How do YOU get over a plateau?

Have you been doing measurements? I have found that measurements give you a better idea of your progress. You may not be losing pounds but still losing inches.

I did intremittent fasting for about a week and broke through a plateau. I ate during a window of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and did not eat outside the window. I think waiting until 11 a.m. is what did it -- it was hard the first couple of days, but made my overall appetite go down. Overall, I think the "plateau" in my case is I was just eating too much.

ShohanaABencomo wrote: »

So I've been stuck at a plateau for the last couple of weeks. I switched up my workout to more cardio & boxing. I try to stay within calorie range. And I work out 5 days a week for around 45 mins. What do YOU do to get over a plateau? In need of some ideas

I tighten up on logging, and use a food scale. Don't just 'try' to hit your calories, hit them with precision.

A plateau lasts much longer than 2 weeks, so it can just be a normal stall.

It's got nothing to do with exercise.

Just got off my plateau that lasted 5 weeks. I didn't up my excercise as I have a bad knee. I did my usual treadmill walk for 30 mins. I read up on plateaus and decided to do a refeed. I ate over my daily given calories for 3 days. Lost half a pound but the following week I was up 2 pds. I've been fluctuating between 1-2.5 pds these past 5 weeks. I kept logging my food and staying within my calorie range most days. Other days I'd eat 200 calories over. So diet didn't really change. Even on my refeed I'd eat healthy. I didn't pig out on junk. I'm set at losing .5 pds a week, so I wasn't calorie deprived. I was getting discouraged but kept on. Read somewhere where a girl was saying to "trust the process". Eating right and excercising something's gotta give. Last week when I weighed in (weigh in weekly). I dropped 4 pds. Am still losing, so I'm back on track for now. Be patient, keep on going; your body will catch up.

ShohanaABencomo wrote: »

I just got a food scale!!! I'm hoping that'll help

I'd bet money it will. I've lost 115lbs so far without a single plateau and I've been using a food scale since day one.

I take a break for a day or two, eat whatever I want. Then come back to it fresh. Lyle MacDonald recommends this type of break. Has worked well for me breaking out of stalls.

Monday, after all dinner and snacks were complete, I did 30 minutes of vigorous cardio. Specifically, I used my treadmill at 15 degrees incline and 3 mph. Tuesday morning, I weighed 1.2 lb less than Monday morning.
Tuesday, after all dinner and snacks were complete, I did 30 minutes of the same vigorous cardio.
Wednesday morning, I weighed 1.2 lb less than Tuesday morning.
Wednesday, I accidentally went slightly over my calorie target of 1699 and did no exercise other than standing at my desk.
Thursday morning, I weighed exactly the same as on Wednesday morning.

My hypothesis is that my exercise burned off nearly 400 calories of glycogen and released the water associated with holding the glycogen. I'm going to do the hard cardio exercise again tonight after dinner to see if I can repeat the loss.

I am tracking my net calories and diligently accounting for food and exercise. According to my tracking spreadsheet, the difference between my actual weight and my expected weight based on my accumulated calorie deficit on Monday morning was 1.29%, which is a large difference. Tuesday morning the differential had fallen to 0.81% and Wednesday morning it had fallen to 0.29%. Today it is 0.54%. I expect to be able to repeat the results of Monday and Tuesday today because I have the data to indicate that I should be able to. When the differential is negative, and and it has been a few times, my weight promptly snaps back toward a differential of 0%.

Typically, if you're 100% sure that you're eating at a deficit, you don't have to change anything and the weight will eventually come down. Most 'plateaus' of a couple weeks are just really your body retaining water (especially for women before their period).

But yeah.. you have to be 100% sure that you're eating at a deficit.

I've seen some good answers on here. Definitely use a food scale - there is a great thread on here called "Counting Calories 101" I think. We can be very inaccurate in our measurements and so can manufacturers.

As far as when I hit a plateaus (which I've had a few during my journey), I've usually done an intermittent 24 hour fast with my last meal being a bad one and then done low carb for a week. Every time I've done that I started losing again like normal. That's just what worked for me.

I "Plateau" all the time. "Plateau'd" for a couple weeks straight just last week.

But I would caution to say you've"plateau'd" when, it's only been a few weeks. A month? Maybe. Two months? Probably.

That said, it's going to be what works for you, which is going to take some time. Some people keep on keepin' on. And it works. Some people increase calories and it works.

Wynterbourne wrote: »

trigden1991 wrote: »

85Cardinals wrote: »

I take a break for a day or two, eat whatever I want. Then come back to it fresh. Lyle MacDonald recommends this type of break. Has worked well for me breaking out of stalls.

Good point. After 115lbs with no breaks, it would be advised to take a week or 2 at maintenance then get going again!

Why should I take a break? Mentally, I'm still doing just fine with the diet and I've had zero plateaus or stalls. There is no reason for me to take a break. I think you're getting me confused with the OP. The OP was asking for plateau advise. I just mentioned the amount I've lost without a stall to demonstrate using a scale can be helpful. Why would you tell me to take a break when there is no current problem?

Apologies for confusing you with the OP. That being said, if you have been dieting for a prolonged period of time with no breaks, no matter whether you have stalled or not, it is beneficial and in fact recommended to take a diet break.

I highly advise reading the following;

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/the-full-diet-break.html/

Ooops - me again - sorry, I looked at the wrong profile pic, I looked at the poster below your original post. Sorry for the confusion.