How do you work through a plateau?

[rkwilliams1013 0]

I was banded September 2nd and have just hit my 30lb loss mark and now am now having a hard time losing. I am exercising daily and eating less than 1000 calories a day. I feel like I'm doing everything right, but the scale just isn't moving!

So, how did you, or how are you, working through your plateau?

[BetsyB 9]

Congratulations on your great loss so far!

When I'm stalled, I look over my journals. (I journal on fitday.com, and also use a BodyBugg.) If I am eating the way I need to eat to support weight loss, getting enough Fluid, and exercising, I power through---sometimes, the body just needs to regroup after losing a significant amount, and time is all it takes.

I've just had a couple of weeks of stall, though, and decided to add distance/time to my walks. I've lost enough that my body really did need this change in order to spur loss again.

Sometimes, it's trial-and-error: you give it some time doing what you know has been effective in the past. Then, if that doesn't do the trick, you tweak something to see if that helps.

(I'll bet, though, that after a pretty rapid loss of 30 pounds, your body's just saying, "Hey! What's going on here?!" and will resume losing after a bit of time.)

[reverie 49]

Play with your calories and play with your exercise. See what works. Betsy may be right in the fact that your body is just playing catch up. My plateau's only last a few days, but I did have one that lasted 2 weeks; the fix to both was to up my calories since I upped my exercise.

Good luck!

[ElfiePoo 109]

Rebecca,

You've lost 30 pounds in a month and you're eating less than 1000 calories, it is very likely that your body is becoming more efficient with those calories because it thinks you're starving.

Studies show that women who eat 1200 calories a day lose more steadily than those who eat less. Why not try increasing your calories to 1200 and see what happens?

.

[vlp1968 83]

I agree with all of the above, I would increase to 1200 cals and also increase the intensity of your workouts. That worked for me at every stall. Good luck!

[LapNYC 3]

If your workouts are reasonably intense and you're truly eating less than 1000 calories a day, I'd just sit tight. You could do the obvious like maybe up the Protein a little, drink more Water, lower your carbs, but I've found that sometimes i can't lose weight almost no matter what, and sometimes I lose with little effort. Keep doing what you're doing and I think you'll be fine!

[rkwilliams1013 0]

Elfie, You're right, I've had a rapid weight loss in a month, and this is probably my body's way of putting on the brakes. My bariatric coach says that you're going to plateau every 20-30lbs. Just trying to figure out the best way to work through it. I will try to up the calories just a little and increase my workout to see if that helps- Today my pouch is very grouchy, so hopefully tomorrow will be better!

[jenn79co 13]

I stalled 2 weeks ago and it made me so mad! I thought geez I walk 4 miles a day and eat right, so what am I doing wrong!? Well turned out all I needed to do was up my workout a little. I started a little jogging during my walk and the first day I did I dropped a pound. So yeah just increase your workout a little.

[cjett 0]

I had a plateau that lasted from Sept 6 to Sept 28 and since then have lost 3 lbs. I just watched my calories and changed up my exercising but most importantly I stayed positive. I told myself I knew I was eating right and exercising so weight loss would take off again. I was pretty proud of myself because in the past I would have gotten down and gone completely off track.

[brooklyn64 0]

I was banded in May and lost 24 lbs within the first few weeks. Since then I have had 3 fills and my band is at 5cc's. I go down a few pounds then back up a few, even with exercising 4-5 days a week. I am at a total of 32 lbs at 4 months post op and frustrated too that I am not losing more quickly.

I find that if I eat a bit more, I actually lose. So....I think sometimes your body goes into starvation mode when you eat too little. I have a hard time with eating Protein, seems to get stuck.

[Melissannde 41]

All of the above are good suggestions. I'd add one more.

When you start noticing a plateau, take your measurements (neck, bust, waist, hips, arms, forearms, thighs, calves) and write them down somewhere. And pay attention to what you're wearing at the time of measurement.

In a month, put on the same clothes (if they still fit!) and take your measurements again. I'll bet you'll see changes.. smaller numbers.. even if the scale isn't moving much.

I've done that since May.. it really helps.