ELLEN, journalist and anti-athlete: Scientists can explain the ancient physiological reasons behind our bodies slowing down and weight loss coming to a halt after a successful food plan change.

I can only tell you that I have experienced this several times and Heather has great advice. Your body has adjusted to your new plan and you need to change it. It’s frustrating that the change may include doing something more, such as taking up strength training or walking farther.

I remember Oprah commenting that she knew exactly what she had to do to stay teeny but it just wasn’t worth it. She wanted to live her life and enjoy certain foods, so she was going to be satisfied with her current shape. You might evaluate whether you are truly at a plateau but at the place that you and your body feel comfortable.

You might also want to check with a nutritionist about your food plan. Sometimes the balance of protein, fat and carbohydrates needs to be adjusted and then weight will start to fall off again.

My own personal experience tells me that when I hit a plateau, I need to ramp up the physical activity. Strength training has helped on this. I’ve recently had to stop this because of some surgery and while I’ve lost even more weight, I’m noticing that my body isn’t changing. I need to get back to toning those muscles!!

And this is my final point. A doctor recently suggested, at a talk in Philadelphia, that you use the clothes-ometer rather than the scale to judge how you are doing with weight loss. If your clothes are looser even though the scale shows you haven’t lost a pound, you will know that your efforts are yielding results. So, be careful how central that scale is to your feelings of weight loss success. Sometimes your clothing or a glance in the mirror is a better measure of how you are doing.

Posted June 11, 2003 01:45 AM