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Mark S.
Mark S. Sendmail

Weight Loss

posted 10 months ago | Report

Argh! I've hit just past the 20# lost for the 2nd time now, but I always seem to plateau at this point, thus discouraging me and causing me to back off the training, ultimately causing me to start gaining it back :(...any suggestions for pressing through this??? Anyone else have this? I've upped my game by pedaling MORE miles, eating LESS crap (pretty much all crap is GONE!) and running more, added some weight training, and STILL can't shake it! I'm sure some patience is all it's gonna take, but dang...

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  • Joe H.
    Joe H. Sendmail

    have you looked at your body fat %? also do you track your calories in vs. calories burned in exercise? that usually helps me

    posted 10 months ago

  • Robin A.
    Robin A. Sendmail

    Mark, good job! I am trying to knock 15 lbs off which occured during my 'couch potato' stent of nearly 2 years while trying to recover from a back injury. I've gotten 10 lbs. off and STOPPED...the only thing I know do it is what you are doing - eat healthy (outside isles of the market), but don't cut back so much that your body is in starvation mode and don't slack on your portein.....and keep moving!!! Our bodies are hard to get to budge sometimes, but I think if you just keep on keeping on that one day you will see a downward movement! Great job so far, and best of luck!!! FR sent, too - maybe we can motivate each other!

    posted 10 months ago

  • Mark S.
    Mark S. Sendmail

    I do track Calories for sure, I'm not so much tracking body fat %'s though, I'm simply overweight, so I know the %'s need to go down!!! Thanks for the advice!

    posted 10 months ago

  • Mark S.
    Mark S. Sendmail

    Thanks Robin, yes, indeed it's pretty much 100% foods from the outside isles, great advice! I'm going to keep pressing onward, I'll get there!

    posted 10 months ago

  • Johnny N.
    Johnny N. Sendmail

    More info? What's your current weight and how many calories are you eating? It might sound counter-intuitive, but you may need to eat more calories in order to lose more weight. This is if you're eating too few calories and/or exercising too much.

    posted 10 months ago

  • Robin A.
    Robin A. Sendmail

    I agree, Johnny - eating too few of calories pushes the body in to starvation mode and makes it hang on to fat for fear of needing it to sustain. I also think lean protein is very key when exercising hard.

    posted 10 months ago

  • Robin A.
    Robin A. Sendmail

    Great...and, yes you will!!! I caved and ate a whole steak Saturday night (had not had red meat in so long), but went right back to the fruit/veggies and lean protein....I think it's okay to slip sometimes, but the most important part is what you do the rest of the 99%! Keep it up...we will whip our personal challenges I'm sure!!! =)

    posted 10 months ago

  • David R.
    David R. Sendmail

    You might not like my answer, but here goes....
    My wife lost 70lbs last year, and still has about another 40 to goal. This initially got started with a diagnosis of diabetes by her doc. But he gave her a choice - major diet change or a handful of scrips. So, out went all meat and fish for starters. All meat has close to the same fat content. Fish can be higher yet. And, there are more efficient ways to get better quality protein. Next....dairy and eggs. The fat and cholesterol in eggs is ridiculous, milk actually (even with the added calcium) has a negative calcium content. And the fat in cheese...YIKES! And we don't cook with oil. Add more whole grains to the mix and there you have it.
    I ended up losing 50 lbs, moving from a non-committal runner to working on marathon, no longer have allergy problems (unless you count an occassional moment). Neither of us count calories or measure our food. In fact, my wife jokes about the quantity of food I can eat at times. And yes, if I eat the wrong stuff I do put weight on in the wrong spots. But at currently 14% body fat, I am not complaining.
    So....I know not everyone is willing to make the switch, but even going a 'less legs' approach may be worth a try.

    posted 10 months ago

  • Melissa J.
    Melissa J. Sendmail

    non-expert weighing in - have you tried switching up activities? give your body a shock (in a good way) and try something new that challenges your body in a completely different way than cycling or running. thought about rock climbing or rollerblading? maybe try a new sport like basketball, boxing, hockey or soccer. whatever you choose, don't worry about being good at it - just do it and add it in to the mix of the stuff you're already doing. keep up the clean eating - i'm a big fan of eating all natural foods - everything is on the table as long as its not processed and i can identify the origin (peaches that come from a tree - not a processing plant). This might get you past that plateau.

    Also, don't forget to have fun while doing said activities - laughing burns calories too :)

    posted 10 months ago

  • Mark S.
    Mark S. Sendmail

    Incredible responses, thanks everyone...
    I've done tons of diet changes, though do still have eggs and meats in rather low quantities, but maybe cutting that even further will be just what that takes!

    David, do you have any favorite meals? I'm constantly looking for tasty foods that fit in a diet like you're eating...I'm pretty flexible, but I also cut out cooking with oil, eat very little cheese, and don't do much dairy...needing some healthy meal options / where you look for new ideas?

    Thanks for all the replies, it's reassuring that I'm *pretty much* on the right path!

    posted 10 months ago

  • Michelle M.
    Michelle M. Sendmail

    I've been using myfitnesspal.com to log my calories eaten. I have lost a significant amount of weight twice now: 60 lbs in 2002/03 (pre-children) and 30 lbs since January of this year (post-children). Both times I've really upped my running mileage to get me there but the first time was a slog. I didn't eat enough. My running suffered and my weight loss was slow. This time around, I'm eating way more and the weight is coming off without any problems. Plus, I now know how much I burn in a day and can eat without a deficit just prior to racing, which helps me run like the wind compared to training on a reduced calorie diet. You're burning a WHOLE BUNCH of calories each week from your workouts. I hope you're eating a good many of those!

    I recommend you go here: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    Enter your age, weight, height and your workout level (you're at least 5-6 hours/week strenuous if not 7+ hours) and put a 15-20% calorie deficit as your goal and see what it says you should eat... these numbers are likely way higher than you're eating.

    posted 10 months ago

  • David R.
    David R. Sendmail

    A good resource for some easy recipes for weight loss or even maintenance is drmcdougall.com, he has recipes on there. Also link from there onto Jeff Novak's site. He is a dietician and has some good ideas for things on the fly. Most of all, I swear by the Post Punk Kitchen - theppk.com. It is the ultimate (we have 4 of their cookbooks) going from burgers to cashew cheese. My wife and I have a lot of our own inventions we use. Best of luck!

    posted 10 months ago

  • Joseph
    Joseph Sendmail

    .

    posted 10 months ago | edited 8 months ago

  • Mark S.
    Mark S. Sendmail

    Great! I'll be on the right track in no time...I'll definitely check out all these sites! Amazing to think that I may need to eat more to lose more...crazy thoughts that I never put together! Thanks everyone!

    posted 10 months ago

  • Les G.
    Les G. Sendmail

    .

    posted 10 months ago | edited 10 months ago

  • Les G.
    Les G. Sendmail
    in reply to what David R. said:You might not like my answer, but here goes.... My wife lost 70lbs last year, and still has about another 40 to goal. This initially got started with a diagnosis of diabetes by her doc. But he gave her a choice - major diet change or a handful of ... read more

    That is awesome! Congrats to you and your wife. I have lost 20 of 80 pounds that I need to lose.

    posted 10 months ago

  • Erik K.
    Erik K. Sendmail

    Not a professional by any means, but I think you might have a very different issue based on what I see in your profile - lack of rest. The big improvements in our bodies happen during recovery. I don't see a single day off in the last three weeks on your log. Add just one down day per week with no aerobic level or higher activity should improve your performance on other days and help you loose some more weight.

    posted 10 months ago

  • Bryan P.
    Bryan P. Sendmail

    Hi Mark!
    I have always had a super hard time losing weight. Even after completing a half-dozen marathons, I always ended up right around 192 lbs. and my running was slow.
    Then I heard about natural running form (The Pose method) for the first time and the results were dramatic. I was instantly 2:00 min/mile faster on all my runs, and was experiencing consistent weight loss for the first time and lost 40 lbs.. I did gain 10 lbs back during the off-season...but that's a huge difference from before.

    This year I haven't lost any weight, but I've gotten TOTALLY HOOKED on Evolution Running, the muscles in my legs are building up dramatically, so I'm definitely gaining muscle weight, and my times have dropped another 1:00 min/mile, so I'm totally confident that I'll drop another 20 lbls during the season.

    (Evolution Running is part of a triathlon series so they probably have some good stuff on cycling)

    Best of luck finding answers!

    posted 9 months ago

  • Chasidy R.
    Chasidy R. Sendmail

    Sounds like you are doing all the right things! Try adding in something different every time you do a workout to trick your body. Jumpping Rope, Cross Fit, Swimming, don't use the same machines at the gym. If you don't notice a difference just stick to it and it will eventually come off. Don't starve yourself.

    posted 9 months ago

  • Andrea P.
    Andrea P. Sendmail
    in reply to what Mark S. said:Incredible responses, thanks everyone... I've done tons of diet changes, though do still have eggs and meats in rather low quantities, but maybe cutting that even further will be just what that takes! David, do you have any favorite meals?... read more

    You need to eat however much/whatever makes you feel good, period. I don't really support the idea that animal products/fat is bad for you. Click the link to see why:
    http://www.foodrenegade.com/the-basics/

    I used to eat low fat and hardly any animal products, but once I switched over to the Real Food diet I've felt the healthiest I've ever felt!

    posted 8 months ago

  • Anna P.
    Anna P. Sendmail

    Sometimes too you have to totally switch up your workouts for a week or two to keep your body guessing =) I have the best luck when I do food combining. Noticed a difference in my belly in just THREE days when I ate that way!

    Anna
    Anna
    homeschooling mom of 5 in NE
    fitgirlwannabe.blogspot.com

    posted 8 months ago

  • Berae
    Berae Sendmail

    You might not be eating enough! I've definitely experienced a weight plateau putting my body in starvation mode before on diets with rigorous exercise. It's important to eat on a regular schedule (every 3-4 hours or so) so that your glucose and insulin levels remains stable and so that your body can learn that food is not scarce, meaning it's okay to release some of the fat it's stored away for starvation situations.

    posted 8 months ago

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