How I Have Avoided A Plateau...So Far

In the couple of months that I have been on MFP I have learned a lot through the the sharing of information from all the wonderful, generous people on this site. Now it's time to pay it forward. I do not profess to be a guru or know more than anybody. I simply want to share what is working for me and welcome others to do the same.

My approach has been to be proactive rather than reactive. As part of this plan, I monitor my weight loss consistently, including unofficial daily weigh-ins. I know this is contrary to what many recommend, and indeed I do only log my weight once a week. But following daily fluctuations has helped me learn more about my body and the way food and exercise affect my weight. Daily weigh-ins help me identify trends and avoid potential gains. Two or three times already I have offset gains just days before my official weigh-in, producing a loss every week since I started this journey 10 weeks ago.

Here are the things I have done (in order) to avoid a rut...increased calorie allowance from 1200 to 1300, changed % of carbs/fat/protein to 40/30/30, switched from workout videos to C25K, got Vitamin B12 shots for energy (at the doc's office), stopped eating complex carbs after 7pm (then after 5pm for a few days), started calorie zig zagging and (this week) tried eating clean for 3 consecutive days. (I don't do all of these at the same time and some are just short term adjustments.)

My latest strategy, eating clean, gave me AMAZING results! This past week for about three days in a row I showed a one pound gain. That's when I decided to "clean up" my food intake. I don't think I eat poorly but I definitely consume too much processed food. So for the last 3 days, if it went through any kind of processing I tried my darndest to avoid it. That meant no prepared/pre-packaged foods (like frozen dinners), no bread, no pasta, no Splenda, no FiberOne bars, no Fat-Free Snack Packs...all my usual staples. Just lots of lean meats, fish, chicken fruits and veggies. (I had to make exceptions on one or two things since I can't afford to replace everything.) But it worked; within two days I lost the pound I had gained plus an additional two! I also lost an inch off my waist and hips. Will I continue to eat clean every day? As much as I would like to, probably not. But as long as I continue to monitor my weight I can continue making adjustments as I go along.

So long story, well, longer...don't get discouraged, be proactive. Getting out of a plateau is difficult so why not try to avoid it in the first place? I know it's impossible to avoid a plateau forever, especially once you're only 5-10 pounds away from your goal weight. But it definitely doesn't hurt to keep your body "guessing" and working for you!

I would love to hear more ideas on how you avoid plateaus. I'm only about half way through my goal so I need to have more tricks up my sleeve prepared!