Has anyone else had a metabolic plateau?

PicoBoulevard · February 2015

I lost 56 pounds but then the losses stopped. I had been eating 1200 calories a day and found that now that caloric intake had become a maintenance intake. I didn't want to go below 1200 calories, and for two months tried to "eat more calories" (1400 to 1600) but that just made me gain four pounds.
Now I am stuck. I'm exercising but it's not helping either.
Has anyone been in this situation? And if so, were you able to break out of it and continue losing?

vismal · February 2015

Your metabolism doesn't plateau. Two things are probably happening. 1, you are probably eating over 1200 calories. What is your height/weight. Unless you are a petite women, you would certainly be losing weight at those calories. If you are a petite women, it takes a very long time to lose the last few lbs and losses of as little as a lb a month can be acceptable. If you are not all that petite then you are probably eating more then you think. Most people are. Do you weigh all your food on a scale? Measuring cups/spoons don't count, those are for liquids only. Do you account for cheat days/meals? How often do you eat food not prepared by yourself?

If you indeed are eating 1200 calories, and aren't very petite then the other possibility is water retention. When you eat low calories and don't lose weight, usually the reason is that you are retaining water. This effect can be quite profound. Sometimes a month or more worth of fat loss is masked by water retention. If much more then a month has gone by with no weight loss whatsoever, the former problem, eating more then you think, is probably the culprit.

If you are absolutely convinced neither of the two above issue are causing your problem, you need to see a doctor. After you have ruled out eating too much and water retention, all that's really left is disease process. I will say that this is the least likely cause. It's certainly worth checking out, but if all the tests come back negative, you will have to revisit the possibilities of eating more then you think, water retention, or a combination of both.

terbusha · February 2015

Hey,

I disagree with the previous post. Your metabolism is not a set thing. It changes over time. I’ve seen this myself. When I finished my weight loss, I was maintaining weight at 2000 cal/day (I weigh and log everything). Over 7 months of doing a reverse diet (slowly adding calories into my diet every few weeks) I am now maintaining weight at 3200 cal/day. If you are legitimately eating 1200 cal/day and not losing weight, it’s time for you to do a reverse diet to get your metabolism back up. Check out this YouTube video on this subject:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3gTGLulLnI

How are you exercising? Are you being really consistent with your nutrition and workouts?

Allan

elphie754 · February 2015

terbusha wrote: »

Hey,

I disagree with the previous post. Your metabolism is not a set thing. It changes over time. I’ve seen this myself. When I finished my weight loss, I was maintaining weight at 2000 cal/day (I weigh and log everything). Over 7 months of doing a reverse diet (slowly adding calories into my diet every few weeks) I am now maintaining weight at 3200 cal/day. If you are legitimately eating 1200 cal/day and not losing weight, it’s time for you to do a reverse diet to get your metabolism back up. Check out this YouTube video on this subject:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3gTGLulLnI

How are you exercising? Are you being really consistent with your nutrition and workouts?

Allan

What on earth is a reverse diet? Seriously?

Just no. If you are truly and weighing EVERY SINGLE crumb that goes in your mouth, and you are actually eating 1200 cals a day, and not losing, it's time to go to the DR. But before you go, be really honest with yourself about what you have been eating.

aalford0122 · February 2015

vismal wrote: »

Your metabolism doesn't plateau. Two things are probably happening. 1, you are probably eating over 1200 calories. What is your height/weight. Unless you are a petite women, you would certainly be losing weight at those calories. If you are a petite women, it takes a very long time to lose the last few lbs and losses of as little as a lb a month can be acceptable. If you are not all that petite then you are probably eating more then you think. Most people are. Do you weigh all your food on a scale? Measuring cups/spoons don't count, those are for liquids only. Do you account for cheat days/meals? How often do you eat food not prepared by yourself?

If you indeed are eating 1200 calories, and aren't very petite then the other possibility is water retention. When you eat low calories and don't lose weight, usually the reason is that you are retaining water. This effect can be quite profound. Sometimes a month or more worth of fat loss is masked by water retention. If much more then a month has gone by with no weight loss whatsoever, the former problem, eating more then you think, is probably the culprit.

If you are absolutely convinced neither of the two above issue are causing your problem, you need to see a doctor. After you have ruled out eating too much and water retention, all that's really left is disease process. I will say that this is the least likely cause. It's certainly worth checking out, but if all the tests come back negative, you will have to revisit the possibilities of eating more then you think, water retention, or a combination of both.

How would you suggest a petite woman lose weight? I am 22 and 5'2" I have been trying and trying to lose weight, but the last 10 lbs just wants to stay around... I am not overweight, but I don't look my best either. Any advice would be more than welcome!

psuLemon · February 2015

I agree with vismal. While there are some adjustments in metabolic rate like adaptive thermogenesis, it's not not going to be substantial. Generally, what I find out to be the issue, is inaccurate logging and inconsistent logging. So do you use a food scale and can you open your food diary?

juggernaut1974 · February 2015

terbusha wrote: »

Hey,

I disagree with the previous post. Your metabolism is not a set thing. It changes over time. I’ve seen this myself. When I finished my weight loss, I was maintaining weight at 2000 cal/day (I weigh and log everything). Over 7 months of doing a reverse diet (slowly adding calories into my diet every few weeks) I am now maintaining weight at 3200 cal/day. If you are legitimately eating 1200 cal/day and not losing weight, it’s time for you to do a reverse diet to get your metabolism back up. Check out this YouTube video on this subject:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3gTGLulLnI

How are you exercising? Are you being really consistent with your nutrition and workouts?

Allan

Yes, youtube videos are the best source for scientific evidence (eyeroll)

I'll concede that your metabolism (ie - calories burned during the day) can and do change somewhat as you lose/gain weight and/or change up your body composition. But barring a medical issue, hardly anyone would not lose weight on 1200 true calories a day. Far more likely that OP is underestimating calories in or exercise calories burned.

aalford0122 wrote: »

How would you suggest a petite woman lose weight? I am 22 and 5'2" I have been trying and trying to lose weight, but the last 10 lbs just wants to stay around... I am not overweight, but I don't look my best either. Any advice would be more than welcome!

Measure, weigh, and log every morsel of food that goes into your mouth. Eat less than you burn, same as everyone else.

That said, if you're not particularly overweight, you may get better results changing up your fitness routine to more lifting and less cardio rather than lose more weight.

Unknown · February 2015

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Liftng4Lis · February 2015

Can you open your diary?

Has anyone else had a metabolic plateau?

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