Has anyone ever been on a LONG lasting plateau? What did it take to it moving? I am really trying hard, with zero results. I have lost 2 inches off my waist, but no where else, since Jan 2. I welcome input. Thanks alot.
What do you eat? Do you count calories, do weight watchers, low carb or what? How often do you eat? How much food total per day? Do you exercise? Without the answers to these questions it is hard to know what to advise you.
Some people eat too much, others eat too little. Some eat all the time, some eat too seldom. The trick is to rev up your metabolism. How do you do that? Exercise will do it. Aerobics particularly burns fat. Lifting weights creates muscle and may not help you to lose weight quickly, because you may be gaining muscle while losing fat, so if you are doing some serious workouts you may not see the changes immediately. Still it is a good thing to do.
You can rev your metabolism by eating breakfast, and by not eating late at night. You can rev it up by eating more often, but small meals. You can burn more fat by eating fewer carbs.
If you have cut calories way too low, sometimes you slow things down. If you are eating too many you won't lose either. You have to find a deficit that isn't so extreme that your body starts hanging on to every bit of fuel it has.
I just went in a read your blog and I think you are on to something when you said you are going to tweak things! I haven't hit a true plateau this time around, but in the past it's taken 2 things to break out of one: changing my eating habits and changing my exercise program to challenge my body more. I did read that you are recovering for 13 surgeries, so exercise is doable but limited, I suppose? I think you're really onto something by keeping an exact food diary. I record every taste, lick and bite of food I eat for right now. I know how you feel though. I remember. You long for even that small .5 loss to show up! 2 inches off your waist is great Judith!! Just think of how much healthier that alone is - especially in light of what happen to many dieters when they hit a plateau...just give up. I'm sure you'll get lots of great advice. Good luck, Judith!
Usually when I hit a plateau, I have to mix things up a bit. I tend to eat the same things for breaksfast, lunch and dinner. I will also mix up my excercise as well.
What do you eat? Do you count calories, do weight watchers, low carb or what? How often do you eat? How much food total per day? Do you exercise? Without the answers to these questions it is hard to know what to advise you.
Hi Sherry,
In Jan. I started the RDS diet (reverse diet solution, basically you eat dinner for breakfast and breakfast for dinner)... the people in the group were all losing and I was GAINING. Then I found out that I am glucose intollerant? (basically pre-diabetic) My body was not able to handle the bulk of calories in the a.m. ... rather it needed to be spread more evenly.
Then in Feb I just decided to count calories. I was staying between 1800-2000. It was recommended to lose weight that I do 2000 calories per day. I only maintained my weight. I would have a pound down and then a pound up.
Then last week I decided to do a modified diabetic diet. I did 1200 calories with 400 free calories. I did my treadmill every a.m. for 30 minutes. I did not miss a day. And I did extra housework everyday so as to not 'sit around' ... I also drank at least a gallon of extra water per day. When I weighed in I had maintained.
This week I d/l the sample software from Calorie king, and I am trying to make sure I am doing exact amounts. It recommended that I have 1868 calories per day, and I am doing 1600. When I input my foods yesterday it said that an average person following my plan (with what I ate yesterday) should lose an average of 13.9 pounds per month. Just for the heck of it I stepped on the scale and I weigh 1 pound more. I am not 'hungry' either. I am comfortable. If I ate more I think I'd feel full.
I do not want to give up, but sometimes I think, all this work, paying so close attention to everything I eat, journaling all of it, etc etc etc, WHAT IS THE POINT? I mean I am maintaining and so why bother? That is what my head is saying but I won't give up, never, I can't. I have to do this.
I have been on this plateau since Sept 05. I was at 255 then and when I just threw in the towel over Christmas I GAINED this weight. So I can't throw in the towel ever again. My body is turns against me when I do.
I hope this helps with giving me some kind of tip that will kick my weightloss into high gear.
Usually when I hit a plateau, I have to mix things up a bit. I tend to eat the same things for breaksfast, lunch and dinner. I will also mix up my excercise as well.
Carol ... like what do you do exactly? I keep tweeking my plan with no results but maybe what you did might help me.
I just went in a read your blog and I think you are on to something when you said you are going to tweak things! I haven't hit a true plateau this time around, but in the past it's taken 2 things to break out of one: changing my eating habits and changing my exercise program to challenge my body more. I did read that you are recovering for 13 surgeries, so exercise is doable but limited, I suppose?
Yes the 13 surgerines limit me big time. I can only go 2 mph on the treadmill, and I can not lift any weights, at all. I can not do aerobics, but I can swim. I just haven't been able to get away to do that.
May I ask what things you did to change your eating habits that helped you? Thanks so much for replying.
I just saw your previous post to Sherry. I could be wrong, but maybe the issue is this. You initially started at 2,000 calories/day for around 265. I am about 15 lbs lighter and I am on 1700/day, so it may that your calorie intake was too high. However, then you switch down to 1200-1600/day, which is actually a large reduction to your body. Combined with the excercise, your body may have gone into starvation mode. It is holding onto every calorie it can get, because it is confused.
For me, when I hit a plateau, I first mix up my excercise. If I have been doing a lot of weights, I switch it to cardio. I bump up my water intake (always and issue for me). I also go back to basics. I journal every lick, taste and bite. I also switch around the breakfast, if I had been eating cereal, I change it to yogurt to get more protein. In the end, we all hit plateaus, you just have to keep at it. You will break through.
I've never really had a plateau - there's been a couple of times I stayed the same from the previous week but I can't count it as a plateau because my eating was terrible in those weeks
I'm always keen on reading the responses to these types of questions for the dreaded day that my plateau does happen. There's some great advice here.
I'm with you, Dee, in never having hit a plateau (in the true sense). I flip-flopped about for a few months losing and regaining the same couple of pounds, but it wasn't because my plan had stopped working, it was because I stopped working the plan.
I have a lot of respect for those people who keep plugging away without seeing noticeable results.
You're doing well, Judith. The tape measure acknowledges that even though the scale hasn't cottoned on yet.
Plateau City!
What did it take to it moving? I am really trying hard, with zero results. I have lost 2 inches off my waist, but no where else, since Jan 2. I welcome input. 
Thanks alot.
