have you hit a PLATEAU???

because i definitely have.

since the beginning of summer, i've lost 30 lbs. I made a visit to my doctor, and she said that someone with my muscle mass and my height would be healthy with anything near 150 lbs.

I currently weigh 163 (down from 193, yay!!) and i've made 150 my goal weight. i workout EVERY day without fail, and i eat right... but visually, the weight isn't dropping. before, people were telling me how much weight i've lost and how great i look... but the comments aren't coming anymore. i feel like i haven't made any progress for a while.

i'm getting bored with the exercises i've been doing so i started cross-training and sometimes running twice a day. is anyone else having issues with tackling that last 15 lbs?? it's driving me CRAZY!!!

ugh, how frustrating!  i actually totally changed up my strength training routine to try to kick-start things.  i'm pretty married to my cardio, but when it comes to weightlifting i feel like as long as i burn afterwards i did a good job.

so before i was doing pretty isolated exercises (front raise, lateral raise, biceps curls, etc) and now i'm doing more whole body exercises (like pullups and deadlifts and military presses and hang pulls.  it's pretty exciting, so at least i have that if nothing else.  for now anyway.  hopefully it results in some weight loss?

no doubt, if you're going from muscle-isolation workouts to training the full body, it is much more effective. it's like running on a treadmill and then running outside. it's a lot harder the other way because you're using your muscles in harmony with the rest of your body-- when you're doing a bicep curl, your legs are dormant. but pullups (btw, kudos to you for being able to do those. i did one and dislocated my shoulder!) and there is not a single muscle that isn't strained.

that's good advice, i've done something similar. pushups.

i do them during commercials when i'm watching law and order (guilty pleasure) or when i'm waiting for the microwave, or i'm on the phone... i'm obsessed and nothing is workingggggg

I can totally understand what you're feeling- I am right there with you- I even have the same goal weight. I weigh 165 right now and I'm trying to get to 150 as soon as possible. I was wondering how many calories you eat per day, and how much exercise you do.. Oh a little history on me- my hw 2 yrs ago was 298 I've been working really hard- and I'm stuck!!!!!

Bridgette

Hello:

You might try circuit training.  I run 2 laps (12 to a mile) after every set of lifting.  I do 1 set of 11 different body parts w/ 25 reps at 50% weight.  Takes about 45 min. and it has my hear rateup for the whole period.  My weight loss moving is moving again.  Change is the key.  The body needs to be shocked.  Change your routines.

Good luck.

SRQdude

I just passed through a plateau :)  What worked for me is : a change of workout routine, AND a change of cal intake.

For about a week I ate more (about 100 cals per day).  Worked for me : )  I then dropped it again to the '' suggested cal intake '' (in my case : 1200).

thanks sarasota.  actually i was thinking about how after this phase of lifting (when i know a little more about what i'm doing w/the weights), i'll start something where i do cardio between sets, like rope jumping.  it would be awesome if that could replace some of my cardio now, bec at some point that should probably evolve...

and thanks for the support, runner.

you're not going to want to hear this but i broke my plateau by stopping running this week and not counting my calories.  I think I was definetely underconsuming, because the result was finally a one pound loss.  I also started weight training recently so I may have stalled because of muscle gain though...anyway I plan on getting running again, because i am addicted, but up my calories too...

ok I have had this exact problem.  I workout a lot, eat very well but still want to be thinner.  I am down about 10 pounds since two years ago and have been feeling very stagnant lately.

Actually, this week one of the trainers at the gym came up to me and said he had been watching me workout and wanted to help me.  I am pretty thin, but my body fat is high, 23%.  He said I should realistically try to add 5 pounds of muscle by doing higher weight and lower reps (I am doing low weight high reps now) and that although I will gain weight I will look thinner and drop my body fat percentage.  I have had this fear of bulking up by lifting too much weight, but I think this new approach to lifting is just what I need get the body image I want.  Hope this helps :)