I was on a plateau for about 3 weeks - my calorie intake averaged 1,300 cal/day and my exercise averaged 415 min./week. Nothing budged. I finally took out my little 1/2 cup steel cut oats in the morning, this was my last vestige of a complex carbohydrate. Things have moved some, 1 1/2 pounds in the past week. This is good but I'm worried about where I'm heading with the diet and what happens when I get to another plateau? I am down to vegetables, proteins and one piece of fruit every 2 days. I'm reluctant to go much under 1,200 cal/day and I'm not sure if I can realistically get more than 415 min/week of exercise in.

I have lost 27.2 lbs. since Nov. 19th and currently weigh 177.8 lbs. I would like to get down to 155 lbs.

If I were you I would go back to your previous regime, WITH the oats. You've done very well so far, and I'll bet you would keep losing if you just rode out the plateau. Right now it sounds like you're not getting enough food to fuel your workouts and are putting yourself at risk of exhaustion.

JMHO Freelance

I second what Freelance said,

I've been stuck for 3 months. Haven't lost a thing since December.
I was running for 30min (at least) 6 days a week, and sticking religiously to 1200 calories. During Dec the only times my weight dropped was after Christmas and New Years, when I had eaten over 1200 (didn't actually count calories).

So, when nothing happened January and the beginning of Feb, I bumped my calories up to 1500. Since then I haven't lost anything, but I haven't gained either. In actuality, my weight has become more stable (instead of bouncing between 159 and 156, it's between 157 and 156) and I have more energy than before.

So, try bumping your calories up. Only between 200 or so calories. Ignore the scale for a couple of weeks, and after 3 weeks, see how you are. If you've gained, you'll lose it quick because you simply can't gain real weight on 1500 calories. More than likely, your body will be shocked at the sudden extra energy supply it's receiving, and you might lose something.

Oh, and you shouldn't cancel out all carbs, especially complex carbs. Your body needs them. Since you've only been stuck for 3 weeks, maybe a high calorie day might shift something...?

I hope you see some movement soon! I know how frustrating plateaus are!

i humbly third.

please up to about 1,500. I believe you will lose. Even if you don't lose, you will have a nice little break, and can come back to your regimen refreshed with full force.

Operating on 1,300 a day is mentally exhausting, you are messing with every nutrient, micronutrient and hormone in your body, and operating on a bare-minimum. Your body does get tired sometimes - for me, I get really cranky when it's time to up a little for a break, for you, your bodies response might be to up a little. If you are nice to your body, it will do what you want it to do!!

You probably could have stuck to your routine. 3 weeks really isn't a plateau..frustrating, yes, but not a plateau.

There was twice during my weight loss where I was stuck for more than three weeks, but I did my thing and eventually the weight loss started up again. In the second case I was losing inches the entire time I was stuck at 136lbs and went from a size 6/8 to a 4! Then in a matter of a few days I dropped 5 pounds.

If you are stuck, sometimes just switching up your exercise is enough to get you going again. You don't need to necessarily do MORE exercise, but sometimes trying something new can give your body the boost it needs.

I "fourth"! I started back in June 2011 at 1400 per day. I didn't weigh myself until late November, but I could tell I was losing at a steady pace. When I thought I looked the way I wanted to, which was at the beginning of October, I increased my calories to 1700, thinking that it would be maintenance for me. All of a sudden, I seemed to drop weight even faster! Clothes that I had bought just two weeks earlier were loose within two weeks; I literally dropped a size.

Turns out that I needed 2200 per day to maintain, but my point is that I kept losing weight even at the higher calorie range.

I say try it!

Same thing happened to me. It seems I dropped weight even faster when I increased my calories to maintenance! I keep upping it but I'm still losing weight. I'm trying out 2100 a day now. Let's see what happens here!

I'm not near maintenance and I've kind of stalled out a bit in the weightloss department (well, not really, but it has slowed way down), but this past late summer/early fall I was eating about 1200 calories a day and workouts were killing me. I felt I was trudging through mud. They felt so incredibly hard.

Well now I am eating about 1500-1600 and I am so much more energetic. Workouts are so much easier and I can do so much more with them. Sure, I get every tired from them, but I recove quickly too and feel great afterwards. I think before I was under feeding my body and asking it to do too much on too little. I could "do it" but it felt horrible and wiped me out more than it should. I didn't really realize that until I upped the calories a bit.

Sure, my weightloss might slow down a bit (but many here have experience that it won't) but if it makes it easier for me to stick with it, then I'm ok with slowe losses than quitting and no more losses.

I know I've chimed in here a lot but I have to agree with everything you've written here. When I increased my calories I had the energy to complete more strenuous workouts. I too find I can do SO MUCH more and I'm motivated to do more. I've been working out A LOT more since entering maintenance simply because I have the energy to do so. Instead of relaxing when I get home from work I'm all wound up and I need to go for a run or lift some weights, etc. I just can't sit still.

Of course now it leads to a cycle I can't seem to outrun. I'm eating more so I have more energy and I want to exercise more. Since I exercise more I have to eat more to maintain my weight and thus I'll have more energy for my workouts...

Ack!