If you think you've plateau'd - read this

Great read and very timely for me. Thanks again, ritchie.

Yeah, it should be that easy, shouldn't it? But sometimes it really isn't. I eat pretty much the same thing every day- at least the same meals I just rotate from time to time. It hasn't changed in months and months. Then I started exercising- nothing major, just a walk a few days a week. Maybe burning an extra 300 calories on those days, but it's hard to know for sure. My weight loss slowed dramatically and my measurements are not changing in any significant way. I am eating exactly the same way I was before and now burning a few calories more, and it seems to have put on the brakes. It seems like basic math- but it's not adding up. I keep doing it because I literally don't know what else to do and I'm sure not going to let myself slide backwards, but I'm not going to lie, it's damn frustrating.

If I had to guess, based on your post, I'd think it might have something to do with the fact that you're not really changing your diet. If you've lost a significant amount of weight, then it means that you require fewer calories per day to fuel your body than it did before. This means that you have to work that much harder (or eat that much less) in order to get the deficit needed to lose. Sometimes this causes people to plateau- because they're working out/eating based on old calculations.

Great information, thank you!


I have never had a problem with plateaus, and this made me understand why, I think. I am a math nerd when it comes to losing weight, and I'm always fiddling with the numbers, making charts and graphs, accounting for everything I possibly can (within reason). I probably take it beyond the realm of what most people could tolerate, but I just happen to be one of those people who has a love of details. For me, it's fun.

A math nerd, or an arithmetic nerd?

Take a look at some growth curves, and listen to the radio lab episode about "natural counting". If you expect linear progress in base 10, you get disappointed.


I think what this really comes down to though, is putting your weight loss into an emotional context. Which means constantly reminding yourself that this is your life now, and your desire for easy fixes and quick results is probably what got you here (I feel bored/tired/sad so I eat too much food and it feels better). You're essentially trying to swim upstream, since your environment and genetics encourage obesity. That's why I feel we should address personal responsibility with individuals, and at the same time public health with government or cultural intervention. It's not one or the other.

It's not just access to education, although that is super important.

A lot of money and energy goes into researching ways to trigger overeating in human populations, because selling food is profitable. That's where we as an overall population are currently investing our resources. That's aside from the political context and whether you are a socialist, capitalist, or whatever. It's undeniable.

I'm saying we need some kind of counterbalance, whatever political means are used to achieve it, because the costs are too high to sustain this state if affairs.

Personally, I lean towards things like regulations and controls, like removing refined sugar and salt from the "generally regarded as safe" list, or including a label on packaging when sugar, fat, and salt are deliberately combined in ways that trigger strong tendencies to overeat without ever feeling sated. I cheered when NYC forced calorie counts on chain restaurant menus.

I understand all the issues surrounding that and don't want to have a left vs right debate, so I'll accept that the means to achieving some kind of improvement will vary depending on political context.

Yeah, it should be that easy, shouldn't it? But sometimes it really isn't. I eat pretty much the same thing every day- at least the same meals I just rotate from time to time. It hasn't changed in months and months. Then I started exercising- nothing major, just a walk a few days a week. Maybe burning an extra 300 calories on those days, but it's hard to know for sure. My weight loss slowed dramatically and my measurements are not changing in any significant way. I am eating exactly the same way I was before and now burning a few calories more, and it seems to have put on the brakes. It seems like basic math- but it's not adding up. I keep doing it because I literally don't know what else to do and I'm sure not going to let myself slide backwards, but I'm not going to lie, it's damn frustrating.

Love it when the problem and the solution are really obvious. It's normal not to be able to see it when it's you that you're talking about too. Love that. Humans are neat.

So glad I could amuse you. Thanks for pointing out that it's obvious and not actually stating what IS obvious, because it's clearly not obvious to me. *kitten*.

Yup, difference between women and men is, at least women can expect a predictable pattern. Men are not so lucky, plus nobody will give us a break on it because pop science doesn't cover men's hormones.



So here is what women should do to get lean: eat below tdee.

And for men: eat below tdee.


What women should do when their weight fluctuates: keep going.

What men should do when their weight fluctuates: keep going.


Big ****ing surprise!

Lest you forget....the original point was that the "whooshes" that women experience can often take longer than two weeks to experience. (And that fat loss is not linear)

And lest you forget, if you substitute "men" for "women" in your sentence, it's still true.


This is frustrating for both sexes! The patterns I see women blaming in TOM are remarkably close to what I experience! And I also get the sneaking suspicion my own challenges are tougher than everyone else's.

Welcome to being human!

Yeah, it should be that easy, shouldn't it? But sometimes it really isn't. I eat pretty much the same thing every day- at least the same meals I just rotate from time to time. It hasn't changed in months and months. Then I started exercising- nothing major, just a walk a few days a week. Maybe burning an extra 300 calories on those days, but it's hard to know for sure. My weight loss slowed dramatically and my measurements are not changing in any significant way. I am eating exactly the same way I was before and now burning a few calories more, and it seems to have put on the brakes. It seems like basic math- but it's not adding up. I keep doing it because I literally don't know what else to do and I'm sure not going to let myself slide backwards, but I'm not going to lie, it's damn frustrating.

Love it when the problem and the solution are really obvious. It's normal not to be able to see it when it's you that you're talking about too. Love that. Humans are neat.

So glad I could amuse you. Thanks for pointing out that it's obvious and not actually stating what IS obvious, because it's clearly not obvious to me. *kitten*.

Good thing I don't take it personally when someone illustrates the emotional context of weigh loss.

Feel free to friend me. I'm an *kitten* but I get **** done.

Yup, difference between women and men is, at least women can expect a predictable pattern. Men are not so lucky, plus nobody will give us a break on it because pop science doesn't cover men's hormones.



So here is what women should do to get lean: eat below tdee.

And for men: eat below tdee.


What women should do when their weight fluctuates: keep going.

What men should do when their weight fluctuates: keep going.


Big ****ing surprise!

Lest you forget....the original point was that the "whooshes" that women experience can often take longer than two weeks to experience. (And that fat loss is not linear)

And lest you forget, if you substitute "men" for "women" in your sentence, it's still true.


This is frustrating for both sexes! The patterns I see women blaming in TOM are remarkably close to what I experience! And I also get the sneaking suspicion my own challenges are tougher than everyone else's.

Welcome to being human!

I don't disagree with your statement. It's the OP that disagreed, suggesting that two weeks is all it should take.

He doesn't strike me as the religious type. So I'm sure he's willing to accept there are times when the math can just work out like that.

Personally, I feel we focus too much on short term results.

At the same time, when I was taken from my home environment and dropped in Japan, my weight started to drop precipitously. I can't track well here but you can bet it's lack of calories. 16:8 is hard here! I wasn't remotely annoyed with my "plateau" back home, because I was making gains in athletic ability and not busy enough to go on a steep cut without getting bored. But here, I'm so distracted I don't notice, except I have to take an extra day off every week due to slow recovery.

Obviously I REALLY cutting now, and one way or another I was not REALLY cutting before.