Question:
I exercise pretty regularly, but still seem to be plateauing.

I need advice please. I exercise 5 to 6 times a week, water aerobics 5 times and combination of treadmill, weights and water aerobics three times a week. I try not to eat too many carbs and I have a protein shake a day (I despise them lol). Yet, I am plateauing and have had trouble moving out pass 105pds for last few weeks (about three). Can anyone offer me any suggestions? I have only added the treadmill and weights since beginning of January also, so maybe that needs time to kick in. The problem is I know people who do half as much exercise and eat poorly and are losing as much as me, yikes! I am trying to obtain habits for life so that does not bother me but I want to move off this stupid plateau before it makes me get discouraged. Help please! Smiless    — neneburge (posted on January 29, 2004)

January 29, 2004
Maybe you are not eating enough calories? How much water are you drinking? With all that exercise, I'd think you'd need a minimum of 80 oz day.
   — mrsmyranow

January 29, 2004
Give your body a chance to catch up with itself. Plus you may not be eating enough protein (calories) for all the exercise that you are doing. Your body may think that you are starving it by not adding more calories. I am not saying that you need to add junk caloires, but healthy protein and fruits and veggies. You need to put protein in you plus make sure that you are getting enough water. You may be loosing inches instead of pounds. I have kept a log of all my inches since about 3 weeks out and I find that I loose inches when I am not loosing #s. And a true plateau is when you do not loose any weight OR inches for one month. This info on plateaus is from Dr Terry Simpson who wrote an article in Obesity help magazine. Once your body has become smaller it is harder to loose weight because you are not expending as many calories to move around as you were when you were larger.
   — ChristineB

January 29, 2004
Starting a weight training program can change the way you lose. At first you don't lose anything for a while, but you are firming up and losing inches, most likely. As some time goes on, the weight training aids your weight loss, because good muscle tone helps to burn fat. Your body is probably just taking a little break right now.<p>In the Obesity Help magazine, a bariatric doctor writing about plateaus said they are not a true plateau until 4 or more weeks have passed with no weight loss or inch loss.<p>I'll add my own question here, for anyone who knows - can we do too much exercise? Can our bodies become too accustomed to the routines we are in, and not want to release any weight. I only mention this because it seems as though you are doing an awful lot of exercise. Do we really have to do this much to lose?<p>Best wishes as you continue on your journey. I'm sure you'll start losing again soon. Lap RNY 9/11/03, 254/190/???
   — Carlita

January 29, 2004
Yes, she could be doing too much exercise for the amount of calories that her body needs to maintain itself. The body will think that you are starving it and will start to hoard calories that are being put in. She may just need to add a hundred or more calories (good calories, not junk) a day to help maintain and feed healthy muscle.
   — ChristineB

January 29, 2004
You are at the 6 month mark... There is a plateau at this point. Your body is taking a break. If you are working out as much as you are you should be getting about 40-50 grams of carbs and 80-100 grams of protein per day. You also need to get a minimum of 86 oz of water per day for each day you workout. You body needs this to burn fat. Your body needs more calories to move forward. Once it goes into starvation mode, it takes longer to lose weight. You skin is tightening up. Your body is shifting around. Take your measurements, you should notice a drop or two in inches in certain areas of your body. You should notice a significant drop in weight in month 7. Keisha 3/12/03 316/191/160
   — keishax