Plateau.........

I am apparently on a serious plateau and can't break it.  It is driving me insane and very very discouraging.  I started w/ the 5dpt on 1/1/09.  It is now 1/13/09 and still haven't lost a single pound.  I have been back to the basics, i even added in exercise (which i NEVER NEVER did this whole time), I've kept my calories low, but have tried to get in a little more because I think they may be too low.  I've been drinking my water but not w/in 30 minutes of my meals.  I cut out ALL junk food, most carbs (i only eat the good ones now ie fruits veggies) and if i do have carbs i limit it to one meal only (like a sandwich but i wouldn't eat carbs w/ dinner if i had them for lunch).  so what on earth am i doing wrong.  in my mind i am doing everything right and i'm not going anywhere.  Here is a link to my food journal:  www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/diary/who/  any advice would be appreciated.

WOW!!!!!  I am so there with you on this, I was just getting ready to start a thread asking for help...
I have been participating in BOTT for about a week now, I have been tracking my food on the daily plate, hitting between 1000 and 1200 calories, doing some form of exercise, even if it is just walking more at work, since I worked 4 days of 12 hr shifts in a row.
I cut out the junk food, cut out unnecessary carbs, upped my protein, trying for 80 - 100 g and have been getting at least 80 oz of fluids a day.  I have not lost 1 single pound!!!!!
A lot of people on here are talking about losing 5 - 10 lbs since starting BOTT, and I feel like I am hitting my head against the wall. 
The good news is that I havent given in to the candy monster lurking in my peripheral vision, but after the crazy crappy emergency filled weekend I just had, some small sign that I am on the right track would be great..... any and all advice would be appreciated.
Vivienne

I've hit a wall this week too. The first week, bam down 7 lbs. Now this week? Nothing! This is when it is important not to get discouraged and faulter b/c I'm 100% sure that if we just stick to our guns we'll be rewarded w/ a nice loss next week! ;)

Hang in there. Stay strong! :) 

I wish I had some advice for you but I am going through the same thing. I am exercising more, eating less and I keep going down 1 lb then gaining it and sometimes 2 lbs. I have been walking on my treadmill up to 3 miles a day, adding some cardio and still nothing! I did some measurements and those arent getting smaller either. I am eating around 1000-1200 a day, drinking more water (around 80-100 ozs the past few days) and I just don't understand.
I started at 322, am now 182-184. I am very grateful for what I have lost but I have 50lbs to go. I am only 5'2" theres no way I can be done!

I wish you the best and if you figure out how to break your plateau please let me know!

Michelle

Can't get in to your food journal - don't have a username and password   But, guess I'd have to say PATIENCE. (you understand this is all theory - I've never been there (and if you believe that I have some swamp land I'll sell you LOL)  How long have you been on this plateau? 

I still believe that shortest distance between two point is a straight line - so from Point 1, where you are now to Point 2, where you want to be  the shortest line ihas got to be BOTT days. (Stand by for I may need you  to repeat this to me for I'm almost where you are - barely losing  )

I wish you a fine BOTT day with the reward of weight lost 

From my blog ...

Breaking a Stall

 

I replied to a thread on OH earlier today and thought I'd copy it here for future reference.

Weight loss stalls and plateaus are very common after WLS -- or any type of weight loss program. We didn't gain weight steadily over the years and we will not lose weight every day or week when we're losing weight it's not going to melt off every day or week. It's frustrating, but it's all part of the process and we just have to be patient and work through these little bumps in the road.

But when the scale hasn't moved for a couple weeks or months - this is the perfect time to take a very close look at what we're doing and figure out if we need to make change. Have we allowed bad habits to creep back in or are there adjustments to routines that need to be made to jumpstart the weight loss again? Here's a list I typed up earlier:

 

• Are you tracking your food intake in a food journal? Is it on track?
• Are you tracking every single calorie that passed your lips? (flavored water, vitamins, gum, single pieces of candy) Even if you aren't keeping track of calories, your body is!
• Are you eating too MANY calories?
• Are you eating too FEW calories?
• Are you taking in enough protein? 80-100g/day
• Are the fats you're eating healthy (polyunsaturated and monounsaturated)
• Are you eating too many simple carbs (bread, pasta, potatoes, sugar, pasta, rice)
• Are you eating enough fruits and veggies?
• Are you drinking enough water (water flushes fat toxins from our body)?
• Are you grazing?
• Are you eating the right quantity? Measuring and weighting foods?
• Are you eating on a schedule?
• Are you exercising hard enough? Long enough? Fast enough?
• When's the last time you changed your exercise routine? (The body becomes efficient and doesn't burn as many calories after we've done the same thing for 4-6 weeks)
• Have you added weight training to your workouts? (muscle burns more calories at rest)
• Are you taking all your vitamins and supplements?
• Have you started taking any new medications that might promote weight gain?
• Have you taken your measurements (you might be losing inches even if the scale isn't moving)

Also, here's a great post by DxE that has a ton of information that might trigger ideas in some other areas to break a plateau.

Hope this helps...

~Pam

Great post reply Pam....

Our bodies are in shock...they are saying what the heck are you doing to me?  Plateaus are normal and if you are eating the right things and exericising then you will lose. 

Stay off the scale, use how you feel and the way your clothes fit
Make sure you are getting in all your protein and enough calories
If you are doing resistance work your muscle mass will increase and this is a good thing as  you will burn more cals
We didn't put it on over night and it's going to take more than a week or two do take it off

My last plateau was 9 weeks and I was like what the he$$.  But I stayed on track and the weight came off.

Try not to make losing weight the center of all your waking hours. Try to make the eating and exercise part of your day and it will happen, I promise.

Hang in there and come here and vent 

Take care,
Kathy