Breaking a plateau, Why Does A Binge Spur Weight Loss Again?

I have stayed completely faithful to my calorie intake for a 2 months now.

I started at 157, and have dropped down to 137.5.

Im stuck here at 137.5, and I have been reading around to find a good way to break this crazy plateau. All I can really find is that I should BINGE for one day?!?!

I have been so faithful to my calorie limit and I am horrified to break it for a binge that might make things worse.

why does binging spur weight loss? and is the food that i eat going to completely sabatoge my diet? is it just the water weight coming off that makes a person lose that extra pound or two? (dont get me wrong, i would love to eat a delectable meal but i dont want to if its going to throw my whole thing off)

HELP!

bracelet,

There is so much info out there on breaking a plateau, I am not sure what is real and what is not.  Here is one site I liked.  You may have already read it.  I just put that question in www.ask.com

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=How+do+you+break+a+d iet+plateau%3F&page=1&qsrc=2417&a b=4&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffindarticles.com%2Fp%2 Farticles%2Fmi_m0KGB%2Fis_3_3%2Fai_98592797%2 F

That sounds crazy, but my body does that! When I overeat, like today, I actually lose or maintain my weight. When I watch my calories, it takes forever to lose the weight. I was avoiding the scale all day because I had a 3 course lunch that included nachos, quesadillas, salad, cheesecake and icecream. I weighed myself just now and I've lost at least a lb since yesterday. I don't understand how that works. . .

I'm going to suggest you avoid referring to it as a 'BINGE'.... that's an unnecessarily dramatic way to put it and makes it sound like you're doing something horrible to yourself.  

If someone's body needs 2200-2300 cals a day to maintain their weight and they go on a 1400-1500 cal a day diet their body will gradually learn to adapt to there being less food.   It's a well-known response to long-term mild calorie restriction.  To combat this all the person needs to do is have a day every so often at 2200-2300 cals.  This is hardly a 'binge'... it's just eating a normal 'non-diet' or 'maintenance' amount.

The extra energy gets used up by the body, it starts using energy at a more normal rate again... then when the person reverts to their lower-calorie intake, they burn fat a little better.

Just read Ask Mary!  Search the Archives for "plateau" and you'll find all kinds of answers, all of them wise, from our very own CC nutritionist.

Here, I've done it for you

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/qa/search.ph p?qa_search=plateau

And here's some information that I have found helpful:

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/qa/search.ph p?qa_search=starvation+mode&x=15&y=10

Original Post by texmom52:

bracelet,

There is so much info out there on breaking a plateau, I am not sure what is real and what is not.  Here is one site I liked.  You may have already read it.  I just put that question in www.ask.com

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=How+do+you+break+a+d iet+plateau%3F&page=1&qsrc=2417&a b=4&u=http%3A%2F%2Ffindarticles.com%2Fp%2 Farticles%2Fmi_m0KGB%2Fis_3_3%2Fai_98592797%2 F

 Thanks for sharing this.  I found this paragraph interesting

Many of these frustrated femmes opt for a quick-fix diet, restricting their calories or starving themselves. "If you drastically cut calories or carbs, or skip entire meals to lose weight, your body thinks it's starving and goes into survival mode," warns Sassin. "It starts breaking down muscle tissue for fuel, and storing fat as a defense mechanism. If you're eating up your muscles, you may be losing weight according to the scale, but you're actually inhibiting your ability to burn bodyfat." Your body is now working against you, and the fat-loss results you fancy move further and further out of reach.

It's actually the same information I found in the Ask Mary advice section, but it's very well put and clearly defines what happens when we undereat and don't pay attention to good nutrition.

All I can say is that after a day of eating 4,000+ calories for a day or even two days in a row....I end up weighing less within the next few days.  I'm not suggesting to anyone that they should eat THAT much...but it helps me for some reason.

Thank you guys for great info, I think I am going to just stay on track and not raise my calories even for that one day, but believe me it sounds soooo god, haha.

I feel like i would just be cheating myself, or losing my discpline...boooo.

Hell, I'd probably never stop eating

Think of it this way.... when you reach  a healthy weight you'll have to raise your intake, probably to 2000 cals or so. If you incorporate occasional 2000 cal days into your diet plan then you could call it a 'rehearsal' for maintenance at the same time as keeping your weight-loss lively.   Successfully managing these 'extra food days' is also very reassuring... you find it helps your confidence and you start to trust your judgement.

 It's only cheating yourself if that's what you call it. 

Original Post by myreminderbracelet:

Thank you guys for great info, I think I am going to just stay on track and not raise my calories even for that one day, but believe me it sounds soooo god, haha.

I feel like i would just be cheating myself, or losing my discpline...boooo.

Hell, I'd probably never stop eating

Congratulations on your loss to date, and your discipline.  But, I really think it is time for you to start a maintenance mind-set.  After all, you shouldn't (and I'm sure you don't want) to stay on a low calorie diet for the rest of your life.  The occasional maintenance day shouldn't be considered "cheating", imo, it is necessary to remind ourselves of how we want to eat for the rest of our lives once we are at goal weight. 

If we don't abandon our all-or-nothing "diet" mentality, we will be doomed to yo-yo up and down, and always feel we are dieting or should be dieting.  At least, that is what happened to me for the past 20-odd years, I worked myself up to severe obesity.  Now, I am trying to lose the weight in a sustainable fashion, and allow myself the odd maintenance day along the route to a healthy weight.