Plateau already???

michelegurr

In my first 30 days of MFP I have lost 13 bs! Yay me! Best of all it's STAYIng off! My question is, the first two weeks I lost 10 lbs, then loss came to a screeching halt with the remaining 3 lbs being lost over a 2 week period! While I'm happy for the loss, and I will take 1-1.5 lbs a week if I have to as long as I'm making forward progress, I'm nor gonna lie, I'm GREEDY! I want the 2 lbs a week! Not sure what I can do to pump things up, and maybe the slumps is finally over and I'll get 2 lbs a week? Any ideas you guys have would be great! Two things: I have an open diary do if you wanna attack my eating habits have at it! I know what part of the problem has to be - snacks...and I'm probably not eating enough veggies...two: sorry but under no circumstances will I sacrifice the lindts dark chili chocolate! LOL I can control myself and eat one square at a time, and am willing to give up other less healthy snacks. But I am staying as close to my calorie limit as I can and when I go over I definitely work it off. Thanks ahead of time for the feedback! Especially interested to hear form anyone else who has had what happened to me the first month happen to you!

astronomicals

water weight..... dont do anything rash unless you wanna lose a bunch of muscle and look like poop... 1.5 is pretty good.. more will probably be a much higher ratio of muscle and youll look like poop...


if you aren't strength training, start

astronomicals

BTW plateau means plateau....not slowing losses.... you arent plateauing unless you stop losing weight

PaulHalicki

Just stick with it and be patient. I lost 28 lb. in under 2 months. Then nothing for almost two weeks. Finally, this morning, down a pound. I was starting to get frustrated, and kind of looking at little details pretty closely: Am I evaluating my calorie counts incorrectly (guessing low)? Is it the kind of food, should I eat more veggies? A little more attention to detail seems to work. Just because I was losing 3 lb. per week doesn't mean losing a half pound a week is bad.

Phoenix_Warrior

Definitely stick with it! You don't want to lose any faster. That's about the pace my loss is going and I agree with others that any more of a loss would result in more muscle loss. You will be more happy with an end result that's slower than quick! I know it's hard to be patient but months down the road you'll look back and realize how far you've come.

Yooperm35

http://www.drrobertmaki.com/?powerpress_pinw=1955-podcast

start the podcast at around 15:30

mcantone29

I recently had the same issue, lost weight consistently then stagnant and gained a little. I happened by chance to speak with someone about not feeling like myself (stupid allergy season) and they asked about my multivitamins. Duh. I cut down to ~1250 calories a day and never considered my body was losing what it was needing to run. Within a week of getting on vitamins pounds started to fall back off.
Good luck, hope this helps.

broox80

I just got over a 6 week plateau. It was so frustrating, I wanted to quit. My awesome support system on here helped me through it. I switched up my exercise routine and ate at maintenance for 2 weeks, then lowered my cals back down to the suggested loss of 1 pound per week (1560). I have already lost about 3 more pounds, almost to 50 total lost but have about 40 more to go : / !! I am sure I will plateau again, but I know I will push through it like I did this time!! You will too!!!

peachstategal

Well, your diary doesn't seem to be open. LOL

acpgee

http://justinowings.com/understanding-bodyweight-and-glycogen-de/

The first 5 or 10 pounds are glycogen and water. Much easier to lose than fat.

themedalist

BTW plateau means plateau....not slowing losses.... you arent plateauing unless you stop losing weight

And the weight loss stops over a protracted period of time. Three weeks without any weight loss isn't a plateau.

Lizzy622

Patience. As everyone has been saying water first then the fat. Are you exercising? I only eat back about 1/2 my calories so it really increases your deficit without you losing any food. I wouldn't give up my dark chocolate either. :drinker:

lsorci919

First off Wtg on the 13 lbs!
Ok now to address the rate of loss 1 to 1.5 pounds it actually a very good rate of loss. I say keep up with whatever you are doing that is keeping a consistent loss of at least 1 pound a week. When I started, my plan was 1 pound a week until it's all gone! If I lost more then that, yay me! Of course I dropped 15 to 20 pounds really fast at first (water weight). Now that I am half way to my goal my loss is 1 to 2 pounds a week or I will not lose anything one week and then the next weigh in I'm down 3 or 4 pounds. I just figure as long as I'm losing and not gaining I'm happy. Your best bet is to just focus on being healthy and meeting your calorie goals. The weight will come off with the right choices.

CantonMan1234

Great Job on the 13lbs!!!
Remember this is a journey. You didn't get this way overnight, or in just a few weeks; you won't get to where you want overnight or in just a few weeks. Patience, perseverance and the long view are your best friends now. One step at a time, one workout at a time. If you are content with your calorie intake, exercise more, do more things to exert yourself. work your body to make your body work for you.

Stay Focused ... Stay Encouraged ... Stay the Course!!!

awackywabbit

In my experience weight loss is not consistent. I've been at it for about 22 months now. I have lost a of weight and if you average it out it comes to 0.7lbs lost per week. HOWEVER, that is not the true story. I have had weeks where I have dropped 8-10 lbs and then I have gone months without losing anything and I have even gained weight during certain times.

The general trend for me has been at about 10% of my body weight lost I plateu for several months. I don't lose anything else and I don't gain. Then the loss starts back up and sometimes it is dramatic. For instance I dropped 15lbs in a 3 week period at the end of August. Since then I've lose 6 lbs. So it goes up and down for me which I think is a more typical experience then some are willing to admit.

Overall the trend is down which is good. That is what you need to focus on. After all you did not gain all your weight in a few months, it likely took years so if your goal is permanent weight loss and not yo-yo dieting then give your body time to shed the pounds so you can keep them off for life!

LuLuChick78

First - you need to work on your patience. Most people would KILL for the 1-1.5lb per week weight loss that you will settle for.

Second - if you honestly want advice then you need to open your diary.

Congrats on the loss so far.

michelegurr

Thanks for all the feedback! I like the idea of eating back half the calories instead of eating them all back...also gotta say I was on a mini plateau ok? Till this AM finally lost a half pound! And I know weight fluctuates day to day as well.... I just needed to hear from you guys I guess, sometimes you know what's up but hearing it from others validates it. Been quite awhile since I took the diet thing seriously...that is, without doing stupid fad diets! LOL AND last thing I wanna do is look like poop! Crap coulda stayed fat n looked like poop! LOL And sorry, I did go and opened my food diary...I'll try again. I really appreciate all the comments and support! You guys rock!

Siansonea

This is why I don't exercise. Who needs another variable? And I can always exercise after I reach my weight goal if I feel like it (I won't). I keep my math super simple, and so far math has been very kind to me. :drinker:

butterflygone

I am at a plateau myself. I lost 12 lbs the first 3 weeks. Today is day # 2 with no loss. I was told (by a body builder) to only eat limited carbs in the AM and protein only for dinner, before 5 PM. Then nothing else for the day but water. Does this sound legit? I'm not trying to be a body builder, btw. Just lose about 80 lbs. I think my diary is open. Any advice would be appreciated.

lsorci919

I am at a plateau myself. I lost 12 lbs the first 3 weeks. Today is day # 2 with no loss. I was told (by a body builder) to only eat limited carbs in the AM and protein only for dinner, before 5 PM. Then nothing else for the day but water. Does this sound legit? I'm not trying to be a body builder, btw. Just lose about 80 lbs. I think my diary is open. Any advice would be appreciated.

Seems a little strict to me. I would end up crash dieting. Mr or Mrs body builder may be thinking what worked for them will work for everyone and I'm sure it would work. I just personally like my changes in diet and exercise to not be so drastic that burn myself out. I also I'm trying to lose around 80/85 pounds. I'm half way there now. I would suggest not worrying about 2 days with no loss instead start only logging your weight loss, max, once a week. You are more likely to be happy with yourself then. It can be frustrating weighing daily and seeing no change. I personally consider a plateau something at last about a month or more. If I was to consider a week of no loss a plateau then I hit one ever month around my TOM. lol shoot sometime I even gain 2-4 pounds.

ErinMLB

You don't seem to have a MASSIVE amount to loose, I would expect .5-1 pound a week lose. The first couple weeks everyone gets really really excited (myself included) because there is a tendency to loose a good chunk there, but that is not sustainable. If you want this to be a long term solution, than you've got to be in it for the long haul. Make sure you eat back most of your exercise calories, drink plenty of water and don't get too hung up the scale.

Do you feel better? do your clothes fit better? Has your relationship with food changed for the better? Are your measurements dropping? To me those questions are far more important than if you've lost a pound in a few weeks.