Immiediate plateau
janieevansart
Posts: 18 Member
Hi there decided to start diet new year and 3 weeks in and i seem to be stuck at the same weight. I am dieting with plenty of healthy food and gym 4/5 times a week. I am Not eating "too little" an certainly not too much. But this holt right at the start of my diet is heart breaking. I have today decided to cut out bread and have switched 1 day cardio to 1 days strength. I relaly see this as my last chance but its very disappointing to plateau at this point. I am on 1mg of estrogen following a hysterectomy which i had in August. Any advice will be so gratefully received, if i can't do this sensibly i am prone to doing in very much un-sensibly so quite worried i will do that soon if i cant break this holt in weight loss.
0
Replies
-
Have patience.
Seriously. That's all you need right now.
Weight loss is not linear and there's no instant gratification in it. Give it time.0 -
0 -
A plateau is generally defined as something like 6-8+ weeks with no movement on the scale with no changes to your routine. It doesn't sound like you've quite hit one yet.
1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.
2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.
9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.0 -
Thanks for the replies. I am very impatient i have to gain rewards for hard work. But when i don't get them i take on a horrible stubbornness and will starve. I don't want to do this as i was ill as a teenager but i have the erge.
I think i am doing it all correctly on here adding all the things i eat. I don't have cheat days and i do take the readings from the machines i use but don't take them as fact so although i include them on my diet plan i still make sure i am careful with calories. The only trend i can see is macros seem high in carbs. So have cut out bread. I eat zero junk when dieting. I feel very depressed. Thanks so much for replies0 -
-
diannethegeek wrote: »A plateau is generally defined as something like 6-8+ weeks with no movement on the scale with no changes to your routine. It doesn't sound like you've quite hit one yet.
1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.
2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.
3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.
4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.
5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.
6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.
7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.
8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.
9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.
This was really helpful maybe i haven't added the oils and speads even tho not using much i guess it all adds up and agree the gym machines probably give me more burnt calories than i have truely burnt0 -
if you are doing strength training, you may be gaining muscle while losing fat so your weight might stay the same for a bit. don't stop doing what you are doing and give it a little time. did you take measurements when you started? that's the best way to track progress if strength training is involved in your workouts. keep with it. you will see progress soon!!!0
-
You are in good company. There are multiple threads like this every day- people that started Jan. 1 and haven't seen a loss. I have seen words like "heart breaking" and "devastating" thrown around, and guys, you need to dig in. This is a long process and almost never conforms to our expectations, but it does work with commitment and patience. I have gone weeks with no loss, and sometimes a gain, sometimes due to a lack of diligence, but not always. The thing with weight loss is, there's a lot of boring down time. Follow the good suggestions here, but then keep yourself busy & distracted!0
-
janieevansart wrote: »Thanks for the replies. I am very impatient i have to gain rewards for hard work. But when i don't get them i take on a horrible stubbornness and will starve. I don't want to do this as i was ill as a teenager but i have the erge.
I think i am doing it all correctly on here adding all the things i eat. I don't have cheat days and i do take the readings from the machines i use but don't take them as fact so although i include them on my diet plan i still make sure i am careful with calories. The only trend i can see is macros seem high in carbs. So have cut out bread. I eat zero junk when dieting. I feel very depressed. Thanks so much for replies
You are not going to want to hear this, but your body works on a different clock than your brain. Your body will change but it is a slow and steady process. Your body is a very complex biological system - it is not a calculator or a tv sitcom. It will change, but you will have to be persistent and patient. Further, extreme action will not accelerate the body's way of doing business. Starving yourself will create a whole new set of problems one of which is that you will gain everything back when you go back to the lifestyle that gave you extra pounds in the first place. Seriously, if you have such uncontrollable urges you should talk to a professional about how to cope with them. There is no dishonor in that and those urges and subsequent extreme actions will cause you some serious problems. Change comes through healthy living...consistently over time. You need to wrap your brain about the idea that large changes will take months to happen, not days or weeks. But that doesn't mean you won't have small victories along the way. Try to look at the near term wins over the long term goals. Here are some ideas:
1. Get rid of the damn scale. That thing is just one measurement out of many possible measurements for your health. There are plenty of others such as clothing size, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, BMI, %Body Fat, etc, etc. No one measurement by itself tells a complete picture. No one measurement is a reflection of who you are. Read that again - the scale is not a reflection of who you are. Stop measuring your self worth by some number flashed on a screen made by Proctor and Gamble (or whoever made your scale).
2. Start looking in new places for change. We all look in the mirror and see the problem areas be it stomach or hips or chest or whatever. But weight loss happens pretty much all over...you may not see it in your problem area at first, but if you look you might see it in other places such as your fingers or ankles or writs. Look at it this way, if you had a cup of water, a bucket of water, and a tub of water and start bailing them with a teaspoon, which vessel will you see progress in first? Yup, the cup even though you take equal amounts of water from each vessel at the same rate. You will likely notice weight loss in other areas of your body before you see it in the problem areas. That doesn't mean it isn't coming off the problem areas though. It is.
3. Take measurements (waist, hips, bust, biceps, wrist, whatever) and then put htem away for a month. Measure again no more than once per month. Progress will show.
4. Find victories in places like improving health. If you get winded walking a flight of stairs today but walk that same flight everyday for a few weeks you will notice after a while you don't get so winded on those stairs. That is a victory. I suggest that you will find victories in how you feel before you see them in the mirror or on the scale.
Now, I am long winded - sorry about that. But here is my very last point and it is back to time...have you noticed all those infomercials for exercise or weight loss always say 'give it 90 days'? Ever wonder why they are all 90 days? Yup. Now, if you can indeed push yourself through 3 months and you are honest and doing things correctly, you will notice change by then in how you feel and how you look and even on the scale. Other people will begin to compliment you as well. Patience and persistence wins this game...that is a fact of biology and there is nothing you can do to force that.0 -
Steve_ApexNC wrote: »janieevansart wrote: »Thanks for the replies. I am very impatient i have to gain rewards for hard work. But when i don't get them i take on a horrible stubbornness and will starve. I don't want to do this as i was ill as a teenager but i have the erge.
I think i am doing it all correctly on here adding all the things i eat. I don't have cheat days and i do take the readings from the machines i use but don't take them as fact so although i include them on my diet plan i still make sure i am careful with calories. The only trend i can see is macros seem high in carbs. So have cut out bread. I eat zero junk when dieting. I feel very depressed. Thanks so much for replies
You are not going to want to hear this, but your body works on a different clock than your brain. Your body will change but it is a slow and steady process. Your body is a very complex biological system - it is not a calculator or a tv sitcom. It will change, but you will have to be persistent and patient. Further, extreme action will not accelerate the body's way of doing business. Starving yourself will create a whole new set of problems one of which is that you will gain everything back when you go back to the lifestyle that gave you extra pounds in the first place. Seriously, if you have such uncontrollable urges you should talk to a professional about how to cope with them. There is no dishonor in that and those urges and subsequent extreme actions will cause you some serious problems. Change comes through healthy living...consistently over time. You need to wrap your brain about the idea that large changes will take months to happen, not days or weeks. But that doesn't mean you won't have small victories along the way. Try to look at the near term wins over the long term goals. Here are some ideas:
1. Get rid of the damn scale. That thing is just one measurement out of many possible measurements for your health. There are plenty of others such as clothing size, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, BMI, %Body Fat, etc, etc. No one measurement by itself tells a complete picture. No one measurement is a reflection of who you are. Read that again - the scale is not a reflection of who you are. Stop measuring your self worth by some number flashed on a screen made by Proctor and Gamble (or whoever made your scale).
2. Start looking in new places for change. We all look in the mirror and see the problem areas be it stomach or hips or chest or whatever. But weight loss happens pretty much all over...you may not see it in your problem area at first, but if you look you might see it in other places such as your fingers or ankles or writs. Look at it this way, if you had a cup of water, a bucket of water, and a tub of water and start bailing them with a teaspoon, which vessel will you see progress in first? Yup, the cup even though you take equal amounts of water from each vessel at the same rate. You will likely notice weight loss in other areas of your body before you see it in the problem areas. That doesn't mean it isn't coming off the problem areas though. It is.
3. Take measurements (waist, hips, bust, biceps, wrist, whatever) and then put htem away for a month. Measure again no more than once per month. Progress will show.
4. Find victories in places like improving health. If you get winded walking a flight of stairs today but walk that same flight everyday for a few weeks you will notice after a while you don't get so winded on those stairs. That is a victory. I suggest that you will find victories in how you feel before you see them in the mirror or on the scale.
Now, I am long winded - sorry about that. But here is my very last point and it is back to time...have you noticed all those infomercials for exercise or weight loss always say 'give it 90 days'? Ever wonder why they are all 90 days? Yup. Now, if you can indeed push yourself through 3 months and you are honest and doing things correctly, you will notice change by then in how you feel and how you look and even on the scale. Other people will begin to compliment you as well. Patience and persistence wins this game...that is a fact of biology and there is nothing you can do to force that.
GREAT ADVICE!!! I think that I needed to hear that myself too. No matter young or old, we all face the same disappointments when we try to get healthy and watch what we eat. No more diets - just positive life style changes!0 -
You can do this great advice above.....this is my journey and as you can see my stubborn fat hangs on sometimes over a week, what you don't see is I had a 3 week plateau just like you in November.
0 -
My fiance was stuck for awhile. I worked with her on tracking and now, 3 days later, she's lost 1 lb. Double down on your tracking effort. Don't worry about cutting out carbs, just make sure you're honestly and accurately logging everything you eat. Don't over estimate your activity level. I have mine set to sedentary and get some back from FitBit. If you're in any doubt about your exercise calories, don't eat all of them. If you get 400 calories from your workout, only eat 200.0
-
Relax! You sound very impatient and that will hinder your weight loss success. Stop weighing yourself for a while and keep up the good eating habits and exercise. Remember, as you lose fat and gain muscle, muscle is more dense so you could possibly weigh the exact same amount as when you started but look and appear thinner. I've lost tons of inches and I'm much smaller overall but I've only lost 9 lbs in 6 weeks. At first I was disappointed until I did further research and spoke to a trainer and now I'm OK with it. Don't reduce your caloric intake!0
-
Steve_ApexNC wrote: »janieevansart wrote: »Thanks for the replies. I am very impatient i have to gain rewards for hard work. But when i don't get them i take on a horrible stubbornness and will starve. I don't want to do this as i was ill as a teenager but i have the erge.
I think i am doing it all correctly on here adding all the things i eat. I don't have cheat days and i do take the readings from the machines i use but don't take them as fact so although i include them on my diet plan i still make sure i am careful with calories. The only trend i can see is macros seem high in carbs. So have cut out bread. I eat zero junk when dieting. I feel very depressed. Thanks so much for replies
You are not going to want to hear this, but your body works on a different clock than your brain. Your body will change but it is a slow and steady process. Your body is a very complex biological system - it is not a calculator or a tv sitcom. It will change, but you will have to be persistent and patient. Further, extreme action will not accelerate the body's way of doing business. Starving yourself will create a whole new set of problems one of which is that you will gain everything back when you go back to the lifestyle that gave you extra pounds in the first place. Seriously, if you have such uncontrollable urges you should talk to a professional about how to cope with them. There is no dishonor in that and those urges and subsequent extreme actions will cause you some serious problems. Change comes through healthy living...consistently over time. You need to wrap your brain about the idea that large changes will take months to happen, not days or weeks. But that doesn't mean you won't have small victories along the way. Try to look at the near term wins over the long term goals. Here are some ideas:
1. Get rid of the damn scale. That thing is just one measurement out of many possible measurements for your health. There are plenty of others such as clothing size, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, BMI, %Body Fat, etc, etc. No one measurement by itself tells a complete picture. No one measurement is a reflection of who you are. Read that again - the scale is not a reflection of who you are. Stop measuring your self worth by some number flashed on a screen made by Proctor and Gamble (or whoever made your scale).
2. Start looking in new places for change. We all look in the mirror and see the problem areas be it stomach or hips or chest or whatever. But weight loss happens pretty much all over...you may not see it in your problem area at first, but if you look you might see it in other places such as your fingers or ankles or writs. Look at it this way, if you had a cup of water, a bucket of water, and a tub of water and start bailing them with a teaspoon, which vessel will you see progress in first? Yup, the cup even though you take equal amounts of water from each vessel at the same rate. You will likely notice weight loss in other areas of your body before you see it in the problem areas. That doesn't mean it isn't coming off the problem areas though. It is.
3. Take measurements (waist, hips, bust, biceps, wrist, whatever) and then put htem away for a month. Measure again no more than once per month. Progress will show.
4. Find victories in places like improving health. If you get winded walking a flight of stairs today but walk that same flight everyday for a few weeks you will notice after a while you don't get so winded on those stairs. That is a victory. I suggest that you will find victories in how you feel before you see them in the mirror or on the scale.
Now, I am long winded - sorry about that. But here is my very last point and it is back to time...have you noticed all those infomercials for exercise or weight loss always say 'give it 90 days'? Ever wonder why they are all 90 days? Yup. Now, if you can indeed push yourself through 3 months and you are honest and doing things correctly, you will notice change by then in how you feel and how you look and even on the scale. Other people will begin to compliment you as well. Patience and persistence wins this game...that is a fact of biology and there is nothing you can do to force that.
Thank you so much for this , taking the time to help me. I am incredibly compulsive and impatient. I got my husband to measure my body and started to keep a note of that now and I indeed do need to stop been so childlike and persevere. I have a strong will when i want to do something and i think i can do this but i panic when something doesn't work the way i want. I am really grateful to everyone. I feel like crying alot. The hysterectomy took away more than just my organs i feel like a light went out inside my tummy and i totally lost my labido with it too which made me feel very aware of my looks and i feel my husband must not like me how i am which deep down i know is rubbish. I am a right mess to be fair. I want my life back and my husband and i to be close again and me to feel confident and proud of myself as i once was.0 -
You can do this great advice above.....this is my journey and as you can see my stubborn fat hangs on sometimes over a week, what you don't see is I had a 3 week plateau just like you in November.
Uhhhgg its a huge drag when the fat won't go it makes me feel desperate but this time i am in it for the long haul.0 -
My fiance was stuck for awhile. I worked with her on tracking and now, 3 days later, she's lost 1 lb. Double down on your tracking effort. Don't worry about cutting out carbs, just make sure you're honestly and accurately logging everything you eat. Don't over estimate your activity level. I have mine set to sedentary and get some back from FitBit. If you're in any doubt about your exercise calories, don't eat all of them. If you get 400 calories from your workout, only eat 200.
Yep Ibhear you... i will make sure i am super careful tracking food. And i have set my activity level to sedentary also. I can't wait for some results.
Thanks so much everyone0 -
1. It's not a plateau if you haven't even started losing weight.
2. Eating "healthy" and exercising isn't going to cut it. It's not what you eat, it's how much you eat.
3. If you're not logging cooking oils, which are very calorie-dense, I'm assuming you're not logging plenty of other things as well.
4. If you were eating in a calorie deficit, you would lose weight. If you're not losing weight, you're not in a deficit.
5. The most accurate way to measure your intake is using a food scale. Measuring cups/spoons are highly inaccurate. Weigh your solids and measure your liquids.
6. No one stops losing weight because they're eating too little. Starvation mode is a myth. I'm not saying this to encourage you to eat at a very low calorie intake; just pointing this out.
In a nutshell, buy a food scale and log your intake more accurately. I bet you'll lose weight, as long as you're in a deficit.0 -
I'm starting to track again after putting about 5 of 20 pounds back on. It's been a week or so and while I have always exercised, clearly my eating was off. Here's what I know about me. As hard as I work, as diligent as I am, I am probably not going to feel a real difference in my jeans until the end of February. For what it's worth, the end of February will come whether I buckle down and take better care of myself or not, so when it arrives, where I do want to be with my eating?
So yes, it's frustrating, but if you can wrap your brain around the "big picture," (as in: the rest of your life), it's really not much time at all. Weigh and measure food, get some activity into your life, and toss the scale for a while. You'll get there. It does take time. That's one of the most valuable lessons you can take away from this.0 -
LyndseyLovesToLift wrote: »1. It's not a plateau if you haven't even started losing weight.
2. Eating "healthy" and exercising isn't going to cut it. It's not what you eat, it's how much you eat.
3. If you're not logging cooking oils, which are very calorie-dense, I'm assuming you're not logging plenty of other things as well.
4. If you were eating in a calorie deficit, you would lose weight. If you're not losing weight, you're not in a deficit.
5. The most accurate way to measure your intake is using a food scale. Measuring cups/spoons are highly inaccurate. Weigh your solids and measure your liquids.
6. No one stops losing weight because they're eating too little. Starvation mode is a myth. I'm not saying this to encourage you to eat at a very low calorie intake; just pointing this out.
In a nutshell, buy a food scale and log your intake more accurately. I bet you'll lose weight, as long as you're in a deficit.
Thanks and ok i am going to try to be more accurate. I want too much too soon. I would actually just like a fat purge switch on me somewhere so I could just do it in a day. Reality i much harder and dieting is hard i need to be more careful and give it time i know i am useless and impatient at the best of times.0 -
girlwithcurls2 wrote: »I'm starting to track again after putting about 5 of 20 pounds back on. It's been a week or so and while I have always exercised, clearly my eating was off. Here's what I know about me. As hard as I work, as diligent as I am, I am probably not going to feel a real difference in my jeans until the end of February. For what it's worth, the end of February will come whether I buckle down and take better care of myself or not, so when it arrives, where I do want to be with my eating?
So yes, it's frustrating, but if you can wrap your brain around the "big picture," (as in: the rest of your life), it's really not much time at all. Weigh and measure food, get some activity into your life, and toss the scale for a while. You'll get there. It does take time. That's one of the most valuable lessons you can take away from this.
Thank you i will try to look a bit further ahead rather than demnding so muchbof myself too soon. Lots of good tips and advice really grateful.0 -
Well its a week on and i upped my calories to between 1000 and 1200 logging and weighing all the food even the oil and butter etc. with a very healthy mixed diet all good stuff. I have been to the gym every day apart from the weekend and i weighed myself today and still stuck at the same weight.
I just don't know what on earth I am doing wrong. I may as well be not dieting if it weren't for the heathy food i may as well be eating the junk and maintaining my weight. I dont want to return to un healthy though. I will plod on but with zero returns it makes me feel like giving up its been since first of Jan. It just feels like a waist of time. I am getting mega depressed. I have changed some of the things i do at the gym. I have added some free weights and strength training to the end of my cardio.
Every where i look people are losing 2 or 3 lb but i am just sat here at the same weight. I hate how i look i could proper cry.0 -
I think you are in for a very bumpy ride, my dear. You need patience. This is a lifestyle not a diet.0
-
Stay strong, I know it sucks....but you are doing the right things and I promise it will come0
-
queenliz99 wrote: »I think you are in for a very bumpy ride, my dear. You need patience. This is a lifestyle not a diet.
I think so too. And although I am making lifestyle changes for sure this is definately still diet to me. Once I have got to my ideal weight I will be maintaining the healthy food and gym but for no it is still a diet and its very hard. I feel a month on and i am still at the beginning. Its very upsetting. Its vile to get no rewards/results after putting in such effort.
Thanks for the reply.0 -
Husband just told me off for been too impatient0
-
I am supposed to be being put on testagel in a couole o weeks time following my radical hysterectomy i hope the testosterone will speed my metabolism up while Inam on it. Has anyone else used it? Might just be to boost I need.0
-
-
I would like to lose 2lb a week andni am at the gym 5 mornings a week doing mainly cardio for 40 mins and then some weights0 -
I had spent the first few weeks probably on a too low amount of calories but put them up a bit last week after some responses to my thread0
-
janieevansart wrote: »Hi there decided to start diet new year and 3 weeks in and i seem to be stuck at the same weight. I am dieting with plenty of healthy food and gym 4/5 times a week. I am Not eating "too little" an certainly not too much. But this holt right at the start of my diet is heart breaking. I have today decided to cut out bread and have switched 1 day cardio to 1 days strength. I relaly see this as my last chance but its very disappointing to plateau at this point. I am on 1mg of estrogen following a hysterectomy which i had in August. Any advice will be so gratefully received, if i can't do this sensibly i am prone to doing in very much un-sensibly so quite worried i will do that soon if i cant break this holt in weight loss.
eat 100 calories less and do cardio to burn 200 calories more..
do that for a week and see what happenes.
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions