getting over 'the hump' - advice on plateau?
 

Hello all,

First the good news - I have lost 25 pounds since the beginning of 2009. Yay! I made my first mini-goal of 10% loss. But I've been at a plateau for the last two months, since the beginning of July I've been at 211 (some days a pound or two higher, but it comes and goes so I'm assuming it's water weight). I really want to get to onderland and I feel like I'm close and yet so far away.

Any advice on how to overcome the plateau and kick weight loss back into high gear? I'm not looking for anything incredible - my hope is to take off a pound a week, slow and steady.

I'm not following a strict plan, but just generally trying to eat only when hungry, not eat after 7 pm, keep carbs and sweets under control. I take dance classes, do the treadmill/elliptical or take long, vigorous walks at least 3-4x/week. This is how I took off the first 25 - not sure what I need to do differently? Advice or encouragement, anyone?

my advice would be to start following a strict plan. the things you're doing are all good things! but... eating too many calories (even if they arent from sweets) will cause your weight loss to stall. my advice would be to use a calculator online and figure out your calorie needs for weight loss.

good luck and congrats on the 25!!

1st, congrats on 25 pounds lost! Great job!

I'd say starting a food journal might help. Record everything you eat for a few days. Count the calories, carbs, fat & see where you're at with that. Then, perhaps by dropping or adding calories it might help to snap you out of your plateau (it really should be a 4 letter word :mad:) Little things really do make difference.

Also, I feel your pain. I had no change in August. None. But when I took a long hard look at what I'd been doing, I realized that I'd been slacking. I certainly wasn't keeping track of my food intake as closely as I was when I was losing weight. I was eating a cookie here or a Twix there. Or some potato salad, and chips while at parties. So I had to be honest with myself about my complacency and take responsibility and start really working hard again. Which is where I'm at now :)

Good luck & keep us posted. I want to see you break this plateau!

^^^
This.

If you haven't lost anything in months, it means that you're maintaining. You can figure out how many calories you've been consuming and start from there. You're obviously consuming too many calories to create that all important calorie deficit. You'll need to cut back those calories consistently in order to do that.

Then I would suggest you start mapping out a food schedule for yourself in advance and adhere to it. By creating that calorie deficit, you're sure to lose!

Abby - I forgot to mention it, but just yesterday I started a food journal. I'm not recording calories or fat grams, but I am writing down everything I put into my mouth, including the time and the amount, which is a big step towards accountability. I have 'the insulin resistance diet' and I think I will return to try to follow that more specifically - maybe not forever, but to do a strict plan for a least a bit to get things jumpstarted.

Good job on starting the journal. Minimally, I'd start counting the calories. That'll give you a good idea of where you're starting at. I also forgot to mention, now that you've lost 25 pounds, your body probably needs LESS calories than when you started. www.fitday.com is a great free site to count calories and it's free.

Keep doing what you're doing. :) Good job!

I feel your pain- I've been stuck at 212/213 for months. I finally conceded I needed some help/advice and spoke to my doctor. Since I have PCOS she suggested I go on the Southbeach diet and aim for only 40% of my daily intake coming from carbs, no more.

So I started on Monday and hoping next weigh in I'll be below 212!

Wow, beerab - we are stuck in almost exactly the same place and we are both PCOSers. I am working on fitday right now and entering in foods for the day. I think limiting carbs is the key - I'm going to try to keep it between 30-40% of my overall caloric intake. Feels good to be taking a concrete step that is measurable instead of just 'trying to be healthier.' Good luck - I know we can both bust through this plateau!

A 40% carb (with about 20-25% fat and 35-40% protein) is very balanced and used by most people who follow a fitness lifestyle. A carbohydrate overloaded diet (ie 75% carbs), which is unfortunately very common in a typical North American diet, doesn't give the body the adequate protein and fat it needs.

Good luck! I think you are making a really good choice.

Oh wow- we must be soul cysters ;)

Keep on plugging along is all I can say- maybe even increase your workouts. Eventually you'll bust through- I tweaked my diet hoping that it'll push me through this darn plateu!