Expert: Lela Simon - 6/25/2009

Question
Hi. I am a 35 year old mother of two. In the past, I have always maintained a healthy weight (5'5" and 125 pounds). After the birth of my second child who is now 2, I was 25 pounds overweight with a BMI of 27.8. I decided to join a gym last March, and have since lost 8 pounds. I have never "dieted" before,and my goal was to gradually get back into shape not lose weight rapidly. I decided to start by making healthier choices when it comes to eating. I cut out all fast food and fried foods, cut my fat intake drastically, and choose healthier foods when it comes to snacking (fruits, veggies, lowfat dairy). Recently I seem to have reached a plateau. After losing 8 pounds in 2 1/2 months, I now find that I am not losing anymore weight. My exercise routine has consisted of 30 min cardio 4 days of the week, with a strength circuit after the cardio on 3 days. I assumed that since I stopped losing weight I should increase my cardio to 45 min. The past couple of times, after my cardio I feel really shaky. It passes in about 10 to 15 minutes but is kind of scary. I dont have any underlying health conditions, I eat a light breakfast (yogurt or oatmeal) before I go to the gym, I warm up for at least 5 minutes,drink plenty of water while exercising, and I also allow 5 to 10 minutes for a cool down so that my heart rate doesnt plummet. If you have any advice for me about what I should be doing differently when it comes to my exercise routine and nutrition, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
MM

Answer
Michelle,
Take a piece of fruit with you to the gym and eat it between your cardio and strength training. It sounds like your a little hypoglycemic after working out (not uncommon) but if that doesn't fix it go see a doc, it might be a blood pressure issue.

Also to bust this plateau its time to shake up your routine! Get a new circuit or try a different strength routine entirely. Shaking things up will make a world of difference!

Hope this helps,
Lela Simon