You are skinny because you work your ass off! You are the only person I know that gets up early every single morning never missing a workout, if you have a bad day, you are always right back on it the next one, and you never need anyone to push you to workout, you just do it! You don't make excuses, you don't complain, you just work hard!
April 2011
23 posts
How to bust a 3 month plateau!
Yep, you read it right. 3 MONTHS! At the exact same weight (which was 150 lbs). And such a torturous number to be at. I think it would have been less painful if I was stuck at 148 or something. But, I knew it wouldn’t last forever, it was just a matter of adjusting how I approach losing weight at this point in the game. It’s like the final huddle before the last 10 seconds on the clock are about to run out. Sometimes, you need to change your strategy to win!
So that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing, adjusting my strategy. Given that I’m 10 lbs from a healthy weight, it seemed that my approach that lost me the first 65 lbs wasn’t going to work for the last 10. When you are near that point, a high calorie deficit is actually a bad thing! At the rate I was working out, my calorie deficit was too large and I went into a rather long and painful starvation mode. But, have no fear, I’m here to explain what I did to bust a plateau in hopes that other people in my situation can get out of their own plateaus.
1.) Look at your net calories!- I could easily get away with netting 500-700 calories a day before. I thought people who ate exercise calories were crazy. Then I realized how it all works. MFP already gives you a deficit (like mine set to 1 lbs a week is 500 calories a day). Working out only adds to that deficit. So after exercise my deficit was 1000+ calories a day. That’s a 2 lbs a week loss! Which is fine if I’m significantly over a healthy weight. But I’m not, I’m 10 lbs above a healthy weight. So that high of a deficit just lead me into a long starvation mode period. I was like “I’m not hungry, I don’t need to eat more”. That’s all the reason to eat more! Your metabolism has shut down. Now that I eat more, I’m hungry ALL THE TIME! I eat every 2 hours. I’m netting at least 1000 calories a day. And I think that has been the biggest difference in why things started working again.
2.) Reassess your exercise plan - You need to think about your workouts. Is it really getting my heartrate up? Do I feel sore afterwards? Am I working out consistently? Do I have both cardio and strength training in my schedule? If you answer no to one or more of these, you might be in danger of getting too used to your exercise schedule. Throw in some interval training, add in a day of strength training, take up a new exercise (for me it was running 3-4 days a week plus cardio plus strength). If you don’t force your body to change, it’s not going to.
3.) What and when exactly are you eating? - There’s a big difference in what people can eat for 1200 or 1500 calories a day. Empty calories aren’t really going to do anything for you. The key is the right amount of nutrient dense foods. I’ve adopted a plan to focus on eating more carbs in the afternoon prior to a workout, and then as much protein as possible in the evening after a workout. I make sure I hit 100g of protein a day, and I stay under my carb and fat limits (I have it set to 45% carbs, 25% fat, and 30% protein). My trainer explained it to me that I need carbs to burn as fuel during my workouts, and then protein after to repair my muscles.
4.) Give your changes some time! - I admit, I was completely impatient with this process. I’d give it a week, get frustrated something wasn’t working and I’d try to change things again. Finally I said I just need to wait and see. So I gave it about 2 weeks, and sure enough last week the scale started to inch down. And then it really started moving! I’ve gone down 1.5 lbs in the last week! So, even if things don’t work the first week, give it another week or two to see results!
So that’s my advice to you, it’s what ultimately busted my plateau. I’m not saying it will work for everyone, but it seems to be a common tale around here that people who are close to their goal weight need to EAT MORE to get out of the plateau, not less. As long as you are accurate with your logging on a regular basis, feel free to experiment with adding calories. Don’t jump from 1200 to 1800 overnight, but start incorporating more over a 2 week period. I might need to eat even more if the scale stops again, it’s all a game really.
March 2011
169 posts
Am I missing TOM again?
So. I know you've covered this a bit. I am just so so confused about how many calories I should be taking in. Because sites on the internet tell me a million different things. I'm 5'1" 105lbs. I'd like to maintain that or go back to 100 like I was this fall and my job is pretty active-I'm a hostess at a busy restaurant.
I feel like some days I will be way over my calorie limit or else waaaay under. It freaks me out to eat 1200 cals daily. I feel like that would make me gain. Sooo I need encouragement! Are you doing ok now that you've increased you intake? Will the weight actually come off?
(Sorry this was so long!)
The only thing to fear is fear itself.
I was like you guys before. Eating 500 calories, 800 calories, or 1000 calories thinking I would lose weight. In fact, you’re starving your body and slowing down your metabolism! Plus you can’t maintain at that rate in the long run and you feel exhausted and down all day.
The alternative is to eat a net calorie of 1200. That means if you’ve eaten 1200 calories and exercised, you need to eat back your exercise calorie! If you don’t, your deficit is too large and your body will store any food you consume into fat instead of burning it off. This is so crucial and so many girls don’t listen!
By eating more, I have more energy and lose weight happily! By eating more, you’re allowing your body to get all the nutrients, build muscles and recover from exercise. You won’t gain weight because you’ve increased your intake to 1200 calories, especially if they are healthy food. Your deficit is probably around 300-500 already by eating 1200, so you will still be losing weight. You might shed pounds slower, but you won’t be destroying your body and health. In the long run, this net 1200 calorie lifestyle can be maintained.
Day 1 of 30 Day Shred!
I've been neglecting Tumblr because I've been obsessed with MyFitnessPal. Heehee.
I'm going to up my intake to 1500 calories and netting 1200 calories after exercise.
So many people have said that increasing their intake helped them get rid of the last 10 pounds. Yeah, it’s hard and scary to eat more. But if this has shown results, I’m willing to give it a go.
I’m also going to do more strength training. That’s another key to losing the last 10 lb.
New Rule: Eat 3000 Calories Per Every 2 Days.
It doesn’t matter how.
Ex: Eat 1200 for Day 1 and 1800 for Day 2.
The point is to speed up metabolism.
Just got back from an all-you-can-eat japanese buffet.
I had a bowl of miso soup. That’s it. I couldn’t eat anything else. They didn’t have vegetarian sushi which was the ONLY reason I wanted to go, and what little fruit they had was all drowning in sugary syrup. They had fried rice, but it was FRIED rice… That’s a shit ton of carbs and grease. I just got up and walked out, pretty much crying. I hate not being able to eat when I go out. People need to realize that vegetarians go out in public on occasion and they expect to be able to eat. People also need to realize that some people are on diets that don’t include deep-fried foods and starchy things. T^T
This shows how much processed and unhealthy food in the American food industry.
