Possible plateau after just 20 lbs lost?

empressjasmin

Is it possible to hit a plateau after 20 lbs being lost? I'm not expecting to magically lose weight, however, I am logging actively, having deficits, and working out 5-6 days a week, sometimes twice a day but not seeing much movement anymore. Not giving up but just getting frustrated

trigden1991

How long have you been "stuck" for. Weight loss is not linear and you can see no progress on the scales for up to 4 weeks. If you are in a calorie deficit, your body is losing fat.

Spliner1969

I agree with @trigden1991, weight loss is not linear. Also, keep in mind you may need to alter things as you lose weight to keep the loss going. For instance, MFP will do this for you if you log in your weight as you lose it, but your apps and/or exercise equipment that you may be using may also require you to adjust your weight to keep the calorie burns accurate. I try to adjust my apps with my current weight every 5 lbs or so I lose. In general, the less you weigh, the less you'll burn doing the same activity. For instance, when I weighed 300lbs I could easily burn 1000 calories doing a speed walking session for about 4 miles based on my heart rate. Now I barely burn 600 calories doing the same distance and I weigh about 180, sometimes I even burn less if I don't keep my heart rate high enough. Also, the more you lose, and the closer you get to your goal, the more important it will be for accuracy when weighing your food and logging every little thing you eat.

So two things, one, patience, the loss will start up again, and two, make sure you're being accurate as possible on your calorie in and calories out. Don't give up!

empressjasmin

trigden1991 wrote: »

How long have you been "stuck" for. Weight loss is not linear and you can see no progress on the scales for up to 4 weeks. If you are in a calorie deficit, your body is losing fat.

It has been about two weeks lol.. Guess that is not long enough? Thank you!

courtneyfabulous

It could be you need to give your metabolism a rest- you can take a diet break by eating at maintenance calories for 1-3 weeks.

I've seen recommendations that one should only stay in a constant caloric deficit for a maximum of 10 to 12 weeks (3 months). Then should take a diet break. Then you can go back into a deficit for more weight loss. The break allows your metabolism to recover and hormonal functions to normalize.

Also 20 pounds is a lot! I think it's odd when people say "just" 20 pounds. That's a great accomplishment and quite a bit of weight!

empressjasmin

Spliner1969 wrote: »

I agree with @trigden1991, weight loss is not linear. Also, keep in mind you may need to alter things as you lose weight to keep the loss going. For instance, MFP will do this for you if you log in your weight as you lose it, but your apps and/or exercise equipment that you may be using may also require you to adjust your weight to keep the calorie burns accurate. I try to adjust my apps with my current weight every 5 lbs or so I lose. In general, the less you weigh, the less you'll burn doing the same activity. For instance, when I weighed 300lbs I could easily burn 1000 calories doing a speed walking session for about 4 miles based on my heart rate. Now I barely burn 600 calories doing the same distance and I weigh about 180, sometimes I even burn less if I don't keep my heart rate high enough. Also, the more you lose, and the closer you get to your goal, the more important it will be for accuracy when weighing your food and logging every little thing you eat.

So two things, one, patience, the loss will start up again, and two, make sure you're being accurate as possible on your calorie in and calories out. Don't give up!

Thanks so much! This is extremely helpful. And I have noticed that I am burning less calories when I take my walks. I just thought that maybe it was because I was not pushing myself far enough. Thanks again

August_1958

I stayed the same for 2 weeks as well (and have lost 18 pounds so far). So I understand your frustration! But don't lose your motivation, you will see a loss soon. Move a little more than usual... drink a little more water than normal. And go try those clothes on that you were wearing before your 20 pound loss! I did that last night and was awe struck just what my "little" 18 pound loss is showing in inches!! Good luck, you are doing a fantastic job!

Grammytryingtogetfit

Spliner1969 wrote: »

I agree with @trigden1991, weight loss is not linear. Also, keep in mind you may need to alter things as you lose weight to keep the loss going. For instance, MFP will do this for you if you log in your weight as you lose it, but your apps and/or exercise equipment that you may be using may also require you to adjust your weight to keep the calorie burns accurate. I try to adjust my apps with my current weight every 5 lbs or so I lose. In general, the less you weigh, the less you'll burn doing the same activity. For instance, when I weighed 300lbs I could easily burn 1000 calories doing a speed walking session for about 4 miles based on my heart rate. Now I barely burn 600 calories doing the same distance and I weigh about 180, sometimes I even burn less if I don't keep my heart rate high enough. Also, the more you lose, and the closer you get to your goal, the more important it will be for accuracy when weighing your food and logging every little thing you eat.

So two things, one, patience, the loss will start up again, and two, make sure you're being accurate as possible on your calorie in and calories out. Don't give up!

This exactly!!!

Tacklewasher

I've been a week with a .2 pound loss. It's frustrating, but I know it's temporary. I'm down ~30 since Sept 14th and am focused on that.

Spliner1969

I think my longest stall on weight loss was around a month and a half but I've seen others stall out longer. I was weighing everything, pushing myself harder and harder during exercise, and nothing really helped except simply waiting it out. You can also increase water intake to around 2 liters a day or so (be sure to include other liquids in that estimate, they have water in them too, but stick to mostly plain water if you can), and watch the sodium intake, it will cause the scale to lie to you if you're eating too many pre-packaged and fast foods, even healthy ones. Also watch your fiber intake along with your sodium intake, keep it up to the daily recommendations if possible. Especially if, like me, you have increased your protein goals to around .8g/lb of lean body mass or more. Fiber becomes very important at that point. Good luck!

empressjasmin

Thanks, everyone!

sfa90

I was stuck for about 8 weeks, I increased my fiber intake and now losing weight again.

empressjasmin

sfa90 wrote: »

I was stuck for about 8 weeks, I increased my fiber intake and now losing weight again.

Great, thanks! Will also try that.