Constantly Plateauing and the Scale

planetcitygirl73

The first week of January after letting go of my diet during the holidays, I got on the scale to find that I was actually down by 2 pounds from when I last checked 3 weeks prior. I was really happy to see that. It read 218. Since I was within 5.5 pounds of having lost a total of 100 pounds after 2 years of diet and exercise, I was determined to git that milestone as soon as possible.

I increased my exercise, ate healthier foods, and used a Bodybugg to make sure there was a deficit between calories in and calories out. Two and a half months later, I am actually down one pants size BUT...my weight has fluctuated like a bouncing ball, and I'm still not at that 100 pound weight loss. Last Saturday I was down 4 pounds from the previous week. Today, it went back up 2 pounds.

I am confused what I am doing wrong. I consume about 1600-1700 calories a day, high protein, low carbs, mid-range on fat (most of my fats are from olive oil, nuts, etc.) and eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I do cardio activity 3 times a week (Zumba, Walking/Jogging) and weights 2 times a week. All this is probably the healthiest stuff I've done in my life (even when I weighed a normal weight).

Why can't I just lose even one pound a week on a regular basis?

JustBill

Simple... muscle weighs more than fat. I know you want to hit that milestone, but it sounds like you're actually doing awesome and getting into great shape. Keep it up and those pounds will shed away soon enough.

Tcasillas

ok so i know im still new to this and have only been working on my weight for 15 days now. but i lost 8 pounds the first week. gained 2 back and have not lost any more weight. but i have lost about 2 inches in my waist just this week. and i have noticed that i actually can feel a muscle in my arm. so i agree that muscle weighs more then fat. and it really does sound like your doing great. i wouldnt change anything that your doing. just keep to it.

Lady_G

You are gaining muscle weight. Muscle weighs heavier than fat and although you will fit into smaller clothes, you will get heavier. This is not a bad thing. Your weight on the scales can be confusing, some perople say that it is better to measure your waist, hips etc, rather than rely solely on weighing scales.

Also you would need to take into account TOM as this can also have a bearing on fluctuations in weight.

Lady_G

You are gaining muscle weight. Muscle weighs heavier than fat and although you will fit into smaller clothes, you will get heavier. This is not a bad thing. Your weight on the scales can be confusing, some perople say that it is better to measure your waist, hips etc, rather than rely solely on weighing scales.

Also you would need to take into account TOM as this can also have a bearing on fluctuations in weight.

willimh

Congrats on your success thus far. I too struggle with the scale but, I do look smaller and I feel lighter. I will suggest to you not to worry about the scale and to just keep doing what you are doing. Your cloth will tell alot a well. Im trying to refocus my mind on non scale victorys. You done a fantastic job thus far with loosing 98 lbs so keep going.

lmillspa

First: congratulations. You are an AMAZING inspiration! Think of all the pounds your example is helping others to shed!

Secondly: I wonder if you have recalculated your Basal Metabolic Rate lately? The sad fact is, your body is spending a lot less calories to power your 218 frame than it did to power 312. It's affected by height and age of course, but 1600 - 1700 sounds a little high. I'm at 218 right now; I personally have to net under 1600 to loose, but I'm older than you look, and not nearly as active!

It might be worth doing the math again to make sure 1600-1700 is still the right target. Bill is right that muscle weighs more than fat, but your body needs less food than it did before, so it may be time to check your numbers.

Another thought: maybe look at your nutrition reports to see if something is different now in your intake than it was when you were dropping more consistently. Maybe you are getting more/less of a vitamin or mineral? Maybe something is causing you to retain water (a new trail mix? Certain kind of nut or bread??)

Again, your success is amazing! I, tool, love to hit those milestones and 100 is worth going after; just don't let it get you down.

planetcitygirl73

Hi, thanks for the replies so far. I would agree that muscle might have something to do with it, although I'm not sure how much. I also wonder what is the right calorie amount for me to consume. My BMR is 1717. If I use the Harris Benedict Equation to calculate how many calories I should eat a day to maintain weight (based on being lightly active and lean body mass), I get 2360. The rule is to subtract 500 calories from that to lose 1 pound a week. So that would be 1860. That's considering if I exercise 3 times a week for 30 minutes.

On this website, it tells me that I should be consuming 1560 calories a day if I don't exercise that day. If I do, and burn 200-300 calories on average, I should be adding that to the total.

Six years ago I was around 250 (35 pounds heavier than I am now) and I went into a medically sponsored weight loss program. The nutritionist had me consuming 1550 calories a day. So that's why I wonder sometimes if I'm eating too much or not enough.