Ok I know I'm not the first to break through a plateau, but I think a lot of folks are stuck right now, so I wanted to share what worked in case it's any use to anyone else.
Quick background:
> Was 130.8 for nearly 2 weeks
> Baseline adult weight (what I have usually weighed as an adult, prior to weight gain): 127
> Methods: Calorie counting (1200/day) and exercise 3-5 times a week.
> Broke the plateau over 2 days, now at 129.8
> EDIT: On a pescatarian diet, eating 80-90% whole, fresh, unprocessed foods.
What worked:
> MEASURING MY FOOD when possible. This means even for my morning Slim Fast with skim milk measuring out an exact cup of milk. Turns out I wasn't too off, but that extra 1/4 c I was accidentally adding contributed 30 calories to my meal. Per meal, that adds up to a minimum of around 100 per day. Underestimating more calorie-dense items like pasta can add up to 200+ calories per meal.
> CUTTING CARBS. I am a carb lover and have never even considered cutting carbs in my life. It was always just totally off-limits. I've now seriously reduced the carbs I'm intaking, substituting them with high protein foods or fruits/veggies.
> BEING EXTREMELY COGNIZANT OF HOW AND WHERE I "SPENT" MY CALORIES. When you only have 1200 or so calories per day you have to have a mental plan for how in general you will spend them to ensure you're getting the right nutrients and don't end up starving by 3 PM. It could be as simple as substituting a more high-nutrient, lower carb sweet potato for a regular potato, or high protein fish for a lower protein sandwich meat. There's no room to waste calories when you have little to work with.
> EATING MY BIG MEAL OF THE DAY FOR LUNCH, NOT DINNER. This simple move has worked for me extremely well before, and the logic makes sense. You need more calories in the middle of the day when you are at work, chasing your kids, and moving around rather than right before bedtime. Eating a higher fat, higher calorie meal for lunch helped me not graze and snack between those crucial hours of 2-5 PM.
> BEING EXTREMELY VIGILANT ABOUT PORTION SIZE AND OVERESTIMATING CALORIE CONTENT. Unless I was eating something out of a package, which is pretty much just my Slim-Fast in the morning, I overestimated the amount I was eating and how many calories were in it. For my cup of tea with a splash of milk, I recorded 1/4 c of 2% milk, etc. I *know* even by my idea of overestimating I was still underestimating in some ways how many calories were in other items. By erring on the side of overestimating when I wasn't sure, I at least came somewhat closer to a more accurate count.
> NOT GRAZING. Drinking tea with milk to stop me from nibbling. Or counting a bite as 1/4 of a serving. Nuff said.
> LIGHT EXERCISE. DON'T KILL YOURSELF. I do 1 intensive cardio or yoga class a week, the other 2-4 exercise sessions are light walking, elliptical for 20-30 minutes, etc, just to keep my heart rate up and break a sweat.
Before I broke my plateau I was convinced I was doing everything I could and was so frustrated. However, if I wasn't losing weight, I clearly could be doing SOMETHING better. So I buckled down and made these changes.
Another 3FC member, Sacha, posted this article on another thread in Featherweights which also helped convince me that the weight loss was in my hands and I really had to make changes if I wanted to keep pushing through. Article is here: http://www.stumptuous.com/honesty-is-the-best-policy
I don't mean to claim I have all the weight loss answers- just wanted to share ideas for others who are plateauing. Cheers!
for breaking the dreaded plateau...
