OK, it's Sunday morning and I have already had 4 cups of java. I'm almost wired and rain is moving into the area so I can't go for my long walk right now. So I've decided to start on my Monday AM WHEE diary.
All of us who are attempting to lose weight so that we can become more healthy have experienced weight loss plateaus. I'm currently in one. I have been within the same range of 3 -4 pounds now for over two months. I've decided to move on. I've done it several times before and thus far have always succeeded. Of course all of us have lost weight before only to add those pounds back on within a year. How do you avoid that? What are the causes?
Join me below and we will discuss some theories on how to defeat plateaus, alter your metabolism, and continue on your path to a healthy body.
First, some housekeeping.
WHEE (Weight, Health, Eating and Exercise) is a community support diary for Kossacks who are currently or planning to start losing, gaining or maintaining their weight through diet and exercise or fitness. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are working on your weight or fitness, please -- join us! You can also click the WHEE tag to view all diary posts.
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My thoughts for this diary actually began back when I did my last diary in June for Fitness Monday. After talking with David Kessler in order to set this June diary up, I was struck my his continued reference to Human Homeostasis. In his book, The End of Overeating, he is primarily concerned about how our current food industry has designed its food to defeat the body's evolutionary development from over centuries of life. His concern was most focused on how it was being defeated in young children where for persons of color, over 50% can now expect to be a diabetic before age 30.
Damn that coffee! Back to the subject at hand. If you read much on human homeostasis, you learn that our bodies adapt and adjust and attempt to maintain an equilibrium of weight. But, for those of us who are on a journey to lose weight, an equilibrium is our enemy. We want change. Fast change. Well, unless you are morbidly obese (BMI of 40+), you will see 1-3 pounds per week lost even on good weeks. In fact, I would argue that weight loss needs to be in the 1.0-1.5 pound per week in order to lose primarily fat and not lean muscle. But that is another diary.
For over two years, I have intermittently researched how our body's metabolism is regulated. What causes it to jump one day suddenly and cause you to drop water weight, fat, or maybe muscle, and suddenly you have lost .5-1.0 pound in a single day even though your diet hasn't changed drastically. What causes it? Is it diet? Is it exercise? Is it stress? Or maybe too much coffee?
We all have calculated our BMR before. We know based on our current weight, what calories we need to consume on an average day. Notice that I didn't say everyday. We add to this basal metabolism a factor based upon our activity level. Be honest here now because it you don't exercise like a maniac, you are better off to multiply by 1.2 or 1.3. But again, that is another diary.
So what is a weight plateau? My definition is if your body stays within a 2-3 pound range for 4 weeks or more. Like I said earlier, I'm now at week 8. Time to change. How? Well, I know from my two years of looking that it is all tied to metabolism. How do I increase my metabolism and shock my body's homeostasis so that the weight loss begins again. In a simple one word explanation, it is CHANGE!
Now comes the fun part and the hard part all rolled into one. It is different for everyone. But every option that I'll list below will work for you if you fit the description and have allowed your body to adjust and become complacent.
I could go into a long description of each possible change but for almost all who subscribe to WHEE, you have seen this list before. You just have to realize when you are at a plateau or slipping backwards and make the commitment to become a healthier you. Here is my list.
1-Change your calorie intake quickly from day to day. Try 1600 calories on M-W-F and 2200 calories on T-TH-S. Don't stay at 1900 calories everyday. The key is to stay on goal for the week once you have completed the the adjustments to your daily calorie intake.
2- Change your ratio of carbs, fat, and protein often. Carbs are the most critical here. Drop carbs to 100 grams (400 calories) for 2-3 days in a row and then push them back to 250 grams (1000 calories for 2 days).
Mix carbs, protein, and good fats into every meal. Many people prefer not to eat meat for various reasons. That is OK as long as you get a minimum of .5 grams of protein per pound of goal weight. If you want to gain more muscle and not lose the muscle you have while reaching your weight goal, you should be closer to .8 grams per goal weight. Another complete diary should be written just on how to adjust the ratio based upon your body needs, your weight goal, and other health issues.
3-If you are not using strength training in your exercise routine, you must start. Strength training is the key to maintaining or increasing the level of lean muscles. And after all muscles are what increases your body's metabolism. Just one LB increase your BMR by 25-40 calories per day. Many women shun strength training. They shouldn't. It does wonders for a woman's waist waistline and gives definition to arms, shoulders, and the back. No, not muscle bound. Women have too little testosterone to become muscle bound. Even men struggle with the T after 30 unless they keep lean muscles and keep their body fat at around 20% or less. As many men over 50 realize too late, it is the big T that gives you that hardness factor that makes life more enjoyable. But again, that is another diary.
4-Don't overtrain. If indeed, you are exercising 5-7 times a week, your body may have adjusted and you have plateaued. Shock your system and take a few days off. Some people recommend a week. If you are within 10 lbs of your weight goal, you might go longer but strictly watch your diet. As many people here have often commented, we need to give our torn muscles time to heal, repair and grow stronger. Most people just need 24-36 hours between strength training exercises to recover.
5-Increase/improve your approach to training. Concentrate on the exercise...don't just walk 2.0 mph all the time. Ramp up the speed for 200 yards. Pick out a street sign ahead of you and commit to raising your heart rate to at least 70% of your Max HR. I'll put in a plug here for using a HR monitor. You need to know your heart rate levels and continually move it from 50% to 85% of max. Would you drive your car on the NJ Turnpike without a speedometer? Then why would you exercise without a HR monitor.
Stress your muscles during lifting. Move from 20 LB to 25 LB weights when doing lunges or deadlift 150 lb when you have been doing 120 LB. Alter the program either with reps, sets, weights lifted, mph or duration. Change the exercise routine often. Working on your triceps. Fine! I can think of 6-7 different exercises that focus on the triceps. Change these often. You can tell when an exercise is working because you tire more easily than normal. I love doing tricep kickbacks because they are easy and quick, But when I do full body tricep dips, it is a bitch and I tire after 5-6 dips. Above all, concentrate on what you are doing.
6-Don't stay with the same exercise for more than a month. We walk, then light jog, then longer jog, then finally included some sprints when your body is ready. Include some
HIIT training every week. Whether it is treadmill, cycling, running, or weight lifting, it doesn't matter. Increase your heartrate rapidly for a short time and then allow it to recover. Do this 5-7 times in a 30 minute workout and you will shock your system into changing and moving off that plateau that you have allowed to develop. Based upon family history, doctor's visits, and your own cautious research, many people may ramp their HR up to 100% and above max. I would only consider this if your fitness level is a 9 on scale of 10 and you have worked on increasing it gradually over a 6 month training period.
7-Eat more often...or less often. Eat at least 3 times a day but change the program 3 days in row every month. For me the one exception is around breakfast. I normally eat 500 calories (+ or - 50 calories). But again, shock the system for three days in a row and only eat 200 calories but never, ever skip breakfast. You must have it to start your metabolism. In fact, eat your breakfast within the first hour of getting out of bed. Don't wait. Every 30 minutes delay costs you 100 calories of burn for the day. It is a fact.
8-Flush your system with clean healthy water every day. Minimum should be a quart if you also drink coffee or tea (alcohol doesn't count). If you don't drink coffee or tea, your minimum should be 64 oz or two quarts. Keep hydrated and that leads me to my next suggestion.
9- Consider buying a weight scale that includes fat% and body water %. I use a Tanita scale but there are several companies into this business now that sell other gadgets like the BodyBugg that Edward Spurlock discussed recently. Maybe on some future diary, I'll discuss what I have learned from using my scales religiously for three years. For those that want to really delve into your body and what foods cause a quick reaction, this unit helps.
10-Go to bed! That's right. Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. Those people who sleep less than 7 hours will see metabolism slow and the pounds will begin to accumulate. Shock your body once a week by crawling into bed at 9:00 PM and stay there until at least 6:00-7:00 AM. Make a deal with your special friend that once or twice each month, you will both agree on a day to turn in early. Change is not only good for your exercise life. Relax and have a good time.
11-Examine your diet thoroughly. Know exactly what you are putting into your body. Soft drinks... hell NO! High sugary foods...NO! Make your calories count. Look for foods that soothe your body and don't stimulate your sensory links to want to eat more. Sugar, the wrong fats, and salt are the culprits. Look closely at your intake of Omega 3 versus Omega 6 fats. I honestly think this is one of the most overlooked changes in our diet in the past 40 years. The average ratio was 3-4 to 1 in 1960. It is now more like 30-40 to 1 in the average American diet.
12- Derived from my last comment is to study what you intake that fights inflammation in your body. Stress...yes, it is one cause. But there are many more. Some are food related, some are more serious and derive from your environment. Some can also be corrected partially with vitamins. Learn what is right for your body and experiment but do it with consultation of your doctor and within a reasonable level. Many people who tend to use vitamins or supplements allow it to balloon out of proportion when lifestyle changes actually do you more good.
13- Alcohol....Ok, you knew it was coming, right? If you drink, do it in moderation. But for some, the plateau could be caused by alcohol. Go cold turkey for two weeks. Yes, you can do it! I do it once or twice a year just to make sure I can. At age 60, I have yet to have a problem with it although I certainly do like single malts, a great Trippel, or a robust Cabernet. If you drink in moderation and have found yourself in a plateau, consider alcohol as a possible change in your intake.
OK, this has gone on more than I thought and for most of you, this is old hat. However, it is good to re-educate yourself when you find yourself in a weight plateau that is more than your goal weight.
In closing, I'll offer one more thought of advice. Find a support network to make you change. It could be a spouse or partner. It could be a personal trainer or dietician. It might be a buddy in the gym that you visit. For some it is a picture of yourself buck naked or an Erin Andrews moment while looking into the mirror. For many here, it is WHEE and the online contacts that you have made. The key is your effort, your time, your research, or your willingness to CHANGE! Whether you do it for yourself, your spouse/SO, your parents, your kids, or that future someone special, it is time to change. Now promise me that as soon as you finish reading the few comments here today on this diary, you will commit to making that change that breaks that plateau and puts you back on the path to better health.
PS: I am not a Doctor but you need to know one and use him/her. Movement in the right direction will increase your happiness in a world that has more than it's share on downs recently. Together, it will be better for our kids and grandkids if we dedicate our short time on earth here to accept and embrace change. Just as all here on DKos argue that Republicans, Wall Street, and the Insurance Industry are defenders of the status quo, we can not be caught with our pants down and do the same with our current health programs. It is time to CHANGE!