Plateau Post

Hi All-My friends doctor sent this to her and I thought it was worth passing on. Its a little long..sorry. "8 Ways to Jump Start Your Weight Loss" By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS When you're trying to lose weight, The question isn't whether or not you'll hit a plateau, It's when. Plateaus are like bad weather, On a long hike: It's inevitable that you'll run into it, But knowing that in advance... Won't make it one bit less frustrating, Or annoying when it happens. Cheer up! Since plateaus are as common as rain, We have a pretty good idea what to do about them. At least one of the following techniques... Should help you break through a plateau, And start losing again. 1. Be a Calorie Detective When clients tell me they've stopped losing weight, The first thing I ask is this: How many calories a day are you eating? Calories have a way of creeping up, While we're not paying attention. Be brutally honest with yourself: How much are you eating? Know Your Portions? Using a food diary for a while is a great way to monitor this. And yes, sodas and alcoholic beverages count! A good calorie goal for dieters is... Your target weight times 10. 2. Change It Up When you're not making gains in an exercise program, You change your routine. Same holds true with your eating plan. Low-carbers could go higher carb for a few days, High-carbers might switch to a plan like Atkins ATKINS Diet Or South Beach. SOUTH BEACH Diet Varying calorie intake may have a positive effect: If you're averaging 1,500 calories daily, Try dropping to 1,200, Going up to 2,000 and then dropping back to 1,500. You get the idea. Your body's gotten comfortable, So it's time to shake things up. 3. Try a Temporary Ban Food sensitivities can cause weight gain and bloat, And the frustrating thing is... That most of us don't always know which foods are the culprits. So play the odds. Highest on the list of "usual suspects" are... Grains (wheat in particular), Dairy and sugar. Temporarily ban all three... And see what happens. 4. Take Your Workout Up a Notch Forget the "fat burning zone." High intensity intervals -- 30 to 60 seconds -- Are the wave of the future. If you're accustomed to level three on your cardio machine, Ramp it up to level 6 for a minute, Then slow down, Catch your breath and repeat. Ever see a sprinter with love handles? Training like a sprinter... LINK to GET FIT! Will lower your body fat faster than any technique I know of, Plus it'll boost your metabolism and lower your weight. 5. Strength Training If you're not strength training, More onwmfiltered GETTING FIT target="_blank" Start now! And if you are, ramp it up a notch. Muscle is your greatest ally in breaking a plateau. Unfortunately many women train with weights too light... To produce the metabolic boost they need. Don't be afraid of heavier weights. They should be heavy enough... That you can only do between 8 and 12 reps. 6. Up Your Protein Studies show that higher protein diets, Make it easier to lose fat. Protein boosts the metabolism! *(in one study... As much as 100 percent for 24 hours)*, And increases satiety, Making it more likely that you won't overeat. A higher protein diet, Could be just what you need to break that plateau. 7. Try a Detox Unsupervised fasting is a really bad idea, But the idea of giving your system a rest makes sense. Try a "smart fast"... Of nothing but fruits and vegetables for a couple of days. The added fiber is always helpful, And the massive amount of nutrients and phytochemicals... Is like "spring cleaning" for your metabolism. FOOD + FACTS 8. Take Inventory Other things besides diet and exercise... Could be stalling your weight loss, Such as stress, lack of sleep or medication. Take a look at what else is going on in your life... That might need attention. Sometimes... When you clean up the problems in one area of your life, Problems in other areas just naturally take care of themselves.

Lots of good advice - this one is a keeper! And Miss Sharon, now that we are friends, I need to tell you that your profile needs updating! You better get one of them kids to help... We'll have to talk genealogy one day!

I know,I know. Its my New Years Resolution to learn this dam contraption and join the real world!! My daughter just moved into her first new house. (her hubby is done and home from Iraq). My son is leaving for a year in Air Force to Korea the day after Thanksgiving and we are redoing some of the house so it has been hectic. What were you doing up at four AM? Sharon

It was 5am central time and if you factor in the loss of daylight's savings, it was really 6am for me! My 18 year old son is thinking about joing the Coast Guard. Not sure how I feel about that. My thoughts and prayers will be with your son. Is he excited?

I meant to mention that someone on the main board was looking for a plateau buster and I replied with your post above. TTYL, Lisa

Hi Lisa-He isn't nervous. He is excited. He just got back from Krygystan is home for a month. Luckily he has not been to a place with any war yet like my son-in-law. It was nerve wracking but you kind of grin and bear it like alot of things in motherhood. I am sure you know what I mean!! All you can do is be proud and support them. How is your daughter feeling? Sharon

She's feeling great. Starts rehab next week. She's chomping at the bit... That's a good thing! Thanks for asking. Did you see the picture of her on my profile in the JH surgery room? One of my faves.