How to Fight WLP! The Last Battle of the Bulge by Marilynn Preston on Creators.com

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How to Fight WLP! The Last Battle of the Bulge

Connie — an old friend with a new perspective — lost 52 pounds over the last eight months, and she's got 38 wiggly ones to go. Until now, everything's been over-the-moon great. After a lifetime of stupid gimmicky starvation diets that never worked, Connie has seen the light, and it's not spelled l-i-t-e.

This time, she used her b-r-a-i-n. Connie's weight loss/healthy lifestyle plan is based on eating modest portions of real food that tastes good and makes her body happy — vegetables, fruits, fish and poultry, whole grains, seeds and nuts. Her secret weapon? Exercise! No pain, no strain, but she tries to do something physical and fun for 30 to 60 minutes every day.

Connie's been losing a pound or two a week, and that's enough for her. The drama is gone, the dieting is over, her new Oprah-approved lifestyle is helping her become exactly who she wants to be. Connie's never hungry, she's off her high-blood-pressure meds, and her energy level is back to what it was when she played second base for her college softball team. Bravo! Connie rocks. She is the American dream come true — a big loser with benefits. So what's the problem?

WLP. Weight Loss Plateau. Connie is stuck at 163, and she can't get the needle to budge. She's eating the same smart way — no diet food, no artificial sugars, fresh fruit for dessert. And she's exercising with enthusiasm — walking, dance class, a stationary bike first thing in the morning. But suddenly, it's not working. WLP is very common and extremely frustrating. A mild depression is suggesting itself on weekends. Connie is beginning to dream about frozen Snickers.

What can WLP sufferers do to push through the dreaded weight loss plateau? Plenty, according to a man who has seen more pounds lost than the British banking system: Dr. Nicholas Yphantides, medical spokesman for TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly, www.tops.org). TOPS is a nonprofit weight-loss and wellness support organization based in Milwaukee. It's been around for more than 60 years and takes a safe, sane approach to slimming down while wising up.

"Some weight loss warriors make the mistake of expecting different results with the same routine," says Dr. Nick.

"It's easy to get discouraged, but it's more efficient to get creative."

Here are some of Dr. Nick's creative strategies should you ever butt up against the WLP challenge:

Shift Your Body's Behavior. Weight loss plateaus happen because at some point, after x pounds lost, the body says "enough is enough." It moves to achieve a state of equilibrium known as homeostasis. It's up to you to trick it into behaving differently. One way, says Dr. Nick, is to feed your body a different number of calories than it is expecting on any given day. Keep your weekly caloric intake steady, but eat a lot more one day and a lot less the next. Once you've shown your body who's boss — I'm speaking now in oversimplified concepts — it should stop clinging to the status quo and cooperate with further weight loss. If it doesn't, resume your normal daily calorie count, and try something else.

Add a New Activity to Your Routine. This strategy sounds much more jolly than fasting and feasting. Dr. Nick wants you to activate more muscles, new muscles, in different ways. If you're a swimmer, start some vigorous walking. If you bike, jump in the pool. Also, vary the intensity of your workouts. Run/bike/swim at 80 percent effort, back off, pick up the pace again. It's called interval training, and it's a wonderful tool to make your workouts more productive, and more interesting, too.

* Strength Train. Switch one or two of your weekly aerobic workouts to a strength-training session. Learn proper form and breathing, and have your best time. Increasing your muscle mass will jump-start your metabolic rate.

MORE MEALS. If you've been eating three meals a day, Dr. Nick advises, switch to five smaller ones so you fuel your metabolism over a longer period of time. Also, be sure to start your day with a solid breakfast. (No skipping meals!). You'll have more focus and more energy all day long.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! PRACTICE BEING PATIENT

"There is no need to yearn, envy and grab. You will get your rightful portion when it is your time." — Epictetus

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She has a website, http://marilynnpreston.com and welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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