Plateau

vanessalester333

Hi all!
I've been trying to lose weight for about 14 weeks now but hit a plateau about 5 weeks ago. I'm persevering, but can feel my motivation deminishing every time I step on the scales and see they STILL haven't budged!
I joined a gym a week ago and have been using it for 2 hours a day ever since. STILL no weight lost! Stuck on 12 and a half stone, need to lose about 2 stone.
Any tips?

diannethegeek

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. You might also be sure your scale is working and doesn't need new batteries or anything.

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.

jjfreebird59

Try intermittent fasting.

L1zardQueen

jjfreebird59 wrote: »

Try intermittent fasting.

You still need to be in a calorie deficit though.

bkuyk9

Calculate your macros by TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) this will calculate all your needs calorie wise with exercise put in. When calculated this way, do not add any exercise to your daily log..it’s done the calculating for you. If you do add exercise, you will end up consuming more calories than your recommended for the day. Also, as stated about start intermittent fasting with a 16:8 window of eating (16 hrs fast including sleep / 8hrs eating). Your gym time should be no more than 45-50 minutes in and out. Get in the habit of performing HIIT instead of steady state cardio or general weight lifting: classes are a good start (short and sweet) Any longer than 60 minutes total and your body will produce more cortisol. This is bad for building muscle to replace fat :

“Gaining Muscle: Now we all know that testosterone helps us to build muscle, well Cortisol does the opposite! It is a catabolic hormone that reduces protein synthesis and prevents tissue growth. It is after about 1 hour of lifting when testosterone levels begin to drop and Cortisol levels begin to rise.”

“Too much cardiovascular exercise will cause Cortisol levels to increase and as we know Cortisol will eat away at your muscle fibres and reverse the effects of your training.”

“https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/losing-muscle-cortisol.html”

Below is a good macro counter with an option for TDEE calculations.

https://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

I hope this helps. Stay motivated and adjust. We all plateau and get discouraged.

L1zardQueen

@bkuyk9 Better yet, use MFP as designed. MFP works just fine.

bkuyk9

True, but MFP does not calculate net carbs nor does it calculate accurate macro needs. Use the calculator and input your numbers inside MFP.

kimny72

bkuyk9 wrote: »

True, but MFP does not calculate net carbs nor does it calculate accurate macro needs. Use the calculator and input your numbers inside MFP.

Net carbs aren't necessary to know to lose weight, and macros and eating schedule are personal preference. MFP just gives you a starting point (just like any other calculator or diet plan) then you need to tweak it based on your experience, results, and learning from your hopefully accurate food log. OP says she's been logging for 14 weeks, so her actual data will be far more relevant than yet another calculator.

OP, are you using a food scale, logging every day? If you would be willing to provide your height and weight and temporarily make your diary public, we might be able to help you troubleshoot. Otherwise, go through the list in @diannethegeek post, your answer is there. Good luck! :drinker:

ETA: If you just started an intense exercise regime, you are probably holding onto water weight for repair. Please know - you do NOT have to run yourself into the ground to lose weight. In fact, doing so will make it harder for you to maintain when you do reach goal. More accuracy will most likely help you far more than tons of exercise.

elsie6hickman

Plateaus are horrible and it is hard to stay motivated. Just remind yourself that this is not a sprint, it is a long term lifestyle change. If you are exercising every day, you will begin to notice changes in your body that might not be reflected in weight loss, because muscle weighs more. You might want to try something to "shock" your body, like a fast day.

diannethegeek

jjfreebird59 wrote: »

Try intermittent fasting.

elsie6hickman wrote: »

Plateaus are horrible and it is hard to stay motivated. Just remind yourself that this is not a sprint, it is a long term lifestyle change. If you are exercising every day, you will begin to notice changes in your body that might not be reflected in weight loss, because muscle weighs more. You might want to try something to "shock" your body, like a fast day.

We don't even know if the OP is tracking their food or even attempting a calorie deficit at this point. I'm not against IF or the occasional fast day, but they don't solve anything if the OP is eating at maintenence/surplus.