How long does a typical "plateau" last?

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CaliforniaRower
CaliforniaRower Posts: 187 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm definitely, absolutely, without a doubt eating well under my calorie allowance AND I've exercised more this week than I typically do. I can't imagine why I'm staying pretty much steady now since Tuesday. It's Friday. I'm sad that on Sunday (my weigh-in day) I'll have nothing to report to myself. :'(

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  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    A true plateau is 4-6 weeks.

    Increased exercise could mean you're retaining more water than usual.

    Patience - it will come off!

    ~Lyssa
  • DeeNyceRN
    DeeNyceRN Posts: 104 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I recently had a 3 week plateau. I did not lose weight but I did lose inches. After the 3 weeks, I had a 3.5 pound weight loss and have been losing ever since. I may hit another plateau during my weight loss journey but I know If I keep at it I will lose.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    If you mean along the line of squishy fat and whooshes (when the empty fat cells fill up with water and then suddenly dump it), I usually found that it would take a few days.
  • CaliforniaRower
    CaliforniaRower Posts: 187 Member
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    macgurlnet wrote: »
    A true plateau is 4-6 weeks.

    Increased exercise could mean you're retaining more water than usual.

    Patience - it will come off!

    ~Lyssa

    Thank you! I burst into tears when I read this - and I'm not a crying kind of girl. I somehow "gained" 4 lbs on Sunday and Monday, so I figured it was water and would go away, but still hasn't. And there's no biological reason to be retaining water right now. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
  • lalabrucey
    lalabrucey Posts: 243 Member
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    I have wondered the same thing in the past and it led me to give up. really glad you asked this question so I could learn as well
  • CaliforniaRower
    CaliforniaRower Posts: 187 Member
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    blankiefinder wrote: »
    If you mean along the line of squishy fat and whooshes (when the empty fat cells fill up with water and then suddenly dump it), I usually found that it would take a few days.

    GREAT article! Really gave me hope. I'm going to go down another 12 oz of water RIGHT NOW. xoxoxo
  • PennyHartz
    PennyHartz Posts: 49 Member
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    Whenever I change my workout plan (in intensity, duration, or frequency) I hit a plateau for about two weeks. Your muscles retain water as a way to repair themselves, but it will release as your body becomes accustomed to the new exercise.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    CaliforniaRower wrote: »
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    A true plateau is 4-6 weeks.

    Increased exercise could mean you're retaining more water than usual.

    Patience - it will come off!

    ~Lyssa

    Thank you! I burst into tears when I read this - and I'm not a crying kind of girl. I somehow "gained" 4 lbs on Sunday and Monday, so I figured it was water and would go away, but still hasn't. And there's no biological reason to be retaining water right now. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

    If you are confident in your logging - using a food scale, weighing in grams, choosing correct entries, and eating back a portion of exercise calories (50-75% if using the MFP database), then the gain almost has to be water weight. You'd have to eat 14,000 calories ABOVE your maintenance to gain that much.

    Did you eat a lot of sodium recently? That might still be contributing. And if you're exercising more than you have been, your body will retain some water to help repair the muscles. That would be my guess for why the weight is still sticking around.

    Do you take measurements? If not, I really encourage you to do so. A good friend of mine hasn't seen the scale move a bit for a week or so, but she's losing inches!

    The scale is a cruel thing, sometimes. Measurements and pictures can be kinder. :)

    ~Lyssa

  • Nyappykim
    Nyappykim Posts: 57 Member
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    My weight wouldn't drop for about 4 or 5 days. While I knew I couldn't label it as a "plateau" yet, it was still discouraging. However, I just kept doing what I always do and yesterday, the weight started dropping again.

    Don't let it make you feel like a failure, you'll see instances like this during your weight loss journey - just let it be more of a reason to keep eating right and exercising. (:
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    It depends on what is causing it. Anything less than a couple of weeks may not have anything to do with how much you are eating. After that, even if you are retaining water for some reason, you should see some weight loss. Unless you have congestive heart failure and need to track your water retention, there isn't much value in weighing every day.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    blankiefinder wrote: »
    If you mean along the line of squishy fat and whooshes (when the empty fat cells fill up with water and then suddenly dump it), I usually found that it would take a few days.

    I've always liked that article. I have both of those issues. The first time I read it was like...ahhhhh. And reading it again right now still feels good.

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