# Brick Wall



## Reed77 (Mar 20, 2011)

I joined a weight loss program the end of October, and at first it was great, I go 2x a week, I was losing about 1lb a day while still maintaining a healthy diet, I know 1lb a day is a lot, but I wasn't complaining. since joining I lost 10lbs, I was 200lbs I'm now 190lbs, but I haven't lost anything in 2 weeks :Bawling: I've even showed up for class 30min early to exercise more! I don't know what to do, USUALLY what I do is get frustrated, maintain the weight I'm stuck on for a month or 2, start back up, lose another 10lbs, and hit another brick wall. But I don't have the patience to do this anymore, I want it GONE!!! the most I ever weighed was 230lbs, I will NEVER go back! I've lost a total of 40lbs but I'm only 1/2 way to my goal.

Any suggestions?


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## cindy-e (Feb 14, 2008)

Reed77 said:


> I joined a weight loss program the end of October, and at first it was great, I go 2x a week, I was losing about 1lb a day while still maintaining a healthy diet, I know 1lb a day is a lot, but I wasn't complaining. since joining I lost 10lbs, I was 200lbs I'm now 190lbs, but I haven't lost anything in 2 weeks :Bawling: I've even showed up for class 30min early to exercise more! I don't know what to do, USUALLY what I do is get frustrated, maintain the weight I'm stuck on for a month or 2, start back up, lose another 10lbs, and hit another brick wall. But I don't have the patience to do this anymore, I want it GONE!!! the most I ever weighed was 230lbs, I will NEVER go back! I've lost a total of 40lbs but I'm only 1/2 way to my goal.
> 
> Any suggestions?


not uncommon to hit a plateau 6 or so weeks into a program. It can last 3 weeks to a couple of months. 
Some people say that you can avoid a plateau with muscle confusion and calorie confusion. For a week or so, do different exercise than you typically would do to confuse your body and keep it burning calories at a higher rate. And *Slightly* (key word here) increase your calorie intake. Then when you go back to what you were doing you will see better results.
Other people say there really isn't anything you can do besides wait it out. 
Others say that you have now done a really good thing and increased your cardio-efficiency, but the down side of that it that your body is using it's fuel more efficiently too, which means you are burning calories at a lower rate because your metabolism has changed. They say the only thing to do is to increase the exercise you do, either the time, or the weights, or the intensity... whatever applies, so that the EFFORT you are putting in feels more like it did at first. they say that will fix it. 
Whatever you believe about all of that, patience is part of weight loss. There is no way around it. We don't get overweight over night, and we aren't going to get out of it overnight either. If it has only been 2 weeks, I wouldn't worry yet anyway. There are all sorts o thing that could be going on... change in your hydration status, hormonal cycles (even in males), stress... It might just clear up on it's own. 

FWIW,
Cindyc.


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