How do you know if you have plateaued?
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How do you know? You see that you're not losing. Seems like an obvious thing to me, so I'm not sure if that's really what you meant to ask.
I quit when I plateaued. I took a very long diet break. Gained a few pounds. Didn't care. A lot of weight loss experts recommend six months on and six months off for this very reason - some people plateau and it's just too hard to keep it going. My weight loss had been slowing and slowing to a crawl and then it just kind of stopped. Unless I starved, I didn't lose.
When I restarted losing, it began flying off just like it had when I first began losing. I also had to go through like two weeks of being hungry and wanting to eat more, but I was ready to begin again, so it wasn't too bad. I've been through it before and knew it'd get better.
So, the break worked for me.0 -
So, the break worked for me.
Despite the fact that I generally agree with most of what the veterans here say, this is one place where we differ. I took a similar break after a five month or so plateau and it also worked. Yeah - I gained while on break, and it's important for people to realize this - if you eat over your maintenance you will gain. But once I dipped back down into a deficit again, I started losing.0 -
im just coming off a 3 month platau. i got to the screw it ill have a little of what i fancy on holiday, gained 2lb and now a week after coming home and getting back to my usual program im down 4lb from my lowest weight, no idea why but im happy0
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How do you know? You see that you're not losing. Seems like an obvious thing to me, so I'm not sure if that's really what you meant to ask.
Pretty much I asked because I had seen before people saying that it is only a true "plateau" if it has be X amount of weeks...and that pretty much follows with the responses. No offense to people posting here, but if I went 2 months without losing a pound while eating 1300 calories a day I would quit completely. I have like 100 lbs to lose, so if my body won't even lose a lb in 2 months of that kind of calorie restriction...what the hell is the point in depriving myself of food I love? 2 weeks of not losing was bad enough, 6-8 weeks is just ridiculous. Perhaps not ridiculous if you are down to the last 20 lbs or less left to lose, but when you still have 100 left to go no way is that reasonable IMHO.ManiacalLaugh wrote: »
So, the break worked for me.
Despite the fact that I generally agree with most of what the veterans here say, this is one place where we differ. I took a similar break after a five month or so plateau and it also worked. Yeah - I gained while on break, and it's important for people to realize this - if you eat over your maintenance you will gain. But once I dipped back down into a deficit again, I started losing.
There is actual science behind why taking a break helps you lose, but it comes down to a hotly debated subject here I have noticed which is "set point" weight. Studies have shown people maintain a remarkably stable weight just listening to eating when hungry and as much as they feel they need to be full, which has led scientists to believe people have a "set point" that their bodies want to be at. It is dysfunctional in obese people, and they believe the Western diet because of its calorie dense nature is part of why we have such an issue here...it somehow messes with the set point. Anyways, essentially those studies show that your body will adjust metabolism to compensate for reduced calories in its attempt to return to its set weight. However that is a sluggish reaction, so if you eat over those calories for a few days it "resets" and when you cut calories again you will resume losing since your body has its metabolism back to normal. Other way to accomplish the same thing is working out, as that ramps up your metabolism as well, but without working out it looks like cheat days may have some merit. I just don't think I like them this time around, feels like it is going to screw with my hunger levels making me hungrier and harder to get back to dieting.
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not nasty true...
No, it was nasty. I have a right to agree and disagree with what people post and it doesn't mean I only want people to tell me what I want to hear. I am not a sheep, I take advice but don't need to just automatically follow or agree with it just because. Get off your high horse.
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You are constantly posting things to rationalize your position and in opposition to people who have practiced what they've preached and lost weight. Lots of weight. Like set points.
That's fine, it's your weight and your life. If you know what you need to do to accomplish your goals, all that's left is to implement your knowledge. Good luck.0 -
not nasty true...
No, it was nasty. I have a right to agree and disagree with what people post and it doesn't mean I only want people to tell me what I want to hear. I am not a sheep, I take advice but don't need to just automatically follow or agree with it just because. Get off your high horse.
No not really...you were told the truth repeatedly but chose to pick the one thing that hints at starvation mode which in fact is a myth...if you aren't losing weight increasing calories isn't going to fix that...it's a proven fact...
If you want to lose weight tighten up your logging, use a food scale, log accurately and consistently which means weighing solids, measuring liquids, choosing correct entries and not taking calorie burns at face value.
I am not on a high horse...those are at the farm. I have just done a lot of research, read studies and educated myself so as not to take advice that was wrong and hopefully steer others in the right direction.
And as @DeguelloTex said...fine it's your life, your weight and you do what you think you need to do...good luck with that...cause you will need it.
ps Deguello and I don't typically agree on things but this is one of those things that we do. *smh*
ETA: out of those of us that posted correct advice you might want to check some tickers...Tex has lost over 100lbs, Rabbit over 60...me almost 60 ..etc......I think we know what we are doing.0 -
to the OP... have you taken your measurements? sometimes you will lose inches but not show it on the scale. Are your clothes fitting a little less snug? It's not a stall unless you haven't lost weight or inches for at least 6 weeks.0
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No offense to people posting here, but if I went 2 months without losing a pound while eating 1300 calories a day I would quit completely. I have like 100 lbs to lose, so if my body won't even lose a lb in 2 months of that kind of calorie restriction...what the hell is the point in depriving myself of food I love? 2 weeks of not losing was bad enough, 6-8 weeks is just ridiculous. Perhaps not ridiculous if you are down to the last 20 lbs or less left to lose, but when you still have 100 left to go no way is that reasonable IMHO.
Anyways, essentially those studies show that your body will adjust metabolism to compensate for reduced calories in its attempt to return to its set weight. However that is a sluggish reaction, so if you eat over those calories for a few days it "resets" and when you cut calories again you will resume losing since your body has its metabolism back to normal. Other way to accomplish the same thing is working out, as that ramps up your metabolism as well, but without working out it looks like cheat days may have some merit.
Everything I've read about adaptive thermogenesis points out to it being fairly PERMANENT, appreciably substantial (10% maybe 15%; though NOT 25% and certainly NOT 50%) and not easily reversible. Certainly not reversible by a "cheat day" or two, or by "eating at maintenance" for a few days. Try more than a year, or a period of weight gain, or both (if ever)!
Now let's tackle why you would want to continue eating at a "deficit" even if you are not losing!
If you are not losing, chances are that you are not eating at a substantial deficit.
So what do you think will happen if you eat more for a substantial period of time?
Did you say GAIN weight? Correct!
So, if you've been trying to LOSE weight... what's the next best alternative? Gaining? or Maintaining?0 -
I am so grateful for people who continue to post the truth even when they might be labeled as "Nasty". These tough skinned people are continually calling people out who offer incorrect advice. If you search through threads you see the same people consistently combating misinformation with facts, science, and success to back up what they say.0
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not nasty true...
No, it was nasty. I have a right to agree and disagree with what people post and it doesn't mean I only want people to tell me what I want to hear. I am not a sheep, I take advice but don't need to just automatically follow or agree with it just because. Get off your high horse.
You have a right to disagree, but the people who you are disagreeing with have walked the path you say you want to walk and can back what they say up. If you want to believe you are in starvation mode or any of the other myths then fill your boots, we see time and again new dieters complaining they arent losing and it always boils down to them eating more than they think, burning less and inaccurate logging or lack of patience. If you believe its different for you than everyone else, then i suggest you go and see a Dr for a more in depth diagnosis.
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daniwilford wrote: »I am so grateful for people who continue to post the truth even when they might be labeled as "Nasty". These tough skinned people are continually calling people out who offer incorrect advice. If you search through threads you see the same people consistently combating misinformation with facts, science, and success to back up what they say.
Amen
You are right..i noticed lately that my attitude is/was changing in...I dont care..why should i post. People dont want/like to hear the truth.
Why should i go in ridiculous discussion while an OP dont want to hear it anyway.
@daniwilford you are soooo right!
For myself... i dont know Still in the backing off mood and let them discover and figuring it out them self.0 -
TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »daniwilford wrote: »I am so grateful for people who continue to post the truth even when they might be labeled as "Nasty". These tough skinned people are continually calling people out who offer incorrect advice. If you search through threads you see the same people consistently combating misinformation with facts, science, and success to back up what they say.
Amen
You are right..i noticed lately that my attitude is/was changing in...I dont care..why should i post. People dont want/like to hear the truth.
Why should i go in ridiculous discussion while an OP dont want to hear it anyway.
@daniwilford you are soooo right!
For myself... i dont know Still in the backing off mood and let them discover and figuring it out them self.
I did that too for a while...it's nice to take a break and come back.0 -
Wow, cool. Good to know this supportive environment is only supportive if you don't dare have any controversial opinions and just do what everyone says with no questions asked. Ever heard you attract more bees with honey than vinegar? Being rude and posting telling me that essentially I have no idea what I am talking about, that I shouldn't even bother posting, and that I haven't lost enough weight to apparently "qualify" to know what I am talking about doesn't exactly seem supportive or helpful to me. It is rude, anyone here who felt like I wasn't listening to the right advice could have said so in a much less offensive way. How it was put was just plain disrespectful to me and RUDE.
Also do you guys fail to see that in your apparent agreement you actually disagree. A good portion of you are telling me it isn't a plateau and is just water weight, and the other half are saying that it is simply a CICO equation and if I am not losing I must be inaccurately logging (which isn't the case, I weight everything that goes in my body and am obsessive about it). Jesus, I cannot even stand how rude people are being in this thread about this issue.-1 -
Different things work for different people. You know you're doing the right thing for you when it works. If it works, don't worry about whether I approve or MFP approves or Joe Ding Dong walking down the street approves.How do you know? You see that you're not losing. Seems like an obvious thing to me, so I'm not sure if that's really what you meant to ask.
Pretty much I asked because I had seen before people saying that it is only a true "plateau" if it has be X amount of weeks...and that pretty much follows with the responses. No offense to people posting here, but if I went 2 months without losing a pound while eating 1300 calories a day I would quit completely. I have like 100 lbs to lose, so if my body won't even lose a lb in 2 months of that kind of calorie restriction...what the hell is the point in depriving myself of food I love? 2 weeks of not losing was bad enough, 6-8 weeks is just ridiculous. Perhaps not ridiculous if you are down to the last 20 lbs or less left to lose, but when you still have 100 left to go no way is that reasonable IMHO.ManiacalLaugh wrote: »
So, the break worked for me.
Despite the fact that I generally agree with most of what the veterans here say, this is one place where we differ. I took a similar break after a five month or so plateau and it also worked. Yeah - I gained while on break, and it's important for people to realize this - if you eat over your maintenance you will gain. But once I dipped back down into a deficit again, I started losing.
There is actual science behind why taking a break helps you lose, but it comes down to a hotly debated subject here I have noticed which is "set point" weight. Studies have shown people maintain a remarkably stable weight just listening to eating when hungry and as much as they feel they need to be full, which has led scientists to believe people have a "set point" that their bodies want to be at. It is dysfunctional in obese people, and they believe the Western diet because of its calorie dense nature is part of why we have such an issue here...it somehow messes with the set point. Anyways, essentially those studies show that your body will adjust metabolism to compensate for reduced calories in its attempt to return to its set weight. However that is a sluggish reaction, so if you eat over those calories for a few days it "resets" and when you cut calories again you will resume losing since your body has its metabolism back to normal. Other way to accomplish the same thing is working out, as that ramps up your metabolism as well, but without working out it looks like cheat days may have some merit. I just don't think I like them this time around, feels like it is going to screw with my hunger levels making me hungrier and harder to get back to dieting.
The truth is that nobody has all the answers. People who are actually qualified to study it - guys with Ivy League educations and years of experience - they don't know. They aren't even sure what triggers weight loss. What happens in the body, exactly, that triggers it to use up fat? They're not sure. It's a science in it's infancy, but getting bigger all the time.
So, relax. Do what works for you and don't worry too much about how it works or whether it should. There are so many ideas about How To Do It that you can't follow them all, so follow your bliss.
Keep trying until you find the thing that works. Be flexible to switch it up if it stops working and don't give up.
That's my $.02
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http://breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/dont-count-calories-to-lose-weight-the-body-fat-set-point-theory
https://medical.mit.edu/sites/default/files/set_point_theory.pdf
Two reputable sources to back up what I was talking about, this isn't bro-science, this is the science of obesity which is a VERY changeable field. New stuff is being discovered every year, we do not know enough about obesity, causes and cures yet to say anything for sure but a lot of studies back up this theory.0 -
The truth is that nobody has all the answers. People who are actually qualified to study it - guys with Ivy League educations and years of experience - they don't know. They aren't even sure what triggers weight loss. What happens in the body, exactly, that triggers it to use up fat? They're not sure. It's a science in it's infancy, but getting bigger all the time.
LOL, funny how we ended up pretty posting that exact same point within a minute of each other. I agree, the science of weight loss and obesity is not understood very well yet which means nobody (no matter how amazing they are for losing what they have lost so far) is the know it all expert on it. I mentioned the somewhat controversial, set point theory and everyone wants to tell me I know nothing? Ok...but honestly, neither do you or anybody when it comes to this. All we can do is offer what worked for US and take it from there, I dislike feeling like this thread became "DO IT HOW I DO IT OR YOU ARE DUMB AND WON'T LOSE!" being jammed down my throat. Not cool guys, I listened to all the advice and took parts of it to apply to my weight loss (like the trendweight graph) but just because I am not going to do 100% of what you recommend doesn't mean I didn't appreciate the people who contributed advice. I listened, but I don't just obey blindly, sorry if I am only allowed to post if that I what I will do with all the "valid" (like how you all get to choose which opinions are right and valid too) advice tells me...didn't see that in the MFP guidelines.
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and right now for medical reasons I cannot exercise (have an appointment to see a pulmonologist as I cannot exert myself without my O2 levels dropping, likely because of the 2 bouts of pneumonia last year). I feel so stuck and getting frustrated.
Your O2 levels drop with minimal exertion???? I really think a physician should be monitoring your calories/exercise weight loss progress more so than this MFP board. Are you on medications, steroids?? Those can def cause a gain including water retention
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