Please tell me what I am doing wrong. I'm hitting a plateu in my weight loss.

ricecakes777 · 01-25-2009, 08:03 AM

I have been losing weight for about 9-10 months now and have lost about 80lbs. I started at 325 and am sitting at about 245 now. I'm 5'5". I weight train for about 20-30 mins a day and then do cardio for 15-30 mins. 4 days a week and then mid week is a light workout day where I just do abs and cardio. I also play racquetball once or twice a week for 45 mins. I haven't lost but a couple of pounds in the last month. But this last month is when I bumped up to about an hour workouts, before I never did cardio.

I eat six times a day. Usually something like this:
Breakfast: 2/3 egg omelet with cheddar and salsa or oatmeal with PB and banana
snack: 22oz RTD Muscle Milk or 2 string cheese and a fruit
lunch: lean meat sandwich with cheddar (whole wheat bread sugar free) or tuna on bread
snack: protein bar (30g /300 cal)
dinner: protein shake (32g /300 cal) or Chicken breast with vegetables
snack: protein shake (32g /300 cal) or oatmeal and a glass of milk

I usually only have 2 shakes a day depending on when my workout is.

Anyway, I am looking for advice on how I am getting to a place where I don't lose weight anymore.

czuniga · 01-25-2009, 08:40 AM

Are you using a heart rate monitor for your cardio? That may help.

mariia · 01-25-2009, 08:46 AM

Maybe, do a little more cardio or increase your calories for 2/3 days and then eat again as you?re doing ... I?m not an expert.. Just MO...

.
Great work...80 lbs... Keep the good work..

LarryByrd · 01-25-2009, 09:17 AM

You're demanding alot from your body. An 85lb transformation is astounding. Why don't you try to maintain your weight of 245 and just lean out? That would be beastly.

Edit: To answer your question, have you tried switching up your cardio?

I hit a platuea at 225 and decide to push myself on some pretty intense hikes 2-3x a week. Dropped a good 20lbs in about 2-3 months.

Try doing HIIT cardio in the pool or something that is just going to get that HR through the roof.

Personally, you can try doing super sets with all your exercises in the gym, this will definitely lean you out pretty good.

ricecakes777 · 01-25-2009, 09:53 AM

I have been super setting since early on. And I haven't hardly done any cardio since the beginning so I thought throwing in 15-30 mins a day in would help but it doesn't seem to be. I am thinking about trying the pool out. I don't know what the HIIT thing is, I will look into that.

I couldn't imagine leaning out at 5'5" - 245lbs.

And I don't have a heart rate monitor but I know for sure that it's pounding.

crupiea · 01-25-2009, 09:58 AM

Your workouts look fine. You have done a super job so far so i can imagine that you have been super strict with yourself. This happened to me and the first thing I did was move my cardio from the evening to the morning fasted.

This started the scale moving again.

Another thing I would try is a big cheat meal. You probably havent had one in a while and it is cleary in order.

Go out and eat whatever it is that you have been longing for. Dont do it the night before weigh in but do it at least once this week and dont count the calories.

Your body adjusts well to whatever you throw at it and it seems as if it is just used to its current calorie level. The cheat meal will stimulate your metabolism and get things going again.

Great work so far.

suppwrs2005 · 01-25-2009, 10:04 AM

well first i would like to say great job on the weight lose you look great, second I think if you wanted to push past to plateau, try completly changing your workout. Maybe try doing a ton of cardio with some light/heavy lifting. Maybe your body has gotten used to the same routine, sometimes if you throw just a little kink in your exercise it will revamp your body. But this is just how i feel, Good luck man and never quit reaching for your goals

ricecakes777 · 01-25-2009, 11:37 AM

bump

LarryByrd · 01-25-2009, 02:31 PM

Oh hey, 5'5" @ 245 is still pretty big. I wouldn't mind 245 @ 6'1"

But listen, you're just asking alot from yourself. You just need to be willing to give it way more time.

It took you 24 years to get fat, what makes you think losing the weight is a fast process? Just keep working hard and give your body time to adjust.

Yeah, really look into the HIIT thing. It's great stuff.

cota0429 · 01-25-2009, 02:51 PM

If you have been pretty strict with your diet...Its time to take a couple days off and trick your metabolism again. Your body is adapting to your diet. I also would revamp your diet and add more protein. It looks like your taking in about 165 grams of protein a day. I would try to up that to to a minimum of 250. Throw in some HIIT cardio and switch up your lifting program. Same thing happened to me. But from your diet it looks like you might not be eating enough calories. Definately not a lot of carbs. If you use them right, dont be afraid of them. I wouldnt have them as a late night snack but you can use them early in the day and taper them off towards the night. I think we could all agree that

1. Not enought protein
2. Not enough Calories.

Good luck! Great progess!

2sweet · 01-25-2009, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricecakes777

I have been losing weight for about 9-10 months now and have lost about 80lbs. I started at 325 and am sitting at about 245 now. I'm 5'5". I weight train for about 20-30 mins a day and then do cardio for 15-30 mins. 4 days a week and then mid week is a light workout day where I just do abs and cardio. I also play racquetball once or twice a week for 45 mins. I haven't lost but a couple of pounds in the last month. But this last month is when I bumped up to about an hour workouts, before I never did cardio.

I eat six times a day. Usually something like this:
Breakfast: 2/3 egg omelet with cheddar and salsa or oatmeal with PB and banana
snack: 22oz RTD Muscle Milk or 2 string cheese and a fruit
lunch: lean meat sandwich with cheddar (whole wheat bread sugar free) or tuna on bread
snack: protein bar (30g /300 cal)
dinner: protein shake (32g /300 cal) or Chicken breast with vegetables
snack: protein shake (32g /300 cal) or oatmeal and a glass of milk

I usually only have 2 shakes a day depending on when my workout is.

Anyway, I am looking for advice on how I am getting to a place where I don't lose weight anymore.

First of all congratulations for a fantastic job. And we all hit a plateau it's just part of it unless you are great at constantly changing your workout routine. I for one am not but try my best.

I would suggest cardio 6 times a week and up it to an hour if you can. You can also do Atkins or Keto's. I for one find Keto's difficult to understand so I do Atkins. That will help you out of the plateau. Much luck and keep up the great work.

2sweet · 01-25-2009, 03:03 PM

Ricecakes, dump the scale is another thing I did and the fat started to melt off. Remember muscle weighs more than fat so you will get depressed if you look at the scale to much. Use clothes as your guide. Want to get into a certain size clothes? Buy some and use it for inspiration and try it on every once in a while see how far you need to go. It worked for me.