I’m on a diet. Well, I’m not on a diet, really. I’m trying to lose weight and, in keeping with everything I read and know about weight loss, diets don’t work. So, I’m not really on a diet. I’m trying to eat nutritious foods, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle. I put on too many pounds since last summer, continued the trend over the winter and now that spring is here, I’ve got to get my butt – and the area of my body from my ankles to my chin that surrounds it – into better (and smaller) shape. It isn’t easy. I’ve lost a few pounds but am now at the dreaded plateau. Damn. Been plateauing for a couple of weeks and nothing I do budges the scale. I’ve consulted friends who’ve successfully taken weight off and kept it off and their advice ranges from “Don’t weigh yourself at all. Stick to the healthy lifestyle routine and let the way your clothing fits be your guide” to “Weigh yourself everyday but don’t mind fluctuations. We gain and lose pounds depending on our last meal, if we’re dehydrated. Even the weather has an affect” to “Weigh yourself on Monday and Friday and follow the trend. If you’re eating well and exercising, you’ll find that you’ll weigh less on Friday than you do on Monday.”
Interesting advice and all good. I tried the not weighing myself thing for months, but not as a plateau-breaking technique. I wasn’t weighing myself at all during the months I was putting on weight. Of course, I paid no attention to how my clothing fit either and, when I’d have to show up for an occasion, would freak out that nothing in my closet fit me. No, I need the scale. Not everyone does and good for you if you can let your clothing be your guide. I need the scale, but I’m not obsessive about it like so many of my friends who step on and off of it five or six times in succession several times a day. I know weight fluctuates throughout the day and I’m ok with that. But, I’m not ok with the scale not budging for the past several weeks.
I took to the internet for more advice and found several reasons, theories perhaps, as to why we plateau. I’ve compiled them here in case you may be dealing with the same sitch. I’ve also included a few tips on how to break a plateau. Bash on, dieters, uh, lifestylers (that’s better, yes?) and let me know if you have a tip to share on how to break through a plateau. I’m all ears. (In fact, that’s the only part of me that didn’t gain weight!
- Everyone experiences plateaus and may experience several that last two to three weeks, depending on how much weight one has to lose.
- If you’re exercising, you may be putting on muscle weight while losing fat. (Fat does not turn into muscle nor the other way around either.) While the scale may not register a loss, keep in mind that muscle takes up less space than fat so even if the scale doesn’t budge, your body is leaner.
- Weight loss slows as you go through the process of losing weight. The last five to 10 pounds are the hardest to lose and may keep you on a plateau for several weeks.
It’s frustrating. Try these tips to break a plateau …
- Take your exercise routine to the next level. This is based on the theory (fact? I don’t know. Perhaps someone out there can tell me?) that our bodies have memory and get used to doing the same thing over and over. Our body doesn’t respond to the same exercise routine months after we’ve begun it as it did when we first started. So, the thought is to increase the intensity of your routine by adding an extra mile or two to your walk, add jogging or running (if you’re able to), add another set or new exercise to your weight training routine or bump up your weights to the next level.
- Reassess your eating habits. Weight loss is a long and tedious process that, as it goes on, becomes more difficult. I started out raring to go. I eliminated sweets, pasta, bread, you know, the usual culprits, from my diet and I didn’t miss them. I dropped some weight and was thrilled. This helped me continue to eat mindfully and exercise and then I came to a screeching halt. My thought process (and it’s incorrect, I admit) was, “Well, I’m not losing any weight eating and exercising the way I’ve been doing so why bother? I want pizza.” Now, there’s nothing wrong with wanting pizza or having a slice of it every now and then. Moderation in all things. But, if you’re like me, having a slice of pizza is a gateway to having pizza the next day and following up with a cup of frozen yogurt (which I don’t even like and which I know cerebrally is just as sugary as ice cream, but which I can justify intellectually as being healthier. It makes no sense. I’m just sayin’.) And, since I’ve already gotten on the frozen yogurt train, why not some chips and salsa because I feel like crunching and then what about those yummy English muffins that are in the freezer? Why not one of those? The simple answer is: because I’m not hungry! There’s nothing wrong with having an English muffin every now and then but not after I’ve had a slice of pizza and a frozen yogurt. Reassess your eating habits and be aware of falling back into bad ones. They creep up on you slowly and insidiously. Be mindful of what you put in your mouth. If you want pizza, have pizza. It’s ok. Just be mindful of eating too much pizza. Don’t beat yourself up about eating it. The wrong thought process is, “well, I’ve blown my diet for the day so it doesn’t matter what I eat today. I’ll start again tomorrow.” No! Get right back to it. Slow and steady breaks plateaus.
- Check your health. If you can’t drop weight for weeks on end and are honest about your eating and exercise habits, maybe something else is going on. See your doctor to assess any health problems that may compromise weight loss.
- Are you trying to lose weight for an event? Ugh, am I so guilty of this! Maintaining a healthy weight for your body – and everybody’s different. One person’s 135 pounds is another person’s 155, if you know what I mean – is a lifelong commitment to mindful and healthy eating and exercise. Balance is key. If you maintain a healthy weight, you won’t have to put your body through all sorts of unhealthy diets to lose weight for the special occasions that pop up. My daughter’s wedding is in the Fall. Hurray! I need to lose weight but I’m not doing it for her wedding. I’m doing it for myself, For Ever, I hope. (I make no promises because I don’t want to beat myself up if I should lapse a bit.) But, let me get back to breaking that plateau. I read that women should eat no fewer than 1200 calories a day and men should aim for no fewer than 1500 calories a day. The thought/science behind this is that if we consume fewer calories, our bodies will go into starvation mode, our metabolisms will slow down and we’ll lose lean muscle tissue. I should heed my own advice and count my daily caloric intake, but I don’t and therefore don’t actually know how many calories I consume on the daily. I’m sure it fluctuates and may be under 1200 so perhaps a slowed metabolism accounts for my plateau. I read that if you have fewer than 15 pounds to lose, increase your daily caloric intake for three days to between 1800 and 2000 calories. Drop back down to around 1200 after that. The theory behind this plateau breaker is that your body, which may have gone into starvation mode as you’ve lowered your caloric intake, will pump your metabolism back up with the increased calories and then, when you drop your caloric intake back down, your metabolism will still be revved. It’s worth a shot.
- Get enough sleep. Studies have found that 7 hours of sleep is optimal. Our bodies “reset” during sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone and the one that, if elevated, can lead to belly fat.
- Stay hydrated. Sounds odd but symptoms of dehydration are similar to those of being hungry. Feel like grabbing a sugary snack in the mid-afternoon? Instead, grab a glass of water and then see if you’re still hungry.
Remember, plateaus are not forever. Muscle through this one by eating and drinking mindfully and healthfully and by exercising several times a week and you’ll break the plateau. You’ve so got this.
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