Weight hasn't changed in three weeks

sodapoppin28

So I've been logging for about two months now and have lost a considerable amount of weight. For the past three weeks I've been stuck at the same weight. I do lift weights twice a week with some added cardio so I was thinking it could be the added muscle mass but I'm just not sure.

I was also wondering if mfp will automatically adjust my daily calorie goal as I input my new weight or if I will have to adjust it myself. I would like to refrain from adjusting it myself because I'm not sure what's a proper daily calorie goal for me. Thanks.

CoffeeNCardio

I promise this is not meant to be snarky, it's just a really helpful tool to use

CoffeeNCardio

First, Congratulations on your weight loss! You've earned it!

I'm gonna say this as a disclaimer: when people hit a plateau, if it's a real plateau, it will be 6 or more weeks of seeing no loss. Working out, salt intake, as well as just normal fluctuations can have a very serious impact on your scale weight because all three of those things involve retaining water. Sometimes this can happen if you aren't getting enough water, so make sure you are drinking plenty (you need more than the recommended 8 glasses if you are working out and sweating a lot, that number is not one-size-fits-all), but so can just completely normal fluctuations, so if you are drinking plenty, don't worry about it. When you are weight training, you are breaking down and rebuilding muscle tissue, and muscle tissue regeneration can make you retain quite a lot of water too.

My recommendation is that you give it some time for these normal fluctuations to do their thing, and then if you are still having a problem, look to your logging. It's the number one issue that causes weight loss stalls. It may just mean something as simple as choosing verified entries (green check marks) over user entered ones, which are frequently wrong, or you could need to start weighing your food or measuring it a little better. But give it time before you go buy a scale in a panic, these stalls happen to even the most accurate of loggers:)

sodapoppin28

Thanks for the advice and I definitely do believe that I am in a plateau. I don't use a food scale but I mostly eat the same foods every week and what I've been eating hasn't changed from when I was losing weight like crazy at the start. I wont even say I mostly drink water because its pretty much all I drink I've cut out sodas and juices. I will say that most of my meals come pre cooked (Boston market, publix subs, pollo tropical, chipotle) and I do tend to go over my sodium goals almost all of the time because of that but it was never an issue before.

CoffeeNCardio

sodapoppin28 wrote: »

Thanks for the advice and I definitely do believe that I am in a plateau. I don't use a food scale but I mostly eat the same foods every week and what I've been eating hasn't changed from when I was losing weight like crazy at the start. I wont even say I mostly drink water because its pretty much all I drink I've cut out sodas and juices. I will say that most of my meals come pre cooked (Boston market, publix subs, pollo tropical, chipotle) and I do tend to go over my sodium goals almost all of the time because of that but it was never an issue before.

Then my guess is just normal fluctuations. People are all over the map with water weight, and yes, actual weight in terms of muscle and fat. Check these posts out, I think it will make you feel better and calm your worries. You really strike me as someone who has this under control. You're doing really well.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10155495/just-another-plateau-and-weigh-in-thread

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

Orphia

sodapoppin28 wrote: »

I was also wondering if mfp will automatically adjust my daily calorie goal as I input my new weight or if I will have to adjust it myself. I would like to refrain from adjusting it myself because I'm not sure what's a proper daily calorie goal for me. Thanks.

I've found that MFP only makes those adjustments when I edit my goals on the website. It has never adjusted itself for me when adding a new weight on the app.

You're right to query that, because yes, your calorie limit should lower the closer you get to your goal.