Stopped losing weight

spuza

I have been following a plan since 3/1 and saw steady weight loss. After 3 weeks and still sticking to the plan I have started gaining weight. Any ideas of how to jumpstart my weight loss again? Starting to get discouraged.

AnnPT77

Your profile says you're female. Are you adult, and not in menopause yet? If so, hormonal water retention related to monthly cycle could be part of the picture. Three weeks in, you're not in a position to compare body weight at the same relative point in at least two different monthly cycles, which usually gives a better idea about progress. (Some women only see a new low body weight once a month: That's unusually extreme, but it can happen.)

Even then, bodies are weird, and lots of things cause water weight shifts. It's extremely, extremely common to lose some weight in the first couple of weeks of a new routine, then seem to stall for a couple of weeks or so based on scale weight, after which water and fat stop playing peek-a-boo on the scale, and fat loss starts gradually showing up again. (It was happening in the background the whole time, just hidden by the water.)

So, there's a strong possibility that you're average, and that waiting this out, sticking to a sensible routine, is the right answer. While you're waiting, this might be a good read, if you haven't already seen it:

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

Don't try to game the water retention. Water weight shifts are a normal part of how a healthy body stays healthy. The best route is to understand your own personal body's normal patterns, and expect them.

Hang in there - I'm betting you'll see loss happen again. Best wishes!