The Plateau
Oprah! I need your help. At my peak, I was 257 pounds. I am now 195 and have hit a wall. I just can't seem to get past it. How have you gotten over plateaus?
— Carissa, 24, Auburn, Washington
The way to get past a plateau is to move faster and harder. People think they can do the same old workout every day, but your body gets used to it and stops losing weight. That's what happened with one of my boot campers, Stacey. Before we started, I'd see her in the gym year in, year out, doing the treadmill, StairMaster, weights...treadmill, StairMaster, weights—it never changed. One day when I thought, Dear God, there she is again!, I said, "Do you want me to help you?" It wasn't until boot camp, where we pushed ourselves further every day, that she lost 25 pounds. So if you are stuck, gradually add more speed and intensity to your workout and you should start losing weight again. And by the way, to anybody reading the paper on the StairMaster, I say, "May I offer you a cocktail, too? Would you like a lemon with that?"
