The Dreaded Stall or Plateau

Gary6030 · January 2011

I see a great deal of posts regarding stalls and plateaus. I am no expert in the field. I've lost 200lbs since 10/28/09 and I have experienced many a stall and plateau. I don't have medical training so with that said I thought I would list some things that I have done to move beyond that plat or stall.

One plan of attack to get that weight loss moving is a total diet change. I am a firm believer that if you always do what you've always done you always get the same results. Food is the same way. If you always eat the same meals each week, even changing what day you eat them your body learns to adapt and sustain on those calories and those types of calories. I have found switching out my entire food options has been very beneficial. I will take all new foods, new recipes, new food combinations and revamp my entire diet. Sure enough usually within 48 -72 hours the weight loss starts back up.

2nd plan of attack. Exercise. Apply 1st plan with exercise. If you've done Richard Simmon's Sweatin with the Oldies....(Come on you know you are

) Its time to get something more challenging. Better to begin something that you can't even finish and keep working at it then to stay with something that has become less challenging. There are phone apps for daily exercises, cable channels on demand exercises (Time Warner has these for free) DVD's, Youtube, the library so many resources. There is no reason to keep doing the same warn out exercise tapes over and over. Again muscle memory, cellular memory the body grows accustom.

3rd plan of attack. Water and very careful measurements. Ewwww so guilty of this. I'm an unsweetened iced tea freak! I forget that iced tea doesn't mean water! Iced Tea when consumed in large quantities (uh um...a gallon a day) can lead to iron deficiency according to doctors. I've found on my own journey that 2 -3 days of nothing but water to drink with each meal and in between can really clean out the old sodium and drop unwanted water weight and kick that stall in the pants.

4th Plan of attack. Change your lifestyle. Do you hang around other fatties? I had some very close friends who I loved very much. Each weekend we got together it was about what we were eating. I had to break those relationships and get around healthy people. Now Fat people can still be healthy people. If you have fatties in your life you know who I'm talking about. I'm not telling you to disown people, instead limit the time you are with them. Eat before getting together if food is the main event of the night and not your company.

Get with the FIT crowd. Start hanging out places where other healthy people are at. Make new friends by joining an exercise class or a walking club. Many local parks and rec centers have nature walks. You kill two birds with one stone on this one. Education and Exercise. (Note to self do not throw rocks at the Owls on the Owl Walk. Awkwaaardddd)

So that's the $.50 sermon from me. I hope its not preachy and I definitely don't have the answers. But these tips have really helped me over the past 16 months to achieve my goals. I hope something here will help you mentally and physically.

Have a great day getting Fit!

smarie62 · January 2011

Thanks for the info! I've been stalled for weeks, and I can already see how those changes might help.

faithindeed82 · January 2011

Thanks for this! I needed it today.

sourapple99 · January 2011

thanks for sharing

blazin_j · January 2011

Great post. I am a big believer in the adage "that which gets measured improves", so I would only add in the "careful measurement" section, to be diligent and log everything and to ensure you are logging calories burned during exercise accurately. I recently purchased a HRM and found that the exercise equipment at my gym greatly overestimated calories burned. And since I am one of those that believe in eating my exercise calories back to prevent my body from going into starvation mode (and plateauing), I was actually overeating when I was relying on the exercise equipment calorie counter. Invest in a HRM if you can afford it as it will give you more accuracy in calorie management.

roland72 · January 2011

great post Gary. I think everybody has at one point or another hit a plateau in their training / weight loss. The difference with your comments is that you don't see it as a problem or an excuse like a lot of other people but as a motivator. Having the kind of attitude you have is 99.9% of losing weight successfully, more people should look at it that way.

Personally for me if I hit a plateau I know that what I have been doing has worked and that my body has adjusted to the change and needs a kick up the back side. I think it is a good point to assess where I am and what I want to change. A bit like when you are hill walking. You walk up and up till you get to a flat bit where you can rest, have a break and see what route you are going to take next.

I find that getting to a plateau is a good thing when you are going to the gym because it makes it easier for your personal trainer or the staff to assess what you have been doing and give you a new programme.

Gary6030 · January 2011

I couldn't agree more. Our body cannot stay in a continual stage of weight loss. It has to rest. I don't have the knowledge to explain all the medical reasons. I've read from several sources that weight loss is a process that the body must endure. iplaypoker we're going to hit that goal buddy!

The Dreaded Stall or Plateau

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