No loss!

lizarene3

I am getting discouraged, the scale has not moved for 2 weeks now! Granted I have had a few slips in the last two weeks, but for the most part I have stayed right at my calorie goal for the day of 1370. I started on January 30th and have lost 21 pounds so far, is it possible to hit a plateau in 6 weeks? Thanks in advance for any advice and/or recommendations!

militarydreams

A few questions:

Have you been eating a lot of sodium lately? Processed meals are a big source
Have you increased your exercise levels in the last 2 weeks? Muscles will retain water for glycogen stores and to protect themselves while they repair
Have you been using a tape measure in addition to the scales? I'd recommend both or throwing the scales out

To answer your question, it's very unlikely that this is a plateau... more likely a small stall

lizarene3

I am a sodium lover bigtime! I salt potato chips! Seriously, so yes, I eat way too much soduim. Last week I started drinking more water though, I did great through the week, about 108 ounces a day. I did also eat lean cuisine pizza's a couple of nights for dinner too, which are higher in sodium. And one night last week I did jogging on the treadmill, wall pushups and ab exercises. I was so sore I couldn't walk the rest of the week though, so I haven't gotten back on that yet.

I have measured myself once, but I have been so bad about exercising consistently, I haven't measured again. I washed the outside of my house this weekend and push mowed the lawn, but other than that, no exercise. I wish I were better at being consistent, it makes me angry with myself that I can't seem to stop being lazy!!!!

militarydreams

Ok so sodium will cause water retention which in turn may be simply masking the weight loss. You might be burning fat but holding a little water in it's place which isn't the end of the world, it will dissapate naturally over a few days if you cut sodium.

In addition to that, if you've exercised so hard that you could barely walk for a few days then your muscles will be trying to repair like crazy. Again more water held in there for protection. When you train hard and deplete glycogen (the muscles energy store) it always tries to increase the stores for next time thus increasing your endurance slightly, this is especially true of people who are new to exercise: a trained muscle is much heavier than an untrained one. Glycogen binds to... you guessed it: water.

Don't kick yourself, you're doing everything right. The sodium will take a couple of days to flush out and the protective water will take a couple of weeks.

Best of luck to you

psuLemon

Also, when you are exercising, are you eating back some of your calories? If not, you should aim to get 50-75% of them back.

lizard053

1. If you love salt/salty foods, drink more water to help flush it all through your system, so you don't retain water. It really works! I never have to worry about my sodium levels with drinking 3-4 liters of water a day. Yes, I frequently drink a gallon of water in a day!

2. Exercise is a must! I don't care what others say, but it will really help you keep losing those pounds! Lifting weights will help you lose every bit as much as cardio workouts will. And the heavier you can lift, the better. You want to get maximum results right? You won't bulk up, I promise! If you're limiting your calories you probably won't have enough to build muscle. You want to maintain as much as possible as you'll burn more in your BMR with muscle than with fat.

3. Be patient! 2 weeks really isn't a plateau. More of a stall. They happen. Frequently. Figure out what's causing the stall and you'll be back to losing. It could just be a mental block. It may be the frustration of not seeing a loss. It may be the sodium. It may be you need to change up your eating habits. It may be time to change your exercise routine, change intensity or type.

freeasharold

Hey I am right there with you! This is week 7 for me and I have seen the same number on the scale for 3 weekly weigh ins now! It is hard not to be discouraged, but I took my measurements and my chest is an inch and a half smaller than it was 2 weeks ago. I also love salt, and have been doing turbofire. Lots of soreness.

We will get through this!

lizarene3

Thanks to everyone! This is just a great place to come for advice and that pep talk when you want to grab a bag of doritos and call it quits!

I will take all of your suggestions, cut back on sodium, up the water and at the very least, start walking on the treadmill for exercise consistently! Making myself get up and off of that dang couch is the hardest thing for me, but my goal is to get myself up and do it all week this week!

Thanks again and best of luck to everyone too!!