How many times can you hit a plateau?

weight3049
weight3049 Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know during weightloss everyone hits a plateau at some point, but does this happen numerous times throughout the process or just once?

Can't seem to find an answer from Google search.

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    What time period do you consider a plateau?

    How much weight do you have to lose before you reach your goal weight?
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    There is no limit to plateaus during weight loss. Every journey is different. But breaking through 1 or 2 plateaus should help someone learn tips to help them avoid or break further plateaus.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    Sure. Everyone's weight loss journey is different, but plateauing multiple times is not a sign that anything is wrong. I find I plateaud quite a bit when I was consistently losing. It was normal for me to plateau for a couple of weeks, lose big for a few days, and then plateau again. It all evened itself out, but it was never linear.
  • weight3049
    weight3049 Posts: 72 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    What time period do you consider a plateau?

    How much weight do you have to lose before you reach your goal weight?


    2 weeks of around the same weight with a 500 calorie deficit. My goal is to lose 40 more pounds.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,253 Member
    Not everyone hits a plateau, either. (I never.)

    Everyone's ride has different contours.

    Understanding and running the right process, plus experience, takes the worry out of it, IMO.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    Hitting a plateau doesn't give you immunity from a second (or third or nth) plateau.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    I weigh daily and have been tracking since September - I can see trends in my journey with lulls and then quick drops. I stayed the same weight for a month, but considering it was thanksgiving, Christmas, and a wedding all in those 4 weeks (with hours on the road in travel) I consider it a success to not have gained! Usually I drop a couple of pounds over the course of a couple days then level out for a week or two, drop, level, etc.
  • fdlewenstein
    fdlewenstein Posts: 231 Member
    Everyone is different and there are many variables. Weight loss is not linear (and this was REALLY a difficult concept for me to adjust to in the beginning)! I know that for me I watch my sodium intake and be consistent with hydration. Expect to have ups and downs. Also, as you get closer to your goal your weight loss may slow down. Take a close look at what you are eating and maybe you need to make a small change. Be consistent.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    If you are talking about an actual plateau which results from eating at maintenance when you thought you were eating at a deficit I have never hit one. If you are talking about a temporary period of time in which fat loss is masked by normal body fluctuations I believe I have experienced that in excess of 10 times.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited January 2020
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  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,628 Member
    weight3049 wrote: »
    I know during weightloss everyone hits a plateau at some point, but does this happen numerous times throughout the process or just once?

    Can't seem to find an answer from Google search.

    Not everyone. I've never experienced a plateau. When I've been on a mission to lose weight, I lose weight ... I don't remain at the same weight for 6 weeks or more.

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,628 Member
    edited January 2020
    weight3049 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    What time period do you consider a plateau?

    How much weight do you have to lose before you reach your goal weight?


    2 weeks of around the same weight with a 500 calorie deficit. My goal is to lose 40 more pounds.

    Isn't a plateau more like 6 weeks of exactly the same weight or slightly higher?

    If you're a woman, it's easy to remain roughly the same weight for a couple weeks around menstruation time. But that's not a plateau, that's just normal fluctuations.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited January 2020
    By that definition (no change in two weeks), I plateaued every single month when I was losing weight (even gained a little then re-lost every month) and it went on for years. I didn't consider it a plateau, more like the pattern of my weight loss.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 2,023 Member
    I've hit a little plateau right now as I am close to my goal weight. Sometimes it lasts a week but usually ends in a 2-3 lb SWOOSH down. I haven't changed anything with my diet or exercise, so I know it's just a matter of body adjusting before next leg down.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    I've plateaued 6 weeks or more no loss) multiple times, but its my own fault, wasn't as accurate with logging intake or wasn't being as active...
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    weight3049 wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    What time period do you consider a plateau?

    How much weight do you have to lose before you reach your goal weight?


    2 weeks of around the same weight with a 500 calorie deficit. My goal is to lose 40 more pounds.

    Isn't a plateau more like 6 weeks of exactly the same weight or slightly higher?

    If you're a woman, it's easy to remain roughly the same weight for a couple weeks around menstruation time. But that's not a plateau, that's just normal fluctuations.

    Yes, I would consider the time period required for a stall to be considered a plateau to be at least 4 weeks and 6 weeks would be even better.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    Plateaus are nothing more than a person's caloric intake at maintenance, which is why a true "plateau" lasts >6 weeks.

    Bodies hold onto water/glycogen during times of stress - whether this be chemical - from a high sodium/high carb meal, psychological, physiological - from a change in workout regimen or intensity, or a hormonal shift. This typically trends back to normal over 5-7 days, but can cascade for various reasons.

    As your body loses mass, your basal metabolic rate drops accordingly and what was once considered a caloric deficit trends toward maintenance.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    There are weeks where the scale may not move down, and may even tick up a bit. Most people experience this if they are eating at a moderate deficit over several months' time. I've never had a period of, say, a month where I have stayed the same weight while in a deficit, but I may be an outlier in this respect. So much goes into scale weight besides fat, it's really helpful to track intake accurately and just stay the (sensible) course.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Also for me it's never linear. Steady for 3 weeks then --whoosh-- 3 weeks worth of loss in a day or two.

    This explains what might be happening with this pretty common pattern: https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/

    Really, the math always works in the end, despite several obfuscating factors, so stick with it.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    I feel like this is a, "how long is a piece of string" question. That is to say, there is no answer.
  • fdlewenstein
    fdlewenstein Posts: 231 Member
    A plateau can mean different things for different people. If you really are concerned about hitting plateaus I would highly recommend that you track your weight loss on the app Happy Scale. You will see your weight loss trend and it can put your weight loss into perspective.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    The only "plateaus" I've experienced in my almost 3 years at this have been because I haven't stuck to my calories. I don't know if that's what you meant but there's no limit to them. It's all a learning curve, working out what works for you and what you can stick to.
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    Depends on what is meant by "plateau".

    1) A period in which, for whatever reason, your calories have crept up to around maintenance (with or without you realizing it) and your weight loss has stopped.

    or

    2) A period in which you are precisely measuring and hitting calorie targets and logging everything, and are sure you are in the same deficit you've always been in, but for possibly supernatural reasons, you have stopped losing weight -- for a period of at least a few weeks.     (If it's less than 3-4 weeks, then it's normal scale fluctuation and should be ignored; demanding a linearity from scales that they can't and won't produce is a surefire way to end up frustrated and regaining).

    # 1 will happen pretty much anytime you start slacking, taking days off too frequently, not logging carefully, etc. ad nauseam. Sometimes maybe it's a sign that it's time to take a break.

    # 2 there seem to be many people who believe this scenario exists. I personally do not. Excepting a malfunctioning thyroid, math is math and chemistry is chemistry, and the human body does not suddenly switch to needing 250 or 500 or 750 calories less fuel each day. It just doesn't make any sense.

    The best plateau avoidance strategy is to dumbly plod along with good counting, logging, and food intake discipline, hitting that MFP goal number day after day with an occasional--but infrequent--meal off. Even then, scale weight can flatline for a few weeks or a month for no explicable reason.

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