Calories, Exercise, Plateau's, OH MY!!
stephcott22
Posts: 29 Member
Hey all!
So I'm just getting started in my weight loss journey, about a month in. All in all, I cut my calories to about 1400-1200 calories a day. I workout 5 days a week as soon as I wake up and then at night before bed combining hiit cardio and strength training. On average I burn between 700 and 500 calories per day.
BUT NOW, I've stopped seeing weight loss and I feel like I've hit a plateau only a month in! Has anyone else experienced this or have any idea of what I should do to get back to losing the pounds?!
So I'm just getting started in my weight loss journey, about a month in. All in all, I cut my calories to about 1400-1200 calories a day. I workout 5 days a week as soon as I wake up and then at night before bed combining hiit cardio and strength training. On average I burn between 700 and 500 calories per day.
BUT NOW, I've stopped seeing weight loss and I feel like I've hit a plateau only a month in! Has anyone else experienced this or have any idea of what I should do to get back to losing the pounds?!
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Replies
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How long has it been since you lost? A week or two is not a plateau. That being said, investing in a food scale to be sure of your intake is always a great idea, if you have not done so already.0
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Your profile says you've lost 8 lbs already. That is roughly 2 lbs per week if you've only been at this for a month.
The thing is that the scale won't move every week. Sometimes you will see a loss and sometimes a gain. It's how it averages out over time that matters.
Hormone fluctuations will play a part in what the scale shows. Hormones can make us (women) retain several pounds of water and it typically happens once a month for a week or so (usually right around TOM).
Then there are things like new workouts/increased intensity in workouts that cause water retention for muscle repairs.
More sodium then normal also equals to water retention.
Constipated. Ya that shows on the scale too.
Trends are what matter. Not individual weigh - ins.
I wouldn't consider it a plateau unless you've been at a stand still for longer than 6 weeks. I've had times in my weight loss efforts where I've gone a month with no loss and then suddenly dropped a lot of weight real fast. I think it's referred to as the "woosh" effect.0 -
It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.0
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stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.0 -
This is all good information! As I said I'm just starting out and learning as I go so I'm all ears. Thanks for your help!
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Stay away from the scale or download a phone app that will help you see trends (HappyScale or Libra are 2 examples).stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Here's my weigh-in's with trend line for the past 3 months:
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stephcott22 wrote: »This is all good information! As I said I'm just starting out and learning as I go so I'm all ears. Thanks for your help!
No problem. Just keep logging and remember you're going to need to be patient some weeks.
I just went 6 weeks without a loss, so I know patience can be difficult!0 -
arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
I don't use it for oils I cook my vegetables with or my leafy veggies. How do you use it to measure those things?0 -
stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
I don't use it for oils I cook my vegetables with or my leafy veggies. How do you use it to measure those things?
Oh yeah, I typically don't use it for oil. I actually don't cook with oil though.
If you want to weigh leafy greens, just use the gram option and weigh like anything else. A lot of people don't but I eat so many veggies I prefer to weigh them all.0 -
stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
I don't use it for oils I cook my vegetables with or my leafy veggies. How do you use it to measure those things?
Oil it's probably okay to use the measuring spoon.
I buy packaged lettuce/spinach and I believe the serving size is 85 g typically. I put a plate or bowl on my scale, press tare and then add the lettuce/spinach until it hits 85 g or however much I want.0 -
Stay away from the scale or download a phone app that will help you see trends (HappyScale or Libra are 2 examples).shadow2soul wrote: »
Here's my weigh-in's with trend line for the past 3 months:
[/quote]
The scale is my enemy and way too convenient in my bathroom. I've got to find a way to stay away from it so I don't become obsessed. But I love the weight trend thing. I've heard people say once a week is good to weigh-in and others say every few weeks. What works for you?0 -
shadow2soul wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
I don't use it for oils I cook my vegetables with or my leafy veggies. How do you use it to measure those things?
Oil it's probably okay to use the measuring spoon.
I buy packaged lettuce/spinach and I believe the serving size is 85 g typically. I put a plate or bowl on my scale, press tare and then add the lettuce/spinach until it hits 85 g or however much I want.
Oh ok, that makes sense to use a plate or bowl, I've always just put food directly on the scale.0 -
stephcott22 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
I don't use it for oils I cook my vegetables with or my leafy veggies. How do you use it to measure those things?
Oil it's probably okay to use the measuring spoon.
I buy packaged lettuce/spinach and I believe the serving size is 85 g typically. I put a plate or bowl on my scale, press tare and then add the lettuce/spinach until it hits 85 g or however much I want.
Oh ok, that makes sense to use a plate or bowl, I've always just put food directly on the scale.
You should be careful with that for sanitary reasons as well. If you use a bowl you can keep adding ingredients and use the tare option after adding each one.0 -
I step on the scale every morning. Fluctuations don't bother me though. All the black dot's on that picture are scale weigh-in's (there is 88 black dots because I didn't step on the scale 2 days out of the 3 month time frame).0
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arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
I don't use it for oils I cook my vegetables with or my leafy veggies. How do you use it to measure those things?
Oil it's probably okay to use the measuring spoon.
I buy packaged lettuce/spinach and I believe the serving size is 85 g typically. I put a plate or bowl on my scale, press tare and then add the lettuce/spinach until it hits 85 g or however much I want.
Oh ok, that makes sense to use a plate or bowl, I've always just put food directly on the scale.
You should be careful with that for sanitary reasons as well. If you use a bowl you can keep adding ingredients and use the tare option after adding each one.
I'm super clean with my scale washing in between meats and other foods, extra keen on that. But I always just wanted the most accurate measurements so I never used the tare option.0 -
stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »shadow2soul wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
I don't use it for oils I cook my vegetables with or my leafy veggies. How do you use it to measure those things?
Oil it's probably okay to use the measuring spoon.
I buy packaged lettuce/spinach and I believe the serving size is 85 g typically. I put a plate or bowl on my scale, press tare and then add the lettuce/spinach until it hits 85 g or however much I want.
Oh ok, that makes sense to use a plate or bowl, I've always just put food directly on the scale.
You should be careful with that for sanitary reasons as well. If you use a bowl you can keep adding ingredients and use the tare option after adding each one.
I'm super clean with my scale washing in between meats and other foods, extra keen on that. But I always just wanted the most accurate measurements so I never used the tare option.
Oh yeah. I'm sloppy haha.
The tare option is accurate, don't worry.0 -
shadow2soul wrote: »I step on the scale every morning. Fluctuations don't bother me though. All the black dot's on that picture are scale weigh-in's (there is 88 black dots because I didn't step on the scale 2 days out of the 3 month time frame).
I'm the same way every morning before my fasted cardio workout I step on since my body is pretty much empty. I don't usually step on throughout the day because I know things will fluctuate. I've been following along the MFP progress chart watching my weight change. It seems similar to the app you use.
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stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
I don't use it for oils I cook my vegetables with or my leafy veggies. How do you use it to measure those things?
Put the whole container of oil without the cap onto the scale, then turn on the scale. The scale will start at 0.
Remove oil container from scale, use desired amount, then put the container back on the scale
The negative number is how much is missing from the container.
Oil is very calorie dense (being liquid fat) so be as accurate as you can. Weigh it.0 -
arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
So yea, I swear on everything that I love Mother Nature stopped by this morning. I think you all have solved my dilemma0 -
stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
So yea, I swear on everything that I love Mother Nature stopped by this morning. I think you all have solved my dilemma
Yep. I start gaining a little before ovulation, hold steady throughout my period, and don't drop it until it's completely over. Then I'll usually lose whatever I should have lost those weeks all at once. Good to track/understand that to help you not get frustrated. Though I still get frustrated ha.0 -
arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »arditarose wrote: »stephcott22 wrote: »It's been a week. That being too short of a time for a plateau is good news to me! I may just have started to become impatient. I have a food scale and use it for that requires the scale. Everything else I use measuring spoons etc. Hopefully with this next week ahead I see some changes, the frustration is just building the more days I don't see the scale tip.
Yeah. You might not lose every week. Especially if you are approaching your period.
Also, what aren't you using the scale for? It should be used for all solid and semi-solid food. I weigh everything from spinach to meat to my ketchup and dressings.
So yea, I swear on everything that I love Mother Nature stopped by this morning. I think you all have solved my dilemma
Yep. I start gaining a little before ovulation, hold steady throughout my period, and don't drop it until it's completely over. Then I'll usually lose whatever I should have lost those weeks all at once. Good to track/understand that to help you not get frustrated. Though I still get frustrated ha.
My calendar is filling up daily trying to keep track and balance all these things. The life of a woman!0 -
A week is nothing to be concerned about, just keep doing what you're doing. Remember, when exercising, water retention can often mask a loss.0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »A week is nothing to be concerned about, just keep doing what you're doing. Remember, when exercising, water retention can often mask a loss.
Thanks! I will keep that in mind!0
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