A month in and the scale seems stuck! (WAPF/EFLF)

Options
islandlifenc
islandlifenc Posts: 107 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I'm starting to get frustrated bouncing around the same three or four pounds these last few weeks.

I saw a pretty significant weight loss during my first week — about 4 lbs — and then eventually dropped another two, but since that time have bounced around within a 3-4 lbs range of 211 and 214.

I have dramatically reduced my intake of carbs (I used to practically live off of them!), and have really done away with processed foods in general, except I might have a slice or two of store-bought wheat bread a few times a week.

I've replaced all of my cooking oils with coconut oil, butter or lard. (And yes, I'm faithfully tracking my use of those!)

Because of where I am in the month, I'm not surprised I'm up these last couple of days, but I'm still thinking that overall I should be down further than I am on the scale. In fact, when I look at my progress report over the last 90 days (I started tracking around March 8th), my chart looks like a heartrate monitor! Every couple of days it's up and down, up and down. There is a slight downward progression, but still...

(And yes, I know some recommend only weighing once a week, but I like to weigh every day... and it's not the day to day fluctuations that bother me as much as the fact that I'm now nearly 5 weeks in, but only consistently about 3 lbs down!)

I'm beginning to wonder if I need to cut calories, or possibly add some back? I know in EFLF it recommends a higher amount of calories per day than what I'm consuming, but because of my work, I realistically know that I'm more sedentary, which is why I'm sticking with the recommended calories on MFP, which is around 1,600/day. That amount is to put me on track to lose 1 lb a week, but as I said it's like I just keep bouncing up and down between 211 and 213.8 and can't seem to get below that 211 mark.

Then again, nowadays, I'm spending way more time in the kitchen preparing food and washing dishes (no, I don't have a dishwasher) than I used to, so is that enough activity to change my energy expenditure?

Any ideas? Anyone else experience this?

Replies

  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    Options
    Substitute olive oil for the lard. 3 lbs is pretty good for 5 weeks. Be patient.
  • luckyjuls
    luckyjuls Posts: 505 Member
    Options
    Don't let this get you down.
    It's not an exact science, and maybe if you are truly sedentary, you could decrease the calories a little? Not too much, and certainly not down to 1200, but experiment with going a little under and see if that helps.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    Options
    Why are you cooking with lard? Why throw away your cooking oils? I usually cook with Olive Oil...high in omega 3s and heart healthy monounsaturated fats. Cooking with butter now and then is ok, but still high in saturated fats...lard is outa this world in sat fats.

    Really, though...just patience...make sure you're being accurate in weighing and measuring your food and ingredients and logging appropriately.
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,264 Member
    Options
    I think time & patience is the answer. I have been up & down since Christmas, but it is on downward trend, not by pounds but ounces, so I take them when I can
  • lself0924
    lself0924 Posts: 113 Member
    Options
    I had a three week plateau a few weeks back, It was confusing to me because I thought I was on the same track. Our bodies are kinda tricky and the female body even more so. I think that (for most people, but there are exceptions) if you maintain a calorie deficit you will lose weight over time. I also weight everyday because it keeps me focused, but it's the long haul that matters.

    Would you consider opening up your diary? I have also written a program tracking peoples food between weigh-ins it let's you look for differences in your diet that may have effected your results. PM me and I'll send you what that looks like if you want.

    BTW, my opinion, cook with lard if you want to.
  • islandlifenc
    islandlifenc Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    LOL Everyone is worried about my using lard. What I'm really referring to is cooking my eggs in it after making bacon or sausage.

    Otherwise, yes, it's coconut oil and butter. I do occasionally use olive oil, but not as much for cooking. It's healthy properties are best preserved when eaten at room temperature, whereas the MCTs and SCTs in the coconut oil, butter and animal fats are great for cooking.

    I guess I shouldn't stress out too much about a 3 lb loss in 5 weeks... looking at it that way, I'm certainly not hungry at the end of the day, and in fact usually have to find something to eat late at night just to make sure I get at least 100 calories or so within my target calories.

    Thanks for the responses, everyone!
  • lself0924
    lself0924 Posts: 113 Member
    Options


    I guess I shouldn't stress out too much about a 3 lb loss in 5 weeks... looking at it that way,...

    Great attitude, you'll be fine!
  • realmilk4me
    realmilk4me Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    I've been having success at loweing my calorie intake to around 1500 a day and following WAPF guidelines. I've also thrown out all the conventional oils and only use lard, butter, coconut oil and olive oil (not so much for cooking but as dressing and dipping).

Categories