Since the beginning of the year my weight has fluctuated between 136 and 139 and simply will not go below. (At one point, I recall, I posted that things were finally moving but that was a false alarm, alas.) I'm just spinning my wheels here and getting so discouraged.

So I've decided that instead of just whining and complaining about it, I ought to try to mix things up a bit. I usually try to keep my macros balanced at an even 30 across the board (though my fat rarely gets quite there) and usually eat between 100 and 150 grams of carbs. Starting today I'm slashing my carbs by half-ish and shooting for 40 to 60.

Has anyone had success changing the way they eat to get things moving again and/or lose the last 5?

I aim for a rougly 40% protein, 30% fat, 30% carb ratio. I find that to be 'low to moderate' carbs and it works quite well for me. I don't necessarily watch my carbs super closely, but I focus on making sure to get adequate protein and fat, and then the rest just gets filled in with carbs.

Are you shooting for 40-60g of TOTAL carbs, or 'net' carbs?

My view -- and there's absolutely no "science" behind this other than what has worked for me -- is that when I'm stalled, mixing it up definitely helps. If you cut your carbs that much, you'll probably kick things in gear. To be so close to goal and hit a plateau at this point just isn't fair! One caveat. I always watch my carbs because I swear that if I even look at a package of something that is high carb, I will pack on a few pounds. The mistake I have made in the past is that after I reached a goal, I would just return to eating my way through the high end of the glycemic index. I have finally figured out that I will need to gradually increase my calorie and carb count to be able to determine where the sweet spot is. If you lower your carbs this drastically, then I would suggest increasing them slowly once you get things moving again. Good luck!

Joss - My goal is 40 to 60 net. I considered going for lower but I honestly don't know how people manage to and still eat a decent amount of vegetables.

Betsy - Thank you for the advice! I don't know how long I'll be keeping my carbs at this level, I have promised myself to stick with it for at least week, but I'll make sure to add back slowly. That makes a lot of sense. With any luck I can do it along with increasing calories as I go into maintenance.
Also, it's really encouraging to hear that this sort of method has helped you break a plateau in the past. I'm really interested in hearing people's experiences on that.

Short Answer.... I'll let you know...

I actually already eat low carb... I stick with about 20% of my calories from carbs.... But since deciding that I want to lose some more weight... and the scale not really cooperating... I've been thinking about taking my diet "old school" and doing Atkins '72 which is basically zero carb... I've even gone as far as tracking down a collectible hardcover first edition of the book from 1972 to use for this little "experiment" of mine... I'm planning on starting this weekend when I have some "down time" because I'm expecting the first few day to maybe be a little bit rough... But we'll see...

I went opposite. I was at 60-80 carbs a day and now am at about 120-150. I was stuck at 130 and at the beggining of the month dropped to 125 within the first 2 weeks. I have only managed another lbs or so since then, but it has been so much easier having more carbs. I was at 130 for a couple of weeks and decided to shake things up a bit, plus I wanted to start experimenting for maintenance. Just hope I can keep this up!

I agree..it's all about shaking things up! I think low carb will help you move on the scale, but you might gain some back when you bring your carbs back up. I don't think 40-60 net carbs is a good long term plan, but great for changing things up. I personally do best with 100-150g of clean carbs..no breads (except sprout bread or low carb) or pastas or sweets. I think if you keep those in check, you might notice a difference.

Also, shaking things up with exercise is a good idea too... More cardio, HIIT, heavier weights ect....

I think that carbs should be related to your activity level. I follow the principles of the Leangains approach, so basically I base my training in 3 weight lifting days where I eat more carbs and try to eat less carbs on my resting days. It's some kind of carb cycling. But if for instance one rest day I decide to take my bike for a spin or do an extra lesson at the gym I increase my carbs accordingly.

This is just my experience, the important thing is that you try and see. If you go low carb you will probably will go down on the scale losing some water weight. I have found at this point that I am not happier at a low weight but at a low bodyfat level so I am focusing on recomp my body as opposed to what the scale says, but hey this is my goal, you should focus on your goal and act accordingly.

I have spent some months gluten free and trying to eat less carbs and I found that my performance in the gym was not ideal. Now that I'm eating more carbs I find that I can give more at my workouts and that I have more energy during the day so I do more activities. I prefer this approach myself.

I'd add some articles related to featherweights and a lower carb approach I found interesting:

This one is related to insulin:
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_...in_sensitivity

This one was discussed in another forum I belong to and I found it interesting because I've seen myself in this situation when my body was craving carbs and I only reached for nuts which probably was the wrong approach:

http://paleozonenutrition.com/2013/0...commendations/

This feedback is so great! Thanks so much, everyone. Reading the varied points of view has given me a few more things to mull over.

Tripswitch - I would love it if you would share your experience after you start this weekend.

My first day went well. I ended with 55 net carbs which wound up being 18% carbs, and 41% fat and protein. Today I was able to plan a bit better and will have 34 net. I think I won't have much problem keeping it around that level or lower once I finish up my less-than-carb-friendly salad dressing.

Carpediem - I loved the T-nation link, especially this bit;

"Practical application strategy – Since insulin resistance is closely correlated with body fat, we'll put it in terms of ballpark body fat percentages:
>25% body fat: Low-carb diets would be the best. Think Paleo, Caveman, LaLanne's "if man made it don't eat it", or Poliquin's "run, fly, swim, green and grows in the ground" approach.
12-25% body fat: Stick with the "earn your carbs" theme. If you're consistently strength training like a madman, you can reintroduce carbs back into your diet. Start slowly, perhaps 0.75-1.0g/lb of lean body mass. Targeted timing matters – spread intake over periods where insulin sensitivity is at its highest (peri-workout and breakfast).
<10% body fat: In addition to peri-workout nutrition and breakfast, I think carbs should be a consistent part of the diet for this demographic. Something like a traditional bodybuilding high protein, moderate-to-high carb, lower fat, with fat as a by-product of protein sources approach. I would go with 1-2 grams protein per pound of lean body mass spread relatively evenly over the course of the day."


I've actually found that to be the case with me, as when I get very lean having large carb-ups/refeed/cheat days actually leans me out MORE.

*And edited to add that the second link was fantastic as well! I found that they both REALLY applied to me. I can see now why my losses with my coach were probably so slow and why a more moderate amount of carbs usually works better for me.

Thanks!

Glad you liked them Joss. I really like Nate Miyaki's articles, him, Lyle and Alan Aragorn. I think sometimes us, active feathers, should not go directly to general diet advise and should try to look for information that applies to our unique position so I'm glad there is some literature for featherweights.

Agreed, and its not always easy to find!

So after reading the T-Nation article my curiosity about where I fit it on the practical application was really burning. Now, I know that neither of these tools to measure body fat is likely to be especially accurate, but a friend's scale but me at 27.2% and a handheld fat analyzer said 22.5%

The first would put me in the low carb diet is advisable category, the second in the middle category. I think, armed with this information, I'm going to continue with my experiment. I've done google searches with both percentages and going by the examples I suspect I'm closer to the 27 than not.

Thank you so much for sharing those articles, carpediem.

Tried going low carb once and I hated it. No energy for lifting or exercise. Couldn't get a pump when I lifted. Felt crabby and deprived half the time. My advice is to never cut out food groups. Just moderate and lower your overall calorie intake. If you are struggling to lose, look at how much are you taking in. Do you know on a day to day basis what your calorie in-take is? Lower the overall intake and you WILL lose weight.

By the way, there isn't anything special or different about carbs that cutting them out will help you lose weight, per se. Low carb diets are recommended because the majority of average people eat too much processed and junk food--which mainly consists of simple carbs. So cutting out carbs will automatically reduce their overall caloric intake. However, for individuals who are already lean, athletic, and have a handle on basic nutrition, cutting out carbs isn't necessary. It all boils down to calories, in the end. A calorie is a calorie.

There is a fantastic article series called "Comparing the Diets" by Lyle McDonald if you are interested in the science behind it.