Please come and share your plateau stories.

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fatjavotte
fatjavotte Posts: 96 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am NOT "about to give up" - but after losing 27lbs I have been stuck at the same weight for nearly a month (since I started exercising again, but I think it is a coincidence). My measurements are the same. My clothes don't feel looser.
So what was your longest plateau? Did your body snap out of it by itself or did you change your diet?

PS I know I am probably not eating enough calories (and I know the road map thing by heart) - I have had eating disorders since my teens.

Replies

  • Nomi923
    Nomi923 Posts: 43 Member
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    Well you're definitely not eating enough.. but you that already! so on to my story.

    I was in a similar situation about a week ago. I hadn't lost any weight in like a month or month and half. But of course I was doing the same thing for quite a while and my body got used to it (I think.) I changed it up by starting the 30 day shred plus cycling or c25k everyday and it worked! I came out of my plateau and have lost a couple of pounds since! Changing up exercising works and remember to make you workouts more intense than the first day you started.

    Well there's my story! Good luck to you and hang in there!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    It's been a couple of years (I'm on maintenance), but I remember that the closer I got to goal weight the longer it took to drop weight. I never hit a plateau, but it got to where I would consistently go two or three weeks without any movement at all, then I'd lose a pound or two, then go a couple more weeks and so on...frustrating and slow, but I eventually got there. Are you close to your goal?
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
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    I was stuck for about 6 weeks after losing over a hundred pounds, was exercising and eatting my calories back, following MFP. Then I started to follow the roadmap that you referrenced and I have lost another 14 pounds since the first of the year. My wife was stuck for 9 months doing MFP's stupid 1200 calories thing. Now she is losing again. I saw your diary, and you seem to know what you problem is, you say you have had Eatting disorders before, Please seek some help. God Bless
  • fatjavotte
    fatjavotte Posts: 96 Member
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    @Jenilla I am not close to my goal - I have to lose about 25lbs to be at the top of my healthy weight range.

    I am afraid that if I eat more I will fall back into binge eating. I am under a lot of stress at the moment.
  • ladyj_sa
    ladyj_sa Posts: 28
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    That's where I am right now! I lost quite a bit of weight last year but since about December I've been up and down within 2 kgs. It's one of the reasons I joined MFP, it's just frustrating. But I decided last week to increase my cardio from twice a week to four times. So, we'll see if my efforts have paid off on Friday, my weigh-in day.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    Oops, just saw your diary. You're starving! Your metabolism is probably all messed up. Try to increase your calories by 100 a day for one week, then go up another 100 a day for another week and so on, until you hit at least your BMR, so you can make the increase manageable and not shock your system. And get some calcium! Your body is going to suck the calcium right out of your poor bones just to keep your heart going. Are you in counseling for your eating disorder? Sounds like that might be helpful for you. Good luck! :drinker:
  • mrsnecincy
    mrsnecincy Posts: 115 Member
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    How frustrating! I think the main thing is to just keep at it. I don't want to tell you things you already know. I'm having lots of ups and downs and I'm gutted that I'm 3 months in and not shifted 2 stone yet but I keep changing things. Cutting out rice, pasta and bread helps me and making sure I drink all my water. And also watching my salt intake. Don't worry about the cals for now but just try to vary your diet and see what happens and we're with you all the way!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    @Jenilla I am not close to my goal - I have to lose about 25lbs to be at the top of my healthy weight range.

    I am afraid that if I eat more I will fall back into binge eating. I am under a lot of stress at the moment.

    I have read that some people find that adding in a nutritional shake for extra protein and calories can help. Not sure if a shake woud trigger a binge or not?
  • fatjavotte
    fatjavotte Posts: 96 Member
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    Jenilla, I am taking calcium supplements (I am on a dairy-free diet because my breastfed baby is allergic to cow's milk protein).
    It would be difficult to find protein shakes where I live, and most of them would contain either milk or soy.
    I'll try to add extra natural protein, but it is expensive (and adding more food is counter-intuitive, even if my brain knows it is probably the right thing to do).
  • celb500
    celb500 Posts: 76
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    I plateau for up to 5 weeks at a time and then the weight falls off for two weeks and then back to a massive plateau again for a while. Bizzare but i was stuck at 34lbs lost for about four weeks and now the weight is falling off, lost a llb in two days...i changed my strength training routine and it seemed to kick start it. Maybe change one thing about your training and see what happens.

    Also

    I eat 1200 cals a day and have been for 6 months, i have lost lots of weight, gained huge amounts of muscle tone and i am not starving so dont take others opinions of this method as the gospel truth, if it works for you do it, if it doesnt then dont.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,718 Member
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    I've been on a plateau for 3 months. I lost 12 kg in my first 3 months of MFP and it took me another 3 months to lose 3 kg. On the advice of a doctor I tried cutting calories further, but that hasn't really helped. Doctor said that the body's response to calorie restriction is to become more efficient but there are limits to how efficient you can get. My metabolism seems to have slowed right down. I increased cardio to 6-7 hours a week in January and have been doing weights since November. Am now trying to up my calories from net 1350 to 1800 plus half my exercise calories. I'm a week in and will give it 2 more weeks. If the scale still doesn't move I will try intermittent fasting again. I did that August to October last year with good weight loss results but found it psychologically tough.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    Jenilla, I am taking calcium supplements (I am on a dairy-free diet because my breastfed baby is allergic to cow's milk protein).
    It would be difficult to find protein shakes where I live, and most of them would contain either milk or soy.
    I'll try to add extra natural protein, but it is expensive (and adding more food is counter-intuitive, even if my brain knows it is probably the right thing to do).

    When I was a baby I had the same problem (or so I've been told :laugh: ). I still can't have casein (milk protein) either, so I feel your pain on finding convenient, affordable protein supplements. I use an unsweetened, unflavored blend of pea, hemp and cranberry proteins (with a complete amino acid profile) made by Sunwarrior and I blend it with frozen fruit and almond milk. It's not cheap or easy to find, but I order it online with free shipping.

    Glad to hear you are getting your calcium! And listen to your brain. It really is right about this! :drinker:
  • hokus2
    hokus2 Posts: 17 Member
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    Metabolic damage,Slowdown And Adaptation. If you have time google these.
  • mrsnecincy
    mrsnecincy Posts: 115 Member
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    I find the calorie thing confusing too. You have had an impressive weight loss so far on your intake. I know you'd find it hard to up this. I looked up my TDEE the other day and it was more than I ate over the weekend yet still managed to gain as I frequently do so it's easy to feel wary of upping cals. I agree with what's been said about protien and I didn't realise that about your cows milk intake. It's hard to find things like almond milk and protien powders here too but Amazon stock these things and deliver here I wonder if you could try that? If not, just try eating a few more things like nuts and avocados if you like them.
  • Zomoniac
    Zomoniac Posts: 1,169 Member
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    I was losing. Then I stopped losing. So I ate a bit more for a few days, then went back, and lost again. It's a thrilling story. The core theme is losing.

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