I hit a plateau for about a month in the past. What worked for me was actually upping my calories for a few days. You said you don't usually hit your 1200 calories daily, so your body might just be hungry. When I plateaued I was only eating around 1000 (just wasn't hungry much), but when I upped it to 1300, the weight loss started again. Doesn't hurt to try!

Totally try upping your calories for a few days! Don't go crazy but go up to 1600-1800 for a day or two. :) good luck!

Calorie cycle or a refeed/cheat day (if you're sure you won't extend it to days!). Sometimes your body just needs to change it up a bit.

My son has a dietician that he sees through his dialyisis clinic and I was talking to her a week or so ago because I hit a plateau for a long time, and she was telling me to increase (yes you read that right) my calories by a little bit like 100-200 a day for about a week then decrease it again. I did what she said and it worked soooo well. Hope that maybe helps a little.

Originally Posted by seagirl:
2 weeks is not a plateau. Just stick with what you've been doing.

This!!!

Don't up your calories just yet. Give it some time.

Originally Posted by seagirl:
2 weeks is not a plateau. Just stick with what you've been doing.

Exactly. See water weight sticky.

Also while I didn't read every response I read enough of them to point out that standing on your head while doing a crossword puzzle and sipping apple cider vineagar is NOT necessary.

Having said that I hightly reccomend weight training for weight loss and not the 5 lb pink dumbell kind of weight training either.

Originally Posted by erh12275:
I am really starting to think it is sugar related. By that I mean, I gave up carbs for lent so for 6 weeks I ate no sugar unless it was an apple or banana and I ate very few of those. Since I went back to eating things like lower sugar pudding or a fudgesicle(40 cals) I find I am ALWAYS hungry and not losing. Thinking I may have to go back to my Lent diet...ugh.

First, I am gonna try the 800 cals for a couple days and see what happens.

I find myself much less hungry when I eat more things high in protein, since it sticks to my ribs much longer. Incidentally, I eat a 7-11 apple fritter (like a big sugary cinnamon roll) every morning at 8:00, and I don't eat again - nor really want to - until noon. I guess it's the bread that fills me up. It *is* 400 calories, but it's all calorie-budgeted, so it's good.

I'm on team "Up the calories" as opposed to lowering them. If you can, try bumping them up to about 1800 for two days, get LOTS of sleep, and then resume your regular diet.

I'm willing to bet you'll bust that plateau within a week or so.

Originally Posted by JossFit:
I'm on team "Up the calories" as opposed to lowering them. If you can, try bumping them up to about 1800 for two days, get LOTS of sleep, and then resume your regular diet.

I'm willing to bet you'll bust that plateau within a week or so.

Yes yes, its the science of it! Your body isn't used to (in the long term) the low amount of calories so now its storing all the fat it can get. Up the calories so your body stops storing then go back down and it will start coming off again!

Originally Posted by nataliegm:
Yes yes, its the science of it! Your body isn't used to (in the long term) the low amount of calories so now its storing all the fat it can get. Up the calories so your body stops storing then go back down and it will start coming off again!

Speaking of science ...

Upping ones calories for a couple days can reduce the stress (cortisol) levels in the body and cause the WATER it is hanging onto to be released. It is not hanging onto the fat because the energy needs of the body will be met.

Energy (fat) is stored when there is an energy surplus and when there is not enough energy to meet the body's needs fat is utilized.

Originally Posted by JohnP:
Speaking of science ...

Upping ones calories for a couple days can reduce the stress (cortisol) levels in the body and cause the WATER it is hanging onto to be released. It is not hanging onto the fat because the energy needs of the body will be met.

Energy (fat) is stored when there is an energy surplus and when there is not enough energy to meet the body's needs fat is utilized.

^^ A very good point. It can also contribute to an increase in Leptin levels as well though, provided that the refeed comes mostly from carbohydrates.

Originally Posted by nataliegm:
Yes yes, its the science of it! Your body isn't used to (in the long term) the low amount of calories so now its storing all the fat it can get. Up the calories so your body stops storing then go back down and it will start coming off again!

If one is on a low-calorie diet and all the sugars/carbs available have been exhausted for energy, and the body is "storing all the fat it can get" as you say because the calories are too low, what then is the body using for energy?