Plateau

Crooked Jack

Ahoy hoy.
So about a year ago i decided to try and get rid of my gut and tits (I'm a fella.)
I dropped three stone (though still cant seem to get rid of the belly and boobs) after a while but for the past three months I seem to have hit a plateau.
Im stuck around the 14 stone mark, slightly under if i make a ferocious effort, slightly over if I have a heavy week on the booze (just back from holiday) but no matter what I do i cant seem to get any lower.
I try to watch what I eat and hit the gym 2-3 times a week, going running any night im not at the gym (except weekends.)
Anyone any idea on why i cant get lower or what I can do for that final push towards something resembling a male physique?

Einhard

I hit a bit of a plateau earlier in the summer, and decided to fast. I went 90 hours the first week, and about the same the next and lost almost a stone. It wasn't nearly as hard as I had expected. No food at all. Drank nothing but tea, coffee, water, and the occasional sip of milk. You could fast one day, eat the next alternatively.

Also, have you given up drink? I know from experience that giving up drink for a period of time can have a great impact on getting rid of fat.

Crooked Jack

I havent quite given up but I've cut way way down.
Hmm, not sure about the fasting as I like to be active, cant imagine running round the roads after not having eaten for a few days.
But thanks for the input. Much appreciated.

anthony4335

It is a pain in the rear, however I have been lucky so far that my weight loss plateau's last for a couple of weeks, then loose a couple of kilo then plateau repeat that 3 times in the last 2 months. I would suggest giving up the beer for a small while and change up both the eating and exercise routines .

Crooked Jack

A friend of mine suggested changing my routine as well. He said your body can get used to it and cheat itself.
This sounded like madness to me, was he right?

gerryg80

Crooked Jack wrote: »

A friend of mine suggested changing my routine as well. He said your body can get used to it and cheat itself.
This sounded like madness to me, was he right?

I find goals in terms of weight loss can be quite frustrating. Maybe look at performance goals instead, i.e. run 5 miles in 30 minutes / new pb in squat/bench/deadlift within the next 6 weeks etc.

Sounds like the weekends are setting u back each time. ie training like mad all week, is just offsetting what you get up to at the weekend.

Crooked Jack

gerryg80 wrote: »

I find goals in terms of weight loss can be quite frustrating. Maybe look at performance goals instead, i.e. run 5 miles in 30 minutes / new pb in squat/bench/deadlift within the next 6 weeks etc.

Sounds like the weekends are setting u back each time. ie training like mad all week, is just offsetting what you get up to at the weekend.

its not like i go on a mad binge on the weekend. I just dont do much exercise because I go to see the girlfriend. She lives two hours away and I only get to see her at the weekend so i cant really piss off to the gym.
But thanks for the advice, i like the idea of setting goals, i'll try that (although 5 miles in 30 minutes may be a good bit out of my league)

KABLOOEY

Crooked Jack wrote: »

A friend of mine suggested changing my routine as well. He said your body can get used to it and cheat itself.
This sounded like madness to me, was he right?

Yes. What's your workout routine in the gym? If you're not doing any bodyweight exercises or compound weightlifting I think adding a mix of both would benefit you greatly.

Crooked Jack

KABLOOEY wrote: »

Yes. What's your workout routine in the gym? If you're not doing any bodyweight exercises or compound weightlifting I think adding a mix of both would benefit you greatly.

2 miles on cross trainer. 2 on the treadmill then three on the bike.
some weights then, im not sure what you call them, but i do 2x25 reps of 45kg on the thing where you lift it over your head. the same again with the dumbell things at 10kg each and then the same again at 30kg with the one where you push them out away from yourself.
Then rowing machine and that slider thing where you lift your knees to your chest and it feels like your doing sit ups.
As you can tell Im a bit of a moron when it comes to the gym and the staff at the one i go to dont really seem to know that much except how to operate the buttons on the treadmill

KABLOOEY

Perfect imo! If you were already doing tough workouts like the ones I mentioned I wouldn't have any idea what to advise besides mixing up your diet to see if it has any effect. However, I'd be pretty confident if you started doing compound lifts twice or three times a week you'll notice changes. You'll burn more fat and reshape your body. The compound lifts are squat, deadlift and bench. You can start practicing the form for squats with just your bodyweight. Look up videos on youtube. Give benching a go next time you're in the gym with just the bar (usually 20kg). For the deadlift I would ask someone at the gym to show you the basics but also watch vids on youtube so you have some idea.

Give these lifts a go for a week or 2 and see what differences you notice. Keep the diet the same and I'd be surprised if you weren't losing weight.

neil_hosey

KABLOOEY wrote: »

Perfect imo! If you were already doing tough workouts like the ones I mentioned I wouldn't have any idea what to advise besides mixing up your diet to see if it has any effect. However, I'd be pretty confident if you started doing compound lifts twice or three times a week you'll notice changes. You'll burn more fat and reshape your body. The compound lifts are squat, deadlift and bench. You can start practicing the form for squats with just your bodyweight. Look up videos on youtube. Give benching a go next time you're in the gym with just the bar (usually 20kg). For the deadlift I would ask someone at the gym to show you the basics but also watch vids on youtube so you have some idea.

Give these lifts a go for a week or 2 and see what differences you notice. Keep the diet the same and I'd be surprised if you weren't losing weight.

Just to reaffirm what he is saying OP. I started a compound exercise routine about 2 months ago to drop weight ( i lifted weights a good bit a few years ago but since got fat! ), and have lost alomst 10Kgs so far, with this and a small amount of cardio. It is brilliant. I include in extra compounds like bent over rows and overhead press with the olympic bar.

Crooked Jack

Brilliant, I'll give that a go. Thanks for the advice everyone