Not sure if I've hit my plateau!

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tracypotter3
tracypotter3 Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Only been on MFP for 3 weeks and I'm trying as hard as I possibly can. After the first week I lost 3.5 pounds but nothing for the next two weeks. Up until joining MFP I had already lost a stone and a half with weight Watchers. WW has recently changed how the points are calculated and I couldn't get my head around it so joined MFP to try something different. The last two weeks I have tried extremely hard, logging all my food intake. I felt very positive after the first week but now I'm wondering if I've made a bad decision joining MFP. Any advice would be greatly received.

Replies

  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    I don't think you have made a bad decision. From feedback recently it seems like MFP is definitely easier to live with now that WW.

    Since you were already losing with WW did you lose every week doing that, or did you have down weeks, flat weeks, and up weeks? I'm sure someone will come along with the "weight loss isn't linear" chart.

    Coming from WW it is hard to know if you were regularly eating more or fewer calories on that program. But if you have your calories set to a deficit and you log correctly you will lose.

    Are you eating back exercise calories? That is one kind of known issue with MFP, being generous in exercise calories for activities logged. Many people only eat back half the extra.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    More information please. Height, weight, activity level, weight loss goal, calorie goal, open your food diary if it isn't already open. Are you using a food scale?

    MFP is a helpful tool for weight loss but you may have to learn how to use it and be patient.

  • Equus5374
    Equus5374 Posts: 462 Member
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    The biggest piece of this weight loss pie (sorry for the analogy!) is PATIENCE. 3.5 lbs in one week is tremendous! That tells me you're still losing and not at a plateau. You won't necessarily lose the same amount every week, some will be up and some will be down. Cliche alert! Weight loss isn't linear!
  • tracypotter3
    tracypotter3 Posts: 5 Member
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    ilex70 wrote: »
    I don't think you have made a bad decision. From feedback recently it seems like MFP is definitely easier to live with now that WW.

    Since you were already losing with WW did you lose every week doing that, or did you have down weeks, flat weeks, and up weeks? I'm sure someone will come along with the "weight loss isn't linear" chart.

    Coming from WW it is hard to know if you were regularly eating more or fewer calories on that program. But if you have your calories set to a deficit and you log correctly you will lose.

    Are you eating back exercise calories? That is one kind of known issue with MFP, being generous in exercise calories for activities logged. Many people only eat back half the extra.

    Thanks for your advice, just feeling a bit deflated this week. I stopped eating back the exercise calories last week but still didn't lose. I will be patient and see how the next few weeks pan out.
  • ShashayLee
    ShashayLee Posts: 178 Member
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    It's not a plateau yet, just hang in there & do not let your bathroom scale defeat you, It's only one of the weight loss tools we can use
    Also make sure you weigh all your food with a scale & choose entries that are correct. I find using grams is easier. I'm constantly trying to improve my logging & find that helps
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,121 Member
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    Isn't a plateau defined as not losing weight for about 6 weeks? If you've only been here for 3 weeks, and you haven't lost for the last 2 weeks, you're probably not in a plateau yet.

    Also, I notice in your title you refer to it as "my plateau" as though it is a given ... that you will hit a plateau. You won't, necessarily. Some people seem to have plateaus, some don't.

    As others have mentioned, use a food scale to weigh your food to ensure accurate logging.

    And also, since you're coming from WW ... from what I understand, you don't count your fruits and vegetables in WW. Here in MFP, we count all of them. Fruits and veg can add up to a fairly significant number of calories.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,485 Member
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    Agree with weighing all your food with a digital scale and liquids with the appropriate cups and spoons.

    Use grams for weighing, they are more precise. You can alter the gram amount for most foods on their drop down.

    Don't forget to weigh your fruit and veg too. They count, and cups just don't work well.

    Bakes goods, slice of bread, and pre packaged foods also need weighing for verification. A slice at the end of a loaf weighs less than one in the middle.

    Do start to eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories again. That is how MFP is set up, and your body needs the calories for optimum health while losing.

    Hang in, this is a transition period and your logging probably needs refining to see movement in the scale.

    Cheers, h.
  • mkh858
    mkh858 Posts: 93 Member
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    I'm in the same boat as you. Tmw my kitchen scale will be here..I've lost 11lbs and bam! Nothing for 2 weeks. I workout everyday but one day, so I know I'm getting enough excercise. I'm thinking it's my portion size that's hurting me..it feels like defeat, but try to look past this. You will get through this. :)
  • tracypotter3
    tracypotter3 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks guys. I'm hanging on in there. I've lost 1 pound this week so I'm on the right track.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
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