Busting Plateaus

I got this article from Jillian Michaels'
newsletter.

For those who may not know, Jillian is my
hero and awesome trainer on Biggest Loser.

There is nothing more discouraging than stepping
on the scale after a week of diligent dieting and
grueling workouts and not seeing any drop in the
number. The plateau is a common problem among dieters
and can typically be waited out, but there are
measures you can take to keep your metabolism
fired up even as you reduce your caloric intake.


The best way to break a plateau is to keep your
salt intake below 2,000 milligrams a day and
drink lots of water. Make sure you're not eating
any processed carbs, period. That's right — no
chips, sugar, white flour, and so on. And hit
the gym hard! The boost in exercise will make
your body swell and hold fluids for a few days,
but after a week you should see the benefits
on the scale.


You can also try playing around with your
caloric intake a bit, varying it from day
to day throughout the week while keeping
the same weekly total. The body can't slow
its metabolism to adjust to a reduced caloric
intake if the intake isn't fixed from one
day to the next. For instance, to bust my
plateau, I might have 1,200 calories on
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and then eat
1,500 calories on Tuesday, 1,600 on Thursday,
1,400 on Saturday, and 1,700 on Sunday.
Get it?


The plateau effect can sometimes simply
be a matter of flagging resolve. If mixing
up your caloric intake just isn't working,
make sure you're not slipping up on your
diet or slacking off in your workouts. I'm
serious; it happens.

As with any program, there will be highs
and lows, but stay with it. Your body is
trying to adjust to the weight loss. Don't
get scared or discouraged. Just be patient
and know that you are worth it!