Making it over the weight loss plateau

[Guest guest]

I got this off the MSN site. The links won't work since I copied and pasted it,

here is a link to the webstory (I have copied it in this email too)

Moe

http://diet.fitness.msn.com/article/773274.armx

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 chemicals

Also 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 toxins

Eat 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 help

Turn 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.

Woodward is a native Australian who traded netball and surfing for Bikram

yoga and snowboarding when she moved to the United States 10 years ago. She has

written extensively for MSN, WebMD and the Los Angeles Times.