Mini Plateaus

teecee60
teecee60 Posts: 47 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am really intrigued and still trying to "figure out" why even without changing a thing and being a diligent on my plan, that I am experiencing weekly plateaus. I know that it might not be wise to weigh yourself daily...but MFP has provided me the great opportunity to track, monitor and analyze my activity including my weight to try to figure out what is most effective for me. After seven weeks of tracking, I still cannot identify a pattern to explain why I might drop a pound or two over a few days then hover, gain or lose minimally for the next string of days. I am a "numbers" person so doing these kind of analysis is interesting to me.

I would like to hear about other people's plateaus, length of time & how they break through. I had someone suggest to me "Intermittent Fasting" but I am not sure I want or need to go to this extreme (although if you Google IF...they are many that swear by it for health & wellness as well as weight loss).

Replies

  • vorgas
    vorgas Posts: 741 Member
    Sodium: excess causes water retention
    Weight lifting: causes retention
    Not drinking enough water: causes water retention
    Potassium: helps remove water retention
    Magnesium: helps remove water retention
    Get plenty of sleep: sleep helps the body function at it's peak, improving water consumption

    If you are a daily measure kind of person, then be sure to do a 10 day running average on your weight. While you may see plateaus and fluctuations, you will be able to see a trend much more effectively.

    I'm not sure anybody would describe one day without weight loss as a plateau. Usually it's a week or two or even more. Common tips are eating a lot of food to ramp up your metabolism, eating small portions throughout the day instead of a big meal (same effect), changing your diet if it's fairly static, changing your workout routine if it's static.
  • teecee60
    teecee60 Posts: 47 Member
    I love these tips plus your other comments.
    Sodium: excess causes water retention
    Weight lifting: causes retention
    Not drinking enough water: causes water retention
    Potassium: helps remove water retention
    Magnesium: helps remove water retention
    Get plenty of sleep: sleep helps the body function at it's peak, improving water consumption

    If you are a daily measure kind of person, then be sure to do a 10 day running average on your weight. While you may see plateaus and fluctuations, you will be able to see a trend much more effectively.

    I'm not sure anybody would describe one day without weight loss as a plateau. Usually it's a week or two or even more. Common tips are eating a lot of food to ramp up your metabolism, eating small portions throughout the day instead of a big meal (same effect), changing your diet if it's fairly static, changing your workout routine if it's static.
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,589 MFP Moderator
    There is also a "squishy fat" theory, I don't have a link to it but you should google it. It is basically a theory that as you burn fat your fat cells replace it with water in an attempt to hold on. Your body will eventually clear the water out and you see a drop. Dunno how accurate or not the theory really is but its interesting anyways. For what its worth that how my body works too, everyone is a little different in how they lose but that is a very common trend.

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