Hey all. I joined a couple years ago now and I was doing great at first but I have been in a plateau since about July or August of last year. I have tried a few different things without much success. I have been doing alternate day fasting, tried getting into ketosis, by eating more fats and less carbs, Im fermented foods and drinking tons of water, I have been doing more HIIT instead of my regular workouts. Nothing is budging. Argggg. This is so annoying. Can I get some advice from anybody that has had this happen. And let me be honest. I haven't been great. Sometimes I go off the rails out of frustration and end up eating fast food or a cookie. I've just tried not to let 1 bad day turn into a tailspin and downward spiral. I know that the plateau has let me lose motivation and therefore I haven't been checking in here lately which was always a huge help. Anyway, any advice would be greatly appreciated. I am half way to my goal and I really want to do this for myself. In the past I wanted it for others, but I know now that its me loving myself and doing this for me. Thanks in advance

Here's my advice for what I would do. Find out what your TDEE is (google it) and unless you have a really active job, say that you are sedentary. Then subtract 500 calories from the number it gives you and eat at that number as close as possible (use a food scale, measuring cups, etc). Eat mostly whole foods and make sure you're getting enough protein but try to eat healthier versions of foods that you enjoy and can stick ith even when you reach your goal weight. If you have a bad day, shake it off and keep going. You don't have to keep counting calories forever but if you're frustrated with a plateau, it's helpful to know that you're doing the right thing for a month and you should definitely see results. Sometimes even if we eat healthy, if we're eating too much, you still won't lose weight because you need to create an energy deficit so your body uses fat as fuel. Just don't give up and try joining a thread in here (March Accountability thread in this forum is great!) and you will lose weight if you stick it. If you don't see progress after calorie counting for a month, then I would see a doctor to make sure everything is okay. Good luck!

Hey girl!
How's everything going now? That happened to me as well...I tried all kinds of different things then one day I started losing again. It was like it all clicked out of nowhere. I know it's SO much easier said than done but hang in there!

Hi kiwi,

First, congratulations on your weight loss. That is awesome!!

I have been maintaining for a couple of years after a 250 weight loss. I do not think of it as plateauing but as maintaining even though I would like to lose another 40 pounds. As we all know, Maintaining is a very difficult thing to do. I focus more on my actions than the number on the scale. My latest thing is getting adequate sleep and preparing for a half marathon (walking) after breaking my hip late last year. My approach would be trusting in your bodies own wisdom and celebrate the hard work of maintaining that you have been doing this past year. Sort of a choice between half full or half empty.

Best,

dee

First of all, I agree with Dee -- congratulations!!! I know you don't feel like a plateau is something to celebrate, but by maintaining your weight loss for a year you've managed to do something that few can. Congratulations to you too, Dee! Maintenance was never something I was good at until I found OMAD.

Kiwi, if you are interested in trying something new that is simple, consider trying out an eating window. Since you already tried alternate day fasting (ADF), you have some experience with Intermittent Fasting and probably know about the benefits. Honestly, ADF did not work out well for me either. My body works well with a regular daily schedule and adjusts to whenever I eat normally, which is now just once a day at dinner time. But a lot of people have success with much larger eating windows. Some people eat in a 12 hour window. My husband found success with 2 meals in an 8 hour window. So, if you do want to try it out, I suggest that you shrink your window slowly as you get adjusted to it and stop whenever you feel it is working best for you.

If you are interested, drop by our IF/OMAD support thread.

Good luck, I hope you find a way to start moving the scale down again but please remember that what you've already done is remarkable!

Thank you guys for the support and suggestions.

Hi Kiwi, do you know how many calories you are eating each day?

~ Coach Wilson
www.coachwilson.co.uk
www.theteamworkout.co.uk