Stubborn Weight loss

Jenna__XoXo

So for about the last month my weight has stayed fluctuating between 178-180 even though I've continued to eat in a deficit and workout it wouldn't budge. Yesterday I decided to have a cheat day and ate pasta and pizza so I was likely over my calories for the day and also that is a lot more carbs and fat then I usually eat. This morning I weighed fully expecting my weight to be higher but I had actually lost over a pound. What gives? Does this mean I have been eating too little callories or too few carbs & fats? Or am I just overthinking this? I just don't want to continue to be stuck at the same weight as I still have quite a bit left to lose.

MidlifeCrisisFitness

Don't throw out your routine, but yes overthinking. Our bodies are not machines. Sometimes just like our brains need different stimuli to think through a problem our bodies too need different inputs to react. Changing your macros (carb fat protien and nutrients) for a period can be good. You should make sure you are getting everything you need as well but no need to adjust your eating if it is already healthy.

Other ways to change things up, is to exercise at a different time of day. A friend once told me to take a week off. Do different cardio. Take up jump rope or skating or swimming. If you do mostly cardio, reduce it and add calisthenics or strength training. Try training in a fasted state before breakfast or dinner. For awhile I liked doing bodyweight exercises right before crawling into bed.

I have tried each of the these over the last 4 years. Some work the next day, some the next week. but each one kept me motivated and interested so I figure that's the most important thing. A bit of change and letting myself eat some pizza kept me in the game.

Enjoy your journey and stay with it.

janejellyroll

I would never make a change in my long term plans due to an immediate weight change on the scale. For an example, if I have a day when I drink heavier, I usually weigh less the next day (due to dehydration, probably). But I'd never recommend drinking *more* as a weight loss strategy.

Sometimes we just see funky stuff on the scale. Your body isn't going to produce immediate *fat* loss in response to one day of getting more carbohydrates or fat or whatever. What we do see, quite often, are immediate and temporary water weight fluctuations due to a sudden change in our diet or routine.

If you have another couple weeks without weight loss, I think you can conclude that -- for whatever reason -- you aren't actually in a deficit. This may be due to under-estimating what you're eating or over-estimating your activity.

sijomial

Jenna__XoXo wrote: »

This morning I weighed fully expecting my weight to be higher but I had actually lost over a pound. What gives? Does this mean I have been eating too little callories or too few carbs & fats? Or am I just overthinking this?

The problem is you don't know what would have happened if you hadn't had your treat day (not cheat day!).
You might have lost more weight.
Not so much overthinking but putting far too much emphasis on one weigh in.

If you remain stuck long term then you really should be reviewing your logging accuracy as a first step and an open diary helps enormously if you want assistance with that.

AnnPT77

A fairly commonly reported example of what Jane called "funky stuff on the scale" is water retention from the physical stress of many months of calorie deficit (more time for some people, less time for others, never happens for a few).

Way oversimplifying: Stress involves cortisol, and can cause water retention. A refeed reduces the physical stress, so cortisol drops and water weight releases, then the scale drops. If that happens, it's not about fat.

For a more specific, detailed view of some of these issues, see:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks

and

https://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations

You're probably overthinking. If you've been in a deficit for a long time, maybe consider a maintenance break (see diet breaks thread above). If you're trying to lose faster than you should for your current weight (more stress), aim slower to potentially reduce scale weirdness.

If you're feeling any signs of otherwise-unexplained weakness or fatigue, there's a chance that you could have temporarily depressed your non-exercise activity a little bit. That can slow fat loss, but if you're still in a true deficit, it won't stop it. Compare your body weight from the same point in two or more different menstrual cycles. Maybe even put past weights into a weight-trending app (Happy Scale for iOS, Libra for Android, Trendweight with a free Fitbit account (don't need a device), Trendweight, others).

If you're truly weight stable over a month plus, the most likely explanation is that you aren't truly in a deficit, for one reason or another.

janejellyroll

@AnnPt77 Yes, you could also describe in it the correct and educated way!

I agree that a diet break can be a wonderful thing when we feel stuck and frustrated at a certain weight. Many people find that it can help replenish their physical and emotional energy, especially during longer weight loss efforts. And it's really true that losing weight is a stress on the body - cortisol is real!

yirara

Do you eat a low fat diet? Maybe your indulgence contained more fat, and you had a bigger poop than usual.

More likely though: either water retention (especially women are prone to this) or you've been eating at maintenance.