plateau -- uggy

One or two week mini-plateaus are pretty normal and usually just caused by water retention or hormonal fluctuations.

I'll agree with the poster above though. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but every real plateau I've broken in my own journey has been caused by undereating.

uh yep! I was there for 3 weeks..then took a couple of days off from my walking and upped my water...BAM off the hill

Yes, perfectly normal. I hit a plateau for 4 months, its was damning and I was over the moon when I finally broke through. Currently on another that I will be blasting my way through, soon I hope. What worked for me last time was to up my protein intake, reduce fat & carbs but keep my overall calories the same. Planning to do the same on this one. Good luck!

Is it normal to plateau for two weeks when I'm staying at about 1200 calories and walking a brisk 30 minutes a day most days? I've not really exercised in the past, so this is new for me. Feeling very discouraged. Thanks ~

You body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You can not make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

I found the following quote helpful

What is the exact number of calories for you?

We’ve been trying to figure out an exact NUMBER of calories that everyone should be eating, without recognizing that everyone is slightly different. In truth, the calories aren’t the end game. Your body is. So the EXACT amount of Calories that are right for you is the EXACT amount that will allow you to maintain your ideal bodyweight no matter what some calculator or chart says.

In other words, an online calculator might tell you that you need to eat 2,500 calories
per day to maintain your ideal bodyweight. But the only way to know for sure if this is
the right amount for you is to test it out. If you gain weight or can’t lose weight eating
that much, then you know you need to eat less to lose weight no matter how many
calculators and text books say otherwise.

This doesn’t mean your metabolism is broken, it just means the estimate of your needs
was just a bit off.

-John Barban (The Body Centric Calorie Guide from the Venus Index and the Adonis Index manuals)

My full story here with some tips: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/740340-i-lost-60-lbs-at-age-51-anyone-can-any-workout

Exciting stuff happening in my life now: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/752246-i-m-afraid-to-try-an-new-weight-lifting-program-now

One or two week mini-plateaus are pretty normal and usually just caused by water retention or hormonal fluctuations.

I'll agree with the poster above though. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but every real plateau I've broken in my own journey has been caused by undereating.

This, but rather than up daily calories, try just going over your 1200 by maybe 300 twice a week.

Allison -- my head is spinning a little from trying to read and understand your link. I filled out the fat2fit calculator also. Am I confused or are you saying that because I'm earning calories from exercise, I'm undereating? For instance, if I eat 1200 calories but earned an extra 200, should I be eating 1400 for the day? I've been trying not to do that.

Yes, MFP is designed for you to eat the extra calories you earn through exercise. They set a goal for you with the deficit you need to lose weight without taking your exercise into account. When you exercise, you make that deficit bigger and it can be more than the body can handle. If you consistently create too large a deficit, your body could start to break down your lean muscle for fuel, which in turn slows your metabolism and stalls your weight loss.

Some will say this isn't helpful, but I don't care.


EAT MORE! 1200 calories a day is not enough for your body to perform all of its functions, let alone exercise.