hi all. i started cutting calories and walking vigorously 5 miles each day and have managed to lose 12 pounds. all of a sudden the weight loss has stopped and im doing everything the same. i cant eat any less and i cant exercise any more than i already am. i have several blisters on my feet and dont think i can get up to 6 miles yet. i take trimspa weight loss supplements and a one a day weight smart vitamin each day. i eat less than a 1,000 calories each day. what else can i do? have i hit a plateau already after only 12 pounds? is it possible im not losing more weight on the scale because im gaining muscle weight?

You probably are gaining muscle.

I'm a bit concerned - from everything I've read, 1000 calories a day is the bare minimum an adult should eat. I hope you're not undernourishing yourself!

It's not unusual to lose a lot of weight the first few weeks that you start to train. Sorry to tell you this, but the majority of the weight you lost was water. If you continue to train and watch your diet, normal levels of weight loss should be about 2-3 lbs a week.

As far as walking more, I don't suggest it. The body will ALWAYS adapt to whatever stress is imposed upon it. So, if you walk 6 miles the body will adapt to it and you will have to do 7, 8, and then 9 miles.

It's a little rediculous I know, but the body has a defensive barrier to protect itself. Therefore, train, do your cardio and be patient.

Hope this helps....

eating less than 1000 calories will actually cause you to gain weight because you are putting your body into starvation mode. Your body will start taking any food that you eat and immediately turn it into fat because it won't know when you are going to get any more food.

well im eating a little more now and have cut down to 3 miles a night. total weight loss is 15 pounds so far, and yes i know a large part of it is water. gotta start somewhere right? at least im not gaining any back. thank you all for your responses!

1000 calories a day is not necessary ...
u should be eating around 1400 i would say... timing meals so u eat around 4-5 times a day.
if u do some light weight training it can really increase your fat loss ...
if u decide to weightrain be sure to get alot of protein in ...
the more dense muscle you have the more fat you will burn with any activity whatsoever...
and metabolism is one of the leading factors in weight loss ... its all in the diet ..
exercise is just something to speed things up ... and be patient and dont look for results everyday... being over anxious just makes you think your going no where ... but you are.
you are not gaining muscle now ... u have simply reached your plateau .. meaning ... you body has adapted to the amount of calories u intake each day ... slowing your metabolism to that rate.
u really need to eat more calories so u can get your metabolism up and make your body a mean, lean fat burning machine...
up the calories .. to about 1300-1400 ok ... do ur normal exercise ...
after a week or two ... start to exercise with more intensity and/or longer (more often also)

how do i know when i reach my plateau?
i wana know this so i know when to up the intensity
thnx

Heya Stalefish

You'll notice it when your doing your normal workout & diet and you wont be losing the weight or gaining muscle. If you change your workouts up you will never hit a plateau, just add some variety or if your using a preprogrammed cardio machine theres lots of different programs.

If your doing something right now and its kind of easy for you then you should increase your intensity, personally I think everytime you workout you should push yourself just a little more each time, maybe 2 more reps for weights or 2 more minutes on a treadmill / elliptical trainer really adds up in the end.

here are some articles on plateau busting

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbin...PlateauBusting

wow i see people are still replying to this old post. anyway things are going well, i am up to 30 pounds lost (went from 185 to 155 pounds) and now people are finally starting to notice. i stopped counting calories it was geting to be too much trouble. thats how i am all gung ho at first then let things slide. but im walking 7 days a week and have added light weights 3x a week. guess im doing something right! only 30 pounds to go to reach my goal.

Plateau Busters



Have you hit the weight loss wall? Check out the following tips to help you rev up your metabolism!

1. Be sure to get protein in at each meal. Protein is by far the most satiating and the most thermic (i.e. the process of digesting it raises your metabolism). The best sources are from animals, as these contain the complete profile of essential amino acids and are more bio-available, which means that your body can use them more effectively and efficiently. Look for low fat choices like egg whites, whey protein and turkey breast.

2. Drink up. Water that is! Even a little dehydration can dramatically impact your metabolism! You need water to burn fat and if you are drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages you are dehydrating your cells further.

3. Trade your starchy carbohydrate servings for more non-starchy veggies at one or two of your meals, especially your evening meal.

4. Make sure that one of your fruit servings is soon after your workout (within 60 minutes) to help store energy back into your muscles without raising insulin.

5. If possible, do two workouts some days to boost your metabolism. Just don't do cardio too late in the day and be sure to stretch afterward to bring stress hormones down again.

6. Green tea contains a compound that has been found to aid with fat burning and may raise metabolism. Drink at least 4 cups of green tea a day to get these benefits.

7. Go decaf! Caffeine can make you insulin resistant which makes you a fat storer rather than a fat burner. Trade your coffee and tea for decaf.

8. Pump some iron. Muscle dictates your metabolic rate. Each pound of muscle you add burns 40-50 more calories per day.

9. Eat small meals and snacks throughout the day. Eating raises metabolism and eating less more often means less insulin response, better blood sugar balance and fewer cravings.

10. Check your portions. Learn to read labels and ask questions at restaurants. Ask for sauces on the side and monitor how much you use. Everything counts so pay attention to how much you are actually eating and make sure you are on track with optimal amounts of protein, limiting your starchy carbs and fat and getting in enough non-starchy vegetables.

11. Read labels. Learn all of the different names for sugars and be sure you are choosing foods that are low in sugar and fat, high in nutrient value and fiber. Ignorance is never an excuse! If you aren't sure about something, skip it until you can find out if you should be eating it or not.

Thats it ...cutting back on the caffeine!!!!!!

wow - where did you get that...

sounds so true, really...I am working on eating right, but reading this I am still far far away....

just one question...it states that you should cut the caffeine, which makes sense, but then you are supposed to drink 4 cups of green tea, which contains caffeine - do the benefits of green tea outweight the disadvantage of the caffeine and do you have to drink extra water to make up for the water lost due to the green tea???

Green tea does not contain caffeine at all. Not real green tea anyway, maybe some brands add it.

I personally drink 4 to 6 cups of green tea a day and you are absoulutly correct, real green tea does not contain caffeine. To be sure of this, I actually purchase mine from an asian market. It taste so much better than the ones that I have bought at the grocery store.