Question:
At the time of your plateau, are you exercising?

Hi guys, I see alot of posts here and there always saying how frustrated everyone is with their plateau.....and the usual advice for breaking it is to drink more water, eat more protein and exercise.......but I have one question....at the time that this plateau hits, are you already exercising? Basically what I want to know is if I keep a regular exercise routine throughout my journey, will this keep the plateaus at bay. Or are they inevitable? Thanx a bunch!    — Jennifer M. (posted on February 2, 2002)

February 2, 2002
The reason we hit this so called plateaus is because our body is having to catch up with the weight loss. It has to reset itself to our new weight. When you are in those periods you generally don't lose weight, hence a plateau. And yes, you need to exercise more, drink more, and take in more protein. Why? Because your body has new ideas of what it needs cause of your new weight. I have always been exercising when I hit a plateau, it's just caused me to exercise h arder and longer. I get very frustrated during these times but it is always ok once I pass the plateau and I lose maybe 10 lbs in a week. Questions? Get in touch with me. Good luck!
   — purdue_1993

February 2, 2002
I just had my first so-called serious plateau at 4.5 months out. I was exercising at least an hour a day, and added an extra half hour a day to help break it. To give you some idea, in January, I worked out 26 out of 31 days, did 27.75 hours of cardiovascular exercise, burned 15095 calories, and lifted 41,810 lbs (in only 14 days; I didn't start doing the weight machines until 01/17). I was #1 out of 92 people in my YMCA facility who keep track on the computers in cardiovascular minutes and calories burned. I didn't lose that many pounds last month... 13 pounds, but I lost 17", including 1.5" off my waist and 3.5" off my hips. Perhaps more than you wanted to know, but I thought it could be helpful. YES, ultimately, IMO, consistent exercise keeps the pounds coming off at a steady rate. I will be down 100 pounds at 20 weeks, and since I started at a "lightweight" 310 pounds, I think that's pretty darn good!
   — Julia M.