It is time to get out the big guns. This plateau has gone on for about 2 months now, and I am tired of waiting it out. According to my rmr I should be losing at 1500 calories, but this is not happening, so starting today I will be drop to 1300...hope that works...
Would anyone out there like to share what they have done to conquer a plateau ?

might get me shot, but in relation to your height/weight (of course i don't know your age), try 1600kcals?

if it IS starvation mode, if you lower it more you will only be making it worse in the long run.

2cent

Egads, a debate I don't want to get into.

BUT, I do want to offer my support! And unfortunately, no one is going to have answer for you, not really. You're going to have to experiment. Try a little of everything one week at a time.

Up the calories
Lower the calories
Eat fewer carbs
Eat less fat
Drink more water
Try fruit/veggies only for two days
Increase the exercise

OR, just wait it out. Waiting it out doesn't work for me because I have to DO something. So I have the above bag of tricks. None will necessarily work but at least I'm doing something.

Eliana,thanks for the ideas. Waiting it out is no longer an option. I think I am going to cut calories first, and take it from there.

How is cutting calories going to help starvation mode? Doesn't starvation mean not getting enough calories?

I would recommend lowering your calories, based on my personal experience. I had been losing about 1 pound a week on 1600 calories (when I stuck to it). I stopped losing. Within the last week, I lowered my calories to 1400-1500 a day, and finally after bouncing around between 216 and 219 for the ENTIRE month, I saw 215 this morning! You are smaller than I am. I believe you need to lower your calories by about 100 per day and maybe try increasing your exercise for an extra bonus. However, I am not an expert. I am just telling you my recommendation based on my own experience.

I think she's not sure what to do. I think she's not convinced she's in "starvation mode". Neither am I.

Sorry, I guess I am prone to sarcasm today. What I mean is thatI don't think Eating more will get me losing weight again.

I'm going to wade very, very gingerly into the starvation mode question and say that personally, I don't think there is such a thing, at least not for people in normal circumstances eating a normal amount of food (and I'd personally call anything above 1000 calories normal).

However, what I do believe is that the human body is designed for to adapt, and if you regularly do the same general level of activity and the eat the same general level of calories, your body will adapt to that and operate efficiently at that level of input and output.

I think Eliana's list of things to try is good because I personally don't think it's really so much an issue of lowering OR raising calories, it's changing one of the variables. So sure, a lot of the time, people will raise calories to break a plateau and then think that they weren't eating enough and that's why they lost weight when they ate more. But there are probably just as many people who break a plateau by eating less. I personally think it's the CHANGE, not the amount, that makes the difference. Getting your body to adapt to a new routine gives it a chance to reset, and I think the reset is what breaks the plateau.

So go ahead, and just change SOMETHING! lol! If nothing else, it helps to keep life interesting.

Change is definitely the way to bust through the plateau. Eat more calories one day, less the next. Try new and different foods. Mix up your exercise routine and try something totally new, etc. etc.

If you eat the same amount of food and do the same types of activity, the body gets used to it and adapt.

Definitely change something up. I think 2 months is more than enough patience.

In your position I would lower my calories, but only you can really decide which way is best. I personally am another one who isn't entirely convinced a moderately restricted calorie diet will kick the average person into starvation mode, so I know I'm biased, but I would lower. I'm not saying starvation mode doesn't exist but I am saying I'm not at all worried you are in it or at risk of being in it with the plan you've proposed.

Just google the term starvation mode.

Here's an article I like. http://tbs-opt.com/Documents/Starvat...20abridged.pdf

I'm a nurse and have seen folks who are soooo sick that their metabolism is very slow. They can hardly breath, their limbs are incredible weak, they don't heal, their heart rate is weak and irregular ...

I agree with PeanutsMom and others who said to make a change, get out of the routine. I have been reading quite a few weight loss stories lately where the "losers" would raise and lower their calories on various days. This months Good Housekeeping has the winner of the Biggest Loser on the cover. She does 1200 calories 6 days a week and adds about 1,000 calories to that on the 7th day. The main thing is to change something.

Susan, thanks for that link. It is very informative.

marigrace, I personally suggest you slightly lower your calories and mix things up. Also, have you had your thyroid checked? I was really struggling and found out that my hypothyroidism was not under control.

Actually, taking your needed calories by something like 2-3 days, and adding them together might help. For instance you eat 1,500 per day. Why not try 2000 the first day and 1000 the next day? Just fluctuate like that. The human body is great at adapting. It also is used to living in an environment where the food source is uncertain, so giving it an "uncertain" food source might help. I was at my dieting best about 10 years ago when I always fasted for one day a week. I've been thinking of getting back into that mode again, either a fast, or a salad day each week.