Hi, ladies:

Since joining about 6 weeks ago, I have seen many beginners, such as myself, and long-term SBD-ers express distress over short-term or long-term plateaus in weight loss, or even minor weight gains.

As I am experiencing a plateau at the moment, I was wondering if you ladies in your infinate wisdom could share your tips for getting past plateaus, things you have learned tend to cause weight loss to stahl, or any other advice or experience regarding to help when the number on the scale is dissapointing.

It will be great to have this thread to direct other members to when experience the same thing.

Thanks in advance!!

well first of all you're not really in a plateau yet.. 6 weeks in is barely the end of the transition period.

secondly are you SURE that 137 is not a good weight for you. i'm 5'3" and at 137 I would be skeletal.

thirdly if you really really really want/need to lose more weight you will have to be patient.

IF you are exercising, drinking your water and eating 100% clean for day after day after day, then eventually the weight will come off... paitence is required.

I had a plateau of 14 WEEKS back at about 241 pounds. over 3 months of moving, and eating right... and the same weight up or down for 3 pounds or so for over three months.... patience is your friend here.

mary I agree with Nessa... although I'm also a beginner I have learned that you need patience. Especially when you're at that weight. You may want to look at what you're eating each day and reevaluate that. And then again looking at your exercise routine, is it enough. And most importantly as Nessa said... BE PATIENT!! You'll get there! (altough, I'm prolly gonna eat these words when I get down there and ain't losing) but I'll remember this thread!!
You'll get there, just give it time. quick weight loss is hard to keep down. Slow is sometimes better! keep up the good work and you'll get there!!

THank you so much for the responses. I am not at all terribly distressed about it yet, and I guess I should not call it a plateau, more like a mini stall. However, my main goal with this thread was to just see if we could collect everyone's tried and true tips for hanging in there, or breaking through the plateaus, just as a general resource to come to when feeling defeated.

Patience is definitely the starting point!!

p.s. Nessa- You are probably built differently then me--I am the most prototypical apple-shape ever, and often get asked when I'm due--it's embarassing. Trust me, I am not trying to get to an unhealthy weight. I am just a small-boned person with way too much unhealthy fat around my midsection. I doubt I will actually be able to get down to 120, but 137 is definitely not a healthy weight for me...I wish it was!

I think a lot of times, our bodies sort of settle into a routine. I think if youre haveing a lot of treats (even if they are South Beach approved treats), cut back. That's obvious thing to do.

The not-so-obvious thing to do is change things up a bit. You don't necessarily have to exercise more to get results. But if you've been doing the same workout routine for weeks on end, change it up. If you've been doing only cardio or strength training, add the other into your routine. If you've been riding an exercise bike, switch to a treadmill. If you've been lifting weights, try some equipment-less strength training like push-ups, crunches, lunges, etc.

You could change up the food, too. I'f you've been eating the same things all the time, try something new. You don't have to eat more or less, but just change things around to keep your body guessing a bit.

I have been on SB for a year and I haven't hit a plateau yet. I have had weeks (4 of them together as a matter of fact) that I haven't lost, but I don't feel like I could say I'm on a plateau unless I am eating exactly as I'm supposed to, exercising, and the scale doesn't move for a month, then I'd call it a plateau. The times I haven't lost, it hasn't lasted too long, or it was because I wasn't doing what I'm supposed to.
Also, my pattern of loss seems different now that I don't have as much to lose. I lost at a very steady rate for most of last year, but the last couple of months, I'll stay the same for a while, then drop a bunch. F'rinstance, I stayed the same for three weeks recently (on plan too), but then I have lost 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks.
I'll add my vote, patience and not focusing on the scale are key. It'll come.

For me at 137# I was definitely not skeletal. I'm 5'3" also and at that weight I had close to 30% body fat, really flabby with rolls. Heck, I still have some of that.

The weight can come off slower when you don't have as much to lose though. There are weeks when I didn't lose anything, then all of a sudden a good drop. I personally think exercise has a lot to do with it. And by that I mean just being more active and walking more some weeks more than others.

I know I'm eating a lot healthier on this plan, so even if you're not seeing a loss on the scales, your insides are getting healthier.

Something that helps me figure out where I might be able to change is by tracking my calories on FitDay for a week or so. I was able to easily identify where I could change some things around, for instance, decrease my fat percentage by changing salad dressings & using less EVOO when cooking. EVOO may be healthy fat, but it is still fat.
SBD doesn't require calorie counting or fat gram counting, but I do.
I also get "stuck" at the same weight and then drop a few at a time.
I also don't always eat "clean", so I feel that is an area I can work on.
Best wishes for a whoosh!
Karla

I've recently hit a plateau myself. I started eating 1 protein bar per day and I started losing again. I wasn't really doing anything else differently so I'm assuming its that. I could be wrong though. But anyways, I found a protein bar called Pure Protein. I don't know if it is 100% SBD acceptable, but it only has 2 grams of sugar per bar and hasn't set off any cravings for me. The only one that is worth eating IMO is the double chocolate one.

Mary, I have to count calories in order to keep myself in check. I use South Beach as a guideline for what I should eat and then plan my meals around caloric ranges, plugging in the veggies and making sure to avoid the foods that could spike my blood sugar and cause cravings. If I didn't pay attention to calories, I would definitely use too much olive oil and cheese. I also make sure to keep my protein up between 65 and 100 grams a day.

Hope that helps!

Kara

Kara--may I ask how many calories you aim for per day?

I have to keep it between 1200-1300 to lose. Plus I have to exercise. I haven't figured out a maintenance level yet. I'm good at losing and I'm even better at ruining all my hard work...

Kara