FOR THOSE IN A WEIGHT PLATEAU READ THIS -

AprilChampion
AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
edited September 20 in Motivation and Support
******so, i was checking my mail and every so often i get emails from Jillian Michaels' website and today this was the email i got:****



Ask Jillian Michaels
Dealing With Weight-Loss Plateaus

Q: How can I bust through a weight-loss plateau? I've been working really hard and have been having success; however, the scale hasn't budged for the past two and a half weeks.

Jillian Michaels A:

Let me just tell you this, a weight-loss plateau is an integral part of weight loss. DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED! It is your body's way of protecting you for survival purposes. The weight-loss plateau occurs because your body thinks there is a famine and has slowed your metabolism in order to conserve calories. This will happen periodically throughout your weight-loss odyssey.

That said, a plateau will usually break on its own after about three weeks, but here are several ways to help get your metabolism back on track quickly!

Exercise Tips

1. Variety: Often we fall into an exercise routine — meaning that we do the same workout regimen for weeks at a time. Think of it like this: if you do 10 push-ups after not working out for months, you will be sore, but if you do 10 push-ups a day for 10 days in a row, you will no longer be sore. This is because your body adapts to your exercise program, and as it adapts, the workout becomes less challenging — and, unfortunately, less effective.

The solution is variety. You have to mix up your exercise routine in order to consistently shock your system. Here are a few different ways to mix up your workout:

1. Alternate the weight — one week lift heavy, and the next week lift light.
2. Change the number of repetitions. This usually goes hand in hand with the amount of weight you are lifting: one week heavy weights, low reps; the next week light weights, high reps.
3. Change the exercise: One week do a chest press, the next week a chest fly, and the next week push-ups.

2. Intensity: The best way to speed up your metabolism is to boost the intensity of your training. By picking up the intensity, you'll burn more calories, challenge your body, and literally force your metabolism to burn a little brighter because of all the energy your body needs to complete your exercise regimen.

Food Tips

1. Eat more: Ninety percent of the time plateaus are caused by your body's survival mechanism of protecting against famine, which is triggered by calorie reduction. The best way to fix this quickly is to give your body a little more food so it feels secure. Varying your calorie intake is my best advice for keeping your body from plateauing: For the next three days vary your calorie intake between 1,800 and 2,400 calories. I know this may sound crazy, but trust me...I know what I'm doing. Then, after three days, drop back down to the calorie allowance that I have set for you through this program.

2. Reduce your sodium and DRINK LOTS OF WATER: Keep your sodium under 1,500 mg a day at most for as long as you can manage. You can achieve this in part by cutting all processed food out of your diet for two weeks.

I promise you that if you follow these tips to the letter, your plateau will be shattered by the end of week 2!

***********figured it would help those of you that are in a weight plateau. ********
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Replies

  • ractayjon
    ractayjon Posts: 365
    thanks! although JM isnt my favorite person (LOL) her tips are usually spot on.
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
    Sounds like pretty sound advice.
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    thanks! although JM isnt my favorite person (LOL) her tips are usually spot on.

    why dont you like her? just curious. i love just how "in your face" she is and how blunt she is. of course, im that way too so that could be why i love her so much. :)
  • manders2
    manders2 Posts: 22
    I so needed to see this today. Thanks!
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    I so needed to see this today. Thanks!

    Youre welcome!!! :) figured it would be good to post it. :)
  • JJRunning
    JJRunning Posts: 146
    Thanks for posting! Sounds like great advice, and yes... she def knows what she's doing!! :laugh:
  • HeatherMN
    HeatherMN Posts: 3,821 Member
    I love Jillian's advice and trust me, she's right on this one! Whenever I've hit a plateau, I "shock" the system by giving it more calories and I always start losing again.

    While most people are eating 1200 calories to lose, I'm eating around 2000 calories a day in order to lose weight; it's a good thing, too, because I love to eat! Whenever I drop below that number, I start gaining.
  • Thanks for sharing! I would have never known to handle a plateau in such a way. These message boards are such a blessing.
  • AprilChampion
    AprilChampion Posts: 184 Member
    Thanks for sharing! I would have never known to handle a plateau in such a way. These message boards are such a blessing.

    youre quite welcome. :)
  • cbnorris
    cbnorris Posts: 204 Member
    definitely want to save this for later!
  • aml0484
    aml0484 Posts: 425
    thanks for posting this. Sounds like great advice.
  • emarcia28
    emarcia28 Posts: 140 Member
    definitely want to save this for later!

    mee too!!
  • mromnek
    mromnek Posts: 325
    1. Eat more: Ninety percent of the time plateaus are caused by your body's survival mechanism of protecting against famine, which is triggered by calorie reduction. The best way to fix this quickly is to give your body a little more food so it feels secure. Varying your calorie intake is my best advice for keeping your body from plateauing: For the next three days vary your calorie intake between 1,800 and 2,400 calories. I know this may sound crazy, but trust me...I know what I'm doing. Then, after three days, drop back down to the calorie allowance that I have set for you through this program.

    2. Reduce your sodium and DRINK LOTS OF WATER: Keep your sodium under 1,500 mg a day at most for as long as you can manage. You can achieve this in part by cutting all processed food out of your diet for two weeks.

    Hmmmm... sounds like what several people on here have been posting. Thanks for posting this.
  • adac1977
    adac1977 Posts: 14 Member
    Thanks so much for posting this. I've been trying to get past this plateau and just couldnt figure out why I was stuck. Great info!
  • TeriB19
    TeriB19 Posts: 33
    Thank you for posting this! Great advice!!
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    Wow, this is pretty much the exact same advice in every sticky post on this forum. Imagine that. :wink:

    Oh, and I'll testify to the eating more thing. But I started eating more & continued eating more & I'm losing weight just as well as I was before eating 1200-1300 calories. You don't have to starve your body to lose weight. :smile: And even if you don't feel hungry, you could still be undereating. I've been there.
  • tamheath
    tamheath Posts: 702 Member
    Thank you - perfect timing for me. I just posted on another board my frustration at the scale not moving for more than 2 weeks when I've been GOOD! This may help me out lots. :happy:
  • sdirks
    sdirks Posts: 223 Member
    The tip about sodium and processed foods is so true! People will say, "I'm eating healthy!" when at least one of their daily meals comes out of a box in the pantry or freezer. My motto is: if I didn't make it myself, it's probably not healthy.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    thanks! although JM isnt my favorite person (LOL) her tips are usually spot on.

    why dont you like her? just curious. i love just how "in your face" she is and how blunt she is. of course, im that way too so that could be why i love her so much. :)

    I know your question wasn't directed at me, but I'll answer.
    I feel JM promotes unhealthy weight loss. There, I said it.
    I know she's in it for the money, but I can't stand her "cleanses" and her protein powder full of CRAP and her incessant promotion of rapid weight loss ("Lose 20 pounds in 30 days" with 30 Day Shred, for example). I think, in reality, all of that promotion of unrealistic weight loss is really discouraging to the majority of people -- they think there must be something wrong with them when they don't drop 9 pounds in a week. Or they think what they're doing isn't working. See all of these people on MFP complaining about losing a pound in a week? They should be CELEBRATING! 1 pound in a week is great!
    And that's the reason I completely understand why some people don't care for Jillian Michaels.
    I like her workouts. But I wouldn't buy any of her products (not because they're her products, but because the ones I've checked out are either BS or there are healthier alternatives). :smile:
  • weidner
    weidner Posts: 127
    BUMP
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