Thanks for your advice; it looks to be working. I raised my protein and good fats, as well as balanced out my meals/snacks so as to have good amounts of both at all sittings. This broke my plateau alone. I also took a 5-day break and have shocked my body with heavier weight lifting and aerobic interval training of 5-minute walks around 4.7mph with 2-minute jogs at 8mph (duration: 1 hour, distance: 5+ miles).

I would like to know what you recommend concerning the aerobics. Should I do 4 days (T/R/S/S) of interval, or should I also do low intensity distance (10-13.1 miles @ 4.7mph) some days? Thanks!

Congrats on breaking the plateau! Realize that weight loss is not always a linear phenomenon. Sometimes you'll lose one week, and not the next. Nature of the beast.

When you say "do intervals" 5 days per week.... explain what you mean? Are you doing true HIIT or simply lower intensity interval work?

I was stuck at a weight range of 207-209lb and between 23-24% body fat for about 3 weeks bouncing up and down. I understand that it is gradual.

Not HIIT, I would have to push much harder to do that and don’t think I could pull 2 minute all out sprints at my fitness level. Basically I start walking for 5 minutes around 4.7 mph. Then I speed up to 8 mph (7.5 minute mile) for 2 minutes. Then slow back down to walking around 4.7 (rinse and repeat). I did it for 1 hour yesterday, which was approximately 5.5 miles.

Currently I do cardio on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, & Sunday. I wondering if should just focus on the interval training all 4 days and improve my AT or if I should reserve 1 or more of those days for low intensity distance walking as part of my overall program.

If you wanted to think of it as a progression from very out of shape to in shape... it might look something like this:

SS walking ----> Intervals alternating between light jogging and walking ----> SS light jogging ----> Working on increasing intensity via duration and speed with SS jogging ----> Once enough aerobic capacity is established work in some interval training where you are alternating higher intensity jogging with moderate intensity ----> Lastly you have your HIIT. Intervals of 2 minutes sprints seem a little extreme. My sprint interval in HIIT lasts anywhere from 20-60 seconds to give you an idea.

y did there have to be such a thing as a plateau!!! god i hate it, and would love some advice from you guys please.

i had been eating 1100 calories, and doing 1 hour threadmill workout daily, split in 30 mins for morning and afternoon. i lost 25 pounds and now for two weeks my scale isnt moving and im so depressed. i hate to see it like this now. im not even altering my diet or anything. iv started feeling lazy now and more hungry than normal.


i need you guys help, should i increase the amount of calories, or increase exercise to maybe 1.5 hours or something? please help. thanks in advance.

Increase your calories and intensity of your workouts. try a different type of workout. you've come a long way so don't give up! even if you maintain your weight, surely it's better than being 25lbs heavier! well done.

Good morning,

Plateaus are a fact of life (more so as you reach your goal weight). I think I was on a 140 plateau for about a month, and have been on a 135 plateau now for close to that time as well!

Yes, it's very depressing.

The way I prevent it from derailing my efforts is to realize:

A 'get healthy' lifestyle is not just about pounds going bye-bye. It's also about getting more energy, more endurance, etc. That part hasn't stopped, has it?

Your body can retain water, thus plumping you (and your scale reading) up. For example, I knew yesterday I'd gain weight today - I had one of my favorite snacks (veggies with salt) and methinks I really overdid it in the salt department. I'm not stepping on the scale, mind you, as I figure, why depress myself? I'll wait until that water weight is flushed away (generally in two days).

Your mind is stronger than your cravings (if you give yourself permission for that to be true). Craving 4 Reeses peanut butter cups is one thing....giving into that craving is another....but stepping totally off your diet because of a depressing weight plateau (and not because of cravings) is simply a flying leap of logic off the logic train (my favorite description of myself when I caved in). Stopping your get-healthy lifestyle will definitely keep the increases coming!!

Lots of empathy. At some point, your body will say, okay, I can let go of this weight...but indeed, it's very frustrating to endure.

My thoughts,

Barbara

I hit the weight-loss-plateau and nothing helped! It was horrible! My weight just didn't want to go down. I tried everything! Then I found this video on some video sharing site about Moscow Meltdown and I thought I'd give it a try and it is really working! I just want to share it with everyone who feels the same way I felt back then. Now with the same exercise the pounds are just melting away and it is all natural! It's awesome!

Lose weight in a week, huh.

There goes my job.

Actually, the site states it costs $49.99.

I always like thinking everything happens for a reason. By this definition, there must be a valid reason for my blasted weight plateaus!! And after going thru, oh, 387 of them (admitted exaggeration), I've come to realize that it's truly (no kidding) character-building.

See, you're thrown face to face with insidious temptation (the little voice that oozes, it will never work, your weight will never get lower, yield, yield, yiiiiiieeeeeld to the 7 boxes of white chocolate macademia nuts that Costco has with your name on it, you know you want to!), and you're left with...welll, only your own willpower to continue.

It's so annoyingly character-building that even when you give yourself permission to dive into 4 packages of Reeses that you've placed with great delicacy in the freezer for your 'cheat' day, you find yourself saying, I really have zero desire for these. Then you call your kids and say, guess what! It's treat time!

Yes, that was my Saturday 'cheat'. I really was shocked - I had absolutely positively no cravings for my chocolate, even though I had been waiting for it for a week.

The human body is indeed fascinating.

Enjoy,

Barbara

thanks a lot girl's for your replies, some support from you guys is making me feel more better because iv started eating all those high fat foods which i stopped eating like frequently. so now im stuck cos i know ima gain weight. damnnnn this stupid weight loss plateau is trying to win over me when in the past i managed to win over it. its like i just cant control my appetite anymore and i eat anything i just see whereas first i was very modest about what i would eat considering it was well balanced and healthy. so i doomed and im stuck.
i was reading up on plateau's and one side effect is feeling more hungry than normal. and then when dieter's reach this point they give in and go back to their old eating habits which damnn is happening to me and i dont want it to be like this

how can i control my cravings, can someone pass me some tips on craving control while on plateau thankyou

Read this.

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/topic...tml#post194674

i did indeed, that's quality writing there, and well xplained for dummies like myself. had i read that before i think i would have been more successful.
thanks

Morning,

That's why I think places such as this and other super forums are so valuable to newbies and experienced folk alike. By patiently reading and learning and asking questions, I was able to create a most useful, targeted diet plan just for me! And when I ran into roadblocks, I was always able to turn on a dime because of the wisdom/common sense others shared here.

Best wishes,

Barbara

Before I give you any tips- Change the way you think about the plateau..

A plateau is a good thing. It means you've lost weight, you've hit a NORMAL phase in a weight loss regime... which means you are on track! Celebrate your success!

Great ways to break plateaus-

Increase your calories every other day for a week.
Increase the intensity of your physical activity! (interval training, push yourself longer)
Switch out snacks or meals you normally have for something of a similar calorie count but a different food group.
Try a new workout/activity/sport
Take two days 'off' to shock your system. (Don't go too crazy!)
Tough it out. You WILL beat this plateau.
Drink more water.
Eat less calories in the evening and your larger meal in the morning.


Good luck to you!!