Plateau? I'm stumped and need help (or a kick in the bum if I'm doing something wrong)!

wannaloseit77

Okay, I think I need a reality check. I've put on 0.2lbs this past week, which is no big deal, right? But the thing is, over the last five weeks I've only lost three pounds. My Fitbit and MFP are all set for a weekly two pound loss and it 'looks' like I'm on track. So where am I going wrong?! I use my Salter scales to weigh my food, I'm not keen on lowering my calorie goals any further (currently set at 1200), I'm at the gym a few times a week and walk a fair bit... Any help would be great! Is this just a plateau?

ninerbuff

If you're less than 200lbs, 2lbs a week is pretty aggressive. Shoot for 1lb a week. Also if you added exercise recently, then weight gain is not unusual due to glycogen and water retention.
Not even close to a plateau which is 6 weeks or more of no weight movement if one didn't stray on consistent diet and exercise.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

wannaloseit77

Thanks. I am below 200 so maybe I should reassess my goals. I started at the gym almost 7 weeks ago and I was there yesterday doing strength training... I remember someone had said that the muscles will be retaining water (or something like that) so maybe I should see what my scales say tomorrow.

Sued0nim

What niner said

Also this might help

wannaloseit77

Thanks, that's a great chart! I have started eating back some of my calorie burn this week so maybe it's worth not doing that.

Sued0nim

Nope..keep doing it ..could easily be water weight fluctuations ...more calories is good to fuel exercise...decide in a couple more weeks

wannaloseit77

Thanks for all the help. I'll keep an eye on things over the next few weeks and see where to go from there. Thanks

Sued0nim

editorgrrl

wannaloseit77 wrote: »

I have started eating back some of my calorie burn this week so maybe it's worth not doing that.

Your Fitbit burn is TDEE. If you eat at a reasonable deficit from that, you will lose weight. But you must enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

And log exercise in Fitbit, rather than MFP.

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

Sued0nim

editorgrrl wrote: »

wannaloseit77 wrote: »

I have started eating back some of my calorie burn this week so maybe it's worth not doing that.

Your Fitbit burn is TDEE. If you eat at a reasonable deficit from that, you will lose weight. But you must enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

And log exercise in Fitbit, rather than MFP.

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

I log my exercise in MFP by time, interested in why you think that makes a difference @editorgrrl

editorgrrl

rabbitjb wrote: »

I log my exercise in MFP by time, interested in why you think that makes a difference @editorgrrl

Your Fitbit burn is TDEE, and exercise logged in MFP overwrites your Fitbit burn during that time. If you're logging HRM burns for steady-state cardio in MFP, that's fine. But I would never trust MFP's burns over Fitbit's.

I lost the weight & have kept it off for more than a year by trusting my Fitbit. YMMV.