How can I seriously be on a plateau?

Drewrymd83

I've been working my way up in regards to workouts since January. I began with walking and increased my steps and terrain. About a month ago I began getting up 3 mornings a week to split time between my elliptical and weights. I started at 385 and am down to 355 (today). I've been stuck within 3 lbs of 355 for almost a month and a half now. HOW!? I have SO much weight to lose that it seems impossible that my body would be on a plateau. Can anybody that has been in the same boat help? It's getting a bit discouraging.

gamerbabe14

You didn't mention the most important thing...calories in. How are you measuring your calorie intake? How tall are you?

iqraltirona

I've been on a plateau for 4 months or so. Almost felt like giving up. I didn't know I was training too little or eating too much or even eating too little. Then I started IF but my weight just decreased slightly. Only last month I discovered the 'magic' solution that works for me. Ketogenic diet. The best that has ever happened to me. I lost 2.5kg in a month. And I feel this diet is sustainable. I feel full and satiated most of the time. Do your research and try it. I now do IF and keto together.

earlnabby

iqraltirona wrote: »

I've been on a plateau for 4 months or so. Almost felt like giving up. I didn't know I was training too little or eating too much or even eating too little. Then I started IF but my weight just decreased slightly. Only last month I discovered the 'magic' solution that works for me. Ketogenic diet. The best that has ever happened to me. I lost 2.5kg in a month. And I feel this diet is sustainable. I feel full and satiated most of the time. Do your research and try it. I now do IF and keto together.

Glad you are happy but there is nothing magic about keto. It is just another way to limit calories in.

diannethegeek

That sounds super frustrating! We don't have a lot of details here to work with. Opening your diary so we can take a peek might help you get more specific answers, but otherwise:

1. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

2. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

3. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

4. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

5. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

6. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

7. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

8. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.

Orphia

diannethegeek wrote: »

That sounds super frustrating! We don't have a lot of details here to work with. Opening your diary so we can take a peek might help you get more specific answers, but otherwise:

1. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

2. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

3. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

4. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

5. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

6. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

7. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

8. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.

Quoting @diannethegeek 's awesome post and bumping this thread because every newbie should learn these tips.

ZhivagosGirl

I had the same thing happen to me around the end of May til the beginning of July, same 3 lbs in the neighborhood of 250 (50 lb loss). I finally broke through and had a 4 lb loss and frankly have been losing better, more steadily since. I'm down 62 pounds now. Hang in there!

Ready2Rock206

I have never seen a plateau that wasn't actually a logging issue. The tips above are great to fix that.

kokonani

First of all, you are doing fantastic! Don't let plateaus discourage you from continuing what you are doing! Everyone hits bumps and plateaus. Just figure out if you are counting your calories correctly. Try doing something totally different, like changing your workouts, or even increase/decrease calories for a few days. Any kind of change kick starts your loss again. Sometimes the body gets used to the same routine and eating so it may stall.

AllSpiceNice

Ready2Rock206 wrote: »

I have never seen a plateau that wasn't actually a logging issue. The tips above are great to fix that.

THIS x1000.

OP - when I first started, I lost 35 pounds in a year making small changes in diet & activity. Which is great! But then I stalled...still had 55 lbs to go. And started to gain a few back.

Then I found MFP, started weighing & logging everything I ate/drank. Followed MFP calorie goal and ate back 50-75% of my exercise calories. Lost the remaining 55 lbs in 9 months, and have kept it off for 2 years.

I had plateaus during that last 9 months, but because I logged, I always knew why. (Water retention, too many days over calorie goal, etc). This relieved so much of the "why isn't it working?" frustration that made me give up on previous attempts at weight loss.

I believe logging is an investment in your health. Congratulations on your weight loss and good luck going forward!