Is weight loss plateau a myth??? I'm worried if not then i've hit mine :(

Options
2

Replies

  • HeatherSpicer1
    HeatherSpicer1 Posts: 22 Member
    Options
    Hang in there! I am glad to here that it is just a myth. I wonder if your body is storing the water for your breast feeding. You could try drinking more water.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Options
    If you're eating 1200 x 6 days a week and 2400 one day, then its about 1370 average and actually better than 1200/day in my opinion. Doing 1200 every day could mean a) you're deprived of nutrition or b) you feel restricted and so you give up. In reality whether you eat 1370 every day of 1200 x 6 + 2400 x 1 makes no difference.

    You are NOT in a plateau. And you are NOT stalled. You're just figuring out first hand that you will not lose weight every week. Too many things affect our water weight: TOM/hormones (if your little one is eating more/nursing less then your cycle may have returned or be about to), sodium, stress, sleep schedule disruption, muscle fatique/soreness to name a few. If you're eating at a deficit over time, then you will lose weight but the scale may not show it every week. This is what it means when people say 'weight loss is not linear'. So keep doing as you are, assuming you feel energetic/satisfied with how & what you're eating.

    One thing that may help: get in the habit of comparing your weight NOW with your weight 30 days ago. Do not compare your weight NOW with your weight yesterday or last week. Looking back over a greater length of time will help you to see your progress and avoid panicking over the short term blips on the scale.
    ZLARZ wrote: »
    I do a cheat meal once a week. I usually double my calroies for the day when I eat my cheat meal.
    I'm hoping this stall passes quick :(

  • RogerToo
    RogerToo Posts: 16,157 Member
    Options
    ZLARZ wrote: »
    I'm just curious if it's a legit thing. I've been stuck at 164.8 for about 2 weeks now. The first 6 weekd I lost a total of 20 lbs exactly. I eat 1200 calores a day and work out for at least half hour varying with zumba, jillian michaels shred dvd, and jogging. I work out 6 days a week, maybe 5 days sometimes.
    I'm also breastfeeding.
    The first month it was melting off. Like almost 3 lbs a week...
    Then I had a cheat meal one day and doubled my caloris and ever since then, I've been stuck at 164.8!!!
    I had cheat meals every week from beginning and would gain a lb or 2 of water weight then lose it in a couple of days plus more. Well, it's been 2 weeks now and the scale literally hasn't budged...

    Hi
    FWIW I have had a Plateau or two. The first one of over a months duration ended when it was suggested to me that I was under-eating. I upped my calories by 300 a day and the weight loss resumed. I have since gotten to where I am happy withmyself and my weight loss. I do still have a little more to lose however I am happy with what I am now losing each week even is if it a lot slower that the large weekly losses I was having over two years ago.

    FWIW as a man as I understand it my equivalent to You 1200 calorie plan would be 1500 calories. However since I am getting out walking around 3 =/- miles each morning I am still eating at a 1800 calorie level and losing. The main thing as I see it is to get enough Proteins, Fruits and vegetables and watch Your Nutrients.

    Good Luck
    Roger
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    Options
    When was the last time you calculated your daily calories? As you lose weight, you body needs less calories to function so your deficit will shrink. I would recalculate every 10lbs or so lost, and that seemed to do the trick.
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    Options
    Every single time I've experienced a "plateau" in my weight loss it has actually been because I was undereating.

    I weigh over 400lbs and lots of people on here try to argue with me, saying my experiences are impossible and that I should be able to eat 1200 calories and lose a lot but the reality is, from a medical perspective, I not only stall out on any weight loss once I drop under 2400 calories or so, but I show documented signs of malnutrition as well.

    Considering your circumstances... You are not eating enough, at all. In general, a breastfeeding woman needs to add 300-500 calories to their diet. This is one of the reasons why baby weight falls off when you breastfeed, because your metabolic needs spike to make said breastmilk. Add to that a 5-6 days a week work out routine, and the fact that a woman of average height at your weight WITHOUT breastfeeding would need at very minimum 1200 calories a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle... It sure seems like you're setting yourself up for a mistake.

    I strongly advocate for people to talk to their physicians and professionals in person, to address their concerns about this stuff, especially when cutting over 50% of their maintenance level a day for weight loss (without more info, I went with averages, and you're cutting ~800 from a standard "light activity" person, so likely cutting more for your activity level). If you use the same theories as this site is based around, starting at 1200 calorie intake, assuming perhaps a 250 calorie workout, you're already at 950... minus the median for breastfeeding, your NET calories for the day is 550, give or take, which is lower than most people who are dealing with acute anorexia nervosa.

    I'm not saying that you're going to have a total melt down or that you won't see weight loss but the notion that if weight loss stalls, you must need to cut more calories, is precisely how I screwed up my entire metabolic system. It is not always the case that less calories equals better weight loss results. Talk to your doctor, have some nutrition panels done, and make sure you're being safe.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    Options
    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    You are NOT in a plateau. And you are NOT stalled. You're just figuring out first hand that you will not lose weight every week. Too many things affect our water weight: TOM/hormones (if your little one is eating more/nursing less then your cycle may have returned or be about to), sodium, stress, sleep schedule disruption, muscle fatique/soreness to name a few. If you're eating at a deficit over time, then you will lose weight but the scale may not show it every week. This is what it means when people say 'weight loss is not linear'. So keep doing as you are, assuming you feel energetic/satisfied with how & what you're eating.

    One thing that may help: get in the habit of comparing your weight NOW with your weight 30 days ago. Do not compare your weight NOW with your weight yesterday or last week. Looking back over a greater length of time will help you to see your progress and avoid panicking over the short term blips on the scale.

    This! If you can handle the daily variations, consider weighing daily and using a tool like TrendWeight or Happy Scale. They will average out your weight over a longer period of time. 20 lbs in 6 weeks is REALLY good. Possibly a little on the high side because it could have meant you were losing muscle at the same time as losing fat (though hopefully it was just water). My guess is now your body is just catching up. 20 lbs in 6 weeks is 3.3 lbs a week. 20 lbs in 8 weeks is 2.5 lbs a week. My personal experience has been when I've lost too fast at the beginning my body will hang on for a while until it evens out. You might not lose again until you get to 10 weeks, because that will even out to the 2 lbs a week which is probably what you're aiming for (although that sounds like too much for someone at your weight, like I said above you are going to be losing muscle AND fat).
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
    Options
    ZLARZ wrote: »
    I'm not hungry. I always eat when I am I just make healthy snack choices. I'm sure my diet could be way better but I'm making smart choices and staying under my 1200 cal limit. I ju st didn't know this could happen so quickly I guess. I'll just weight it out (see what I did there) ;)
    And hopefully it kicks back up soon. Thanks everyone

    UNDER 1200 and breastfeeding? Is your doctor okay with that?
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,985 Member
    Options
    sks831kn91na.jpg
  • victoria_1024
    victoria_1024 Posts: 915 Member
    Options
    First of all, not seeing weight loss for a couple weeks isn't a big deal. I've gone as long as 3 weeks with no loss and then had a big whoosh of weight loss all at once. It's happened maybe a few times over the course of the past year.

    Second of all, 1200 is really low. I'm breastfeeding and I have been for the past year and I've lost 82 lbs. And I've never once kept my calories below 1500. Even now that I'm at a healthy weight and just trying to lose slowly at a half pound per week I am still eating closer to 1700 a day and losing steadily. Your supply might be ok now but if you continue eating so few calories that might not continue. It's no wonder you need a cheat day once a week. Your body is probably starving by that point and needs the calories. Personally I would not eat lower than 1500 a day. Is your goal aggressive? You shouldn't try for more than a pound a week when breastfeeding. Your body truly needs those nutrients.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    Options
    How is your milk supply?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Options
    1200 is not enough for you, let alone if you are breastfeeding...
  • ZLARZ
    ZLARZ Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    I'm 5'7 weigh 164.6 this morning.
    Started at 185.4
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    Options
    Take it slower mama bear. There's more important things to take care of now, and you need to look after you and your baby.

    You will lose the weight. I put on 60 lbs when I was pregnant and did similar to you. My milk supply was awful and feeding was difficult. I wish I could have done it differently.....
  • ZLARZ
    ZLARZ Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    I'm not worried about supply. She's exclusive breastfed and we have 1000oz in deep freeze if we need it tho. Her health comes first so if and when I see a dip in supply I'll definitely make some changes. I think we're ok tho. I've been breastfeeding non stop for 4 years now between 2 little ones.
    I gained 90lbs with my first, lost all of it within 4 months. All from breastfeeding, stress, moving, etc. This time gained 85, lost 60 in 6 months and finally lost the remaining now by dieting and excercising.

    General consensus is that I'm not eating enough calories...? Is that why ive stalled? I don't want to add more. I'm fine running on the 1200 a day with one cheat meal a week.

  • faithsstaircase
    faithsstaircase Posts: 97 Member
    Options
    I was eating 1200 and not losing weight and bumped up to 1550 and started losing weight right away - and I'm not breastfeeding. I think you need to up your intake.
  • rgbmore
    rgbmore Posts: 85 Member
    Options
    This is a great article that helped me understand "plateaus"
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/weight-loss-plateau-myth-muscle-weighs-more-than-fat/
    and in kind, "starvation mode"
    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    I don't completely agree with EVERYTHING in those articles, but they helped me make sense of things.

    But as the other posters said, two weeks is too short of a time. Best of luck, you're doing great, and make sure to take care of yourself while breastfeeding. 1 lb a week, while not as exhilarating, would likely be better than the 20lbs in 6 weeks.
  • ZLARZ
    ZLARZ Posts: 63 Member
    Options
    Yea, I didn't intend to lose 3.5 lbs a week. Lol
    When I first got this app I put in all my info and set my goal to lose 2 lbs a week. I guess breastfeeding just bumped it to 3-3.5 lbs a week
  • DeadLift5
    DeadLift5 Posts: 16 Member
    Options
    Have you been doing the same exercises/workouts for the full 6 weeks prior?

    The brain is a powerful tool and when it recognizes a pattern with muscle movement it will naturally make you more efficient... This is great on an athletic level but not so much with losing weight.

    Plateaus do exist, but there could be several other reasons out there for the slow down.

    Try upping your intake slightly and changing your workout.

    Trial and error will teach you things about your body that no one on a forum can.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,487 Member
    Options
    ZLARZ wrote: »
    Yea, I didn't intend to lose 3.5 lbs a week. Lol
    When I first got this app I put in all my info and set my goal to lose 2 lbs a week. I guess breastfeeding just bumped it to 3-3.5 lbs a week

    That indicates that you are using 500-750 cals a day breast feeding.

    Your supply may be adequate but is the nutrition you are providing optimum when you are on so low a calory intake?

    Your baby comes first?

    Cheers, h.
  • Yi5hedr3
    Yi5hedr3 Posts: 2,696 Member
    Options
    Too much cardio. Start pumping iron! :)

Categories