[Tonia]

I apologize as I have seen these posts before but, honestly, I wasn't there yet and had no comments or advice so I really didn't pay attention...

How do you know if you have hit a plateau? I have been at this since about the first of the year and have lost 30 pounds (yea me! ). But, it seems to be staying there....the last couple of weeks I have been sick with a couple of different ailments (stomach virus and flu - I am still sick). I have not been working out much during this time...but, I have been keeping up with my water (mostly - it is HARD to drink water when you are sick!) and my calorie plan. Yesterday the scale registered a five pound weight gain - I do know enough to know that I did not gain five pounds. But, it is frustrating. I don't know if I have it a plateau or simply slowed down because the honeymoon is over (so to speak).

What do you think? And, if I HAVE hit a plateau what do I do about it? I was thinking about really cycling my calories next week (assuming this crappy flu bug is gone!) and upping my cardio but I am really not sure what to do. Should I simply wait it out until I am well and see what happens? At what point do you call it a 'plateau'? Thank you for your advice?!

[fiberlover]

A true plateau is no weight loss and no measurement change that occurs over a period of time, and you are strictly adhering to your program.
I personally don't think it is a plateau if it is a couple weeks - but I went on one that lasted probably a good 6 months. That was incredibly frustrating, and no changeup helped. I ended up just gaining some weight back (like 40 pounds). That's not what I would recommend to break the plateau LOL!

I would not make any judgments on you being on a plateau until you are well and back on track with your plan. Stalls happen, it is like your body needs to catch up - you have lost a lot of weight since the beginning of the year!

[Goddess Jessica]

Sweetie, you've been sick. Patience. Once you have recuperated you can identify issues with your plan if there are issues. But for now, don't change what you can't confirm is broken.

[joylove26]

I agree that it's probably due to your being sick. I'd get back to following my plan good and see if that gets the scale moving in the right direction again. And adding more cardio in definitely couldn't hurt.

[KrisR]

Ditto what everyone above said.
Also, know that we do know how frustrating it can be when the scale doesn't move. grrr......you just want to scream and throw a tanty!

I think the best thing I've learned from my plateau's is that I need to basically stay the course but make slight adjustments. It's so easy to throw in the towel - but that never solves the problem. As frustrated as I get at my slow weight loss, I keep reminding myself (over and over and over again) that these are lifestyle changes I'm making - this is for life - not just until I reach a certain number on the scale. For whatever reason, it seems to help keep me more balanced and in touch with reality.

Hope you're feeling better soon. Hang in there!

[JayEll]

Weight loss isn't a straight line, and life happens. A plateau is no change in at least 3 weeks. Anything less is just a "stall."

Don't fight too hard to change the stall. Sometimes the body just doesn't lose, and then starts to lose again. Stick closely with your program--maybe make sure you're exercising 5 days a week, that you're not going over on your food intake.

Hang in there!

Jay

[GirlyGirlSebas]

Hi Tonia,

You must be so frustrated to see a 5 pound gain. Please remember that your body has been fighting illness and can't respond to the weight loss efforts right now. Once you're well, see what happens. If this trend continues, then I highly recommend doing some calorie tweaking and increasing your cardio intensity a bit.

Hope you're feeling better.