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Old 08-18-2009, 10:08 AM   #1  
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Default The Dreaded Plateau...over 2 months now. Advice needed. Your stories - appreciated!



Hi all. I haven't been around too much because I have just been SO defeated lately. I have gained and lost the same 3 pounds for over 2 months. I know I haven't been hitting the gym, and I've been very stressed and very sleep deprived...so none of that has been helping.

I really, REALLY want to get over this hump now. There are so many things out of my control right now, that this is the ONE THING that I can do something about. The first thing I am doing is calling my doctor for a complete work up. I am also going to find an endocrinologist. I've had bad thyroid problems for 10 years now; trouble stabilizing the levels and now I am having some issues that make me wonder if my hormones are not out of whack. I love my doctor, but I think its time to take this to the next level. I also need the dreaded gyn check-up too.

After all of those are done and any of those issues are taken care of the only obstacle in my way is ME.

So can any of you give me some of your best plateau busting tips? I know I need to get in some more exercise. I have had a really hard time with the boys being home from school; my husband's hours at work...those are all excuses that I need to get over! I do need to get some tennis shoes before I get too heavily back into working out because I can't keep beating on my foot with the stress fractures and I can't even think about trying to get it fixed until I lose more weight (my requirement not the doctors) and my youngest is more independent.

So, some easy at home workout ideas that have helped you in the past would be great...
Food tips...
ANY tips...!

This plateau has been such a HUGE burden that my motivation has REALLY been zapped down to near nothing! So tell me about your worst plateau and how you got over it. I need to hear that others have had this problem and were able to get past it. In the past, I would have quit by now; except I've never gotten this far before. I don't want to give up this time.

HELP!!!!!!!
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:10 AM   #2  
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Hey - I have missed seeing you around!

Plateaus just suck. You already sound like you are on the right track to increase the intensity of your workouts. I would also recommend food journaling religiously - every bite, lick, sip. Record it all. Eat enough healthy, whole foods (don't restrict too much), avoid processed foods. Drink plenty of fluids and try to get to bed on time.

I am thinking good thoughts for you!
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:12 AM   #3  
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Oh - my worst plateau.

February 2005 - June 2005.

Blech!
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:41 AM   #4  
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I'm going through it- no motivation, nothing because the scale has stopped, and it's been this way a few months.

I finally stepped it up, took everything off my husband's bowflex and started using it. Got a treadmill rug so that my treadmill will feel more stable, and even bought a bike to go bike riding and bring that into my workouts

THEN I gained two pounds- wth! lol.

I'm guessing all the muscle soreness isn't helping but I'm still plowing along!
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:41 AM   #5  
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If you search my name truthteller you will hear me talking about my current plateau. It is so awful. I have been going to Metabolic research center and they did such nasty blaming of me that I hardly can stand going in there any more, which they are fine with as they have my money. I am sitting at 160 and my best advice is to make sure you do not gain any weight and to try to really enjoy the weight you are sitting at, appreciating how much lower it is than when you started. Also chnage the foods you eat (Others have told em that works. It has not for me) Cut out diet sodas. I am actually planning on trying something radical to break the plateau , it is driving me so nuts and seems to reflect how stuck I feel in every area of my life. Do not give up. You are doing great.
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:43 AM   #6  
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By the way, can someone tell me how to set up the ticker.(weight time line)?
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:46 AM   #7  
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I'm also in a plateau right now as well. I've been hovering around the same weight for about a month now.

Everyone goes through plateaus and they are very frustrating, but eventually the scale catches up. Keep doing the right things and thinking positively and before you know it, the scale will be moving in the right direction!

P.S., I'm also from Northeast Ohio and its nice to hear "tennis shoes" again. Here in MA, they call them "sneakers" and pop is "soda".
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:55 AM   #8  
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I agree with Matt. It really is that simple, not easy but simple. I think it has happened to every dieter. DO NOT GIVE UP !
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Old 08-18-2009, 11:24 AM   #9  
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I had been on a long plateau(4 months) and gave up and gained back 15lbs in just a few weeks. DOnt give up...Keep going!! I now have 6lbs off of the 15 I gained back. Just keep doing what works and it will come off!!
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Old 08-18-2009, 11:39 AM   #10  
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Help is on the way!!! You CAN bust through this. You can. You can. You can!!!

Okay. I'm not certain though. I think before we can help you further, we can use a little more info. You've mentioned your exercise, but you haven't mentioned your food intake? Are you saying that you've been perfectly on plan and are plateauing??? Because if you are that would be a whole other answer then if you AREN'T perfectly on plan and plateauing. So, in order to help you better, maybe you can give us an idea of your food plan and how it's been going...

I admire you trying to work through this. Because like you said "quitting is NOT an option". No more. Nu-uh. Tweaking, changing, recognizing - yes - quitting - NO!

Last edited by rockinrobin; 08-18-2009 at 11:40 AM.
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Old 08-18-2009, 12:47 PM   #11  
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First don't give up. I just came off a a stall and I didn't post either casue I felt like dirt! I know I wasn't giving it my all, but some recent medical issues made it near impossible. I finally decided that no matter what happened in my like that fat wasn't going to help anything.

Second, don't give up! You won't get healthier by quiting. you have made great progress.

Third, don't give up(are you beginning to get the picture??) do what you can, take short walks with your children, find reasons to walk up and down the steps, etc. Just can't you can't do something heavy doesn't mean you can't do something. I started just walking 1/4 mile a day. I now walk 3 miles 5 times a week. So, just do something, it will get you moving and that will help you feel better about yourself.

You can do this! 45 pounds is HUGE!! Hang on tight and this stall will pass.
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Old 08-18-2009, 03:17 PM   #12  
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I tend to hit a plateau every 30 pounds or so. This past one, though, was at the 20 pound mark, and it's still going strong. It is SUPER frustrating, especially right now because I tore a muscle in my back last week, so my workouts are currently pretty restricted. I had been working out hard at least an hour a day, so that's a pretty major setback.

As for getting over plateaus, different things have worked for me each time. The first one was the worst -- I lost 30 pounds, then I plateaued for a whole year (no exaggeration!) before I figured out what I was doing wrong. I had to cut back on carbs big time and give up vegetarianism to get my weight moving again. The second plateau I broke by changing up my exercise, and this current one...well, I haven't figured that out yet. But I'm not giving up, so you're not allowed to either.

Good luck! You'll make it through this. It's hard, but it's worth sticking with it.

Last edited by thistoo; 08-18-2009 at 03:17 PM.
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Old 08-18-2009, 03:27 PM   #13  
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Thank you all! It is just so nice to hear that everyone else has gone through this. In your mind you know other people have made it past these plateaus but sometimes it just refreshes your SOUL to hear them say it again...because when you are sitting on the top of that plateau, I swear, time stops...and every day feels like weeks and every week feels like months - and your forget that this can be conquered!

Plus, since I have NEVER made it past a plateau before; this is new territory for me. I don't want to give up...I just want to see some results!

Have I been perfectly on plan? There is the problem. There isn't a plan. I have tried calorie counting and food journals...I don't know if its the AD/HD PLUS the kids being off of school or what, but I just have never been able to stick with it! It is SO forced and it is SO hard for me to do! Plus, since I cook EVERY meal for a family of 6 EVERY day with VERY little money and with half of the family having special dietary considerations. (Food allergies) and my 3 year old needing FULL fat foods (he's a tiny guy...doctor recommended) That after I figure out what I can make that we can all eat...I am too darn tired to figure anything else out! I have been trying to eat smart. Meaning, I have been trying to eat the same thing as the family (its a necessity, cooking 2 dinners a night would be financially impossible) but be smarter about what I make and how much, I eat. It has worked well until this plateau. I realize that its not a structured plan and that may very well be where I am failing myself. When the older two go back to school next week, maybe I'll get two minutes to try to focus more on a real eating plan that will work for ALL of us, or at least one that allows me to make minor modifications for me, without making a whole separate meal.

I don't know. I am very scatterbrained. Part of me is scared that this is all because I got off antidepressants way back in January and maybe I shouldn't have. There is NO way I'll go back...nope. No more antidepressants and no more being fat! I know that we are going through a lot of stress in my family right now (and it really got bad right around the time I started to plateau) so I know that is not helping! I am going to get those doctors appointments scheduled and get some stuff figured out! Perhaps I'll even make an appointment with the dietitian they have on staff. That certainly can't hurt.

I hate feeling so out of control! Thank you again for giving me a bit more confidence to keep moving forward.
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Old 08-18-2009, 09:41 PM   #14  
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Robin asked what I was going to ask. I'm glad you replied. I'm pretty sure you are not on a plateau after reading your response. I think you are in maintaince. If you are eating basically what you did to lose the first 45 pounds, it sounds like you are ready to drop your caloric intake. (Providing it is not already too low). As sucky as it is, and time consuming and ritualistic as it seems, I MUST journal every bite. It really does get much easier as time goes by. Also if you try to set a calorie limit for each meal (and snack if you have one) it also really helps. For example, when I was losing I almost always had 300 calories for breakfast, 400 calories for lunch and 500 calories for supper. (Weekends each meal was 100 calories more.) When I ate to my limit, the meal was over. I still eat like this, but I will change things up a bit for the weekends and/or celebrations.

I have a son on a gluten/casein free diet, so I hear you on not wanting to fix several meals. We eat what he eats usually. I don't fix myself special meals unless I'm making something the rest of the family is totally craving. (I'm a sucker for my sons!) You can do this, but I don't think you will get the scale to move until you start keeping track of your food intake better. Unless you do have some funky metabolic disorder, calories in vs. calories out is a pretty universal weight loss protocol. Good luck!
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Old 08-18-2009, 10:25 PM   #15  
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Have you tried any of the calorie counting websites like Fitday, the Daily Plate or Spark People? A lot of people seem to like them. Keeping track of your calories somewhere might make you feel more in control. Those websites also give you other nutritional information that you may find helpful. Hang in there!
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