Plateauing at the same weight every time

whitej1234
whitej1234 Posts: 263 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been going up and down more or less the same weight for a couple of years now (+-8 pounds), after dropping significantly 3 years ago.
I notice that every time I start restricting myself and go down I plateau around the same weight until I break it, and same when I am gaining I tend to stick to this number until I manage to gain over it as well.
By coincidence it is also the verge between Overweight BMI and Obese BMI but this is probably just a number...

Has anyone a scientific explanation to this? A coincidence?
By plateuing I mean I usually measure my weight daily in the mornings and see about a steady drop of 0.1-0.2 lbs for about 2-3 weeks and when around that number I usually don't see any drop of even a gain for a few days to a week.
Same when going up. In that case I am a bit less measuring (because then I would get myself together), but if I am around these numbers, even a couple of weeks of non clean eating will not get me over this barrier.

I know this is not the way to loose weight, I've been promising myself on the way down every time that I will keep it, but life gets in the way, and every time I learn a bit more and go a bit lower or gain a bit less, so it is a work in progress...

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    A week is not a plateau
  • fr33sia12
    fr33sia12 Posts: 1,258 Member
    yeh you said it yourself, you have to give it more time.
  • Floydo2014
    Floydo2014 Posts: 9 Member
    I also find it strange how I can be exactly the same weight for days in a row when considering all the fluctuations in water, hormones etc
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Floydo2014 wrote: »
    I also find it strange how I can be exactly the same weight for days in a row when considering all the fluctuations in water, hormones etc

    my weight doesn't actually fluctuate that much either.

    it seems that the bigger you are the larger the fluctuations can be.
  • mywayroche
    mywayroche Posts: 218 Member
    Glycogen (your bodies natural stores of glucose in the liver and muscles) stores bind to water. You starve and the glycogen gets used up, you pee out the water it was bound to. Now you begin to burn fat.

    You aren't "Plateauing", you're starting
  • whitej1234
    whitej1234 Posts: 263 Member
    I understand your answers,
    I don't mean something is wrong, I know water retention and I measure daily to stay in check not to be discouraged.

    I mean isn't it strange that it happens exactly at the same weight every time? Up to 0.5 lb error...
  • Floydo2014
    Floydo2014 Posts: 9 Member
    I think one of the hardest things about dieting is the waiting and not giving because so you think what's the point of doing this when no weight is coming off!!
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Floydo2014 wrote: »
    I also find it strange how I can be exactly the same weight for days in a row when considering all the fluctuations in water, hormones etc

    Could be your scales? I fluctuate, not by much granted, but from anywhere from 0.25lb to 2lbs day to day. If I didn't calibrate my scales daily it would read the same weight every morning (my scales are pretty rubbish, there's no way I should have to calibrate them daily for one thing!).
  • MishMashMisha
    MishMashMisha Posts: 39 Member
    LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »
    Floydo2014 wrote: »
    I also find it strange how I can be exactly the same weight for days in a row when considering all the fluctuations in water, hormones etc

    Could be your scales? I fluctuate, not by much granted, but from anywhere from 0.25lb to 2lbs day to day. If I didn't calibrate my scales daily it would read the same weight every morning (my scales are pretty rubbish, there's no way I should have to calibrate them daily for one thing!).

    I was thinking the same thing. My scale rounds to the last weight, unless there is at least a 1lb difference. So it looks like I stay the same weight for days, and then I suddenly drop a pound. For years I thought I didn't have many daily fluctuations, but it turns out the scale was just hiding them.

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