FitDay's Best of Series: Breaking a plateau
 

MODERATOR'S NOTE:

The following is a collection of the best tips that FitDay members have to offer, taken from many threads over a long period of time. Thank you to all of the contributors!

This thread can be used as a "one stop shopping place" for reference.

If you have any suggestions for other posts to be included, you may always PM one of the Forum Moderators.

Change things up and see what happens
 

If you are seeing tone changes, it might be you are gaining muscle and losing fat, but since muscle is denser your total mass isn't changing.

"Starvation mode" may or may not be a true condition, depending on who you talk too, but I do agree that you should try increasing your calorie intake to 1200/day to see if that helps. You might always want to try zigzagging (1000 one day, 1400 the next, averaging out to 8400 a week). If you aren't doing cardio, or aren't doing MUCH cardio, you might want to increase that part of your workout to increase your metabolism.

Or, if you ARE doing a lot of cardio, try adding in some weight training...

Basically, change things up and see what happens.

I'm a strong believer in measuring progress in a variety of ways
 

Your body is getting smaller. That's really one of the reasons you want to lose weight, right? That's why I'm a strong believer in measuring progress in a variety of ways - and NOT just the number on the scale.

Losing inches is a great indication that you're right on track. The number on the scale will start decreasing again soon. That muscle you're adding requires more calories at rest than the fat you've shed.

You're making yourself into a lean machine, baby! Keep it up!

It's not what's displayed on the scale, it's about getting healthy
 

Sounds like you are headed in the right direction even if the scale doesn't show it!

Technically, muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of fat and a pound of muscle weigh the same...a pound. But a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat and that is probably what you're seeing. Those inches lost are awesome! Besides, who knows what you weigh (besides you, no one) and who sees how you look (everyone)!

For example, I was really miffed when I got on the scale this morning and had gained half a pound...after a quarter of a pound yesterday. I have been diligent about what goes into my mouth and exercising daily. But I have a scale that measures body fat and a whole new lower number popped up after it displayed my weight. My body fat is two percentage points lower than it was a week ago. So I have to remind myself that it is not about having the lowest number on the scale; it's really about getting healthy...and more muscle and less fat equals healthy.

Keep it up and it will all fall into place!

Something needs to change
 

I have been losing weight for about 2 years now. I am 5'8", and started out at 200# straight up. I wasn't clinically obese, but my doctor was concerned. I initially wanted to lose 10 lbs. But at this point, I am happy to say that I have lost 43 lbs, I want to lose just a few more.

What you describe has been what I have been going through the entire time, but since I am not as heavy, it is in smaller chunks. So, I would lose 2 lbs in a week or two, and then go a week or two with no weight loss, then another 2 lb weight loss, then another few weeks would go by where I wouldn't lose any more weight.

Then, after several cycles of this, I found that I would "bottom out" and not lose any weight. In fact in some cases, months would go by without me losing a single pound. I finally figured out that when I stopped losing weight, it meant simply that something needed to change - either my workout (increasing cardio) or my eating habits (decreasing intake). Then, the weight would start to come off again, just like it had before.

When I initially started two years ago, I worked out by walking on a treadmill - 20 min was all I could do. Currently, I walk on the treadmill for an hour each morning (4 - 5 miles at an 8% grade, with 3 or 5 lb dumbells), I walk in afternoon, if the weather is condusive (another 2 - 3 miles on average 4 days per week), and every other day I do a resistance workout. Also, I try to keep my caloric intake to about 1700 calories per day (in reality it fluctuates between 1600 - 2200 -- and I usually have a "cheat day" on a weekly basis). So really, I can truthfully state that I walked off my 40+ lbs.

I have read that muscles have a "memory" and when they get used to performing a certain action, they become more efficient. So when this happens, you just need to "switch things up," change your routine - by lengthening it or doing something else altogether.

But, I think what you are going through is normal - and it actually means that you are making progress. Stick with it, and you will see that scale start dropping again.

Partition your carb and fat intake
 

Women in particular may "stall out" for a couple of days naturally, then get back on track... periodically. It's not indicative of anything you're doing wrong per se, it's just bound to happen every now and then.

I honestly think 900 calories is too few for anyone. 1200 calorie should be a minimum. If you're going to add around 500 calories though, might I suggest adding them as protein and fat? Furthermore, may I suggest altering your meals slightly such that you are not eating a quantity of carb and fat at the same time?

The rationale here is that when you eat carb in quantity, your insulin levels jump to try to shuttle away all that carb out of your bloodstream and into the tissues where it is used for energy. However, the body can only process one type of macronutrient at a time. Another function of insulin is to shuttle away the fat that you eat directly into your bodily fat stores, instead of to your liver to be processed into ketones, which are then used for energy. So just partitioning your carb and fat intake may provide an extra boost to fat loss — you won't be storing as much fat as you are burning.

With protein, you can eat it with carb or fat, just be sure to eat it with something because the body has a hard time absorbing plain protein. It's called "rabbit starvation," and it comes from times when explorers in the arctic ate tons of lean rabbit meat and still managed to show signs of starvation.


-Nik

While tracking, what specific foods keep you from losing?
 

Using FitDay I found out that certain foods keep me from losing weight and others actually cause me to gain weight even though I'm staying right on track with my fat-carb-pro balance & caloric intake. For me it's starchy foods & red meat, grains being the worse at causing weight gain.

I've also read here that some people stall or gain with dairy, nuts & sweeteners.

Maybe you can experiment with avoiding certain types of foods for a week at a time to see if you'll get out of the stall or just look over your food journal to see if you've been eating more of something or maybe something new that could be the cause. I agree with the fiber concept b/c without enough fiber intake to keep things moving regularly I'm bloated, gain weight & sometimes feel downright yucky. I get my fiber by eating large amounts of raw veggies & salads everyday. If needed I'll take a fiber supplements but the ones with grains, like bran, only make it worse instead of better.

I read one woman's post that she ups her protein and that breaks a stall for her. Lowering my caloric intake has never helped me break out of a stall.

Everyone's different but since I tend to stall-out a lot (ggrrrrr) I've been looking more closely at FitDay-tracking & finding foods that always cause a stall or a gain. Occasionally, I have no idea why I'm stalled, but when that happens it's always followed by a larger than usual weight loss for the week so I think it's just the body adjusting to this new lifestyle or resistant to let go of fat, or who knows what.

I generally rely on three things...
 

I generally rely on three things, increasing my burn, upping my protein intake for 2-3 days while dropping my calories by 100-200. And when I say "upping" I mean to like 40-50%, if you can get it that high. I've been trying to find ways to up my workout without adding more time, so this week I bought a pair of ankle/wrist weights to use during my elliptical workout and I now use the Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred as a warm-up instead of my usual stretching. You might also consider changing up your workout, if you've been running, go swimming instead, if you're using weights try yoga. The whole P90X program is based on the idea of muscle confusion, so throw something at your muscles they aren't used to and see if that doesn't make the dial move a little.

Change up calories and exercise to make your body work harder
 

I find that shaking up my exercise (doing something different from the usual routine) and doing calorie cycling work (go here for info...Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs and click on the 7-day calorie zig zag) to some extent. The basic principle is that your body gets used to, and becomes more efficient at, whatever you are doing after a few weeks, so changing it up means it has to work harder.

That being said, I still hit plateaus; sometimes you just have to be patient and above all, don't give up!

Change up the number of meals
 

I try to vary the way I'm eating. I tend to prefer 5 meals a day, but some weeks will eat 7 smaller meals to shake up my metbolism. It is a lot of work to schedule that many meals/snacks in a day, but it's worth it. I also like to do cardio workouts that incorporate weights (lunges/squats holding weights, etc.). Maybe take a look at your diet too. See how much sugar you're taking in (that includes fruit) and really evaluate your diet. Personally, I've found that diet is the key to my weight loss so maybe it's just time to reign in some habits that are holding you back! Best of luck!

Doctor's explanation.
 

Hi Farr,
I lost 30 lbs over a 3 month period. As I approached the 30lbs goal it was getting harder and harder... a plateau. My Dr. explained the phenomenon this way: Imagine you are stretching a rubber band from point A (your starting point) to Point B (your goal). As you approach point B it gets harder and harder to stretch the rubber band resulting in a slowing of the weight loss process.

His recommendation is that once you reach a goal (in his opinion no more that 50 lbs in a stretch) increase your calories to your new "maintenence" load for 2 or 3 weeks while your body adjusts to your new size and shape. This allows point A to slide closer to your current weight so that when you start dieting again the rubber band will have a lot more stretch left.

I still have about 10 more pounds to lose. But at the moment I am just trying to find that maintenece calorie load - it is a little harder than I thought. I'll shoot for those last 10 in a few more weeks. I'll let you know if my Dr's theory pans out.

Moderator's Note: It did pan out: See Post #33 in this thread.

Pam

Shake things up
 

You might want to check with your doctor about medication options for the low-T, I know a couple of guys that take meds for it and wouldn't have it any other way. But it's a personal decision. You also might consider a cardio workout like running, biking and/or swimming a couple times/week. Sometimes your body just gets comfortable at a certain weight and you have to give it a kick in a new direction and shake things up a bit. When I need to break through a plateau I try and push the proteins as high as possible for 2-3 days, sometimes that kicks it back into gear. Another thing that helps is to up your water intake, baseline of 64 ounces of water per day, plus another 8 ounces for every 10 pounds you want to lose. And if you've hit a plateau throw on another 24 ounces just for good measure.

Plan for more calories when exercising
 

Yes, your problem may be too few calories.

Your BMR is about 1800 or so.

I would say if you ate 1500 per day and burned 200 or so you should lose some weight.

Now, if you've been eating 1200 calories and also exercising, no wonder why you've slowed down.

Given your exercise routine I would probably try eating 1500-1600 on workout days and 1300-1400 on off days.

Over time your metabolism will slow when on are have a low net calorie level. If you were not exercising 1200 might be fine.

Lighter weight + starting training = more calories needed
 

You might want to start increasing your caloric intake. Fat serves as an emergency fuel source, so an initial drop in calories would force the body to use it's own reserves (fat) as fuel for all your bodily functions. However, now that you're lighter and can move around more, plus the fact that you've started training, means that you need to eat more to feed those great, very-active furnaces called muscles.

I agree that reducing carbs overall is the way to go, but if you add them back in small quantities right after you work out you can maximize your muscle recovery rate (and minimize next day soreness).

Another reason weight loss might have seemed to stall is if you really are building a little muscle underneath that fat. Muscle, volume-by-volume, is about twice as heavy as fat, so just a bit of firmness can negate the weight loss caused by an inch or two down around the waist. Going by how you feel in the morning or how your clothes fit is just as important a measure of progress as the number on the scale.

Pay more attention to how you feel than what the scale says
 

Could be that your body's just adjusting. Try to pay more attention to how you feel than what the scale says. You know that you're doing what's best for you, so don't give up! The scale will eventually move. Promise.

A few things to think about/try...
- Have you been drinking 8-10 8oz glasses of water every day?
- Are you eating foods that are high in sodium?
- Are you getting enough protein, healthy fats, and complex carbs?
- Could the time of the month be to blame?
- Are you exercising enough?

Keep your chin up. You can do it!

Is "Starvation Mode" for real?
 

Some people believe to the "starvation mode", some other don't (I don't, as I've experienced it on myself). The major concern about eating <1200 cal is not getting enough vitamins and minerals but if you take a multivitamin supplement this is not a concern.

But I'm sure you'll lose no matter what, just a matter of being persistent and keep the motivation high! Good luck to you in your journey =)

One size does not fit all
 

When your body goes into starvation mode is dependent on many factors including genetics. Some posters here on FitDay have stated that they have to eat 1000 calories or less to lose weight. (I believe the person I remember is female and 5' or less.) She got blasted by the one size fits all proponents that said she was starving herself. The truth is that the old rule that you cannot eat less than 1200 calories or you will go into starvation mode doesn't necessarily apply to everyone. (I personally believe caloric deficit, not just caloric intake, is the primary factor in triggering the bodies preservation mode.)

That said, you need to find what works for you.

Some suggestions:

Try to space your meals so you're not eating the majority of your calories in a short period and creating a calorie surplus that your body has to store.

Limit or eliminate simple carbohydrates like processed foods, white bread and sugar that are quickly metabolized and thus have a high probability that they will be stored as fat rather than converted to energy.

Incorporate some additional activity, even if it is only walking, into your day. The exercise helps to increase your metabolism and relieves stress that can hinder weight loss.

Good luck on your journey!

Broke an Atkins plateau
 

I lost 21 pounds on Atkins induction phase. I stalled for about 5 weeks. I got super frustrated and started to do some research. I weight train and run 5 days a week. I am on induction, strict. What should i do?

I tried a carb blow-out, nope! I quit coffee, nope! I limited cheese and cream cheese, nope! I increased my cardio time, nope! I did the meat and egg fast, yuck!, nope!

CALORIE COUNTING, REDUCED CARBS & STARTED DRINKING MORE WATER. I lost 4 pounds in 6 days!!!!

Everyone is different. Everyone is different. I am borderline diabetic, so I have to watch. I use FitDay and calculate calories and carbs. I stay under 1300 cals and no more than 11 carbs a day. Swoosh- 144 down to 140. I started drinking 3 full glasses of water a day, that's all.

I eat whatever I want and drink coffee with heavy cream. sometimes 2 cups a day. The first 3 days were HARD. I felt a little weak, but day 4 and today I feel much better. This is not easy, but everytime I want to have a little something sweet, I think about my blood sugar spiking and my kids needing me. I started drinking hot tea at night, it does help.

Hope this helps someone out there. Do a general calorie count and drink a little more water. YOU CAN DO IT, WE CAN DO IT!!

Moderator's Note: 3 glasses of water a day is still not nearly enough!

Beware of cold cuts
 

You mentioned chicken and turkey roll ups for lunch. Are you using cold cuts or the "real" stuff? Cause cold cuts have a lot of sodium. I have noticed on myself that sometimes excessive sodium can stall weight loss.

Just a thought.

Eat more to lose weight (up to a point)
 

I, too, have been plateauing for the past month. I've only lost a pound - which is very frustrating. I was weighing daily. But, that started making me crazy. So, I'm resisting the urge to do that and am committed to only weighing once a week now.

I think I've figured out some things about why I was plateauing. I think I wasn't eating enough. I had been eating about 1,100 calories (sometimes less) and for a few days I woke up light headed. Not good. So, I upped my calories to about 1,400 for a day or two and that's when I dropped the one pound (last week). It's weird to wrap my brain around the concept of eating more food to lose weight. But, it worked for me. I'm doing some calorie zig zagging now (different calorie intakes different days of the week) and I hope I continue to lose doing it this way. They say it keeps your body guessing, so you don't go into hibernation/starvation mode.

Best of luck to you in getting through the plateau. You'll do it. You sound very motivated about making the changes in your life. That's what it's all about.

Tavisha

The most important thing is to know your own body
 

I second the calorie cycling, though those numbers from the post above aren't set in stone. I used this site to figure out my recommended calories per day; click on the 7-day cycle link:

Calorie Calculator - Daily Caloric Needs

The idea behind not going too low is the notion that the body will go into starvation mode and actually cause you to burn fewer calories in an attempt to hold onto its reserves. It also supposedly gets used to burning fewer calories so that when you are at your desired weight and go up to eating a normal calorie load again, your metabolism is slowed down enough that you put weight on very easily.

The most important thing is to know your own body. Many on here have experienced not being able to lose below a certain amount of calories; many have done lower calorie diets with success. Everyone is different. I had always believed that lower calories was better, but when I started FitDay and did the calculations of still being able to lose while eating more calories, that was the only time I ever had success. I can't lose a darn thing on 1000 calories a day, but I lost great on 1250-1350. But that is just how it works for me and my metabolism.

Generally, my premise is, if it works for you, do it; if it doesn't work for you, don't do it. Just giving you the rationale as you asked. Good luck in your journey and don't be afraid to experiment with different things to find out what's best for you

I would highly recommend you cook from scratch.
 

I would highly recommend you cook from scratch. I saw a TV show on those packaged diet meals and NOT ONE OF THEM WAS EVEN CLOSE TO ACCURATE!!! All of them had tons of sodium, higher calories and higher fat contents than what was printed on the box, and in most cases it was significantly higher. I don't know if the same is true in Europe, but here in the States the regulatory agencies that oversee these things doesn't have enough man power to keep up with every product and the fines and penalties aren't enough to offset the profits they make catering to the diet crowd.

I also had trouble a time or two sitting at a plateau when I was doing everything else right, so during those times I boosted my protein to 40%-50%, dropped the calories by 100-200 and waited for the scale to show me the money. Weight loss = burn more than you take in + time. Another thing I can't stress enough is water, 64 oz baseline + an additional 8 oz for every 10 lbs you want to lose. Get yourself a water bottle and glue it to your hand.

Also you might want to increase the intensity of your workouts, walking is great exercise, but jogging burns 3-5 times more calories for the same time commitment. So maybe you walk a minute, jog a minute, etc etc. Get that heart rate going and keep it up there. And keep the workouts interesting, change it up weekly/daily whatever, and push yourself to a sweat as quickly as possible.

Don't despair
 

Hey there,

I was in the same boat until just this week, this is my 3rd week in to my new healthy lifestyle. I was really disappointed i was not seeing any result for my efforts. yes i felt great and my body felt tighter but the scales wasn't having any of it. So I didn't panic or lose hope rather I made some changes to my diet. Brought my daily cals intake from 1400 up to 1800 (yes up) and tried to eat more regularly rather than going the whole workday without eating which i was doing. I too have heard that eating too few cals can put your body into starvation mode. Think of your metabolism as a fire- you've got to keep refueling it to keep it burning if you don't feed it enough and often enough it goes out.

I also up'd my protein intake as i am a veggie and really wasn't getting enough despite eating lots of meat substitutes and egg whites. I now try to balance my meals out to 30% fat, 30% protein, 40% carbs (similar to The Zone).

Hey presto this week I've lost 5lbs and 5% body fat. Fingers crossed this continues.

Have you used the tools on the weight goal tab? I recommend setting yourself a realistic weight loss goal & time scale. The tools will help you determine how restrictive you should be with your calorie deficit (burned - eaten)

Hope this helps.

The body is a confusing thing
 

I'm a 37 y/o female 5'3" 224 lbs. (start weight 240) I hit a plateau 3 weeks in. First 2 weeks the weight flew off, then nothing in the 3rd week.

Scale stuck for 8 days. And it even went up a couple times, but always went back down. This week the plateau ended and over a 3 day period I had a 5lb. loss.

I upped my water (from 64 to 80), ate the same (1200), increased exercise and switched it up a bit. I did have my "free day" in the middle of my plateau also, I ate without counting calories or figuring nutrition, so maybe that actually helped. The body is a confusing thing, just stick with it, the plateau will end. I know it's frustrating when you are doing everything right and the scale won't budge.

Five or six days at maintenance levels generally did it for me
 

This is actually what I use to do to break through plateaus. Five or six days at maintenance levels generally did it for me. But I had to learn this on my own. ;)

The right carb-protein-fat ratio varies for everyone
 

Jeannette, do a search for protein in the forums; there have been a number of threads, though not recent, that have had ways to eat more protein. If you can't find any, let us know.

Sadly, I have to disagree with the fact that your weight staying the same is the result of gaining muscle. Fat does not turn to muscle; this is a myth...losing fat and building muscle are 2 completely different processes. I've read that if you are dedicated to putting on muscle (i.e., making a conscious effort to do heavy weight training, eating a ton of protein, and doing everything toward the goal of building muscle), the most you will probably gain, as a female, would be 2-3 pounds over about three months. I don't think that's the case here. However, your muscles may, shortly after a workout, be retaining some water and other things as they go through the healing process, which may account for some of it.

No, I think what you have is a good old-fashioned plateau, and we all hit 'em. The previous poster is right in that you will probably see a drop soon.

The right carb-protein-fat ratio varies for everyone. 60% for carb is not horrible, but that depends on your body. It's worth experimenting tweaking it to see if more protein and fewer carbs would be helpful. And don't forget your healthy fats...so many folks shy away from fat (me included, previously), when it's really necessary for body functions and even weight loss.

Changing your usual ratio is a good way to snap your body out of it
 

I know I could never follow the carb restriction of Atkins, but I agree that when in a plateau, changing your usual ratio is a good way to snap your body out of it. The body gets used to what you do and changing anything (including exercise) sometimes wakes it up and breaks the plateau. Thanks, Mai, for reminding me of that.

If you cut too many calories weight loss can slow up or stop
 

Plateaus are very frustrating but common problem. Besides being brutally honest and counting any slips up you might be changing fat to muscle. Fat is actually very light so you can be losing fat with it turning up on the scales. Check you body composition and measure...also look are you more toned?? Finally I agree if you cut calories too much weight loss can slow up or stop and finally some bodies need to check more than cal...I have to cut (unrefined bad) carbs and alcohol out almost totally to get my body into fat burning mode. Good luck!

What you're eating matters
 

If you have blood sugar spikes, your weight loss is going to stall. I got rid of refined sugar, white flour, and white rice. You need to read up on what you need to be eating.

Fluid retention due to illness?
 

It sounds like fluid retention to me. Your cold may be to blame. Are you taking any medication for it? I find a cold usually makes me retain water. If you keep on doing what you are doing you will be back losing soon. You could increase your water. It's funny but usually the more water you drink the less you will retain. Good luck. Mary

Over exercising + too few calories = plateau
 

With the amount you exercise 800-1200 calories is not enough...up your protein. You should be between 1200-1400 maybe more some days. Up your water also.

Are you getting careless about tracking?
 

People tend to get sloppier about measuring as time goes on. So, the exercise and low-calories should be working but one of those is probably being overestimated. That said, who cares? If you think you should go 'lower' in calories, then try that.... it will just mean you're cutting out a little more or working your body a little more. Which helps get through a plateau.

Here's what I've heard about breaking a plateau
 

Here's what I've heard about breaking a plateau, but I've not tried it myself:

- gradually increase your calorie intake slightly, while closely watching your weight. When you've added 500 cal/day OR gained 3lbs (whichever comes first), hold that calorie level for a few weeks. You are looking for a higher calorie count that let's you stabilize at your current weight.

- after a few weeks at this higher calorie count, go back to the lower count you've used for weight loss and you should see the weight start to fall again.

Walk a little bit more than normal
 

I have had many plateaus during my life. It is hard to understand them, at least it is for me. There are some days and weeks that I know I should be losing weight, but the weight stays the same.

The one thing that seems to help me a little, is to walk a little bit more than normal. I know that sounds simple, but it seems to help me a little.

People swear by carb cycling
 

Also, a lot of people swear by carb cycling. It might be worth a shot.


Bodybuilding.com - Carb Cycling Articles!

It's time to change something up
 

To paraphrase a popular saying, "Plateaus Happen". Your body gets used to reduced calories and/or increase exercise. It's time to change something up--eat a little more (or less), change your calorie mix a bit, do a different form of exercise. Or all three!

You can also just wait it out--if you are sure you are maintaining a daily calorie deficit, you WILL eventually start losing again.

Regards,
Michael

My diet doc recommended this
 

Hi Rosie,
I don't know how much weight you want to lose, but I can tell you from my experience and many other's here on the forums, that plateauing at 30lbs is really common. Basically your body is trying to get used to its new shape and metabolism. Here is a suggestion that worked for me (actually my diet doc recommended this):

Now is a good time to recalculate your daily calorie requirement (it will be substantially lower with your new bod). Most of us find that FitDay over estimates the requirement (especially for women - which I am assuming your are) so pick an activity level lower than what your really think is correct and use the lowest calculation.

Once you have that information, up your daily calories to just below your "maintence" level for a few weeks to allow your body to get used to the new you. Try to make sure that you continue whatever exercise routine you have adopted and maybe - if possible - add a little more.

After a week or 2 return to your reduced calorie plan.

Some people do have a little trouble with this. For one, if you have been really good about maintaining your calorie deficit, allowing yourself to eat more can be a scary. Secondly, some people rather than continuing with the great eating habits they have developed just adding a little more food, see this as an opportunity to return to the old bad habits - don't be one of those people.

The biggest benefit to this is that some day you will be at your chosen weight and you will have to maintain that weight, believe me, maintaining can be as hard as losing. So consider this a practice run.

Watch the sodium!
 

I definitely agree on the sodium. It was a big factor in my being stuck on a weight.

Plateaus can be confusing!!

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