PLATEAU

Yanesmy89
Yanesmy89 Posts: 19 Member
edited November 12 in Health and Weight Loss
It's official! I've reached my first plateau. Any tips on how to overcome the dreadful plateau??
I'm working out and eating as healthy as I possibly can. My routine consists of 1 mile warm up and then working on one body part per day ( Arms, abs, legs, back, etc). Should I do more cardio?? Thank you! :)
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Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    How long since you've lost?
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    How long have you been stuck?
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    How long is this plateau been going on for? If it's been less than 3 weeks, just give it time.

    And if that doesn't work, you lose weight in the kitchen, not at the gym. Changing up your exercise routine could help, but eating fewer calories will help more.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    do you have a food scale and weigh all solid foods?
    how long have you been dieting for?
    what is your current daily calorie intake?
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    I wouldn't worry too much...sometimes the scale goes wonky on us for a week or 2, then the pounds start dropping again.
  • mattyc772014
    mattyc772014 Posts: 3,543 Member
    Try taking a week off if you have not for awhile (3 months straight). It may kick start you again. Mentally it helps too.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited February 2015
    Not really enough info to tell, but plataeus often happen when you've lost enough weight to hit a new equilibrium level. If you don't see any new loss for a while, try simply consuming a few fewer calories or burning a few more calories to get back into a deficit.
  • Yanesmy89
    Yanesmy89 Posts: 19 Member
    My caloric intake is 1200 calories... I weigh my food. I've been stuck for a little over a week. I guess I'm expecting to lose just as much as I lost my first month. I lost 1 lb over the weekend but last month I lost 16 lbs.
  • Nice2BFitAgain
    Nice2BFitAgain Posts: 319 Member
    a week is not a plateau - if you don't have any scale movement for more than 4 weeks come back then... You are having great success, don't give up so quickly! The fact that you've lost 1# this week proves this.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    Yanesmy89 wrote: »
    My caloric intake is 1200 calories... I weigh my food. I've been stuck for a little over a week. I guess I'm expecting to lose just as much as I lost my first month. I lost 1 lb over the weekend but last month I lost 16 lbs.

    Less than a week, does not a plateau make.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Yanesmy89 wrote: »
    My caloric intake is 1200 calories... I weigh my food. I've been stuck for a little over a week. I guess I'm expecting to lose just as much as I lost my first month. I lost 1 lb over the weekend but last month I lost 16 lbs.

    Come back in 7 weeks
  • Arliah
    Arliah Posts: 266 Member
    Yeah, a week is nothing. And remember, depending on TOM you may actually see a gain in certain weeks. Fluctuation is normal (albeit annoying). I weigh myself every week (and sometimes a bit more), but I try to look at the monthly statistics. If I've lost around 4lbs after my monthly check-in, then I know that things went well, no matter how wacky some weeks may have been.
  • pplastics
    pplastics Posts: 135 Member
    You will not maintain an average of four pounds per week. From here on out, you will probably average one pound per week, if that. It is normal. How much do you have to lose?
  • neaneacc
    neaneacc Posts: 224 Member
    One week isn't really a lot of time to not see weight loss. I do have some suggestions that might help, but don't be too eager to make drastic changes. 1) make sure you get 8 x 8 oz glasses of water a day. I know water is boring, but it is vital for almost all bodily functions. My solution is to add lime or lemon to make it a little bit more interesting. 2) Try to make sure you get enough protein that your body doesn't breakdown your muscles. If you are trying to add muscle you should try to have at least 1 gram of protein for each pound of lean muscle you already have per day. I need to consume roughly 111 grams of protein a day to not lose muscle mass. You may need to experiment with this a little, but I am fairly certain that the MFP site guesses low on protein. 3) Try to get 8 hours of sleep a night. I know it seems silly but research shows that good sleep, 8 hours, reduces stress. Stress causes all sorts of negative hormonal things to happen.
    I hope this helps!

    Renee
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    I continuously weighed between 162 and 160 for like.. 2 months. Now I'm down into the 150s. Be patient.
  • Yanesmy89
    Yanesmy89 Posts: 19 Member
    ana3067 wrote: »
    I continuously weighed between 162 and 160 for like.. 2 months. Now I'm down into the 150s. Be patient.

    That's where I'm sitting... between 163 to 161 ( as of today). Thank you, I thought for sure with my hard work I could keep up my 4 lb per week weightloss. Thank you for the motivation and tips/advice! My SW is 182, CW 161, GW is 120ish. (I'm 5'1)
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    4 pounds one week and 0 pounds the next week is still an average of 2 pounds per week.

    Look at the long term trends, not the short-term fluctuations.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
    ana3067 wrote: »
    I continuously weighed between 162 and 160 for like.. 2 months. Now I'm down into the 150s. Be patient.

    This is exactly where I'm stuck (for almost 2 weeks). Frustrating. I'm down a pants size and I really wish the scale movement didn't bug me.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    I have a theory that the scale knows when it's on the verge of entering a new tens digit, and hangs onto the higher range tooth and nail. :)

    I feel like I hovered at 140-142 practically forever before dropping into the 130s. Then it felt like forever at 130-131 before I finally hit 129 this week. I expect I'll get stuck at 121-120 when the time comes, too.
  • Yanesmy89
    Yanesmy89 Posts: 19 Member
    ana3067 wrote: »
    I continuously weighed between 162 and 160 for like.. 2 months. Now I'm down into the 150s. Be patient.

    This is exactly where I'm stuck (for almost 2 weeks). Frustrating. I'm down a pants size and I really wish the scale movement didn't bug me.

    I think frustrating is an understatement. I guess I have to also learn to be patient as well as disciplined.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
    Yanesmy89 wrote: »
    I think frustrating is an understatement. I guess I have to also learn to be patient as well as disciplined.

    Hey, if it makes you feel any better, we all preach patience on here but I'm sure most of us get frustrated at how long it seems to take, too.

    But patience really is good. Slow is good. I try to tell myself that all the time. Sometimes I even listen.
  • adelheid13
    adelheid13 Posts: 3 Member
    Maybe splurge a little on a weekend to keep your metabolism guessing. Works for me.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Yanesmy89 wrote: »
    My caloric intake is 1200 calories... I weigh my food. I've been stuck for a little over a week. I guess I'm expecting to lose just as much as I lost my first month. I lost 1 lb over the weekend but last month I lost 16 lbs.

    So a stall, as a plateau is 10 weeks. You lost a pound over the weekend and so you're not even stalled. If everyone just "dropped" all the weight, everyone would be skinny. Keep doing what you're doing and it will come.
  • adelheid13
    adelheid13 Posts: 3 Member
    Also don't expect to loose more than 2 lbs per wk even if you were in the beginning.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    One week isn't a plateau. Be patient, you're doing great!
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    adelheid13 wrote: »
    Maybe splurge a little on a weekend to keep your metabolism guessing. Works for me.

    No, no it doesn't "work" for you or anyone else. That's not how you science. SMH.

    Look, I lost 2 pounds in my sleep last night. One night I lost 4 pounds in my sleep, no lie.

    Actually, I wasn't technically sleeping when I lost the weight, as I was half awake to stumble into the bathroom or rolling around sweating like a fool from a stupid hot flash. It's water weight. I weigh myself every night before bed and every morning when I wake up, just to remind myself how irrelevant fluctuations really are. Your weight is going to fluctuate in a range, not stick on a static point. Don't sweat tiny variations in your weight or amount lost. Especially when you've only been doing this a short while...you haven't even gone through 2 monthly hormonal cycles yet, which would be one for each ovary (assuming you have those). Water retention is crazy over the course of every month, you can't fuss over big vs. little losses.

  • adelheid13
    adelheid13 Posts: 3 Member
    It's been proven to have a cheat day once a week to help lose weight. You can Google it and come to your own conclusion but it works for me. I should have been more specific though....One day a week and I only do it when the weight loss slows.
  • HeySwoleSister
    HeySwoleSister Posts: 1,938 Member
    adelheid13 wrote: »
    It's been proven to have a cheat day once a week to help lose weight. You can Google it and come to your own conclusion but it works for me. I should have been more specific though....One day a week and I only do it when the weight loss slows.

    You can Google many things, some of which are true.

    "resetting" the metabolism falls into the "HI, DOCTOR NICK!" school of medical reality.
  • grantwashere
    grantwashere Posts: 171 Member
    I agree with the above posts of "just keep doing what you are doing and relax." I lost 15 lbs my first month and then it has taken me 4 months to lose the next 13 lbs. Additionally, I highly recommend www.TrendWeight.com. It's totally free and has really helped keep my head right through all of this.
  • Fr33zefram3
    Fr33zefram3 Posts: 163 Member
    This thread doesn't have nearly enough muscle confusion.
This discussion has been closed.