Breaking Through Weight Loss Plateaus

People tend to have a magic number.

It's that number on the scale that is just on the OTHER side of the gulf. You know the gulf. It's the five, 10 or 50 (fill in the number) pound gulf between where you are and where you want to be.

For most women, the gulf is like the difference between a passing grade and a failing one, between Harvard and The Belmont County Branch Of Ohio U, between third base and all the way, between being nominated and actually winning.

And most always, the gulf is wider than it needs to be. The other side is often unrealistic -- thank you Uma and Angelina -- and I've also noticed that the magic number is usually a few pounds below one's "set point."

Your set point is where your body likes to be, weight-wise. It's the poundage that your body gravitates towards even when Thanksgiving dinner is served on manhole covers disguised as plates or when you spend an evening alone with an open sleeve of Oreo cookies. It is your stasis. Your set point is often where you have to battle to go below.

You often discover the definition of the word "plateau" when you try to challenge your set point.
You could be clipping along on a diet or exercise routine, steadily losing one or two pounds a week and end up with little to show for it. You get within a bicep's reach of your goal weight and you stop losing. You practically have to switch to only celery sticks and run marathon-type mileage to go below your set point. (Actually I've seen women running marathon-type distances and still be stuck at their set point).

What's a girl to do? Two things.

Number one is to think hard about your magic number, your set point and the gulf between the two and see if you can somehow reconcile the two. Can you consider the possibility of inventing a new magic number? Would it be ridiculous to have the old set point be the new magic number?

On a side note, did you know that the feeling that makes you think your stomach shrunk after a few days of the flu or eating less? Well, that's not really your stomach shrinking. The nerves that detect fullness actually recalibrate to detect fullness with less food so you FEEL full with less food. Same size stomach. Different sensation.

So if your gut can do THAT without you having to think it to make it happen, then surely you can do the same type of mental recalibration with your scales. Can you decide to detect less criticism with a higher number?

The next question is what happens when you mentally recalibrate? You stop fighting something immutable. Fighting to get to a magic number (or worse, simply feeling self-loathing at the thought of not weighing your magic weight) is like fighting high tide. At a certain point -- this is where the word "wisdom" comes in -- you (hopefully) realize that it's smarter to turn on your back and float or maybe dog paddle. I'm not recommending sinking, mind you. Or drowning. Just going with the flow. Just facing what is and working with it, rather than against it.

Geriathletes like me usually like to try the "never-before attempted." All my life I've taken chances and attempted the highly unlikely. I used to drive on an empty tank, I used the men's room if my bladder was full enough and the coast was clear enough, and I drank the milk without checking the expiration date -- not that a past due date would've stopped me from taking a swig.

But at a certain Nora Ephron phase of my life, wisdom started whispering to me (in my mother's tone of voice) saying things like "maybe you should gas up," "pee before you get in the car," "have a glass of water instead." Wisdom.

Hoping to get to a magic number that was imprinted in your brain long before pregnancy, childbirth, menopause and supersize is like the kind of praying you do after you've spun the roulette wheel. Which brings me to my last point which is you need to stop hoping and just start.

If you have a GPS system in your car you know that in order to get anywhere, you have to first program in your final destination. Any fitness regime worth it's weight in dumbbells needs to do the same.

Pick a long-term goal (closer to your new magic number) and a long-term date, break it down into weekly and daily goals. And then just get started. And never give up. Never give up does not mean fighting to maintain a weight that your metabolism refuses to maintain. Never give up
refers to continuous dedication and commitment. One week of workouts becomes two. Then a month goes by. You feel better. Your jeans fit better. And so on.

So start recalibrating your brain about your weight by really noticing how you feel about where you are now and where you want to be. Mentally try to let go of unrealistic expectations without letting yourself go. And don't just talk the talk, jog the jog.

 

Follow Penny Love Hoff on Twitter: www.twitter.com/pennyhoff

Comments

[pbarsamian]

07:41 PM on 06/12/2011

this all sounds like so much work. everyone knows that obesity is due to from toxins secretly put in your food and in the air, etc. Check out Iris's new strategy for weight loss.
http://irisflax-healinghairstyles.blogspot.com/2010/03/turbo-cleanser-weight-loss-approach.html

[williamg]

07:18 PM on 06/12/2011

You tend to plateau when your body gets accustomed to the exercise and diet routine. Ideally you would like to change up your exercise and diet routine on a regular basis -- and by regular basis, I mean daily. For many, even most, that isn't practical (at least from an exercise standpoint) so try and change up your exercise routine weekly or biweekly. As far as diet, vary your caloric intake. If you need 2,500 calories a day to maintain weight, but you are restricting your diet to 1,500 in an attempt to lose weight, every 3 or 4 days you should increase your caloric intake back to 2,500 (maybe a couple hundred above) just to speed your metabolism up.

[Patricia Poteau Mellen]

10:56 PM on 06/10/2011

This article says nothing about how to break through weight loss plateaus. It simply advises people to give up on their goals. Pffft.

[talkpeople]

04:01 PM on 06/09/2011

I lost 40 lbs. by cutting out all soda and fast food. I also try to eat smarter. It took about 6 weeks to see a difference then the lbs. just started to fall off. I lost 3 pant sizes. I do not miss soda or fast food. Once you say to yourself, stop the madness, everything fell in place.

[seehowtheyrun]

12:44 PM on 06/09/2011

Just exercise vigorously, at least 5 times a week for about 50 minutes each time and eat moderately. Eat lots of veggies.

[William Anderson LMHC]

07:43 PM on 06/08/2011

The idea that there is a set point that your body wants you to be at is nonsense. There is no scientific basis for it. 70 % of the population is overweight, 34% obese, and it is not because their body has a high set point. The reason it seems we have a set point is that some people have a weight they believe is their natural weight, and they unconsciously behave in ways to lose if they go above it and gain if they go below it. People who have a real weight problem have overridden this mechanism, and when they believe they are destined to gain, watch out. I teach clients who were convinced that their set point was 200 to make it 140 if they want. Regarding plateaus, they are simply the way your weight loss appears on the scale. If you manage your efforts the right way, they do not interfere. In my own 140 lb. loss, I managed through many, one of twelve weeks while I was doing all the right things. Very frustrating without the right technique. My body adjusted, I lost 12 lbs. in the next two weeks and continued on my way. Lasting success for people who have developed a serious weight problem requires changes through a comprehensive behavioral approach which will include measuring our success by our behavior instead of the scale.

William Anderson, LMHC
Author of 'The Anderson Method - Secrets of Permanent Weight Loss'
www.TheAndersonMethod.com

[Dorene]

05:46 PM on 06/09/2011

William is correct. (Thank you for taking the time to combat the misinformation that unfortunately is the norm both online and in popular diet books). The only "set-point" going on is for the eating and exercise habits that created the weight gain to begin with. Period. As long as people return to their old eating habits (instead of making permanent lifestyle changes), they will regain the weight.
Granted, that's easier said than done in current American culture. A big part of the problem is that people don't understand how their body works, and misinformation--as in this article--pile on to the confusion, hence the high incidence of regain. For anyone interested in evidence-based information see my blogs on set-point: http://www.beyonddiets.com/beyonddiets-blog/2011/3/15/set-point-theory-a-few-more-thoughts.html, http://www.beyonddiets.com/beyonddiets-blog/2011/3/11/set-point-theory-fact-or-fiction.html.

Dorene Robinson RD CDN
Author: The Healthy Eating & Weight Management Guide
http://www.beyonddiets.com/

[Dorene]

06:34 PM on 06/09/2011

To be clear, I like Penny's warm style and I think her advice about finding a comfortable weight goal that works for you is good advice. My only quarrel is with the notion that your body "fights" to protect some sort of higher body weight. That is false, and the problem is that if you believe you have no control over your weight, that will become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Don't buy it. It is more work, at least at first, to maintain a lower body weight. Anything new is harder at first. So, it's really a matter of choosing how much effort seems to be required and adjust your goal accordingly. If you have a reasonable weight goal, don't let anybody tell you it can't be done.

Dorene Robinson RD CDN
Author: The Healthy Eating & Weight Management Guide
http://www.beyonddiets.com/

[William Anderson LMHC]

07:29 PM on 06/09/2011

Thanks, Doreen, for the verification. I teach my clients not to listen to anyone but Registered Dietitians (RDs) to get nutrition information. They are the ones who are trained in our colleges and universities in food science. Anyone who wants to present themselves as a nutrition authority or expert needs to get that training and credential. When someone tries to impose their "nutrition facts" on my clients, I tell them there is one question to ask: "Are you an RD?" If not, don't believe it until it's been verified by an RD. Same with articles.

I think you'd probably like my book and find the free articles on the media page of my website interesting. Don't hesitate to make contact if I can be a help.

[Ljilja]

04:26 PM on 06/08/2011

Thank you, you have made my day!

I have been trying to loose ten pounds for a while now. I did loose them, reached my magic number, and then gained them right back.

I am fifty one years old. I have three children. I have suffered though menopause and breast cancer.

I like your advice. It's something I would say to a dear friend. I will say it to myself this time.

http://graciouslivingdaybyday.com/

[Ranveig Elvebakk]

03:50 PM on 06/08/2011

#Diets and Scales will always defeat you.Good #nutrition will make you a winner. www.FoodTreeMD.com

[reganrd]

03:13 PM on 06/08/2011

Lifting heavy weights is a great plateau buster. It may not move the needle on the scale, but it will make your jeans fit looser. Women are sometimes afraid of weights and need to know that when given exercise advice to do 12 reps, that means 12 is all you CAN do. Women don't have the testosterone needed to bulk up, so start pumping iron!
Build muscle, be strong, be toned and increase your resting metabolism!

[LemonFreshScent]

05:40 PM on 06/08/2011

this is what i'm going to do. I got past my own plateau last year with eating Primal... but slowly have gained 5 pounds... I'm gonna lift weights!

[williamg]

07:19 PM on 06/12/2011

You are absolutely correct.