Getting through a weight loss plateau
Q. Help! I've lost 26 pounds since last October but I seem to have reached a plateau. How can I continue losing weight?
A. First of all, take a deep breath and congratulate yourself for a big accomplishment! Losing 26 pounds in eight months is a big deal. It's also exactly the way we would suggest that you go about weight loss: slow and steady. Good for you! But now you've reached a plateau. Let's see if we can help.
You don't say how close you now are to your goal weight (5 more pounds to go or 50?), which might be an important key. Nonetheless, I've asked each of our experts to offer some suggestions on breaking through weight loss plateaus:
Weight loss coach Elaine Murphy points out that your caloric needs change as you lose weight. That is, as you get smaller, it takes fewer calories to maintain your weight. To continue losing at the same rate, you'll need to gradually adjust your calorie intake downward. You might want to check back in with the Daily Needs Calculator to see how many calories it takes to maintain your new weight. To lose one pound a week, you'll need to create a deficit of approximately 500 calories per day.
Basically, there are two ways to increase your calorie deficit: one is to eat less and they other is to exercise more. The best of all worlds is to combine a little of each. (See Monica's post on different ways to create calorie deficits.)
Registered Dietitian Dana Lilienthal suggests that it might be helpful to keep a detailed food log, if you're not already doing this. (Nutrition Data's Total Consumption Report is perfect for this.) A detailed analysis may reveal some surprises about your diet--such as hidden sources of fat and calories that you may not be aware of.
For example, Dana says, you may be taking in more fat than you realize if you are not choosing lean cuts of protein. If your meal plan includes a serving of chicken, for example, choosing dark meat instead of white can add 6 extra grams of fat and 50 extra calories (even if you avoid the skin)!
When you had more to lose, these small differences might not have mattered as much. As you get closer to your goal, though, you may need to tighten things up a little more.
Elaine Murphy also recommends that you:
"Check your portion sizes by actually measuring and weighing your food for a few days for real accuracy. Do I hear more complaining? It can be an eye opener. Studies have proven that most people under report how much they are actually consuming by 40%!(Heymsfield SB, the Calorie Myth, Measurement and Reality. Am J Nutr 1995:62)"
Our exercise expert, Steve Cabral, suggests that if exercise is not currently a part of your weight loss efforts, adding exercise is a great way to break through a plateau. If you're already exercising, Steve suggests that, instead of doing more of what you are currently doing, you should:
"throw your old program directly out the window. You have to switch things up and force your body to keep up with your new routine. This means that your mind and body are going to have to figure out how to handle the new weights, exercises, reps, tempo, or all four. By literally shocking your body with new techniques you're going to burn more calories and speed up your metabolism.
For example, if you're someone who is used to do long cardio sessions on the treadmill or elliptical, then hop off and start doing some shorter sprints. Better yet, get your heart rate pumping by including some squats, deadlifts, lunges, or step-ups to burn calories, boost your metabolism, and tone your muscles all at the same time.
Lastly, if you switch up your program every 4 weeks you'll be far more successful at never hitting a plateau again!"
Finally, it may be that your body (not to mention you) might benefit from a brief respite from active weight loss. Take a few weeks to allow your body to adjust to the weight you've lost and stabilize, without trying to lose more weight. Use the Daily Needs Calculator to estimate the number of calories you need and simply focus on eating a healthy, balanced, nutrition diet that allows you to maintain your current weight.
This would also be an ideal time to take your fitness program up a notch as you will have a little more food energy in your diet to fuel your workouts. After a few weeks of stabilization, launch the next phase of active weight loss by cutting back on calories and increasing your calorie deficit.
Whatever you do, don't give up! You've come a long way so far. With a little patience, you can and will reach your goal! Log in to the Nutrition Data Diet and Weight Loss Center for a daily dose of expert advice, inspiration, tips, recipes, and support.
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Posted by: Carol | Oct 28, 2009 12:26:41 AM
I'd like to hear from all those people who've maintained their goal weight loss for three years.
What did THEY do they and what are THEY doing now?
Think about it: How much does one of your feet weigh? Three pounds? Five pounds? Could you "lose" that much PHYSICAL SUBSTANCE in a week?
Losing WATER is meaningless. And keeping it is meaningless.
LET YOUR BODY TAKE THE TIME IT TAKES TO TURN THE MATERIAL IT'S MADE OF INTO URINE AND SWEAT. THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO OUTLETS YOUR BODY HAS. DO IT RIGHT WITHOUT GOING CRAZY AND YOU NEVER HAVE TO DO IT AGAIN.
Panic, try "everything," conclude after a week that you've "failed," and you'll just do it over and over and over and over, gaining just a little bit more each time you go up and "losing" a little bit less each time you grit your teeth and go down.
HAVE MERCY ON YOURSELF.
Posted by: Megan | Oct 13, 2009 8:48:51 AM
I have lost 40lbs and have hit a definite plateau. I've been going to the gym even more but I swear I've gained 3pounds since last week - I'm hoping its just waterweight/muscle gain!?!??! But I was really hoping to drop some pounds before Christmas. I would love to loose 15-20 but that might be way too much in less than 3months...
Posted by: Jessi | Aug 5, 2009 1:20:01 PM
I havent platued yet, I dont think. I do my first weigh in on Saturday to see how far I have come.
http://personalweightloss.webs.com
Posted by: Dodger | Jul 23, 2009 2:20:45 AM
A lot of people have absolutely no clue what they are talking about.
1: Only starting exercise late in your diet does *not* give you a "boost" -- it simply means that it's not until later that you start getting fit instead of starved. Matter of fact, if you start exercising late in your diet, you will more *likely* plateau (on weight and size, albeit a more aesthetic version of the volume -- but not on fat), because you will suddenly start gaining muscle mass. Consider: Lose three pounds in the same week you put on three pounds of muscle. Repeat three weeks. Looks like a plateau, except you now have nine more pounds of lean muscle mass. Duh.
2: "Cleansing" is flaky hippy nonsense. Your body does not "store up toxins" nor does fat in any way protect you from this. In theory it is possible for toxins (real ones, like pesticides, not "secondhand smoke from 100 feet away" or "twinkie preservatives" or "bad vibes" or whatever other thing California has decided to put a warning on this week) which are water or oil miscible to be maintained in your body. However, when this happens, it's simply because they are sitting in water in an area of your body that's not being drawn from, and so it never circulates to the liver or kidneys to have the toxins metabolised or removed. Guess where that means they are "stored"... yup. Fat. Duh.
3: Losing 16 lbs "last week" (i.e. in one week) generally means you need to see a doctor, either because you are having some serious health issues internally, or because you need your arm sewn back on. That or it means you need to stop playing UK lottery.
4: Eating half a rotisserie chicken for any reason EVER is NOT dieting, dude. You'd be better off eating the mashed potatoes and leaving out most or all of the chicken.
5: The difference between bleached "white" bread and unbleached bread is almost entirely cosmetic. People began bleaching flour in the 1700s or 1800s because it allowed them to avoid cooking bugs into bread, and because it gave bread a longer shelf life. The recipes are the same, except for the flour type, which s different only because the flour is bleached with oxygen, either though peroxides, sometimes chlorines, or, traditionally, leaving it spread in air (oooh, how unnatural -- well, maybe if you live in LA). Additionally, white (bleached or not) bread has less fibre than wheat (wholemeal) bread, except that which is replaced by FDA requirements. It does not have more sugar.
6: Rockinson, learn to type and not sound like a lol-ing moron and more people might respond.
7: Fasting is also known as starvation. It's bad for you.
8: Within ten pounds of your goal weight, assuming you have figured out a real healthy goal weight, you will plateau because your body has already LOST all the "storage" fat and only has the "operational" fat. Sure, you may want to get rid of that, and maybe it's even a good idea in your case, but it doesn't mean the other parts of your body agree. By other parts, I mean the parts that are not your brain. Which, based on some of the inane comments to this post, means a very large percentage of some of your whole beings.
9: 15-25% of your daily operational (i.e. not overeating) caloric intake is actually consumed by your brain. Brains are very ridiculously inefficient organs. If they didn't let us hunt and forage better, we would never have successfully evolved them. They would have been an evolutionary disadvantage. So, you know... try developing yours, everyone.
Posted by: chloe | Jul 2, 2009 8:35:43 AM
I have gone from 190 lbs to 120 lbsover the past 12 months. I hit plateaus pretty often and I find that this always works for me.
Take one weekend off from your diet, exercising, and calorie counting. For those 3 days just eat whatever you want. I know it sounds horrible, and try not to go above 2,000 calories, but it always kick starts my metabolism and I usually end up losing 2-5 pounds the following week.
Posted by: Tony M | Jun 19, 2009 10:57:44 PM
***Update***
Same routine, exercise, diet etc.
From my post on 4/14/09 to 2 months later, I have lost an additional 18 lbs and sit at 201... that makes 72 pounds in almost 5 months. Do what I did! It's still working!
Posted by: Des | Jun 10, 2009 4:51:57 PM
wow tony if i ate like that I would surely gain weight. Glad it works for you. I have lost my first 22lbs and hit a plateau that I thought I conquered but alas this week I see that I am still stuck. I have adjusted my intake and adding exercise but still stuck. Very frustrating since I still have 40 lbs to loose to get to my ideal weight. I am trying not to think that this is all I get, but very difficult when I am tracking my intake and so very conscious about it all and again on the scale can't get it to move down. ugh!!!
Posted by: Chad | May 15, 2009 4:13:54 AM
I lost about 16 lbs last week but this week I have just maintained where I was last week and I've increased my excercise etc. It's a plateau but from all your stories it seems that it's just my body adjusting to the new weight level and then from there I'll keep losing weight I assume.
Posted by: Tony M | Apr 14, 2009 11:37:00 PM
It's going to sound strange, but I would actually recommend NOT going to the gym for up to a month and a half or two months if you want to do what I did. I controlled as much as I could with diet in the beginning and only incorporated the gym after I hit a weight loss "plateau". Since I had planned on it, it worked out great. I am down 54 pounds in almost 3 months.
My body was used to tons of food and not alot of activity. I was eating fast food and anything else that I wanted, working in an office all day and then playing on my PC at night. I was up to 273 lbs and had a health scare that kind of shook me up involving my heart.
Doing this is going to require a TON of discipline. I was scared, which is why I was able to be successful at it, so I don't have a good example on what you can use as motivation! Here's what I did:
I eliminated all white flour from my diet. I ate just about the same thing every single day. It gets boring, and you won't be eating as much at all. It is VERY hard to adjust to because you are very hungry in the beginning and your body is screaming for food. Here's the core of what I eat:
Breakfast: Two pieces of wheat bread with butter. I put two egg whites on the bread and eat it as a sandwich. I eat this everyday even now. This HAS to be done, because it starts out your day. If you rush out the door and skip this step, then you end up compromising and messing up. (I would have anyway)
Lunch: Boston Market became my best friend. I have 1/2 a rotisserie chicken and two side orders of green beans or steamed vegetables. Leaving out Mashed potatoes was tough, but very necessary.
Dinner: Grilled Chicken strips from Perdue on wheat bread with a bit of mayonnaise or brown mustard (for taste)
Wheat bread has less sugar, less starches and lower carb totals. In between, whenever I would get hungry, I would eat something small right away! I carried almonds (a handful at a time) fruit (apples, bananas etc) or maybe a Sugar Free Jello pudding. The toughest part is eating less. After about 6-7 days, my stomach shrunk and I realized that I wasn't as insatiable as I had been previously and it became easier and easier. By Day 10 I was perfectly fine.
I was losing almost a pound a day, sometimes more. I kept going and going because I was losing so quickly! Eventually, it will slow down in about two weeks because your body will start to use what you're giving it more efficiently. Only at that point did I "shock my system" and go on a carb binge, eating burgers, fries, etc. for two days. (Of course I made it my whole weekend!) My body adjusted, because I fooled it to where it thought the gravy train was back on. After the two days, I went back to wheat bread!
After about 35-40 pounds, I hit a weight loss plateau that I knew was coming, and even shocking my system didn't help. Only THEN did I start going to the gym, doing 45 minutes of cardio a day (on the elliptical, which isn't that bad) and doing some GVT Training. (very low weight, very high numbers of sets and reps)
Now I'm down 54 pounds in about 2 and a half months. It wasn't easy in the beginning. It was TOUGH... but worth it now!
Here are some key points about what I'm doing:
* It's nothing I read about anywhere, it's just things I know that I needed to do
* It's a combination of low-carb, low-fat and portion control
* the BIGGEST meal is at lunch, dinner is smaller than what you're used to
* if you are hungry, you HAVE to eat. Just make sure what you're eating is good for you... like fruit or unsalted nuts instead of chips etc. Even 100 calorie Smart POP bags of popcorn are awesome.
* Stop eating when the snack is gone, NOT when you aren't hungry anymore. It takes time for the food to reach your stomach and calm down the hunger pangs.
* It took me awhile to realize that it was WHAT I was eating but also how MUCH.
So by working out in the beginning, you don't give yourself a boost for later in the diet to jump start your body again when the weight loss slows down. It's a long message, but I am really proud of how it worked out and this is the first time that I've got to share what I did with anyone else so I enjoyed writing it all out!
Posted by: Shannon Foster | Apr 6, 2009 4:52:00 PM
I have currently lost 51.6lbs and am at 274lbs, 38 years old and 5'4". I was stuck at 276lbs from 12/15/08 to 3/27/09(14.5 weeks). I have been eating 1500-1700 calories a day. I currently burn 5000-8000 calories per week during exercise. I used the Daily needs calculator and it told me I needed 4039 daily energy requirement. That can not be correct. I chose sedentary for lifestyle because my work is on the computer. Can someone help me figure out the correct number of calories I need to eat in order to continue losing and not hit another plateau.
Posted by: rockinson martinez | Nov 13, 2008 1:22:41 PM
thank you for your respond i was a big help no respond at all lol wow
Posted by: rockinson martinez | Nov 13, 2008 1:20:52 PM
thank you for your respond i was a big help no respond at all lol wow
Posted by: rockinson martinez | Nov 6, 2008 3:00:31 PM
i lost 100 pounds but i hit plateau im 210 now pants size 31 shirt size m/l i walk ad run for about 2 hours a day y eat healthy but for the last 3 weeks i stop lossing weight even i increase exercise and change my diets i still cant losse more weight please any tips on what i have to do thank you for your help
Posted by: rockinson martinez | Nov 6, 2008 3:00:15 PM
i lost 100 pounds but i hit plateau im 210 now pants size 31 shirt size m/l i walk ad run for about 2 hours a day y eat healthy but for the last 3 weeks i stop lossing weight even i increase exercise and change my diets i still cant losse more weight please any tips on what i have to do thank you for your help
Posted by: Heather | Oct 4, 2008 8:14:15 AM
I have lost over 30 lbs on jenny craig. I was only exercising lightly w alking 2 miles 3 times a week. I have started exercising much more elliptical 30 min + weight training or toning classes 3 times a week. I have hit a plateau since ramping up my activity, although I do feel I have lost inches. HELP!
Posted by: Sherree | Sep 22, 2008 2:10:59 PM
This comment is not about this particular blog, but I was unsure of where to go to ask the question. I used the BMI calculator for my 9 year old grandson, who is 4' 10" and weighs about 125 (he is trying to lose weight for football right now, most of the time he is weighed with uniform and pads and weighs 127 currently). The calculator said he has a BMI of 26.2 but it did not say what a healthy BMI and weight range was for him. The breakdown for his daily calories was 3894. on the days he plays football and 2767 on the days he does not play. I would like to know what the minimum calories he can safely eat to lose weight would be. His pediatrician agrees tha he needs to diet and says that a healthy weight for him would be 110 pounds. Do you agree with this? Could you please give me a calorie range that would allow him to lose weight at a healthy rate and any keys into what food SHOULD be included daily or if it is O.K. just to vary the foods as the recommended ranges indicate between Carbohydrate, Fat and Protein.
Thanks for your help. You could post the answer in a blog and/or a private e-mail, either is fine.
Sherree
Posted by: Armani | Sep 20, 2008 12:37:07 AM
Hello all and this is for those of you who have plateaued and would like to continue to lose weight. What I will recommend is entirely for those of you who have successfully changed your lifestyle to include healthy eating and regular exercise. Fasting has long since been known as a healing, cleansing and spiritual journey. Considering fasting to break a plateau is mild compared to some of the other tactics and measures people have been willing to go to. I guess as long as they can eat they will try anything but if you take their food away all hell you must be crazy. Well if you are really desperate then consider this.
A 3 day fast is cleansing, a 5 day fast is healing where it would usually fix symptomatic illnesses that have not become onset, and a 7 day fast is completely balancing your body back to its best state remembering.While fasting you should eliminate strenuous exercise and leisure walk or stretch. The key to the fast is also using an enema to cleanse your body out each day throughout the fast keeping and keeping hydrated with water. Now your metabolism will usually reset during this time but once your fast is complete and you restart your exercise regime your metabolism will be back at its normal or higher rate in no time. Also once completing your fast you should try raw vegetables and fruits for the first day then reintroduce cooked foods. You will be amazed at the rate in which you begin to lose weight, your energy and overall feeling in your body. If you have been willing to try everything else and diet fad then you should be willing to try this too.
Posted by: jayme glynn | Sep 3, 2008 12:20:19 PM
I began my journey in March 2007 at 308 pounds and am currently at 246 Sept 2008. Now 62 pounds lighter I have hit a wall, plateau, whatever you want to call it, but it is the most frustrating part of the whole process of losing weight, getting healthier and staying fit through exercise. I hate that I have to be on a strict regimen, but the one thing I look forward to each week is to see the fruits and rewards of my labor and daily challenges with some type of validation of seeing the scale go down. Since Jan 2008 I have lost and gained the same 10 pounds over and over again, I am just tired and frustrated and somewhat angry. However in that time I have managed to lose inches instead of weight, but not in significant amounts. I am at a loss, please help, any advice for my current dilemna would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time and information.
Posted by: Antonese | Sep 1, 2008 11:03:57 AM
Great Denise!!! Let me know if that continues to work . . . I have been detoxing for 17days and lost 13 pounds have 10 more pounds to go to get to goal weight . . but not sure as to how to get past this plateau I am experiencing . . .Does anyone have any ideas
Posted by: Denise | Aug 24, 2008 9:54:28 AM
I wrote earlier about a weight loss stall that I was on. It's been one week since I started the jump start plan of doing low carb, and I lost six pounds this week. I'm sure it was mostly water weight from lack of carbs, but I'm going to try it another week or so.
Posted by: Marcia Clark | Aug 22, 2008 6:03:16 PM
Plese check out www.juiceplus.com
These are WHOLE FOODS in a capsule. It will assure you get enough of a variety & quantity of several veggies, & fruits & berries. We all fall short of the amount of these wonderful nutients, Juice Plus allows you to make SURE you are getting enough!
Posted by: Denise | Aug 19, 2008 7:12:09 PM
I have been at a stall for about 4 months or so now. I started my diet May 2007 and weighed 242. I'm now (Aug. 2008) down to 163 and holding! I have bounced between 160 to 166 for the past four months, and have been so frustrated. I have done all the suggestions, except one. I have just recently decided to take the advice of changing up my diet. I have been doing weight watcher points, but three days ago I switched to a low carb plan (lost 30 a few years ago on one). My hope is to lose about 20 more pounds and then maintain. I'll tell you guys if this really works! :-)
Posted by: ellen | Jul 29, 2008 4:54:50 PM
Sandra...what is this cleansing thing you mentioned? Is it like fasting? I am not familiar with what you are talking about...I still think eating healthly, and exercising is still what works; but I am open to new ideas...I do know that radical diets like eating only grapefruits or cookies can't last because one has to live in the real world; and that type of eating can only go along for awhile and then we usually go back to binging.
Posted by: Phillip | Jul 26, 2008 7:31:59 PM
I started last August at 335 lbs. Now [11 months later] I'm at 282. Almost 55 lbs. However this past week I seemed to just stop altogether. I am eating fruit, vegetable, whole grain...good calories. I was walking some, but now I'm going to start walking twice a day [3 miles] and see if that helps. I just can't seem to lose now and I want to know it's going to be ok.
Posted by: Phillip | Jul 26, 2008 7:31:43 PM
I started last August at 335 lbs. Now [11 months later] I'm at 282. Almost 55 lbs. However this past week I seemed to just stop altogether. I am eating fruit, vegetable, whole grain...good calories. I was walking some, but now I'm going to start walking twice a day [3 miles] and see if that helps. I just can't seem to lose now and I want to know it's going to be ok.
Posted by: Michelle | Jul 25, 2008 1:46:32 PM
I am a 40 year old female. I used to be thin and not have to worry about weight however as I have gotten older and had a baby I got very heavy. 197lbs 5'8. I started eating healthy and working out. I now weight 173 lbs and have been stuck at this weight for almost 2 months. I have just started pilaties and plan to attend 2 hour long classes per week. I will also continue my weight training. Do you think this will help me get off this plateau? I am getting so frustrated. I am eating around 1200 calories. I have carbed down to try to shock my system but no luck. I also now take supplements, like fat blockers and milk thistle. I am planning a trip in 10 days and was hoping to drop a few pounds before i go. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Posted by: Lee Betchley | Jul 25, 2008 12:02:25 PM
Exercising will detox your body. It's the safest detox there is.
It is natural to plateau. It is a natural occurrence in all change work. It doesn't mean you have stopped or that you should stop--it's your body & mind adjusting. Having said that--I think most people remain in a limbo state because they go from loosing weight to a "maintenance" program. You have to make adjustments as you change. The main thing is to keep focused on your ultimate goal.
http://www.headovermeals.com
http://www.leebetchley.com
Posted by: runrun ukiuki | Jul 16, 2008 10:18:36 AM
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Posted by: Sandra Hucher | Jul 15, 2008 12:45:05 PM
Well, I lost 25 lbs in just under 4 weeks and gained muscle mass, more energy and lost a whole lot of discomfort in my body. This was from using a cleansing program three years ago. There is fat in your body that will not go away as long as you have impurities being stored in it. That is the body's way of keeping you safe. We all have too many impurities and we all need to cleanse. It works almost like magic.
I am still cleansing regularly, still slim, still energetic and feeling 30 years younger than my 65 years! I am afraid to say that diets don't work - and never will, for the long term. Also, I have been free of any illness during the past three years. Sandra Hucher 860-248-0521
Posted by: Anna | Jul 15, 2008 6:52:55 AM
I have gradually lost a total of about 12kg over the last year and am now really close to my goal weight, but I'm getting married in August and I'd really like to lose a couple more kilos. I have plateaued at my current weight for 5 months now. I recently shook up my workout routine by joining a circuit training class that alternates between resistance training and boxing style cardio 5 days a week but my problem is apetite. Now that my exercise regime is more demanding I get extremely hungry very quickly and find it impossible to resist the urge to turn to chocolate. Help! Do you have any suggestions for quick and easy snacks that will satisfy my unstoppable hunger for chocolate and help me towards my weight-loss goal?
Posted by: ellen | Jul 12, 2008 11:53:16 AM
Going to Weight Watchers...doing all the right things, but 22 weeks staying at 162...I have gone down 1 pound or half a pound..but then back up again to 162...I have lost 39 pounds..this go around..and 20 more at another time..I want at this point to get to 160, which is what my goal weight is..it was 155, but we pushed it five pounds higher due to the fact that it wasn't happening..I exercise at the gym..I have changed up the routine in the last two weeks..cut out the 100 calorie snacks..doing this and that; but today again I weighed in at 162.4-I am going to be 60 in September and would like to see my goal weight..I am happy to be maintaining my weight, but it is getting very frustarting...What more shall I be doing? Please send HELP!
Posted by: Laura | Jun 25, 2008 12:09:13 PM
After about 4 months of losing I hit a stall out as well. In fact, I even gained some weight. That was 8 months ago and it was only temporary. I believe it was from your body adjusting to the new nutrition and work out programs. Muscle out weighs fat so as your transition from a fat-heavy to a muscle heavy body, you're going seem to plateau. Just keep with it. Make adjustments in your nutrition and work outs, if needed. But most importantly, stick with it. It's only temporary and you'll be losing agian in no time.
The advice they provided is great! Yay for you!
