Weight Loss Plateau

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Making it over the weight loss plateau

Know this scenario? You're in a great dieting rhythm, shedding fat

as perfectly as it falls from frying bacon, when the weight loss

suddenly stops.

Just like that.

Your mind reels and demands to know, what's going on?

Control your panic, say experts, you've hit a well-known and very

common phenomenon called the weight loss plateau.

" A plateau is almost always when people give up, " warns clinical

psychologist Dr. Jeff Wilbert, author of Fattitudes. " If you can

make it through a plateau it's really a tribute to your

determination. "

Here's some advice for enduring a plateau and getting back to paring

pounds.

Expect it Anticipate a plateau and prepare your mind for the

challenge. " People have to realize that everybody goes through it

and this, too, shall pass, " says Ann Louise Gittleman, author of The

Fat Flush Plan.

Be honest with yourself Are you sure you're not cheating? (Not even

a little?) Make adjustments OK, you haven't slackened on the food or

exercise front. So look for inventive ways to budge your butt off

the plateau.

" Often it's a good time to see if there's something you can tweak, "

suggests dietician and iVillage columnist Lynn Grieger. " Maybe it's

time to start lifting weights, walk longer than 30 minutes, or stop

drinking wine with dinner. "

Up your metabolism Dieting is a double-edged sword: You modify your

food intake to lose weight, but losing weight slows your metabolism,

the very thing that burns calories.

Increasing exercise is the most obvious way to speed up your

metabolism. Gittleman contends your weight loss may also resume if

you eat an extra four to six ounces of protein per day. " Protein has

the ability to increase metabolism by up to 30 percent, " she says.

Balance your brain chemicalsAlso according to Gittleman, you can eat

an additional serving of healthy, high-fiber carbohydrates every two

days while you're on a plateau. These " friendly carbs " balance

serotonin, the brain chemical that soothes and satiates the body.

Free of irritation, you're less likely to make poor food choices

that will bust your diet, she says.

Dump toxinsEat high fiber foods (such as flaxseed crackers) or high

fiber supplements to spark internal cleansing, too, Gittleman

says. " It helps to release toxin-laden fluids and waste, which can

sometimes allow you to lose another two to three pounds. "

Try a magic bullet? Conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, is a

supplement that proponents claim burns fat and enhances muscle

growth. One gram, three times a day, recommends Gittleman.

Ask for helpTurn to support and motivation wherever you can find it

during your slump. If it isn't forthcoming from family and friends,

consider reaching out to a virtual community.

When all else fails " People can try things, but sometimes the body

just needs to adapt for a period of time, " says Grieger. In other

words, you may stay on your plateau for weeks, even months.

Or – the really bad news – perhaps you've lost as much weight as

you're ever going to.

Whatever the case, a plateau is an excellent time to reflect on your

goals. If you've achieved the other important objectives of your

diet, such as lowered blood pressure, you may have to be OK with

wherever your body settles.