What do you consider a "plateau"?

mckant

I'm just curious to hear what you think a plateau is? How long do you have to be "stagnant" before it's considered a plateau? How do you "fix" it? Change up your exercise routine, work out at different times, eat differently, etc?

I can't wait to hear some of your answers

sk4399

I am interested in this too : )

dizidaisy

Three weeks is considered a plateau! Having recently stood still myself for two full weeks - I researched the subject pretty thoroughly lol

www.dizidaisy.wordpress.com

wolfchild59

If I'm not losing weight or inches at all and it lasts for more than a couple of weeks, I consider it a plateau. At one point, when i first started working out, the scale was barely moving (four pounds in a couple of months), but I was losing inches and actually dropped two pants sizes in that time so I didn't really count that as a plateau.

And it has to be more than just one week, or even two, because there are too many factors that can show different scale readings. But if I step on that scale three weeks in a row and nothing has moved and no inches have come off, that's a plateau.

For me, I found that I had to up calories and I started losing again.

elvb

For me, after two weeks of weighing the same (or only losing an ounce or two), I switch things up.
I zig-zag my calories for a week or so and do different workouts than what I have been.

bjshooter

I have had two and they both lasted for almost 3 months each time I mixed things up, tried all sorts, but it just sort of finishes one day and you start losing again, for no apparent reason.

NanBar

I was pretty much stuck from Dec 17- until Feb 21st. But I measured on Jan 17th and remeasured last week and lost 9.5 inches.

I made some small changes in my exercise and eating and it seemed to push me forward.

Neliel

Mine has lasted for about 3 months although I'm hoping that i'll have broken through it in the next week. I was fighting with the same 2-3 pounds for what felt like FOREVER. I'd keep working my way down to 177 pounds then it would suddenly go back up again before my weigh in!
Then I decided that maybe my body needed a break from the constant exercise and small amounts of food (about 1200 calories a day). So this is the end of my 3rd week of not really logging my food properly, not exercising and not obsessing over food. After the second week I suddenly dropped 3 pounds in 5 days (173 pounds at this point). I've continued to eat whatever the hell I want without paying attention to calorie intake and it's pretty much maintained that weight over the last week and a half. However, my TOM arrived (and is nearly finished now) so I've been hovering around 175 pounds the past few days.
From today i've started watching what I eat again, im going to restart an exercise routine and make sure I drink plenty of water. I'm hoping that this will 'shock' my body and allow me to drop a few more pounds. If this theory of mine works then I'll post a topic about it in 2 weeks

edorice

A plateau generally last four weeks or more.

Human homeostasis refers to the body's ability to physiologically regulate its inner environment to ensure its stability in response to fluctuations in the outside environment and the weather. The liver, the kidneys, and the brain (hypothalamus, the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system[1]) help maintain homeostasis. The liver is responsible for metabolizing toxic substances and maintaining carbohydrate metabolism. The kidneys are responsible for regulating blood water levels, re-absorption of substances into the blood, maintenance of salt and ion levels in the blood, regulation of blood pH, and excretion of urea and other wastes.

1: Back off. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't exercise; it just means that if you ease up a bit, you'll likely recover and get stronger. Oftentimes your body is overtrained, exhausted, and just in need of a break. If you are finding it suddenly difficult to get through a workout that was easy the week before, this is most likely the case. You should cut down on your intensity and focus on technique and flexibility. It's a perfect time for a recovery-specific workout like Slim Series® Cool It Off!, Tony Horton's Ho' Ala ke Kino, or some easy cardio, yoga, and/or stretching workout. Another option would be to lower your workout weight or pick easier workouts. Gauge this so that you finish workouts feeling refreshed rather than knackered. When your energy level returns, launch back into your original program, or a more difficult one, harder than you did before.

2: Turn it up a notch. The antithesis of backing off, because a plateau may also happen when you're purely bored and/or listless. The easiest way to increase intensity is by adding resistance. Change bands or add weight so that you start failing at around 6 to 8 reps on all of the exercises, which changes the energy system you're using. This added intensity will force your body to adapt and turn that improvement line skyward again. You'll know if this was the right tactic in one of two workouts because you'll either respond by feeling energized or you'll hardly be able to finish the workout.

3: Streamline your diet. Most of our diets could always use a little improvement. If you've been giving yourself little rewards for a job well done (a good idea in general), then it's time to stop. Try a super-strict week wherein you do everything perfect. If you don't have a great example—like the P90X diet—scour the Message Boards for help.

4: Add some morning cardio. Twenty minutes or more of easy- to moderate-level cardio in the morning on an empty stomach can help get your metabolism steamrolling again. You can train your body to more efficiently use stored fat as fuel, and this is one of the easiest ways to do it.

5: Add or subtract 500 calories per day. If everything else seems fine and you're at wits' end, then try this. Your diet might just be miscalculated and you could be under- or overfeeding yourself. This is common, especially as you get fitter, because your body composition changes, which is why adding calories is one of the main ways our members kick themselves off of plateaus. Five hundred calories per day works out to 3,500 per week, which equates to a pound. Keep in mind that this will only work if you are eating proper nutrients. If not, try #3 first, and then try altering the number of calories you're eating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_homeostasis
http://teambeachbody.com/about/newsletters/-/nli/59#43000

MLG010105

I consider a plateau to be no change in weight or measurements for three weeks or more. To fix it? I have no idea. I've tried all sorts of things...some of them have worked, some of them haven't. Increasing activity, decreasing activity, changing the type of activity (more cardio, less strength training or vice versa), increasing caloric intake, decreasing caloric intake, taking a week "off" program...

Becky1971

Wow three weeks doesn't sound long at all, I would think it would need to be longer, especially for women.