How long before you hit a plateau?

susanelizabeth1988

Hello MFPers!

I was wondering how long you were losing weight for before you hit a plateau, and what factors you feel contrinuted to it?
I guess this is just so I can best prepare myself, the scales have stopped moving after only 3 - weeks on this site!

Thanks in advance

akaChuck

bump

Brownski860

i hit a plateau every 10 pounds

ajbeans

I've never hit a plateau, and I'm almost at goal weight. I've stuck to a slow rate of loss, eat back most of my exercise calories, stay hydrated, and do some light strength training. And on occasion I splurge, and don't beat myself up about it or try to make up the calories the next day. I think all those factors have kept the weight falling off at a steady rate.

cgd67

I hit one at about one month in. Mine happened when I started working out. I think (testing it now) mine happened when I started eating back all the calories I burned working out. This week I am trying to eat some of them back, but not all of them. I think the generic calorie calculations for cardio are a little high. A HRM is probably the best way to know what you are actually burning. I am investigating them today.

lisapickering

I've never hit a plateau, and I'm almost at goal weight. I've stuck to a slow rate of loss, eat back most of my exercise calories, stay hydrated, and do some light strength training. And on occasion I splurge, and don't beat myself up about it or try to make up the calories the next day. I think all those factors have kept the weight falling off at a steady rate.

Me too!

mastens2003

i hit a plateau every 10 pounds

I have been on a plateau for about 4 weeks now after losing my first 10lbs. as well.......Do you have any tips to break it??? I have been working out about 4 times a week for 30 or more minutes a time. and eating most of my excercise calories back.....my diary is open for viewing......Can someone please give me some tips to get off of this??? It is driving me crazy!

zml_mom

I hit one about every 20 lbs it usually last for 2 weeks but this last one lasted almost a month thanks to TOM, but I have slowly started loosing again this week.

most of my problem was that I wasn't even eating 1200 calories a day and burning 600 or more a day so I got to the point to where I was always starving so I upped my calories to around 1500 a day and burning around 600-900 a day and have noticed that I have gone down 3 lbs this week so far

_Khaleesi_

I hit a plateau at 15 lbs lost (I just gained a lb back in water today... ugh).
I can't figure out what the cause is quite yet because I haven't gotten past it. My cals were probably too low. I upped them and am giving it a 2 week trial before I change them again.

paperpromisesx3

I have never hit a plateau. I have been active on here since April and tend to lose .8 lbs per week. There have been weeks where I have not lost anything (I haven't had much progress over the past month, but I haven't gained), but that is because I ate over my calories.

susanelizabeth1988

I hit one at about one month in. Mine happened when I started working out. I think (testing it now) mine happened when I started eating back all the calories I burned working out. This week I am trying to eat some of them back, but not all of them. I think the generic calorie calculations for cardio are a little high. A HRM is probably the best way to know what you are actually burning. I am investigating them today.

I agree with the not eating back all my exercise calories - think this is where I've gone wrong the past few days. Also thinking about getting a heart rate monitor to sort out the cardio calculations - but the majority of my cardio is commuting and i can't see myself wearing it on the the way to work all the time :laugh:

mangirl

every five to ten pounds. All I have had to do to break it was eat more calories for a few days then cut back again.

GreenGettingLean

I hit my plateau about 3 weeks in after losing 5 lbs. scale stayed stuck for 2-3 weeks and finally budged in the downward direction this morning! I let up on my cardio a bit and upped my calories from 1200 to 1390.

mzashby

I've never hit a plateau, and I'm almost at goal weight. I've stuck to a slow rate of loss, eat back most of my exercise calories, stay hydrated, and do some light strength training. And on occasion I splurge, and don't beat myself up about it or try to make up the calories the next day. I think all those factors have kept the weight falling off at a steady rate.

I think this is the important thing...Cant beat yourself up about occasionally splurging...this lets your body know its not going to starve and allows it to burn fat instead of harboring it just in case...

sbarrett7171

I broke my plateau by going to two workouts per day for a short time frame. I guess it's just my old school thinking.....if it ain't workin' try harder

melsinct

I hit a plateau about 2 months in and at my half way point, which was 15 pounds lost out of 30 total. In hindsight, I plateaued because I was only eating 1200 calories a day which wasn't enough (the "starvation mode" you hear about). I had my weight loss on MFP set for 2 pounds/week which was way too aggressive. After I switched my setting to 0.5 pound/week loss, the scale started moving again and now I eat 1700 calories/day.

proctorgirl07

bump

monocot

I hit a plateau at 50 lbs then it went away after about a month. Then I dropped another 20 and I've been in this plateau for 2 months,
I feel like I'm still stuck in this plateau because I got discouraged when the scaled stopped. I still work out almost daily. and I still try to eat healthy but Im a bit more willing to say yes to that chocolate or binging when the craving strikes

susanelizabeth1988

General consensus seems to be stop being so restrictive with the 1200 calories thing! I have also set mine for a 2lb loss - perhaps this is too harsh. I guess eating more could be worth a shot.

Brownski860

i hit a plateau every 10 pounds

I have been on a plateau for about 4 weeks now after losing my first 10lbs. as well.......Do you have any tips to break it??? I have been working out about 4 times a week for 30 or more minutes a time. and eating most of my excercise calories back.....my diary is open for viewing......Can someone please give me some tips to get off of this??? It is driving me crazy!

I stopped eating my workout calories, switched to low carb (aka i ate cereal in the morning and protein/veggie/fruit the rest of the day) and increase my workouts to 1 hr a day 5 days a week. it took a solid 2 weeks before i saw it move at all.