I think I have plateued.

pdelozier76

Hello this is my first post and I was hoping to introduce myself properly before asking for help, but I'm feeling a little down about my weight loss.
I'm Paul and have used MFP for about a year on and off. And have recently got back on the wagon so to speak. When I started back up February 17 this year I weighed 262.2 and today I have gotten down to 246. For the past seven days I have been bouncing back and forth between 245 and 246. I do weigh myself daily. I am eating the same. Keeping the calorie below 1960 as I'm supposed to. Most of the time I'm around 1500 to 1700. I do not exercise. I just work on my feet all day. Sometimes I feel like my scale is not working correctly because I feel my close and work uniforms getting looser everyday. It's digital so I though it would be accurate. Just feeling discouraged.

Thanks will any encouragement.

pdelozier76

Hello this is my first post and I was hoping to introduce myself properly before asking for help, but I'm feeling a little down about my weight loss.
I'm Paul and have used MFP for about a year on and off. And have recently got back on the wagon so to speak. When I started back up February 17 this year I weighed 262.2 and today I have gotten down to 246. For the past seven days I have been bouncing back and forth between 245 and 246. I do weigh myself daily. I am eating the same. Keeping the calorie below 1960 as I'm supposed to. Most of the time I'm around 1500 to 1700. I do not exercise. I just work on my feet all day. Sometimes I feel like my scale is not working correctly because I feel my close and work uniforms getting looser everyday. It's digital so I though it would be accurate. Just feeling discouraged.

Thanks will any encouragement.

malibu927

It's only been a week. Be patient and ensure that your logging is accurate.

AmyRhubarb

The scale is not always the best way to gauge progress - I went for six months with the scale showing a gain/loss of the same few pounds, but during that time I dropped a full size.

If your clothes are fitting better, that's progress. Grab a tape measure and start tracking your measurements, and snap some photos for comparison - great ways to see progress when the scale seems to be stuck.

DemoraFairy

malibu927 wrote: »

It's only been a week. Be patient and ensure that your logging is accurate.

Exactly this. A week is nothing, nowhere near long enough to start worrying about plateauing! When you haven't lost weight for at least a month, that's when it's time to start re-evaluating. Weight loss is not linear and you won't lose weight constantly.

heather_hearts_travel

Be encouraged! One week is not a plateau. The scale will reflect your weight, but it may lie about your overall progress. If your clothes are looser, progress is being made. There are many ways to track progress and success - take your measurements! I've been at this for about 18 months, and in that time I've seen many weeks where the scale did not budge. It can be discouraging, but it is normal. 17 pounds in a month is FANTASTIC - really, it's a LOT! Be encouraged by that, and let your body catch up to the losses you've made so quickly. Keep doing what you're doing, and in time the scale will move again.

JSurita2

Don't get discouraged. Be patient and be proud of your progress thus far. Slow and steady....don't give up.

Lourdesong

A week isn't long enough to be a plateau. You likely won't lose every week. Some weeks you'll lose a lot, some you'll lose none, and some you'll lose a piddly amount, because weight loss isn't linear. Pay attention to trends over time.
If 6 weeks passes and you still are dancing around 245, then you know something you're doing isn't working.
I've gone several weeks without losing anything. But I still manage to lose 7-8 lbs a month on average, or 2 lbs a week on average.

pdelozier76

Thank you all for the kind words. I will keep at it.

jkwolly

Also, 1500 - 1600 for a 245lb man is VERY low. Eat at what was recommended, you need to fuel your body!

JayRuby84

I'm with everyone else who says it's only been a week. I will say I understand the frustration when you work really hard at staying on target and don't see the desired outcome right away. I totally get that. Hang in there, be consistent. You WILL see results.

pdelozier76

JayRuby84 wrote: »

I'm with everyone else who says it's only been a week. I will say I understand the frustration when you work really hard at staying on target and don't see the desired outcome right away. I totally get that. Hang in there, be consistent. You WILL see results.

I think my issue was that it's been coming off literally every day and it just stopped for a week.

I need patience.

Thank you.

999tigger

You need to get a grasp on the idea that weight loss is not linear as well as some perspective on how long it will take. A plateau tends to be about 6 weeks +. Seven days is just ridiculously short, so alter your expectations.

You lost 17lb in a month? Feb to March 262-245 when a healthy weight loss would be 1-2lb a week and you are getting down about that?

Id think about doing some exercise bith cardio and resistance.

pdelozier76

999tigger wrote: »

You need to get a grasp on the idea that weight loss is not linear as well as some perspective on how long it will take. A plateau tends to be about 6 weeks +. Seven days is just ridiculously short, so alter your expectations.

You lost 17lb in a month? Feb to March 262-245 when a healthy weight loss would be 1-2lb a week and you are getting down about that?

Id think about doing some exercise bith cardio and resistance.

I though it was a lot of weight to lose. I weigh every morning naked and log it in the app.

Seems a little quick.

Thanks for the response.

leggup

In the beginning, you might lose 6 lbs in 1 week. This is mostly water weight. Even in the early months, it's normal to lose 1-2 lbs a week consistently. The longer you stick with it, the more irregular your weight loss will become. Never look at your progress in terms of anything less than 1 month. Set your MFP progress chart to show 3 months at a time. If you see a downward trend you're doing just fine.

A plateau means that your weight has stayed the same for 4-6 weeks. This is usually because someone is eating too much or their activity level has dropped.

pdelozier76

britishbroccoli wrote: »

In the beginning, you might lose 6 lbs in 1 week. This is mostly water weight. Even in the early months, it's normal to lose 1-2 lbs a week consistently. The longer you stick with it, the more irregular your weight loss will become. Never look at your progress in terms of anything less than 1 month. Set your MFP progress chart to show 3 months at a time. If you see a downward trend you're doing just fine.

A plateau means that your weight has stayed the same for 4-6 weeks. This is usually because someone is eating too much or their activity level has dropped.

What does that mean to loose water weight?

I drink so much water. I drink a lot more water when I'm watching my weight and using MFP.

SueInAz

pdelozier76 wrote: »

britishbroccoli wrote: »

In the beginning, you might lose 6 lbs in 1 week. This is mostly water weight. Even in the early months, it's normal to lose 1-2 lbs a week consistently. The longer you stick with it, the more irregular your weight loss will become. Never look at your progress in terms of anything less than 1 month. Set your MFP progress chart to show 3 months at a time. If you see a downward trend you're doing just fine.

A plateau means that your weight has stayed the same for 4-6 weeks. This is usually because someone is eating too much or their activity level has dropped.

What does that mean to loose water weight?

I drink so much water. I drink a lot more water when I'm watching my weight and using MFP.

It takes a 3500 calorie deficit to lose one pound of fat. The likelihood of having that large of a deficit in one day is pretty slim. So, any time you see a weight gain or loss of more than a few ounces from day to day, at least some of it is water.

Our bodies retain water and how much water they retain fluctuates on a daily, even hourly, basis. For example, muscles retain water to help them repair after a strenuous workout. Eating too much sodium will cause water retention, too. When we lose weight, it's a combination of fat, water and muscle. At the beginning of a weight loss program, most people change the way they are eating and often drastically. Simply cutting out excess sugar and salt from the diet will cause a large initial drop in weight due to water being released because of it.

DKG28

I've been doing this 60 days. The first month and a half there was a steady decline, but the past two weeks I've been plus/minus the same one pound, even though I've changed nothing. Today, the scale broke past that range i've been stuck in. That's just how it works. Stick with it! You're doing great!

lindsayh87

What they're all saying is true - a week may be too short to say and it could be water. It could also be too few calories. If you put your body in too much of a deficit, it will fire back and cling on to every single thing you put into it. The calorie goal of 1960 is already a deficit for you for the day (typically around 500) so a little less than that is great, but too far is not real healthy. You do need to fuel your body, especially if you work on your feet. I am just learning this. I thought I plateaued, I was stuck at 130 for 3 weeks - working out and staying at less than the 1200 calories MFP gave me. I recently started adding 200 more calories and started losing again! Also, now may be the time to pay closer attention to your nutrition goals if you aren't already. Go beyond calories and look at how many carbs and fat you are consuming. That 200 extra calories I've added I try to make mostly protein since your body cannot store that as fat. Good luck!

nivi_r

Try changing your routine for some time. I have lost the max when I have had to take off a week (or two) with no gym access. Good Luck!

leggup

pdelozier76 wrote: »

britishbroccoli wrote: »

In the beginning, you might lose 6 lbs in 1 week. This is mostly water weight. Even in the early months, it's normal to lose 1-2 lbs a week consistently. The longer you stick with it, the more irregular your weight loss will become. Never look at your progress in terms of anything less than 1 month. Set your MFP progress chart to show 3 months at a time. If you see a downward trend you're doing just fine.

A plateau means that your weight has stayed the same for 4-6 weeks. This is usually because someone is eating too much or their activity level has dropped.

What does that mean to loose water weight?

I drink so much water. I drink a lot more water when I'm watching my weight and using MFP.

Here's a good explanation: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/What-Does-Mean-Lose-Water-Weight-14968229

When you start losing weight, you deplete your glycogen stores. Glycogen stores hold water, so you will immediately drop some weight.

Once you're on your merry way, dieting and exercising, you will still experience some water weight fluctuations, but not a big drop like you did in the beginning (unless you're doing something like carb cycling). I drink a ton of water, but if I have a crazy high sodium, high alcohol weekend, I will retain water until a few days after. my weight will shoot up and then drop off all in one week. This is a water weight fluctuation.

pdelozier76

Started loosing again. Now I'm at 241.6.

Thank you for all your replies.

LAWoman72

I bounce around all the time over the course of any given week. Look for a general downward trend over time and welcome back!

suzcarlon85

Glad to hear the scales are telling you what you want to hear well done on the weight loss, that's fantastic. I sat at 180 for three weeks before finally dropping my first 3lbs. The water weight comes off because when you drink enough your body doesn't need to hold onto a reserve as such. If you do hit a plateau try cardio aswell as your work lifestyle although don't be discouraged if you don't drop as much due to muscle gain.

TiffanyR71

I totally understand the impatience. Unfortunately, I've been a yo-yo dieter for many years, and have gained and lost 40 or so pounds (again and again). It's getting harder and harder each time I "decide" to lose it, and now, in my mid-40's I'm trying to put an end to the cycle. So, when I first get back to tracking or dieting or working out, and see a nice drop every day, I get spoiled by that, and then when it goes up .5 lb or stays flat for more than a few days, I get frustrated and call it a plateau, even if it has been a few days.

I agree with the other poster who mentioned taking measurements. If you're noticing that you're visibly getting thinner and that your clothes are fitting you better, that's progress, too! On a day that I went up .5 lb, I took measurements and was encouraged by 1.5 in. off my waist! However, numbers don't tell the whole story... how do you FEEL??

Anyway - congrats on your progress so far, and keep up the great work - don't give that scale the power to diminish your hard work & progress!

lindsayh87

pdelozier76 wrote: »

Started loosing again. Now I'm at 241.6.

Thank you for all your replies.

Yay! Way to stick with it through the frustration! I totally slipped over last weekend and my body hasn't fully recovered Getting back into the routine now though!

pdelozier76

What I'm getting now is that this isn't dieting. It has to be a lifestyle to stay healthy.

Just have to make better choices so that I can stay around longer for my family.

bigd66218

This is a breakthrough, a hurdle has been placed on your journey and you have cleared it. Congrats!!

pdelozier76

Down to 235.2. Still going strong. MFP community is my saving grace.

pdelozier76

229.6 still going strong. MFP and its community is the best.

pdelozier76

Here we go again. 18 days and have stayed around 230.

Can someone have a look at my diary? Perhaps I'm not eating right.

Thanks.