Do people always plateau?

jezahb

I have lost a lot of weight rather easily already by just sticking to the calorie intake, and I am really pleased with myself...however I am concerned it has been TOO easy. I hear so often people saying the first 20 lbs come off so easy, but then the loss slows and the weight won't budge. I am terrified of that happening to me, as so far I have been feeling so much better about myself having lost 16 lbs. So my question is, do people always hit a point where weight loss becomes much harder? When do you hit it? I mean my idle body weight for my height is around 115 and I am more than 100 lbs from that still....so its no where near those infamous "last 5 lbs". I just want to avoid plateauing if possible, so I would like hints.

srm1960

:sad: :sad:
Yes I did!!!.....it was in my last 5 llbs....I uped my cals....it took me 6 wks to break....I still don't know how I lost....but I hit another one again....I just want to drop 2 more llbs....don't know the science behind it....but you need to constantly switch up your food & gym routines....so I try to do a different cardio every time,,,& now I'm trying weights too....people say you have to trick your body..?? Good luck...:blushing: :blushing:

dakotababy

I have been floating around the 210 mark for about 8 months now. I started at 250lbs.

It has definitely been a nightmare, but it is a chance to test your new lifestyle and as long as you keep going, it eventually will come off.

I am not sure if EVERYONE plateaus, but I am fairly confident to say that most people do sometime during their never-ending journey.

jezahb

The thing that seems so far to work for me, is cheating on occasion. I cheat, I gain a lb and then I go back to dieting and lose 3 lbs. I wonder if that is why I have been losing so easily...like I am fooling my body into upping the metabolism to handle the extra calories for 2 days and then I go right back to dieting and it stays elevated? I hope so, because it has been working really well for me. It plays into what srm said about tricking your body, since it would make sense if you do nothing but restrict your cals your body would compensate by lowering your metabolism.

That said, I don't recommend cheating on occasion unless you have killer will power, each time I cave and cheat with a box of poptarts or a bagel I have a crazy hard time getting back to eating healthy again.

LadyPakal

So far, I've not stalled for longer than a week or two - I figure it's just my body taking a breather.

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx

I stalled for about a month earlier in the year, and generally I'm not losing as quickly now as I was at the start. But still losing - 80lbs so far. I have another 90 to go, I was over 300lbs when I started.. The key is to just keep going. I've also never done 'cheat days'. I eat between 1700 - 2000 calories most days, this is based off my TDEE so I don't eat exercise calories back. I also exercise, usually 5x 45 - 60 min cardio sessions per week and 3 - 4 x weights. I moderate food rather than eliminate it. If I want something I eat it but I fit it into my daily calories and macros. Works for me

55in13

Every plateau I had was caused by not eating at a deficit. Physics works pretty well on my planet and when I burn more than I consume I lose weight. Switching up foods and cheating has been tested in lab conditions and it does not change the basic equation. Most people just stick to it better after that brief reprieve and start losing again. These are mind games, not body tricks.