how do you break a plateau?

I have a spike day where I eat about double my BMR, then go back to my normal plan. Seems to kick start the weight loss again.
I have one once a week and usually have a loss each week

ETA: The scales usually show a gain of about 2lbs the following day but they disappear over the next couple of days. By next weigh-in I've usually lost 1-2 more

I've just hit a plateau. I'm anxious to hear responses to this question!

I dropped back on the exercise a little, upped calories from 1200 to 1470 and changed my contraceptive pill

There are HEAPS of things to try!!
1) increase your protein for breakfast
2) change your style of exercise
3) try a massive day of endurance exercise
4) drink twice as much water
5) drop your carbs to just high quality ones (whole foods, fruit and veg) and increase protein
6) cut back your sugar
And yes, get rid of your alcohol intake

Have a Weight Loss Plateau? Let Me Help
By Jillian Michaels
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There is nothing more discouraging than stepping on the scale after a week of diligent dieting and grueling workouts and not seeing any drop in the number. The plateau is a common problem among dieters and can typically be waited out, but there are measures you can take to keep your metabolism fired up even as you reduce your caloric intake.

The best way to break a plateau is to keep your salt intake below 2,000 milligrams a day and drink lots of water. Make sure you're not eating any processed carbs, period. That's right — no chips, sugar, white flour, and so on. And hit the gym hard! The boost in exercise will make your body swell and hold fluids for a few days, but after a week you should see the benefits on the scale.

You can also try playing around with your caloric intake a bit, varying it from day to day throughout the week while keeping the same weekly total. The body can't slow its metabolism to adjust to a reduced caloric intake if the intake isn't fixed from one day to the next. For instance, to bust my plateau, I might have 1,200 calories on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then eat 1,500 calories on Tuesday, 1,600 on Thursday, 1,400 on Saturday, and 1,700 on Sunday. Get it?

The plateau effect can sometimes simply be a matter of flagging resolve. If mixing up your caloric intake just isn't working, make sure you're not slipping up on your diet or slacking off in your workouts. I'm serious; it happens.

As with any program, there will be highs and lows, but stay with it. Your body is trying to adjust to the weight loss. Don't get scared or discouraged. Just be patient and know that you are worth it!

I always suggest taking a week off of exercise to allow your muscles to repair and eating at your maintenance calories for a week (the same week you take off of exercise). It's just as important to rest as it is to exercise.

Also, when you start back up, reduce your deficit. Many people tend to over extend their bodies. So if you have 20 lbs to lose, it isn't possible to lose 2 lbs per week. Below are good guidelines to follow.


If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Trying to break one now by changing up my macros, resetting my goals(mindset) and changing excercise routine. Hopefully it works.

What I do is, every three months, take 1 week off and eat at maintenance. Take a break from working out too, if you want. Eat high quality food, but you can still indulge if you want, as long as you don't go over maintenance. Otherwise, no cheat days. I mean, it's fine, for a special occasion, to eat up to maintenance...but limit them to no more than once per month. Otherwise, work out hard and stick to the reduced calorie goal.

Otherwise, what has helped me overcome plateau's:

1) Do a different, more difficult, workout for a while (I started running last year, worked great! This year it's kickboxing and zumba....and kicking my butt!)
2) Up your protein and lower carbs
3) Measure and weigh everything, to make sure my intake is accurate
4) Eat fewer of my workout calories (if you are doing the same exercises over and over, you burn less as you become more accustomed to them.)
5) Make sure to adjust your calorie goals if you've lost more than 10 pounds. Lighter people burn fewer calories.

I have a spike day where I eat about double my BMR, then go back to my normal plan. Seems to kick start the weight loss again.
I have one once a week and usually have a loss each week

My experience is that this is a proven technique for avoiding a plateau in the first place. .

Mine too. I've always had one day a week where I'd eat a lot more and I've always lost weight consistently, but thought I'd probably lose more without the cheat day. I stopped doing it a few weeks ago because I'm close to goal and got impatient to hit it... result: plateau!.
As soon as got back to 'spike / cheat / whatever you want to call it' day I'm back losing again
I was unaware before that this actually prevents plateaus, I just did it because I love food too much to be on a constant diet. Now I realise that it's what's been keeping me losing each week.