I have hit a plateau and it's making me crazy

The truth of the matter is that 1 lb of X weighs the same as 1 lb of Y. The muscle weighs more than fat myth is just that, a myth.

It's the density that's different. 1 lb of feathers weighs the same as a 1 lb brick; but, the brick will fall faster - and hurt your head.

Sure, there's something to be said about expectations. All the same, if our expectations are reasonable, like getting rid of the 5 lbs gained over the holidays, there's nothing off kilter about that.

I cannot handle animal protein very well, and I don't consume white, enriched foods. I think I know, from my years of training, what I should and should not eat. It's the "sinning" over the holidays that I have to deal with. Thanks, all the same, for your suggestions on reducing gluten products.

Eat real food, drink plenty of water and move your body are the best rules to follow, JMHO.

Alysia, thanks for your support! It's good to know there are others out there who are working through a plateau.

Virginia, I'm 5-10, and when I felt my best I weighed about 150 pounds. My clothes fit and I was exercising regularly and eating well. I felt lean but not skinny; athletic but not muscular, if that makes sense. (I have always been a pear shape as opposed to the apple shape; the bulk of my extra weight is in my abdomen, thighs and derriere).

In the last two to three years I just plain fell off all my wagons after we moved (twice), left a job and fell into a depression. I ate too much, of all the wrong foods, and I didn't exercise at all. I ended up gaining more than 50 pounds.

Now that that is all mostly, thankfully in the past, I am trying to get back to where I felt fit and healthy. The first 20 pounds, while not easy, did go fairly consistently.

I will work on the gluten products; that's good advice. Thank you for any other thoughts you might have.

I am always concerned with this "plateau" expectation. I's like to know what is your height, your current weight and your frame type. The body is programmed to give you the ideal state of being and that includes your ideal weight. So if you plateau at XYZ weight, there could be many reasons for it. What is your weight goal? and Why? Also, keep in mind that as you gain more muscle mass your weight will appear to be going up or staying. Muscle mass weighs more than fat!!! It is the inches that matter from that point on!

Another question, are you concern with certain areas of your body? If you were to guess, where do you think most of your weight is concentrated? Once I heard more, I may be able to give you better suggestions. I also recommend than instead of giving up on animal protein first, try cutting gluten-filled foods such as those containing wheat. You will be amazed how quickly you lose the bad type of weight.

Keep me posted!

I feel your frustration; I'm going through the same thing. Mine is a post-holiday issue, my body trying to readjust after a season of rich foods and crazy schedules. I'm a distance runner, covering 10-18 miles on my long weekend runs, and at least a couple of easy miles 3-4X during the week. So, it's baffling why I can't shed this holiday flab.

You might try changing up what you eat, plus, as Alison suggested, your exercise routine. That's what I'm doing and hoping it will break my plateau. I added a daily 30-45 minute walk with a group at work, then come home to my Wii Fit. I've also increased the raw foods I eat daily, and decreased animal protein.

Let's try to keep each other motivated to stay on a new track and see if we can bust through our plateaus together!

Are you exercising in different ways? You may want to add strength training, cross-training or vary your routine to see more results.