Plateau Help

[pawpaw85]

Hey everyone, was hoping for some advice on pushing through this plateau I've hit on my weight loss journey. I've debated about posting this due to repetition, however, I've read through a ton online on different theories on pushing through plateau's but haven't really found much on the situation I'm in.


A disclaimer: if the story below has been answered on another thread (either here or somewhere else) please feel free to post the link and I will check it out.


Here's the situation:


In mid-October I started a weight loss journey with a goal to lose 65lbs. My starting weight was 230 and I wanted to get down to 165 (I'm a 5ft. 10in 26yr old male).


I started P90X and did it religiously for two months (until the guy downstairs complained I was making too much noise lol) and also ran anywhere from 1-2 miles every other night outside.


I limited my daily consumption of calories to 1500 per day (yes there were occasional slip-ups, but mostly I stuck around 1500).


By December 5th, I weighed 200 and have been stuck here ever since.


My workout routine has changed since it is cold here in Michigan and the guy won't let me do P90X anymore. So, I currently joined a gym and have been working out 6 out of 7 days. My current workout routine is as follows:


Monday: back/bi's and 3 miles running

Tuesday: chest/tri's and 3 miles running

Wed: 5-6miles running

Thurs: legs and 3 miles running

Fri: Shoulders and 3 miles running

Sat: Abs and 5-6 miles running


I've been doing this for about 2 weeks now and have still been stuck at 200 lbs. I'm not sure if it is because I've still been eating 1500 calories (which I've read is very low -- so I'm not sure if my body is in starvation mode). The thing is my body does not tell me it's hungry. I've been so used to eating 1500 calories, that I don't really get hungry.


So, I guess my questions are as follows:


1) What are your suggestions to breaking through this plateau and losing an additional 35lbs (goal is by end of March)?

2) Does my plateau have anything to do with a low calorie count (I've since upped my intake to 1800, but haven't worked out for a few days due to stomach virus -- thank you inlaw cooking!)


Thanks for your help and I'll look forward to your suggestions!

 

[Tourny]

The calories are low, but not unreasonably so.


your cardio is burning calories though (probably 500-800 depending on your speed for the 3 mile days, possibly double that for the 6 mile days) and as you are presumably not compensating for that with extra food,with an 1500 intake you're looking at 700-1000 calorie balance per day at best (-100 to 500 at worst). (increasing your calorie count to 1800, good move)


so yes, chances are your body thinks it's being starved (part of the starvation response is feeling less hungry). Many dieters aren't keen on the idea of eating their exercise calories as it seems like wasted effort. I tend to eat about half of my exercise calories directly after the session (some exercise estimates can be rather optimistic, so half should be a safe bet)


Sudden calorie increases tend to create weight gain so edge your calorie intake up by 100 each week until you're eating half your exercise calories, you could also try reducing your cardio for a while as that should get you back into a positive balance quicker.


1: your weight loss goal is unrealistic for the time scale. expect no more than 18Lb over 3 months on average and diminished returns the closer you get to your goal. You'll get there, just don't expect too much based on early results.


2: reduced calorie counts hit your immune system.


there are many ways to break a plateau (calorie cycling, changing cardio routines, macro-nutrient ratios etc) but I suspect you don't need them just yet.


Tourny

 

[PLB]

It sounds like you've hit the point where your calories in are balanced with your calories out. Try changing your workouts a bit so that you're doing things that are burning more calories each time. One suggestion would be to do full body workouts rather than the splits that you're doing. Another suggestion would be to do some inerval training twice a week for 30 mins instead of always doing steady state cardio.


Try that for a while and see if that helps!

 

[Justin D]

As stated above - go for Full Body workouts over body part splits. That'll do the trick.



All I would add is not to complicate it. This is what I would tell the MMA fighters I trained for strength and fat-loss:


PUSH something, PULL something and SQUAT or DEADLIFT.



If your not sure about rep ranges, go for a conjugated mix:


2 Sets at 5-6 RM (most you can lift for 6 good clean reps)


3rd Set at an 8RM weight


And one all out max-reps (at about 20% less weight than the last set) set where you go for a big metabolic boost and aim to go for 10 - 20 reps (although DON'T do this for deadlifts, and take caution doing it with squats)



All the best!!