What causes plateaus when dieting?

[Temple]

I forgot something in my earlier post that may make it clear why we are all saying the same thing.
Yes, she was skin and bones when she died but and here is the big but SHE STILL HAD FAT STORES ON HER ABDOMEN, THIGHTS, GLUTES AND TRICEPS - there was no muscle, just paper thin skin over bones and loose jiggly fat in those areas so doing this the way that you are doing it will make you nothing more than a corpse with fat stores.

 

[VooDoo Lady]

That was a gut wrenching account Temple...I'm sorry for your loss.

Thank you for caring enough to share it with those who could really be impacted by it...

VDL

 

[wlibbe]

Temple01-

My ED is not TOTALLY about losing weight-as I am sure that you know from your account with your ED in that thread. My goal is not to be 80 pounds. Anyway-thanks for the link-really, really interesting.

 

[Bikini Mod]

All I want is some advice so I can continue to lose weight-EAT-and not throw up 2-4 times a day.

Forgive me if you posted this before, but could you please tell us your stats ie: height, weight and bf%

I think that part of the problem here lies in miscommunication. You (AS MANY) believe that it is about the number on the scale - unless you are preparing to compete where there are weightclasses

THE NUMBER ON THE SCALE DON'T MEAN JACK SHIT!

It took quite a while for this to sink in for me also, so I am not giving you or anyone else a verbal thrashing....

I am 5'3".. I USED to weigh about 108# soaking wet - size DOUBLE ZERO! I could NOT find clothing to fit in adult clothing stores. (I don't know what my bf percentage but it was fairly low... perhaps 18% or so).

A little over a year ago I was about 117# at about 14/15%bf.... size 3.

Over the summer I was 124# at about 12-14%BF... size 2

I am by no means HYGUE as I currently have ZERO desire to get that way. Will I some day in the future? Who knows. But I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I am presently satisfied to train hard, eat well and just "BE".

Is this making any sense to you?

 

[thin]

I've learned to listen to the scale less. I pay more attention to how much muscle I can see and how loose my clothes are, how many bones I can see. (and how fast I can run!)

I wanna get some better "peaks" on my arms. See, I DO listen to you guys some of the time.

As far as the original question in this post:

You need to mix it up to get past a plateau. If you do running for your cardio, switch to rowing for a week. Change the type of lifts you do (go from high reps to low, or low to high, maybe) Change what you eat... This will force your body to start changing too-- and you'll get past the plateau.

Also, as you get closer to your goal (whatever it may be) change will happen more slowly. That's just how it works.

-Susan

 

[wlibbe]

Bikinimom-

I was a size 18-20---AAGGHH~ writing that down is so terrifying!! So anyway now I am a 12--almost a 10-I can squeeze into it but it is not comfortable and my big old booty sticks out. My goal is to be a size 8.

Basically I have lost 47 pounds by not eating breakfast or lunch and usually eating one meal at night that I would purge. Sometimes I do eat lunch but I would purge that too. The weekends are worse-usually 5-6 times a day of purging. That is all just on average--there have only been maybe 6-8 days in the past 5 months that I have not purged at least once.

So I started out at 229 pounds and now I am at 182 pounds. I really, really want to get to 150. I think that would be perfect for my build and I would be satisfied at that weight and clothing size. Here is a link to my newest pictures-before and "after"-sort of-there are not really any body pictures. I am still not comfortable with that-but you can tell in my face I think. Let me know what you think and I know I am still a big fat ass-I guess that I am not your typical ED looking person but anyway...

http://photos.yahoo.com/wlibbe

Edited to include height: about 5'8"

 

[wlibbe]

I also have a personal trainer that I work out with 3-4 days a week. He knows about the bulimia. So it is not too strenuous of a workout but last night I walked/ran my ass off on the treadmill for 45 minutes and then did some weight training. It is amazing that my body can handle all that. I ate nothing Monday, nothing Tuesday until Tuesday night and I purged that. And I ate lunch yesterday but I purged that. And I was still able to workout--weird!

 

[twinphish]

wlibbe -- i know where you are coming from because I am starting out as a size 18.. started at 220 pounds..

Been eating 2000 calories a day for just about a month and a half, doing weight training and cardio for 30-45 minutes 4 times a week -- nothing killer... I've been drinking gallons of water a day..

and I've lost 10 pounds. 10 pounds of fat! I drink enough water that it can't be that.. and I know that I am preserving muscle because I eat tons of protein, may have gained a pound or two of muscle even.

In the past I'd think only 10 pounds!! Not anymore though.. I am proud to have lost that much and even more grateful that I didn't have to suffer in order to do it.. I <3 eating..

I dunno.. just wanted to say that what these ladies preach really does work.

 

[wlibbe]

Thanks TwinPhish-

I am trying. I ate a grilled chicken salad today with 2 saltine crackers and a tiny bit of dressing and I feel really good. I am terrifed that I am going to gain weight from this but my throat/esophagus has made it IMPOSSIBLE for me to purge. I will just work out extra hard at the gym tonight. Maybe this is what I needed to quit--who knows-but thank you for posting this topic and for being so understanding! Hopefully Bikini Mom can offer me some helpful advice. I just don't want to gain weight-that is all.

 

[Temple]

Wlibbe -
Ultimately your binge/purge/starve thing is working against you although it appears in the short term to be doing what you want.
11 Years after I stopped the ED crap I was up to around 200# - fat and happy. I took it off without doing what you are doing and the amazing thing is that I sat on my ass for 6 months and ate whatever the hell I wanted to and gained a whopping 3# that came off immediately after I started eating right and training again. The bottom line is that you can continue to live like this until the ED is so out of control that you die, or if you are lucky just spend the rest of your life puking or you can listen to the ladies here and REALLY take control of your body. Face it - you are dropping pounds, at least half of which is muscle and you are going to keep the fat with your current plan. You aren't currently in control because every one of you is telling us that your body is not doing what you want it to. And we are screaming as loudly as we can for you to take control by eating (2000 calories per day minimum), training smarter not harder and by doing so you will get the results that you want unless of course that is to weigh 60# in which case we are not into assisted suicide so we are not going to help you.

Bottom line is that you have abused your body to lose some weight and if you want to get REAL control you are going to have to pay the piper. What that means is that you are going to go thru a month or so of packing on some weight - most of it will be water until your metabolism figures out that it is going to be fed and begins to work again.

Bikinimom - can ya give a picture show I can show these ladies what in the hell I am talking about specifically?