[shoupfamily]

I've heard that if you hit a plateau you could vary the amount of calories your eating each day to get back on track with losing. Do you think this would be a good idea, to vary calories, to avoid a plateu??

[mom2mollie]

Yes-- maybe add 100 one day and then subtract 200 the next, etc.

Another, better thing to do is to ramp up your exercise. If you hit a plateau it means you're maintaining. If your calories are already really low, add in 30 minutes more of exercise twice a week and/or increase your weight/reps in your strength training regime.

One more thing to do is stop counting calories and/or exercising for 3 to 7 days, and then go back on your plan and ramp it up a little. Sometimes your body just needs a break, and this also fools it a little bit, too. This is hard to do, though, because if you get off your plan, it's a lot harder to get back on for some people.

Good luck!!

[aphil]

If you haven't hit a plateau, then you really don't need to do anything. Some people continue to lose weight at a regular pace, for their entire weight loss-it just slows slightly as they near goal.

A plateau is where you get stuck at a certain point for a few weeks or longer...and you have to do something to get the scale moving again. At that point, basically, your body is telling you that it needs more to continue on with weight loss. Most of the time it means either A: Increase the amount you exercise, or the intensity of it-or B: Lower your calorie level.

You don't have to do a huge jump either way to break a plateau. Lowering your calories by 100 a day will do the trick, or simply adding 10 minutes to your exercise routine each day-because over the course of a week, that can mean 30-60 minutes more-depending on how often you work out. Small things can make a big difference.

[Pita09]

I was stalling at the same three pounds for over three weeks and couldn't get past 230, which was driving me nuts. For the last week and a half I have increased my exercise by 15 to 30 minutes a day and the scale started moving. I just stepped on it this morning and it said 225!! It's to early to move my ticker, but I'm real hopeful that I will see this number stick.