Plateau advice - eating more in the short term to lose weight in the long term?

[Lexi_1812]

At Zest 's suggestion I thought I might post my question here.

I seem to have hit another plateau - I hit one that lasted 9 weeks earlier this year then I lost 3-5lbs (depending on fluctuations) on the Reboot challenge. Most of that was due to eating less than 1400 calories per day in the first week, which is unsustainable as I also exercise 3-5 hours (cycling, gym sessions) during the week and spend up to 12 hours walking around at the weekend. (I normally average 1700 calories per day - at 1400 calories I struggle to fuel my exercise properly.)

So I'm wondering: is it worth eating slightly more for the next few weeks to see if it will kick start something? So even if I gain up to half a stone in the short term, I'll lose that and more when I go back on the diet again. Has anyone tried this method and has it worked??

It's nearly a year since I started my diet proper but it would be nice to get rid of that last half a stone and finally be in the "normal" BMI range

[Caz28]

Hi, it might be worth following or joining The Last Few Pounds Club, as everyone on there is trying to shift the last few stubborn pounds and there have been some really useful suggestions. I know that I personally struggle to lose weight if I don't eat enough, I need to stick to my calorie allowance, but I don't eat calories earned through exercise. Have you checked what your daily allowance is now since losing weight? Are you still measuring and weighing everything? It may work if you do up your intake for a 2 or 3 days so your body doesn't think it's in starvation mode, but I wouldn't carry it on to the extent where you put half a stone back on!

[Lexi_1812 2 stone in reply to Caz28]

Caz28 - Thanks for your reply. I've had a look at the Last Few Pounds Club - some good ideas on there! I've tried a few times eating up to 2000 calories a day for several days at a time but it's not really worked - perhaps I need to eat more calories during those days? I like the suggestion on one of the posts about increasing core and strength exercises as my exercise is mostly cardio - I might try that one too

[Penel]

What you eat is as important as how much you eat. You could try altering the balance of starchy carbs / protein / vegetables you eat. I have found that varying the type and amount of my carbs, up and then down, seems to be helping to get over my plateau (fingers crossed).

Everybody's metabolism is different, so keep going until you find what works for you. Good luck.

[IndigoBlue61]

You have some good suggestions there 😊 I hope you find a solution 😊 Good luck