Weight Loss Plateau... Already???

MandyMH80
MandyMH80 Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
OK, I just posted my intro so here's the part I need some encouragement and/or advice on.
First my stats. I'm a 32 year old female who is 5' tall and weighed in at 211.4lb for the 4th day straight this morning. I know I can't rely solely on the number of the scale so I'm trying not to get too discouraged, but after watching the weight gradually come off over the past few weeks it's discrouraging that it's not changing now. I'm only about a month into my exercising and healthy eating "program" so I think it's too soon to be hitting a plateau. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

When I started working out, it was strictly the treadmill for 3 weeks. I tried to get on it for 6 out of 7 days, but usually only got to do 5 days. I always walked for at least an hour at 3mph with different degrees of incline. The majority has been in the 5-6% range. I'm working on improving, but where I'm so out of shape I'm going at my pace. I'm pushing myself, don't get me wrong, but I'm not at the point where I can go 4-5mph at 10% incline. I'm far from there just yet!

Last week I also started doing tae bo. I have an hour long DVD that I've gotten through about 5 or 6 times. I have to jog in place during some parts because my body just wont cooperate with what they want us to do. Either way, I keep moving! The jogging I do is probably about 5-10 minutes of the hour tops.

For food intake, I try to stay within 1200-1500 calories per day. I haven't been to crazy keeping track of these numbers, I just try to ballpark it, but I know I'm within this range. I've been eating more fruits and vegetables as well as oatmeals, grains, lean proteins, etc. Also drinking a LOT of water. Soda was my biggest problem, but I dropped that several months ago.

Now back to my weight loss.. or weight loss stall right now. Since I started doing tae bo last week, is it possible that I'm gaining muscle this quickly which is offsetting the fat I'm losing? If that's unlikely, what could the cause be for this stall. It's been 4 days straight now that the scale hasn't budged an ounce. I'm anxious to get below 200lb so it's starting to really discourage me since I'm so close yet it feels so far away. :(
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Replies

  • violinkeri
    violinkeri Posts: 212
    One week does not a plateau make.

    Also, track your weight along with your CYCLE. I retain water the weak prior to my ToM. Some people retain during ovulation.

    If your weight doesnt move for several weeks, then you may want to kickstart things by re-evaluating caloric intake (using the road map, probably), or changing your workout routine.

    EDIT: Also, if you just added a new workout (the tae bo), your body could be holding on to water to repair the muscles. Make sure you weigh on a day after a rest day.
  • MandyMH80
    MandyMH80 Posts: 20
    Thanks, I did gain weight earlier this month when it was my TOM, but it came off just as quickly as it showed up. Today is my rest day so I'll see what the scale shows tomorrow. I didn't think a few days would make a plateau, but as I said I was feeling discouraged so I wanted some additional feedback from experienced worker outers. LOL
  • MandyMH80
    MandyMH80 Posts: 20
    Well, I've been doing really good with eating healthy foods since I started. That's not to say I haven't snuck in the ocassional snack cake or cookie, but for the most part I've been doing really, really well.

    Last night my mom asked me to join her for some chinese food and I accepted. I know I ate too much though. I need to get better at self control when I get these "treats". Anyway, I jumped on the scale this morning and it finally moved, BUT it was in the wrong direction. I'm up exactly 1lb. I'm not too concerned about it though. My plan is to keep going with my treadmill and tae bo so I know I'll lose it again in time. :)
  • c_faulkenburg
    c_faulkenburg Posts: 158 Member
    Don't weigh yourself everyday. If you are honestly staying within your goals the scale will move.
  • violinkeri
    violinkeri Posts: 212
    The sodium in chinese food is more than enough to hold onto a lb of water weight, for sure.
  • tntgal2
    tntgal2 Posts: 26
    You mention doing a "ballpark" on your calories. I did that for years, gaining weight each year and always finding some reason to excuse myself. One thing that made a big difference once I got serious about losing weight last June was purchasing a small digital scale. I weighed all cheeses, nutsn meats, etc - anything with a portion size described in ounces. It was a big eye opener for me. The portion I thought of as 3 ounces was usually closer to six. The cheese I was sure was "about an ounce" was usually closer to 2.5. It all added up, and not in a good way. Actually controlling portions through knowing their real value was huge for me, and I really do eat a 4 oz portion of chicken now, and get filled up by a side of grilled asparagus or broccoli plus cauliflower or kale. It might be another tool for you in the long road to dropping the weight and regaining control of yoir health. Seems like you're off to a good start - good luck!
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
    First my stats. I'm a 32 year old female who is 5' tall and weighed in at 211.4lb for the 4th day straight this morning.

    When I started working out, it was strictly the treadmill for 3 weeks. I tried to get on it for 6 out of 7 days, but usually only got to do 5 days. I always walked for at least an hour at 3mph with different degrees of incline. The majority has been in the 5-6% range. I'm working on improving, but where I'm so out of shape I'm going at my pace. I'm pushing myself, don't get me wrong, but I'm not at the point where I can go 4-5mph at 10% incline. I'm far from there just yet!

    Last week I also started doing tae bo. I have an hour long DVD that I've gotten through about 5 or 6 times. I have to jog in place during some parts because my body just wont cooperate with what they want us to do. Either way, I keep moving! The jogging I do is probably about 5-10 minutes of the hour tops.

    For food intake, I try to stay within 1200-1500 calories per day. I haven't been to crazy keeping track of these numbers, I just try to ballpark it, but I know I'm within this range. I've been eating more fruits and vegetables as well as oatmeals, grains, lean proteins, etc. Also drinking a LOT of water. Soda was my biggest problem, but I dropped that several months ago.

    The stall is your body trying to tell you that you are under eating / over training. You are not eating NEARLY enough for what you are doing. Your BMR is almost 1700 calories - that's what you would need in a coma. You need to research...and you need to eat more at least your BMR + some exercise. Do it before you mess up your metabolism. Read the roadmap for information http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013
  • XRavenhood
    XRavenhood Posts: 102
    I'm 142lbs 5"2' and have been eating super healthy with lots of protein and exercising lots including pushups. I've lost a lb in the last 2 1/2 weeks that I started this so I've been on a plateau this whole time but I know my body needs to readjust and that I can't trust the scale, so I'm not thinking about it too much. I know that I'm eating much better and exercising much more than before so that in itself in progress - I assume it'll show at some point, though who knows when that'l be. I/you just can't give up because then you'll get NOWHERE.
  • sabinadiva
    sabinadiva Posts: 2
    I'm having a similar problem.

    I started losing weight in early January and have since gone from 227 to 209. For the 1st month, I didn't do much work out, but since the beginning of February until now, I have been working out at least 5 days a week (sometimes more than that) for about 1hr a day (I lose anywhere from 350-500 cal from cardio per workout, don't know how much cal I lose from lifting weights). I track all of my calories on an excel sheet instead of MFP because I find it easier and more accurate since I weigh all of my food anyway to make sure I'm not overeating. About 3 weeks ago, I realized that I might be under eating because MFP set my calories at 1360 to lose 2lbs a week, but I never ate back my exercise calories. I readjusted my weekly weight loss goals to lose 1.5lbs a week and MFP set my calories at 1640, which is what I've been eating for the last 3 weeks (some days I eat up to 1800), but I haven't loss any weight in the last 2 weeks. After I changed my calories goal, I had lost about .4 lbs, but nothing since then. Have I plateaued and what can I do to start losing weight again? I'm not giving up (and you shouldn't either) because I love the way my body is changing, but I really need that scale to go down so I don't start to feel defeated.
  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
    4 days? Really... Do what your doing and come back if stuck for 4 months.
  • MandyMH80
    MandyMH80 Posts: 20
    Ok where to start...

    I read that it's good to weigh in every morning just so you can see how if there are any trends. I was steadily losing weight for several days, even if it were only by ounces. I gained 3lb during my TOM, but then lost when it was through. Now I'll know for next month when it's my TOM that I can expect to see some gain. Then I stalled for the 4 days and wanted to know if it's normal for this to happen. I'm new to weight loss. I'm not stupid, just new and trying to figure it out.

    When I said I ballpark my calories, I meant that I wasn't using a spreadsheet or anything like that. I'd do the math in my head and usually it came out to 1200-1500. Closer to the 1500 mark on most days. On weekends it's higher than 1500 because we're big dinner eaters on the weekends. If I'm supposed to eat 1700 calories, wouldn't it balance out over time (Say over a week's time) if some days were about 1500 and the weekends were closer to 2000 (or even more)? Or is it 1700 daily no matter what? I thought the overal average thing would work.
  • diabloben68
    diabloben68 Posts: 64
    4 days? Really... Do what your doing and come back if stuck for 4 months.

    lol, I was thinking the same thing.
  • babynun
    babynun Posts: 120 Member
    First my stats. I'm a 32 year old female who is 5' tall and weighed in at 211.4lb for the 4th day straight this morning.

    When I started working out, it was strictly the treadmill for 3 weeks. I tried to get on it for 6 out of 7 days, but usually only got to do 5 days. I always walked for at least an hour at 3mph with different degrees of incline. The majority has been in the 5-6% range. I'm working on improving, but where I'm so out of shape I'm going at my pace. I'm pushing myself, don't get me wrong, but I'm not at the point where I can go 4-5mph at 10% incline. I'm far from there just yet!

    Last week I also started doing tae bo. I have an hour long DVD that I've gotten through about 5 or 6 times. I have to jog in place during some parts because my body just wont cooperate with what they want us to do. Either way, I keep moving! The jogging I do is probably about 5-10 minutes of the hour tops.

    For food intake, I try to stay within 1200-1500 calories per day. I haven't been to crazy keeping track of these numbers, I just try to ballpark it, but I know I'm within this range. I've been eating more fruits and vegetables as well as oatmeals, grains, lean proteins, etc. Also drinking a LOT of water. Soda was my biggest problem, but I dropped that several months ago.

    The stall is your body trying to tell you that you are under eating / over training. You are not eating NEARLY enough for what you are doing. Your BMR is almost 1700 calories - that's what you would need in a coma. You need to research...and you need to eat more at least your BMR + some exercise. Do it before you mess up your metabolism. Read the roadmap for information http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/912914-in-place-of-a-road-map-3-2013


    **I've lost weight slowly, about 1 lb/week over 4 months. I've been at a plateau for about a month now and re-evaluating my caloric intake (under my goal most day) and still exercising at least 5x/week. When you limit too many calories your body 'starves' and it holds onto what ever calories you ingest. Definitely not a healthy way to lose weight.

    Thank you for that link because what she posted makes absolute sense!
  • claytonmac
    claytonmac Posts: 8
    i weighted myself the week of my ToM & it said i had gained 3lbs. i freaked out. i weighed myself again a few days after & it said i had lost 5lbs. lol. now i make sure to not do that. lol. maybe just try to up the intensity of your workouts. i try to change mine up so my body doesnt get used to it. i have been going to the gym 6 days a week since jan & i found that when i change up the workouts + insentiy that it helped. :)
  • jukramer
    jukramer Posts: 39 Member
    I am a TERRIBLE estimator of how many calories I eat if I do it in my head. I got lazy for several months, and didn't log my eating. I gained 7 pounds. I have to log every single bite that goes into my mouth. That extra lick of peanut butter, the handful of chocolate chips, everything is calories, and it's amazing how fast all those little things add up. Even fruit has a decent amount of calories. My advice is to start logging what you eat so you can get a clear picture of your calorie intake. I have found when I log, I also become very aware of what I'm putting in my body.

    And to echo what other posters have said, 4 days isn't a plateau. Give it time - I have found my weight stalls and fluctuates much more than my husband's does. It stinks, but it will eventually come off if you stay consistent.

    Good luck!
  • MandyMH80
    MandyMH80 Posts: 20
    4 days? Really... Do what your doing and come back if stuck for 4 months.

    lol, I was thinking the same thing.
    Well. I'm glad my apparent ignorance is amusing to some.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    It's not uncommon to see no change or even a gain on the scale when we start or increase a workout routine because our bodies flood sore muscles with water to help them heal. You mention you recently added Tae Bo? I'm betting you'll see the scale drop soon enough. Just keep drinking plenty of water and give the exercise some time to work.
  • queenbea77
    queenbea77 Posts: 404 Member
    4 days? Really... Do what your doing and come back if stuck for 4 months.

    Seriously, kind of rude isn't it? She is asking for help not sarcasm. While she has't been at it long enough to really show a true difference yet perhaps some helpful suggestions would be better.

    How about redoing your calculations to see if you might have it set wrong? Try to up your water intake & try to watch your sodium. If working out is something new for you mix it up a bit to see what you like. Don't overdo on the TM - you don't want to hurt yourself or exhaust yourself either. I like the TM too but some day's it just isn't in me to do as much as I'd like. I also used to get on it and just go - not realizing by leaving it at zero incline that it was just about as useful as walking down hill. I was using the stairmaster and it was kicking my butt until one day I just didn't feel like doing it so I got on the TM and set it at hill interval (just walking at a good pace, not running) and Oh my - it really gave me a great workout. I burned just as many calories as I did on the stairmaster and my knees didn't hurt.

    I think I read that once you are doing a workout you should do something new every 6 weeks or so because your body will get used to it and it won't do you any good. And to do interval training too - if on TM walk for a bit and then walk faster (or run) for a bit and alternate - keep you body guessing. Are you doing weights of any kind? I do weight classes on M, W & F and on the other days I do cardio of some sort and I usually do 30 minutes of light cardio either before or after my weight classes.

    Bottom line - don't give up & don't get discouraged. Go through the community and look for posts that you think might help you - good luck!
  • bpwparents
    bpwparents Posts: 359 Member
    Chinese food. There's your culprit probably. At least with me it would be. It's very high in sodium and I always retain water after eating it. Drink lots of water to flush it out and it also could be your muscles retaining water as someone else said from a new workout. And there will be weeks where you do not lose or gain some. Your body reacts in it's own way sometimes. I've had numerous plateaus but I just kept doing what I'm doing and eventually you will break through it. Keep your head up and keep plugging along. Even if you don't see the scale move your still bettering your body.
  • faireplay
    faireplay Posts: 126
    What tntgal said re calories....it's too early in the game to think you can ballpark it. Buy a food scale, weigh and measure EVERYTHING. I think you will be surprised how much a serving size really is. When I did WW the leader had five people come up and pour out what they thought a cup of cereal would be. Every single person over estimated in every single one of her meetings.
  • MandyMH80
    MandyMH80 Posts: 20
    Chinese food. There's your culprit probably. At least with me it would be. It's very high in sodium and I always retain water after eating it. Drink lots of water to flush it out and it also could be your muscles retaining water as someone else said from a new workout. And there will be weeks where you do not lose or gain some. Your body reacts in it's own way sometimes. I've had numerous plateaus but I just kept doing what I'm doing and eventually you will break through it. Keep your head up and keep plugging along. Even if you don't see the scale move your still bettering your body.
    The chinese food was last night. I was already at a stand still on the scale for 4 days. I've been drinking a LOT of water the past couple of days so hopefully that's helping to clear things out. I'll keep going. I'm not giving in now. :)
  • MandyMH80
    MandyMH80 Posts: 20
    What tntgal said re calories....it's too early in the game to think you can ballpark it. Buy a food scale, weigh and measure EVERYTHING. I think you will be surprised how much a serving size really is. When I did WW the leader had five people come up and pour out what they thought a cup of cereal would be. Every single person over estimated in every single one of her meetings.
    The only thing I don't really measure out are my fruits and vegetables. If I'm eating crackers or pretzels where the package says "x" amount per service, then I actually count them out. Everything else gets weighed, I just don't actually write everything down it's all math in my head and where I don't keep track of the fruits and veggies I don't know the calorie amounts there which is where the ballparking comes in. I've found that my dinners are the heaviest. Easily over 500-600 calories most nights. The calculator here says I should be consuming 1200 calories, which I'm 99.9% sure I'm over every day.
  • noscrubbs78
    noscrubbs78 Posts: 8
    I used to think ballparking it would be ok, until I realized how much sugar and carbs are in even healthy fruit. I agree with all whoposted measure everything and count ALL calories, even the cheating ones. :) good luck on your venture.
  • noscrubbs78
    noscrubbs78 Posts: 8
    I used to think ballparking it would be ok, until I realized how much sugar and carbs are in even healthy fruit. I agree with all whoposted measure everything and count ALL calories, even the cheating ones. :) good luck on your venture.

    Also if you are going to estimate at all... I always OVER estimate, eating out is really hard to avoid, but you'd be surprised how many hidden calories are in those foods. You can make the samething at home for half the calories if not less.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
    Having the scale not move for a week or two is completely normal. I find that my weight comes off in groupings...nothing for a while and then 2 or 3 lbs at once. As long as the trend is generally downward, it's good.

    As everyone else has said, "ballparking" your calorie intake is not good enough. It's just too easy to underestimate. Even weighing and logging on here is tricky because so many of the calorie counts are wrong (always too low, never too high). I ate a 12 oz steak the other day and the first listing I clicked on said it would be 175 calories. It's more like 575. And don't get me started on the 90 calorie avocado. Always get multiple opinions and look for lots of user confirmations when clicking on calorie counts, particularly for non-packaged foods. Fruits are also surprisingly high in calories - you should weigh and count them.

    Also, starting a new exercise program can often result in water retention because the muscles bloat while repairing themselves. That should drop off as the exercise gets easier.

    And lastly, as repeated so often - weight loss is 80% diet and 20% exercise. Don't rely on exercise to do most of the work in moving the scale.
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
    4 days? Really... Do what your doing and come back if stuck for 4 months.

    lol, I was thinking the same thing.
    Well. I'm glad my apparent ignorance is amusing to some.

    it was a bit rude - but ultimately, a four day 'stall' is quite normal, I will go periods of weeks without a change then just have a good movement or something and my weight drops a couple pounds - it varies with people. I wouldn't over think it, some people lose consistently every few days it seems on our friend lists, but just not that way for everyone - I think a true plateau is not having a change over a several month period

    just keep at it - consistency is key
  • nel0311
    nel0311 Posts: 248
    Yeah give it a little more time, about 4 weeks in the same place then try to give your body a shock with a detox or a juice fast.
  • mjennings
    mjennings Posts: 10 Member
    watch your sodium intake and are you having regular bowel movements? any little thing left in your body can add weight
  • blackcloud13
    blackcloud13 Posts: 654 Member
    Four days is a bit short. Although I have gone down generally over the past six months, I have had a couple of weeks where my weight has gone up a little for no apparent reason. So keep at it!

    I also think that while logging everything can be a pain, its really worth it as you may find there are one or two surprise foods that are making your job much harder - so perhaps log super religiously for a couple of weeks (and when in doubt, over-estimate).

    sounds like you are doing the right things though - don't stress out by trying to exercise too hard to fast either.

    i reckon once your next calories are looking good, good things will follow :-)
  • Sadi_Kalen
    Sadi_Kalen Posts: 33 Member
    just chiming in here as a newbie to 5:2. i have been losing weight since July 1st with caloric restriction alone but after a month-long stall and facing the possibility of lowering calories even further than i could cope with, i decided to try 5:2. it took almost 3 weeks on this woe for me to start shifting the scale again and i have to agree with other veterans here on this diet - there will be fluctuations and it's not a consistent weight-loss method but it DOES work! i continuously have periods of up to 3 weeks where the scale shows no loss or even a slight gain but i have lost enough inches from my body to know that even when the scale isn't moving or seems to be going up by a lb or two, it's still working! i fit into a size 14 (US size 12) pair of jeans i hadn't been able to fit for the last four years just two weeks ago. yesterday i tried on those same jeans and despite the scale saying i haven't lost any weight for the last two weeks, the jeans are loose! i think i'm getting closer to dropping another dress size and this is encouraging.

    i think you're doing the right thing with regards to measuring your foods but i agree with the others here, try to log EVERYTHING! i know i've been naughty and not logged every meal some days but eating this way haz taught me not to binge. w/regards to binging - if you're struggling with that, please don't give up. binging waz one of my vices which led me to being overweight - 5:2 haz changed all of that but it took a good month doing this for my body to "calm down" and relax over portion sizes. going from caloric restriction to 5:2 waz not easy at first but i won't go back. there's nothing more satisfying than knowing i am losing weight while still enjoying all the foods i love. caloric restriction taught me respect for healthier foods... 5:2 enhances it, my body is encouraged by eating properly. please give yourself time and be patient. i also heard another 5:2er claim that weighing yourself only once a month and taking your body measurements will help your state of mind much much more. best of luck!

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