Do People Get Stuck Sometimes?!

Hi, again (: I have been wondering this for a while and I hope that you guys can give me a inside look on your weight loss journeys for the answer.

I'm 332 pounds and my goal weight is 170. I hope to lose around 10 pounds per month but is that setting the bar to high for myself?

I remember A LONG TIME AGO when I was 230 pounds and I was exercising and working my butt off only to stay that weight for 3 years until I gave up and started gaining more and more each year.

So my question is ( sorry if I'm rambling) has anyone ever experience being stuck at a certain weight and how did you get past it?

Replies

  • fireguychris
    fireguychris Posts: 58 Member
    yes it happens, I lost nearly 30lbs.. a few months ago, stayed at that weight.. no matter what I did couldn't lose a lb. and before I knew I am back to my old wieght, so here I am again. starting over.

    I do know from past experience that plateaus do end.
  • Kitwitch
    Kitwitch Posts: 7 Member
    Its so frustrating because I want to be on track but its so discouraging when your working your butt off and not seeing any results.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    140 is a "sticky" weight for me. Now and in previous times, my body likes to be 140, no matter what. Lots of people experience this. The way through it is to log, exercise, and just be patient. I'm currently working through 140 (again) so you're not alone!

    And while larger people lose weight faster, 10 pounds a month will be disappointing. This is not the Biggest Loser - safe and average weight loss is roughly 4-8 pounds a month. Sometimes you'll have months where you'll lose more and others no weight loss at all. If you set out expecting to drop 10 a month, you're going to get way frustrated. Patience.
  • Gr8ChangesAhead
    Gr8ChangesAhead Posts: 836 Member
    I have lost , gained and lost again the same 2.5 pounds for the last 3 months. Annoying oh YES, but I refuse to give up !
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    Its so frustrating because I want to be on track but its so discouraging when your working your butt off and not seeing any results.

    Sounds like you're really nailing the exercise component...how about the intake end of things? Do you log daily and honestly? Weigh your food? This can make all the difference if not...
  • I believe we all hit times when we cant lose weight for a time . you will drop off the plateau if you persist. Don't quit. Work a little harder , particularly cardio, and watch what you eat and stay within the guidelines. Kid , YOU CAN DO IT. Think of the girls you can date if you look better,haha.
  • Kitwitch
    Kitwitch Posts: 7 Member
    Yeah, I think 10 pounds is to much. I want to get this weight off fast but I can't just rush it.
  • Rhiannawright
    Rhiannawright Posts: 11 Member
    Weight loss was once described to me and going down flights of stairs and every once in a while you hit a landing. Plateaus can last a few days to a few months. Most times this is the body time to catch up with the weight lost. You may notice the inches coming off.
  • Wmy890
    Wmy890 Posts: 12
    Just try and hangin there. Seeing a doctor? May be useful.
  • femmefae
    femmefae Posts: 65 Member
    I've been stuck at the 128 mark after somehow gaining 3 pounds from my lowest weight ever of 125 :(

    It's disheartening, but I'm also close to goal so I expect for the last few to be exhausting and painful to lose lol
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    I plateaued out for about six months, partly due to getting busy with work and partly due to getting a little more lax about how I ate. I started Insanity a month ago to give me a defined plan and shake up my workout routine. It has helped tremendously. I find that taking the time to sit down and really think about what you want and coming up with a reasonable plan makes the whole process a lot easier. I've had problems in the past where I was busting my butt in the gym and seeing no results, and looking back, it is obvious that my daily diet was the problem. It is extremely difficult to work off in the gym what you put on in the kitchen if you aren't paying attention to both sides of the equation. Good luck.
  • QuanniE7789
    QuanniE7789 Posts: 4 Member
    I do. It's hard, but you just have to keep pushing. Sometimes it's adding something or taking something away from your diet.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I got stuck around 143 lbs. I think that's my body's comfortable weight. I took a break and ate at maintenance, I bought a food scale and starting weighing everything, and the pounds started coming off again.

    That said, why worry about what *might* happen? Just get started. Deal with plateaus when and if they occur.

    ETA: 10 lbs per month might be doable at first, but it will slow down. 1-2 lbs per week is a good healthy rate of loss. Don't set yourself up with unreasonable expectations.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    There's a whole 'set point' theory that says your body thinks you should be a certain weight and basically poops out excess calories or stores them carefully to maintain that weight. It works like a thermostat.

    To get over it, slow persistent underage on calories over time tends to help.

    For me, I tend to 'stick' around every 8 pounds for a while, then drop really fast and stick again.

    Two things are important. 1) persistence and recommiting to measuring and logging every single bite. 2) reset my calories. If you've been logging every pound lost, MFP doesn't recalculate for you. I have to manually enter my current weight, it drops my calories again, and I start losing again.

    Good luck!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Its so frustrating because I want to be on track but its so discouraging when your working your butt off and not seeing any results.

    10 pounds a month is a lot. Why not relax a little and go for 1.5 pounds a week for a little while? I know it feels like it takes forever. But people have lost an awful lot of weight doing that persistently.
  • This was really helpful - thanks! I have been stuck for 2 months after losing 8 pounds. I have a lot more to lose so was wondering if I needed to recalibrate my goal calories. Boy, I hate to see what the new goal will be! The current one is 1290!