how do you break a plateau?

beckydubs

so apparently hitting a plateau is really common and a major concern for us trying to lose weight ...

so my question is, how do you break a plateau? i think in my case if i cut out wine (sob) it will break the plateau and get things moving again ...

what's other's experiences?

psiren28

I have a spike day where I eat about double my BMR, then go back to my normal plan. Seems to kick start the weight loss again.
I have one once a week and usually have a loss each week

ETA: The scales usually show a gain of about 2lbs the following day but they disappear over the next couple of days. By next weigh-in I've usually lost 1-2 more

jbizzle523

typically if you give your body a week or two of rest ( no exercise ) and you start right back up full steam ahead that'll shock your body and the lbs will start dropping again

chanson104

I've just hit a plateau. I'm anxious to hear responses to this question!

GetThinKim

MFP recommended that I ate 1200 a day at first, so I did and lost consistently..then I hit a plateau and broke it by upping my calories to 1500

dianeellen2

I dropped back on the exercise a little, upped calories from 1200 to 1470 and changed my contraceptive pill

cloggsy71

What works for me is, I just have a day off... Don't count, just eat what I want (within reason,) then get back to it the next day... It usually works!

Don't forget to schedule rest days in for exercise too!

bunnysone

There are HEAPS of things to try!!
1) increase your protein for breakfast
2) change your style of exercise
3) try a massive day of endurance exercise
4) drink twice as much water
5) drop your carbs to just high quality ones (whole foods, fruit and veg) and increase protein
6) cut back your sugar
And yes, get rid of your alcohol intake

SteveTries

I have a spike day where I eat about double my BMR, then go back to my normal plan. Seems to kick start the weight loss again.
I have one once a week and usually have a loss each week

My experience is that this is a proven technique for avoiding a plateau in the first place. .

ETA: The scales usually show a gain of about 2lbs the following day but they disappear over the next couple of days. By next weigh-in I've usually lost 1-2 more

That's just water retention thanks to all the lovely carbs and sodium from the spike day. I managed 2kgs (4.4lbs) after my big day on Saturday :drinker:

grannygethealthy1111

Have a Weight Loss Plateau? Let Me Help
By Jillian Michaels
Print Article Print E-mail Article Email

There is nothing more discouraging than stepping on the scale after a week of diligent dieting and grueling workouts and not seeing any drop in the number. The plateau is a common problem among dieters and can typically be waited out, but there are measures you can take to keep your metabolism fired up even as you reduce your caloric intake.

The best way to break a plateau is to keep your salt intake below 2,000 milligrams a day and drink lots of water. Make sure you're not eating any processed carbs, period. That's right — no chips, sugar, white flour, and so on. And hit the gym hard! The boost in exercise will make your body swell and hold fluids for a few days, but after a week you should see the benefits on the scale.

You can also try playing around with your caloric intake a bit, varying it from day to day throughout the week while keeping the same weekly total. The body can't slow its metabolism to adjust to a reduced caloric intake if the intake isn't fixed from one day to the next. For instance, to bust my plateau, I might have 1,200 calories on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then eat 1,500 calories on Tuesday, 1,600 on Thursday, 1,400 on Saturday, and 1,700 on Sunday. Get it?

The plateau effect can sometimes simply be a matter of flagging resolve. If mixing up your caloric intake just isn't working, make sure you're not slipping up on your diet or slacking off in your workouts. I'm serious; it happens.

As with any program, there will be highs and lows, but stay with it. Your body is trying to adjust to the weight loss. Don't get scared or discouraged. Just be patient and know that you are worth it!

suztheq

I found that upping my calories from 1200 to 1400-1500 and changing my type of workouts up helped me. Good luck!

psuLemon

I always suggest taking a week off of exercise to allow your muscles to repair and eating at your maintenance calories for a week (the same week you take off of exercise). It's just as important to rest as it is to exercise.

Also, when you start back up, reduce your deficit. Many people tend to over extend their bodies. So if you have 20 lbs to lose, it isn't possible to lose 2 lbs per week. Below are good guidelines to follow.


If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

olee67

Essentially, if you do the exact opposite of what you've been doing for a few days, it should break the plateau.

Instead of seeking a remedy for your plateau, sometimes it's better to understand why you are hitting a plateau. A plateau occurs for a couple reasons. One of which is homeostasis. Our bodies naturally try to adjust to what we are doing to maintain where it "thinks" we need to be at. If you gain weight over a period of time, your body will think it needs to hold weight. After a certain peroid of weight loss, your body will eventually adjust to a consistent routine to hault your weight loss. It does this to prevent your body from getting too far beyond where you were when you started.

I have found the more weight I lose, the harder it is to lose weight and the easier it is to plateau. At least once a week I blow out my calories, fat, and sodium. If you notice that you are getting headaches, fatigued, and maybe even dizziness, you are probably under eating.

A well planned cheat day (I usually do a lunch that is way out of bounds and keep breakfast and dinner somewhat safe) once per week will usually keep the plateaus away. If you find yourself in an extended plateau, have 3 well planned cheat days. Don't be discouraged if you gain a few quick pounds over those cheat days. That's actually a good sign. Those quick gained pounds are a sign that your body was craving those extra calories and will be willing to give up that fat it was giving up before.

pitbullmama

Trying to break one now by changing up my macros, resetting my goals(mindset) and changing excercise routine. Hopefully it works.

yp77

THank you very much for this thread, my weight has not moved for a month.... so I'm sure to be trying some of these methods to get it going again

stormieweather

What I do is, every three months, take 1 week off and eat at maintenance. Take a break from working out too, if you want. Eat high quality food, but you can still indulge if you want, as long as you don't go over maintenance. Otherwise, no cheat days. I mean, it's fine, for a special occasion, to eat up to maintenance...but limit them to no more than once per month. Otherwise, work out hard and stick to the reduced calorie goal.

Otherwise, what has helped me overcome plateau's:

1) Do a different, more difficult, workout for a while (I started running last year, worked great! This year it's kickboxing and zumba....and kicking my butt!)
2) Up your protein and lower carbs
3) Measure and weigh everything, to make sure my intake is accurate
4) Eat fewer of my workout calories (if you are doing the same exercises over and over, you burn less as you become more accustomed to them.)
5) Make sure to adjust your calorie goals if you've lost more than 10 pounds. Lighter people burn fewer calories.

cindy4mica

I know some people hate to call it this, but I give myself a "cheat" day or two a week. I *swear* it works!

psiren28

I have a spike day where I eat about double my BMR, then go back to my normal plan. Seems to kick start the weight loss again.
I have one once a week and usually have a loss each week

My experience is that this is a proven technique for avoiding a plateau in the first place. .

Mine too. I've always had one day a week where I'd eat a lot more and I've always lost weight consistently, but thought I'd probably lose more without the cheat day. I stopped doing it a few weeks ago because I'm close to goal and got impatient to hit it... result: plateau!.
As soon as got back to 'spike / cheat / whatever you want to call it' day I'm back losing again
I was unaware before that this actually prevents plateaus, I just did it because I love food too much to be on a constant diet. Now I realise that it's what's been keeping me losing each week.