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etip2011
etip2011 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I’ve lost about 25 pounds in the past 10 months. I feel like I’m plateauing and it’s starting to be a little discouraging. Always welcome to suggestions.

Replies

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 35,214 Member
    Hello, and welcome to the MFP Community!

    25 pounds in 10 months is great: Congratulations!

    It's normal for things to slow down as we get closer to goal weight, and even a good thing if goal weight is pretty close. (You don't mention where you are at this point.) We can only metabolize a small amount of stored body fat daily per pound of fat on our body, so as we have less fat, slower loss is a healthier choice.

    I get that slow-downs can be frustrating, though.

    A few common things that can cause stalls or pseudo-stalls:

    * Have you updated your calorie goal since the start? Smaller bodies require fewer calories, unless being lighter makes us increase activity.

    * Have you started some new exercise or have other factors (injury, allergies, medication side effects, change in eating style, etc.) that might be increasing water retention? Water isn't fat, so not worth worry, but can mask fat loss on the scale for a surprisingly long time. Since you've been achieving a sensibly moderate loss rate of just over half a pound a week, that becomes a somewhat larger potential. People losing aggressively fast - which IMO isn't a great plan - may see fewer cases where water retention shifts mask fat loss for longer time periods.

    * Are you noticing any signs that your body is wearying of weight loss, things like feeling cold a lot of the time, having more fatigue, maybe losing some interest in hobbies/home projects/activities that require more physical action, maybe even seeing more hair breakage or brittle nails, etc.? If so, it might be worth taking a couple of weeks to a month and eating at your current estimated weight-maintenance calories. I admit, that scenario's a little less likely with a gradual loss rate, but still possible. Our bodies can't tell a diet from a famine, so eventually they may down-regulate some less survival-vital functions. That's not "starvation mode" where our bodies "hold onto fat" beyond all reason, it's just slowing things down a bit so we might loss a bit slower than expected at a given calorie level. Going to maintenance calories for a while can (metaphorically) tell our bodies that the famine's over, so it's time to perk up again.

    * Are there ways you can increase your activity? I'm not suggesting brutally intense exercise, because that's usually counter-productive for weight loss. I'm not even necessarily suggesting formal exercise. But there are studies suggesting that when we're overweight, we tend to develop less-active daily life habits. Those habits can remain as we get lighter and more able to move, because they're automatic and unconscious. But we can intentionally rev them up a little, in ways that can have surprisingly positive effects. It can be exercise, if there's something fun and manageable you can add, but daily life changes can have meaningful impact. There's a thread here where other MFP-ers share their ideas for doing that:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    I don't know whether any of those ideas will resonate with you. But regardless, please don't feel discouraged. Keep chipping away, trying manageable ideas. You can figure this out, I predict. Only giving up altogether will prevent success. If you keep chipping away, trying things, learning from what doesn't work, you can succeed.

    Wishing you great outcomes: It's worth the effort!
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 12,870 Member
    Welcome! Wonderful progress so far!

    There are some great threads created by our members, bookmarked to the top of each category that may be helpful. Just look for "Most Helpful Posts - whatever the category name is”.

    For example:
    You can also ask your questions in any category that interests you, read posts or questions made by other members, join a group, or add some friends.

    Here are some frequently asked questions that may also be helpful: FAQ's

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