I feel stuck. Can't break through and lose more.

patricklee5150

Hi, I woke up this morning and weighed in like I do every morning and found that I am the same weight as yesterday. I was feeling pretty sad too. I started dieting back in January and by July 14, I had lost 24 pounds. And I wasn't really trying, you know? Just cut out the sweets (Little Debbie snacks were my favorite) and reduced my soda intake. Then I started this program and lost 20 pounds in a month...I had cut sugar out of my diet, replaced it with Splenda and totally stopped drinking sodas and started walking. I still have quite a ways to go but the reason I was feeling sad and frustrated is that for the past 3 weeks I just keep losing and regaing the same 3-5 pounds and am afraid I have hit a point where I won't be able to lose anymore and that upsets me so much because I still have this belly fat that I hate and it's the main thing I want to lose. I have been walking 2-3 miles a day too! I had been losing nearly 5 pounds a week, but now it is basically unchanged for 3 weeks.



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vickiele1

I am no expert by any means, but other postings that I have been reading indicates that often we reach this plateau. Other posts indicate that if you switch up/out your exercise regimen, it will help jump start the weight loss again. For example, add a day where you do strength training instead of cardiovascular training - so maybe you do some weight lifting, or other types of strength training. Or maybe instead of walking the 2 -3 miles - you increase the speed and the distance/time you are walking (add some additional hills). Or maybe instead of walking - you take one day to do bicycling instead. While I prefer to walk outside, I do have a treadmill that I use sometimes - it has an incline adjustment - increasing the incline and adding ankle weights is one way to increase the intensity of the workout without increasing the time factor (that is a big thing for me - only so much time in my day that I can do the walking).

Good luck and hope you find a solution.

Vickie

EMMK130

A while ago I had a trainer and he told me that if you change your exercise up a couple time a week, like adding weights or walking really fast for a minute then regular pace for 2-5 minutes then you'll burn more calories. It's like you are tricking your body and somehow you end up burning more calories. Hope this helps!

cocacole77

Yep it sounds like you've hit the dreaded plateau! Most of us hit it and it could take a month or so to get out of it. Change up your diet a little. Jillian Michaels has some good advice on getting over a plateau in one of her books. Good luck in the hard time!

BlueEyedMomma88

U weigh urself everyday? If so I dont think the scale moves EVERY day, sorry :-/

Will_Lift_4_Shoes

When I get stuck like that I ramp up my protein intake. I try and eat only protein (this gets a little dull for me cuz I am not a big meat eater) but almonds, yogurt, milk, avocado, are great for protein and have lots of flavor other than steak with a side of bacon wrapped steak..haha. I have done this several times when I have plateaued and have seen a drop in weight. The other thing to watch for is to make sure you are getting enough water for your body and fitness level. not enough water and your body will hold on to all it can to hydrate itself making your weight stay stagnant. Also, and I know this sound counter-intiutive, but maybe take a short break from working out every day. I know that I was running quite a bit and when I quit running for a few days my weight went down a little. If you can't stand the thought of not working out maybe try something different. Can you get a workout video and give it a try, if you have access to a gym get on a different machine like the rowing machine, do the circuit training, or use the elliptical. It may be that your body is conditioned to your workout and fitness level and doing something different will shake it up enough to jumpstart your loss again.

jamie1888

I was eating 1200 calories per day, lost several lbs and then same thing; losing/gaining the same 2lbs for a couple of weeks. I adjusted my weight loss goal on here to lose 1lb per week instead of the 2lbs that I set originally. That increased my calories from 1200 - 1400. I started eating those 1400 calories and started losing again! Turns out, I wasn't eating enough! Sometimes, you have to eat more to lose weight!

Your body is now used to your current calorie intake and exercise routine, so you have to shake it up. Try eating a little more or changing up your exercise.

Talljinx

I don't know if I can add to all the great advice in all the other replies here. They are all sound ideas. One thing that works for me is that I don't weigh myself every day. Someone else mentioned that the scale won't move much every day. I think that is absolutely true. I just try to limit myself to weighing in once a week (usually Monday mornings for me). I know it can be difficult to stay away from the scale though. I'm guilty of that myself. I've found that weight will fluctuate from day to day, but at the end of the week it will show a loss if you're doing everything right in the eating department and exercising department. On a personal note, I've recently lost my motivation to workout. In my case I think it's more of a self-destructive behavior issue. I just kicked myself in the butt and forced myself to start again yesterday. I'm glad I did. I think the main thing to remember is that it isn't a race to get down to that goal number. That's the approach I'm trying to take. I think too many people feel like they need to reach their goal at a particular time and that's why they get depressed when they don't reach that goal, and just give up. Just take it a day at a time. There's no hurry. I find myself having to pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back on the plan. Just please don't quit. You can do it.

patricklee5150

I would love to reply to all of you individually, but my Internet connection is so slow that it would take an hour to do so. But, I really want to thank all of you for the many thoughtful and helpful advice. You guys are awesome. I believe I will be able to break through this barrier and start losing again. Yes, I do weigh in everyday, each morning before I eat breakfast. It works for me. I am going to take your great advice and start implementing it today. Thank all of you so very much!