Help! I've been on a plateau for 2.5 months

karlee113

I am so frustrated! I've lost 55 pounds since August 2013. I lost the first 20 pounds fairly quickly and then averaged a 1.5 loss
until February 15 2014. I've been following the Weight Watchers program. I've tried switching up food choices, eating more,
eating less, exercising more with no success. I still need to lose another 50 lbs. and feel like I'll never lose again. I should also mention that I'm hyperthyroid and going through menopause. Normally when you are hyperthyroid you lose weight, not so in my case. Anyone else ever had this problem? I seem to be losing and gaining the same 3 pounds over and over every week. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

wilsoje74

How much are you eating per day?

PJPrimrose

Are you losing inches, weight lifting, or not eating at least 1200 calories per day? (Scale is not the end all tell all.)

karlee113

I'm using the weight watcher point system - not sure how many calories that equals

karlee113

Yes I've lost a few inches but weight is stagnant. I wouldn't be so concerned about the actual weight if I didn't have so much more to lose.

kuolo

I'm using the weight watcher point system - not sure how many calories that equals

If you're not having any success losing weight with what you're doing then you need to start counting calories. Your weight loss probably stalled because you were no longer eating in a deficit for your body mass.

krennie8

Are you sure you're still hyper? Maybe you've gone hypo. Are you under a physician's care?

ndj1979

more then likely you have lost enough weight that your calorie needs have changed and you are now eating at maintenance, which is why you are not losing…although your medical condition could be factoring into this as well.

I would suggest setting MFP for 1 pound per week loss and enter your stats, and see what kind of calorie number it gives you….

geebusuk

Your diary is closed, so it's hard to offer advice.

I would definitely be getting advice from your medical professional considering your conditions.

It may just be a case of resetting your deficit by making sure you eat less or exercise more, but it's quite possible your body is burning less for reasons it shouldn't be.

Firehawk734

Try adding calories back in for a couple of weeks. Take a break. Let your body relax a bit. Losing weight is tough on the system. Then get back at it.

EDIT: Nevermind my advice, i didn't read the last half of your original post lol Maybe what the others suggested is better, see a doctor, make sure numbers are ok. But, it could just be that you need a break as well.

runner475

I should also mention that I'm hyperthyroid and going through menopause. Normally when you are hyperthyroid you lose weight, not so in my case. Anyone else ever had this problem?

When did you last did your thyroid test? I would first go talk to doctor and ask for a TSH test.

I'm not familiar with Weighwatchers point system but if you are eating in your calorie deficit I think that should not be an issue.

I wish you best of wishes. Good Luck.

jenilla1

I'm using the weight watcher point system - not sure how many calories that equals

If you're not having any success losing weight with what you're doing then you need to start counting calories. Your weight loss probably stalled because you were no longer eating in a deficit for your body mass.

I agree. If you're sitting at the same weight for months, you aren't plateauing, you're at maintenance. Time to reevaluate.

SLLRunner

I am so frustrated! I've lost 55 pounds since August 2013. I lost the first 20 pounds fairly quickly and then averaged a 1.5 loss
until February 15 2014. I've been following the Weight Watchers program. I've tried switching up food choices, eating more,
eating less, exercising more with no success. I still need to lose another 50 lbs. and feel like I'll never lose again. I should also mention that I'm hyperthyroid and going through menopause. Normally when you are hyperthyroid you lose weight, not so in my case. Anyone else ever had this problem? I seem to be losing and gaining the same 3 pounds over and over every week. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?

Karlee,

Congrats on your weight loss thus far! Excellent work.

If you open you diary up, we might be able to see something you are not aware of.

WW does points instead of calories and you don't count the calories of some foods. Have you been eating more of the "free" foods that you can think of? Do you weigh your food?

Though my thyroid is closer to hyper than hypo, it's within normal range,so I can't speak to that. I have been in menopause for quite some time, and I had no problem losing weight and have been maintaining within 3-4 pound fluctuation. That's okay for me, though.

SLLRunner

I'm using the weight watcher point system - not sure how many calories that equals

If you're not having any success losing weight with what you're doing then you need to start counting calories. Your weight loss probably stalled because you were no longer eating in a deficit for your body mass.

Excellent point! OUr calorie needs go down as we lose weight, and 55 pounds is an amazing amount.

sodakat

I *think* each WW point is about 50 calories (averaged over fats, proteins, carbs). So it could be you can no longer eat at the calorie goal you've been using and lose weight. How many points do you eat per day?

karlee113

Thanks everyone for all the replies! If WW is about 50 cal per point I'm having approx 1800 calories a day. I rarely have
any of the free foods. I am under a doctor's care but sadly he doesn't seem to be interested in side effects, he's all about my
thyroid lab numbers. My tsh is fairly low, 0.32 and has steadily been getting lower. I have an appt to see a doctor who specializes in weight loss and metabolism but my
appointment is not for a month. I haven't been at my present weight for about 8 years and haven't been below my present weight in about 25 years so maybe my body thinks I'm starving and will eventually let the weight drop again? I agree with a lot of your comments. I'm going to stick with WW for a while longer and if it I continue to stay at the same weight I'll switch to counting calories. My fitness pal says that I should be having 1800 calories a
day to lose 1 pound a week which seems to be exactly what my WW points are. I've been so motivated and really want to get to my ideal weight but this set back is causing a lot of stress and doubt. I really appreciate all your replies. Thank you

P.S. I just signed up for Myfitnesspal today so it doesn't represent the weight I've lost since August 2013 - 55-59 lbs depending
on whether my weight goes up or down any given week since Feb 15th

aaroneous89

like other said, congrats on the weight loss thus far, one thing that should help you get out of your plateau is HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) I'd stop weight watchers though, and look for proportion sizes instead. When you cook your meals, grill it or bake it, and fry veggies in olive oil or coconut oil, and instead of putting all of your food in a dinner plate, use saucers or smaller sized plates. Remember, the stomach is a little bigger than your fist, eating anymore just causes expansion. I started doing the proportion size diet by itself a month ago and lost over 10 pounds already, I just didn't make my account til a few days ago, so I put my current weight in, which is why it says 0 pounds lost lol.

What I do for HIIT is when I go for my walk, I take off sprinting as fast as I can for atleast 10 seconds, I try to go for 20, then I take a 10 to 20 sec break, and take off sprinting again, and repeating this process. I do this for 10-20 minutes of the morning, and I'm going to start doing it of the evening to. I've done some research online, and it's called an afterburn effect. By doing those fast sprints, with short recovery times, so that your heart is still beating fast, and so that you can't completely catch your breath so you are back to normal, it does something with the fat loss. I researched it a lot on google and youtube, and I started doing this yesterday, but it's worth a try, lots of stories of people getting out of plateaus using the HIIT method. You can find in home HIIT workouts to.

If you want any additional help on diets, you can message me and I'll send you what I do for my diet plan, or you can just search the forum topic " Am I dieting correctly?" and find my post, I put everything I eat there and asked advice on if it was a good diet plan, and everyone seemed to think so.

Sinisterly

more then likely you have lost enough weight that your calorie needs have changed and you are now eating at maintenance, which is why you are not losing…

This right here.

Happened to me before, I fixed it by upping my food intake and upping exercise calories burned.

ninerbuff

Have you recalculated your points due to weight loss? Try changing your macro ratio. Lower carbs a little and increase protein and/or fat to comp for the calories. Stick to it for at least a month to see and then reassess.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

lottewiegeraad

I have been on a plateau for about 7-8 months, what worked for me was switching up my excercises! After one month I Started to loose again

geebusuk

I might consider a bit of a 'reset'* by eating a bit higher for some time.

But overall, that's a good few calories for weight loss, so I'd consider lowering them a bit and see how that works out.

Also, Weight Watchers is all a bit of a 'fudge factor' - get logging on here. Use food scales where possible. You might find that you're eating more than you think.

* I use an alternate day 'IF' system - I eat 1000 calories less on 'rest' days compared to weights workout days. I suspect this helped not plateau until about 4lb before my goal (and was happy enough to switch to a bulk at that point anyway. - on that lifting heavy weights is also worth considering.)

kristined2011

I'm having the same problem! I've been using the WW system as well. I'm 24 and I"m 5'6 and weigh 150. I weighed 164 after college and I've always been very muscular. The first 14 pounds came off pretty easily. I'm now stuck at 150/a size 6. I weighed 147 in high school and had a great body, But was also exercising for hours each day for various sports/activities. Now I exercise-weights/pilates for 1 hour 3X per week. I would like to weigh 140...I like my muscular body and I think 10 pounds is all I need to firm it up a bit more. Lowest I've been is 149. Not sure how to kick start the final 10 pounds... any advice is appreciated!!!

lindsey1979

Thanks everyone for all the replies! If WW is about 50 cal per point I'm having approx 1800 calories a day. I rarely have
any of the free foods. I am under a doctor's care but sadly he doesn't seem to be interested in side effects, he's all about my
thyroid lab numbers. My tsh is fairly low, 0.32 and has steadily been getting lower. I have an appt to see a doctor who specializes in weight loss and metabolism but my
appointment is not for a month. I haven't been at my present weight for about 8 years and haven't been below my present weight in about 25 years so maybe my body thinks I'm starving and will eventually let the weight drop again? I agree with a lot of your comments. I'm going to stick with WW for a while longer and if it I continue to stay at the same weight I'll switch to counting calories. My fitness pal says that I should be having 1800 calories a
day to lose 1 pound a week which seems to be exactly what my WW points are. I've been so motivated and really want to get to my ideal weight but this set back is causing a lot of stress and doubt. I really appreciate all your replies. Thank you

P.S. I just signed up for Myfitnesspal today so it doesn't represent the weight I've lost since August 2013 - 55-59 lbs depending
on whether my weight goes up or down any given week since Feb 15th

Has your doctor checked for other contributing factors to your thyroid -- adrenals, insulin resistance, vitamin deficiencies (D, magnesium, iron/ferritin, iodine, etc.)? When the thyroid goes off, it can affect a lot of other things and if you don't get them sorted out as well, they can cause serious issues even if the thyroid itself is back on track.