I have recently lost 10 pounds and would like to lose 5-10 more. The problem is, I have hit a plateau?

Question

I cant seem to lose anymore. I cant possible eat any less or work out anymore then I am doing now. I understand that the body gets used to the new calorie intake and adjusts, but how do i keep losing? I read that I should try eating a few more calories a day to try and "trick" the body, but as soon as I do this, I seriously gain like 3 pounds overnight! Just by eating a teeny bit more. Help!!

It only took me 2 weeks to lose the 1st 10 pounds

Answer 1

how long did it take you to lose the initial 10 pounds?

Edit:

so the first 2 weeks you lost 10 lbs, that was excess water being excreted from the body as stored nutrients where being metabolized for energy. you need to take a look at your diet and caloric intake and see what further changes you can make. you haven't even begun to tap into fat stores after only 2 weeks of dieting, on average t it takes a good 3-4 weeks for that to happen when on a new diet and exercise program.

Answer 2

It would be interesting to know how tall you are and what you currently weigh. It would also be nice to know what range you should actually be in. If you are at a healthy weight, and really could stand to lose a few more pounds, here are some tricks.

Stop doing your normal workout routine and do something different. If you do weight training, go play tennis or swim. Don't workout for a day. If I have been seriously training and dieting, I don't workout the day before weigh-in and I can lose 2 lbs. I don't know whether it's muscle or what but it works. Pump up your food intake and then go back to normal. It takes a few days to trick the metabolism. Plateaus can last a couple of weeks and then you "drop". You must be really close to goal and those last 5 lbs are a doozy. Good luck.

Answer 3

Most personal trainers would tell you to (i) consider changing what, not necessarily the amount, that you're eating and (ii) to alter your workout routine. For instance, if you are relying primarily on cardiovascular training to lose weight, you are losing the valuable benefits of weight training. As you build more muscle, you will burn more fat. Although you may actually gain some weight initially as your muscles grow, what matters most is your body fat percentage and how you look. Also, please note that weight training is not for men only - women can enjoy the benefits of weight training and will NOT (unless they make a conscious effort to do so) grow big muscles. In most females, muscle tone, but not size, is the predominant improvement.

As to your diet, are you eating a lot of carbohydrates? As miserable as it is for most people, it is true that if you reduce carbohydrate intake, especially to cut out refined sugars (white bread, any kind of candy or sweets), while increasing your intake of protein and yes, possibly even fat, you are likely to see further fat loss occur.

Moreover, don't be discouraged! Everyone hits a plateau here or there. The most important thing is to keep active and look at fitness and a healthy diet as a long term life plan and NOT a short-term way to lose a few pounds. Don't be afraid to mix up your workouts, but make sure you keep working out!

For more tips, you might try subscribing to a health and fitness magazine such as Men's Health or Women's Health. These magazines are full of good weight loss and fitness tips, and are targeted at the average, sane person and not at bodybuilder types.

Hope this is helpful.

Answer 4

Well you have hit that dreaded point that everyone hits, but don't fear. Now is the time to keep working. The point you have reached is caused by two things, because you are excerising and eating less, you have turned fat to muscle, Muscle weighes more then fat. And you are trying to trick your body, no need to try and trick it, when you all more calories your body is trying to save them as fat because it feels like it's starving.
So now change you calorie intake to 1200 Calories a day, no soda's( Diet or Not) no Coffee, No Tea, only water, and lots of it. Your calories intake should include Fish, Chicken, Turkey, No Red Meat, No Sausage, At much vegtables as possible, Low Starches, Stay out of the breads, potato's cheese, milk, and dairy products. I Know this sucks. Before working out, make a pasta salad, with say some chicken on it.
The complex carbs in the pasta, will really help your body during you exercise, make sure to drink large amounts of water.
You should have a exercise routine of at leased an hour, 10 minutes Strecthing, 15 minutes Cardio, 15 Minutes Strength, and 15 minutes fast walking or inclined tread machine and 5 minutes to cool down, walk slowly but keep moving, don't sit down.
I train many people here at our local gym and we all have this problem at one time or another, just remember ifyou loser that five pounds and want to keep it off, you can raise you calorie intake but for ever 250 calories that you add you will need to add 30 minutes of medium exercise.
Good Luck.

Answer 5

It isn't how much we eat that affects out weight but what we are eating that packs on the pounds. Your body also gets used to the exercise that you are doing. I do my Winsor Pilates Accelerated body Sculpting Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and turbo Jam Tuesday, thursday and saturday. I switch out the turbo jam every other week for some Power 90 weight lifting. It allows my body to stay on it's toes without losing muscle tone or becoming manly looking. I have lost 60 pound doing this. Keep a food diary and between each meal or snack you eat, come back after an hour and note how you feel. You will realize what foods or drinks make you feel good and which make you feel bad or slow. Sounds like a lot but it really isn't. Do it for one week. Make sure you write everything down though because the only person you will be lying to is yourself.

Answer 6

I put a link to an article below about breaking through a plateau. I think that this is what you are looking for. Plateau's do go away after 8-10 days but many time if you up your water intake it will break faster.

Answer 7

Losing weight is a simple equation: if you burn more calories than you eat, the weight will come off. Start off by estimating how many calories you burn each day using the calorie calculator http://straighthealth.com/pages/tools/caloriecalclb.html This will give you an idea of how many calories to eat. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. To lose 1 pound per week you need to create a calorie deficit (burn more than you eat) of 500 calories per day. To lose 2 pounds a week, you have to double the deficit to 1000 calories per day. You can achieve this by eating less, exercising more or a combination of both.

Beginners Guide to Dieting - http://straighthealth.com/pages/guides/begdieting.html

Answer 8

I was going to say order Chinese food. My mom has been watching calories for about 6 months or so now, and has lost a little over 60 pounds. When she plateaus, she eats Chinese food. It works every time :)

Answer 9

you need to vary your workouts to trick the body. if you are doing the same crap over and over you won't lose. don't eat less, don't work out more, just work out smarter.