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Started By
Message
How to Break Through 2-Year Plateau
Posted on 2/28/24 at 11:35 am
Posted on 2/28/24 at 11:35 am
I have been stuck in a weight loss plateau for about 2 years now. I have been doing a good amount of reading on the H&F board and am looking for some advice on how to break through and move forward on weight loss.
Background
I’m in my late 30s and, like a lot of people, gained a ton of weight during COVID (little exercise, lots of driveway drinking, etc). In 2020 I hit my peak of 230 lbs and decided that was enough. I got back into running and doing some cardio programs and managed to drop about 20 lbs over the course of just about 2 years.
Now, I hover around 210 and have been for the past 2 years. I’ve tried tweaking exercise amounts/types and calorie intake, but nothing seems to work. I am eating approx. 2,000 calories per day with an avg 175g protein. I have cut out fast food and most red meat, alcohol is once a week happy hours with the guys (3-4 beers), and rarely have a Coke Zero (maybe once per month). I log and track everything obsessively and nearly each week I am slightly under or at my weekly caloric goal.
Here is some additional info:
Biometrics
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 210 avg
Body Fat: 25.8%
Caloric Info
TDEE Mainenance Calories per Day: 2,933 / 20,534 per Week
MyFitnessPal Calorie Goal: 2,000 Calories per Day / 14,000 per Week
Protein Goal: 160-200g per Day
Current Fitness
Running: average 20 miles a week
Weights: lifting about 3-4 days per week, 30 min per workout
Daily Steps: 10,000+ per day
Any thoughts on how to break through this plateau?
Also, the TDEE Mainintenace Calories of 2,933 seems excessively high -- if I'm eating 2,000 calories and keeping steady now, I would be huge if I ate 3,000 calories a day.
Background
I’m in my late 30s and, like a lot of people, gained a ton of weight during COVID (little exercise, lots of driveway drinking, etc). In 2020 I hit my peak of 230 lbs and decided that was enough. I got back into running and doing some cardio programs and managed to drop about 20 lbs over the course of just about 2 years.
Now, I hover around 210 and have been for the past 2 years. I’ve tried tweaking exercise amounts/types and calorie intake, but nothing seems to work. I am eating approx. 2,000 calories per day with an avg 175g protein. I have cut out fast food and most red meat, alcohol is once a week happy hours with the guys (3-4 beers), and rarely have a Coke Zero (maybe once per month). I log and track everything obsessively and nearly each week I am slightly under or at my weekly caloric goal.
Here is some additional info:
Biometrics
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 210 avg
Body Fat: 25.8%
Caloric Info
TDEE Mainenance Calories per Day: 2,933 / 20,534 per Week
MyFitnessPal Calorie Goal: 2,000 Calories per Day / 14,000 per Week
Protein Goal: 160-200g per Day
Current Fitness
Running: average 20 miles a week
Weights: lifting about 3-4 days per week, 30 min per workout
Daily Steps: 10,000+ per day
Any thoughts on how to break through this plateau?
Also, the TDEE Mainintenace Calories of 2,933 seems excessively high -- if I'm eating 2,000 calories and keeping steady now, I would be huge if I ate 3,000 calories a day.
This post was edited on 2/28/24 at 11:49 am
9
Posted on 2/28/24 at 11:38 am to FearTheFish
quote:
Also, the TDEE Mainintenace Calories of 2,933 seems excessively high -- if I'm eating 2,000 calories and keeping steady now, I would be huge if I ate 3,000 calories a day.
Yeah that doesn't sound right at all
I'd shave off 200 calories a day for a month to see if it makes a difference
Posted on 2/28/24 at 12:09 pm to FearTheFish
stop doing all that stupid arse running....lift weights with the priority of getting stronger using a proper program and lower the calories some
you are running 20 mils per week and are 25%+ bodyfat.....maybe, just maybe what you are doing doesnt work.
you are running 20 mils per week and are 25%+ bodyfat.....maybe, just maybe what you are doing doesnt work.
Posted on 2/28/24 at 12:26 pm to FearTheFish
Reverse diet. Might not be eating enough with all that activity and your metabolism has slowed to a crawl. Change something, carb cycle, psmf, cut running in half or double it, incline treadmill, something.
Posted on 2/28/24 at 2:44 pm to FearTheFish
Being a dick on here will get you less help.
That said… no way your maintenance is 2900 a day.
If you’re eating 2000 a day and not losing you have two options:
1) burn more calories each day
2) eat less calories each day
*if your protein is high that’s most important.
That said… no way your maintenance is 2900 a day.
If you’re eating 2000 a day and not losing you have two options:
1) burn more calories each day
2) eat less calories each day
*if your protein is high that’s most important.
This post was edited on 2/28/24 at 2:46 pm
Posted on 2/28/24 at 2:50 pm to FearTheFish
I am 5' 10" and I do this
and I weigh 30lbs less than you.
You arent tracking calories correctly and are eating more than you think.
quote:
Running: average 20 miles a week
Weights: lifting about 3 days per week, 50 min per workout
Daily Steps: 10,000+ per day
quote:
MyFitnessPal Calorie Goal: 2,000 Calories per Day / 14,000 per Week
Protein Goal: 160-170g per Day
and I weigh 30lbs less than you.
You arent tracking calories correctly and are eating more than you think.
Posted on 2/29/24 at 3:07 pm to FearTheFish
The truth is you arent eating 2000 calories every day. If you were at your size and activity level, youd be shedding weight quickly.
I think you probably need to honestly evaluate your diet and count your calories. If you are really prioritizing losing weight, the 3-4 beers(which is probably more) needs to become 1 splash of scotch...or better yet a diet coke.
Your protein seems fine but there is no reason to cut red meat unless you have some sort of specific health condition.
Ill take your activity level at your word, as you really have no reason to lie about that here. I think the main culprit is you are underestimating your weekly calories. You should not even be attempting to go under 2000 calories really. Id shoot for ~15000 calories a week.
I think you probably need to honestly evaluate your diet and count your calories. If you are really prioritizing losing weight, the 3-4 beers(which is probably more) needs to become 1 splash of scotch...or better yet a diet coke.
Your protein seems fine but there is no reason to cut red meat unless you have some sort of specific health condition.
Ill take your activity level at your word, as you really have no reason to lie about that here. I think the main culprit is you are underestimating your weekly calories. You should not even be attempting to go under 2000 calories really. Id shoot for ~15000 calories a week.
Posted on 2/29/24 at 5:34 pm to FearTheFish
Your running is probably using calories from the wrong metabolic source. If you are running hard and fast enough you are breathing heavy enough it would be difficult to carry on a conversation without struggling for breath then your body is anaerobic and burning stored muscle glycogen. Then when you get through running your brain signals your body to replenish the stored muscle glycogen and you feel hungry.
You need to be running below your lactate threshold. At that point where your body is mostly using oxidized fat for fuel. Running at this pace will feel very easy, almost like you aren't even working out.
LINK /
I don't know how your maintenance calories were calculated but when I started at 206lbs my target for weight loss was closer to 1500. Sub 1500 calories and lots of Zone 2 cycling had the weight coming off 1-2lbs a week on average. I cycle a lot so I would fuel for hard rides before the ride. But Zone 2 fat burning rides I didn't factor into my calorie count.
You need to be running below your lactate threshold. At that point where your body is mostly using oxidized fat for fuel. Running at this pace will feel very easy, almost like you aren't even working out.
LINK /
I don't know how your maintenance calories were calculated but when I started at 206lbs my target for weight loss was closer to 1500. Sub 1500 calories and lots of Zone 2 cycling had the weight coming off 1-2lbs a week on average. I cycle a lot so I would fuel for hard rides before the ride. But Zone 2 fat burning rides I didn't factor into my calorie count.
Posted on 2/29/24 at 6:09 pm to FearTheFish
Pretty much everyone's answers on here so far are correct. I'm just going to add that type of exercising you like to do should be the type you focus on. If you like to run, then run. If you like to lift, then lift. There's nothing wrong with doing both, but you need to set your priorities.
If you like to run and you want to lose weight and you aren't; then run more or eat less. Those are your options.
If you like to lift more and you want to lose weight; run less, lift more and decrease caloric intake. Focus on protein as others have said.
The truth is that running long distances on a sustained cardio level is catabolic to your body. Your body is going to make changes that make you a better runner. One of those changes is decreasing your muscle mass. The problem with this is that over time your muscle mass is what ultimately keeps your body burning calories. So people that like to run are going to be stuck with having to run, well pretty much forever, because they won't have the muscle mass to burn calories for them while at rest.
My advice to you; lift more, run less or do some type of sprinting. Interval sprints have been shown to have a huge impact on HGH levels. Which will burn body fat off of you. I give you that advice because that is my preference. I'd rather spend 6-7 hours a week in the gym than run for 30 minutes. I'll walk, ruck, or mountain bike for my cardio. If I'm doing sustained cardio, I try and keep my HR around 135 or lower.
Good luck
If you like to run and you want to lose weight and you aren't; then run more or eat less. Those are your options.
If you like to lift more and you want to lose weight; run less, lift more and decrease caloric intake. Focus on protein as others have said.
The truth is that running long distances on a sustained cardio level is catabolic to your body. Your body is going to make changes that make you a better runner. One of those changes is decreasing your muscle mass. The problem with this is that over time your muscle mass is what ultimately keeps your body burning calories. So people that like to run are going to be stuck with having to run, well pretty much forever, because they won't have the muscle mass to burn calories for them while at rest.
My advice to you; lift more, run less or do some type of sprinting. Interval sprints have been shown to have a huge impact on HGH levels. Which will burn body fat off of you. I give you that advice because that is my preference. I'd rather spend 6-7 hours a week in the gym than run for 30 minutes. I'll walk, ruck, or mountain bike for my cardio. If I'm doing sustained cardio, I try and keep my HR around 135 or lower.
Good luck
Posted on 3/1/24 at 11:12 am to FearTheFish
I’m no expert, but I think you need to look into catabolic vs anabolic exercise and the effects of each.
Seems like “eat less, move more” works within a given metabolic framework to lose weight over the short term, but then your body adjusts that metabolic framework so that a lower calorie intake is necessary to maintain body weight.
I think our lizard brains think it’s dumb to lose a ton of weight, so you’d have to go to real extremes to overcome that. Or at least I know a few people who eat very little but maintain their body weight.
Better off being jacked. Stress your body so that it thinks it needs to build muscle to survive, and then give it the building blocks to do that.
Seems like “eat less, move more” works within a given metabolic framework to lose weight over the short term, but then your body adjusts that metabolic framework so that a lower calorie intake is necessary to maintain body weight.
I think our lizard brains think it’s dumb to lose a ton of weight, so you’d have to go to real extremes to overcome that. Or at least I know a few people who eat very little but maintain their body weight.
Better off being jacked. Stress your body so that it thinks it needs to build muscle to survive, and then give it the building blocks to do that.
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