Plateauing

t8miller

Good morning all. I have been using myfitnesspal for a month now and loving it. I have lost between 15-17 lbs so far with 11 more to go. So far I have been losing 2-3 lbs. per week. Should I be expecting a plateau soon? Most people say around week 5 most people should expect a loss plateau. Does everyone get this? Just trying to prepare myself when the losses slow down or stop.

StartingOver4Me

I suggest a fast. Not 3 days or even 24 hrs. 18 hr fasts help me tremendously!!!

cckeimig

Everyone's organism is different. Some plateau and some don't. Just keep on going with your awesome progress and make sure you drink the 8+ glasses of water per day and eat back your exercise calories (some people don't do that, but I've had good results doing so). You may end up with a week or two where you don't see progress, but remember that you'll likely be gaining muscle weight at the same time you're losing fat weight, and that muscle weighs more than fat.

Just don't let any plateaus discourage you. You can do this!!!

mymelody_78

I didn't experience this in my 5th week but I am not super strict on my diet every day so I think it keeps my body guessing. Some days I would eat 1200 calories and other days it would be 1400 as long as the week balances out.

DonM46

I think I've hit one.
After losing a pound a week (sometimes 2) steadily, my loss this week and last week has just been a half pound each.
My start date was Jan 12, so mine has come after 3 1/2 months and 20 lb.

LyndseyMcKnight7

You will probably hit a plateau every couple of months. I would get prepared for it because it's hard to get on the scale and not see it move, especially when you work so hard. When it happens to me, I usually just eat a few hundred extra calories for a few days, and switch up my workout. Good luck!

absolament

If the plateau seems to last longer than two weeks it's time to evaluate your lifestyle: are you eating enough (should be close to your recommended after including exercise), are you getting enough sleep (body needs 7-8 hours), are you eating mostly nutritious food (stay clear of highly processed, high sodium food), are you incorporating a good balance of exercise (cardio and strength), are you giving your body rest days (best to give yourself 2 days...go for a walk instead). If you are achieving all these goals then it might be time to switch up your exercise routine by trying out a new fitness class/video or strength exercise.

Also, as you approach your weight loss goal, it's important to down grade your goal to 1/2 pound a week otherwise you put too much stress on the body to perform.

rileysowner

Good morning all. I have been using myfitnesspal for a month now and loving it. I have lost between 15-17 lbs so far with 11 more to go. So far I have been losing 2-3 lbs. per week. Should I be expecting a plateau soon? Most people say around week 5 most people should expect a loss plateau. Does everyone get this? Just trying to prepare myself when the losses slow down or stop.

I have never had a plateau. I think it is because during my more than an year of losing weight I have taken days and sometimes weeks off. Not that I ate crazy, but I didn't worry about maintaining a strict caloric deficit. Sometimes that meant I put on some weight (10 pounds in December) but it was usually more water weight due to high sodium than anything else and came off in a matter of days or sometimes a couple of weeks. I would suggest since you are down to your last 11 pounds you should lower your weight loss goals to something like 1 or probably better .5 pound a week. This has two benefits. First, your body will not look at your caloric deficit and start trying to hold on to the last fat you have because of it being too big. Second, it will be the first step toward moving to a maintenance level of calories helping you learn how to eat healthily at a higher calorie range. I have done that already and expect to do it again in a couple of weeks. Right now my weight loss goal is 1/week, I will probably go down to .5/week when I get within 5 pounds of my goal weight.

taletreader

I suggest a fast. Not 3 days or even 24 hrs. 18 hr fasts help me tremendously!!!

I disagree. The OP doesn't have any particular problem, indeed, is losing at an excellent clip. I wouldn't change anything for the moment.

For the record, I lost 65 lbs at a 2-3 a week since October with no plateau in sight. Yes, some weeks it's 0.5 lbs and some 4.5, because of my body's way of dealing with water, but there's nothing wrong with that.

Given you're getting closer to your goal, I would expect a *slow-down* (not a plateau) to about 1 lb/week, which would be entirely healthy. Take it. You don't want to force it, and moving to maintenance will be a whole lot easier starting from a slow loss compared to a fast loss.

IF you plateau, re-assess your calories first. Are you eating too much compared what your (smaller) body now consumes? Are you forcing it and eating too little? Are you maybe exercising too much and putting your body under a lot of strain? I've seen all three. The third happens when people get hooked on fitness and try to improve muscle mass and endurance while eating 1200-1400 calories (women). Depending on their size and metabolism, this may lead the body to not relinquishing any weight (though usually body composition changes quite visibly during the weight plateau).