Doctor's Advice on plateau...."It's going to take a year...."

pittdan77
pittdan77 Posts: 98 Member
in Motivation and Support
That's what I got today. I'm down over 100 pounds and am no longer "obese". Just overweight (like that's not so bad). But I need to lose another 20 pounds or so. She advised me to not get frustrated and keep on plan. That the weight loss will come but that my body is trying to keep me from dying because it thinks I'm starving to death. Guess it make sense. She's been an awesome doctor and actually turned me on to MFP as part of my recovery.

I have no problem continuing on. Would be nice to lose that weight and get it over with but she has made sense on everything so far.

My question is this: Has anyone else heard of a plateau taking that long? Mind you, I started at 365 and weighed in the AM at 24

Thoughts?

Replies

  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    She may also be trying to tell you to be patient. She probably just wants you to stay with what you are doing and to avoid trying some of the shock stuff people try to get off a plateau. It will probably not take a full year but if you are not expecting it, it will be a pleasant surprise when you step on the scale and are losing again.
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,630 Member
    Lizzy622 wrote: »
    She may also be trying to tell you to be patient. She probably just wants you to stay with what you are doing and to avoid trying some of the shock stuff people try to get off a plateau. It will probably not take a full year but if you are not expecting it, it will be a pleasant surprise when you step on the scale and are losing again.

    +1
  • dawn0293
    dawn0293 Posts: 115 Member
    edited November 2014
    Unless you are actually starving, you are not in 'starvation mode' nor does starvation mode keep people from losing weight. I would suggest possibly getting a second opinion from a nutritionist or another medical professional more well versed with weight loss. Chances are if you are stuck in a long plateau (which would rule out water weight shenanigans), your body is getting more fuel than you are using right now.
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  • morgiee_lynne
    morgiee_lynne Posts: 141 Member
    I highly doubt you are in starvation mode. I would search for more advice from a different professional and keep trucking on with your hard work!
  • FitOldMomma
    FitOldMomma Posts: 790 Member
    Your doctor should maybe do some reading up on studies about 'starvation mode'. Or you could just get a smarter doc. But seriously-congratulations on your 100 pound loss.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    I don't think you should get a new doctor (doctors aren't meant to be nutrition experts), but I do think you should take the advice lightly. I don't think it'll take a year to get over a plateau if you are still in a calorie deficit, but it does take time for the body to adjust. Be patient, accept that the scale isn't always going to go down, and keep working. :-)
  • simplydelish2
    simplydelish2 Posts: 726 Member
    Guess what - you don't need a new doctor. I had been at a plateau for almost a year. I've upped the calories, lowered the calories, followed multiple nutritionists advice, weighed and measured everything that went in my mouth and nothing... I had lost a total of 12 pounds from January to September. My doctor told me something very similar. Basically that when we drop a huge amount of weight it takes our bodies some time to recover and accept this as the new "normal". I've kept to the plan and now, after almost a year, have dropped another 13 pounds - since the first of September.

    Our bodies are unique - what happens to some of us doesn't happen to all of us. My advice is stick to the plan. Hopefully it won't take a year to drop the remainder of the pounds. But if it does - who cares? Look how far you've come and you are continuing to eat a healthy lifestyle.

    20757594.png
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
    edited November 2014
    If she's helped you lose 100 lbs so far and you feel comfortable with her, take it for what it's worth but don't just get rid of your doctor over one small difference of opinion. Call it what you will, it usually takes longer to lose the last 20 lbs than it did to lose the first 20 lbs.

    Go read some of the success stories and I think you will see that people often spend a long time getting rid of the last 20 lbs.

    Congrats on the 100 lbs lost!!!
  • suetorrence
    suetorrence Posts: 163 Member
    I spent 13 months losing 77 pounds to get to my goal weight. Then I decided to take off an additional ten pounds. My personal trainer said it would take time.....and it has. After 2 1/2 months I have lost only 4 more pounds and I am still eating at a deficit. All this to say, don't get discouraged. It will come off but probably not as quickly.
  • Chickaboo2014
    Chickaboo2014 Posts: 136 Member
    simplydelish2 wrote: »
    Guess what - you don't need a new doctor. I had been at a plateau for almost a year. I've upped the calories, lowered the calories, followed multiple nutritionists advice, weighed and measured everything that went in my mouth and nothing... I had lost a total of 12 pounds from January to September. My doctor told me something very similar. Basically that when we drop a huge amount of weight it takes our bodies some time to recover and accept this as the new "normal". I've kept to the plan and now, after almost a year, have dropped another 13 pounds - since the first of September.

    Our bodies are unique - what happens to some of us doesn't happen to all of us. My advice is stick to the plan. Hopefully it won't take a year to drop the remainder of the pounds. But if it does - who cares? Look how far you've come and you are continuing to eat a healthy lifestyle.

    20757594.png

    +10000 Especially "Our bodies are unique - what happens to some of us doesn't happen to all of us."
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  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
    ====> "Don't get frustrated and keep on plan" <==== If you're maintaining, that's a huge success! Focus on that, keep doing what you're doing. 100 lbs is an incredible success, but the real work is in keeping it off. Give yourself some time.

    Are you really in a plateau? Or just losing more slowly? Track your weight daily, using an app like Happy Scale that will let you record daily variance but show you the smoothed (predicted) loss. Even when I feel like I'm not losing because of daily ups and downs, the app shows that I'm losing an average of 1 lb/week.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    You always lose weight faster in the beginning. The last can usually 20 take the longest.

    I lost a hundred pounds. I met that goal in Dec 12. Im still trying to lose the last 20.

    It's not so much a "plateau" as a realistic idea of how long that will probably take - and KUDOS to your doc for giving you that realistic timeline.

    yeah, at least a year.

    and re: the weight you've already lost? You're a hero to so many people and you probably dont even realize it.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    vinegar_husbands wrote: »
    Lizzy622 wrote: »
    She may also be trying to tell you to be patient. She probably just wants you to stay with what you are doing and to avoid trying some of the shock stuff people try to get off a plateau. It will probably not take a full year but if you are not expecting it, it will be a pleasant surprise when you step on the scale and are losing again.

    Seconding this.

    Motion carried.

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I think she just meant that it's going to take longer now. I lost 60 pounds the first year, 20 the second... it definitely slows down!
  • pittdan77
    pittdan77 Posts: 98 Member
    Appreciate some of the insights here. I get that patience is necessary. The idea of the "new norm" makes sense to me. I don't pretend to understand the how's and why's.

    My plan is to continue moving forward. I certainly will not go back. That would be horrific from where I'm sitting right now. I can't ever imagine myself falling back into the old, unhealthy habits.

    Thank you.

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