Trying to lose weight, but stuck on a plateau
 

About three years ago I had that come-to-Jesus moment when I stepped on the hospital scale, and was too heavy for it. After moving to a larger scale, I saw I was 370 pounds. I started walking every day, eating healthier food and started dropping some weight. I got back on the bike about a year later, when I'd started to plateau about 325 pounds. But after two years of daily bike commutes (I ditched my car), regular walking (about 7,000-10,000 steps a day) and healthier eating I'm still stuck within five pounds of 325.

I'm glad I'm not gaining any more weight, but I wouldn't mind getting down about the 230-240 range. I'm 6-foot-1 with a large frame, so I think that would be a comfortable weight for me. I have Type 2 diabetes, so losing weight will help me control my glucose numbers (which are starting to slip, my a1c has gone from 5.6 to 6.3 in recent months). I keep a food diary and track steps with a pedometer (my bike ride doesn't register, though), and I don't see any major changes from when I was dropping weight and now. I also work for a health organization, so I have easy access to doctors, diabetes educators, nutritionists and other health professionals. My total cholesterol is great (HDL could be higher), and blood pressure is on the low/normal side.

Does anybody have any suggestions on how to kick-start another round of weight loss? I do bike commute during the winter, even though we get a lot of freezing rain that results in glare ice, and our island only has about 14 miles of road.

Since your weight is not dropping, you need to eat less. Its not just healthier eating, it is total intake. And if with your current activity level you are maintaining, then you either have to eat less, or exercise more. Sounds like your exercise level is already good, so the only other choice is eat less.

With the diary you are keeping, it should be easy to identify a target as far as how much less to eat. One pound = 3500 calories, so to lose a pound a week, thats 500 calories less per day...

Of course, you have access to experts, so ask them for expert guidance.

Go see a nutritionist, and take your food diary with you! wrk101 is right, less caloric intake, same amount of exercise = weight loss.

Look into the South Beach Diet. I suggest getting the book and reading it (the first portion that discusses the diet and how it works). I bet you'll see yourself in there. Considering you're already diabetic, I would discuss the diet with one of those health care professionals you mentioned before going onto the diet fully. I bet if you can stick with Phase I for the full two weeks, you'll lose enough weight to be encouraged. After the first two weeks, the diet eases up a bit so it's easier to stick with. I lost 70 lb. in 6 months on SBD in 2005, and I've lost 27 lb. on it since the last week in July when I restarted it. The diet really does address a lot of the issues that lead to diabetes.

When I train I eat very well. I will lose weight but in order to break any weight loss plateaus, I really have beyond comfort levels. Make sure your heart is in good shape then do intervals and some serious climbs. Many times I've felt like crying trying to go beyond, but it gets better. After you develope more strength and fitness, you'll be able to rise above comfort levels more often and with ease.

When I trained my daughter post prego, she swore she could not jump rope more than 10 times. I pushed her little by little past the comfort zones. Not long after she was jumping rope like a boxer. Gym trainers were approaching us during her workout with several compliments. Other gymrats would stroll by and say,"niiice"! Some would nice words like, "that's smooth". She was shoicked with the results!

It's great when you see big improvements in fitness. But it takes hardwork and some pushing beyond levels that one would think you can't surpass. It can be done and it works. Trouble is too many stand around whining with excuses why they can't!

There are the do-ers, and the whiners! I myself have done it. I can't count the times I've almost puked chasing 150 lb riders up 5,000ft climbs. Sometimes I win!:D Years ago, I never thought I'd complete a one mile hill!

Now ask yourself, "are you a baby?" or "do you want to DO IT?!"

That's the only way I've been able to lose max weight without going 'Olsen twins'!:D

How much water do you drink? Unless you're hydrated well not much is going to happen

John
320 or so lbs. down in the high 180's now.

I hit a plateau recently too. I started out at 220 and got stuck at 203-5 for two or three weeks. I lift at the gym 6 days a week and either run or cycle, sometimes both, 5 or 6 days a week. Runs are on average 3 miles and rides about an hour to an hour and a half. It definitely was not lack of exercise but eating too much and possibly not drinking enough water. I always ate if I was hungry, which is fine for maintaining weight but not for losing. Three days ago I had enough of still being over the 200 mark and ate less. Unfortunately hunger is a byproduct of losing weight. Don't starve yourself but really watch the portion size and drink water when you're not thirsty.

Today I weighed in at the gym at 198 but I was a bit dehydrated after a run. Progress at last. I got pretty tired about hearing people losing weight freakishly fast on diets when I wasn't losing anything. It's all calories in and calories out and getting your body what nutrients it needs. If you're not peeing clear most of the time you aren't getting enough water and that's also necessary. Try to get your daily vitamins and minerals from foods while maintaining a caloric intake that will enable weight loss. That'll really help you ensure you're eating healthy.

Hope that helps a little

I lost 35 lbs on my pre-op diet for weightloss surgery. My preop diet was 3 meal replacement ( 700 calories) and 300 calories of salad. Its supposed to put you into a ketosis diet, so I would drink plenty of water.

I do agree with the other guys, if you are stuck at 325, you are eating to much. Try 1 month on a calorie restricted diet. My doctor told me that what I eat is less important that how much I eat. keep in mind,I'd 380 so he's definitely just trying to get me to lose weight

Buy a food scale and start weighing your portions. You'll be surprised at how little a serving size is.

+1.

I tend to be bit drastic on myself.

Every so often I stop eating for a day or two. My max was 100 hours, but that was only once. Typically I go 60 hours with just water. What it does for me is shrinking my stomach - at least I think so - and after that I eat smaller portions. Being hungry is not bad:)

I know, that no doctor would approve this, but it works for me.

[QUOTE=SEARHC GUY;



Does anybody have any suggestions on how to kick-start another round of weight loss? I do bike commute during the winter, even though we get a lot of freezing rain that results in glare ice, and our island only has about 14 miles of road.[/QUOTE]

Ask a doctor to give you a Trial Dose of Armour Thyroid.
It has changed my life. It took 12 days to start working on me.

hehe.. Scrapmetal reminded me of a 6 1/2 day water fast that I did early this year. After going that long, the occasional hunger that I feel is nothing any more. Try it some time.

Remember that not all calories or carbs for that matter are the same. White bread, pasta, potatoes, etc... are all easily converted and stored by your body. While beans, even being high in starch and carbs, are more difficult to process and don't have nearly the impact. That really surprised me when I found that out. Keep a lowfat diet, ditch the bad carbs and you will overcome the plateau.

For the last 3 months I've exchanged fat for muscle (it clearly shows) but hit a flat spot in the mid 230's. My wife has been wanting to lose weight as well so we've gone on the south beach diet. I lost a lot of weight on Atkins a few years back (275 down to 218) and have kept it mostly off with some peaks and valleys in between and have found that the south beach diet is a lot easier to follow since it allows a wider variety of non Atkins types of food. Since starting on monday and while maintaining my riding schedule, I have already gotten into ketosis and am seeing some weight drop. I ride a hard 150 miles a week, eat healthy and modest meals, and also hit a plateau.

With fewer carbs available to convert into what the fat cells need and the body needing energy for my exercising it is starting to draw from fat reserves. I believe that my body initially draws from muscles too, but I've built enough in the last few months that i am not concerned about that.

So my advice in a nutshell. Drink lots of water. A lot of it. Avoid diet sodas altogether. Keep up the exercising. Cut out as many carbs as you can. Eat lean meats. And in a few weeks look back at the plateau behind you. Yes you will be hungry for that I drink more water.

Great progress and best of luck.

I am continually amazed at our bodies ability to adapt to whatever we throw at it. This is good and bad. Unfortunately, your body has adapted to what you are providing it. You sound like your are getting plenty of exercise, but if I understand your post correctly, you have not changed your exercise routine in well over a year. Your body has adapted to the amount of riding and walking that you are doing. You are going to have to jump start your exercise routine and your food intake. You need to try to change up what your doing. The easy way is to do more of it. Unfortunately, this does not fit in most of our schedules. That makes it necessary to do what you are doing but do it faster. This does not burn more calories while you are doing the activity, but it will help you to increase your metabolism throughout the day as your body rebuilds itself. You may also try some other types of activities.

This increased metabolism combined with some common sense replacements in your diet can do wonders. Look at each item that you eat and ask yourself is their something that is lower calorie and/or healthier that I could replace this item with. For example, my drinks have largely gone from Sweet Tea and Dr. Pepper to water with lime juice and crystal light. My ice cream has been replaced with fat free yogurt (for the time being anyway). It does not take many of those replacements to make a difference.

I heard recently (and anyone feel free to contradict this) that for each pound of weight that you lose your body needs 20 less calories per day to maintain that weight. I have lost 71 pounds his year, that means that the diet that would have dropped 2-3 pounds per week in January would now put me maintaining my weight. :(

Yes...your body needs a certain amount of calories to maintain its weight. When you lose weight, that maintenance level drops. If you start at 300 lbs, and eat enough to maintain yourself at 250, you'll lose weight to start with, but you won't drop below 250 without further reducing your calorie intake (or increasing your exercise level).

bakerjw: 6 and half days, that's quite significant. I started limit myself to 3 days after reading somewhere, that body starts to eat on muscle tissue after that time.