Your top 'plateau' busting tips please!

SarahBeeMe

Hi there! it's the classic story I'm afraid, 22lbs down and all of a sudden the weight loss has halted. I am under my calories by a small amount each day... I tried putting my calories up, and then down! I have mixed up my exercise routine too. So I'm at rather a loss with what to do next!

Please don't go by my food diaries at the moment, because I'm working night shifts this week so they look really weird. You'll just have to trust me that I normally eat relatively heathily and at normal times!

Thanks in advance everyone!

Arabian♥Breeze

Bump.

KarenPostmus

I've hit plateaus before and it was recommended that I eat @ 2000 calories/day for at least 2 - 3 weeks (if my weight crept up more than 3 lbs than I'd drop to 1300 calories for 1-3 days - however long it took to lose the 3ish pounds)...it worked quite well for me. I didn't believe that it would work at all, but after a while it was pretty annoying to be so stuck!! All the best:)

IronmanPanda

Whenever I hit a plateau I slowly increase my cals by about 200 for a couple weeks at a time. After 1 or 2 weeks if I haven't lost, I increase again. Usually only takes a couple increases before I start losing again.

Also you could try changing the intensity or duration of your workouts.

nehushtan

Try zig-zagging your calories. Never had to try it myself but some swear by it.

TaraMKL

Change up your workout routine, drink tons of water, get lots of sleep and try changing what you eat but keeping your calories lower -- if you tend to eat the same stuff all the time. Recently busting out of my own plateau -- so frustrating!

SarahBeeMe

Great ideas, thank you everyone!!! I'll give it a go, see what happens!!!

Sandyc3838

I had the same problem and was talking to my neighbor and told her my situation. She has been on a very strict diet and working out for quite awhile now (has had 3 kids), and told me that with the other two kids she went to weight watchers. When she hit a plateau in the past, they told her to go down to the corner and purchase herself a big cheese burger!!! I started laughing and she said that they told her that she had to give her body a jolt because it was now used to eating a certain way. So, obviously, I took her advice and went down to old McD's and bought a double cheese burger. Over the next week, I dropped 3-4 lbs. I had been stuck at my weight for 2 weeks and after eating that burger, everything started dropping off. I haven't had a cheese burger since, but have had a taco or two and have worked other food into my diet when I feel myself slowing down. My gauge shows that I've lost 17 lbs, but it's really 24 because I didn't start MFP until about 3 weeks after starting my diet. I do believe that our bodies get used to certain food and needs to be shaken up a bit from time to time. And, fyi, even though I ate the cheese burger, I didn't really go over my daily calorie limit. GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY!!!