Hit a Plateau in my 4th week

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april21401
april21401 Posts: 13
in Health and Weight Loss
I had my fourth weigh-in today and bam, I've hit a plateau! Two thumbs dumb for a stall in progress. I've lost a total of 15 lbs thus far. Right now I'm doing the treadmill every morning (power walking on an incline, I'm not a runner) and then I walk for a half hour at lunch and for an hour at night. I'm tracking my calories and I never exceed the limit. And yet the scale actually went up this week by 0.7 lbs. Yikes! Any of you experiencing this and how did you switch it up to get the scale moving in the right direction again? Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • Greenrun99
    Greenrun99 Posts: 2,065 Member
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    So in 1 month you dropped 15 lbs and from 1 weigh in you think your at a plateau.. nope.. Patience is the whole key to this.. Plateau's and changes are made usually 6+ weeks of no progress.
  • april21401
    april21401 Posts: 13
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    Fair enough :-). Thanks. I guess I was kind of shocked that it went up. I've been going at it pretty hard and I have a LOT to lose so I figured the scale would keep moving at this stage...
  • annakow
    annakow Posts: 385 Member
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    Dont exercise every day and just wait..My first weight loss was 2kg in first month...8 months later I am 90lbs lighter and I exercise now
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    It's not a plateau until you've been at the same weight for 4-6 weeks without any losses in weight or measurements. Don't panic!!

    My first month, I lost 10 lbs. My second month, I lost nothing. My 3rd month things got moving along, and it's been going that way ever since. I think sometimes the body just pauses and goes "Hey - wtf? You mean we're serious this time?" hahah!
  • KMasz
    KMasz Posts: 2,677 Member
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    So in 1 month you dropped 15 lbs and from 1 weigh in you think your at a plateau.. nope.. Patience is the whole key to this.. Plateau's and changes are made usually 6+ weeks of no progress.

    This. and you need to keep in mind weight fluctuates based on water and other factors on a day to day basis. For example, Sunday I weighed myself and was 142, tuesday I was 145, and today I was 141. Weight loss isn't linear, so don't stress it =)

    Great Job so far!! Keep up the motivation & hard work! Good luck!
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    There are many things that cause weight fluctuations. That special time of the month (hah!) is one of the biggest culprits, but there are a lot of other things that can come into play too (extra sodium a day or two before could cause a bit of water retention, for example). Don't freak out, it'll probably be back down next week :wink:

    If you're still concerned (you've gotten some good advice, but it's normal to still worry :laugh:) it might be helpful to open your diary. But, I wouldn't stress, or even call it a plateau really, unless you're stuck for a month or more.
  • GWeightLossClinicGuy
    GWeightLossClinicGuy Posts: 4
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    Regular scales can be misleading. You could have gained muscle and not fat. I like to use body weight analyzers. Measure your neck, thighs, arms, and waist because sometimes you may not lose pounds, but you may lose inches.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,757 Member
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    Check your diary, did you eat too many carbs or salt, either can cause a slight water weight gain.
    It is probably just temporary. You might try weighing yourself for the next few days to see if that bounce goes back downwards.
    And I agree it is not a plateau, not long enough, you'll know a real one when you experience it :laugh:

    Congrats on 15 lbs. in a month that is AWESOME results.
  • april21401
    april21401 Posts: 13
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    Thanks for all of the feedback, everyone. It's much appreciated! I'll take a look at the carbs and keep at it!
  • Rogsman
    Rogsman Posts: 106 Member
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    Happens to me all the time.

    Weight gets stuck, I stress out but don't change anything. Suddenly I drop all the lbs that I should have been seeing slowly drop overnight. Literally. Then it slowly drops until the cycle repeats.

    My largest overnight drop was 6 lbs. This has happened 3 times during a 40 lbs loss. I've changed nothing and it always corrects itself.
  • april21401
    april21401 Posts: 13
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    Thanks all!! I think I found the culprit. I went back through and examined my diary closely and over the past week my carbs were much higher than previous weeks, even though my calories were quite low. I normally eat a plain rice cake with one measured tbsp of peanut butter for breakfast and had replaced that with other 'quick' low cal options that ended up tipping my carbs (along with the occasional coffee and fruit). Whoever suggested that I check my carbs, thanks!!

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