How to Get Beyond That Weight Plateau

Question: I’ve lost some weight, but I seem to have reached a plateau. Is there anything I can do?

JULIE REHNBECK

Santa Fe, N.M.

Answer: To press through your plateau, try training for a competition. Find a 5-kilometer race or even a half-marathon, and start training. Other suggestions:

* Incorporate “intervals” into your aerobic exercise. Intervals are brief periods (about one minute) of more intense exercise mixed into your regular aerobic sessions. These intervals will increase your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, causing you to burn more calories 24 hours a day.

* Exercise daily, even if it’s just a walk around the block. Some people find this easier to do in the mornings; some prefer afternoons. Regardless, just fit it in.

* Get serious about healthful eating. Planning healthy meals and snacks takes time, but it’s especially important away from home. The number of calories and fat grams you consume per day is critical to weight loss. With daily exercise, most people will achieve a healthy weight loss consuming 1,700 to 2,000 calories, and 25 to 35 fat grams per day.

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Stephanie Oakes is the fitness correspondent for Discovery Health Channel and a health/fitness consultant. Send questions by e-mail to: stephoakes@aol.com. She cannot respond to every query.