Plateau Busting
 

Seemed to have hit a plateau and need some tips on how to bust it. Lost 50lbs and have not lost much of anything in two weeks. What have you guys done to get through a plateau?

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.

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!

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.

Pam

You can try doing short interval juice fasting a couple of times a week and get a nice detox out if it. They are called short interval because the fast can be as small as 3-4 hours. If you do a fruit juice smoothie for breakfast it will keep you full clear through till supper so fast has been completed and you will feel great afterwards.

In a sea of fads and crazy fitness ideas, this makes a whole lot of sense. I am going to give this a try!!

I didn't expect a "Plateau" this early in my weight loss through lifestyle change!
I am walking just under an hour almost every day ,with a caloric intake average of 1700.
Based on what I'm reading from past posts I guess I need to zig zag, the calories and change up the activity.
This is not easy. I especially struggle with evening cravings!!