Scale won't budge!!!

jaylor2950
jaylor2950 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi...I have been using myfitnesspal for over 20 days and have measured, weighed, exercised and with the exception of one day have stayed at or a little under my calorie goal. I have lost 8 lbs. and the scales haven't budged in over 2 weeks. My clothes feel a little different but I want to see results where it counts...on the scale. Any suggestions on what to do next? It's quite early on to hit a plateau for this long.

Replies

  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Congrats on your loss so far! 8 pounds in 3 weeks sounds great to me :)

    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.
  • nixxthirteen
    nixxthirteen Posts: 280 Member
    Weight loss isn't linear. MFP may say "2 lbs/week" but that doesn't mean that 2 lbs will disappear every 7 days like clockwork :). It's an average.

    1.) Take progress photos. Seriously. While the scale may be not budging, your body is still changing and you might be pleasantly surprised by how different you LOOK. This was 100% true for me my first time around!

    2.) Get yourself an app like Libra, and input your weight daily/weekly/whatever. While you will have ups and downs (which are totally normal), Libra graphs the overall downward trend. After several weeks, it tells you at the bottom of the page that you are losing an average of X amount of lbs per week, despite the tedious fluctuations.

    3.) Make peace with the fact that sodium, muscle repair, monthly periods etc. can all cause up to 5lbs of water weight gain. Keep plugging away as you are doing now and it will all even out.

    4.) Learn the joys of Non-Scale Victories (NSV). The scale is NOT only where it counts. Buying smaller clothes, lifting heavier, running a faster mile, etc etc are all amazing things to come out of this journey toward health.

    8lbs is AWESOME progress :D. Keep at it!
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    So that's 8 lbs in 3 weeks? What is your weekly weight loss goal set for? 2 lbs/week? You are ahead of the game ;) (And by the way, unless you have *a lot* to lose, 2 lb/week is too much anyway.)
  • jaylor2950
    jaylor2950 Posts: 2 Member
    Thanks everyone for your support and suggestions. I do have quite a lot to lose so was hoping for a little more at the beginning. I'll hang in there and see how it goes. Thanks again..
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
    Open your diary to public and very accurately weigh and record all your eats. You will be able to get better help from us that way. This is a change in the way you live, and it is for the better.
  • Zaysgrandma
    Zaysgrandma Posts: 12 Member
    I have had the same problem. But I try and persevere anyways instead of giving up. I haven't seen a loss on the scale in a couple of weeks. However, there are other ways you can monitor yourself in positive ways. I read an article about plateauing so I am not too hard on myself believing it will happen. I went to get a new outfit at the store and was I shocked when I went down a whole size. I went home and measured myself to be sure. And there it was, an inch off neck, and waist and two inches off my hips. So I am trying to not focus on the scales. That doesn't mean I stop hoping that it will happen. I know myself that I am not cheating and am keeping up with walking and exercises, so it is only a matter of time. Honestly I feel fantastic so I think this will happen to you too! My favorite word is preserve and that's what I hope for you.

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