Is Everyone Predetermined to hit a Plateau?

mariejoy1995

Just Curious,
I have lost 25 Pounds since Jan 26 of this year and need to lose a further 88 Pounds.
I'm praying I don't hit a wall. I'm curious to know does EVERYONE hit a harsh plateau within there weight loss journey.
Have you? have you not?

chrisdavey

I'd say yep. Fat loss is not linear. Stick to your plan when you hit a plateau and adjust if necessary.

Remember that as you get smaller your energy requires also get smaller so you may need to drop cals or increase activity to overcome this.

Blacklance36

I say yes too, you just have to wait it out and work through it.

SteamClutch

yup, eventually

jonnythan

A "plateau" is just the boundary between "what you are willing to do" and "what it takes to reach your true goal."

krennie8

what constitutes a "plateau"? Weighing in weekly & being the same 2 weeks in a row? Weighing in daily & being the same 4 days in a row?

dakotababy

I went from 250lbs, to 210lbs in about a year. I hit a Plateau that lasted about 8 months. To be honest, I stopped counting. I just decided to keep going regardlessly because no matter what - if you keep going, you will hit your goal one day (even if its years later). I tried to change up everything, from exercising more/less, weights to cardio and cardio to weights. Ate less/more, increased protein, decreased carbs...over the course of that 8 months. I finally decided to purchase a calorie tracking device. I purchased a fitbit, and followed it perfectly - and sure enough...off came 2lbs in 2 weeks! Which after 8 months of no change in measurements or weight - it was a relief to see change. I used the fitbit for a few weeks, decided to get a bodymedia armband. I have been losing weight consistently now, every month I expect to lose about 2+ lbs.

krawhitham

Yes, and there are mini-plateaus and longer plateaus. Mini are probably 4 weeks, and longer ones can last months.

I started Jan 1st with a total of about 43 lbs to lose. I have only lost ~10 lbs and I don't see a change on the scale every week. I think I see a change once a month. I will go 4 weeks seeing anywhere between 162 - 164, and then one day I'll drop off to 161 for a few days in a row, and then I'll see 161-163 for a whole month.

Now I only have 33 lbs to lose and it's going even slower. I will be happy to be at my goal weight January 2015 and I expect to hit many plateaus! But keep on keepin on, and don't get discouraged and you'll get to a healthy weight!

ShannonMpls

No. I lost weight every single week when I was losing weight, as long as I was eating at a deficit. The two weeks I didn't were vacation and Christmas, when I was not tracking. I stopped paying attention during the last 10ish pounds though since I was training for a 10 mile race and DGAF about weight loss at that point.

120 pounds lost in 12 months. Steady loss of 10 pounds a month. Losses every deficit week, though sometimes only half a pound. No stalls. Diligent logging, high adherence, several spike days a month, weight training, constantly changing workout program.

Plateaus are not inevitable.

ShannonMpls

Remember that as you get smaller your energy requires also get smaller so you may need to drop cals or increase activity to overcome this.

Or be content to slow down the rate of loss and instead increase calories as you go, thus decreasing your deficit slightly. Doing this throughout weight loss means that once you hit goal weight, you'll be so close to maintenance calories that making the switch will be a breeze.

eldamiano

Just Curious,
I have lost 25 Pounds since Jan 26 of this year and need to lose a further 88 Pounds.
I'm praying I don't hit a wall. I'm curious to know does EVERYONE hit a harsh plateau within there weight loss journey.
Have you? have you not?

Plateaus do not exist. It is a made up word for people who think they should be losing weight when actually they are not eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight. It as if it is there is a magic wall preventing them from physically being able to lose weight.

There is no such thing. If you eat at a deficit, you will be fine.

SezxyStef

Just Curious,
I have lost 25 Pounds since Jan 26 of this year and need to lose a further 88 Pounds.
I'm praying I don't hit a wall. I'm curious to know does EVERYONE hit a harsh plateau within there weight loss journey.
Have you? have you not?

Plateaus do not exist. It is a made up word for people who think they should be losing weight when actually they are not eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight. It as if it is there is a magic wall preventing them from physically being able to lose weight.

There is no such thing. If you eat at a deficit, you will be fine.

I agree with this...you will lose weight if you are in a deficet. There is an article about "the woosh" I read recently but that even isn't a plateau...

JazmineYoli

I believe in plateaus. I have hit them eating at a deficit, working out, weighing my foods, everything. Before I lost weight I was eating at a surplus but didn't gain extra weight. So technically you can be at a plateau on the weight loss OR weight gain side. It happens.

Phrick

I don't know. I can't say definitively they do or don't exist. I will say that in 13 months and 66lbs lost, while actually USING MFP, I haven't experienced one. The only time I experienced either 1) not losing weight at all, or 1) bouncing between a few pounds for a while (couple months) was when I got lazy in my tracking and just didn't give a damn for a bit, this was between about October and December of last year. I can't call that a plateau though, as clearly I was eating at or darn close to maintenance.

Ortax

I'm going to say no. If you have hit a plateau, then you're not technically in a calorie deficit. It's not rocket surgery.

rutheglen

I think changing the workout program probably helps keep it going...I haven't really hit a proper plateau yet - I have had the odd week or so, where I haven't lost any or even gained, but it's more because i have eaten more or exercised less..if and when it happens to me, I will just change my workout routine..hopefully, that will sort it

neandermagnon

I didn;t hit a plateau when losing fat. I lost at a slow rate though, around 1lb a week or sometimes less than that.

no-one can guarantee you won't hit a plateau, but if you do, there's usually something you can do to fix it

also, don't put all your expectations on a single number on the scale. Scale weight can go up even when you're actually losing fat. Look at other factors as well, such as loss of inches, clothes getting looser, fitting into smaller clothes, looking better in the mirror, etc. Even if scale weight stalls, if you're losing inches then it's not a plateau. And even if *all* progress stalls, which would be a plateau, then there's always something you can do about it, e.g. adjusting your calorie goal, doing a bit more exercise, or even just having a diet break for a short time (i.e. eating at maintenance for a couple of weeks) then going back to your fat loss calorie goal.

neandermagnon

I'm going to say no. If you have hit a plateau, then you're not technically in a calorie deficit. It's not rocket surgery.

in for mixed metaphors and doing surgery on rockets! :drinker:

loubidy

I personally think and in my personal experiences that plateaus are determined by how long it takes before life catches up with you. For example I was losing quite well when I was 100% dedicated, this lasted for about two months then it came to a point where I couldn't keep avoiding nights out and social events and my weightloss has slowed quite drastically now that these have been reintroduced into my lifestyle.

That being said I've never had a huge about to lose as I'm only overweight I've never been obese.

Phrick

I personally think and in my personal experiences that plateaus are determined by how long it takes before life catches up with you. For example I was losing quite well when I was 100% dedicated, this lasted for about two months then it came to a point where I couldn't keep avoiding nights out and social events and my weightloss has slowed quite drastically now that these have been reintroduced into my lifestyle.

That being said I've never had a huge about to lose as I'm only overweight I've never been obese.

I can't say I agree - I never avoided nights out and social events, I have instead practiced portion control and counted evenings out to the best of my ability in my time here (which I didn't do before - before it was "oh goody a night out I'm going to eat everything in sight! And possibly get sloshed too!" :drinker:). I wouldn't call myself less than 100% dedicated except in those 3-ish months between October and Dec. that I mentioned earlier. Maybe we're thinking of different kinds of dedication, I don't know - I have been 100% dedicated to making this a sustainable, reasonable lifestyle change this time, which includes making allowances for evenings out and social events and continuing toward my goals in spite of those nights.

Sugarbeat

Most likely. Think for a sec, you didn't gain steadily every single week. You probably plateaued a few times while gaining. Losing is the same, just going the other direction. Stay mindful, be patient, and change things up a little if you truly do get stuck. Good luck.

Ninkyou

I personally have not had a plateau. I have gone maybe 2 weeks at a time without any noticeable weight loss, but those times are usually caused by ovulation/period etc and were actually water retention and went away.

I cannot say whether I'll ever have a 'plateau' of 4+ weeks. I still have a good amount of weight to go. I'm not really worried about it though.

scrapscot

Between January and August of 2013, I lost 30-31 lbs. Since August I have not really lost anything. I stay within 2 lbs of the 30 lbs. I still need to lose 30 lbs. I've tried changing my exercise and laying off any carbs after 6pm but still can't get below that 168-170 mark. Any suggestions to you veterans who say plateaus don't exist?

Perhaps my age has a lot to do with it. I'm 65. I work out 5 days a week on treadmill and elliptical; also added a zumba gold class for a while and pilates. I'm not going to give up but I sure would like those extra pounds gone!

Cortelli

The only plateaus I hit when losing were those that I consciously hit -- around the holidays where I decided to eat at maintenance for a month, and after hitting a target BF% and moving to maintenance for another month or so. That said, weight loss is not linear and I certainly had a week or 10 days here and there where weight basically held steady -- inevitably for me followed by a "whoosh" of a few pounds.

It is important to remain crisp with your calorie estimates (in and out) and to continually reevaluate your calorie needs as you're losing body weight. And if you are being really crisp and careful, then usually the next step will be to reduce your intake by 50 - 100 cals a day.

dmenchac

Just Curious,
I have lost 25 Pounds since Jan 26 of this year and need to lose a further 88 Pounds.
I'm praying I don't hit a wall. I'm curious to know does EVERYONE hit a harsh plateau within there weight loss journey.
Have you? have you not?

Plateaus do not exist. It is a made up word for people who think they should be losing weight when actually they are not eating at a calorie deficit to lose weight. It as if it is there is a magic wall preventing them from physically being able to lose weight.

There is no such thing. If you eat at a deficit, you will be fine.

This exactly. Plateaus mean you aren't creating a deficit. Its simple and its used as an excuse.

qtgonewild

i have. basically it slows down. and for a couple weeks at a time wont really move. i was stuck at 216 for 2-3 weeks. then stuck at 213 for 2-3 weeks. then stuck at 211 for 2 weeks. now im between 207 and 210. so its not that steady going down every day kinda thing anymore.

Edited: To add that although the scale is stuck, i am losing inches and fitting in smaller clothes.

Phaedra2014

A "plateau" is just the boundary between "what you are willing to do" and "what it takes to reach your true goal."

You need to tell us what the "what it takes to reach your true goal" looks like. I need to get past my plateau.