Help, I think I've Plateau'd!

[mzumtaylor]

So, I'm not new to the Rebellion, but I've not been as committed as I could be. Until now.  

 

What's changed?  My husband got a new job and one of the perks is that, if he does well at said job, he gets rewarded with cruises.  I know, I know.  It's a rough life we live.  *wry*  My issue: I want to look better in a bikini.  

 

At the moment, I don't look bad, which is part of why I haven't been 100% committed to "getting in shape".  I'm 5'11", 167 lbs, and at 27% body fat.  For reference, I look like British model Katie Green (http://www.skinnyvscurvy.com/hot-models/size-12-uk-model-katie-green-bikini.html), minus the long, flowing locks and presumably symmetrical features, plus a bit of cellulite on the thighs.  *shrugs*

 

For the last year and a half I have:

• Done Pilates once a week, religiously.
• Tried going Primal (followed Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint very strictly for one month, was about 85% Primal for 3 months), but had to quite due to... let's call it digestive issues to avoid TMI.
• Read Nerd Fitness weekly
• Attempted weight-lifting (barbell squats, etc.), but had to quit due to a bone spur on my spine caused by a six year-old back injury that prevents me from using proper form and therefore leaves me too readily open to injury.
• Started walking 30 minutes per day, and am working on walking 45 minutes at a brisk pace twice a week.

Right now I'm at a bit of a loss for where to go from here, and I'm hoping my fellow Rebels can help. 

 

I'm still doing Pilates once a week (Tuesdays), and plan to supplement that with a bodyweight-plus workout once a week (Saturdays).  I will continue to walk every day (I have to, to get to the bus to go to work), and walk 45 minutes extra twice a week (Wedesdays and Saturdays).  I will also continue to limit my intake of simple carbs and sugars, even though I can't do the Primal/Paleo thing.  

 

My current Body-weight-plus workout plan:

• Incline push-ups progressing to floor push-ups
• Dumbell rows (3 sets of 8 until I get to 20 lbs -- currently at 15 lbs), progressing to body weight rows and then real pull-ups/chin-ups.
• Body weight squats (in the hopes that I can strengthen my back enough to progress to barbell squats without injury)
• Triceps exercises
• Full plank (90 seconds)
• Side plank (45 seconds per side)

The reason I'm writing this post:  I've been doing the above for almost a month, and not only have I not lost lbs/inches, I've gained (a little) both.   One month ago, I was at 164 lbs, with a 30" waist.  Now I'm at 167 with a 31" waist.  It's not a big change, but I've vowed that I would never again weigh more than 170 lbs unless I was below 23% body fat.  Since I'm currently at 27% body fat by my best calculation, I'm at a loss for how to proceed.  

 

Should I do my body weight work out more often?  Should I cut back on something other than simple carbs and sugars?  Should I do something else entirely?

 

If you have any thoughts, or anything that's worked to get you past a plateau, please help.  

 

Thanks,

Megan

[JediJem]

Do you track your food intake beyond the trying to cut out refined carbs? I'm pretty clued up on food but still had a major eye opener when I started tracking with myfitnesspal as to the amounts consumed. I know some people don't like/ want to track but for me personally it made a huge difference. I'm a bit like you too in that I'm not actually big, I just want to look... Better. I think at the lower weights especially it's easy to eat 'too much' because the margins for weight loss are so small.

[I-Jo]

you don't need to do barbell squats in order to squat with weight.

 

Front squats

Jefferson squats

Zercher Squats

goblet squats

DB squats

pistol squats

split squats/bulgarian (with or w/o dumbbells)

 

all excellent tools... keep on lifting- and watch what you eat.  It'll happen- one month is almost nothing.   Time is the biggest ingredient that people struggle with when it comes to "the plan"

 

you REALLY need to nail that aspect of it down- just be patient- keep doing the things you are doing- watch what you put in your piehole and keep lifting and doing the things

[notanartmajor]

Figure out how many calories you're eating, theh cut that by about 500 per day. This will translate into roughly 1/lb per week of weight loss. The ratio of fat to muscle lost will depend on your exercise and protein intake.

[cline]

I'd start by honestly tracking your food and drinks.

[mzumtaylor]

@JediJem, I'm right there with you.  I've actually been using MyFitnessPal to track my food and drinks for almost a year, and it's been great.  Like you said, a huge eye-opener.  I'm an accountant (read: detailed oriented (actually read: a really big dork)) and kind of love entering and tracking my calories etc.  On the other hand, that's part of the reason why I've become frustrated with my progress.  

 

I had been losing the weight I needed to lose -- and losing inches -- by just tracking my calories, trying to eat as described above, as well as doing Pilates once week and walking regularly.  Now that's stopped being enough to keep me moving toward my goals, and I'm not quite sure where to go from here. 

 

From what you guys have said, it sounds like what I need to do is just keep doing what I'm doing (including the lifting described above), and be patient.  Okay, I can do that. I just wanted some sort of confirmation that what I was doing might get me where I want to go if I stick with it. 

 

Thanks for the encouragement!

[KingZora]

If you are tracking things, and everything feels right, and you feel good... but you just haven't gotten the results you want... the answer is usually patience.

 

If you want better progress than it may be time to change some stuff, or maybe take a break from dieting for a bit... dieting does a lot of things to your body, you said you've been doing this for a year and a half?  How many calories are you taking in per day?   Being at a deficit for that long can cause weight loss to stall until a change is made, which is sometimes as easy as stop dieting for a bit and pick it up again in a few weeks.

 

A bit more information about how much you eat, and how long you have been eating that way could help us give more precise suggestions.

[Morrigainz]

Agree with the tracking, also agree with KingZora.

 

But I have to say - why triceps exercises?? You'd be better served with something like bench press or overhead press. Isolating tris is basically a waste of time IMO. I've got a nice lil bump going and I don't do any tri-only exercises.