How do I break the weight loss barrier?

vibe666

that's the story. I keep starting with the best of intentions, and I can lose about a stone, but then it all stops.

I'm going to the gym 3 times a week, so I'm getting my excercise, and I'm eating properly. I've tried weightwatchers and various other diets, as well as just general healthy eating, but I just gert stuck. then I get depressed and only a big dirty burger and lots of other junk can fix that (and then another one), and before you know it I'm back to where I started, or worse.

this is the 3rd time this year I've dropped a stone, and I'm getting fed up again, as I just hit that barrier again in the last few days.

how can I get past it?

thanks.

Mr E

What weight are you after you lose the stone?

kazzer

Hi Vibe,

I think you need to pace yourself. Weight loss when done properly (fat loss), takes a long time. By pacing yourself I mean set yourself regular goals something like "For the next two weeks I will do all my training sessions and will follow my diet as planned - then I will take Friday night and Saturday off to eat what I want"

By doing this your planning when you will allow junk food and this helps to avoid binging - something which destroys momemtum and confidence and also racks up the calories big time!

I find this type of cycle helps achieve fitness goals.


Good luck with it

vibe666

TmB wrote:

What weight are you after you lose the stone?

20st after losing the stone, but I am 6'5", so I'm not like I'm a 20st hobbit. it's a lot easier to carry the weight when you're taller. that said I was 15st when I was 18 (28 now). I know I'm never going to be that weight again, but I'd like to hit 17 something, I think I could be happy at that weight.

as for the being good thing, I've been following the weightwatchers thing (as has my girlfriend) and we've not been over our points for the last 4 weeks, even at weekends, which traditionally for us has been a bad time for slip ups.

we've been to the gym 3 times a week for that time too, and tbh we've been getting a bit light headed (and grumpy) from the lack of extra food our bodies are used to.

and yet we both seem to hit this barrier after losing a stone.

dudara

In any effort to lose weight, you will hit a barrier after a while, and it can be discouraging. I lost two stone recently, to bring me to 10 stone from 12. The first stone came off relatively easily, but the last half stone was effort. I lost weight through exercise and an Atkins approach.

One of the things that kept me going was allowing myself a bag of chips once a week. Otherwise, I stuck to the diet.

Don't get discouraged and allow yourself treats here and there, rather than abandoning the diet completely. Don't see the treats as forbidden food that you feel guilty about eating, but rather as things you've earned.

secret_squirrel

What kind of program are you following in the gym? Make sure you have a good mixed program of cardio and weights.
Do you have an instructor? If so let them know and see if they can come up with a better program for you.

Boru.

Hi vibe666,

You probably have been doing better than you think! If you've been losing weight and then hitting a wall, it's possible that you are still losing weight but that at the same time also developing lean muscle tissue, and that weighs heavier than fat. As such your body fat may be decresing and muscle mass increasing leading to a lack of change on the scales.

Weight watchers is a great programme. As are many others but it all boils down to a very simple equation; if you take in less calories than you burn you will lose weight.

The guideline is a 1lb a week is good. And weight loss should be a gradual thing. However if you want to truly keep that weight off I suggest heavy resistance training. 1 lb of fat = 3kcals, 1 lb of lean muscle = 75kcals to sustain. Essentially, the more lean muscle tissue the more calories you burn! Even while you sleep!

Also if you have a trainer talk to them about the RICE Diet. It's a medically prescribed diet for hip replacement patients. Essentially it corrects the bloating of the stomach prevelant in common society and reduces the amount of food taken into the body to feel full. It takes about two weeks and on average you can expect ot lose up to 14 lbs. Granted that contraindicates the guidelines, but it is a safe and effective program with a fully balanced diet.

In the meantime try and divide your current meals into six maller ones through out the day, every 3-4 hours. This increases thermogenesis and increases your bodies metabolisim hence burning calories quicker.

I could write all day on this. Sorry about the long post but hopefully its been helpful. If you need any more information on any of the toipics mentioned just shout.

Roddy23

Hi Boru,
If its possible could you write some more of your helpful ways to lose weight.
I am 6"2 but weigh 18st, while I know i am not overly fat, I am still a little bulky, I have tried doing weights to become more toned, but now I have decided that I would rather lose the weight instead of turning it into muscle. This is becaue a lot of my older relations have heart difficulties now, and they took similiar paths to me when they were growing up i.e. they were big lads. Nice1 mate.

rainglow

vibe666 wrote:

we've been to the gym 3 times a week for that time too, and tbh we've been getting a bit light headed (and grumpy) from the lack of extra food our bodies are used to.

and yet we both seem to hit this barrier after losing a stone.

I've lost over a stone on WW (I'm only 9st so it was over 10% of my body weight when I started) and I've also worked in a gym so I know a few tricks about the two.

One vital thing about WW is that you really should eat every last point worth of food. For arguments sake, if you have 18 a day and you eat less than 14 points for a few days running, you throw your body into starvation mode and it begins to store fat. You should always be within 4 points of your upper limit.

If you're earning bonus points for exercise you should only use 50% of them for eating or drinking extra. This is unless you're training for a marathon or something when you would really need the extra calories.

So many people in the gym where I was working complained that nothing was coming off, but when I watched them work out they were just ambling along and barely breaking a sweat. You HAVE to push yourself. Not to the point of injury but you have to keep your heart rate elevated for at least 20 minutes and preferably more. After 20 minutes your body starts depleting your fat stores instead of using the food in your system. I'd recommend interval training on a treadmill (x-trainer or bike also work). Break a time interval e.g. 5 minutes down into walking (recovery), jogging, and running. I did 1 minute walking, 3 minutes jogging and 1 minute sprinting and it made a world of difference to my weight loss.

If your gf is close to her ideal weight that may be why she is finding it difficult; those last few are always hard to shift.

Boru.

Hi Roddy23,

No problem. I be delighted to help out. However I don't like giving out generic "everybody do this and you'll be fine" advice. The best way to get results is to be specific. As such could you provide me with a few more details about yourself? What exercise do you like to do? What don't you like? Hate treadmills etc. Do you do any exdercise at the moment, any injuries, what's your diet like, equipment you have access to etc.

If you can do this I'd appreciate it. In the mean time while your thinking about this decide on a few definite goals! There is nothing better than deciding exactly what you want and seeing it written down. It's positive, reinforcing and most importantly it allows you to know where you stand and take definite action! Once you know where your'e going you know what might stop you. Do you have the time, are you exhausted after work/study, will you need constant motivation or once you put your mind to it do you see it through to the end...once problems like these are identified then it's much easier to overcome them. I know it seems cliche but it does work.

Once I get these details I'll be able to provide you with some specific information that you can incoporate into your lifestyle and be ble to provide with useful information as opposed to inadequate generalisations.

7mountpleasant

I used to way 15 and a half stone.One of the lads told me about a book called the "Abs Diet". Its not really a diet book and it is written by the editor os Mens Health. Outstanding it really is very good. I am now a good bit under 14stone and still going. I know of one other person who got the book and he is doing pretty well also. It is not about fad dieting or anything it is about excercising and eating smart and I would seriously seriously recommend it.

Cosworth

Hi Vibe

I was in a similar situation to yourself,I'm 24 and i am 6ft3" and used to weigh 20st.I was allways on diets and losing a stone and then back worse than when i started.
Earlier this year after years of being overweight but carrying it well i decided to change,I started excercising in the gym 3-4 times a week and totally change my eating habbits.
Before i would eat anything i wanted at anytime of the day,but now i have a proper breakfeast,lunch and dinner.
I also eat plenty of fruit each day and drink plenty of water,i'm not saying it is that easy because it is not,it is one of the hardest things i have ever done,but will power and the want to lose the weight is 50% of the battle.

As someone said in another post follow the diet and the excercise plan for a week and then treat yourself as you will end up gorging on junk food if you deny yourself the foods you love.
This week i followed my diet for 7 days and had a takeaway and a few beers on saturday night and now i'm back on the diet and gym until friday night as i am going to a party.
i found this a great help but the trick is not to do it every week and to know when enough of a treat is a treat.
I now weigh 13st 13lb and have nevr felt better,i went shopping for new clothes last week and that was one of the best feelings ever,buying t-shirts in a medium instead of hunting around for xxl is an amazing feeling.
Good luck with it,i always tought it was impossible but now i know it isn't.

Gary.

Boru.

Hi Cosworth,

Congratulations! Its always great to hear stories like that! People can get so discouraged when they are starting out. It's hard work as you point out, but the hardsest part is sticking with it.

7mountpleasant,

I saw the Ads Diet advertised and was really tempted to buy it for one of my reviews, but then I realised something...The Rock endorsed it! It has to be good.

rainglow,

great info on Weight Watchers! Your exactly right. It's the same way I went about it. Most people don't realise that though, and end up taking in too little points and start storing fat.

Seraphina

rainglow wrote:

I watched them work out they were just ambling along and barely breaking a sweat. You HAVE to push yourself.

i see this in the gym all the gym, loads of girls in their velour tracksuit bottoms ambling along on the treadmill next to one another chatting away.
thats not a freakin workout!

what annoys me is half the time they're skinnier than me anyway, even though im putting in 10 times the effort!

Blisterman

Boru. wrote:

Hi vibe666,

Also if you have a trainer talk to them about the RICE Diet. It's a medically prescribed diet for hip replacement patients. Essentially it corrects the bloating of the stomach prevelant in common society and reduces the amount of food taken into the body to feel full. It takes about two weeks and on average you can expect ot lose up to 14 lbs. Granted that contraindicates the guidelines, but it is a safe and effective program with a fully balanced diet.

Do you have a link to where I could find information on this diet? I'm about 14lbs over what I'd like to be. (Middle of safe body fat bracket).

tribble

WHY ARE ALL THE GUYS HERE 6ft+

I feel like a shortarse.

seamus

tribble wrote:

WHY ARE ALL THE GUYS HERE 6ft+

I feel like a shortarse.

Most guys overestimate their height by 1-2 inches. I'm 5'11" and the majority of men I know are my height or maybe one inch bigger. So overestimation brings them above 6ft

logic1

seamus wrote:

Most guys overestimate their height by 1-2 inches. I'm 5'11" and the majority of men I know are my height or maybe one inch bigger. So overestimation brings them above 6ft

You're confusing height with penis size

.logic.

seamus

logic1 wrote:

You're confusing height with penis size

.logic.

seamus wrote:

I'm 11"

I wish I was logic1

logic1

seamus wrote:

I wish I was logic1

I know, alot of people wish they were me.

.logic.

Scubachick

vibe666 wrote:

I can lose about a stone, but then it all stops...I just get stuck.

Vibe666, well done for losing all that weight this year. I know what its like, when I have been trying so hard, getting weighed at WW and then to be told that I didn't lose anything. It can be so depressing. However, every now and then it happens, but remember that with two steps forward and one back you still get there in the end!
If you reach a plateau in your weightloss where nothing seems to be coming off, despite your best efforts you should try increasing your level of exercise. You should ask the instructors at your gym to re-assess you and do a new programme - that's why you pay all thoses fees! Also, if you are on WW your alotted points will reduce as you reduce your weight. Keep an eye on this.

Stark

Try something new. Maybe increase your protein/fat(preferably unsaturated)/fiber intake at the expense of your refined starch/sugar intake (not all calories are made equally). Try resistance training. Switch from coffee/black tea to green tea.

seamus wrote:

Most guys overestimate their height by 1-2 inches. I'm 5'11" and the majority of men I know are my height or maybe one inch bigger. So overestimation brings them above 6ft

It might depend on the time of the day you "measure yourself" too. People shrink by about an inch or so as the day goes by as cartilage gets compressed by being on your feet. Measuring myself at night, I'm a bit over 5' 6", in the morning I'm a good bit over 5'7".