Plateau
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thekevinbroach
Posts: 111 Member
So, I've dropped 80-85lbs fairly quickly...but I think I've hit the dreaded plateau!! UGH... do I need to change up what I've done to be successful so far, or do I just get doing what I'm doing?
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Replies
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How long has it been since you've lost weight?0
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ive lost and gained 5 up and down for bout 3 weeks, coming off losing consistently every week0
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3 weeks isn't a plateau. See if anything sticks out below, your margin of error comes down with your weight so you are likely overestimating exercise or underestimating food:
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I went through a plateau after losing about 65 pounds. I was stuck for 6 weeks! I can't tell you why but I took a week off and went to maintenance calories then went back to low calorie and that kick started things. I should have done two weeks but was paranoid about gaining. Consider a diet break if the stall continues.
Another thing which sometimes helps and I know it defies science and logic is changing what you are eating. If you eat the same things day after day try changing that up. For some reason that has helped me on occasion. Maybe I wasn't measuring as strictly I don't know but for whatever reason that helped too.
Remember that you may need to reset your calorie limits in MFP after a loss that big. Your smaller body needs less calories now. You didn't say what your calorie intake is so just throwing it out there. You may be fine but check it out. Also you need to accept that your rate of loss is going to slow down as you near your goal. I lost 65 pounds the first year and it's taken me all of this year to lose another 24. At this stage you will have to exercise patience... pun intended, lol.5 -
thekevinbroach wrote: »ive lost and gained 5 up and down for bout 3 weeks, coming off losing consistently every week
not a plateau if the weight is moving....
how are you logging? using a food scale? extra sodium? water retention? new exercise?0 -
cheryldumais wrote: »I went through a plateau after losing about 65 pounds. I was stuck for 6 weeks! I can't tell you why but I took a week off and went to maintenance calories then went back to low calorie and that kick started things. I should have done two weeks but was paranoid about gaining. Consider a diet break if the stall continues.
Another thing which sometimes helps and I know it defies science and logic is changing what you are eating. If you eat the same things day after day try changing that up. For some reason that has helped me on occasion. Maybe I wasn't measuring as strictly I don't know but for whatever reason that helped too.
Remember that you may need to reset your calorie limits in MFP after a loss that big. Your smaller body needs less calories now. You didn't say what your calorie intake is so just throwing it out there. You may be fine but check it out. Also you need to accept that your rate of loss is going to slow down as you near your goal. I lost 65 pounds the first year and it's taken me all of this year to lose another 24. At this stage you will have to exercise patience... pun intended, lol.
Thank you!! I'm not worried about eating over my calorie, but I do eat the exact same lunch everyday and pretty much eat the same things on a weekly basis. I kinda have to with kids and activities and being on the go non stop so I plan all that. And I've mainly been doing strict cardio, same time everyday too. Maybe its time to shift things around a little. I weigh in and log every Monday, so I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing this week and see where I land, and if nothing changes, I'll shake things up a little bit!! ... Patience??? What is that???
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thekevinbroach wrote: »ive lost and gained 5 up and down for bout 3 weeks, coming off losing consistently every week
not a plateau if the weight is moving....
how are you logging? using a food scale? extra sodium? water retention? new exercise?
I've lost every single week, 3-7lbs, so when im stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks.. its a plateau for me.. haha1 -
you might try a little change-up in your cardio routine -- HIITs instead of steady runs, some strength training, dancing, playing tag with your kids...1
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Funny, I was looking at my graph this morning, it has a repeating cycle. Level, slight increase, big drop, long(ish) level, small increase, level, big drop... Minor variations, but every noteworthy drop was preceded by a level period and a slight increase. It's like your body wants to make sure you really really mean it. I dunno. Bottom line... keep doing what you're doing. Having lost 85 pounds is amazing - you're obviously doing something right!!
The changes in cardio are a great way to keep from getting bored, tho. :-)1 -
thekevinbroach wrote: »thekevinbroach wrote: »ive lost and gained 5 up and down for bout 3 weeks, coming off losing consistently every week
not a plateau if the weight is moving....
how are you logging? using a food scale? extra sodium? water retention? new exercise?
I've lost every single week, 3-7lbs, so when im stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks.. its a plateau for me.. haha
Have you updated your fitness profile to give you new calories since losing all the weight?
Do you use a food scale for ALL solid food? Spoons/cups for liquids only?
Agreed with others that 3 weeks is not a plateau (6+weeks is generally considered getting into plateau territory). Weight loss is not linear, either.
How much weight have you got to lose? I ask since 3-7lbs per week is extreme weight loss, even for those who are morbidly obese.1 -
LizbethHeller wrote: »Funny, I was looking at my graph this morning, it has a repeating cycle. Level, slight increase, big drop, long(ish) level, small increase, level, big drop... Minor variations, but every noteworthy drop was preceded by a level period and a slight increase. It's like your body wants to make sure you really really mean it. I dunno. Bottom line... keep doing what you're doing. Having lost 85 pounds is amazing - you're obviously doing something right!!
The changes in cardio are a great way to keep from getting bored, tho. :-)
I tend to also have the monthly whoosh effect that you describe (normally just after shark week), but it still average out over the month to around 1lb per week which is what I am aiming for - so I don't worry about the 1-2kg upward variances I get .
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you might try a little change-up in your cardio routine -- HIITs instead of steady runs, some strength training, dancing, playing tag with your kids...
this would cause water retention and in turn no "scale" loss...not the best idea if you are relying on the scale for validation of weight loss.2 -
thekevinbroach wrote: »thekevinbroach wrote: »ive lost and gained 5 up and down for bout 3 weeks, coming off losing consistently every week
not a plateau if the weight is moving....
how are you logging? using a food scale? extra sodium? water retention? new exercise?
I've lost every single week, 3-7lbs, so when im stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks.. its a plateau for me.. haha
you aren't stuck tho...you lose then regain...that is not a plateau.
see above questions....2 -
cerise_noir wrote: »thekevinbroach wrote: »thekevinbroach wrote: »ive lost and gained 5 up and down for bout 3 weeks, coming off losing consistently every week
not a plateau if the weight is moving....
how are you logging? using a food scale? extra sodium? water retention? new exercise?
I've lost every single week, 3-7lbs, so when im stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks.. its a plateau for me.. haha
Have you updated your fitness profile to give you new calories since losing all the weight?
Do you use a food scale for ALL solid food? Spoons/cups for liquids only?
Agreed with others that 3 weeks is not a plateau (6+weeks is generally considered getting into plateau territory). Weight loss is not linear, either.
How much weight have you got to lose? I ask since 3-7lbs per week is extreme weight loss, even for those who are morbidly obese.
I was 277 when I started on May 8th. I've been bouncing around the 190lbs for a few weeks. My goal is 175lbs.0 -
You're avoiding the question on logging so I'm going to guess that's where the problem lies. Tighten up your logging accuracy. I have never seen a "plateau" that wasn't solved with more accurate logging. Use your food scale for ALL solids. Measuring cups/spoons for ALL liquids. Use the recipe builder. Use accurate entries. Be conservative with exercise calories. Log everything that passes your lips. Etc. Work on the logging accuracy so you truly know you're in a calorie deficit and the results will show on the scale.0
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It's been mentioned a few times but no answer on it yet. Have you updated your calorie goal in MFP? You should do this for about every 10 lbs of loss. You burn less calories at lower weights than at higher so, as you lose weight while keeping the same calorie goal, your actual deficit gets smaller and smaller, making you lose less and less weight.0
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And diet breaks (where you eat at maintenance levels) are proven to be beneficial from time to time when one has to lose a large amount of weight.1
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thekevinbroach wrote: »thekevinbroach wrote: »ive lost and gained 5 up and down for bout 3 weeks, coming off losing consistently every week
not a plateau if the weight is moving....
how are you logging? using a food scale? extra sodium? water retention? new exercise?
I've lost every single week, 3-7lbs, so when im stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks.. its a plateau for me.. haha
A healthy rate of loss would be 1-2 pounds per week. 3-7 pounds/week suggests your body may be adjusting to the stress you're putting on it. I second what others have said about logging and adjusting your goals on MFP, but also you might adjust your expectations. 3-7 pounds per week is extreme.1 -
thekevinbroach wrote: »cerise_noir wrote: »thekevinbroach wrote: »thekevinbroach wrote: »ive lost and gained 5 up and down for bout 3 weeks, coming off losing consistently every week
not a plateau if the weight is moving....
how are you logging? using a food scale? extra sodium? water retention? new exercise?
I've lost every single week, 3-7lbs, so when im stuck at the same weight for 3 weeks.. its a plateau for me.. haha
Have you updated your fitness profile to give you new calories since losing all the weight?
Do you use a food scale for ALL solid food? Spoons/cups for liquids only?
Agreed with others that 3 weeks is not a plateau (6+weeks is generally considered getting into plateau territory). Weight loss is not linear, either.
How much weight have you got to lose? I ask since 3-7lbs per week is extreme weight loss, even for those who are morbidly obese.
I was 277 when I started on May 8th. I've been bouncing around the 190lbs for a few weeks. My goal is 175lbs.
Wait, you've been losing 20 lbs a month? At this point, it would really be in your best interest to slow this down anyway. You have been putting enormous stress on your body shedding weight so rapidly and would be losing a fair amount of muscle if you were still losing 3-5 lbs per week at your current weight.
Tighten up your logging, eat the calories MFP gives you for 1lb per week, and start doing some strength training to try to preserve what's left of your muscle mass. Most people once they get down to the last 10-15 lbs are losing at a rate of half-a-lb per week. Please take care of yourself!2
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