Preparing for the big "P"
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Wakey618
Posts: 160 Member
I used to always weigh myself just once a week, as is recommended by so many. But the past few weeks I've been peeking at my weight a few days before my weigh-in (Sat. a.m.) Last week I knew it wasn't going to be good, and it wasn't - I lost .2 of a pound. This week looks like I am definitely at a place that is scary for me: THE PLATEAU.
I know it's common and normal. It's ok. It's nothing to get freaked out about. Just keep my head up, nose to the grindstone, and keep working hard at this. It will pass.
I will have to keep reminding myself of this while I'm sitting on the plateau.
Have you hit plateaus? If so, how long were you there? Did you change anything or just keep plugging away?
I know it's common and normal. It's ok. It's nothing to get freaked out about. Just keep my head up, nose to the grindstone, and keep working hard at this. It will pass.
I will have to keep reminding myself of this while I'm sitting on the plateau.
Have you hit plateaus? If so, how long were you there? Did you change anything or just keep plugging away?
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I'd have a fear of the Alpo plateau.
or 
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Yes, multiple months. Change to IF and BPC, plus checked I was getting enough calories. Mixed up exercise too.
Tips:
1. Finding Nemo quote, just keep swimming
2. TOM n water retention can screw with results
3. Use trend lines ( @Sunny_Bunny_ often shares great pics of hers) rather than looking at single values. Slow can be hard to see without that longer trend
4. Based on what your body needs, do different things
5. Take measurements. The scale hates me for many weeks whilst my measurements, meantime, shrink!
Good luck. BTW I sense most folk use a term plateau only if weight has not moved in a month or more.3 -
Progress is still progress no matter how slow.
The scale is not the only indicator of change. Have your measurements changed? How do your clothes feel? Do you feel better mentally?
I have been stuck at the same weight for 3 months now but I don't consider it a plateau. Why? I have dropped two pants sizes in that time period. I am getting smaller. That's all that matters to me.5 -
samanthaluangphixay wrote: »Progress is still progress no matter how slow.
Can't agree more, other people have been talking about staying the same weight but dropping sizes. I look forward to being there:)
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A plateau is no loss of either measurements or scale for over 4-6 weeks.
I've plateaued on the scale for 3 months once. But I was losing inches during that time. So I was still seeing progress. It took me 6 months to lose the last 10lb. Boy howdy, was THAT frustrating!!!
I'm so glad you realize that is DOES happen. I wish more people understood: IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN. To some degree, to everyone, off and on. That isn't freak-out worthy, it's NORMAL. People would decrease their mental stress so much if they get that in their head in the beginning.
Which is why I wrote this: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10067269/your-scale-is-a-lying-liarpants?new=1
Sounds like you are in the right place, mentally. Because really, very little of this is about THE FOOD, 80% of it is the mental game. And even if you have that 20% of food locked down, if your mental game isn't on and you have unresolved food issues, that's going to come back and bite you in tha rear eventually. Like it did with me in maintenance.
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I lose extremely slow. I have often gone 3 weeks with no loss...usually bouncing up and down two pounds. That's kind of my normal. I lose one week...never more than a pound. Then the next two weeks I go up and back down a pound or two. Then I usually stabilize at the previous low weight for a week and then I lose a little more and start the game again. The overall trend is downward and I've lost 26 lbs. so far so I'm not stressed. I won't say I don't get moments of frustration but they are fleeting. Like everyone else said above check measurements...sometimes those go down and weight doesn't. Think about other factors...vigorous exercise or a new routine can make you retain water, hormonal stuff, certain things you eat that might cause a little inflammation, etc.3
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On March 25, @Sunny_Bunny_ wrote a post called "There is no such thing as a stall" and I don't know how to share the link from my phone - look for it. I bookmarked it because it was such great info!3
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I have, but I choose to look at them as just maintaining, if I haven't gained...It seems to take the pressure off.1
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I used to always weigh myself just once a week, as is recommended by so many. But the past few weeks I've been peeking at my weight a few days before my weigh-in (Sat. a.m.) Last week I knew it wasn't going to be good, and it wasn't - I lost .2 of a pound. This week looks like I am definitely at a place that is scary for me: THE PLATEAU.
I know it's common and normal. It's ok. It's nothing to get freaked out about. Just keep my head up, nose to the grindstone, and keep working hard at this. It will pass.
I will have to keep reminding myself of this while I'm sitting on the plateau.
Have you hit plateaus? If so, how long were you there? Did you change anything or just keep plugging away?
Was there a reason you knew it wasn't going to be good? Plateaus are normal, and if you can pinpoint why then you can move forward with that information. There is also something I see called the 'whoosh!' which means a larger weight drop following a plateau. Plateaus are always a good time to reanalyze everything you are doing, and I don't just mean calories in/calories out kind of stuff. My gut flora, for example, is also becoming and bigger and bigger part of my health goals as science has shown that a healthy gut flora is directly related to our weight. I am also taking progesterone cream (natural) as I am in peri menopause and science links the balance of these hormones to better health and weight control. (I firmly believe that balancing our hormones, starting with the big one 'insulin', is key to optimal healthy, weight loss and keeping it off.)1 -
I know you have to face some really unpleasant consequences of not meeting your goal, but it's tough to fight against your body sometimes as there is more to weight loss than the food that goes in your mouth and you can't always control those factors.
Before I share this info, please know that I have way more to lose than you, so my loss rate isn't what most people would experience. I've been quite strict with my diet and certainly haven't hit a plateau this time around, but I was losing 15-20 lbs a month the first 3 months, then plunged down to a 4 lb loss in April. I didn't have a big carb fest in April or go off the rails eating tons of food, but I did experience some major stress, which caused a 6 lb overnight gain, which subsequently took several weeks to get off before I started losing again.
To demonstrate the impact of stress on weight loss, the source of my stress was alleviated at the end of the month and I've already lost 6 lbs since 1st May.
Point being, our hormones sometimes do their own thing and it sucks. Me and cortisol are not friends. If you do hit a plateau and you're eating right, your body may just have some other things it needs to work out.
I have a long way to go to get to my ultimate goal, but even when I don't have a loss and my weight hasn't changed, I still consider it a win because that means I'm successfully maintaining my loss so far, which as we know is pretty tough.2 -
Thanks for all of the great responses! I've lost 15 lbs and look a LOT better than when I started. People started noticing right away that my face thinned out. Then my legs and butt firmed up and all my pants are baggy in the butt & legs, and a little in the tummy (which is always the last part of me to go away). I had been doing cardio 2-3 times a week but just this past week added strength training, and I feel AMAZINGLY GREAT!
Last week I knew it wouldn't be a big loss cuz I was peeking Thurs & Fri. I am not going to stress over this unless it goes a few weeks, as I have a goal that I am very intent on reaching (28-pound loss by June 18). So in my case the scale really does matter.
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If you just started strength training, you could be holding onto water weight from muscle repair. Especially if you have never done it before or haven't done it in a long time. That could be an explanation.4
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samanthaluangphixay wrote: »If you just started strength training, you could be holding onto water weight from muscle repair. Especially if you have never done it before or haven't done it in a long time. That could be an explanation.
Never would have thought about that - thanks! I haven't done it in a while, but did it regularly for a while & looked great.1 -
When I hit a plateau...first and foremost I strongly resist the urge to either kick my scale across the room or throw it out the window. Then I remember the ONLY piece of advice that always carries me through those *kitten* plateaus and repeat it to myself as an endless mantra:
KEEP CALM AND KETO ON!! lol2 -
When I hit a plateau...first and foremost I strongly resist the urge to either kick my scale across the room or throw it out the window. Then I remember the ONLY piece of advice that always carries me through those *kitten* plateaus and repeat it to myself as an endless mantra:
KEEP CALM AND KETO ON!! lol
Love this!0 -
I lost .4 this past week. I knew it was coming and I am ok with it. What I am NOT ok with is what my crazy mind went through yesterday. The logic was something like this, "I am on a plateau and am not going to lose weight this week anyway, so I might as well have a little splurge and eat some M&Ms." Which turned into 2 bags of peanut M&Ms and about 1/4 c. of plain ones.
So...I hereby PROMISE TO MYSELF AND ALL OF YOU that I will do no peeking at the scale until next Sat. morning at my official weigh-in. It messes with my mind too much, and I knew better when I started doing it. Until then I will Keep Calm and Keto On!1 -
erinseattle wrote: »On March 25, @Sunny_Bunny_ wrote a post called "There is no such thing as a stall" and I don't know how to share the link from my phone - look for it. I bookmarked it because it was such great info!
I couldn't find a way to get to it to get a link. I have no idea how far back it would be in the pages here...!!!
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Here's @Sunny_Bunny_ 's post... a great read.
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10353600/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-stall#latest or 2 -
samanthaluangphixay wrote: »If you just started strength training, you could be holding onto water weight from muscle repair. Especially if you have never done it before or haven't done it in a long time. That could be an explanation.
Never would have thought about that - thanks! I haven't done it in a while, but did it regularly for a while & looked great.
Weight lifting can make it look like a plateau and really affect weight! A few years ago I was lifting a lot, and had sore muscles much of the ime, but then I had a back injury and had to stop everything. About ten days after stopping exercise I lost about8 lbs in a week. Whoosh! Just because my muscles recovered and let go of the water weight.
As the others said, knowing that your weight will fluctuate up and down will be helpful. As long as the overall trend is dowwards (over a month or so) you are doing fine.
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KenSmith108 wrote: »Here's @Sunny_Bunny_ 's post... a great read.
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10353600/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-stall#latest or
Thank you for posting this - what a GREAT post, SunnyBunny!! I will try not to stress out over the scale, but given that I have a firm weight-loss goal & date, I have to lose weight. Will work on the mind games, though ;-)1
