Plateau from H%ll

I started my journey at at LEAST 230 lbs.in March of 2010. I was probably way more than that but stopped weighing myself at one point. As of today I'm down to 202.4 lbs.

I've hit a wall bigger than the Great Wall of China and it's PISSING ME OFF!! I know I'm gaining muscle fast because I can see it when I look in the mirror. (and it's time for a progress pic too and that freaks me out.) BUT-that scale isn't moving and I'm desperate to be under 200 pounds!!

I do 30 mins of cardio every morning, and at least 4 times a week I get another 30mins in the evening. Because of my crazy work schedule, i'm lifting only three times a week-a push day, a pull day and legs. Diet is in check, too-high on protein, lower on fat and carbs.

So ladies, what do you do to jumpstart your metabolism? Should I add back a little more carbs? Change up the cardio? I'll take ideas and criticism.

This time I'm not giving up!! Thanks ladies.

First off, AWESOME on losing 30lbs so far! That is an excellent achievement and you should not let this little frustration cloud what a great job you have already done. Plus, and an even bigger accomplishment, is that you have been able to keep those 30# off for 9 months now which includes 1 holiday season. Good for you!

[QUOTE=mrmbm;607348883] I know I'm gaining muscle fast because I can see it when I look in the mirror. (and it's time for a progress pic too and that freaks me out.) BUT-that scale isn't moving and I'm desperate to be under 200 pounds!!
[/QUOTE]

Muscle weighs more than fat so if you are seeing muscle gains you should not think you are making no progress. If only you could know the awesome things that are happening on the inside of your body due to your healthier lifestyle.

All that aside, I know how frustrating it is when you're busting your butt and the scale won't budge. Lets take a look at your diet. Do you know how many calories you eat each day? What do your macros look like? All the cardio in the world is not going to help you if you don't get this right first. :) Let us know!

Here's what i try to stick to every day:

1st meal: protein shake (1 cup 2% milk, a couple of strawberries 1/2 banana and a scoop of syntha-6 powder)

2nd meal: 1/2 cup oatmeal made with water, cinnamon and splenda

3rd meal: Wendy's half size blt cobb salad with fat free french dressing and a small diet coke

4th meal: usually another 1/2 cup oatmeal with water cinnamon and splenda (pre workout snack) sometimes i will add 1/2 chicken breast if I'm starving

PWO shake with 1 scoop each syntha, protowhey and jetmass and a scoop of bcaa5000 made with water (I only have this on workout days)

5th meal is either 1/2 chix breast and salad or if its not a work out day I make another shake like the 1st meal but with water.

So, cals are running around 1600 per day. I try to follow this strictly even on the weekends but i do let myself have a cheat meal one weekend day.

What am I missing?

Oh, also I am drinking a gallon of H2O per day and taking lipo 6 black.

[QUOTE=mrmbm;607404543]Here's what i try to stick to every day:

1st meal: protein shake (1 cup 2% milk, a couple of strawberries 1/2 banana and a scoop of syntha-6 powder)

2nd meal: 1/2 cup oatmeal made with water, cinnamon and splenda

3rd meal: Wendy's half size blt cobb salad with fat free french dressing and a small diet coke

4th meal: usually another 1/2 cup oatmeal with water cinnamon and splenda (pre workout snack) sometimes i will add 1/2 chicken breast if I'm starving

PWO shake with 1 scoop each syntha, protowhey and jetmass and a scoop of bcaa5000 made with water (I only have this on workout days)

5th meal is either 1/2 chix breast and salad or if its not a work out day I make another shake like the 1st meal but with water.

So, cals are running around 1600 per day. I try to follow this strictly even on the weekends but i do let myself have a cheat meal one weekend day.

What am I missing?

Oh, also I am drinking a gallon of H2O per day and taking lipo 6 black.[/QUOTE]


You need to add more protein in your diet. First meal you should be eating some sort of protein, not a protein powder. You are not eating enough fruit and your only veggie is a salad. not enough complex carbs (oatmeal is not good variety)

Your cals look low for your stats (considering you are a foot taller and I am on a 1600 cal diet) you should look at reworking your calories level.

Two many powders and not enough real food.

Also, muscle does not weigh more than fat. Muscle is more dense (meaning it takes up less space).

Along with everything that Rockangel said, do you know how many calories this is?

Definitly start with this sticky:

[url]http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703921[/url]

[QUOTE=rockangel;607417523]Also, muscle does not weigh more than fat. Muscle is more dense (meaning it takes up less space).[/QUOTE]

BAH! That's what I meant - thanks for calling me on it :) The ol' a lb of muscle weighs the same as a lb of fat deal.

[QUOTE=KimPossible98;607419713]BAH! That's what I meant - thanks for calling me on it :) The ol' a lb of muscle weighs the same as a lb of fat deal.[/QUOTE]

No worries.

Had to type fast since i was dying my hair and the timer went off. But you are right that you dont know whats going on inside.

To OP, Sorry that diet is awful.
You need to get rid of all those powders and pills until you get your eating squared away. And no i do not consider eating pretty much nothing but salads and oatmeal an "in check" diet.

Eat real food and more of it.

Your cal level should be more around 2100 - 2200 (rough estimate). You are barely giving your body enough to live on let alone support your workouts.

You need to be eating more veggies than lettuce and more fruit than just a couple of strawberries and a half bananna.

You need to actually eat your protein not drink it.

Right now is when you learn how to eat correctly and how to make wise food choices. What are you going to do when you lose all the weight?? Are you going to eat oatmeal and salads for the rest of your life?? or do you want to enjoy life and have a healthy relationship with food??

I would say if you cant make the changes you need to make, then you need to be seeing a dietician.

Woah! I did not see that you were 5'10"! I eat 2100 cal/day in maintenance mode. You are definitly going to have to up your calories a bit.

My little calculator says that your maintenance calories are 2400cal, 189 g protein, 225 g carbs and 85g of fat. I still encourage you to run through the spreadsheet posted above to understand where these numbers come from. They are just estimates and may not work for you. If you want to lose weight you take 10-20% off these numbers and see where you go.

How long have you been dieting? Do you ever take any breaks from your diet? Do you have cheat meals? Maybe it's time to give your body a break and eat at maintenance for a little bit.

Good for you for the 30lb loss. Your stall most likely is your not doing enough cardio and definately your calories are a bit low I would try to increase you calories by 100 until you see your weight move DOWN . I would concentrate on 30 minutes of Cardio 6x per week and 4 weight sessions of 45 minutes something like a full body workout which really blasts the fat off.

This is what I ate yesterday

1. protein shake with flax oil and banana

2 1/2 cup egg whites with 1/2 cup oatmeal 1/2 cup wheat bran and cooked kale

3. 3 cups vegetable salad with can tuna with salad dressing( I made)


4. 4-6 ounce chicken or fish with 1/2 cup rice with 2-3 cups veggie salad and I don't eat lettuce with 1/2 avocado

5. depending If I'm hungry. I may eat oatmeal 1/2 cup with fruit
or 1/2 bag popcorn or a chicken breast if I have one around . Sometimes I'll have 1/2 cup cottage cheese and 1 tablespoon of peanut butter which taste really nummy . If I'm lazy I may make a protein shake.
Last night I was really hungry for whatever reason and ate a can of tuna.

I drink at least 2 litres of water a day . I pee about 6 x before I leave the house and when ever I arrive at my destination I have to pee again lol

I make a large container enough for 2 days worth of veggies. of cut up salad veggies mostly cauliflower and cabbage and celery and broccoli .

I try to eat at least 6 cups of veggies a day now that's just me but it helps with water retention and help with removing waste from the body.

I cook with Organic Virgin Coconut oil and I consume at least 2 tablespoons of fish or flax oil per day. I do this for mood as I have found oils have really improved my moods and blood sugar dips. I also take digestive enzymes and vitamin b complex.

No traditional cardio yesterday as It was leg day and I incorporated a step up and plyo routine to my leg day. (box jumps and step ups cardio style)

I do cardio of some kind 5-6 x per week for at least 20 minutes to my max of 45 steady state running. I have a treadmill at home so I do this at my leisure I don't do cardio in the gym becasue it takes too much time out of my day .

Awesome ladies...thanks for all of the input.

I actually did the math on what I'm eating...it's 1680 calories.

I will make some changes for sure on the eating. I'm in this for the long haul that's for sure. No giving up this time...you all are way to motivating for that.

So, first thing I'll change is less powder and more real food. I've been making this excuse that I'm under a huge time crunch and a shake on the go is better than skipping breakfast or eating something not on plan.

again, thanks so much!!

[QUOTE=mrmbm;607483593]Awesome ladies...thanks for all of the input.

I actually did the math on what I'm eating...it's 1680 calories.

I will make some changes for sure on the eating. I'm in this for the long haul that's for sure. No giving up this time...you all are way to motivating for that.

So, first thing I'll change is less powder and more real food. I've been making this excuse that I'm under a huge time crunch and a shake on the go is better than skipping breakfast or eating something not on plan.

again, thanks so much!![/QUOTE]

I leave my house at 4:30 every morning. so i pack my lunches in a soft sided cooler that i drag to work everyday. I pack lunches the night before so that i dont have to get up early and do it. The only things i have at work is a microwave and a fridge. My usual fare is- 3 eggs, fruit, veggie oatmeal for breakfast, second meal is chicken/tuna, brown rice, fruit, veggie snack is usually nuts or pb and veggie then i have a protein shake after my workout. usually come home and have dinner which is usually some form of protein (beef pork lamb turkey duck chicken etc) veggie, fruit
i usually end up eating again before bed which is usually protein and a veggie.

So you def can plan ahead if you are crunched in the morning.

Also i would cut one session of cardio a day, you dont need an hour, and instead use one of those 30 minutes of cardio time for a lifting routine of some sort.

Also make sure you are getting enough rest!

Yes, def less powder and more food!!! If you're in for the long haul you need to up your cals just a bit, otherwise your body will freak out on you. I have been exactly where you are - keep on keepin on!

Okay, did some thinking and calculating...upped my calories to 1820...but I don't think I'm in the right ratio for p/c/f. This go round I've got 120g protein, 78g fat and 154.5g carbs...

I've added a chicken breast/brown rice/veggie combo for meal #5, still kept the PWO shake and added 1/2 cup of egg whites as my last meal. (on the days I don't go to the gym I will add another protein/veggie meal with similar nutritional value).

Does that sound a LITTLE better at least?

[QUOTE=mrmbm;607989773]Okay, did some thinking and calculating...upped my calories to 1820...but I don't think I'm in the right ratio for p/c/f. This go round I've got 120g protein, 78g fat and 154.5g carbs...

I've added a chicken breast/brown rice/veggie combo for meal #5, still kept the PWO shake and added 1/2 cup of egg whites as my last meal. (on the days I don't go to the gym I will add another protein/veggie meal with similar nutritional value).

Does that sound a LITTLE better at least?[/QUOTE]

i might up the protein a bit more...???

Thanks for posting this and to the great replies! I am 5'9" and am stuck at 260 after losing 30#. I just getting back into weight training.

Good luck to you! My body is just so damn stubborn! I'm not giving up though. Even if I only lose 1 pound a week by this time next year I'll be 52 lbs lighter! Gotta find the positive.

Hopefully I'm also gaining some muscle quicker than I'm losing the fat. That might explain why the number isn't disappearing quickly. My clothes are fitting different and I'm STARTING to look better...but my mind can't get off that number!!!

[QUOTE=mrmbm;607989773]Okay, did some thinking and calculating...upped my calories to 1820...but I don't think I'm in the right ratio for p/c/f. This go round I've got 120g protein, 78g fat and 154.5g carbs...

I've added a chicken breast/brown rice/veggie combo for meal #5, still kept the PWO shake and added 1/2 cup of egg whites as my last meal. (on the days I don't go to the gym I will add another protein/veggie meal with similar nutritional value).

Does that sound a LITTLE better at least?[/QUOTE]

Cals sound better but I'd up the protein a good bit at the expense of some carbs.

I just want to second what rockangel said about food prep...I have found it enormously helpful to get all my food ready the night before. If I leave something to the last minute I'm prone to making poor, hasty decisions and have really found the more planning I do, the more I stay on track.

Congrats on the weight loss btw, you are doing great!

Did you say what cals you are at now? Where are you with your macros now, did you figure it out?

ALWAYS remember that your body hates you! It does not want you to lose weight, you must outsmart it with knowledge :) Stay positive like you are and you'll do great!

[QUOTE=KimPossible98;611027733]Did you say what cals you are at now? Where are you with your macros now, did you figure it out?

ALWAYS remember that your body hates you! It does not want you to lose weight, you must outsmart it with knowledge :) Stay positive like you are and you'll do great![/QUOTE]


Yes, did some recalcluating...1820 cals

Actually made an error in my protein calculation!!

164.45g protein (657.8cals)
171g carbs (684 cals)
51.7g fat (465.3 cals)

Im realizing now that when I add them back I'm not quite 1820 but just a hair over 1800.

Oh does my body hate me!!! It likes all the fat it has just fine...well too bad!!
I did my first body blog-would you check it out for me and see where you think I could use some adjusting? Thanks!!!

Okey dokey, I'll go read:

Ahhh yes, the I'm-divorced-so-I'm-gonna-make-you-eat-it motivation! I love it! Seriously, nothing gets you going more then getting back on the market. :)

Some questions:
1. How many cheat meals do you have a week? What do they usually consist of?
2. Does that breakfast work for you? If it keeps you full awesome, but I am definitly an egg white and oat meal kinda person.
3. Is that canola mayo you use? I ask because it may have lots of saturated fats. You want fats but not sat fats. (or trans fats for that matter).
4. Good work knowing what's what at the fast food joints. I regularly stalk nutritional info on websites so if I'm in a bind I don't blow it all. But I always opt for Subway. The grilled chicken sandwich at Wendys is good but ask for it with no sauce. Get a side chili too for lots O' protein.
5. What protein powder are you using? Looks like whatever it is you use 2 scoops? (note I'm just curious, it's not a critique)

Overall, excellent job hitting those macros! Remember, it's just a starting place so if you are not really losing weight you may need to adjust up or down.

I seriously drink 2-3 gal of water a day so good job on that. Most people just don't drink enough.

OMG thanks so much for taking the time to read!

So, I usually just have one cheat meal a week, and I try to save it for Saturday night. I like to make my official weigh in on Saturday morning. Breakfast definitely works for me-I'm usually drinking the shake as I'm driving in to work and then when I get to work (about fifteen minutes later) I'm making the oatmeal, choking it down while checking emails and voicemails (I really don't like it!) I never gave the mayo a second thought-I will check that immediately! I have been using Syntha-6 protein powder, just one scoop is the serving.

So this week I lost just 1.2 pounds. I'm going to change up my cardio and try to double my water intake and see what it gets me the second week. 201.2 as of today...Thinner than I've been in 8 years!

AWSOME JOB! Every pound is definitly something to celebrate :) Just don't get discouraged if you hop on the scale tomorrow or next week and weigh more. Keep on keepin' on.

I'm always curious as to what people do for their cheat meals. Some people think it's the opportunity to consume 3000 calories in a meal and somehow justify it becuase it was a scheduled cheat meal. Then they wonder why they don't lose weight when in reality they did but they reversed their progress with the one meal. But hey, as long as you are steadily losing then it's probably not an issue. Good for you!

I did the Syntha-6 and really liked it. I kind of switch brands from time to time with no real reason, just trying new things. Some think it's high in calories but it tasted good so I was willing to go with it.

I forgot to share with you that I usually take tuna and mix in some pickle relish (instead of mayo), hot sauce, salt & pepper then put it on a Wasa cracker. It's a good quick meal for busy days in the office.

Your job sounds like mine! Haul into work - neverending emails, voicemails, meeting and fires to be put out - run around at Mach 5 with my hair on fire. Some days I forget to eat! But as long as you get your cals in by the end of the day you're all good.

Sounds like everyone has your dieting needs covered :)

I skimmed through all the posts. Here's my $.02:
•HIIT for cardio if you arent already incorporating it
•maybe change your lifting sessions to supersetting body parts (chest/back, legs/abs, arms/shoulders, whatever combo) Less rest,more bang for your buck.

Congrats so far and goodluck on reaching your goals!