Seem to have plateaued in weight cut

Discussion in 'Health and Fitness' started by Warriorspirit91, Oct 8, 2016.

  1. Warriorspirit91

    Warriorspirit91 Valued Member

    Hey guys just looking for some general advice really

    About 8 weeks ago at 72KG (I'm 5 foot 6 male) I decided that I wanted to cut down some weight so that my abs become more visible, so I entered all my data into an online calculator that told me between 1800 - 2000 calories should see me lose weight. Over the 6 weeks the weight loss was going great as about 2 weeks ago I got down to 65.2 KG. The problem is that for the last 2 weeks I seem to be staying at or going a few pounds over this weight, I cant seem to cut anymore.

    I'm still sticking to the same caloric deficit and still am doing the same exercise I was doing before to cut weight (Muay Thai, BJJ and Wrestling) but my weight doesn't seem to want to budge.

    Any advice that would see me break through this plateau? I feel like another 2 Kg off and my abs would be perfectly visible.

    Many thanks in advance and sorry for the life story.
     
  2. holyheadjch

    holyheadjch Valued Member

    You're at a good weight for your height and you've done really well to get down to it in so little time. It'll be hard to drop the last couple. You're best chance is to drop your calories by another hundred and maybe add a HIIT session once a week. Aim for half a pound a week.
     
  3. Pretty In Pink

    Pretty In Pink Moved on MAP 2017 Gold Award

    Weight is not a sign of a visibility. Low body fat and preferably large ab muscles make visible abs. So it's not a calorie deficit you need, it's a totally different kind of training.

    Start with eating a "clean" diet and working on HIIT drills should set you right.
     
  4. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    You're body adjusts to what you're doing and becomes the most efficient body it can for what your lifestyle is and what kind of nutrients/rest you're getting. You've dropped about 7kg and your body has had enough time to adjust to what you're doing for training/physical activity(regular daily routine stuff). You're definitely not gaining muscle if you've been in a caloric deficit, so what has probably happened is that your body has adjusted and you're slightly under your caloric intake, or are breaking even. When that happens your body is just going to maintain what it is, and you aren't going to see it change ("get results")

    There are a couple things you can do to get back on track.

    1.) Adjust your nutrition intake so that you are replacing meats, starchy vegetables, fats, and sugary foods with fruits and vegetables should be number one. Fruits and vegetables (non starchy) are low in calories but will fill you up. You can even eat more of them during the day than the other foods and you'll still be cutting calories. This will put you back into a caloric deficit and you should start to see results with the same routine you're doing.

    2.) Don't adjust your food intake, but start adding in a lot more physical activity. This is what I do. I strap a pedometer on and I'll make sure I get AT LEAST 15,000 steps in per day (about 7-8 miles walking). I usually get around 20k, sometimes 30k. When I do this, it doesn't matter how much my body adjusts to the physical activity because the physical activity is so high that I would have to eat an insane amount of food to be in a caloric surplus. This is my preferred method of weight loss because I like to eat food. I've dropped about 70lbs since the start of this year. I've also dropped large amounts of weight multiple times in my life, and although this method is slower than what I'm used to it is by far the most healthy way to do it while building healthy eating habits.

    3.) Add in some extra cardio, or HIIT training for about 20-30 minutes. This may not be a good move since you're asking beginner questions about weight loss. This method would involve you measuring how many calories you can burn during extra cardio or HIIT training, adjusting your diet to eat MORE due to the significant extra strain, and configuring your extra food based on that to adjust what you're doing for a caloric deficit. You will need to eat more if you're training a lot in the styles you mentioned in order to keep your body from going into a catabolic state constantly (meaning your body eats its muscle to fuel the muscle and bodily functions before it goes to the fat). This method is more advanced, and again I wouldn't really recommend it.

    I would recommend going with the first and second option, or a combination of both. Also get plenty of rest. Rest is really important : P
     
  5. Warriorspirit91

    Warriorspirit91 Valued Member

    Thanks everyone for the advice I guess the most important thing is to train that little bit harder to get rid of the last bit, I do have abs but it is just that small layer of fat hiding them from the world!
     
  6. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    I like how I give extensive information put into layman's terms that's proven science, relayed from both my personal experience with my own fitness as well as people who I've worked with in both the dietitian and personal trainer fields as well as my constant involvement with athletics, and I basically just get ignored for "train a little harder." :dunno:

    Have at it hoss! Nutrition quality, rest, method of training, and recovery time have absolutely nothing to do with it! :D
     
  7. Warriorspirit91

    Warriorspirit91 Valued Member

    I'm sorry I didn't mean to offend, I made a note of all the things you listed just wanted to say thanks but didn't really know what else to say not much of a forum poster.
     
  8. Knee Rider

    Knee Rider Valued Member Supporter

    Well I'm glad to see you've not taken it to heart ;)
     
  9. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    Lol, I unno' man it kinda' rubbed me the wrong way. I took time out of my day to write all that and make it somehow coherent as I was in a rush and it was just breezed over. He hadn't even thanked the post (but had thanked the other two) when I wrote that so I assumed he didn't even read it. It made me feel sad :(

    A little out of character for me though : P
     
    Last edited: Oct 9, 2016
  10. Ero-Sennin

    Ero-Sennin Well-Known Member Supporter

    Well, I guess it's ok. There's a lot more to it, especially getting into a low enough body fat percentage, than just putting in more work. It's also going to depend on what kind of muscle you have on you currently. Genetically you might not have abdominals that will show with a low body fat percentage because the muscles are really flat, which would mean you need to get them bigger which would involve weight lifting.

    I just wanna' see you succeed man! You gotta' engage more and not just accept the information you already wanted to hear!
     
  11. Warriorspirit91

    Warriorspirit91 Valued Member

    Ha, I thought I did thank your post but my bad I'm still getting used to this site.

    Just weighed myself again this morning and 64.8 so I seem to be back on track :D

    I do now have a flat stomach with barely visible abs i'm starting to think that I'm gonna have to go on a bulk to make the abs bigger and then cut down again to really get my moneys worth so to speak :3
     

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