I have hit the weight-loss plateau in my work out routine. What do I do?

Question

So my workout routine is this- 30 min of cardio (usually eliptical at 230 watts) m-f and then I alternate muscle groups daily, but I lift weight for another 30 min. On saturdays, I attend a body pump class. During my cardio, I burn between 450 and 500 calories, and I sweat like crazy. I don't want to increase my cardio more than 150 min a week, because personal trainers have advised me not to. I try to work abs a little bit everyday. I am doing a lower calorie diet (1500-1700 a day), and I try to eat something every 2 or 3 hours to keep my metabolism up. I lost 20lbs in 2 months, and now I can't seem to loose any more weight. I want to loose weight naturally (meaning I don't take weight-loss supplements) so I just stick to a daily multi-vitamin. I only want to loose like 2 lbs a week or so, and not much more. So what should I do to start loosing weight again?? I'm stuck... Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! :)

Ok, some things I forgot... I turn 21 this month, and I already eat alot of fresh fruits and vegatables, and alot of chicken breast because of the low fat and high protein content.

Answer 1

You are on the right track. I don't have time to explain everything in detail, but the following is my standard answer for people who want to lose weight in a healthy way. Read on!.
*If want to get fit and/or lose weight, here's my Weight Loss Program through Body Building and Nutrition. It works! First, drop the scales for a couple of weeks. Don't think about the number. Focus on how you feel and look. DON'T use Diet Pills. They are bad for you. Most of them are just a scam or they are addictive. Counting calories is a pain in the neck. It will drive you nuts. But, losing weight is simple. You just have to do the right things.
*(If you are older and have not exercised in many years you should see your doctor and have a stress test done to be sure your heart is ok before starting this program. Also, walking eveyday is a good lifelong
practice.)
*Fad diets sometimes work but, you can be sure that at least 25% of the weight you lose will be muscle. Then when you stop the diet you will gain back all of the weight you lost but no muscle. So, you will have 25% more fat than you did before! Fad diets just aren't worth the bother.
*Fasting or skipping meals will teach your body that famine is common in your world and your body will begin to store more fat to get you through the next period when food is not available. It's better to eat healthy foods often to teach your body that food is plentiful and that
there is no need to store calories as fat. Eat a vegetablw or frui every two hours.
*Here's a simple trick that can help you lose weight without doing anything else. Drink a litre of water as soon as you wake up in the morning and then drink two more throughout the day. You'll notice a difference the first month.
*Here's another trick that works. For every pound of muscle that you add, your body will burn 3000 calories (1lb) of fat every day. That means that just by having an extra pound of muscle on your body you will burn a pound of fat every day! So, add muscle!
*This is the fastest way to add a pound of muscle. Squats and Pushups!
You do them on alternate days; squats one day, pushups the next. And you do them SuperSlow style. That is, you do the easy part twice as slow as the hard part. That way you fatigue the muscles quickly. Then you rest the muscles for 48 hours which gives the body a chance to make new
muscles.
*Squats should be done with a wide stance and all the way to the floor. Pushups the with palms shoulder width apart and all the way to the floor, then all the way up. Use the full range of motion of the muscle group you are trying to develop. If you are too weak to do pushups, try them with your knees on the floor or do them with your feet on the floor and your hands an the bed.
*The idea is to tire the muscles out completely so do a set of squats until you can't do another, then rest for a couple of minutes and do it again. Do that 3 times and you're done for the day. The following day, don't do squats but do pushups. Do them the same way, going down twice as slow as you come up.
*You will lose weight fast, unless you add more junk food and fat to your diet. Instead, eat at least 5 to 7 different raw vegetables and fruits every day. Cut out anything that comes in a bag, box, can, bottle or any kind of package. In other words, cut out all processed foods, soft drinks and sweets. Eat more grains and less red meat. Check out the Food Pyramid.
*If you really want to give your body the best possible chance to be healthy and fat free, go to infinity2.com and order their weight loss formula and Essentials for Life. That will give you all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and probiotics that your body needs and will keep you feeling better and healthier. They also have a Proteabolic Mass Formula for serious athletes who want to build muscle mass quickly and
safely. It's pure nutrition and no drugs.
*Weight loss without exercise is not good. You need to eat healthy, exercise and get your rest. You will feel better, look better and be healthier. Try it for a week or two. You will notice a difference. You will feel better and that will motivate you to continue.
*Losing weight only in specific areas of the body is impossible. You can't just lose weight around the belly, for instance. So, if you want tight, rippled abs, do crunches and leg raises every other day the way I described above.
*One last point, stretching is essential for a number of reasons. Pick up a copy of ''Stretching'' by Bob Anderson. Read the intro and understand his reasoning before you do the exercisis. Good luck!
*This information is based on my personal and professional experience. *Check these links:
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index_e.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_guide_pyramid
http://www.infinity2.com Sponsor ID 3290988

Answer 2

When weight loss plateaus it's because the body is making internal changes to accomodate the weight that has already been lost. Try to be patient. You're doing everything right. It's just a necessary part of the process. 20 pounds in 2 months is a significant weight loss adjustment.

If you want to change your workouts, you can increase your cardio intensity. It doesn't take added time, just a few higher intensity intervals during your regular workout. I find they make the time pass faster. After 7-10 minutes warming up on the elliptical trainer, "sprint" by increasing your incline and/or resistance for 1-2 minutes. Recover at your regular intensity for 3 times the length of your "sprint." Repeat this sequence until you reach the 25 minute mark, leaving yourself with 5 minutes to cool down.

Sprinting intervals may jump start your cardio and weight loss, or they might just ramp up your calorie burning. Either way it should help your frustration at your plateau.

I'm a fitness trainer.

Answer 3

I found the book to be very informative and easy to read.

I've lost 17 pounds in 12 days, I'm just concerned that I'm losing too much weight, too quickly. I will admit I haven't followed the guide exactly. I'm not sticking perfectly to the listed foods and meal plans (but mostly) and doing very little exercise, but the weight keeps flying off.

It clearly works and if I'd followed it exactly I think it would scare the living daylights out of me because of the amount that I'd lose. So thanks again for the information. I've never purchased anything like this before because they are usually full of trash, but 3WD has been a pleasant surprise.

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Answer 4

This JUST happened to me! and it turns out the plateau will pass! just wait it out - continue the awesome schedule you have of workouts and it will start going down again. A plateau can last anywhere from a week to 3 weeks. just be patient. the reason the plateau occurs is your body adjusting to it's weight loss! I talked to a nutritionist who explained this to me. And sure enough my plateau ended and my weight loss continued. And you can reach another plateau later as well if you lose more weight. so be patient, keep doing what you are doing - and you will be fine.

Answer 5

Varying your workouts are your best option. If you do an elliptical most of the time, skip that and use a treadmill at varying speeds or try a cycling/spinning class. Make sure you are eating the best foods to lose the weight by using a food diary and giving that to your trainer. Good luck and remember it took months to put the weight on and it will take that much more to take it off.

Answer 6

Plateau's are so annoying, I feel for you. You're doing everything right already. All you can do it wait it out. You don't want to cut your calories anymore because you're too active and need that many to function. You don't want to go against the advice of your trainer either. Just be patient and congradulate yourself for the progress you've already made. As long as you're not gaining back, you're doing well in my book. Also, muscle weighs more than fat. Keep that in mind when you stand on the scale.

Answer 7

forget about how many calories are burned during cardio it's a waste of time. focus on increasing the distance traveled each cardio session if only by .1 mile. if you constantly increase the amount of "work" that is performed each training session in the same amount of time you will increase your cardio vascular endurance. by increasing your cardio vascular endurance you increase the VO2max which ultimately will allow you to exercise at a higher level of intensity. the greater the intensity of exercise the greater the increase in the resting metabolic rate hours after exercise is performed.

warm up with cardio for 10-15 minutes do your 30 minutes of weight training then finish up with another 45 minutes of cardio.

Answer 8

2 and 1 2 hours bowling

Answer 9

Do 45 minutes cardio workouts a few times a week

Answer 10

You should do further diet modification. Take your diet a step further by further reducing your simple carbohydrate intake and increase your lean protein intake. Eat more raw fruits and vegetables. Drink at least 2.2 liters of pure water. If you make these changes you should be able to take your body to the next level.