Random Theory About Plateau..warning LONG

jrbowers83

Alright, so I've just gotten off a 6 week plateau, in which I lost NO weight. I was eating right, not completely healthy but moderately healthy, and the same as I'd been for the 4 months of weight loss prior. But all of a sudden the scale became my enemy and would not budge. I began to work out harder than ever, 1 hour/day 7 days/week. So then people started saying maybe a rest day would help. But still no change. I played with my calories a bit, some weeks eating all exercise cals, some weeks only half, some weeks dipping below 1200 (I know terrible, right). I then started thinking I should scale down on my workouts a bit more. I mean, I was losing weight before with simply step aerobics 3x/week. I could go on for awhile all the old tried and true tricks that are explained on MFP and elsewhere about how to avoid or break a plateau, but none were working for me. I was exhausted and depressed, and just ready to give up, except I knew that at least I was maintaining, so I didn't completely throw in the towel. I just stopped TRYING so hard, wasn't recording everything I ate as precisely, exercised to my limit but not really pushing myself, taking a few off days when I didn't feel up to it and I locked that scale away for an entire month. Now aside from all the weight loss drama, I was struggling through a whole heap of personal drama, so can we say stress on top of stress? But I also noticed around the same time threads popping up all over about others in the same predicament, maybe without some of the added personal stress. And it was Feb. everyone REALLY wanting to get weight off for new year resolution or extra holiday gain, etc. So sounds like everyone was stressing about needing to lose the weight.

So what I started thinking was all these commercials and weight-loss pills talking about cortisol and that it is a stress hormone. I am really surprised I've never heard any mention of it on MFP so far. I took a stress management class and they talked about the different types of stress, that a promotion at work, while a good stress, can have the same effects as losing a job or having a fight with a spouse. And they also talked about physical pain, injury, trauma, etc. can be as stressful as getting through a holiday season. So I've done a little further research on cortisol, and I can't help but think this is the cause of my plateau. Cortisol can have some pretty nasty effects on the body when the levels change, and this change can be caused among other things by psychological AND physiological stresses. So since I had the combination of chronic stress in my life coupled with the stress of trying to lose weight and find the "right" way to eat, and working out too hard too fast, I think I triggered my body to produce massive amounts of cortisol that just really slammed the brakes on my weight-loss efforts. By reading further the effects of prolonged increase of cortisol, I'm even more sure that this is the case. Some of the side effects are: Hypertension, inhibits loss of sodium (hence my bloating despite drinking a gallon of water/day), weakens the immune system (I get sick for weeks at a time, about 2 weeks every month), can cause memory problems or learning difficulty. Another thing I found is that subcutaneous adipose tissue can regenerate cortisol. Another link to increased exercise and my plateau.

I'm not saying that cortisol could be behind every plateau, and obviously the typical method of changing up your exercise routine and caloric intake is a proven method that I absolutely believe SHOULD work, I hope that some people may be able to break through their plateau by reading this and focusing less on the food and exercise and more on reducing the overall stress in life as a way of breaking through. I think what finally got me through was working with my therapist on the life stresses, not stressing so much about my food and exercise, and picking back up with the healthy eating and exercise once some of the other stress had subsided.

sheri3762

ASWOME POST!! thanks for taking the tme to write this post!!!!

empiremom

the things you spoke of triggering side effects...a magnesium deficiency will produce that too. check out this website...the lower left watch the 2 minute video...a real eye opener! i had extreme high blood pressure for 12 yrs...after having toximia with my daughter and my BP never went down...until i started taking steps to get enough magnesium.

now it is normal...no drugs, only eating what my body requires~! eat all you can that doesnt have a label! it works.

http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org/

jrbowers83

the things you spoke of triggering side effects...a magnesium deficiency will produce that too. check out this website...the lower left watch the 2 minute video...a real eye opener! i had extreme high blood pressure for 12 yrs...after having toximia with my daughter and my BP never went down...until i started taking steps to get enough magnesium.

now it is normal...no drugs, only eating what my body requires~! eat all you can that doesnt have a label! it works.

http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org/

LOL. You sound so much like my story! I actually started losing weight to avoid being put on blood pressure medications for hypertension. I had severe preeclampsia (toxemia) with both of my children (was on bed rest for 2 mos. before giving birth to my now 16 mo daughter). The blood pressure problems have been with me this whole time, and my doctor said that it's because I was obese/overweight and shedding some pounds through healthier eating should help. So just out of curiosity, what are some good foods or supplements to enhance magnesium?

bebhinn

Its totally true.
When I started dieting, I phased off of anxiety meds and onto Relacore to keep my anxiety down (a herbal) then after about 2 months, off of Relacore.... And now that i know how to manage my stress, the weight keeps coming off