'Weekend weight' - plateauing :<

amylg05
amylg05 Posts: 89 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
For the last 3 weeks or so, my weight seems to of plateued and I am thinking its because, I lose during the week when im being more or less healthy and taking more care as to what I eat but when weekend comes, I relax this a little. I weigh myself every Tuesday morning and always seem to have gained a few pounds - 4 this morning!! - however, I have been weighing myself again on Fridays (in desperate hope) and what I have gained has gone and I am back to 182lbs...

This weekend I was worse than others, but still I didnt think bad enough to gain 4lbs?! Im a little stuck now as to why I am not losing...I was on 1200 cals but upped that to 1400 after reading a lot of posts on here. I exercise 3 times a week, weight lifting for about 60-90 minutes. I have recently been diagnosed with PCOS so maybe this is something to do with it...its just very frustrating!

I am 25, female, 5.2" and 182lbs - my diary is open if anyone has any suggestions?

Replies

  • jimwon953
    jimwon953 Posts: 20 Member
    Hi,

    This exact same thing happens with me. If I get drunk on a Friday or Saturday then I probably get fried chicken on the way home. the following days I have hangovers and make bad eating choices so I eat away the hangover. This means that all that good work I did during the week was for nothing.

    I am fully aware this is part of my lifestyle and it will be again once I've attained my goal weight, but for now, aside from unavoidable social dates, I am staying out of the pubs and bars to concentrate on losing.

    I'm not sure what your particular failings are at the weekend - but from my own experience it's entirely possible to make all your calorie counting during the week a waste of time during a couple days of binging, I suggest you cut it out and see what happens, you'll probably be o pleased with the results after a month that it will be worth missing a few parties/cakes.
  • amylg05
    amylg05 Posts: 89 Member
    The worst thing I have had this weekend is 3 cans of soda, 2 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday, a couple of sqaures of milk chocolate, 2 hot dog rolls and some sausage. I probably had about 2000 cals on Saturday and about 1800 on Sunday! It just seems so extreme that I would gain 4lbs from this lol, its so annoying <.>
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    This is why 'cheat days' don't work for many people - they completely undo all the hard work through the week by over eating at the weekend.

    You may find grerater success using the TDEE where you eat the same amount every day. By having a reasonable intake during the week and having room to fit in foods you love then you may be less inclined to over-eat them at the weekend.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    So your body isnt 'plateauing'. There is no such thing as a plateau. You are just eating at a rate to maintain weight and are at least openly admitting to doing so.
  • amylg05
    amylg05 Posts: 89 Member
    Would that be considered a cheat day? I dont think I overeat at weekends (unless I am and just think im not in which case please tell me!!). I will look in to the TDEE though as I am not sure what it is and might work well for me.

    Yeah, I guess plateuaing was the wrong word lol, I wonder if my calories are too high then as I would say my average calories works out as around 1700-1800 or so? Why cant these things just be easy! :D
  • Irma77torne
    Irma77torne Posts: 14 Member
    Hi, I suffer from PCOS too and my weight seems to got stuck too, but I cheat even less than you on the weekends!

    It's is much harder to lose weight for people with PCOS. There are groups here in MFP with a tone of info, although very confusing too :s, but one thing everybody seem to agree is to be careful with your carbs (you might know this already).

    I've just found out I was eating under my BMR ( the calories we need to survive if just were lying in bed all day) while exercising 5 days a week, so I decided to increase my calories, I don't know if it's working yet, will see next week.

    Dunno... I hope it helps.

    Irma
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    I think the cheat days or weekend cheats and getting back on track during the week seem to work fine if you are on maintenance, not so much for weight loss. Maybe a good compromise is every other weekend or once a month cheat weekend.
  • slk_5555
    slk_5555 Posts: 177 Member
    I increased cals from 1200 - 1400 to 1650. I did this over a 3-4 week period and during this time I did not loose weight - Once I hit 1650 for a week (which is just above my BMI) I started to loose again. I also re addressed my habit of not weighing fruit & veg to ensure everything was right at this point.

    I weigh on a Monday - I eat the same cals on a weekend that I do during the week. If you weigh on a Tuesday for a couple of weeks and loose nothing at all, then I would suggest that you are overeating & completely undoing your good work. If it was just a fluctuation on the scales because you ate slightly more at the weekend, then this would level out during the course of the week & you should still see a loss the following week. If I plan to go at the weekend or for a meal - I usually try to eat lighter for a couple of days during that week, to make up for the fact that I will over eat on one day.

    I am also using fitbit for the last 3 weeks, to ensure I am burning enough calories - you need a 3500 cal deficit in a week to loose 1lb in weight. Make sure you have your maths right & it will all fall into place.
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
    So your body isnt 'plateauing'. There is no such thing as a plateau. You are just eating at a rate to maintain weight and are at least openly admitting to doing so.

    Definition of a plateau: a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.

    So there is such a thing as a plateau.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    Hi,

    This exact same thing happens with me. If I get drunk on a Friday or Saturday then I probably get fried chicken on the way home. the following days I have hangovers and make bad eating choices so I eat away the hangover. This means that all that good work I did during the week was for nothing.

    I am fully aware this is part of my lifestyle and it will be again once I've attained my goal weight, but for now, aside from unavoidable social dates, I am staying out of the pubs and bars to concentrate on losing.

    I'm not sure what your particular failings are at the weekend - but from my own experience it's entirely possible to make all your calorie counting during the week a waste of time during a couple days of binging, I suggest you cut it out and see what happens, you'll probably be o pleased with the results after a month that it will be worth missing a few parties/cakes.

    This is exactly me too, my weekends are usually around the 2500cals mark Saturday and Sunday.

    I've just looked at your diary OP and your blow outs aren't that big, you seem to be eating at roughly maintenance on the weekends.

    I'm plateauing (or I probably should say unintentionally maintaining) at the mo too so my plan is to try and exercise my butt off during the week to earn some weekend cals (and also try to keep it to around 2000 cal mark at weekends)

    My daily cal goal is 1450 a day (during the week) with a desk job and with my naughty weekends (there's been lots of weddings and partys recently) I've "plateaued" for a month.

    Also my best friend has PCOS and actually has found hitting the gym with a vengeance to be great both for her weightloss (about 4 stone) and her moods. xxxx
  • lisaabenjamin
    lisaabenjamin Posts: 665 Member
    Just had a quick flick through the last few days of your diary and here are a few observations.
    - Are you logging everything accurately? To get the best estimate of the calories you are actually eating, you need to weigh everything, don't just go on the serving size. For example, I see things logged in your diary like "1/2 pack noodles", "5 homemade roast potatoes", "125g Tesco chicken breast", but did you actually weigh those things? Sometimes the portion size on the packet (especially with things like meat) can be way off what the actual portion weighed.
    - I see no cooking oil, spray or butter/spread in your diary. How do you make roast potatoes without oil? Or have a sandwich without spread? A dash of oil here and a spreading of butter there adds quite a few calories, so if you're not logging them you could be consuming far more than you think you are.
    - I know some people can't handle breakfast in the morning (I have never understood that as I am always starving in the morning!!) but you do seem to eat breakfast so try upping the calories here. Personally, there's no way I could survive until lunchtime or even mid morning on a 120 calorie protein shake. I eat porridge with greek yoghurt, fruit and seed mix every morning and it really does help to curb the snack cravings.
  • bonkersbb
    bonkersbb Posts: 1
    Hi Amy

    My first post here but been on a weight loss journey since forever (most recently Aug last year).

    Am 5'2", 175lbs currently (down from 260lbs) and also a PCOS sufferer. IMO - your daily carb intake is high while protein is on the low side.

    I know many people will disagree with this, but I have found that as a result of insulin resistance, I am very sensitive to carbs. Calorie intake does not matter at all to me, however, a few weeks now I have stalled on the weight loss and I think carbs are the culprit.

    Maybe lowering your carb intake and upping proteins may help?

    p.s. I currently have one "cheat day" a month (since Dec) and have still consistently lost weight. My cheat day has been all you can eat and drink :-)
  • amylg05
    amylg05 Posts: 89 Member
    @lisaa - Hm yeah I think I should invest in a scale, I always thought it was ok to measure in that way going by packet sizes etc. As for oil and spread, I tend to not have much - I use frylight for oil. Ill try to be more strict with my measurements though and see if that helps! I really am not a morning person and if I didnt have the shake I woudnt be having anything and I do snack on almonds and usually have green tea too! :)

    @bonkers - Carbs are the devil for me I swear it lol, during the week I dont tend to have that many or try not to - I think ill just have to be more consistent with this, I just love carbs so much lol :D
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    Definitely invest in a scale. It'll open your eyes.

    After that, just work on logging consistently and accurately for like 4-6 weeks, If you still haven't lost weight, then you know it's not a problem with logging accuracy and that it lies elsewhere. Process of elimination.

    But definitely start with the food scale.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    So your body isnt 'plateauing'. There is no such thing as a plateau. You are just eating at a rate to maintain weight and are at least openly admitting to doing so.

    Definition of a plateau: a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.

    So there is such a thing as a plateau.

    So why does overeating merit progress? If one eats intentionally at a neutral calorie level but somebody else doesnt, what is the difference?

    The 'plateau' is just an imaginary word to hide behind. A period of activity involving not eating at a deficit naturally does not provoke change...
  • jmv7117
    jmv7117 Posts: 891 Member
    So your body isnt 'plateauing'. There is no such thing as a plateau. You are just eating at a rate to maintain weight and are at least openly admitting to doing so.

    Definition of a plateau: a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.

    So there is such a thing as a plateau.

    So why does overeating merit progress? If one eats intentionally at a neutral calorie level but somebody else doesnt, what is the difference?

    The 'plateau' is just an imaginary word to hide behind. A period of activity involving not eating at a deficit naturally does not provoke change...

    I agree that plateau is just a word to hide behind, one more excuse for not losing weight. I started the weight loss portion of my fitness plan in early November 2013. I have weighed daily and every time I saw a bit of a stall around a particular weight for 4 or 5 days, I made a change either in diet or exercise or both. So, I have had no plateau and certainly nothing near what some consider a plateau of weeks. Honestly, if you are eating at a deficit and see no weight loss for weeks, you aren't eating at a deficit! You need to go back and reassess how much you are eating which if you are honest with yourself, you are either eating enough to maintain at that weight or you are eating enough that you aren't creating a calorie deficit.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    So your body isnt 'plateauing'. There is no such thing as a plateau. You are just eating at a rate to maintain weight and are at least openly admitting to doing so.

    Definition of a plateau: a state of little or no change following a period of activity or progress.

    So there is such a thing as a plateau.

    So why does overeating merit progress? If one eats intentionally at a neutral calorie level but somebody else doesnt, what is the difference?

    The 'plateau' is just an imaginary word to hide behind. A period of activity involving not eating at a deficit naturally does not provoke change...

    Or people could be using the word plateau as a turn of phrase, I do, I know it's because I'm unintentionally eating at maintenance rather than deficit but it's a good descriptive word especially if you feel you haven't intentionally changed your habits from when you were losing consistently (in which case, like the OP, you ask for advice). *shrugs*

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