Defining a plateau on a personal level

Aesop101

When I first started I knew there would be plateaus. I've dieted before. However when I first started things went real smooth. I got use to losing up to 4lbs. a week. That doesn't take long btw.

Then It got so I defined a plateau as losing 2 lbs per week instead of 4 lbs. But I can live with that. No problem. Then It became described as only 1 lb. per week. That's annoying I'm in a hurry here.

Later, 1 lb. every 2 weeks. Ooooo! that is rough. But then for the last two weeks I lost only .4 bls. Man o' man, I'm stuck. Seems I was playing The Limbo Dance with calories and losing nothing. A friend and I go out play a rough game of golf and then head to the local Buffet. Yep that sounds counter productive. Here I was stuck and I'm pigging out. I could tell immediately I needed that food in spite of my appearance. I felt it! I ate well. I know it was over 3,000 calories. I logged what I could remember. That was on a Saturday. The next day I never gained an ounce. Then Monday I felt great! Had energy and felt alive. I knew I would lose weight this week.

This week I read some really good posts here about sometimes we have to eat a little more to assure the body we're not starving. Those posts were uplifting to say the least. Does that mean hit the buffet every day. Not at all. It just seems the body needs a little more sometimes.

Today I was down 1.2 lbs. Finally!!

katy5692

it is unhealthy to lose weight too quick... remember 1lb is better than not losing at all! :happy:

Kirsty_UK

congratulations!

jmijaressf

My plateaus seem a lot longer because I go by whole pounds versus tenths, but before I joined MFP I was using another piece of software and I'd been on a plateau for two months. Noticeable gain, but no noticeable loss either. Though after I joined this site, I lost one pound in about a week. Haven't seen that second pound drop yet, but I know it's just around the corner.

Qarol

I would love it if I continuously lost, even if just a little. But every 6 or 7 lbs, I hit a plateau that lasts 2-3 weeks, where I lose nothing. That's rough. I've lost 0.2 lbs in the last two weeks. *sigh*

Neliel

I'd be so happy to lose 1 pound a week. I seem to only JUST be coming out of a 5 month plateau. And that's losing next to nothing for 5 whole months. I'm working my *kitten* off to shift this weight now.

rachielyon

When I first started I knew there would be plateaus. I've dieted before. However when I first started things went real smooth. I got use to losing up to 4lbs. a week. That doesn't take long btw.

Then It got so I defined a plateau as losing 2 lbs per week instead of 4 lbs. But I can live with that. No problem. Then It became described as only 1 lb. per week. That's annoying I'm in a hurry here.

Later, 1 lb. every 2 weeks. Ooooo! that is rough. But then for the last two weeks I lost only .4 bls. Man o' man, I'm stuck. Seems I was playing The Limbo Dance with calories and losing nothing. A friend and I go out play a rough game of golf and then head to the local Buffet. Yep that sounds counter productive. Here I was stuck and I'm pigging out. I could tell immediately I needed that food in spite of my appearance. I felt it! I ate well. I know it was over 3,000 calories. I logged what I could remember. That was on a Saturday. The next day I never gained an ounce. Then Monday I felt great! Had energy and felt alive. I knew I would lose weight this week.

This week I read some really good posts here about sometimes we have to eat a little more to assure the body we're not starving. Those posts were uplifting to say the least. Does that mean hit the buffet every day. Not at all. It just seems the body needs a little more sometimes.

Today I was down 1.2 lbs. Finally!!

Don't forget that you DO need to eat your exercise calories so that your body doesn't go into "starvation" mode. Also, sometimes you really do need to switch things up. Try raising your calorie intake for a week and then dropping it back down again or vice versa. It tricks your metabolism and basically forces it to "keep up" with the changes. Which can really help )