Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall

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2008-05-09 7:24 PM

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Subject: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall

After about 18 months of steady weight loss, I have hit a wall... much earlier than I had expected. I was about 260lbs when I really got serious, and I lost an average of 1.5 lbs per week until where I am now which is around 212 lbs. I've been training seriously again after a couple month lull while my family and went through a 7000 mile relocation. I lost the 10-12 lbs I gained during that time fairly easily, but here I am again.... staring at 211 one week, 213 the next, and 212 the next. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

I used the website www.myfooddiary.com to great success during my 45 lb loss. Unfortunately this calorie counting method has slowed greatly for me. I really concentrate on eating quality foods too. Lots of veggies, fruit, whole grains, and conservative amounts of lean meats, nuts, etc. I keep a close watch on protein, carbs, and fat intake. I have been training pretty hard (definitely not over-training) for the last 3 months, but I just can't seem to break this barrier. I've recently added weights more seriously so hopefully that will help some.

My 'ideal weight' for my height is 180 lbs, which I want to reach and never go over. Ideally, I would like to see 165-175 as a constant. Anyway, just wanted to vent a little bit and see if I can get some "you can do it" and "don't stop now" encouragement from you fine BT regulars. I would love to hear some nice "I beat the wall" testimonies as well. Thanks for listening...

-Alan
Kwajalein, Republic of the Marshall Islands (aka "Middle of Nowhere"



2008-05-10 3:49 PM
in reply to: #1393455

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall
I've been there too! I think anyone who has dieted and lost a reasonable amount of weight has hit the wall once or twice or even more. I would like to talk with anyone who never hit a wall and find out what they were doing right! I don't have a secret answer other than to say "stick with it", "hang in there."
When I hit my wall, I just kept a close watch on my calorie counting. I even tightened it up a bit. Don't give up on the calorie counting. In my opinion, that is the key to weight loss. It you bite it, write it! It will come off eventually. The other side of the coin is that sometimes you will lose weight when you weren't expecting to. Just keep plugging away.
Another thing that helped me was writing down 10 reasons why I wanted to lose weight, like: 1. I will feel better. 2. I will look better. 3. I will get into smaller clothes, etc, etc. I put my top 10 reasons for weight loss on 3x5 cards and left them in my car, at work, on my desk and in the front of my food journal. I read that card EVERY day. Realize that you will slip and either not lose or even gain weight. You've already seen that. That's o.k.! Just tell yourself, I'm o.k., that will happen from time to time and then MOVE ON FORWARD. You will get there, tell yourself that over and over.
I am 6"1". I went from 210lbs and am now 177lbs. My body fat went from 26% to 12.4%. I still keep my food/exercise journal and document everything I eat and all my workouts. Training toward triathlons was a key part of my success. Congratulations on the success you've had so far and keep it up. IF YOU BITE IT, WRITE IT!
2008-05-10 3:57 PM
in reply to: #1393455

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall

I stalled for a while at the 204 mark....it took about 2 months of bouncing between 201-206 until I *finally* dipped into the 100s....What helped me break through the barrier was upping my water intake and being more conscious about getting more fiber.

You'll GET there...its all about being patient! 

2008-05-10 4:29 PM
in reply to: #1393455

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall

Alan,

Congrats on your weight loss.  But if you want to lose the next 40 lbs you are gonna have to ramp up your workouts.   You have been averaging 300-400 minutes per week you need to ramp it up to 10 hours plus per week.   Don't diet, just eat clean and work out more.  

Run more, your biking is OK, but your running miles are few and far between.  One hour of running burns more calories than one hour of biking.  In addition, know your HR zones - run to the top of Z2 consistently.  Good luck.

2008-05-10 5:57 PM
in reply to: #1394205

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall

Thanks for the encouraging replies guys! 

Mike, ramping up my workouts is exactly what I am doing.    I would love to run more and at higher intensity, but unfortunately my battles with ITB syndrome have kept me down.  I'm consciously targeting key areas for strength and flexibility to help though.  Icing helps a lot as well.  My plan is to slowly increase running volume and really pay attention to my knees. 

Living on a tiny tropical island is nice though.  Perpetual summer, free gym, pool, open water swimming, and few distractions make training convenient.  Virtually no climbing and lack of variety can make cycling somewhat boring (pretty much the same 4 mile loop over and over), but I love cycling so much it's not that hard to overcome.  Ramping up workouts should be pleasant for the most part! 

Thanks Mike and everyone for the tips!

-Alan
  

 

Blueraider_Mike - 2008-05-11 9:29 AM

Alan,

Congrats on your weight loss. But if you want to lose the next 40 lbs you are gonna have to ramp up your workouts. You have been averaging 300-400 minutes per week you need to ramp it up to 10 hours plus per week. Don't diet, just eat clean and work out more.

Run more, your biking is OK, but your running miles are few and far between. One hour of running burns more calories than one hour of biking. In addition, know your HR zones - run to the top of Z2 consistently. Good luck.

2008-05-11 8:01 AM
in reply to: #1394285

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall

Another thought.  If your ITB is hurting, can you walk with out pain.    If you added a lot of walking to your workouts you would burn a lot of calories - not talking about strolling, I am talking about fast walking - add 60 minutes 3 times per week to what your doing and keep rehabing your ITB. 

Slowing include some running:  like walk 4 min/ run 1 min and repeat for a week.  Then the next week do 4 min walk/ run 2 min.   Make sense?

2008-05-11 11:34 AM
in reply to: #1393455

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall
Hey I've lost most of mine with MFD too.

It did start to slow down too but increasing my exercise and food intake (not equally - just bumped the food up a wee bit and increased the exercise a lot) has helped.

Edited by IdealMuse 2008-05-11 11:35 AM
2008-05-11 1:26 PM
in reply to: #1394710

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall

Sure does, great idea.  Not sure if you listen to the Tri-talk.com podcast, but a recent episode discussed ITB problems being a result of a weak gluteus medius.  I'm really targeting that area for strength.  I believe general leg and core strength will help as well.  I also picked up an ITB band compression band that seems to help as well. 

Blueraider_Mike - 2008-05-12 1:01 AM

Another thought. If your ITB is hurting, can you walk with out pain. If you added a lot of walking to your workouts you would burn a lot of calories - not talking about strolling, I am talking about fast walking - add 60 minutes 3 times per week to what your doing and keep rehabing your ITB.

Slowing include some running: like walk 4 min/ run 1 min and repeat for a week. Then the next week do 4 min walk/ run 2 min. Make sense?

2008-05-11 1:48 PM
in reply to: #1394865

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall

MFD is pretty nice huh? Well worth 9$/month. Heck it has easily paid for itself in my situation because I ate out about 90% less.

I guess in addition to hitting the weight loss wall, I've hit my patience wall as well. I just need to keep going forward.

IdealMuse - 2008-05-12 4:34 AM Hey I've lost most of mine with MFD too. It did start to slow down too but increasing my exercise and food intake (not equally - just bumped the food up a wee bit and increased the exercise a lot) has helped.

2008-05-24 12:20 AM
in reply to: #1393455

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall
I recommend doing more strength training. S/B/R is great, but your body adapts to it. You can continue to make gains by keeping your body guessing.

I'm a huge fan of crossfit (crossfit.com). They have a complimentary newsletter on their homepage that discusses their training philosophy. I warn everyone that it's rigorous and to scale the exercises down. You can also read about it on the strength training forum.

I've worked with some people who are struggling with the Army weight control program. Crossfit got the weight off.

Good luck!

Steve
2008-05-24 1:53 PM
in reply to: #1393455

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Subject: RE: Hitting the dreaded weight loss wall
I'd go back to basics with the food intake. If you can weigh and measure everything. More often than not when someone has been following a low cal programme for some time it's easy to think you know the weight of everything you're consuming but bits keep in here and there. It might be that the weight loss you've achieved to date has brought you to the point where what you can't get away with the little extras and still loose. Going back to weighing and measuring might show you where you're adding extras.

To echo others I'd also suggest that you stick with in. Your body will react to a long term weight loss plan by halting losses every now and then to make sure you're not starving.

Good luck with it.

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