neurodoc, I was plateauing like crazy until I upped my cardio. You say you are indeed doing cardio, as well as weight lifting, which sounds like a recipe for success to me, but I only saw significant results when I increased the cardio to about 100 minutes a week out of a total minimum of 450 minutes per week of exercise. My weight-lifting and flexibility workouts (yoga, pilates, and ballet) also all incorporate mild cardio as well (AWT, power yoga, etc.). And the pure cardio I do is all very low-impact walking and jogging, for the most part (except for the very occasional HIIT workout, maybe three times a month because I really hate too much high-impact). Granted, I'm still losing really slowly, but maybe a strategy like that would help a little.

No matter what, plateaus are temporary and you can totally bust through 'em!

So, in order to get through this plateau, I've been trying to work on increasing my protein from about 60-70 g/day to 80+ (while keeping total calories to 1300, meaning a relative decrease in carbs) but it's proving very, very difficult. I think I would have to give up -most- fruit for awhile, which I'm not convinced is really healthy, and will probably make my constipation worse (sorry if that's TMI, but it's a real problem for me). Other than that, I'm not sure what I can do to "shake up my routine." Increasing my workout time is just not a realistic option- I have a 10 hour a day job and 3 kids. I could increase the cardio and decrease the weight-lifting, but I will still have a total of ~4 hrs/week at my disposal for exercise, and from everything I've been reading lately, lifting will give me more "bang for my buck" (burn more calories and prevent my basal metabolic rate from dropping as much over the long haul).

If anyone is interested, I log my food at fatsecret.com, where I go by the username abozoki. I welcome your suggestions.

hi neurodoc, i don't have any answers, but 2 weeks isn't that long really. Maybe start measuring yourself since you're doing some weights - you're probably changing shape, and seeing a difference on the tape might make you feel better!

Don't worry about it all, be patient, and keep remembering to congratulate yourself on how healthy you are and what you've achieved. I agree though that giving up fruit doesn't sound like a great solution.

WOOOOOO! I have some unexpected triumph to report. Yesterday I ate pretty clean all day and did some moderate exercise in the evening. Yet by the end of my day, I was randomly fatigued and feeling kind of "bleh" and sleepy, so I was not too fabulous and wound up nibbling on a tiny stash of leftover Halloween chocolate (tiny amounts, though; if I weren't actively dieting, I wouldn't have beaten myself up over it). And yet this morning, I'm down a pound! My Wii Fit chart of my BMI is showing this nice slow but still downward trajectory on its slope. Woo hoo!

However, my slip-up has inspired me to eat clean all day, even though the DH and I have date night tonight and are probably going out to dinner. Instead of feeling panicky about it, I'm going to look up the restaurant's menu later and simply be mindful about my choice. They have some awesome dinner salads and I plan on being careful enough with lunch that I can enjoy something nice later.

But anyway, I'm psyched. My weight loss has been pretty freaking slow, but I am most excited about my fitness gains. My friends who threw the Halloween party I went to last Friday posted some pix on their Facebook pages, and I was actually not too embarrassed to tag myself in 'em. I looked visibly thinner than I did in pictures taken at a friend's wedding last December. Go me!

kat999, that's sweet! Nothing beats seeing yourself in photos and going "hey, I look pretty good!"

Today was a bit rough. I was in a pretty blah mood all day, ate a bit sloppily and was attacked at work with chocolate covered potato chips by some coworkers. I swear they're trying to fatten me up even though I'm already the fourth or fifth heaviest female teacher (out of about 30) at work. Had to stay late and since my neighborhood is so poorly lit I couldn't run outside and opted for Tae Bo indoors instead which never feels as vigorous.

I am also a bit 'pated and unsure what to do about it. I eat yogurt (which in the past acted almost instantaneously), plenty of fibrous fruits and veggies, stay hydrated, and drink coffee and tea.

Either way, not terribly optimistic about weighing myself tomorrow. I have felt enormous and bloated all day despite weighing in at exactly 128 pounds this morning.

Ange, it's actually been over a month- I first charted a weight of 129.6 on 10/2. For my crappy metabolism, a "plateau" of 2 weeks is my norm. And alas, my measurements have not changed either, so this is a genuine plateau. My fear is that I won't lose anymore unless I lower my calories even further (1100-1200), which I'm not sure I can sustain for more than a week or two, and will regain any weight lost during that period as soon as I go back to 1300.

Hehe, I thought you were talking to me. Ange is my name too. lol

Down today to 125.2 I'm so freakin excited! I love how seeing the number drop only motivates me and keeps me on track that much more. Tonight is girls night out but I plan to eat before I go and then only have a skim milk latte or a mint lime spritzer. Probably the latter since I'm trying to avoid dairy. I'll see if they have soymilk. I haven't worn anything but work out clothes since last week so I'm excited to see how my jeans are fitting.

I went to my Allergy/immunology and dermatologist yesterday. I finally gave in and got a kenalog shot in my butt. After about 2 am, I slept soundly and woke up feeling so refreshed. That's been a LONG time coming. I'm not itchy, no new hives. I'm a little afraid about rebound and dependence but for now I'm just going to enjoy the benefits of the steroids.

neurodoc, plateaus are so frustrating. Pretty much my weight loss patterns has been to stall for 6 weeks, then drop giant chunks in one week, then the stalling starts again. Not to mention the few lbs gain during TOM/ovulating. it's so frustrating to do everything right and still lose so slowly.

I hate that panicky feeling about eating out, but sometimes you just can't avoid it!
Kat, that's what I did when I went out to eat this week. I picked out the best item on the menu before we went, and didn't even look at the menu. Turned out it was delicious, and I felt so good afterwards! Just remember how good you'll feel

woohoo changed! Congrats


So I am so completely sore from my weight training. I don't know if it was the deadlitfts, shoulder presses, lat pull down, lunges or what, but my lower back, upper arms, and thighs are absolutely killing me. It's beyond pain, it feels like someone burned my back up and down in strips and I have open wounds all over. It's torture! Im used to feeling soreness after working out, and I usually even like the pain because it reminds me of my work, but this is just beyond all that. I"m going to keep doing them of course, but I'm a little afraid. I have yoga tonight and I hope I can do the poses. I hope it will help me!

Hey neurodoc - I don't know if I have any good advice for you, but if it makes you feel any better you are NOT alone... I am chuckling at your quote above. I have been trying to lose ~20 lbs for more than a year, depending on what I call my start date (I bumped up to almost my high again last holiday season) and what I call my goal (I keep changing it depending on my optimism level).

Eh, it's just my experience here, but it's so much harder when you are older (by "older" I mean like mid-30s+). In my 20s I used to be able to just "cut back" a little and drop 8 lbs in a couple of weeks. When I hit mid-30s, my whole metabolism shifted and here I am resigned to being happy to lose a single pound in a month - even though I am eating really well and exercising regularly for the first time in my life.

You got some good advice above about changing things up - that seems to be the consensus about what works to bust a plateau. Recently I dropped a bit by going more low-carb. And I keep threatening to up my cardio but am dragging my feet - for real, haha - about this. Maybe you could add something like HIIT, which apparently is also the best bang for your buck in cardio. Also, maybe try calorie-cycling? Sometimes it seems that relatively high-calorie days boost the metabolism...

Take all this with a grain of salt - I am a disastrous featherweight. I had a goal to lose 3 lbs in October and all I did was maintain. Which I guess I should be happy about since I was away for 2 weeks, surrounded by bad food and not exercising much. So now there is little to no chance of me reaching my weight goal by the end of the year. I would have to lose 9 lbs in 2 months.

I am considering calling whatever weight I am on New Years Day my maintenance weight and moving on to solely fitness goals. But I still feel like a failure that I couldn't get back down to the size I used to be. ARRRGH. I need to think about this more. I am just looking for the mindset that is going to keep me going and feeling positive.

It definitely helps to have this forum to learn from. And to vent to!

Congrats Changed! That must feel amazing!

Between being backed up, having a mediocre/bad jogging session this morning before work and the number on the scale bouncing up ever so slightly, I'm about ready to hide out in an empty classroom and sleep all day. Really hoping I can fix this and get below 58.0 kg next week.

Pinkflower, I've had that uber-soreness once or twice before. I once had it so bad in my thighs that I couldn't sit down on the toilet- I sort of "dropped" down onto the seat, cringing in pain as I did it. It's tough to know, while you're doing the workout, what constitutes serious overdoing.

EmmaD, you are quite right. It's never been easy for me to lose weight (hence the "never under 130 pounds since adolescence"), but it has gotten even worse since I passed 40. I swear I can inhale the aroma of baked goods and gain a pound.

Krampus, I'm convinced that it's the lack of fat in my diet that causes the "backup." The minute I eat something greasy or high-fat, I have no trouble. Obviously, this poses a problem for dieting.

Good night everyone.

i know what you all mean about plateaus because realistically i've been on one (with a few bumps) for about 5 years - so i guess it could be called maintenance!!! But there's always that hope that somehow if i carry on being what i think is 'good' with regard to food and exercise, then somehow i'll miraculously lose weight even though i'm not really changing anything.

My normal cycle is to exercise more, then get hungry and eat more, then be too busy to exercise, but feel less hungry, and it all balances out.

I know i'm going to get absolutely shot down in flames for this one, but the easiest way for me to lose is to do the old soup diet for 7 days ('sacred heart' not the 'cabbage one', with extra chilli and herbs thrown in) which knocks off about a kilo, and then go back on a normal diet!

Neurodoc, I tried to look on fatsecret but I couldn't figure out how to view your foods. Here's a thought -- have you tried to do a weights routine that gets and keeps your heart rate up? I know my heart rate jumps when I lift, but then really comes down during breaks between sets. How about skipping rope, jumping on the treadmill for 1/4 mile, jumping jacks, whatever, so that your time spent lifting is also cardio? I agree, it doesn't seem reasonable to drop your calories even further if that will just lead to regain. How about increasing cals 100-200/day, maintaining through the holidays, and then going after those last 9 lbs in January. Kind of giving your body a break from the calorie deficit for a while? And lol on the "toilet drop" -- I had that kind of soreness last week when I did 4 sets instead of the prescribed 2. Ouch!

Pinkflower, I did NRLW Stage 1 Workout A for the second time but I am not sore. I will have to up the poundage next time. I really enjoy it though -- especially because it is a rather fast workout. Normally, weight lifting bores me to tears.

EmmaD, I like your idea of calling it maintenance and focusing on fitness. Don't forget -- you can always change your mind and attack the lbs (or kgs) again! But a change of focus might be a relief, and I find setting and reaching fitness goals to be incredibly fulfilling!

Changed, I just re-noticed (I'm sure I noticed it when you first started posting) that you started at 200 lbs. Is that a pregnancy weight? Did you lose it all doing Fast 5? Whatever the answers -- way to go, you're doing great! And I like your pic -- you're so pretty and what a cute little guy!

Kat, congrats on all your progress!

Fatpantsskinnyjeans, have fun at your 5K!

Chelsey, it sounds like you're doing great, too! All that frustration this summer was a learning experience to set you up for this success. Yay you!

Krampus, this too shall pass . Hope you get a good run in this weekend. How much longer are you in Japan? When do you plan on hiking Fuji-san? A friend of mine did it -- it sounds awesome!

Ange, I'm not going to flame you about the soup diet, but do you find you regain that weight? I fear with anything that is not sustainable, a bounce-back is inevitable, but that might just be me and my old-lady body.

Happy Weekend Feathers!!!

Happy Friday Feathers! Is it me or does it feel like today is everyones birthday? lol I feel like I have 230948 friends with the birthday November 5th..

I am not sure why but I have been a little "backed up" if you know what I mean. Ever since I started eating clean I was going twice a day! And let me tell you, that is amazing for me - I used to have really bad number 2 problems. I would go almost a week without going! Its amazing what eating clean does for you! But anyways, the past few days I havent been as regular and I can feel it - bloated and just "full". It's causing the scale not to budge. Actually its caused it to go up .4 pounds. Ive been at 131.4 consistently the past 2 days. I am hoping I will see a relatively big drop once I get regular again. I was hoping to be in the 120's by this weekend. We'll see.

It is finally cold here in Florida! High is low 60's and low is in the 40's!! I love it! Finally feels like fall. If only I had a special someone to enjoy it with Oh well I am blessed with an amazing family and great friends!

Neuro - I am so sorry to hear about your plateau. I can only imagine how frustrating that is. And I give you seroius kudos for not giving up. I honestly really admire that. From what Ive read from other successful plateau busters, they say to change up the exercise routine and/or foods you are eating. Sounds cliche but your body really does get "used" to what you give it. Our bodies are very resilient and can adapt fairly easily when it needs to. Do you eat "clean"? I noticed that really helps speed up weight loss! Also, Amy's idea of a circuit train is a great idea. I heard its the best workout to burn fat - mixing cardio and weights. Bottom line, if you dont have a thyroid problem or any other hormonal issue, you will lose the weight. Its science! I had a friend who was 18 when she lost her weight. Mind you, she was not even overweight but lost 20 pounds working out and eating healthy (Im guessing she was about 140 and 5'7). Anyways, she went a whole month losing maybe only a pd. Then out of nowhere, it just fell off! Its stubborn fat but you just need to be more stubborn

Pinkflower - I LOVE being sore after a good weight lifting workout. I wish I stll belonged to a gym. I would love to start lifting but I just cant afford the membership right now!

Kat - Congrats on getting through your plateau! I am SO terrified that I will give up once my plateau hits. And something tells me its right around the corner!!

Changed - Congrats!!!!!! 125?! Oh I cant "weight" to be at that weight! Ok that was a cheezy play on words lol I blame all the coffee I'm drinking

Emma - I agree with your post about getting older and it being harder to lose. But one of my professors has a great point! He always says "use it or lose it". Meaning, if you workout regularly (especially weights) you can beat your metabolism dropping significantly. Naturally our metabolisms drop as we get older but you CAN beat it! I really believe in his quote and its what motivates me more to get into an exercise routine that I can sustain for life! Look at Amy for instance, she has ran for I think she said 20 years; and she lost almost 20 pounds in 4 months eating on average 1800 calories! Thats incredible! She too is in her 30's (still a spring chicken) but that is typically when the metabolism drops. I suspect she has a pretty darn good metabolism and didnt lose it because of her consistent exercise habits!

Krampus - I envy how you can eat friend anything the night before a morning weigh-in and still see the scale drop! You rock!

Ange - I dont think there is anything wrong with "detoxes" which is what I like to call them. But I have to agree with Amy, its usually weight that almost always comes back!

Amy - Thanks for the kudos! I feel great and am only more motivated to keep going! Ive already dropped my goal though. Honestly, my original goal has always been 118 but I upped it just so I wouldnt feel so overwhelmed. But as I get closer and dont see that much of a difference, I see 118 is possible. Also, I measured myself again, and I am indeed 5'5. Im not part of the 5'6 club We will see!

Have a great day feathers!!!

Dianne- Get some magnesium citrate. It pulls water into your bowels and acts like a non habit forming laxative. I used it while I was pregant and it saved me!

Thesame7pounds- Somewhere over 200 was my highest pregnancy weight. I stopped looking. I hit 200 a month after I got pregnant with my third and for a few months after. Then I stuck at 190 for a few years. I lost the first big chunk on WW fairly easily and have had to whittle away at the last 25 for 3 years. There was another pregnancy in there but I only gained 30 pounds so I didn't have too much backpedalling but probably 10 pounds of it had to be lost again and again. I've been doing fast 5 for like 7 weeks and have gone from 136 to 124 and it's been the easiest weight loss in a LONG time. Maybe since my first weeks losing weight ever. I just love it. <3 And thanks for the sweet compliments! Your lovely pic with your little one inspired me.

I got to my goal for Sunday a few days early! 124.8

Neurodoc- once you bust through those plateau's it's on!