There is no such thing as a "stall"
Sunny_Bunny_
Posts: 7,140 Member
I apologize for the length of this. But I hope it's helpful. 
Yes, I am being so bold as to declare that there is no such thing as a stall. Maybe there is if you're talking about the number on the scale not moving, but not in progress of your body changing and becoming more healthy and not carrying too much fat. And isn't the whole point to rid excess fat and become more healthy and fit? So then, there is no such thing.
IF we stay on track and we don't feed our body things that make it unwell, progress will continue weather the scale announces it to us on some arbitrary day that we decide it should or not!
This was my battle at one point. Constantly looking for the perfect equation where I could make the scale show me weight loss when I "expected" it. Oh, how silly I had been! Time will reveal everything we are hoping to achieve, but only IF we don't talk ourselves out of staying on track along the way.
Browse the threads where the subject of "stalling" and "why isn't this working" come up.... Go ahead... I'll wait.
What did you see? What I often see is a few great weeks followed by a few less than equal weeks (still often very good in their own right)... Or maybe a few weeks of nothing or heaven forbid, a gain! Yep. Those are particularly heartbreaking! I have them quite often. I even started using a weight averaging app so that I would never see a "gain" again. You know what? That darn thing still shows me that even my average weight goes up sometimes! Maybe it's broken? I should contact the dev's!
Sometimes, the feeling of "stalling" translates to failing and then it's easy to decide "it's not working anyway, so I may as well cheat". Or, "This isn't working anymore, so I should increase or lower my carbs or start eating something that I'm currently not" or whatever. Now, there's a lot of value in experimenting, so I don't discourage that, but don't be convinced that it will start back up the losses you once had or are expecting. And don't be so sure that you actually need to do anything different at all.
I share the rest in hopes to relieve you all from the pressures of the beast we know as The Scale.
I shared this photo last month. I took this photo hoping that I would see a tiny difference since I hadn't lost much weight in such a long time. I was very happy to see what a big difference there was with only a 4lb loss in 5 months.
So many of you were also surprised and very sweet to offer words of support and encouragement, which, less face it, we love that junk right!?!
I shared that photo hoping to encourage others that felt like they were doing something wrong. This idea is so hard to overcome. But, basically, if you started out having success of any measure, clothes fitting better, feeling better, more energy, less pain, better skin or even weight loss, YOU WILL continue to progress as long as you at least keep doing what you're doing. You can certainly decide to do even more if you want, but the point is, don't think something has stopped "working" with what you are doing just because The Scale tries to trick you.
The last month for me has been another one of those times where even my dumb weight averaging app wants me to think I gained weight. To be honest, I was watching it very closely with a that old disappointed feeling waaaaaay in the back of my mind, even though I know better. I pretty much feel like I am completely over the whole scale drama, but it's still kinda there... I don't know if I'll ever completely shake it. I hope I do. And I hope you all can too.
This month doesn't look particularly successful on my graph.
Now, I don't have a very impressive comparison photo like last time, but, I am able to show why I don't need to be dissecting my diet or be on the hunt for hidden carbs or be doubting myself or feeling discouraged in any way.
Because even though Happy Scale appears to be telling me that I am gaining weight and potentially losing progress, my appearance contradicts.
As you can see, my average and scale weight are technically up, but pretty much the same as before. But I do think I can see the slightest bit of additional fat loss. Just a bit. Mostly, in the lowest part of my belly. I'm very careful to be completely relaxed and standing the same way so that those kinds of things don't interfere with appearance. I even wear the same underwear so that doesn't affect anything. During this last month, I averaged under 6000 steps a day, logged 6 workouts averaging 5 minutes each (mostly planking), which I gave up on like all my other attempts at exercise. So, I doubt I've gained muscle... I hit my lowest weight (134.2) ever on 2/9 and my lowest average weight (134.9) on 2/11, but I also hit a high weight of 139 on 3/8 and a high average of 136.3 on 3/7. If I went by scale weight alone, I would think that I had gained almost 5 lbs on the 8th.
Anyway, what I'm saying is, I could have been discouraged and convinced I was backsliding and doubted myself (like I had been plenty of past times) and my woe and stressed myself out, possibly creating an actual problem that would have prevented any progress. But, I fought back that little voice in my head and I kept calm and stuck with what I know is right for me. And it's clearly right for me because I can see it in the long term. It's often very hard, if not impossible to see it week by week. And there may not be much to see in that most recent progress pic, but when I started last May, I'm not sure that I saw envisioned this photo...
And that it happened with incredibly little exercise and eating so much great food and that it would come with all the added benefits that I never realized I could achieve just by eating differently.
I am willing to wait for the rest of the body fat to go. I don't care what that scale says on a daily or even a weekly basis. It barely shows anything even monthly anymore and that is ok. I know now, what I didn't know late last summer when I was posting about "how to break this stall", that there is no such thing as a stall just because the scale isn't showing me what I want to see. And as long as my eyes were focused on it, I would've never learned how to accurately measure my continued success.
Yes, I am being so bold as to declare that there is no such thing as a stall. Maybe there is if you're talking about the number on the scale not moving, but not in progress of your body changing and becoming more healthy and not carrying too much fat. And isn't the whole point to rid excess fat and become more healthy and fit? So then, there is no such thing.
IF we stay on track and we don't feed our body things that make it unwell, progress will continue weather the scale announces it to us on some arbitrary day that we decide it should or not!
This was my battle at one point. Constantly looking for the perfect equation where I could make the scale show me weight loss when I "expected" it. Oh, how silly I had been! Time will reveal everything we are hoping to achieve, but only IF we don't talk ourselves out of staying on track along the way.
Browse the threads where the subject of "stalling" and "why isn't this working" come up.... Go ahead... I'll wait.
What did you see? What I often see is a few great weeks followed by a few less than equal weeks (still often very good in their own right)... Or maybe a few weeks of nothing or heaven forbid, a gain! Yep. Those are particularly heartbreaking! I have them quite often. I even started using a weight averaging app so that I would never see a "gain" again. You know what? That darn thing still shows me that even my average weight goes up sometimes! Maybe it's broken? I should contact the dev's!
Sometimes, the feeling of "stalling" translates to failing and then it's easy to decide "it's not working anyway, so I may as well cheat". Or, "This isn't working anymore, so I should increase or lower my carbs or start eating something that I'm currently not" or whatever. Now, there's a lot of value in experimenting, so I don't discourage that, but don't be convinced that it will start back up the losses you once had or are expecting. And don't be so sure that you actually need to do anything different at all.
I share the rest in hopes to relieve you all from the pressures of the beast we know as The Scale.
I shared this photo last month. I took this photo hoping that I would see a tiny difference since I hadn't lost much weight in such a long time. I was very happy to see what a big difference there was with only a 4lb loss in 5 months.
So many of you were also surprised and very sweet to offer words of support and encouragement, which, less face it, we love that junk right!?!
I shared that photo hoping to encourage others that felt like they were doing something wrong. This idea is so hard to overcome. But, basically, if you started out having success of any measure, clothes fitting better, feeling better, more energy, less pain, better skin or even weight loss, YOU WILL continue to progress as long as you at least keep doing what you're doing. You can certainly decide to do even more if you want, but the point is, don't think something has stopped "working" with what you are doing just because The Scale tries to trick you.
The last month for me has been another one of those times where even my dumb
weight averaging app wants me to think I gained weight. To be honest, I was watching it very closely with a that old disappointed feeling waaaaaay in the back of my mind, even though I know better. I pretty much feel like I am completely over the whole scale drama, but it's still kinda there... I don't know if I'll ever completely shake it. I hope I do. And I hope you all can too.This month doesn't look particularly successful on my graph.
Now, I don't have a very impressive comparison photo like last time, but, I am able to show why I don't need to be dissecting my diet or be on the hunt for hidden carbs or be doubting myself or feeling discouraged in any way.
Because even though Happy Scale appears to be telling me that I am gaining weight and potentially losing progress, my appearance contradicts.
As you can see, my average and scale weight are technically up, but pretty much the same as before. But I do think I can see the slightest bit of additional fat loss. Just a bit. Mostly, in the lowest part of my belly. I'm very careful to be completely relaxed and standing the same way so that those kinds of things don't interfere with appearance. I even wear the same underwear so that doesn't affect anything. During this last month, I averaged under 6000 steps a day, logged 6 workouts averaging 5 minutes each (mostly planking), which I gave up on like all my other attempts at exercise. So, I doubt I've gained muscle... I hit my lowest weight (134.2) ever on 2/9 and my lowest average weight (134.9) on 2/11, but I also hit a high weight of 139 on 3/8 and a high average of 136.3 on 3/7. If I went by scale weight alone, I would think that I had gained almost 5 lbs on the 8th.
Anyway, what I'm saying is, I could have been discouraged and convinced I was backsliding and doubted myself (like I had been plenty of past times) and my woe and stressed myself out, possibly creating an actual problem that would have prevented any progress. But, I fought back that little voice in my head and I kept calm and stuck with what I know is right for me. And it's clearly right for me because I can see it in the long term. It's often very hard, if not impossible to see it week by week. And there may not be much to see in that most recent progress pic, but when I started last May, I'm not sure that I saw envisioned this photo...
And that it happened with incredibly little exercise and eating so much great food and that it would come with all the added benefits that I never realized I could achieve just by eating differently.
I am willing to wait for the rest of the body fat to go. I don't care what that scale says on a daily or even a weekly basis. It barely shows anything even monthly anymore and that is ok. I know now, what I didn't know late last summer when I was posting about "how to break this stall", that there is no such thing as a stall just because the scale isn't showing me what I want to see. And as long as my eyes were focused on it, I would've never learned how to accurately measure my continued success.
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Replies
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I love this post! Thank you for posting this. I need to get out my tape measure this weekend and start measuring myself. Also I need to take another picture in the same clothes I took in my before photos! This is so inspiring!1
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I'm constantly amazed with how meticulously you document your progress and share it with us. Thank you!
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Terrific post. Thanks for taking the time, so encouraging.1
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You CAN definitely see the 4lb loss!0
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I love this post! You are brave to be so forthcoming and willing to share your journey. It's a good reminder to be patient and nice to ourselves as we proceed. You're lookin fabulous!0
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I didn't have time to read the whole thing. But wtg! I've been waiting to see some updated photos
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You guys have no idea the details I track! lol
I'm a data junkie!
I just always feel so bad when someone gets discouraged because of the scale. I know what that feels like and I know how I overcame it and just want everyone to be able appreciate their efforts and not have their celebrations stolen from them because of expectations associated with scale weight.3 -
You're so right. The human body is very complex and with multiple systems at work, judging your progress by weight alone simply can't be accurate. Every day firmly on track is progress. Thank you for this awesome post.
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This is what bugs me about "a calorie is a calorie". Sure, by definition. But how an individual organism processes that unit of energy is infinitely more complex.
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I LOVE what you had to say here @Sunny_Bunny_ ! Very encouraging and very needed for me at the stage I'm in now. After a few weeks of losing steadily, the scale doesn't love me anymore but I continue to notice small changes in the way my clothes fit, etc. Thank you for sharing!2
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Great post!0
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Thank you so much for this post! You're so right!0
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This is priceless! Seriously, I have a friend new to Keto who was just wrestling with the scale and I need to figure out how to get her on this page so she can see this. Thank you SO much, I agree completely with everything you said. And even though I agree, and know it all to be true, it helps to read it because I have those little scale voices too and it helps to quiet them!2
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Awesome points with illustrations. That 4 pound loss made a huge difference in the photo.0 -
It's quite incredible to see how much body recomposition can be done through diet alone. Great case study @Sunny_Bunny_1
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Overcoming the power of the scale isn't easy, but can be done! I've given up way too many times because of that power! This time the power has been mine, because I choose to make it so! I'm so happy that this wol has created that in me! Great work @Sunny_Bunny_!1
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Great post! thanks for sharing the pics and data. It´s amazing to see the body change with so little difference in the weight.0
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Lovely post, thank you. The Scale is a big part of why I derailed last summer and I think it's part of what's been holding me back ever since. I had done LCHF for 6 months solid with very few slip ups. My clothes fit differently, I had even gone down a shirt size. Coworkers and Facebookers were telling me I looked like I'd lost a ton of weight. I had more energy and my blood work was spot on. Then I went to the doctors office, was weighed (had it converted because I don't speak KG0
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What a great testimony! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! You are making amazing changes to your body!0
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You're so inspiring, thank you for sharing your details.
::flowerforyou::0 -
Wonderful to see your results and your positive mindset. It's very encouraging.1
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We need to remember that fat weighs less than muscle. When we lose 4 lbs of fat, it really shows on our body!0
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ilovethecamp32 wrote: »We need to remember that fat weighs less than muscle. When we lose 4 lbs of fat, it really shows on our body!
I think that is misleading. 4 lbs of muscle weighs the same as 4 lbs fat. Muscle is denser, therefore smaller.
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You are looking great!!!! Thanks for sharing!0
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ilovethecamp32 wrote: »We need to remember that fat weighs less than muscle. When we lose 4 lbs of fat, it really shows on our body!
I can see your point that the volume of 4 pounds of fat is greater than the volume of 4 pounds of lean muscle. Thanks0 -
Awesome progress @Sunny_Bunny_ ! Thank you for sharing.
I'm curious to know all the details you track!0 -
i just lost a cousin to ALS, just yesterday. he had been suffering for 7 years. my grandmother died of ALS in 1988.
our health is about more than the scale and while i am the WORST at being a scale-watcher, i also know that mental health, cardiovascular health & general wellbeing is of utmost importance.
thanks for your post.1 -
Thanks for sharing. Great read. I also started in May 2015 and enjoyed every bit of this journey and the reshaping process while the scale is slowing down --and NSVs.
Great job.0 -
I try to remind myself all the time that if I feel good, I'm not outgrowing my pants, etc., that eventually my weight HAS to catch up... I'd rather lose inches than pounds any day....0
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olivebeanhealthy wrote: »Awesome progress @Sunny_Bunny_ ! Thank you for sharing.
I'm curious to know all the details you track!
Oh boy! Well, I have done week long stretches of recording blood and urine ketones and comparing them to what I ate up til that point in the day and stuff like that. Also track my sleep, have done that for about 2 years. I would compare how well I slept to how active I was that day, but there's no pattern there for me. I was even curious about how MFP tells you "what you'll weigh" in 5 weeks when you close out your diary. I average up each full week and compared it to my actual average weight. Surprise, surprise! Calorie math says I should weigh 3 to 4 pounds less! Just another thing that sets us up for feeling like we've failed. I used to weigh every single thing I ate, but got to just guessing on entries because I'm going to wean off tracking all together soon anyway.
I track all the info my scale provides and average body fat and muscle from that info. I even log the vitamins I take even if they have no nutritional value.
In my earlier and scale obsessed days, I would use those calculators that would estimate how much you "would" lose by eating a certain amount of calories and would compare my actual loss to it to try and find the magic amount of calories that would actually make it happen. That's why I also weighed everything for a time. I mean everything! It never matched up.
That's how I know how bad the scale weight thing can be. I've come full circle from being completely obsessed with "making" scale weight loss happen, to realizing that it doesn't even matter in the short game. It will happen when it happens and not a second sooner.2
This discussion has been closed.