Plateau! Help!

AnnaBeach7

I consider myself an experienced dieter (too many years of losing and gaining and losing again). I am experiencing a plateau like no other and I need some new ideas of how to break out of it. I have tried eating more, and eating less. I am pretty meticulous with measuring , tracking and weighing my food. I have tried to change up my workout routines, working out more and/or working out less. I drink plenty of water, am not unusually stressed, and am getting plenty of sleep. I've lost 21 pounds since the beginning of January, but the weight loss stopped (actually I am up 1.5 pounds since March 3rd). I have about 25 pounds more to lose to be considered no longer "over-weight," and am 45 pounds from my goal weight. This I the strangest plateau I have ever experienced. Any suggestions besides what I have already tried would be awesome!

janejellyroll

It sounds like you've changed up a lot of things. How long has it been since you've lost weight? You've lost 21 pounds so far this year and the year is early. A pleateau is considered to be six weeks on the same plan with no movement on the scale.

kimny72

If you've lost 21 lbs since the beginning of January, that is @ 12 weeks. So that is an average of 1.75 lbs per week. You can't do much better than that. Weight loss isn't linear, some weeks you will lose, some you will gain. You should look at the average over time. If your stall lasts more than 4-6 weeks, then you need to consider that you are eating at maintenance and need to reduce your intake.

brb_2013

You mention trying this and that, but did you stick to any one change for several weeks? I would imagine you haven't tried these new things long enough for them to show whether or not they're working.

You just don't know if X is working properly if you judge it too soon, then switch to Y and suddenly your body now has to get used to the Y system and get it cracking too.

I suggest the drawing board. Go back in and get your calorie goal re-assessed (this time around I actually put my height as a little lower), pick an exercise you might not do a ton of (your body will burn less calories doing the same exercise for a long period because you've adjusted to the work load), and give it plenty of time. Weeks, not days. Advice I need to take to heart myself. It can take lots of time for you to see the processes your body has in progress.

malibu927

If it's only been two weeks since you've lost weight, it isn't a plateau. It's just a normal stall. Double-check how accurate your logging is and be patient.

eldamiano

There is no such thing as a plateau. It just means you are eating at a maintenance level