Questions for kick starting the fat loss at a plateau

Or semi-plateau...

Okay, feel free to move this to the appropriate forum, but I can't find a place to post this question.

After 40lbs or so, now I only 2-3 lbs a month these days and in the beginning I was shedding fat 2-3 lbs a week, since I have less blubber now, I assume it was fat loss. But I still have loads of flab left. Anyway...

Any ex heavy people who have tips on jump starting the system again?

I was thinking of stopping all cardio and just only doing weights (or nothing?) and eating a balanced maintaining diet for a week, or should I go longer? I would like to fool my body to a back to the beginning mode so I can get 2 lbs off a week again. Or is this just a pipe dream, silly?

Perhaps what I need is patience.

Never mind. This last month I started heavier lifting DUH!!!

Really need a brain transplant some days!

The best way to beat a plateau is to get more INTENSE!!!!

Lifting heavier, trying new workouts like HIITs or circuits can help. Anything to get that blood pumping through your veins!

The best way to beat a plateau is to get more INTENSE!!!!

Lifting heavier, trying new workouts like HIITs or circuits can help. Anything to get that blood pumping through your veins!

LOL! Yes, Marcina......INTENSE....drill it in by posting twice!

A great way to change it up, since most women don't want to lift to heavy is do 10 min. cardio, lift, 10 min cardio, lift.... but your cardio need's to be between 75%-80% Max heart rate. Or use interval's, so 3 min. warm up, 1 min sprint, 1 min recovery, 1.5 min sprint, 1.5 recovery, 2 min sprint, 2 min. recovery, repeat. They both work great.

Also if your lifting heavier now I will assume you are doing rep or 12 to build muscle or 8? You can also pyramid your weights which I love to do for 4-6 weeks then go back to 12 or 20 reps, that way your body never gets used to the same thing.

I agree with the others who posted, your plateau is because your body has adjusted to your current work load. You need to make it work harder again to see changes although I really don't think you will see as much loss as you did in the beginning. But your doing a great job so keep with it. Saw your photos the other day and they are really impressive.

This was posted a while back, but thanks for the feedback -- appreciated. I think I've lost about 8 lbs since then. I'm on Veggie Princess's program, and it ROCKS! She says it's 85% diet, and her diet kicks butt, she's right.

119 lbs. yeah buddy!

Thanks everyone!

Oops! Should have paid attention to the dates. Glad to hear your doing so well though!!

A great way to change it up, since most women don't want to lift to heavy is do 10 min. cardio, lift, 10 min cardio, lift.... but your cardio need's to be between 75%-80% Max heart rate.

That's a good idea but I wonder at what mythical gyms this is even possible. I can't even superset many things at the gym (with a partner) due to it being so busy.

10 min cardio, 5 minute wait for a bench, lift, 15 minute wait for elliptical, 10 min cardio, etc.

Guess something like jumping rope could work in between lifting.

It depends on what time you go to the gym, if you go when it's very busy then no you can't do that. I only go when it's not busy otherwise you can't get any equipment what so ever.

And ya jump rope would work fine to.

Treadmill 5 min. since this is at 10 degrees, it's a workout for me

Then floor push ups 5 - 6

Mountain climb 15

Pretend jump rope (my coordination sucks) 45 seconds or whatever I feel like

Push Ups (on the treadmill bars, so my shoulders are nice for leaning one's head on

Then walking again

repeat.

This is my cardio for about 30 min. AFTER the strength as per my trainer, see banner above!!!

just be carefull with the pushups on the treadmill, make sure you are using the front bars of it and not the side and that your at a good angle or eles you can injure yourself. To make them even harder try 1 handed pushups on the bars, thats fun!!!!!!!!!!

I am just finishing up round 1 of P90X and can't get over my plateau. I did lose at least 10 pounds of fat, but I am not even close to being ripped. I still have like 4 or 5 pounds of fat on my belly that I just don't seem to be able to scrape off. I guess I need to double up my program. Maybe do some running in addition to P90X? My diet is about 90% raw fruits and veggies. I try to avoid starchy foods like people suggest when cutting. I make sure my urine is nice and clear so I am not dehydrated. Should I drink more water even though I get plenty of fluids in fruit?

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Ask LeanAndGreen what he does since he's a raw foodest ripped dude.

There's some Raw vegan protein at VeganProteins.com for what you pay for the deal, you getting the equiv of a free VBBF t-shirt!

I am just finishing up round 1 of P90X and can't get over my plateau. I did lose at least 10 pounds of fat, but I am not even close to being ripped. I still have like 4 or 5 pounds of fat on my belly that I just don't seem to be able to scrape off. I guess I need to double up my program. Maybe do some running in addition to P90X? My diet is about 90% raw fruits and veggies. I try to avoid starchy foods like people suggest when cutting. I make sure my urine is nice and clear so I am not dehydrated. Should I drink more water even though I get plenty of fluids in fruit?

 

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Protein definately makes a huge difference. like dropsould said if youre a raw foodist, go for the sunwarrior protein. its pretty tasty, cheaper than a lot of protein in stores, and all the proceeds go to support 3 of our favorite vegans! But if youre not a raw foodist and/or on a budget-i go for gemma at trueprotein.com...doesnt get cheaper than that.

I'm about 80% raw, 20% of my diet is protein- rice or pea- from protein powders. No you don't need more water unless you feel dehydrated.

I am not familiar with the program you are doing, but running is great or cycle. And if you not challenged by the weight you are lifting anymore than kick it up.

One thing i noticed was if I was all raw with no protein I lost muscle and put on fat. But that could be just me. And make sure you are eating enough otherwise your body holds on to fat.

If you want someone great to work with on the raw diet go to charliesgym.com I worked with him to drop 5 lbs for my fitness comp. and he is raw himself, which i personally like. He is also very reasonable priced. check him out.

I do add some Raw Hemp protein powder and rice protein powder to my smoothies. I am probably around 10% fat and 10% protein in my diet.

I should also add that VeggiePrincess (VeganPersonalTraining.com) says that its 85% diet, and she's right. I can't give details, but it does not involve much fruit. Her program is a very good deal.

However I can say what I did before I joined her. I cycle calories. One day low, one day high, very, very low carb, low fat, but with fruit in the morning so I don't murder my family. Then carb day, good carbs (no white stuff). About once a week I would carb out on these vegan treats, I'd add about 200-400 extra calories one day. At one point I actually stopped the diet and heavy activity for a week and then started it back intense, which I feel really works great. Never let the body get used to anything.

Peas!

Ya pea protein is great.

Don't cycle calories.

Everyone is different with nutrition. I have worked with who she reccommends and all I got was you need to eat whey or animals!

I to am in the fitness industry, and have been for 9 1/2 years as well as a nutrition and wellness coach. But when it come's to living mainly raw Charlie and Dr. Graham are the best or the best!

This is a vegan trainer and there's no animals or whey involved, it's 100% vegan by a committed vegan. Cycling or carb loading here and there calories is actually a trick to jump start plateaus because of homeostatis. It works tremendously. I've lost 53 lbs. with the last two lbs on the program, this is to get down to 14% bf.

LeanandGreen for example, is 100% raw and he's dear friends with Melissa at VeganPersonalTraining. If you are interested in what the ripped people are eating, rather than the cardio emphasised folks, there is a difference in carb levels. If you're doing lots of cardio, eat loads of carbs in fruit and green, if you want to get muscular, eat lots of protein, lift heavy. This is common and re-inventing the wheel is counter productive. What works for the omnis, works for the vegans who are omni by biology, but we do it cleaner, greener, and far less meaner to the animals, environment, etc.,

1 g of protein to each pound you weigh is what most bodybuilders say, LeanandGreen takes in 300 gs a day. Spirulina (see the deal on VeganProteins.com) is a fine, fine, awesome way to get a mother load of green, raw, high protein.

I have worked with who she reccommends and all I got was you need to eat whey or animals!

I would love to know what your basing this statement on ravenfit, because the only non-vegan trainer/dietitian I have recommended to people is Chuck Rudolph who did my diet and training and has done lots of diets for Vegan bodybuilders and figure competitors, so I'm confused.

He's expensive and he's not Vegan, but I can't see him saying something like that unless he was confused by the question. Why I chose him and why I refer him is because he was one of the only trainers/dietitians out there who believed you could acheive the same results as Omnis on a Vegan diet.

Hey Melissa: 118.5 lbs! I can see my quads, still under the blubber but much less blub and more smooth. Thanks to U!!! I should say that's 4 lbs on your program - not 2lbs, and that was taking a week off due to my dear loving cat dying. Still in a funk out about that!

Now Alexandra proofs and off to work out -- in the other room.

I know all about cycling calories and all of that.

And I know what vegan is, I have been one for 10 years. And I know all about cardio and strength.

I worked with chuck cuz i checked out your site and saw him on there so I tried him for a comp. And he told me if I wanted to put on more mass that I needed to have whey or go back to vegatarian, I said that was not an option cuz I told him from the get go I was vegan. I know he's not vegan, but if I am paying him for a mass building vegan diet I shouldn't be told you can't really gain muscle without whey.

So happy for you Christina! Yay!!! Hey... I just provide the road map, but you have to drive the car... and you're driving the car

ravenfit... UGH! This concerns me greatly... and I will look into it. I may have to rethink things now... sigh... thanks for telling me that, and I get what you're saying and I'm surprised. I'm going to email him. Why this confuses me so, is that I personally talked to a bodybuilder that he prepped for a comp and the guy was so pleased with his gains and his cuts and never once did Chuck recommend this... so I'm going to talk to him and see what he has to say. Thanks for telling me.