need help pushing past plateaus

I could have written your post. I hit 150lbs (which WAS my goal weight) in Sept 2010. From then til May 2011, I stayed right around 150lbs. Through the holidays and through 3 injuries that kept me out of the gym for weeks at a time. The only gain I saw was when I was on high doses of pain medication (and it was water retention). I was totally perplexed at how to break into the 140's and was starting to get comfortable with where I was - heck, I wasn't struggling to maintain 150, right? Perhaps that was the weight I was supposed to be! It was easy to stay there. I knew how to do it.

Then I had a few days where I went over my calories and not just by a little -- by 200-400 calories over. A few days later, I weighed in and showed a loss. Upp'ed my calories and dropped 4lbs. I am now teetering between 146-147lbs and am trying to figure out the magic solution to drop myself to 145. But, I'm trying to not stress about it. I pretty well (though I do have my moments) and I work out 3 days a week for 60 mins - which is all my back can handle right now.

I refuse to fight my body when it comes to my weight. I've always said that I want my goal weight to be a weight I can easily manage. I want this to be something I can stick with for the rest of my life - not a week or a month or even a year. If my body likes 150lbs and I can easily maintain it -- then 150lbs I will be.

My plateaus come about every 3 weeks. When I'm beginning to see a potential no loss week (2 to 3 days prior to my weigh in day), I will do a cheat day where I go over my calorie goal by as much as 500 to1000 calories then fast for 36 hours drinking only water and taking a branched chain amino acid supplement. I also do HIIT exercises my fast day. It jump starts my metabolism and in the 3 months I've been doing this I have never had a plateau where I didn't lose at least 1 pound per week. Alot of people don't agree with this approach but it works for me everytime. I do this to get "unstuck" and not as a reward day or a "I can't take it anymore day". I don't eat junk, just more of what I'm already eating. Well, maybe some ice cream. Here is a link with some background information.

http://caloriecount.about.com/cheating-diet-increase-fat-loss-ft7139

I could have written your post. I hit 150lbs (which WAS my goal weight) in Sept 2010. From then til May 2011, I stayed right around 150lbs. Through the holidays and through 3 injuries that kept me out of the gym for weeks at a time. The only gain I saw was when I was on high doses of pain medication (and it was water retention). I was totally perplexed at how to break into the 140's and was starting to get comfortable with where I was - heck, I wasn't struggling to maintain 150, right? Perhaps that was the weight I was supposed to be! It was easy to stay there. I knew how to do it.

Then I had a few days where I went over my calories and not just by a little -- by 200-400 calories over. A few days later, I weighed in and showed a loss. Upp'ed my calories and dropped 4lbs. I am now teetering between 146-147lbs and am trying to figure out the magic solution to drop myself to 145. But, I'm trying to not stress about it. I pretty well (though I do have my moments) and I work out 3 days a week for 60 mins - which is all my back can handle right now.

I refuse to fight my body when it comes to my weight. I've always said that I want my goal weight to be a weight I can easily manage. I want this to be something I can stick with for the rest of my life - not a week or a month or even a year. If my body likes 150lbs and I can easily maintain it -- then 150lbs I will be.

i will definitely be trying this. while i appreciate "asmcriminals" advice, there's no way i can hit 1400 cals a day and keep my carbs under 75.

my goal weight is actually 115-110, so i have quite a way to go. i'm trying to get into a healthy weight range for my height, which is about 130lbs-95 lbs i believe. i will add extra servings of healthy fruits and veggies and brown rice and whole grains. hopefully this, in combination with trying a few new workout classes, will help me get out of the 150's.

i too, want to be at an easily manageable weight, but 150 is not healthy for me, being type 1 diabetic and having PCOS, so pushing past this plateau is VERY important.

thanks for the answers guys!

Our bodies get very used to what we do everyday - whether it be the way we eat or the way we workout. Once they become accustomed to it - it becomes less and less effective. The best thing to do is to switch it up all the time - just to keep your body guessing about what might happen next. You don't have to make drastic changes - just small ones. I've heard a lot of people say calorie zig zagging worked really well for them to break a plateau. My body is so finicky about calories and such that I don't dare drop myself too low or it will gain the weight back. But, give that a shot. Also, try doing different things when you work out. If you've been doing the treadmill - try the elliptical. Or do strength training AND cardio. Just switch it up. Confuse the ole body.

I could have written your post. I hit 150lbs (which WAS my goal weight) in Sept 2010. From then til May 2011, I stayed right around 150lbs. Through the holidays and through 3 injuries that kept me out of the gym for weeks at a time. The only gain I saw was when I was on high doses of pain medication (and it was water retention). I was totally perplexed at how to break into the 140's and was starting to get comfortable with where I was - heck, I wasn't struggling to maintain 150, right? Perhaps that was the weight I was supposed to be! It was easy to stay there. I knew how to do it.

Then I had a few days where I went over my calories and not just by a little -- by 200-400 calories over. A few days later, I weighed in and showed a loss. Upp'ed my calories and dropped 4lbs. I am now teetering between 146-147lbs and am trying to figure out the magic solution to drop myself to 145. But, I'm trying to not stress about it. I pretty well (though I do have my moments) and I work out 3 days a week for 60 mins - which is all my back can handle right now.

I refuse to fight my body when it comes to my weight. I've always said that I want my goal weight to be a weight I can easily manage. I want this to be something I can stick with for the rest of my life - not a week or a month or even a year. If my body likes 150lbs and I can easily maintain it -- then 150lbs I will be.

The above post is a good tip, it's metabolic trickery. If you eat too little calories for to long, your metabolism slows down. Then when eat more calories then before it throws your metabolism in to over drive. It has to digest all the food. you're probably healthier than before. You have been probably doing higher intensity exercises when you first started. With the extra calories burned, and the metabolic kick, it helped you overcome your plateau. Now you reached another plateau, this can be over come by lowering your calories again. for a few days, then raising them up again. Your metabolism slows down in about 72hrs. If you eat your normal caloric intake on day 3, you will prevent metabolic shut down. Then on day 4 and 5 you eat at a lower caloric intake, then increase it again. This is called zigzagging, it's also called "metabolic trickery." I like the term "spiking". This is very beneficial.

i will definitely be trying this. while i appreciate "asmcriminals" advice, there's no way i can hit 1400 cals a day and keep my carbs under 75.

Yes you can, reduction in carbs doesn't mean reduction in calories. You can increase proteins and healthy fats. Fats have no effect on insulin levels. Insulin is what makes people gain weight. Eating too many calories also increases insulin. So eating a ton of fat that puts you over your caloric limit will not help you lose weight. This is why I mentioned reducing carbs, carbs increases insulin levels, storing glucose(blood sugar) in the muscle. What happens when the muscle is full? It turns glucose in to body fat. Lower insulin levels and you automatically increase your fat burning abilities. Protein increases a biochemical called glucagon. This is the OPPOSITE of insulin. Insulin is released when there is a lot of blood sugar, it stores it in muscles or in fat. Glucagon does the opposite, it releases it from muscles when blood sugar is low, once the muscles are depleted guess what happens? Fat is released from the body for energy. Protein is highly advised, it's also contains the building blocks for the human body, called amino acids.

What if you did both techniques, did zigzagging and lowered your carbs, to really kick your fat burning potential in to high gear.