weight loss plateau, can't reduce any further

N

nurmul

New member
Hi,
I have hit a plateau in my weight loss journey. I started this in May 2015. I am 35 years old, 5'6", male. I weighed 171lbs then. till date I have lost 20 lbs. My current weight is 149lbs. I keep bumping into 143lbs and then I gain 5-8lbs. This has happened 3 times in the last 2 months. Can't get past 143 lbs. I have tried increasing cardio, decreasing cardio & increasing weight training, decreasing portion sizes but nothing is working. The magic number for me seems to be 143 lbs. The moment i hit it i start gaining again. For the last 3 weeks I have been taking 2 scoops of whey protein (ON double rich chocolate) with milk daily. It does help in satiety but my weight is not coming down. Last week I tried Refeed. I ate more carbs for 2 days consecutive in the week but I see no change.
My target weight is 130lbs.
the fat is in my upper body centered around my belly and chest (see pictures below).

I workout 6 days a week:
3 days I weight train using 10lbs dumbell (each)
3 days im on treadmill (40 minutes total, 20 minutes jog @ 5 miles/hour and 20 minutes walk @ 3.7 miles/hour
Plank (1 min x 4 reps) toe touches (20 reps x 4) daily after above exercise
I am a vegetarian.

I have uploaded the front and side pictures of me taken today.

Please tell me what i need to change. Please help me in resuming weight loss.
View attachment 23401View attachment 23402
 
How is your water intake? Are you eating small meals thru the day? Are you just trying to loose weight or build muscle? Have you kept track of your measurements with a tape measure? I'd love to help u !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Brwneyedgal121 said:
How is your water intake? Are you eating small meals thru the day? Are you just trying to loose weight or build muscle? Have you kept track of your measurements with a tape measure? I'd love to help u !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Hi thankyou for responding. I consume about 4-6 litres of water. I have dry mouth issue. I consume about 2-3 litres during midnight.

I consume about 3 small meals in a day. I take milk + 2 scoops whey protein after workout.

I am trying to build muscles.

My belly was 44" at the begining now it is 39"
 
Well you are dropping inches then , have you dropped inches after hitting your plateau? If your trying to build muscle you don't want to be loosing weight . My best suggestions would be increase your meals to 6 small ones a day . You want to make sure you are taking in a lot of good protein (chicken , fish etc) fish is Probally the best if you can tolerate it . And watch with the milk or any dairy for that matter . I use almond milk or the coconut almond blend . I do run challenge groups where you can get help forming a menu plan , and choosing the right workouts . For me personally it's worked the best . I also drink shakeology. It's a Shake but it has all the superfoods in it your body needs on top on fiber and protein. I can't say much more about it bc before shakeology I was at a plateau after I started drinking it I lost 5 pds and all the bloat . To sum it up a lot of whey and protein drinks have additives and chemicals that people react badly to . Shakeology does not . Every person is different though and reacts differently to different foods .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I am so sorry I just re read your original post and see you are a vegetarian. So forget I said chicken or fish lol . What are you eating for as far as protein?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Brwneyedgal121 said:
Well you are dropping inches then , have you dropped inches after hitting your plateau? If your trying to build muscle you don't want to be loosing weight . My best suggestions would be increase your meals to 6 small ones a day . You want to make sure you are taking in a lot of good protein (chicken , fish etc) fish is Probally the best if you can tolerate it . And watch with the milk or any dairy for that matter . I use almond milk or the coconut almond blend . I do run challenge groups where you can get help forming a menu plan , and choosing the right workouts . For me personally it's worked the best . I also drink shakeology. It's a Shake but it has all the superfoods in it your body needs on top on fiber and protein. I can't say much more about it bc before shakeology I was at a plateau after I started drinking it I lost 5 pds and all the bloat . To sum it up a lot of whey and protein drinks have additives and chemicals that people react badly to . Shakeology does not . Every person is different though and reacts differently to different foods .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I haven't lost any inches after hitting plateau. I think my sole protein source is the 2 scoops of whey protein (ON double rich chocolate). Also milk is a source. Let me check out Shekeology. Does it give you satiety? How many meals a day can you replace using this? Have you tried replacing the dinner with shakeology? Also what is your opinion on Naturewise CLA?
 
While your current exercise routine is better than doing nothing at all, its intensity simply isn’t strenuous enough, hence the reason you’re not witnessing the results you desire.

Please don’t construe the above as criticism. Consider it to be more an observation from someone who possesses many years of experience in the areas of nutrition and fitness.

Given that you’ve been on your journey since last May, the time spent upon the treadmill should have allowed you to develop a fairly decent level of cardiovascular fitness. As such, you should now be able to increase the level of intensity.

In order to make positive and rewarding changes to your cardio routine, on two of those three occasions, seek to introduce a more vigorous level of effort upon the treadmill by performing intervals.

For example, following a warm up, increase your level of intensity to 6.5mph for 60 seconds, before reducing the speed to walking pace as you spend 60 seconds recovering from your endeavour. Repeat the process for as long as you’re able to sustain it/until you reach 40 minutes.

Don’t feel too disheartened if you fail to complete 40 minutes during your first few attempts, as the increased pace may lead to fatigue sooner than you’re used to. However, it’ll not take long for your body to adapt to the increased effort, thus allowing you to maintain the increased effort over a longer period as a host of physiological changes occur within.

Concerning resistance, in order to encourage muscle growth, you need to progressively overload them.

Lifting 10lb weights will do little to promote the kind of size and shape in your muscles that you no doubt desire. In order to achieve this aim, you need to increase the amount that you’re lifting, thus leading to progressive overload.

Additionally, rather than simply using dumbells, seek to introduce barbell work into your resistance routine, performing compound movements (such as squats/deadlifts/chest & shoulder presses) to dramatically increase your muscle mass and strength.

Raising the intensity of your exercise routine leads to a greater increase in the uptake of glucose and fat to fuel your endeavour, hence the reason weight loss can be accelerated through exercise. The greater the intensity, the greater the uptake of fuel and corresponding level of fat loss.

Concerning calorific intake, if you’ve not already done so, research BMR calculators, since they’re largely accurate in determining the amount of daily calories needed, based upon one’s measurements and activity level.

Once an active BMR has been obtained, by simply introducing a daily calorie deficit, in addition increasing the intensity of exercise, you should be able to overcome your plateau.

As for nourishment, since you’re a vegetarian, aim to ensure that protein is consumed from sources such as pure whey powder, eggs, nuts, quinoa and soya beans, for example, since they’re all complete proteins (where all amino acids are present). Additionally, also avoid as many simple carbohydrates as you can (cakes/sweets/pastries), as they’re incredibly energy dense.

I hope that some of the above helps you in understanding how plateaus can be overcome.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top