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Plateau - is this normal?
sarika61
Posts: 25
Started MFP about 6 wks ago. 53 yrs old, 66 inches, healthy. Sedentary by choice and inertia, not by necessity. I could exercise some, but tend not to. In the first week, I went from 167 to 162. Over the next four weeks, I lost another 5 lbs. But now I seem to have hit a wall. I'm consuming under 1300 kcal/d. I don't really exercise at all. I wouldn't mind if I were going to continue to lose at a rate of a pound a week or so at this amount of kcal/d, but if that's not gonna happen, I need to know now so that I can decrease my kcal/d or add in exercise. Seems very strange to not lose wt at <1300 kcal/d when my maintenance rate would be 1550-1600 kcal/d.
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As we get closer to our goal weight the fat comes off slower. It took me 4 months to lose the last 10 pounds. read this
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/113609/relatively-light-people-trying-to-get-leaner/p10 -
Are you weighing and measuring your food portions and logging every single thing you eat? If not, you could be eating more calories than you think you are. If you choose not to exercise you need to be even more precise with what you're eating so you will stay at a deficit.0
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start exercising even just walking0
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Yes to logging it all, measuring but not weighing but know I'm pretty close. Only thing that should be by weight, not volume, is lean meats. I don't think a couple oz extra of lean meat occasionally could be screwing it up that much. Besides, most days I'm below the 1300, even below 1200 most days. And I'm not even close to my goal wt. I had planned to lose 30 lb or so, to get back to the wt I was 20 yrs ago, before I had the kids. I have lost the first 10 lbs, 20 more to go. Is it normal to plateau so soon, after losing only a third of the excess wt? Hubby says just keep going like this, and the wt loss should continue, but if this is my new "maintenance" place, I'm gonna have to eat less or exercise more! I'm just hovering around 157-158, following the current plan. Just want to know if this is normal, from people who have been there.0
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Besides, a goal wt of 135 for someone who is 66 inches tall is not a very "lean" weight. Shouldn't be this hard to get back to my 33 yr old wt on <1300 kcal/d! Is this normal?0
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How did you hit a plateau after 6 weeks? Every 5 pounds you should evaluate your plan and see if you BMR and TDEE is a bit lower..
Plus you do lose some in the first 4 weeks but could any of this been water weight loss? Are you should you lost 13 pounds total of scale weight/fat..
If you are truly at a plateau, accurate logging of food (weighing) and accurately get the right calories you burn each day down to science (make sure you do not over estimate how many calories you are burning a day to make sure you are still at a deficit and maybe you need a little less calories after loosing 13 pounds at this point..0 -
How long have you been at this "plateau"? If it's been less than a month, just keep at it. You lost a lot of weight fairly quickly, so this could just be your body averaging it out.0
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Yes to logging it all, measuring but not weighing but know I'm pretty close. Only thing that should be by weight, not volume, is lean meats. I don't think a couple oz extra of lean meat occasionally could be screwing it up that much. Besides, most days I'm below the 1300, even below 1200 most days. And I'm not even close to my goal wt. I had planned to lose 30 lb or so, to get back to the wt I was 20 yrs ago, before I had the kids. I have lost the first 10 lbs, 20 more to go. Is it normal to plateau so soon, after losing only a third of the excess wt? Hubby says just keep going like this, and the wt loss should continue, but if this is my new "maintenance" place, I'm gonna have to eat less or exercise more! I'm just hovering around 157-158, following the current plan. Just want to know if this is normal, from people who have been there.
Actually measuring isn't often enough to ensure accuracy. If you pack the food into the cup rather than loosely putting it you're going to have a lot more calories in it. It's the one reason that weighing is the preferred method especially with foods that are calorie dense like peanut butter and salad dressing. I prefer it because I don't dirty a bunch of measuring cups and spoons, too.
If you believe that you are being completely accurate with your calories but you aren't losing weight perhaps it's time to talk to your doctor about a blood workup to check things like your thyroid function.0 -
Still hovering at 157-158, grrrrr. Still staying below 1300 kcal/d. No exercise other than walking the dog. I could climb stairs in my house. Streets are too snow/ice slippery for running, and no time or inclination for a gym. I know it's not water weight, since I eat a mostly low salt diet already, and am on a low dose of a diuretic (for high blood pressure - which has improved with the weight loss!) I'm also already on a low dose of thyroid replacement medication, for mild hypothyroidism. Probably needed to go up on it, and did inch up on it about three and a half weeks ago, on doctor's recommendation. Had a recheck last week - I will find out results today. If it's still undertreated, I will go up on it a bit more.
I mentioned to spouse that I was considering just being satisfied with this, and just trying to maintain at this weight. He asked me to keep trying, because HE got inspired by my weight loss, and is also now using MFP, and also has lost ten pounds! He says it's easier for him if I'm trying, too, so I guess I cannot give up for now. Nothing like doing it to help someone you love, to keep you going!
Meanwhile, I guess I will cut my caloric ceiling down to 1200. I just wanted some feedback to see if this kind of a plateau this early was normal, or if I should go ahead and cut my caloric allotment back a bit more. Amazing how once I put that number down, I just feel that I HAVE to abide by it! This externalized will power in an app is a beautiful thing!0 -
Another thing. I can't honestly say that the weight loss so far was on 1300 kcal/d, because only a few days after I had begun using the app, I had a nasty stomach virus that made it easy to eat very little for a few days, perhaps even a week before I had a normal appetite again. So maybe I really do need to lower that caloric ceiling to lose the weight.0
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Well, it's done. Lowered it to 1200kcal/d. It's official, now! Must obey the almighty app!0
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Well, it's done. Lowered it to 1200kcal/d. It's official, now! Must obey the almighty app!
Funny!
It may just be that your metabolism is slower than normal or it still could be that if you aren't weighing your food that you are really eating more calories than you think you are. Either way, restricting the calories you're logging will hopefully help you start to see a loss again.0 -
Got back the thyroid results. My med, which was adjusted upward slightly about a month ago, is at exactly the right dose now, so can't blame that. Meanwhile, I'm finding it VERY hard to stay under 1200 kcal/d. I'm not regaining, but not losing either. I just keep trying to stick to logging everything. So frustrating that eating essentially only low cal fruits and veggies, lean meats, and little to no carbs is what I have to do for MAINTENANCE at 20 lbs overweight! Worst case scenario is that I stay at this 10 pound weight loss this way, and in the future can add in more exercise (maybe when the weather warms up a bit). Well, if I can maintain this ten pound loss, it'll be more success than I've ever had before.0
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Woohoo! 155 today (well, really 154.5). Dropping my daily calories to 1200/d seems to have helped, even though I often overshot it by a bit. Also, been trying to walk the dog more often, and at a faster pace. Helps that at least there is dry blacktop in the middle of the road! So I guess I broke through the plateau! Gives me more motivation to continue.0
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Woohoo! 155 today (well, really 154.5). Dropping my daily calories to 1200/d seems to have helped, even though I often overshot it by a bit. Also, been trying to walk the dog more often, and at a faster pace. Helps that at least there is dry blacktop in the middle of the road! So I guess I broke through the plateau! Gives me more motivation to continue.
You've got this!!0 -
A plateau is 10 weeks of no loss. Normal stalls and starts will come and go. WTG on the loss.0
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Woohoo! 155 today (well, really 154.5). Dropping my daily calories to 1200/d seems to have helped, even though I often overshot it by a bit. Also, been trying to walk the dog more often, and at a faster pace. Helps that at least there is dry blacktop in the middle of the road! So I guess I broke through the plateau! Gives me more motivation to continue.
Glad to hear things are moving in the right direction again!0 -
If I'm reading your OP correctly, you were only stalled for one week? That's not a plateau, that's life. Weight loss is not consistent, some weeks you will lose one lb, some weeks you will lose nothing, some weeks you might even gain a little. Even if you do everything perfect.
Unless you haven't lost anything for at least a month, there is no reason to change anything. Be patient, and congrats on your progress so far!0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
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