Breaking a plateau
 

I've been the same weight for two weeks. Actually, it's been fluctuating up and down a pound, but not moving anywhere substantial. This is my 6th week on program? Any suggestions? Has anyone else had (and broken through) a plateau on IP?

What about adding light exercises to your morning so you can increase your metabolism all through the day? That may help too.

I am going through the exact same thing. 2 weeks exactly the same. My coach put me on a restricted bar for breakfast twice, and said to mix up the veggies....not the same thing every day. I have WI Monday morning, so I will see what happens. I figure if I stay OP I will eventually lose!

Oh, and is was my 6th week!

Yep i had the 6 week blues as well. Stayed the same for about 2 weeks then had a 6# loss the next week. I did increase my protein slightly, but the only real cure is time...stay op and the scale will keep moving

This is very reassuring. Thank you! I would have thought 'less' of something, not more! In fact, my counselor told me no bars to get back on track when this sounds like more protein the AM might be the solution! I'll test it out. :)

Im in week 6 too and wondering what was up...tut tut..guess i will add in some extra protein!! yum steak!

I am in Week 7 and just got a 0 WI :( I sure feel better knowing others are going through it and that I just need to stay OP and push my way through!

I'm on Week 22 and I've had this happen to me twice, around the beginning weeks and now. Hopefully it passes but I always fear that I'm never going to break through :(

Admittedly, I am only on week 2 and the scale has stayed the same for only 4 days, but it is still sooooo hard when I have been absolutely 100%! I thought the weight loss in the beginning would be extremely rapid, so maybe it is just my expectations we too high? I did lose 12 the first week, but then it stalled completely.

My inner self says to be quiet, stay firm and that all is well. Maybe I will spent today listening to my inner self and quit whining!

going through the same thing, except i'm almost 4 mths into the program. I tried eating extra, I tried eating less...nothing seems to be doing it :( It's really hard not to cheat when nothing you do seems to help, but the plateau has to break eventually, right? I have no sage advice.... but know you're not alone in this :)

Jodi

I just wanted to chime in to say that cheating will not help anything. If you are commited to losing the weight, you just gotta stick it out and see it through. If not losing for a week or two is enough for you to give up, how on earth are you planning on maintaining?? Even after you lose all your weight, you still will need to be conscious of what you are eating for the rest of your life or you will become a statistic for gaining it all back.

Just my $2.84 cents (inflation, don'tcha know!)

My advise to you is to put the scale away. It seems the daily monitoring is causing anxiety. The program works & there is no reason to monitor every day. I'm sure your coach suggested sticking with the weekly weigh in. I did this for 6 months.

You didn't mention how long you've been stuck.
A true diet plateau is at least 4 weeks (more like 4-6) of no change at all...no movement in scale or measuring tape. Only after about 6 weeks (admittedly VERY frustrating weeks) would it be time to consider trying something different.
Until then, it is extremely important to be sure the protocol is being followed to the letter, with measuring cups and measuring spoons.

One thing that CAN happen is that the thyroid can be affected by the very low carb (VLC) diet. This can slow things down. Mine was. Some people are more sensitive than others. I started having symptoms after about 4 months and was diagnosed about 5 months in. Taking a break from P1 worked for me (I phased off for 6 weeks but stayed on IP P2,3,4). Alternatively, phasing off and switching to the alternative plan for diabetics and people with other health problems would be another option. The weight loss isn't as quick but the plan isn't as hard on your many systems.

I found lots of info where many folks recommend 12 weeks max of a VLC diet before taking at least a 2-4 week break. Of course, IP never tells you this but it was originally designed for off-season athletes, most of whom would probably lose the necessary weight in that time. If you read Dr. Tran's book, you see he talks about dieting approximately 10 weeks.

I would only do this (above) after knowing for sure there is a true plateau (4-6 weeks) or a health reason to switch.

Put away the scale - inside, I KNOW you are on the right track. I am fighting against perfectionism and a wee little bit of OCD, so my anxiety about the scale is not a total surprise to me.

I will marshall all my inner power and try to do that. Keep fingers crossed that tomorrow I can do it - one day at a time. Thanks for the suggestion/reminder/gentle chide!

Lisa... I've been stalled for about 3 weeks now. I'm also really tired all of the time, so I had already had the thought to get an appointment with my doctor for a full panel on my thyroid, as i've followed your posts and remember that your symptoms were similar. Hoping it isn't the thyroid...