Plateau Busters

emmerin78

All right, 1C+ losers...summer is rapidly drawing to a close, school is starting up again, and fall is going to be here before we know it. It's time to dig deep in our toolkits and bring out the strategies, tips, and ideas that help us bust through plateaus and keep our scales moving in the right direction.

What are some of the foods you find get your metabolism going? Which ones do you avoid when the scale's not moving? Any favorite workouts? Favorite beverages? Special offerings to the scale gods? Let's share and keep those plateaus at bay!

emmerin78

It seems to vary each time I hit a plateau, but these are some of the things that have helped me:

Foods: in addition to proteins, strawberries, almonds, and leafy greens seem to help keep me on the right track. When the scale's not moving, I cut back on my carbs.

Beverages: more water with lemon, plain green tea, and protein shakes with at least 20 grams of protein. I cut out the diet sodas I occasionally have (<2 per week) when a plateau hits.

Exercise: I add more weight training and time in the pool to my regular weight training and walking.

leannabseven

For me, the thing that gets the scale moving (and just makes me feel better) is dark, leafy greens. They're mood enhancers, they have lots of fiber, and I just feel healthier when my daily diet includes them. Like you, I watch my starchy carbs when the scale isn't moving. It's almost always a case of my eating too much cereal, bread or potatoes.

I've become a dedicated water drinker...and lemon makes it better. One of my treats is Gold Peak Diet Tea, but I try to limit it just because I don't want to skip that water. Drinking more water really is the best diet advice. I also like Spark energy drink powder...especially before working out. It has lots of vitamins and really does make me feel more energetic.

The beverage I have to avoid (and struggle with) is coffee. Caffeine is not our friend when we are trying to lose weight. It slows weight loss and I've read that it signals your body to store weight as fat. I don't know about that, but it definitely makes me feel dehydrated if I have too much.

My favorite exercise has always been walking. I am not in an area where I can do much walking on my own...or wouldn't enjoy it...so I stick with the treadmill. The elliptical is the machine that used to be the real calorie burner for me. Lately though, I notice I get a much better cardio workout from the treadmill by switching up the speeds and inclines. I enjoy the pool, but again, I don't feel like it gives me the burn I get from the treadmill because I am not a strong swimmer and I tend to not work as hard in the pool as I do in the gym.

p1xyn1xy

This is probably horrible advice. But It happens for me. When I have no movement for a long time (2-3 wks) and I've been really well behaved. I have a day with a higher fat percentage. Go 2-300 above my calorie limit for the day. Funny thing is the day after I almost always drop. I don't try that very often though. It's a slippery slope. :noway:

emmerin78

This is probably horrible advice. But It happens for me. When I have no movement for a long time (2-3 wks) and I've been really well behaved. I have a day with a higher fat percentage. Go 2-300 above my calorie limit for the day. Funny thing is the day after I almost always drop. I don't try that very often though. It's a slippery slope. :noway:

I've noticed that, too, Pixy! In fact, while I'm not exactly eating lard out of a bucket (yet I don't stress about fat as much as I used to, since it doesn't affect me as much as carbs seem to. As long as I'm logging everything I eat and staying within my range, I include full fat dairy (it seems to agree with me more than the nonfat versions) and healthy oils.

leannabseven

This is probably horrible advice. But It happens for me. When I have no movement for a long time (2-3 wks) and I've been really well behaved. I have a day with a higher fat percentage. Go 2-300 above my calorie limit for the day. Funny thing is the day after I almost always drop. I don't try that very often though. It's a slippery slope. :noway:

I believe it can trigger your metabolism, but it is tricky. Our bodies learn from how we treat them, and I think if it was something we do regularly, it might start triggering your body to hold onto those calories. Like the situation you find yourself in after years of yoyo dieting.