Desperate and about to give up.

But really honestly though, how many weeks have you been plateauing and can say hand on heart you were really eating at a deficit? Because reading the above it sounds like decided to give yourself a fair bit time off after your amazing loss last year, and I think that was a great idea! I did too.
reading the above it sounds to me like you lost way too quickly, your body went into shock, and you had to give yourself time out. Now it is getting going again - 5 lb since December is fabulous, I am so jealous!! You've done really really well, give yourself some credit.

This happens to everyone. It may not really be a plateau! I thought I hit one a few weeks ago - I went almost a month with no weight change - and suddenly my scale said I lost 5 lbs in a few days. So my total for the last 6 weeks is still 6 pounds - 1 lb a week. It sometimes takes a minute for your body to catch up, especially if you eat a lot of salt, etc.

Don't lose hope! Just keep doing what you're doing, it will come off. You can also readjust your macros to include more protein - that seems to help me when I stall.

jgnatca wrote: »

I vote for patience too. I stopped losing for a while when I ramped up my exercise and I had a deep think about it. Did I want to drop the exercise and just focus on weight loss? No. I'm loving my mobility and health gains too much. I decided to continue with my lifestyle changes and trust the weight loss would catch up in time. It did.

I also found out that I have a 30 day cycle of weight loss, with practically nothing coming off for a few weeks, and a sudden drop-off. I continue do what I am doing and the scale eventually catches up.

I get a lot more satisfaction from my exercise goals as they are directly under my control. The scale, not so much.

This.

Like others have said, you are doing great. Sometimes the weight loss just isn't linear and it messes with your head. What helped me was to focus on goals I had more control over to protect myself against those periods, although I know it must be incredibly frustrating. Since you are exercising, maybe set an exercise-related goal and work on that, or now that you are experimenting with macros maybe a goal to increase your protein and lower your carbs a bit? Just something else to focus on and to tell yourself it's worth it. My intention when starting and a bit superstitious that it wouldn't work was not only to tell myself I trusted in the science, but also to make sure I had things to focus on so worst case scenario I'd be the healthiest fat person ever!

Also, it can be a good time to start measuring yourself regularly or taking photos, as sometimes your inches will go down when the scale isn't, and it's nice to have a second or third way to convince yourself it's working.

But do remember that you've made lots of progress and will continue to. Good luck!

My suggestions mirror others, methinks, but still worth repeating ...

Macros

• Try tweaking your diet bit by bit. Work more protein in, more fiber, more healthy fats. Help give your body the nutrients it needs while staying full.
• Limit simple carbs.

Exercise

• Try weight-bearing exercise. Lean muscle mass takes more calories to maintain (eventually--not an overnight thing).

Remember, it's a marathon, not a sprint. Actually more like an Ironman. Actually, several.

As a psychologist, think about what you would tell a client if they said to you what you said to us. Then, take your own advice.

"Just because I'm not so good at taking my own advice doesn't mean I don't know what's right." ~Brian Andreas