Seasonal Weight Loss Plateau??

blc1971
blc1971 Posts: 170 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
This may seem strange but I've been hearing from a lot of people, especially in warmer climates (south Georgia here!!) that they are hitting plateaus. I have been on a plateau for about 6 weeks and have been trying to follow the usual advice about eating a bit more, changing up my workout routine, drinking plenty of water, etc. so that I can bust through it. I am wondering though if this plateau has something to do with the season and the heat/ humidity we experience this time of year. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Is there any correlation? My apologies if this is a totally stupid question.

Replies

  • kmc3986
    kmc3986 Posts: 18
    I don't think it's a stupid question. In fact, I'm from south Florida and plateau-ing is the reason I searched the community site. I've got the same problem, so I'm looking for an answer as well.
  • blc1971
    blc1971 Posts: 170 Member
    Bump...Anyone? :flowerforyou:
  • beckaanne52
    beckaanne52 Posts: 35
    You retain more water during warmer weather. (When I was pregnan I gained like 6 lbs one wekend because of the heat. You might just be struggling with that. So drink more water! I wouldn't up cals to much. I think there is an over emphasis placed on that for most people. You can go find a calculator that calculate how many calories your body urns each day, that will tell you waht you cal deficit is once you subtract your calories you are inputting. It takes 3500 cals to los ea lb so then you can do the math and see how long it should take you to lose that lb. You might not be in a real plateu!
  • beckaanne52
    beckaanne52 Posts: 35
    Sorry my screen is cracked so I don't see typos well :)
  • blc1971
    blc1971 Posts: 170 Member
    Thanks so much beckaanne52. I am not stressed about the plateau and I'm definitely staying the course. I just wanted to understand what the issue was and if possibly anyone else noticed the same correlation. I've kept my calories pretty much the same but I was told to try having a "cheat" (I call it "relaxed") day where you may go over a little bit in calories or deviate from your regular foods to kind of shake things up a bit. I'm hoping these little changes will show up on the scale but regardless I feel really great and strong so I'm not too crazy about the numbers.
  • beckaanne52
    beckaanne52 Posts: 35
    No worries I like looking at the number because it helps me know what I relistically should be expecting. For example I know once I get down to about 140 lbs it will take me about 8-10 days to lose a lb based on current diet and exercise. Knowing that I am hoping will help me not get frustrated. I am a numbers person so I wanted to estimate how long it should take to lose my 100lbs :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    No.

    Your weight loss doesn't change with the seasons. The more likely culprit is that you are now closer to your healthy weight and need to adjust your calorie intake.
  • blc1971
    blc1971 Posts: 170 Member
    beckaanne52: Yes I am a numbers person too and I really wanted to reach goal by early September (which would mark a year on MFP) but I still have about 20-23 lbs to go which I doubt I will lose in the next month. LOL!!

    cmriverside: Thanks for the input. I have been adjusting my calorie intake but I may need to reevaluate that too. I will definitely look at that. I try to stay under the MFP allotted 1400 calories and I eat back some of my exercise calories but not all. Thanks again!!
  • daniellemm1
    daniellemm1 Posts: 465 Member
    Personally with the heat/humidity I know that my workouts have not been as intense as they should be. My runs have suffered most due to the heat. I try to double time it on the cooler days to make up for it.
  • rae_lyon
    rae_lyon Posts: 4 Member
    I think it makes sense. The days are getting shorter now, signaling that winter is on its way and our bodies are trying to lay in extra stores in order to survive it. Our survival programming doesn't realize that we have grocery stores and cozy houses with good heat sources. :-)

    I've noticed for years that my pets are pudgier in the winter than the summer. For the dog, that might correlate to less exercise in the winter, but the cats' activity levels don't change.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,422 Member
    I think it makes sense. The days are getting shorter now, signaling that winter is on its way and our bodies are trying to lay in extra stores in order to survive it. Our survival programming doesn't realize that we have grocery stores and cozy houses with good heat sources. :-)

    I've noticed for years that my pets are pudgier in the winter than the summer. For the dog, that might correlate to less exercise in the winter, but the cats' activity levels don't change.

    This is a problem, certainly. Every year I gain 5-8 pounds in the winter - and I live pretty far North. But it doesn't usually start until about mid-November when I am cutting back on outdoor activity and haven't adjusted my food intake yet. You aren't going to gain weight unless you are over eating, and you won't hit a plateau unless you haven't adjusted your calories for your TDEE. I've been maintaining my weight loss for five years, and I have a consistent calorie goal that doesn't change for the seasons, but it does change based on my activity or lack thereof.
  • blc1971
    blc1971 Posts: 170 Member
    Thanks for all of the replies!! I usually workout inside, either at home or at the gym, but I have tried the last 3 weeks or so to really increase the intensity of my workouts so that I am burning more. I have also tried to increase the frequency. I admit that I was not really exercising that much before so I have also heard that it's possible to retain water for muscle repair. Not sure but I've been drinking a lot more water just in case!! I will keep an eye on intensity too and make sure I'm giving it my all and not just phoning in my workouts.

    I really do appreciate all of the help and input!!

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