What do you do when you plateau?

dahlau

What are some things you do to help you get through that weight-loss plateau? I had steadily been losing a pound a week, and now I can't seem to lose more. Some days my app tells me I'm eating too few calories - could that be hindering me?

StaciMarie1974

To answer the general question: to break a plateau change things up. Try a new cardio, or increase intensity of your workouts. Incorporate one day a week to eat at maintenance range. Check your goals, consider aiming for a slightly slower pace of weight loss to up your calorie intake per day. Revamp your routine pretty much, and avoid having a set routine.

MFP uses science (calories in vs calories out) to help you put together a program. IF you're eating less than it recommends, then you're really not following the program. Is this a rare occasion, where the overall weekly average is in line with where it should be? Or are you consistently eating lower? Do you mean eating lower than your starting calorie goal, or just not eating all your exercise calories?

Do you weigh/measure all your food, log everything?

What is your current height/weight, how close are you to goal? What is your current goal set at? (2 pounds per week, 1, .5, etc.) How long have you been at your current 'program' and how long since your weight stalled?

lilyp91

Eating too few calories can definitely hinder you. If you don't eat the minimum calories (I want to say it falls at 1,200 a day for most people), your body thinks it's starving and then holds onto everything you've got for dear life. Having said that, when I hit a plateau, I've found that challenging myself with either a different running workout than normal and/or some altogether new-to-me activity helps to shake things up. Hope this helps!

seltzermint555

From the other posts so far, I may be doing it wrong - hehe - and I do have quite a bit of weight still to lose (def planning to drop another 20 but could stand to lose 40-ish).

When I feel like I've hit a plateau, I just keep on doing exactly what I have been doing all along. To avoid getting overly discouraged I tell myself, "If this is it, and you stop losing, at least now you can focus on staying at (current weight)...it is still better than weighing (start weight)!" And then eventually...a few days or WEEKS later...I start losing again.

My perceived plateaus have usually been a combination of monthly hormonal stuff, excess sodium from a few restaurant meals, and/or increased exercise causing me to retain a bit of water/weight for awhile. Sometimes that stuff drops off quickly in 24-48 hrs, but give me a big Mexican meal on the same day as a very long bike ride and I'll keep 2 lb on for a week and a half...

Good luck!

SugaryLynx

If you're not losing look at:

1. How long has it been? Less than two weeks, keep going. Weight loss is not linear, you will fluctuate up and down, that's normal

2. Logging accuracy. Are you honestly logging every single bite, lick, nibble. I am notorious for eating off of my kid's plates that are left. I make sure I add this in. Those calories count.

3. Time of the month, bowel movements, lack of sleep can cause excess cortisol which can cause water retention. Excess sodium

4. Are you weighing and measuring your food? Scale for solids, liquids for measuring cups.

Consistency is key to figuring out where something could be going amiss. A good read:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

lemur_lady

I wouldnt say I have ever really hit a proper plateau but when I find the weight is coming off really slowly I eat at maintainence for a few days and the weight seems to start coming off quickly again after this once I am back in a deficit. I read about refeeds/diet breaks so thought I would give it a try. Dont really understand the science of it all properly but it definately gets the scale moving again.