How do I know if I've plateaued?

Alm0stAwesome
Alm0stAwesome Posts: 11 Member
edited November 13 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Everyone!

I may be being impatient here because I feel like I've been working really hard for the last 4 weeks so just let me know what you think!

A bit of background: I'm 31, female, 5'7". I've been using MFP/losing weight for 1 year 5 months and have lost just shy of 90lbs. I reckon I've got another 30-35 to go but I'll see when I get there. My macros generally match up to the MFP recommendation, I'm on 1200 a day (reduced from 1300 start of January), I don't eat back my calories and for the last 4 weeks I have been exercising 6 days a week (for about an hour) doing bodyweight exercises/pilates which includes some cardio as well (I follow Blogilates'/Cassey Ho's monthly calendars if any of you know about her). I definitely get in at least 1.6L of water a day but I'm trying to get that consistently up to above 2L. I'm sore pretty much all the time so I know I'm working hard, haha! I wear a Polar Loop activity tracker and add a H7 HRM for my workouts.

The frustration kicks in when for the last 3 weeks I've not really dropped like I want to. The scales are still slowly dripping down .2 or .3lbs a week but that's not getting me anywhere fast. I've been at this a long time now so I'm not in the trying to lose weight quick mode but I need to see it coming off more than this!

I use a FitBit Aria smart scale and I don't think it's a matter of building muscle (I gather I'm not eating enough for that anyway) because my BMI/Body Fat aren't changing much either.

My diary is open, I'm not a clean eater but I don't drink diet sodas and I log and weigh everything religiously so there's no hidden calories anywhere :smile: I'd just like to know if you guys think I should be patient for a bit longer, as I am still technically losing weight but I'd like to be dropping at least 1.5lbs a week...

Sorry for the long post and thanks so much for any advice you can give. I'm a bit of a lurker but I love this community and MFP has been a life saver for me. I would have not made it this far without it!

Replies

  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,222 Member
    Take a break from all of it for a week, then come back refocused.....if your lifting 6 days a week, that's too much, 3 will do it.
  • Alm0stAwesome
    Alm0stAwesome Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks! I'm not lifting weights just bodyweight exercises e.g. calisthenics/pilates and a little bit of aerobic type moves. It's pretty intense though a friend said it was like doing Insanity (?) so is 6 days a week still too much?

    I've been trawling through my nutritional information and while I'm not usually going over on my grams of fat, when I look at the percentage split of carbs/protein/fat, my fat intake is usually on the high side. I've seen a couple of areas where I can easily cut back on fat and increase protein with vegetables so I'm going to try that. Not sure if I'll do that first or try eating more for a week first. I'll be honest, I'm a bit nervous about eating more; ridiculous as it sounds...
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Way to go on 90 pounds! You're still dropping, just not at a high speed rate. A plateau is 8-10 weeks of no loss. Remember, when incorporating a new exercise program, its normal to retain water, that can disguise loss.
  • niecey61
    niecey61 Posts: 54 Member
    I don't see that your diary is open
  • niecey61
    niecey61 Posts: 54 Member
    ok, just read the long beginning paragraph. Why are you not eating some of the calories that you burn? I work out doing a lot of the same moves that you do and for what you are working out, it seems as if you are not eating enough. Add back in some food (good food like protein and veggies, not junk) and see if that helps. You are not on a plateau (since you are losing some) but this may crank up your loss. Good luck. Congrats on your success thus far
  • Alm0stAwesome
    Alm0stAwesome Posts: 11 Member
    Oops! Turns out I had my diary set on friends only, it's open now.

    I don't really know why I'm not eating calories back TBH. I think I read a post early on that said not to and I just haven't thought about it again!

    And thanks for the congrats :blush:
  • Alm0stAwesome
    Alm0stAwesome Posts: 11 Member
    Oh and I should add that if you're looking at my diary the last 3 days aren't typical I've had a couple of vacation days so have had two bigger meals instead of the usual three. :stuck_out_tongue:
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