Can you just wait out a plateau?

257_Lag · January 2014

46 YO Male, started @ 257 and the first 40 came off at a fairly regular rate over the course of the first 10 months. Then it slowed and has virtually stopped for about 6 weeks now @ about 216.

I am eating 1900 and eating most of most exercise calories. Exercise is mostly treadmill since it's so frigging cold outside. I am fairly confident in my logging. I really haven't changes a thing other than not being able to play golf twice a week.

I did have a vacation recently where I ate a LOT on purpose to celebrate a year on MFP and maybe shake things up but I returned at exactly where I left, dropped 3 pounds in the next week and then popped right back up to 216.

I have read about numerous ways to break a plateau but none of them really appeal to me right now. My work schedule, the cold and short daylight hours leave me with little exercise choices. I am afraid to up my calories (much) and I don't think I can lower them by much and still feel okay.

While I am open to any suggestions my main question is can I just wait out the plateau? Will it pick back up on it's own or will I have to change things up. Any advice from people that have been through it would be appreciated.

Unknown · January 2014

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_Zardoz_ · January 2014

I'd eat less exercise calories back my guess is that figure isn't accurate.

auddii · January 2014

Are those the same number of calories you were eating 40 pounds ago? MFP should be reducing your calories every time you record a loss of 5-10lb, although I think it now asks if you want to update the calories. As you weigh less, you will need less calories to sustain your weight.

Also, be sure you are accurately logging food and exercise. If you are going by calories in the database for exercise or the machines, it might be over estimating. Even heart rate monitors are algorithms based on population averages and may be wrong. You could try only eating back 2/3 of your exercise calories.

Are you weighing your food? Eyeballing portion sizes can work for a while, but as you get closer to your goal, minor inconsistencies in calorie counts can really slow your weight loss.

This is a good read:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

dlionsmane · January 2014

The closer you get to goal the harder it is. I had been 17 pounds from goal from Sept 2013 - til right after the holiday, always losing and gaining the same 3 pounds. I realized I was A) eating back too many calories from exercise and

not weighing everything.

I now weigh everything and use a HRM for the burn calculation and I don't eat all of those back (around 75-80 %). I also recalculated my rate of loss to .5 pounds per week.

It is much slower, but the weight is moving again.

Good Luck!

257_Lag · January 2014

For reference:

One Year

The Last Two Months

joolywooly33 · January 2014

Don't eat back you exercise calories, recalculate how many you should be eating at your current weight for a modest loss per week and start weight training.......good luck!

MinnieInMaine · January 2014

According to the info on your profile, you're only about 15 pounds from goal. I also see you're doing TDEE-% but your deficit is currently at 20% when it should be more like 10-15% with the amount of weight you have left to lose.

The however to that is there's a chance your calorie burn is overestimated and your food logging is underestimated so the figures may be skewed. Are you using calorie burns from MFP or cardio machines? Are you weighing and measuring your food?

cebreisch · January 2014

There are things you can do to help get through a plateau - but the biggies still remain. You'll still need to log everything, and be relentless about it. It's times like this that even a ketchup packet needs to be logged. Still get on the treadmill, etc.

Make sure you look at your numbers too....how's your fiber intake? Are you having more protein than carbs and fat? If not, is there a way you can work on that without blowing things to smithereens? Can you make minor adjustments that would still keep your numbers on track, but be different enough to get the body to "behave" and let some of that go?

Aside from that, it is just a waiting game. I hate plateau's!!

257_Lag · January 2014

I started eating @ 2350 and have recalculated the number every 5 pounds along the way. While my logging might not be perfect, it is very close. I tend to eat the same 20 or 25 foods all the time. I have used the same methods to calculate burn the whole year.

I am almost always +/- 100 my goal of 1900.

kimm40p · January 2014

No I don't think you can just wait it out. You are at maintenance so something has to change if you want to continue losing. I would look at all the options everyone has already posted.

Or you can just stay here until the weather warms up ( I get it....living in a deep freeze myself:)) and then up your exercise when you can get outside more.

Good luck

eldamiano · January 2014

46 YO Male, started @ 257 and the first 40 came off at a fairly regular rate over the course of the first 10 months. Then it slowed and has virtually stopped for about 6 weeks now @ about 216.

I am eating 1900 and eating most of most exercise calories. Exercise is mostly treadmill since it's so frigging cold outside. I am fairly confident in my logging. I really haven't changes a thing other than not being able to play golf twice a week.

I did have a vacation recently where I ate a LOT on purpose to celebrate a year on MFP and maybe shake things up but I returned at exactly where I left, dropped 3 pounds in the next week and then popped right back up to 216.

I have read about numerous ways to break a plateau but none of them really appeal to me right now. My work schedule, the cold and short daylight hours leave me with little exercise choices. I am afraid to up my calories (much) and I don't think I can lower them by much and still feel okay.

While I am open to any suggestions my main question is can I just wait out the plateau? Will it pick back up on it's own or will I have to change things up. Any advice from people that have been through it would be appreciated.

Plateau is a bad word. It is the 'acceptable' term for not losing weight, and is a euphesism for not sticking to the weight loss procedures.

If you use the MFP guidelines and calorie counter accordingly, you will lose weight.

pinkiemarie252 · January 2014

In addition to what's been said I would suggest maybe switching up the exercise a little since our bodies get so efficient at cardio. Do you have access to a stationary bike or could you try some bootcamp type videos and do the treadmill every other day?

WalkingAlong · January 2014

I started eating @ 2350 and have recalculated the number every 5 pounds along the way. While my logging might not be perfect, it is very close. I tend to eat the same 20 or 25 foods all the time. I have used the same methods to calculate burn the whole year.

I am almost always +/- 100 my goal of 1900.

Wow, nice work last year! I love a chart.

I think it's possible to believe our logging is very close but it not be so close. If you don't have that many foods, maybe re-check them in a different database, re-calc your recipes elsewhere, re-check your packaging and serving sizes, etc.

How much are you logging for the treadmill?

If you don't want to find a source of estimation error or really don't think there could be one I think the alternative is eventually going to be just eat less or move more to get the last pounds off. Or wait longer and see but six weeks is pretty long if nothing's really changed besides a ''cheat week". Though that could still be messing things up.

Weight training might help, just to shake things up.

Maybe try some IF type eating just for a week, even at the same average calories as now.

Maybe try some new foods.

neanderthin · January 2014

That's called maintenance.:happy:

Achrya · January 2014

You're eating too much.

257_Lag · January 2014

Thanks to all. I never believed in plateaus either, until it happened. My stock answer was always "It's science" as to why people are not loosing when they should be.

Using Scooby's with Sedimentary (which I am not) and a 15% reduction I come up with 2044 or Lightly Active (which I am) of 2367

I burn about 400 a day (fitbit and 10,500 steps a day) so no matter how I run the math I come out close to 1900 as a goal.

I am not in denial, I am trying to learn what's going on. For now I think I will wait it out until it warms up some and I can get back outside. I have a rack and weights but they are in an unheated area. I lifted June through September but then had to take some time off for a knee injury and then it got too cold.

Cyclingbonnie · January 2014

Keep on keeping on. I tend to wait them out. Different people believe different things. Make sure you are being accurate.

Francl27 · January 2014

How long has it been since you lost weight? Stalls are perfectly normal, it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, as long as it's just for 2-3 weeks.

257_Lag · January 2014

How long has it been since you lost weight? Stalls are perfectly normal, it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, as long as it's just for 2-3 weeks.

In two months I have lost 1 pound. I am used to 2-3 week stalls, I had a few of them so far. This is something else

See charts above.

katznkt · January 2014

I just had a month long plateau. I recalculated my numbers. They were accurate. I spent a few weeks measuring everything to make sure I wasn't eyeballing incorrectly. I wasn't. I increased my activity. Nothing helped.

I finally got strep and spent three days eating about 800 calories over my deficit goal with ice cream, potato soup, hamburgers... Anything that sounded good. Which was mostly carbs and mushy stuff. I immediately dropped a couple lbs and have been dropping good ever since.

Maybe it was the calorie cycling. Maybe it was eating different foods than normal. Maybe it was just time. I don't know but I'm glad the plateau is broken. And for the record, I'm still eating like I was before. No new numbers. The Science was fine.

Everybody is different.

tigersword · January 2014

There's no such thing as a plateau. If you're in a plateau, you're doing something wrong somewhere.

Mr_Knight · January 2014

Then it slowed and has virtually stopped for about 6 weeks now @ about 216.

You found your maintenance. Eat a bit less, move a bit more.

Also go over your logging with an extremely critical eye. The more the weight comes off, the less room there is for error. Be especially careful if you eat meaningful amounts of boxed/prepared food, as the official nutritional labels err on the side of low-balling caloric contact.

avskk · January 2014

I pretty much always just wait out my plateaus. I'm assuming that at some point (when I'm closer to goal) I'll have to be more aggressive about them, but for now -- while it's frustrating -- I just wait. In fact, since I hit the halfway mark my weightloss style seems to have changed from "steady and fast" to "fits and starts;" I've been plateauing for three weeks to a month, then suddenly dropping 2-5 pounds, then plateauing again.

I just... don't care, I guess? I'm really strict with my logging, I'm reasonably physical, and I know I'm creating a consistent deficit. If the scale doesn't change for a while I assume it's a moron and wait it out.

MrGonzo05 · January 2014

How long has it been since you lost weight? Stalls are perfectly normal, it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong, as long as it's just for 2-3 weeks.

In two months I have lost 1 pound. I am used to 2-3 week stalls, I had a few of them so far. This is something else

See charts above.

You need to eat less to continue losing weight. Sorry.

Can you just wait out a plateau?

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