Have hit a plateau, it seems
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Thanks for the reply! By "no progress" I mean, I'm at exactly the same weight
I just feel like I'm trying so darn hard at this without seeing the scale change. But I am seeing other changes- I can both see and feel changes in my body and physical appearance (like limb thickness, for example) so something good must be happening? But I want NUMBERS).
The scale is always the last to show the hard work you are putting in!
Keep doing what you are doing and the scale will go down. Trust me! Haha I have a lot of experience. You just have to have patience and belief. I only lose on the scale every 4 weeks.
I get frustrated too when it takes forever for the scale to move. What keeps me going and knowing that I'm making good progress & losing fat is seeing how I fit into my clothes. The scale hadn't moved for 3 & 1/2 weeks but I knew things were working for me as I started to see definition in my arms again!! Then I had a big woosh and lost a 2.2 lbs
Keep up the good work!0 -
clockworksailing wrote: »When you have a long enough plateau even the trending weigh catches the real weight in around 15-20 days and you start falling behind in the forecasts of the application. Trending charts are great but they don't address the question.
The OP does not fall in the case that you are presenting which COULD represent a plateau.
The OP had a total of TWO scale data points that were 20 days apart and identical. The OP does not have any in-between data points.0 -
I didn't know that there were only two data points. That's a big mistake in my book. I'd suggest at least 5 data points for 20 days so you could at least get a clue of what's going on. What the OP is trying to do is called "dead reckoning". I'd suggest frequent weigh-ins.0
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You say you see and feel changes in your body,, that is way more important than the scales,, remember MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT.. if you looked at a body builder on paper,, just height and weight, he Or she would be far over weight, the scales do not ALWAYS tell the whole story.0
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lynnstrick01 wrote: »You say you see and feel changes in your body,, that is way more important than the scales,, remember MUSCLE WEIGHS MORE THAN FAT.. if you looked at a body builder on paper,, just height and weight, he Or she would be far over weight, the scales do not ALWAYS tell the whole story.
This is irrelevant because OP is not putting on muscle in a deficit. So that stall in weight is not muscle building.
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I don't know why so many people in here are opposed to the belief that while you are losing fat you are also gaining muscle which is heavier "by volume" (which is kind of the whole point) and therefore can cause a stall in loss of lbs. this is not something I just came up with off the top of my head, it has been told to me by medical professionals. Bottom line, if you FEEL better, If your clothing is fitting looser, If you have lost in INCHES, then something good is happening to your body, don't let the scales get you down they are only 1 part of the equation0
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AceofIvies wrote: »Do some googling about the "fat woosh" - I found over time I tend to really hover around a certain weight and about once per month, I will lose 3-4 lbs in 3-4 days. Then hover, hover, hover... woosh. It's a very common female thing. The body holds on to water unnecessarily. You sound like you're doing awesome. Give it another month you will see results I Promise.
This happens to me. I am up and down the same 2 pounds. Then stall. Then 4 down in a week. Then stall. Up. Whoosh. Averaging about 3.5/month with all the variations.0 -
lynnstrick01 wrote: »I don't know why so many people in here are opposed to the belief that while you are losing fat you are also gaining muscle which is heavier "by volume"
Because if you are eating in a calorie deficit, you generally don't gain muscle. This appears to be accepted wisdom. If you are eating at maintenance then body recomp is possible (lose fat, gain muscle).
*stands back to be corrected!*
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Repeating @vespiquenn: The OP is not a bodybuilder and she's not doing strength training.0
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Bottom line, if you FEEL better, If your clothing is fitting looser, If you have lost in INCHES, then something good is happening to your body, don't let the scales get you down they are only 1 part of the equation0
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How often do you weigh yourself? It is normal to fluctuate up and down from day to day. I simply can't believe that you've weighed exactly the same every day for 20 days to the tenth of a pound. If you are referring only to 2 weigh ins--today and the one 20 days ago, you could have weighed yourself on a "low" day then, fluctuated up and down, lost a few pounds, then fluctuated up today when you weighed again. Consider weighing daily if a few times per week to see your fluctuations, and track the trends and averaged on an app like Happy Scale.
That's actually a really good idea. I became a bit obsessive with weigh-ins in high school so I don't keep a scale in my home. I try to weigh in at the same time each week when we bring the kids to visit family after church on Sundays. Because of holiday busy-ness and traveling I did only have the two data points for the last 20 days. I'll try again this week and try to be optimistic!
That's your issue
So you don't know what clothes you're wearing you may have different foods in your body.
Everybody's weight fluctuate .. we don't have a scale weight but a scale weight range, generally around 5lbs
What affects the weight you see on a scale?
Food in digestive tract, weight of clothes and the big one ... water weight:
Lowering carbs then increasing them - increase water weight
Increased sodium = increase water weight
Change up in exercise = increase
As a woman your weight will fluctuate due to hormones around ovulation and menstruation as well
So the answer is if you need that data - buy a scale
Weigh first thing in the morning, after you've got up before you've eaten, after you've used the bathroom and nekkid
Track it in a trend app like Happy Scale or Libra or on a site like trendweight.com or weightgrapher
And just keep doing - improve your food logging accuracy if possible and move a little more
you'll be good .. sometimes weight loss goes in stalls and whooshes0 -
lynnstrick01 wrote: »I don't know why so many people in here are opposed to the belief that while you are losing fat you are also gaining muscle which is heavier "by volume" (which is kind of the whole point) and therefore can cause a stall in loss of lbs. this is not something I just came up with off the top of my head, it has been told to me by medical professionals. Bottom line, if you FEEL better, If your clothing is fitting looser, If you have lost in INCHES, then something good is happening to your body, don't let the scales get you down they are only 1 part of the equation
Hypertrophy is anabolic not catabolic and demands the right conditions .. adequate energy and macros and progressive resistance
It simply isn't as easy as you seem to believe it is .. we all, those of us who weight train, wish it was
It is possible to recomp your body at maintenance but it's a long .. really long process
It is possible to gain muscle in defecit but under specific conditions and not to the extent that it will mask any weight loss over a period
there are reasons that scale weight doesn't move in a linear fashion .. but muscle gain in defecit is very rarely one .. and never for someone who isn't following any progressive resistance0 -
It's not a plateau since that's usually defined as 6 weeks or more of no weight movement IF one was consistent in diet and exercise. Any break in that routine wouldn't make it a plateau. You're in a stall and it's not uncommon. How can you break it? I'd first try increasing my intensity of activity whatever it is. Work that much harder for a week and see what happens.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
*hugs* just keep logging. Sounds like you are doing great, and your body will catch up. However, if you really feel you need a little boost, change up your diet. Cut carbs from your diet for a few weeks, or start your day with a green smoothie for a while. You will get over the hump! Good luck0
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*hugs* just keep logging. Sounds like you are doing great, and your body will catch up. However, if you really feel you need a little boost, change up your diet. Cut carbs from your diet for a few weeks, or start your day with a green smoothie for a while. You will get over the hump! Good luck
sweet
but really will make no difference .. apart from emotionally0 -
ninerbuff ... I dont think she is in a stall as she states she has noticed improvements which means she has lost fat! I'd say the water weight is masking the fat loss that has occurred. it's just that the scale has not moved. The scale is always the last to move. It will sooner or later.
I can remember one time I got frustrated as the scale hadn't moved in 4 weeks. I was very down that morning so i decided to try my black skirt on that I'd tried on 4 weeks earlier. I could only do it up half way 4 weeks prior and then 4 weeks later I could do it all the way up! That gave me heart to know I was progressing well, losing fat and I knew I just had to have patience, keep eating the amount i was eating, keep exercising and have faith that the scale would move eventually and not too much later the scale moved. I had a good scale loss. Some women like myself lose in patches. I don't lose for 3-4 weeks on the scale and them lose all my scale weight in the space of 1 week. My new low scale weight sticks around for a little while before heading up again.
OP whereabouts are you in your cycle? Is it coming up soon? The scale will stay high in the lead up to your period and the first few days of it. Have you started a new exercise routine? That could be another reason for retaining fluid.0 -
My first suggestion would be to exercise more. I know you mention you are a stay at home mom, with a toddler, but you can do so many things at home, often without equipment. Check out the net...lots of good videos and references, and you can do these 10-15 minutes at time, or less, while toddler is otherwise occupied. Your workout doesn't need to be in one stretch; you can do it in 2-3 segments a day. LOL, better yet, get the toddler to join you, they will consider it playtime.0
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The same thing happened to me, after I lost 40 pounds, I stopped losing weight and was staying at at a certain number. My nutritionist said I wasn't eating enough calories and/or variety of food. I went from 1200 calories a day to 1550, added in more variety of foods because I'm a picky water, added strength training in with my cardio and this helped has helped me start losing again. I hope this helps.0
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I have no sage advice, other than don't give up. You'll get there.
What I can do is send you a big Hang in there, and a big hug0
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