10 Ways to Break Through a Weight Loss Plateau

[Enchantress]

10 Ways to Break Through a Weight Loss Plateau

The Problem
My weight loss program was going well, but lately I haven't lost a pound. What can I do to break through this frustrating plateau?

The Solutions

1. Be patient and stick with it

It takes your body several months to adjust to your new routine. Stay consistent and don't give up. --puddles

Keep going -- it is a slow process, but a healthy one. --Jennifer

Don't be so hard on yourself. Give it time. --Sandra

Keep focused on the bigger picture. Be proud of the fact that you've made some healthy positive changes for yourself. Your body is going through an adjustment period right now and needs some time. --iVillager

2. Smile

Be happy. A good mood promotes weight loss. --iVillager

3. Don't overdo the calorie restriction
Make sure you're following the food pyramid for a balanced diet, and make sure you're eating enough. You should take in about 1,200 calories a day to lose weight. If you eat under that for too long your metabolism will slow. --iVillager

You may have restricted your calories back so far that you have slowed down your metabolism. --iVillager

4. Water, water, water

Drink water. --iVillager

Overhydrate yourself with water. Water will give you a sense of fulfillment. --chad

Drink tons of water. --GymKim

5. Avoid snacks at night

Limit your snack intake, especially sweets. Do not eat after dinner, and never eat before you go to bed. --chad

Don't eat any starchy carbs after 7pm. --GymKim

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[Enchantress]

6. Lift weights

Start a weightlifting program. --chad

If you start working out with weights (dumbbells), you'll gain muscle, which increases your metabolism. This doesn't mean you'll bulk up. Women can't naturally do that. Just make sure you use low weights and high repetitions. --Sandra

I saw pounds shed once I incorporated one hour of weight training daily into my routine. I've always done aerobics, but weight training increases your metabolism and muscle burns fat, so it's a win-win situation. --GymKim

I started doing toning exercises -- Hooked On Classics, a beginner total-body toning video. I began to see results almost immediately. The weight started coming off, and my body was shaping up. --Aubriell

7. Ignore the scale

Throw out the scale! It means nothing. A fit 150 pounds looks and feels better than a jiggly 150. --Stacy

Your biggest challenge is changing your mindset that the scale is a good source of measurement. Re-evaluate your means to the end, and continue to be persistent. --Susan

8. Maintain variety

Never do the same workout two times in a row. Everyone's body is different and reacts differently, so treat it differently daily. Bike, walk, jog, swim -- anything that gets your heart rate up. You can even try blasting music and dancing in the living room. --Stacy

9. Say no to soda

If you drink pop, even though you cut down on everything else, you will have a hard time losing weight. --southvalley

10. Somersize

Stop dieting and start "Somersizing." Pick up the books by Suzanne Somers: Eat Great, Lose Weight and Get Skinny on Fabulous Food. Diets are based on deprivation. On Suzanne's plan, you eat balanced meals based on food combining. You don't measure portions, and you eat until you are comfortably full. Sugar is your villain, not fat. Like you I used to eat a Weight Watchers-styled diet of deprivation and too many carbohydrates. I've been Somersizing since July 5 and lost 18 pounds. --Mary Etta

www.ivillage.com/diet/features/memtips/articles/0,,165530_64479-2,00.html