It can happen to anyone; the diet’s going great, and then you hit the dreaded plateau.
So, What’s next?
Things not to do:
- It’s not time to give up.
- It’s not that unusual to hit a plateau.
- It’s not time to cut calories or fat grams. Remember, we don’t want to waste our valuable time counting stuff.
It is time to:
- A. It is time to think about your fasting hours. It’s time to adjust the number of hours you are fasting.
- B. Is it time to replace some highly processed foods with fresh, whole foods.
- C. Is it time to adjust the amount of food you eat on fasting days or on eating days.
The answer is never clear-cut or straightforward. In the past, there have been times I have used them all – A, B, and C; there have been times that I have selected one of the three. The key is to implement the plan and then watch to see what happens.
Generally, a week is enough. Let’s say you have been on a plateau for three weeks. For the next week, choose A, B, or C, make a change, and monitor the results. One day is not enough, nor are two or three days. Also, note that it is best to average your daily weigh-in numbers for a week or more to get a clear picture of what is happening. Take one week’s weights, say the last week of the plateau, seven days; add them up and divide by 7. That will give you the average for the week.
On the sample chart above, the data is for 21 days, definitely a weight plateau – time to make some changes.
Plateau week
Take the last seven days and average them. It’s okay to use a calculator; this isn’t math class.
191.1 + 190.6 + 190.0 + 190.6 + 190.2 + 189.6 + 190.2 = 1,332.30 pounds
1,332.30 / 7 = 190.33 pounds
In this example, let’s say you were fasting every other day for 16 hours. To see what happens, add 2 hours to your fasting days for 18 hours per fasting day for the next week.
Adjustment week
190.2 + 190.6 + 190.8 + 190.6 + 189.5 + 188.5 + 188.2 = 1,328.40 pounds
1,328.40 / 7 = 189.27 pounds
So when you subtract the two averages, you get: 190.33 – 189.77 = 0.56 pounds
You lost over half a pound in the test week by adding 2 hours of fasting to your fasting days. If you wish to lose more weight, you can
- Continue to fast for the additional hours,
- add another day of fasting,
- or try replacing some processed foods with fresh whole foods,
- or reduce the amount of food you eat in your eating windows.
This clearly shows how flexible the Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle is; you simply try different approaches until you find the one that works best for you. It can be frustrating, but if you stick to it you will succeed.
– Weight loss plateaus happen to everyone.
– Don’t give up. Change it up.
– Consider 1 or more of the 3 options.”
– Make the change and monitor your weight for a week to see if it made a difference.
- A. Increase fasting hours.
- B. Replace processed foods with fresh foods.
- C. Adjust the quantity of food.
– If not, make another adjustment.
Regular Features
This Weeks Diet and Lifestyle Q&A – Question: Do overweight or obese folks have a lower metabolism?
Food for Thought – I hate counting. Anything. Calories, Fat grams, ounces of stuff – boring! One of the great things about IF is that you can try different approaches by simply eating different amounts of food. Estimating and trying a little less is okay if you gain cut back, and if you lose, then your on the right track.
Trouble Shooting – Fighting fasting hunger:
1. Drink a glass of ice water and wait 30 minutes. A pinch of sea salt can also help but do not overdo it.
2. Drink a cup of coffee or tea and wait 30 minutes.
3. Drink a cup of hot water and wait 30 minutes, especially in winter.
4. Have an unflavored club soda or sparkling water.
5. Have a glass of ice water with a dash of apple cider vinegar. To protect tooth enamel, drink it through a straw.
Be safe and be happy.
Jim
If you have friends or family interested in a healthy lifestyle or dietary information, please feel free to send them my email, or website.
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This Week’s Diet and Lifestyle Answer –
Question: Do overweight or obese folks have a lower metabolism?
Answer: No, they have a higher metabolic rate. Their bodies are trying to burn off the extra calories.
Please note I am not a doctor or dietitian. The information provided is from my personal experiences, successes, and failures. Before starting any diet or making significant changes in your dietary lifestyle, always check with your doctor or health care professional.
