I think I may have hit a plataeu
 

My weight is just all over the place this week and I haven't really lost anything in the last 3 or 4 weeks and have really been working out hard and eating well. How do I get past a plateau? I have heard that you need to change things up but how and what? Change exercise or eating or both? I've lost about 16 lbs but just can't seem to get past that and am really getting frustrated!

same here .. it's so frusturating!

i have had 2 since iv started jan 1st.....I am on Weight Watchers and the first time i just stuck it out then one day i stepped on and was .5 less..over the next 2 days i lost .5 so when i weighed in finally i had lost around 2 pounds over 3 days...they suck something terrible but sometimes you just have to ride it out..

this second time i also rode it out but increased the intensity and changed up my points and got over it within 2 weeks

Im sorry that I dont have any advice, just wanted to say that I am also at a halt. That is partially my fault, but even so, I still should be loosing weight with what I am doing, and ive been at 253 ish for a month or so now. Frustrating.

Those who calorie count say when they hit a plataeu they up their calorie intake for a day or two, then go back to normal. The change in calories is suppose to 'trick' your body into changing its metabolism. Some times eating too few calories can work against you. Good luck!

I have hit it too, but starting this past Monday I have changed things up a bit so don't know if it's actually working or not. We will see this coming Monday when I weigh.

This week I am running a few more miles adding incline & hills, instead of doing the elliptical almost everyday. I love the elliptical but I'm afraid I was getting too used to it. I am still doing the spin classes as well.

I work-out with a personal trainer and he told me to UP my cardio. Go for walks in the morning and fast pace walk, then run, then slow down then run again. It gets your metabolism started in the morning.

Also, I am a calorie counter and I had the same problem for about 2 weeks I wasn't loosing anything and I was so frustrated and felt like giving up. But I stuck to it, and upped my calories and Monday I watched my carbs too.
Yesterday I was 228.00 today I was 225.2. So I guess what I am doing worked.

Zig Zag calorie counting is suppose to be the best. changing your amount of calories throughout the week so your body doesn't get use to the same amount.

I doubt I can up my cardio at this point, but zig zagging calories is worth a shot. I have read that when you do that you confuse your body & it will continue to lose. I think I will try that .... for now anyway & continue running & spinning.

Zig zag your calories, definitely eat more small meals during the day to keep your metabolism going and as for cardio, it's not the quantity but the quality. Whatever they say about slow heart rate for weight loss...that's crap. You need to get your heart racing for some portion of time (interval training). Make sure you don't over do that though because you might start going into anaerobic exercising (where your muscles produce acid cause not enough oxygen).

But yes, interval training, or try different forms of cardio. If you're on the elliptical, try the treadmill or stairmaster. Try swimming. Try cycling/spinning. Plateaus are typically caused because your body adapts (and our bodies are REALLY good at adapting). You just have to make it work harder the smaller you get.

How does zig zagging your calories work? I just started counting them so I don't even know if that's something that I should try. And as far as cardio...I've been doing the C25K program and am just about to finish. I don't want to quit running but how do I change up what I'm doing? Is just going from treadmill to outside running enough or do I really need to change it up and add some hills or increase my speed?

Add some hills AND increase your speed. Or, increase your speed first, then add some hills. Or add some hills, then increase your speed. The thing with weight loss is that you can never get fully comfortable (yes, it SUCKS) but it's like the C25K (I think it's a great program), it bumps up your training every week because your body IS adaptable.

As for zig zagging, get comfortable monitoring your calories first :) I would suggest to not have "cheat" days in the beginning because you need to get in the habit of recording everything. Zig zagging works like this though: you might have 2 high calorie days, then 2 low ones, then 2 medium ones. Or one high, 3 low, one medium. This way your body doesn't get "comfortable" in a routine.

And, if you're ONLY doing cardio, I would recommend some weight lifting/strength training. Cardio only burns calories upto about 4 hours after you do it. Muscle burns calories all day (which is why men lose weight faster because they have more lean muscle mass, damn them).

A good thing to do, like many have said, is zig-zag your calories. There is an awesome website called freedieting dot com/tools/calorie_calculator dot htm (I can't post links yet lol) which will show you how to zig-zag them if you like :). Also, I've found changing your workout helps. So if you usually run for cardio, try swimming or cycling. And if you don't do a lot of weight training, try adding that. Also, stuff like bodypump is really good.

As boring as it sounds...long walks REALLY help you lose weight, but I do mean strenuous walking. Uphill hikes, really. It's because it gets your heartrate up to about 60-70% and then keeps it there for a really long time. That's why my mum is so fit, she walks around our village in Switzerland at least three times a week (up hill all the time lol) and runs during the week.

Other than that, green tea can help you lose weight as well if you drink warm drinks. Certain foods like ginger are also meant to help with weight loss, so I suppose you could look into that too. :)