Hit a plateau at week 8, HELP!!
 

Good morning to all,
I am wondering if anyone else has hit a plateau. I have lost 20 pounds in 8 weeks but have not lost anything in a week. Should I change up my meals? Also, I am experienceing the big "C". I have taken stool softners but they don't seem to be working. I am getting discouraged. Please help:?:

You've probably heard this all before, but many things can affect weight loss - especially the big "C." If you stay OP, you *will* lose weight.

In the meantime, drink plenty of water and try to focus on your average weight loss since starting IP. There's nothing wrong with an average of 2.5 pounds per week! Actually, that's pretty darned good!! :cp:

The big C can stall you for sure. You needs to drink lots of water to keep things moving. Also, have you tried senna tea? It's marketed as Dieter's Tea and has the herb Cassia angustifloria which is used to make many laxatives. One or two cups of this and you should be moving again, but wait 10-12 hours between cups because otherwise you might need to stay home or close to a bathroom! Good luck--I stalled a few weeks ago, too. You'll get going again and likely have a big loss next time if you're 100% OP. Hang in there. You are actually doing great. 2.5 lbs a week is terrific. Keep up the good work!

That has happened to me in the past as well on IP. You have to stay on program. Your body is readjusting to being deprived of carbs/calories. You will start losing again. As the previous poster stated, drink lots of water for constipation. Also, for veggies, eat spinach and leafy lettuce. Go for a walk to try to get things to start moving again. I dealt with this frequently on IP the first time. I actually started going to the naturopathic college for colonics to ease the constipation. It worked of course, and is an option if you become desperate. Good luck!

The senna tea is also called smooth move tea. It's the first thing I reach for when the big C hits.

A true plateau would be defined as no change in weight OR measurements in several WEEKS (not days -as in 7 days). IP typically expects to see a brief stall at week 5 or 6 so if you didn't see it then you may just be seeing it now.

Did you lose inches at your WI? If so, you still had a LOSS, hence no plateau, even if the scale didnt move.

Our bodies CAN get vey efficient so if you've been eating a lot of the same things, it might be time to change it up a bit (if the inches were the same, too).

As far as the C, be sure you get all your water, all of your oil (on your food, not just in cooking) and if you aren't having 2 salads/day, you probably need them. We have a lot of folks here with other great C advise, too.

Are you getting in all of your veggies and salads? I had C initially when I'd gotten sick of salads and went a few days without. Once I made to sure to have at least one big salad a day and got my daily green veggies in and water, I haven't had any issues.