week and skip one day of kick boxing. Or boot camp - that’s a great one to rev your metabolism and increase your cardiovascular endurance - also, you won’t be bored - you’ll be too busy wishing it was over…:wink:

10

Hi everyone,

I want to thank you all for your responses. I also wanted to clear up a few questions that arose when I read the suggestions.

Snakescatlady: I am actually hoping that this is the case, and that I am simultaneously losing fat and gaining muscle, causing a balance in weight on the scale. At some point the muscle gain will slow and I will continue to lose fat. I hope.

Askance: I am actually already doing a lot of cardio; three times a week I do a solid hour of kickboxing, this doesn’t include warmup, cooldown, or abs and pushup work.

Si Amigo: I appreciate your point about making sure I’m losing for the right reasons/people. I’m happily married and my husband has never commented negatively on my weight, he actually prefers women who are not too thin. He only wants me to be healthy and get exercise. However, I am definitely losing for myself. I am not happy at the size or weight I’m at. I may not be technically overweight, but I am certainly more than I feel comfortable with, and I am carrying too much weight in my belly and bottom, and I have a lot of flab to deal with.

rjung: Thanks for the quote and the link, I am definitely going to check out that “Hacker’s Diet”. I’m not sure going the starvation route is a wise choice for me as I tend to go overboard when I have tried that in the past, plus I need energy to exercise, plus I don’t want to just end up eating the muscle I have worked so hard to build. However I like the scientific explanation.

slortar: That’s what I keep telling myself, that it’s the size that matters and not the number, but the size is also plateauing now… how do I get that to continue dropping?

Revtim: haha. I knew when I typed that that someone would make a crack… :smiley:

Hampshire: My trainer has also told me that I should drop a kickboxing day and try a different activity like crosstraining or running or something else. I dont’ quite get that, to me cardio is cardio, if my pulse is up and I’m sweating, why does it matter what I’m doing? But I’m getting to the point where I may have to do that. I can’t get to the gym any more than I already am, with 4 kids under 5, so I may have to start running or run-walking (although it’s not the best time of year for that, starting to get hot).

alice_in_wonderland: same thing, really. I guess I need to exercise more.

I’m afraid to cut back calories anymore than I have. I actually saw 140 on the scale this morning, ironically, after being down sick for 2 days. Last night I felt better and celebrated by eating a big bowl of pasta, much more than I would usually eat. So naturally I end up losing weight? It just doesn’t make sense to me.

I wish that it (the science of weight-loss) could finally just be explained as scientific principles rather than “try this diet” or “take this pill”… there’s so many ways to do it and so many of them seem to fail. I’ve been trying to do it the “sensible, common-sense” way for 3 months - eat less, exercise more. I’m definitely in better shape. I’ve lost some weight.

Am I happy with my fitness level? Yes, very much.
Am I happy with my increase in muscle tone? Very much.

Do I feel I’ve reached a weight where I am not slightly overweight for my height and frame? NO, absolutely not, and that’s where this plateau frustration is killing my motivation; I’ve never had a plateau last this long before (of course, “before” weight-loss attempts involved starving myself and no exercise) and I just can’t quite understand how I can physically expend so many calories, take in so little, and still maintain this extra stupid 20 pounds.

I’m 32. I’m not that young, and I’m not that old yet. However I know that I’m at a point where it will be a lot easier to get myself into shape than it will be in 5 or 10 or 20 years. I also don’t want to look back at pictures of myself in my 30’s with the same distaste that I look at the ones from 26-32. I want to enjoy my body while it’s young enough to be able to change it, before I get myself stuck forever at a weight that’s slightly chubby and slightly out-of-shape. I like the kickboxing, but not enough to do it forever with no results in the weight-loss department. I’m terrified I’ll stop doing it soon. :frowning:

I’d really welcome any other personal stories as to how anyone else broke a plateau. I appreciate very much the comments I’ve received so far.

Karen

11

I have no idea why this works, or if it works for other people, but I took a break for a week. I didn’t do cardio, though I continued weight training (2-3 times per week), and ate a little more than I had been (but not to excess, that’s important, just a little more).

Once I got back on my cardio program and eating better again, the weight started dropping again. No idea why this worked, and YMMV.

12

I recently lost a bunch of weight by cutting calorie intake and upping my activity level and I hit the plateau at 135. I tried cutting more calories for a couple of weeks and was only eating about 800 a day but I still couldn’t budge any more weight off. Then I tried upping my calorie intake because of something I saw on television about someone with a similar problem. The trainer told her that her body was in starvation mode and was hanging onto everything it got. It sounded like sense to me so I added 300 :eek: calories a day and it started coming off again. I’ve lost about 6 more pounds since then and right now I’m happy where I’m at.

13

Here’s my two cents. I went from 350 lbs of flab to 220 lbs of lean muscle in just over a year, so I know something about diet and exercise from experience and from doing a lot of reading on the subject.

I’m afraid to cut back calories anymore than I have. I actually saw 140 on the scale this morning, ironically, after being down sick for 2 days. Last night I felt better and celebrated by eating a big bowl of pasta, much more than I would usually eat. So naturally I end up losing weight? It just doesn’t make sense to me.

Oh man you need to get away from the trees and start looking at the forest. I’ve cheated by a thousand calories in one day and it has never had any effect on my weight loss as long as it was just for one day and not a new eating pattern. In other words, the weeks of restriced calories is what is determining your weight, not what you ate yesterday.

If you weigh yourself more than once a week, you’re weighing yourself too often.

I wish that it (the science of weight-loss) could finally just be explained as scientific principles rather than “try this diet” or “take this pill”…*

There is a ton of scientific information available these days, you just need to find it. If you pick up a “Muscle and Fitness” magazine you will notice that most of the articles on diet and nutrition are written by PhDs. Many bodybuilding sites have tons of free nutrition information, just look for the articles written by doctors and nutritionists. I know you are not a bodybuilder, but they face exactly this same problem of trying to lose fat but not muscle, so if you read sensibly, you can glean a lot of helpful information.

One of the biggest dieting myths is that calories in vs. calories burned is the whole story. Nothing could be further from the truth! Let’s see, a Snickers bar is 280 caloroes, so you can eat 5.65 of them a day and stay within your 1500 cal budget. You could no doubt lose weight on this type of diet, but the weight you lose will be muscle and your overall health will decline. What you eat is just as important as how much you eat. When you eat can also make a difference.

Did you know, for example, that fructose cannot be converted directly to glycogen by the liver and is converted to fat first and then that fat has to be converted to glycogen? So eat half a cantalope just before bed if you really want to gain fat! This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t eat fruit, it just means you have to be sensible about it and eat your fruit an hour before you work out so your liver doesn’t go into fat storage mode, it burns the fat as soon as it is made.

It is true that when you plateau, the best way to break the plateau is by some sort of change. Sometimes resting a few days and eating a few extra calories works as a change so that when you go back to your regular routine, you end up dropping more. It seems counter-intuitive, but again, it is just a small change for a few days that shocks your body. It doesn’t mean that the secret to success is to stop exercising and eat more!

Do cardio every morning. Turn on the radio and march around the house or get a stationary bike and ride it every morning, do whatever floats your boat, but do cardio every day and if at all possible, do it right after you get out of bed. Your blood sugar will be down and your liver glycogen stores will be down and the activity forces your liver to go into fat burning mode. This trick alone might get you where you want to be.

As has been stated, muscle weighs more than fat but another thing to consider is that when you first start training, you start stimulating muscle bundles that haven’t been used much before and so they increase in size. You’re not really adding new muscle, you’re just beefing up what you have and that can make a huge difference in someone as small as you. However, once this process has completed, you then have to actually add new muscle and that is not so easy. This is one factor in why results come fast early and then taper off.

Lastly, all dieting fails. So quit dieting and start having a healthy diet and lifestyle. You shouldn’t think of this as a project that you need to finish. Yes, once you reach your fat percentage goals, you will want to change your diet, but that doesn’t mean the end of it all and the time now is the best time to prepare for that future when you won’t be trying to lose fat. Now is the time that you can find out exactly how many calories a day is best for you. I recommend you write down every single thing you eat and figure out exactly how many calories a day you are eating and what sort of effect it has on your body. No chart or computer program can tell you this information. Only your body and your experience can determine what is best for you, so it may be a pain in the neck to weigh everything you eat before you eat it and it may be a pain to spend time looking up how many calories those foods have in them and what percentages of fat, carbs, and protien they have, but that knowledge is essential in dertermining what works for you. It’s your body; you should know how it works and no one else can give you that information except in general terms. Most people don’t lose fat and don’t improve their health, so you can’t do what most people do, you have to make the extra effort. The real question you have to answer is if it is really important enough to you to make the effort. Personally, I can’t imagine anything I do with my time that is really more important than being healthy and feeling good about myself.

I hope this helps!

14

When I was losing weight I plateaued for a few weeks, and i got going again by cutting only about 100 calories/day.

15

Check into Weight Watchers. Even though you are getting fit, you’re probably not eating the right mix of foods, and as was said earlier, you may not be getting enough calories. My sister has dropped over 50 pounds with this program and she’s nearly 60. Her daughter went from a size 18 to a size 8. If you’re not getting enough “points” for your body weight, you will plateau.