Weight Loss Plateau: Ideas to get past a plateau.
xxxtarable27xxx
Posts: 104 Member
I don't think I'm there yet, but my weight loss is slowing down. I've been researching a little on the Plateau so I will be prepared and not want to give up. Right now, I am eating 1391 calories a day. I may eat a tad more depending on the exercise I do. I do Zumba class once a week. I make sure to get my 10,000 steps in a day. I want to start adding more days at the gym and a few exercise days at home. Idk. Just wanting to hear from people that's went through a plateau and how they overcame it?
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Replies
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How long have you been losing, before hitting the plateau? How fast (average pounds/week) were you losing when you did lose? How long has the plateau lasted?
An accurate 1391 calories is quite a low level, especially if not very petite, older, inactive (and sometimes even then). Sometimes people perceive a plateau in fat loss, when something else is actually going on. That's why the questions in paragraph 1, as a starting point.5 -
Do you use a food scale?6
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Same happened to me, I think at one point during a weight loss it is almost inevitable that one runs into difficulties. While exercise is good i dont think more steps or more Zumba is the answer to more weight loss, though it probably sounds logical, the more calories I burn the more I will lose. Strange how the body reacts under different types of pressures. If I were you I would keep doing my usual aerobic exercise routine, wouldn't increase it necessarily, but would add more anaerobic strengths training. Short periods with super high intensity bursts either on a machine or with weights. I found that even when my estimated calorie burns in the gym were lower than compare to a full aerobic training session, the following day the scale was showing better results. But this is only my take on it, aerobic vs anaerobic is a whole new topic.1
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Same happened to me, I think at one point during a weight loss it is almost inevitable that one runs into difficulties. While exercise is good i dont think more steps or more Zumba is the answer to more weight loss, though it probably sounds logical, the more calories I burn the more I will lose. Strange how the body reacts under different types of pressures. If I were you I would keep doing my usual aerobic exercise routine, wouldn't increase it necessarily, but would add more anaerobic strengths training. Short periods with super high intensity bursts either on a machine or with weights. I found that even when my estimated calorie burns in the gym were lower than compare to a full aerobic training session, the following day the scale was showing better results. But this is only my take on it, aerobic vs anaerobic is a whole new topic.
You cannot evaluate how many calories you burned during your single exercise session by looking at your weigh-in the next day. Day to day fluctuations (water weight, food waste) vary more than any fat you've lost in a single day. If you created a 200 calorie deficit by strength training, that would result in 0.06lbs of fat loss that day. Furthermore, your exercise does not exist in a void, it's the 'whole picture' that influences fat loss (calories consumed, energy to digest, daily activity, exercise, etc.).
Weight loss is evaluated by looking at the long-term trend, not day to day fluctuations.
Strength training burns relatively few calories by the way. It's still a good idea to improve body composition though. My personal experience is that it can cause 'scale weirdness' because resistance training often leads to water retention to repair the muscles, so it's good to be aware of that (some people see there scale weight jump or stall and panic). I usually see an increase in the scale when I'm sore, usually not the first morning after strength training, but the second day.9 -
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Same happened to me, I think at one point during a weight loss it is almost inevitable that one runs into difficulties. While exercise is good i dont think more steps or more Zumba is the answer to more weight loss, though it probably sounds logical, the more calories I burn the more I will lose. Strange how the body reacts under different types of pressures. If I were you I would keep doing my usual aerobic exercise routine, wouldn't increase it necessarily, but would add more anaerobic strengths training. Short periods with super high intensity bursts either on a machine or with weights. I found that even when my estimated calorie burns in the gym were lower than compare to a full aerobic training session, the following day the scale was showing better results. But this is only my take on it, aerobic vs anaerobic is a whole new topic.
You cannot evaluate how many calories you burned during your single exercise session by looking at your weigh-in the next day. Day to day fluctuations (water weight, food waste) vary more than any fat you've lost in a single day. If you created a 200 calorie deficit by strength training, that would result in 0.06lbs of fat loss that day. Furthermore, your exercise does not exist in a void, it's the 'whole picture' that influences fat loss (calories consumed, energy to digest, daily activity, exercise, etc.).
Weight loss is evaluated by looking at the long-term trend, not day to day fluctuations.
Strength training burns relatively few calories by the way. It's still a good idea to improve body composition though. My personal experience is that it can cause 'scale weirdness' because resistance training often leads to water retention to repair the muscles, so it's good to be aware of that (some people see there scale weight jump or stall and panic). I usually see an increase in the scale when I'm sore, usually not the first morning after strength training, but the second day.
"Strength training burns relatively few calories by the way" It is true, yet whenever I asked for advice in a gym or on a field how to lose body weight I was told do more strengths training. So I did, and it works. How or why I have no idea, I can see the contradiction. The OP asked for advice I gave one that even for me doesn't make sense yet it works, so there you are. But again aerobic vs anaerobic is a complex subject probably deserves a topic in itself.1 -
You could be close to maintenance calories. 1500 would be the maintenance calories for my goal weight of 1.63 at a height of 1.63m
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Same happened to me, I think at one point during a weight loss it is almost inevitable that one runs into difficulties. While exercise is good i dont think more steps or more Zumba is the answer to more weight loss, though it probably sounds logical, the more calories I burn the more I will lose. Strange how the body reacts under different types of pressures. If I were you I would keep doing my usual aerobic exercise routine, wouldn't increase it necessarily, but would add more anaerobic strengths training. Short periods with super high intensity bursts either on a machine or with weights. I found that even when my estimated calorie burns in the gym were lower than compare to a full aerobic training session, the following day the scale was showing better results. But this is only my take on it, aerobic vs anaerobic is a whole new topic.
You cannot evaluate how many calories you burned during your single exercise session by looking at your weigh-in the next day. Day to day fluctuations (water weight, food waste) vary more than any fat you've lost in a single day. If you created a 200 calorie deficit by strength training, that would result in 0.06lbs of fat loss that day. Furthermore, your exercise does not exist in a void, it's the 'whole picture' that influences fat loss (calories consumed, energy to digest, daily activity, exercise, etc.).
Weight loss is evaluated by looking at the long-term trend, not day to day fluctuations.
Strength training burns relatively few calories by the way. It's still a good idea to improve body composition though. My personal experience is that it can cause 'scale weirdness' because resistance training often leads to water retention to repair the muscles, so it's good to be aware of that (some people see there scale weight jump or stall and panic). I usually see an increase in the scale when I'm sore, usually not the first morning after strength training, but the second day.
"Strength training burns relatively few calories by the way" It is true, yet whenever I asked for advice in a gym or on a field how to lose body weight I was told do more strengths training. So I did, and it works. How or why I have no idea, I can see the contradiction. The OP asked for advice I gave one that even for me doesn't make sense yet it works, so there you are. But again aerobic vs anaerobic is a complex subject probably deserves a topic in itself.
It burns some calories, but usually not as many calories per minute as most cardio, that's all.
Strength training helps you be stronger and preserve muscle, which helps you stay more active in daily life, which burns more calories than being less active. Very (very!) slowly, adding muscle also ever so slightly increases your calorie burn at rest (by something like 4 calories per pound of muscle per day, compared to fat, which is also metabolically active, i.e., burns calories at rest). It may also have a tiny bit higher EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, sometimes a.k.a. "afterburn") as a percentage of the workout calories. (Arithmetically, in calories, the EPOC difference is small potatoes . . . but it's part of the process.)
Anaerobic vs. aerobic is definitely a complex subject, but that's not the key issue here. Did you know that technically, cardio can be anaerobic, too . . . even without using any weights during that cardio? It can! But not for very long . . . .
Strength training is great, during weight loss, for many reasons. So is cardio.2 -
How long have you been losing, before hitting the plateau? How fast (average pounds/week) were you losing when you did lose? How long has the plateau lasted?
An accurate 1391 calories is quite a low level, especially if not very petite, older, inactive (and sometimes even then). Sometimes people perceive a plateau in fat loss, when something else is actually going on. That's why the questions in paragraph 1, as a starting point.
I started November 7, 2020. I haven't completely hit the plateau. When I first started, I was losing like 4lbs. a week and now I'm anywhere between 1lb to 2lbs. Which I'm pretty sure that is healthy amount to lose so I'm trying not to stress about it. Someone I talked to told me about a plateau, and I started researching so I don't want to give up when I do completely stop losing and I will know what to do. I see a dietician once a month and they were fine with my calorie intake being 1391. I don't see my dietician until the 22nd of this month. I need to talk to her about the questions, but thats still a couple a weeks til then. So I decided to ask yall about it.2 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »Do you use a food scale?
Yes I do have a food scale, I don't always use it. but when I do need to I do. If I'm meal prepping I just split it up evenly and use measurements based on the package. which I only do that with vegetables.0 -
If plateaus even exist, which I doubt - you just need less calories as you shrink - then it will be when you have not lost weight for 4 week or so. Losing 1 or 2 pounds a week is perfect, what most people strive for and better than many achieve.
Rejoice at your continuing success.5 -
xxxtarable27xxx wrote: »How long have you been losing, before hitting the plateau? How fast (average pounds/week) were you losing when you did lose? How long has the plateau lasted?
An accurate 1391 calories is quite a low level, especially if not very petite, older, inactive (and sometimes even then). Sometimes people perceive a plateau in fat loss, when something else is actually going on. That's why the questions in paragraph 1, as a starting point.
I started November 7, 2020. I haven't completely hit the plateau. When I first started, I was losing like 4lbs. a week and now I'm anywhere between 1lb to 2lbs. Which I'm pretty sure that is healthy amount to lose so I'm trying not to stress about it. Someone I talked to told me about a plateau, and I started researching so I don't want to give up when I do completely stop losing and I will know what to do. I see a dietician once a month and they were fine with my calorie intake being 1391. I don't see my dietician until the 22nd of this month. I need to talk to her about the questions, but thats still a couple a weeks til then. So I decided to ask yall about it.
Honestly, 1-2 pounds a week is pretty fast, especially 2 pounds. A lot of us (including me) think that most people would be best served by losing no more than 0.5-1% (max) of current body weight weekly (unless under very close supervision by a doctor). The implication is that to be losing 2 pounds a week, a person should at least be over 200 pounds, and maybe 2 pounds would still be fast if they were within 50 pounds or so of goal weight.
It's pretty common for the scale to drop pretty fast for the first week or two, but it's more water weight adjustments and less digestive contents in transit, only partly fat loss. That would be OK. But losing actual fat really fast can create health risks, and make it tough to stay with calorie goal long enough to lose weight steadily all the way to goal.
I think you're doing great at 1-2 pounds a week: A pound a week is more than 50 pounds lighter by the end of the year: That's a big deal for pretty much anyone!
You may not see any significant plateaus along the way: I didn't. Sometimes, plateaus, too, are more about water retention than about fat loss stopping. (If fat loss stops at X calorie level, without any big changes in activity level, it will probably gradually slow down until it finally stops. A sudden stop is more likely about water retention, just as sudden drops usually involve a water weight shift that finally lets fat loss show up on the scale. Bodies are weird! 😉)
When it comes to what to do about a perceived plateau, the details matter. Sometimes, the right answer is even to take a break and *increase* calories to maintenance level. (That's because staying in a calorie deficit for a long time - especially a big deficit - is a physical stress, and stress increases hormones like cortisol that can cause water retention.) But it depends on the situation's specifics.
I completely understand why you'd want to think through some of these things in advance, but it's kind of hard to do, because it's so situation-specific. If something like that arises, it will be easier to diagnose the causes and identify possible solutions, once the surrounding details are known.
Best wishes for continuing good progress!5 -
If plateaus even exist, which I doubt - you just need less calories as you shrink - then it will be when you have not lost weight for 4 week or so. Losing 1 or 2 pounds a week is perfect, what most people strive for and better than many achieve.
Rejoice at your continuing success.
Thank you! I was looking into the less calories if I do stop after awhile. When I first started I got my calorie intake from a calorie calculator. When I put my new weight into it from the weight I started with, it shows me to be needing a little less calories. I've lost 32 lbs since November 2020. I don't want to lower it just yet until I stop losing weight, so I don't get hungrier during the day and it causes me to mess up.0 -
xxxtarable27xxx wrote: »
Honestly, 1-2 pounds a week is pretty fast, especially 2 pounds. A lot of us (including me) think that most people would be best served by losing no more than 0.5-1% (max) of current body weight weekly (unless under very close supervision by a doctor). The implication is that to be losing 2 pounds a week, a person should at least be over 200 pounds, and maybe 2 pounds would still be fast if they were within 50 pounds or so of goal weight.
It's pretty common for the scale to drop pretty fast for the first week or two, but it's more water weight adjustments and less digestive contents in transit, only partly fat loss. That would be OK. But losing actual fat really fast can create health risks, and make it tough to stay with calorie goal long enough to lose weight steadily all the way to goal.
I think you're doing great at 1-2 pounds a week: A pound a week is more than 50 pounds lighter by the end of the year: That's a big deal for pretty much anyone!
You may not see any significant plateaus along the way: I didn't. Sometimes, plateaus, too, are more about water retention than about fat loss stopping. (If fat loss stops at X calorie level, without any big changes in activity level, it will probably gradually slow down until it finally stops. A sudden stop is more likely about water retention, just as sudden drops usually involve a water weight shift that finally lets fat loss show up on the scale. Bodies are weird! 😉)
When it comes to what to do about a perceived plateau, the details matter. Sometimes, the right answer is even to take a break and *increase* calories to maintenance level. (That's because staying in a calorie deficit for a long time - especially a big deficit - is a physical stress, and stress increases hormones like cortisol that can cause water retention.) But it depends on the situation's specifics.
I completely understand why you'd want to think through some of these things in advance, but it's kind of hard to do, because it's so situation-specific. If something like that arises, it will be easier to diagnose the causes and identify possible solutions, once the surrounding details are known.
Best wishes for continuing good progress!
Thanks! This made feel better. I am over 200 lbs.1 -
Hope it goes well for you. I’ve lost 77lb now, started 22nd May. I hit plateau mid November after losing 3lb consistently per week. I had a bit of a splurge for 5 days and ate what I wanted then straight back on plan and weight came off quick again. Doesn’t work for everyone but that worked for me
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Noodlesprout wrote: »Hope it goes well for you. I’ve lost 77lb now, started 22nd May. I hit plateau mid November after losing 3lb consistently per week. I had a bit of a splurge for 5 days and ate what I wanted then straight back on plan and weight came off quick again. Doesn’t work for everyone but that worked for me
Thank you!1 -
xxxtarable27xxx wrote: »How long have you been losing, before hitting the plateau? How fast (average pounds/week) were you losing when you did lose? How long has the plateau lasted?
An accurate 1391 calories is quite a low level, especially if not very petite, older, inactive (and sometimes even then). Sometimes people perceive a plateau in fat loss, when something else is actually going on. That's why the questions in paragraph 1, as a starting point.
I started November 7, 2020. I haven't completely hit the plateau. When I first started, I was losing like 4lbs. a week and now I'm anywhere between 1lb to 2lbs. Which I'm pretty sure that is healthy amount to lose so I'm trying not to stress about it. Someone I talked to told me about a plateau, and I started researching so I don't want to give up when I do completely stop losing and I will know what to do. I see a dietician once a month and they were fine with my calorie intake being 1391. I don't see my dietician until the 22nd of this month. I need to talk to her about the questions, but thats still a couple a weeks til then. So I decided to ask yall about it.
How far away are you from your goal weight?
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4 pounds a week is really high. 1 to 2 pounds a week is my dream. As you lose the calories required to maintain drops. Thus your rate of loss drops. Take your time. Losing fast tends to result in rebound weight when you decide to go back to “normal”. You learn more and are more likely to maintain if you take it slow. As for plateau strategies, when I hit my plateau, after a year of dieting, I ate at maintenance for a week then went back to my program. Although I gained a couple of pounds in my break, probably water, the weight started coming off again albeit slowly. It took me two years to reach goal but now I am maintaining.1
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cheryldumais wrote: »4 pounds a week is really high. 1 to 2 pounds a week is my dream. As you lose the calories required to maintain drops. Thus your rate of loss drops. Take your time. Losing fast tends to result in rebound weight when you decide to go back to “normal”. You learn more and are more likely to maintain if you take it slow. As for plateau strategies, when I hit my plateau, after a year of dieting, I ate at maintenance for a week then went back to my program. Although I gained a couple of pounds in my break, probably water, the weight started coming off again albeit slowly. It took me two years to reach goal but now I am maintaining.
What was your start weight and goal weight if you don't mind me asking?0
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