[UrthWurm]

It seems like for the longest time I've been in these ongoing plateaus! I stay in the same weight range, and then slowly lose a few pounds over 2-3 months, and then get stuck again!! I'm really tired of it. I'm so close to goal! I can see it coming up on the horizon but my feet can't hardly carry me the loss is so slow. I was thinking about dropping my calories for a short time to try and jump start my metabolism. Do you think that would work? I generally am consuming around 1400-1500 calories a day. I was thinking of dropping down to 1200, which I've consumed before with relative weight loss success. What do you think? Any chance this might help?

[Meg]

If your weight loss is pretty much stalled, it means that you're in energy equilibrium: your calories in = the calories you're burning in a day. In order to get back into a calorie deficit and lose fat, you need to increase your exercise in order to increase your calorie burn and/or decrease your daily calorie intake.

I'm not sure how much exercise you're doing daily and whether you could bump up the intensity and/or duration to increase your calorie burn. That might be something to think about?

Myself, I had to stay between 1200 - 1300 calories in order to get to goal, so what you're suggesting sounds right to me. The calorie level you're at now is my maintenance range, so it's not surprising that you might be stalled out. So dropping it down might get your fat loss moving again. Just make sure that you're making every calorie count -- getting the most "bang for your buck" nutritionally -- then give it a try and see what happens.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[rockinrobin]

I don't call lowering ones calories giving their metabolism (or anything else) a jump start. Your metabolism doesn't get a jump start by you lowering your calories, in other words. What you are doing by lowering your cals is taking in less of them, hence making MORE of a calorie deficit.

IF you've been faithfully sticking to 1400- 1500 calories, really, really faithfully, with no loss for several months it may mean that it's time for you to take in fewer calories OR increase your exercise - your intensity, your duration or your frequency. Or do a combination of increasing exercise/lowering calories.

You are smaller now so your body requires less energy (calories) to function.

I would track my calories - faithfully - for a few days - every bite, lick, taste, crumb and sip. If you are truly adhering to that 1400 - 1500 calories, then I would drop them a hundred - 200 for a couple of weeks, again, tracking faithfully. I'd add in some exercise and see what results you get after two weeks and then you can re-assess.

Congratulations on your weight loss thus far and I look forward to hearing of your continued success!!

[UrthWurm]

I've faithfully tracked 1200 calories per day for the last 3 days, and increased my activity. I started off at 152.8 lbs and weighed in yesterday at 151.6 lbs. I doubt this is actual weight loss rather than mere fluctuation, but I'm pleased none the less! Finally, some movement in the right direction! Thank you for the suggestions and encouragement.