Did I plateau already? :(

kendraleigh88
kendraleigh88 Posts: 77
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey people.
I'm freaking out.
I've been trying to lose weight by eating right, tracking what I eat and exercising for almost 2 months now. Set my goals to lose 2 lbs a week up to my wedding in June. So, I've been eating about 1400-1500 calories a day. I eat healthy and I have a treat here and there, but I'm under my calorie intake 95% of the time. And I exercise 4-5 times a week. I measure myself every 10 days to 2 weeks.
It sucks, but I have been doing okay. Keep in mind before I started this, I'd eat fast food everyday. McDonalds, KFC, Arby's. Never exercised.

So, I figured if I put my mind to it, it would be easy! Right?! Well, sort of.
My first 20 pounds were easy to lose. Took about 6 weeks to lose that.
Now, in the last 10 days, nothing. Not a pound! Measured myself. Nothing!
I'm so upset. I don't ever really track my water intake but I have always drank more than enough water a day. I love it. I'm so upset! How did I hit a plateau already?!

Replies

  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    DONT FREAK OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    I wouldn't say you've hit a major plateau but small plateaus are a normal part of this. You have NOT been doing this very long at all and you've heard the saying "it didn't go on over night, it won't come off over night"...right?

    Take a deep breath and keep going. You sound like you are doing great. Keep going. Maybe raise your calories a bit or your exercise a bit or both. But keep going. You don't want to ruin all that awesome progress you've made. It will keep happening....this is normal!
  • Nix143
    Nix143 Posts: 522 Member
    Ok people are going to come on here and tell you the same stuff - and maybe not nicely - so I'll do it with a smile

    2lbs a week is a lot - adjust your calorie goal to 1lb
    Mix up your exercise - try something different/harder/heavier
    Eat more - do you eat back your exercise calories? Try upping your cals a bit and see what happens.
    Patience - you'll stall for a bit then it'll whoosh off again
    measure - how do your clothes feel? Have your measurements gone down yet your weight stayed the same.


    I think that about covers it :)

    Seriously, patience is the key. Belief that if you keep on learning, keep on making the right choices, then you;ll get there. You honestly will.

    Good luck :)
  • Deejalert
    Deejalert Posts: 13 Member
    Weight loss is not linear. 10 days is not a long stall. Google of stalls and whooshes by lyle mcdonald. Great article. Keep at it for another week before worrying about making adjustments.
  • happycauseIride
    happycauseIride Posts: 536 Member
    And don't forget your TOM. Depending on where you are in your cycle that can also have a major effect for a short time.
  • RiverManUK
    RiverManUK Posts: 35 Member
    Don't give up. Mini plateaus are to be expected. My suggestion would be to not let your body get too comfortable with it's routine. Don't try and hit your calorie allowance everyday. Instead aim to average out every week, allowing some days to go over and some to go under. Also if you've upped your exercise you may find you are toning up (a very desirable end product) and not losing as much weight (which I feel should be secondary to toning up).

    Good luck, and stick at it.
  • 2hobbit1
    2hobbit1 Posts: 820 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12


    :smile: :smile:

    Good read - good info
  • just4nessa
    just4nessa Posts: 459 Member
    I agree with the other posters: increase your calories slightly, change up your exercise routine and be patient. I lost 20lbs quickly, then plateaued for about 2 weeks. I increased my calories by 100/day and added some different exercise routines and now I'm losing again. Your body gets accustomed to the same routine so change it up a little bit. Hang in there, you are motivated and dedicated to succeed and you will. :smile:
  • kendraleigh88
    kendraleigh88 Posts: 77
    I guess because of the results I was getting before, I expected it would just keep coming off the same. I weigh 230lbs right now and I'm 5'7"ish, so I figured so much of it would disappear quickish.
    I don't get that eating back what you burned at all. How do you lose weight when you eat more calories? Yes, I'm one of those people who don't understand anything at all with this lifestyle. So much to learn!
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    Its time to get real...

    If you are only doing this because you want to drop a number on a scale then you should worry because your definitely not in this for the right reason. Eating right and exercising is a matter of optimal health, not just getting skinny. With proper diet and nutrition weight loss will come over time, it is not going to be a magical overnight drop... not to mention that stressing is only going to increase your cortisol levels and bloat you up.

    If you are just in this to drop lbs you may as well give up now because you will only put them right back on. I sincerely hope that is not the case.
  • fitQueenbeast
    fitQueenbeast Posts: 298
    Ok people are going to come on here and tell you the same stuff - and maybe not nicely - so I'll do it with a smile

    2lbs a week is a lot - adjust your calorie goal to 1lb
    Mix up your exercise - try something different/harder/heavier
    Eat more - do you eat back your exercise calories? Try upping your cals a bit and see what happens.
    Patience - you'll stall for a bit then it'll whoosh off again
    measure - how do your clothes feel? Have your measurements gone down yet your weight stayed the same.


    I think that about covers it :)

    Seriously, patience is the key. Belief that if you keep on learning, keep on making the right choices, then you;ll get there. You honestly will.

    Good luck :)

    This right here. I'll add to it. In the beginning, you'll start to lose weight quickly. However, after your body has maxed itself out, it will start to slow down because you are at a new weight and it doesn't have to work as hard. What you're going to have to do is start confusing it. This is TELLING your body to start back putting in some work. Additional things to do:

    *Change up your workout times (if you work out at 7am, try working out at 6pm)
    *Change the length of your workouts (if you work out for 30 minutes, switch it up to 45 minutes and then 60 and then back to 30)
    *Switch up your foods (if you eat pretty much the same thing, change up the times that you eat it AND throw in some new things here and there)

    The body will get used to what you eat and do and will stop working as hard as when you first started. You HAVE to change up here and there. It's a natural part of the process and I JUST went through it myself. I was eating the same foods during the same meals and working out around the same time for the same length almost every day. Now, I have switched up my meals and added new things to the mix. I never work out at the same time anymore and I change up my workout times anywhere from 90 minutes to 120 minutes. I also workout either 5 days or 6 days a week.

    It's all about confusion. P90x teaches you this (what I'm doing now). :-)

    Erica
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Forget the 'I make it 95% of the time'. Do you actually make your weekly goals 100% of the time?

    Exercise will make you look great and keep you healthy but it will not help you lose weight.
  • PhilyPhresh
    PhilyPhresh Posts: 600 Member
    I guess because of the results I was getting before, I expected it would just keep coming off the same. I weigh 230lbs right now and I'm 5'7"ish, so I figured so much of it would disappear quickish.
    I don't get that eating back what you burned at all. How do you lose weight when you eat more calories? Yes, I'm one of those people who don't understand anything at all with this lifestyle. So much to learn!

    A good portion of your initial loss was probably water weight. Stick with it. We all hit bumps and it's how you handle them that will determine whether or not you will be successful in the long run...
  • kendraleigh88
    kendraleigh88 Posts: 77
    I had no idea about your TOM screwing things up for a bit! It totally makes sense. Too bad mines not coming for another 2 weeks:( so that can't be why.
    Yeah, I must have hit a mini plateau. With your guys advice, (thanks so much!) I think I'll change up my routine a bit. Maybe I'll do an hour of cardio in the morning some days, do the 30DS on every other day, and I will continue to hit up the gym on days I don't work , which aren't many.
    I'm overwhelmed with the responses and support!
    Thanks guys!
  • Faye_Anderson
    Faye_Anderson Posts: 1,495 Member
    10 days is not a plateau :flowerforyou:
  • crimznrose
    crimznrose Posts: 282 Member
    That's nowhere near a plateau. I'm 5'10" and lost the first 30lbs in about 2 months last year. I eat about 1500 cals per day and run 30 minutes every other day. I keep active and have been stuck on the scale since March. I've tried calorie cycling and what not but if you pay attention to the scale, you'll just get frustrated. What my same weight body can do now that it couldn't in March - run a 5k. I may not have lost a bunch of weight but I am healthier and more fit than I was when that scale stopped moving and that is going to continue to be my focus through the winter.
  • kendraleigh88
    kendraleigh88 Posts: 77
    Ohhh gosh, I'm terrified to think of winter. It gets to about -40 c here, for 6 months won't be walking outside here!
  • pinkrose99
    pinkrose99 Posts: 12
    My sister had a similar problem, for about a month she didnt lose anything, so she didnt bother to weigh herself for a few weeks but kept up with healthy eating and exercise, then when she weighed herself at the end of the next month she had lost 1 stone!
    It just doesnt show up sometimes because of exercise and muscle building up.
  • kendraleigh88
    kendraleigh88 Posts: 77
    I'm embarassed to ask, but what is one stone?
  • Ezada
    Ezada Posts: 207 Member
    Hello!

    Don't Panic and remember your towel :D

    In all seriousness though you may have hit a small plateau. I looked through your food diary and I think you might want to check on the sodium content of a few of the items you are eating. You may just be retaining water right now too, I saw a premade sandwich that had the sodium content listed as 0 and it had bacon on it, there is no way that is right. Do you drink diet soda at all? If you do, you should record it, that also has sodium in it which can cause you to retain water as well.

    You may also want to look into preparing your own meals, those microwaveable ones and premade meals can be good in a pinch but can contain a lot of sodium in them too. Especially with Oatmeal, you can add your own flavors and spices to them, but if you get one that has the stuff already mixed in odds are it will have a lot of sodium.

    Can you guess what the number one reason I don't loose weight is? :D Sodium and water retention!!

    Also with what PhilyPhresh said, you probably lost a lot of water weight in those first few pounds. I know during TOM I can retain up to 15lbs of water if I don't watch what I eat carefully and my first week of working out I dropped about 6lbs (I am sure at least 5 of them were simply water weight).

    You can do this! It's a minor bump on your path to a healthier you, don't give up!
  • Ezada
    Ezada Posts: 207 Member
    I'm embarassed to ask, but what is one stone?

    1 stone = 14lbs. I know it is used a lot in the UK, though honestly I am not sure why :D
    Huh.. I never bothered to ask. lol.
  • bizorra
    bizorra Posts: 151 Member
    Not a plateau, trust that what you're doing is a healthy an positive change and don't freak out about the scale. The weight will come.

    And I'm curious about where you live! I"m also in a -40C climate, except last winter was tame so I still got to go play outside a lot.
  • Sarge516
    Sarge516 Posts: 256 Member
    I plateau'd about 10 times through my journey. My weight tracker looks like set of stairs :).

    What you need to do to "break it" is crank up the intensity and change what you do when you exercise. Your body is used to what you are doing. Shock it!
  • indygal76
    indygal76 Posts: 283 Member
    You need to eat more than what you are eating on the days you work out.
  • kendraleigh88
    kendraleigh88 Posts: 77
    Not a plateau, trust that what you're doing is a healthy an positive change and don't freak out about the scale. The weight will come.

    And I'm curious about where you live! I"m also in a -40C climate, except last winter was tame so I still got to go play outside a lot.

    I live in Manitoba, Canada.
    Weird, last winter was al right here as well so I was able to bugger around a bit more outside.


    I'm hoping to get into going to the gym before going to work-although I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to fight with myself to get up that early then work for 9-12 hours.

    I need to learn to have a little more patience!

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