Diet Slump: Tips for Budging the Scale

Here are three practical ways to bust that plateau!

Go on “maintenance” for a week. We’re not saying to completely abandon your healthy eating habits, but let go of the pressure to be perfect for a set period. “Sometimes just the very act of freeing yourself from an all-or-nothing mind-set is the thing that will get you over the hump,” Judith S. Beck, PhD, says.

Drink nothing but H2O. Beverages, with their empty (and quickly consumed) calories, are often another culprit in the plateau wars, Sharon Richter, RD, says. Keep it simple and natural: water, water, water. Even diet soda may cause weight gain—artificial sugars can trigger your sweet tooth and increase sweet cravings.

Distract yourself. Find ways to make exercise a little more thrilling. Rent the entire season of a favorite TV show to watch while you exercise. “Or listen to educational podcasts and audio books,” fitness guru Geralyn Coopersmith says. “You can ‘read’ great books, learn a foreign language, listen to motivational giants.” If you’re exercise-multitasking, you might even find yourself working out longer (hello, busted plateau!). Check out www.audible.com for ideas.