I thought I'd continue to loose weight!

shutterbug · #1 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 02:28 PM

I was loosing weight at the rate of 1-2 lbs a week on my current diet plan. I don't know if its low-carb or not. It is usually around 100 grams of carbs a day.

I also do treadmill about 30 minutes a day (at 3-4 miles/hr) 5 days/week.

I lost about 15 lbs in 2 months. But, I haven't lost anything in the past 7-10 days. I have been hovering around 205 lb for little over a week. Do you guys know anything that I should change in order to continue to loose weight?

Thanks,

notme · #2 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 02:40 PM

There could be several reasons why you are not losing weight. If you are exercising regularly, you are building muscles. Muscles weigh more than fat and your weight loss may slow down because of it. However, muscles also help you burn fat faster and more efficiently, so don't give up the exercise. You may still be losing inches as your weight continues to hover around the same mark.

I would say this..... Stay off your scale. Weigh once a week at the very most. Weight can fluctuate greatly during a day or two.

Continue on your diet plan, but don't make it so rigid that your body thinks it is starving. If your diet plan is to rigid, your body will start to store fat.

Plateaus are hard to figure out in weight loss. Just stay on course and obviously watch your blood sugar. Watch calories as well as carbohydrates. You need to burn more calories in a day than you consume to lose weight. There are several calorie calculators online for you to just plug in your age, weight, activity level and several other statistics. This will give you a good idea of how many calories you need to eat to lose weight.

Don't give up. Your doing great!

sowski143 · #3 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 02:40 PM

Hey Shutterbug!

Don't give up! I am no expert, but I plateau at 215# every single time I try to lose weight. Normally, you need to change up your work out routine because your body is getting used to your routine every day.

Also, muscle weighs more than fat! You are gaining muscle and losing fat, but bc muscle weighs more, it may seem like you aren't losing any weight. Check your body fat percentage, it's probably way lower than when you started! Good job, keep it up!

Scrabblechick · #4 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 03:19 PM

This sounds counter-intuitive, but I've found it to be effective. Increase your calorie intake by about 10 percent for a couple of days, then cut back to where you were. This has the effect of "fooling" the body, which has perhaps decided it's going into starvation mode and therefore must hang on to every little ounce. Just a few extra calories for a couple of days is often enough to convince the old metabolism that famine is not imminent and therefore it's OK to continue losing weight.

Don't do it for more than a couple of days, though. It could become a habit! LOL.

Yes, and only weigh yourself once a week. Definitely a good idea.

RobiJo · #5 (**permalink**) 05-05-2008, 03:59 PM

Definitely try to switch up your workout. You could also try adding 10 more minutes to your time on the treadmill. They are right about the muscle weighing more, and it could be the reason for your plateau. Good Luck.

Lulika · #6 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 04:42 AM

I know what you are going through, this happened to me too. I was losing alot of weight fast and my doctor told me it would plateau and it did. For two weeks it was so frustrating, exercising and dieting with no weight loss! Aaaagh!
So I wrote about it here and alot people gave me the tips that you read above and it works! Definately change your exercise routine. I now do an hour 5 times a week, but I started at 30 mins. Also, eat a little more and your body wont go into starvation mode and keep losing. But more than anything, dont give up...its a little bump in the road and you are doing so well!

BrianSCohen · #7 (**permalink**) 05-06-2008, 07:53 AM

Don't fret too much about a plateau, it happens all the time. You need to change some things around as others have mentioned. Make sure you have accurately accounted for calories, if you have restricted too much your body may have paniced and slowed your metabolism down. Don't do that, that is why the suggestion to up the calories a bit.

You might try a week of very low carb, that can restart loss.

Remember that as you lose weight your caloric needs drop, so what was a calorie level to lose weight 2 months ago may not be right for you now.

And remember, as has been mentioned, you are now exercising. If you have not exercised much before you may very well build muscle. That can result in weight gain, despite continuing to lose fat. That is a GOOD thing.