Plateaus...how to get past them?

also interested

Bump. I want to know the answer too!

first of all you cant change or convert fat to muscle.

You can burn fat and you can build muscle.

However the best way i have found for plateaus, is to have a cheat weekend believe it or not.

One or 2 weekends a month i spend the weekend eating over my usual calorie limit, not by much, maybe 250 to 500 over.

And i compose that of foods i love buyt wouldnt usually eat, like a english fry up (the fats satiate me throughout the rest of the day) and maybe a roast dinner, i try to grill the breakfast and keep it healthy as possible but i do go over the top a little on the portion.

This tricks my body into thinking i am no longer eating healthily and dieting, then when i return my body starts to lose weight again as oppose to being stagnant.

There have been a few articles online about this and i subscribe to the method for sure, but everyone is different.

That all being said i can control my weight easily as i run a lot and i average about 5lbs a week weight loss if im aiming for weight loss.

Peace

The best advice I read in a magazine years ago when I was stuck, was to do these things to see changes:

- Limit carbs to no more than 100 grams a day
- Aim for 100 grams protein a day
- Aim for 20-25 grams fiber a day
- 5-6 mini meals no more than 3 hours a part
- Drink 3 cups of green tea daily (I make this also with oolong for more of a burn)
- Supplement
- HIIT Cardio (high intensity interval training)
- Add cayenne or spicy up foods for more of a burn
- 8 cups of water or more a day
- Limit sodium intake where possible

I was able to see changes quickly! Not only with weight, but the best was the fast loss of inches. For the fiber, I usually had a high fiber cereal like Fiber One since Kashi wasn't around then. I usually made it into a snack with melted peanut butter. It's easy to get 100 grams of protein daily with consuming eggs, chicken, lean meat sources and some dairy.

By the way, my size IS changing, so that is a GREAT sign, but sadly, I would LOVE to see it translate on the scale too. I guess I should just throw that sucker away. Hmmmm?

Me too! I've been noodling around the 12 stone mark for almost two months now, but I'm finally seeing that darn belly shrink! Less visceral fat as it redistributes to a new set point, perhaps?

Eat at maintence for 2 to 3 days and then go back to your weight loss calories. That does the trick for me every time.

bump to see what is said..

bump

Your ideal is not necessarily your bodies ideal. If you are living healthy and your body is staying where it is, than this might be your healthy weight. Just food for thought.

Hello, it was a sad time for you when you lost weight that way.....my advise is not to revisit it.
Losing weight is such a personal journey, highly emotional and confronting so look forward not back for a way that works for you. You see people losing weight by not eating, but you also see people starving and surviving JUST!!!! You can't conceivably MAINTAIN weight loss by not eating. This is the trap so many people fall into. You set yourself up to fail.
Metabolism plays such a big part in weight loss. If you are lucky enough to have a good (undamaged) metabolism then you may well lose weight easily when you cut calories. If you are like me then the less you eat the harder it becomes!
I was at my wits end until recently. Because I just couldn't manage losing the last 15+ kg I had to go. Even when I ate very little I found I couldn't keep my weight loss going. So I kept giving up and straight away I would gain what I had struggled for weeks to lose. This went on for over two years.
I knew a little about 'starvation' mode but found myself falling into the trap regardless.
I recently joined Curves and something clicked and I started to really understand what I have been learning about for so long. My body needs to be fed. Starving it only sent messages to start storing those carbs.....stored as FAT! Now this is a scientific fact NOT a myth.
So a calorie intact too restrictive will not help in the long haul. Healthier choices, lots of natural (less processed) foods and enough exercise is all it takes. Watch the calories of course....I am quite obsessive about this now.
When I began counting calories I started at 1200, I did this for two months and lost about 7kg but hit a plateau. I then increased to 1600 and have lost over 9kg in two months. That's with a few days of 2000+ as my metabolism tweakers. Scientific studies have shown you restart weight loss better by eating more rather than less. I have found if I am plateauing then having a day or two of higher intake followed by a day or two of 1200 gets things moving again.
Just to give you a brief picture of my journey, I have lost 60+kg over about 10 years. I hit plateau after plateau until recently and find now I am finally in control.
Ultimately you have to enjoy life, losing weight has to enhance this enjoyment not tie you in knots and take away any normality. I never felt NORMAL, I always thought of myself as unlucky or different when it came to my body, that I was doomed to be overweight cause it was just too hard. I changed that image of myself and have amazed myself with what I am now achieving.
You are young and deserve to be happy and healthy. Make the right choices and you will have everything you dream of.
xo

PS I have cut and pasted this from another topic site as they are both related to the same issue. So sorry about the rave twice over!

Take care all.
Jen