*%$@# Plateau!!!!!!

Grrrr.  Ok, I am quite frustrated.  I sarted at 148 on January 3rd and hit my first plateau when I got down to 140 at the end of January.  I have now been fluctuating at 136-138 for the last 3 weeks!!!!  I have tried changing up my workout routine (went from doing lunges, situps, and squats to jogging), zig-zagging (some days 1200, some days 1500), and have even taken complete "cheat" days off where I go to a restaurant and don't even think about it.  Some days I will have caffeine and some days I will not, I have tried having "uber veggie" days where the majority of my calories come from lean meats and steamed veggies, and have tried taking "break" days from exercising. I am still stuck at 136!!!!  I drink a ton of water, get plenty of protein, and have tried everthing that I have read in other plateau threads-- and yes, I get 8 hours of sleep each night and drink TONS of water.  But I mean really, 3 weeks???   Today I am going to try taking a day off again; I did a quick 6 minute cardio exercise DVD routine this morning to get perked up for the day, but instead of a protein bar I am going to have a cherry poptart for a before lunch snack, and I had two pieces of toast instead of one this morning along with my breakfast.  I was also going to go to the library and see about getting some pilates or dance DVD's to keep switching up my workout routine. What other suggestions do you guys have for me?  My goal weight is 115-120, so I am still really not even that close!  At this point I am wanting to throw my scale through the window. Thanks for your help!

Does 136lbs make you overweight? (BMI >25)

I know how you are feeling girl. My goal is 110, but my damn weight is stuck between 123-125. It took me awhile to get back to 123 held it for awhile and started eating maintenance and held, but for some reason today I got on the scale and was friggin 124.5! ARGH! So damn frustrating. I thought the maintenance crap would help my metabolism. So close, yet so far. I hate plateaus!

I am not overweight (BMI= 22.6), I am just wanting to lose some "vanity" pounds.  I have a slender frame (I am 5'5") and was a size 2 all through high school until I started having to do hormonal treatments for a condition that I have.  Switching artificial hormonal intake once every month or two for 2 years really screwed with my weight. I am just wanting to balance my body back out because you can tell that I am carrying (for my frame) a litte extra weight because I have small shoulders and a small chest but a nice rounded midsection with my stomach and hips and butt.

hey jess

i have experience the the eternal plateau, and maybe i know a thing or two about it, but i'm also just as frustrated too.

I've always found that the more i bust my ass and exercise, eat right, all that good stuff, and i'm STILL on a damned plateau, it's the strangest thing... two weeks later, after i have "given up" slightly (not exercising as much, eating some bad foods now and then), i lose a couple pounds. 

it takes awhile for your body to understand that it is burning calories and shedding pounds.  exercising for a week and not seeing any changes is normal;  your body is growing muscle, becoming more toned, you're eating healthy veggies and meats, and WTF! I GAINED 2 POUNDS!!?!?1!?!?1

i take those things as a positive gain, something that doesn't really matter, because in the end i know i look better and my body feels better. 

something about exercise, too, is that you MUST mix it up as much as possible.  I've been a runner on and off for a year now, and i swear i'm still the same weight, but my body looks quite different.  i'm toned as all get out, but i still have a belly.  a friend of mine told me that your body recognizes patterns in exercise that you do, and if you have any sort of redundency in your routine (you mainly run/walk/ride a bike with some strenght training before or after your general cardio), then your body will get used to it and hold onto your fat reserves.  BUT, your healthy!  you just weigh the same is all. 

I would say for your problem, even though it's frustrating as all get out, stick with your exercise and healthy eating as much as you can, but of course let yourself go once in awhile.  sitting in front of the tv or finding yourself at the last bite of a giant cookie is OK - if you don't do it every day.  if you deny yourself the things that "make you fat" then you will totally lose it, give up and start eating pop tarts for a week straight because you're angry at your stupid plateau.  i know it, i've been there, and it's still hard to heed my own advice.

but you know what?  SUMMER'S COMING UP, OH GOD.  hope i helped a little :)

Jess,

I wouldn't exactly call 'a plateau' what you are experiencing... You mentioned you lost 8 lbs in just under 30 days and then went on to lost 4lbs more in under 20 days? that is 12 lbs in just over 1.5 months! You lost more weight per week than what is recommended for someone of your height, and weight so this may very well be your body's way of leveling things off until it's ready to lose more weight.

In my humble opinion, your frustration comes from having lost a very good amount of weight in the beginning and now not seeing the same, quick results. Three weeks of holding steady does not a plateau make... Give it time.

ETA: also, you may not be losing weight because you may be putting on muscle.. yes, I know this gets thrown around a bit but it proves to be true in some cases.. I've been stuck at or around 145lbs since January 1st and although the weight hasn't budged, I've lost a good amount of inches and can really see the difference in my body. Again, give it time.

my 2 cents:

1) if you are working out hard, workout harder, introduce HIIT, it works wonders.

2) eat carbs just for breakfast and as a snack before your workouts

I obey these 2 rules and when i do not see the results, i just push harder, and get out of plateau as soon as possible, i use my carbs wisely, i eat them for breakfast (wholewheat bread or muesli), and before my workouts i make a powerful snack 30 mins earlier (1 table spoon of sultanas, 1 tea spoon of blackcurrant jam and 1.5 table spoon of greek yogurt (full or no fat doesnt matter).

Push harder, the human body shuts off with no warning, but it turns on the same way, give yourself a reward day once a week, i do so on fridays when i do not count calories and eat whatever i want, i also do not do excercise on fridays either, and from saturday to thursday have 4 meals a day. it works wonders, check my progress at www.menshealthchallenge2008.info ... we are doing a challenge with some guys, there is plenty of advice in the thread.

HOPE THIS HELPS!

v-avila-

  You are definately right about where my frustration is coming from.  I have tried for a long time now to lose weight, so when I finally got into a routine that was working and dropped 12 pounds quickly, I was so excited!  I heard that after your initial jumpstart in your diet, you can expect to lose 1-2 pounds each week, and I guess I'm just getting discouraged that the scale hasn't budged for so long now.  It makes me fear that I'm going to get stuck again and not be able to find a groove that works again.

andre-

     I have been using HIIT principles when I go jogging.  I do a warmup jog for about 1/4 mile, stop and stretch, and then alternate between a moderate jog and 30 seconds of flat-out sprinting. I just have to be careful with it because I had problems with my hip joints when I was playing sports in high-school and don't want to have a "bad hip" at age 25.  :)

Thanks everyone for the tips and encouragement!