So, we finally meet, madame Plateau! En guard!

jelly_potato

Hi there! This is going to be a long rant so strap up.

I joined MFP in 2017. I was a silly 22-23 years old that started off weighing about 60 kg and managed to drop down to 54kg in the span of 2-3 months. It was an effortless weight drop and I was in maintenance in almost no time. Good times!

Well, here we are in 2020 and my stress-based lifestyle has brought me over the past year and a half to the glorious 73kg, which put my BMI halfway to being obese. I am ashamed to say it, but if it wasn't for the Corona crisis, I might not have gotten my wake-up call anytime soon. Luckily for me, my inner gerbil decided that I need to stock up (responsibly, not panicky!) on food and limit my snack-worshiping diet so that I can lock myself off from the world and live off my hoard for as long as possible. With my daily stress gone, my desire to snack also vanished and I saw the perfect opportunity to get my weight back on track. Together with the water weight, I saw about a 5kg drop in a month and was encouraged. And then it stopped...it has been 2 weeks and there has still been no progress in my weight loss. I am still overweight, I am still eating in deficit as far as I know, but the progress evades me. So not fair! I have been officially acquainted with the mysterious plateau I have seen so many write about.

I can think of several reasons for this:
1. Well, I am older, 26 to be exact, the spring chicken fat-burning effect was not going to last forever.
2. I stopped my birth control pills in mid-March. I am well aware that my hormones are still out of whack. Hell, the plateau occurred just before my ovulation, which wouldn't be memorable, if it wasn't for the ridiculous body temperature drop to 35.4 C for a few days and annoying constipation. I am pretty sure this has had some effect on my metabolism. Well, my body temperature is back to normal and so is my bowel movement, so let's see what happens now.
3. I am heavier than before. Maybe my diet is too restrictive?
4. Or maybe it's not restrictive enough, but I don't think going under 1200 is a smart idea.

Here's some data to put this story into perspective:

I am female
Age: 26
Height: 1,62m (about 5ft3)
CW: 67kg (about 148 lbs)
GW: 55kg (about 121 lbs)
BMI: 25.5
BMR: 1300-1400kcal
Activity level: Sedentary
Body shape: Apparently a compact rectangle

I plugged my new data into MFP, set a goal for .5 loss a week and it gave me 1200 kcal per day. I figured that since I am now pretty sedentary, I might as well give it a try and see if I need to increase. I ate 1200 for about a month, the only change I made was doing an 8:16 intermittent fasting, just to give my meals more of a logical structure (has given me a peace of mind). I have also been occasionally exercising - going for a 40-50 minute run every few days. Another thing, I have been using a digital scale for the past few years, so I am pretty confident in the accuracy of my entries. I do expect up to 50-100 kcal deviation from cooking oil now and then, but I typically end up boiling, steaming or poaching my food. I have opened my diary in case someone wants to take a peek. Yes, I do enjoy my meal replacement shakes, I find them delightful. And yes, I personally enjoy having 2 large satisfying meals over multiple small ones.

Ever since I realized that I am in a plateau, so let's say 3-4 days ago, I have been trying to think about how I can get out of it. After reading a few scary posts of the dangers of undereating, the chicken I am, I decided to up my caloric intake to about 1350kcal in case I am not eating enough. I have not noticed any difference in fullness or the scale. While I am at it, I am experimenting now with changing around my macros a bit to see what works for me. I am also going to include some strength training to my occasional cardio to tone my muscles a bit, burn a few extra calories, and increase the number of daily "Who's that sexy lady" comments to the mirror.

I should be losing weight if I eat less, so I am sure something else is going on. I know that I will not see any immediate effects of the changes I just made. I know that maybe they are irrelevant and my diet will maybe pay off once my hormones normalize. And maybe I am completely missing something. I don't know...I do not feel discouraged and I am willing to wait for as long as it takes, but I really want to feel in control. I made this post to rant, but I would also love to hear any tips and advice that you might have, tough love, or maybe an experience to share. I am all ears. Thank you for making it to the end!

dhiammarath

1) two weeks does not a plateau make. Think longer. ~6weeks of weight trending not daily weighins (I use Happy Scale {iOS}, but Libra, I believe, is for Android).
2) That it happened before ovulation really points to water retention due to hormonal cycles. Wait it out. Patience is key.
3) Stick with a plan for at least 6 weeks (that's about how long you'll know if it's working), then inspect and adapt. Adjust higher/lower depending on actual results (again, a weight trending app is really helpful here).

I know that I only lose weight one week of the month. The other 3 my gravitational mass stays about the same, but that's all that is. My measurements decrease incrementally over time (I take them once a month) so I know that whatever my gravitational mass is, my plan is working.

Time, time, time, and patience (something I struggle with, tbh) are key. Also, don't be afraid to inspect and adapt -- I had a death in the family + the pandemic and I knew I wouldn't be able to be aggressive towards the last of the weight to goal, so I set my calories to my goal weight's maintenance calories and will slowly lose over time. When this is all done, maybe I can be more aggressive. But, in this way, I also have control: control over the eventual outcome even if it doesn't come with immediacy.

Either way, good luck to you! You can do it!

mmapags

2 weeks is not a plateau and no, you are not old at 26. Ridiculous statement really. When you've gone 6 to 8 weeks with no loss, maybe. A good dose of patience is in order. Weight loss is not linear and you won't show a drop every week. At 26, nothing has suddenly happened to your metabolism.

PAV8888

All of the above.

You may want to really think about the fact that what you did was a classic yo-yo.

You lost weight and within LESS than FIVE years (sounds like an eternity at 26, doesn't it) you regained all the weight you lost and regained it with "friends".

About the only more classic yo-yo is the one where the re-gain happens immediately, or in less than 2 years.

Given the information you're losing quite fast.

You don't NEED to lose fast. You don't NEED to SEE a continuous scale change to effectively move your weight level from where it is to where you want it to be and you won't see that continuous scale change if you're moving your weight level gradually.

Seeing continuous scale feedback requires a large deficit.

Use a weight trend app or web site and compare your weight at similar points one hormonal cycle apart and you will have a better idea, perhaps, of how your weight level is moving.

It's great that you lost 5kg (really it is)... but I would be more interested in getting you to think about how you're going to MAINTAIN your losses and how are you going to handle life and adjustments over the next 5, 10, and even 26 years.

What, if anything, about eating @1200 to see fast losses would prepare you for that? I am glad to see that you're ADJUSTING. This is great. Strength training is great--even though it will also play with your scale due to water weight changes. Macros... play with them, but only in ways that you think will make how you eat more *sustainable*... not with the view of speeding up weight loss!

Take your time. Discover. Don't worry about plateaus as long as you're more or less still pointed in the right direction!

Redordeadhead

2 weeks is not long enough and not a plateau. Patience.