Scared of weight loss plateaus.

2

Replies

  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Here i am back at the plateau again. At 61 kgs. Having lost 9 kgs. This time iv measured my self to keep a tracks of inches lost. Havent seen any significant or any changes at all past 4 weeks.
    I have however increased my workout and switched to strength training. Done carb cycling.
    But i will eat at maintainence for a week then switch to my deficit at 1200 kcal.
    Thank you all!

    My weight past three days have 61.1, 61.2 and 61.5 i have started gaining. Now i just want to be sure if im in a plateau at all or it is just water weight fluctuations.

    This is not a plateau...this is normal weight fluctuations...and since weight is moving it really isn't a plateau.

    A plateau is no change in weight at all for 6-8 weeks.

    And for all of those who are claiming they were in one...because they were accurate...yah okay....there are always errors in logging...either due to user error or error on the package.

    there are a lot of factors that can account for lack of scale/weight loss. Some of it could be water retention from new exercise, or high sodium intake or travelling or heck cortisol levels are high due to outside stress or stress over a "plateau" but those don't last too long and aren't plateaus.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/another-look-at-metabolic-damage.html#more-9313
    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html

    Weight loss plateaus are really you eating at maintenance even if you all don't want to believe it.

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    Just because you have never been to Spain doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I hit a plateau that lasted three and a half months. I was weighing and measuring and logging everything. I have now lost 84 pounds. What caused it? Who knows. Eating at maintenance for a week got me going again. I went back to dieting and continued to lose at slightly higher calories. I am now 10 pounds from goal. I agree that you may continue to lose inches even if your actual body weight isn't moving. With bodies that have a huge percentage of our weight made up of water we have to understand that although calories in vs. calories out will determine our fat loss body weight is affected by so many things. A classic example is (TMI warning) how often your bowels move. That can affect your weight if things have slowed down. The closer you get to goal weight the slower the loss will be. Many people think they are on a plateau if they aren't losing 2 pounds a week. That just isn't a plateau. If it happens you can get through it. Just don't quit. You have to keep going and keep in mind that if you aren't gaining you are ahead of the game. I decided when I got stuck that if that was my maintenance level I would just live there. I was so unwilling to gain back the weight I had lost. Eat at a level you can live at. Crash dieting never works. This is an eating plan not a diet to go off of and go back to "normal" eating (as in what you were doing before that caused the weight gain). Good Luck.
    Ah, but actual science and clinical experimentation ARE THERE to examine and most people who think they are on a plateau, really aren't when ALL INFORMATION gets analyzed.
    As I've mentioned, with clients that felt the same way, after we've sat down and analyzed their daily/weekly regimen HONESTLY, there's ALWAYS something that's slightly different. And that slight difference may have been the factor.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    edited October 2017
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Here i am back at the plateau again. At 61 kgs. Having lost 9 kgs. This time iv measured my self to keep a tracks of inches lost. Havent seen any significant or any changes at all past 4 weeks.
    I have however increased my workout and switched to strength training. Done carb cycling.
    But i will eat at maintainence for a week then switch to my deficit at 1200 kcal.
    Thank you all!

    My weight past three days have 61.1, 61.2 and 61.5 i have started gaining. Now i just want to be sure if im in a plateau at all or it is just water weight fluctuations.
    NOT a plateau because the weight is changing. It's NOT EXACTLY the same. This is why I've stated that plateau's are rare. If you've stalled, then you reassess. Are you actually eating less than you STARTED at 70 kgs? If not, then you need to because you weigh less.
    Of course I'm assuming you're not undereating if you're using the app correctly.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    If you've increased your workouts and started strength training, you're likely retaining fluid for muscle repair.

    How did you come to that 1200 cals? If you don't have much weight to lose (ie less than 20 lb), you should only be aiming for 0.5 lb per week, and you need to eat 50-75% of any calories you burn from exercise as well.


    I used the app to generate the calorie intake limit. Thanks a lot. I actually have 20 lbs to lose.

    What weekly weight loss goal did you set it to?

    1kg per week. (2lbs)
    If you're not over 200lbs, this is aggressive which means you're body is responding by slowing it's metabolic rate to compensate for the calories.
    Go for 1% of your body weight a week. Recalculate your calories for that.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png
  • KelGen02
    KelGen02 Posts: 668 Member
    I am currently in one and it was making me CRAZY... I have lost 70lbs and then nothing, for weeks on end and now all I have done is gain and lose the same 3-4lbs for about a month. I was getting frustrated and beginning to see old patterns creep in and that scared the crap out of me because i had worked so hard to get to this point...so I made some changes... Mostly mental changes, I went to maintenance for about 4 weeks and only got on the scale twice in that time frame. I continued to eat healthy 90% of the time and continued with my workouts as normal. I just needed to stop focusing on the scale and focus more on my health and fitness and to remind myself on why I started this new lifestyle in the first place. Yes, I needed to lose weight but I truly just wanted to get active and live a healthier LONGER life and I knew that wasn't going to happen being a 260lb couch potato. I took a look back at what was different now from when I was consistently losing weigh each week. I was lax in my meal planning/prep. I wasn't working out nearly as much as I had been and my portions were a little bit bigger than usual. Lets face it, our bodies will plateau at some point, I lost 70lbs obviously the weight isn't just going to continue to drop off as I near goal weight so I need to work a little bit harder at it, so it may take a longer time to get there... I just need to push through, make some changes, continue to log my foods, meal prep and commit to my exercise routine and most of all have patience and not give up. I always look at before an after pics to keep me going in the right direct... I NEVER want to go back o:)


    89e8ho9v4zux.png
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    KelGen02 wrote: »
    I am currently in one and it was making me CRAZY... I have lost 70lbs and then nothing, for weeks on end and now all I have done is gain and lose the same 3-4lbs for about a month. I was getting frustrated and beginning to see old patterns creep in and that scared the crap out of me because i had worked so hard to get to this point...so I made some changes... Mostly mental changes, I went to maintenance for about 4 weeks and only got on the scale twice in that time frame. I continued to eat healthy 90% of the time and continued with my workouts as normal. I just needed to stop focusing on the scale and focus more on my health and fitness and to remind myself on why I started this new lifestyle in the first place. Yes, I needed to lose weight but I truly just wanted to get active and live a healthier LONGER life and I knew that wasn't going to happen being a 260lb couch potato. I took a look back at what was different now from when I was consistently losing weigh each week. I was lax in my meal planning/prep. I wasn't working out nearly as much as I had been and my portions were a little bit bigger than usual. Lets face it, our bodies will plateau at some point, I lost 70lbs obviously the weight isn't just going to continue to drop off as I near goal weight so I need to work a little bit harder at it, so it may take a longer time to get there... I just need to push through, make some changes, continue to log my foods, meal prep and commit to my exercise routine and most of all have patience and not give up. I always look at before an after pics to keep me going in the right direct... I NEVER want to go back o:)



    That is not a plateau...if you are gaining and losing weight you are not in a plateau...it could be a stall due to inaccurate logging, water retention etc but not a plateau.

    again cortisol (stress hormone) can mask weight loss by making your body hold water...guess what causes stress...thinking you are in a plateau and will never get to goal...
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,619 Member
    edited October 2017
    KelGen02 wrote: »
    I am currently in one and it was making me CRAZY... I have lost 70lbs and then nothing, for weeks on end and now all I have done is gain and lose the same 3-4lbs for about a month. I was getting frustrated and beginning to see old patterns creep in and that scared the crap out of me because i had worked so hard to get to this point...so I made some changes... Mostly mental changes, I went to maintenance for about 4 weeks and only got on the scale twice in that time frame. I continued to eat healthy 90% of the time and continued with my workouts as normal. I just needed to stop focusing on the scale and focus more on my health and fitness and to remind myself on why I started this new lifestyle in the first place. Yes, I needed to lose weight but I truly just wanted to get active and live a healthier LONGER life and I knew that wasn't going to happen being a 260lb couch potato. I took a look back at what was different now from when I was consistently losing weigh each week. I was lax in my meal planning/prep. I wasn't working out nearly as much as I had been and my portions were a little bit bigger than usual. Lets face it, our bodies will plateau at some point, I lost 70lbs obviously the weight isn't just going to continue to drop off as I near goal weight so I need to work a little bit harder at it, so it may take a longer time to get there... I just need to push through, make some changes, continue to log my foods, meal prep and commit to my exercise routine and most of all have patience and not give up. I always look at before an after pics to keep me going in the right direct... I NEVER want to go back o:)

    That isn't a plateau.

    You lost 70 lbs, so you need to adjust your calorie intake.

    You became lax in meal planning/prep. You weren't working out nearly as much as you had been and your portions were a little bit bigger than usual.

    What you're experiencing now might be a bit of burnout, if you've been at it a long time ... but it isn't a plateau.

    And yes, going to maintenance for a few weeks can be good.

    When I lost my weight, as I mentioned above, I did it in two sets of 16 weeks each. Between those sets of 16 weeks, I took a 1-month diet break (while travelling) and ate whatever I wanted while doing more exercise than usual. It was a good break and I was ready to get back into it again for another 16 weeks.

  • urshela111
    urshela111 Posts: 25 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,619 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.

    Do you have a food scale, and are you weighing everything you eat?

  • urshela111
    urshela111 Posts: 25 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.

    Do you have a food scale, and are you weighing everything you eat?

    I do not have a food scale. But i have good estimates. I cant promise i havent taken a bite of doughnut or brownie here and there sometimes. But only one or two bites, does that affect significantly?
  • Rickster1967
    Rickster1967 Posts: 485 Member
    [/quote]

    I do not have a food scale. But i have good estimates. I cant promise i havent taken a bite of doughnut or brownie here and there sometimes. But only one or two bites, does that affect significantly?[/quote]

    right

    no scale, estimating portion size, taking bites on brownies

    and wondering why cant drop weight

  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.

    Do you have a food scale, and are you weighing everything you eat?

    I do not have a food scale. But i have good estimates. I cant promise i havent taken a bite of doughnut or brownie here and there sometimes. But only one or two bites, does that affect significantly?

    The issue is that your are close to your goal weight, so weight loss is slower and you need to be more accurate in your tracking. So, even though you lost fine without one initially, if you are finding your stuck then your need to get a scale and be as accurate as possible on what you are eating. And a couple of bites here and there can be 250 cals easily, which is the equivalent of a 1/2 lb per week. Yeah the little bits will make a difference now.

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.

    Do you have a food scale, and are you weighing everything you eat?

    I do not have a food scale. But i have good estimates. I cant promise i havent taken a bite of doughnut or brownie here and there sometimes. But only one or two bites, does that affect significantly?

    You're posting about how you're not losing weight when you expect to, so I wouldn't assume you have good estimates (especially since you're eating other foods that you apparently aren't logging).
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    I use this:
    https://www.caloriesecrets.net/how-many-calories-should-i-burn-a-day-to-lose-weight/
    my fitness pal caps at 1200 and messes up when it comes to adding exercise calories. I.e. if it didn't have the cap it may have put your calories at 1000 then you add your exercise calories on top, instead your adding to the 1200... so there's an extra 200cal boom.

    I agree that it "kinda" messes up if you don't have a lot to lose but are aggressive on your weight loss goals.

    I'm 225 ish. I could lose 2 lbs per week still (less than 1% of my body weight).
    Say my NEAT ~ 2300 (sedentary).
    Say I average 350 cals per day for exercise.

    So MFP would set me at 1500 (the floor, I'm a guy). But to lose 2 lbs per week I "should" be at 1300.
    Add in the exercise and I'd be able to eat 1850, but it "should" be 1650. So I would be eating 200 cals over what my planned deficit is and would not lose the 2 lbs per week.

    Numbers are not exactly where I am at, but it can be an issue.
  • MissyCHF
    MissyCHF Posts: 337 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    I've Plateaued since June after losing 31lb, I have tried changing the type of calorie I eat - more protein for instance. Today I was in Lidl store looking for their high protein rolls, when I spied their Pecan Plaits, I bought 3 for £1 and I have just eaten all three @ nearly 400 calories each!!

    May I add I'm sedentary, have 1200 cal's per day, with a goal I have just reduced yesterday to ½ lb per week

    Well ... at least you know why you've plateaued. :)

    Today was my rebellion - against myself. :)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.
    Are you not eating some of your exercise calories back? Because if so, then your deficit is likely too high.
    What are your stats? Height, weight, age and activity level?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png





  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.

    Do you have a food scale, and are you weighing everything you eat?

    I do not have a food scale. But i have good estimates. I cant promise i havent taken a bite of doughnut or brownie here and there sometimes. But only one or two bites, does that affect significantly?
    Well one doughnut or brownie can easily be 350 calories or more. So say you just ate a 1/4 of that. That's 87.4 calories. And on a low calorie diet, that can be significant enough if you've already reached your calorie goal that day.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png

  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Why are you more scared of a stall while losing than getting or staying overweight? Obesity is the thing to be scared of.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,619 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.

    Do you have a food scale, and are you weighing everything you eat?

    I do not have a food scale. But i have good estimates. I cant promise i havent taken a bite of doughnut or brownie here and there sometimes. But only one or two bites, does that affect significantly?

    No, you don't have good estimates ... you just have estimates. And incorrect estimates can make a big difference.

    If losing the weight matters to you, get a food scale.

  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    Op, change your goal to 1 lb per week, 1 kg is too aggressive. Go to Walmart or Amazon and spend $15 on a digital food scale, and start using it for all solids - scanned, processed, whole food, peanut butter, etc. Try being less aggressive and more accurate. I'd bet it's a combination of cortisol from stress, water weight from new exercise, and eating more than you think due to estimating. Hang in there!
  • CynthiasChoice
    CynthiasChoice Posts: 1,047 Member
    Plateaus will happen every time. So what do you do? Not try at all? Doesn't seem like a feasible option to me. Just stick with it, no matter what, and you'll get it. And once you come off of that plateau, you'll feel even better about the success. Good luck! :)

    This is the best advice! It sounds like your weight struggle isn't a one-time thing. If that's true you need to think LONG term. Very long. Like forever sticking with an eating plan you know is best for you. Eventually you will lose, and that's better than giving up and gaining, right? You could think of it this way: The longer it takes to lose weight, the more practice you get at eating carefully.

    Whoever heard of someone eating fewer calories than they need and never losing weight? That doesn't happen. Weight loss can be slow sometimes, and personally, I think more research is needed about why this happens. Metabolism does slow down on a long term diet, and I read (one of the MFP moderator's posts) that it can take 6 months to 8 YEARS to recover your pre-diet metabolism!

    But what choice do we really have? I figure that for me, the best option is buckle down and deal with it. Forever.
    (BTW, I just came off a 3 week plateau and lost 3 pounds!) Don't give up!! You can do it.
  • urshela111
    urshela111 Posts: 25 Member
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.
    Are you not eating some of your exercise calories back? Because if so, then your deficit is likely too high.
    What are your stats? Height, weight, age and activity level?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png






    Nope i dont eat my excercise calories back.
    Im 5'3, 23 years old and weigh 134 lbs. I workout for an hour, 6 days a week.
  • urshela111
    urshela111 Posts: 25 Member
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Why are you more scared of a stall while losing than getting or staying overweight? Obesity is the thing to be scared of.

    Scared of the stress and frustration that comes with trying hard and not achieving. Im again in a plateau right now .
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    urshela111 wrote: »
    Last year i lost 9 kgs in 3 months and after that i plateaud at 60kgs for 2 months. I gave up because it affected it mentally. I started working in the hotel industry and over the course of 9 months i gained back the 9 kgs.
    Now its been 2 weeks since iv been working out, but im scared il plateau again and the frustration will be back.

    P.s (iv read everything about plateaus)
    If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.

    A plateau in weightloss is 6 weeks or more of NO WEIGHT MOVEMENT (up or down) while one has been completely consistent with calorie intake and exercise. That would mean that any change in that 6 weeks, which would include eating something you usually don't or doing an exercise or duration you usually don't, exempts if from being a plateau because the consistency was lost.

    What you likely experienced was a stall and many times it happens because initially people are TOO AGGRESSIVE in their calorie deficit. It usually will take the body about 2 months or so to adapt to that deficit and then it reacts in kind by accommodating it by matching metabolic rate to the calories taken in.
    I can't truly say what happened because I have no idea about you, but in almost all my clients who stall, there's something they've done differently in their routine that likely caused it after they were being honest with themselves.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png


    Iv been in the 61 weight range for quite a weeks. And all my measurements are same.
    What do you reckon i do now?
    Will uping my calorie intake to 1500 and eating 50% of the excercise calories help? Should take off from working out for few weeks?
    Sorry for bombarding you with questions.
    Are you not eating some of your exercise calories back? Because if so, then your deficit is likely too high.
    What are your stats? Height, weight, age and activity level?

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

    9285851.png






    Nope i dont eat my excercise calories back.
    Im 5'3, 23 years old and weigh 134 lbs. I workout for an hour, 6 days a week.

    Change your weekly weight loss goal to 0.5-1 lb per week. You're within your healthy weight range and don't have enough body fat to sustain a larger deficit. Eat 50-75% of your exertcise calories on top of whatever MFP gives you for your calorie goal.
    urshela111 wrote: »
    lorrpb wrote: »
    Why are you more scared of a stall while losing than getting or staying overweight? Obesity is the thing to be scared of.

    Scared of the stress and frustration that comes with trying hard and not achieving. Im again in a plateau right now .

    You are not in a plateau. You're either underestimating your food intake because you're not weighing your food, or you're retaining water because you're stressing your body by not eating enough and that's masking fat loss. Impossible to know which until you know how many calories you're actually eating. Buy a scale. Weigh your food. Log accurately.
  • pamfgil
    pamfgil Posts: 449 Member
    There's a thread title " relatively light people trying to get leaner" do a search and read it if you haven't already, it's very applicable to your goals
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I'm always curious about why people who get stuck at some point end up giving up and gaining everything back. I'd rather fall short of my goal but maintain the weight I did lose than give up completely and gain everything back. Seems like a waste of a lot of good effort. I guess an "all-or-nothing" type personality would be more likely to have this happen. Resist that mentality. You can still be a relative success while falling short of achieving perfection. And you probably can still achieve your goal, but maybe not in the time frame you'd hoped. It's still a win, though, no matter how long it takes...

    OP, don't give up when you hit what you think is a "plateau." Consider your progress so far a success. Just take a break at maintenance for awhile (in other words, keep doing what you're doing because you are basically at maintenance if you're staying the same) and then get back to it (adjust your calorie goal down to reflect your new lower weight - it drops as you drop weight, and tighten up your tracking with a scale, etc.) when you are feeling more motivated again. Good luck! B)
  • urshela111
    urshela111 Posts: 25 Member
    jenilla1 wrote: »
    I'm always curious about why people who get stuck at some point end up giving up and gaining everything back. I'd rather fall short of my goal but maintain the weight I did lose than give up completely and gain everything back. Seems like a waste of a lot of good effort. I guess an "all-or-nothing" type personality would be more likely to have this happen. Resist that mentality. You can still be a relative success while falling short of achieving perfection. And you probably can still achieve your goal, but maybe not in the time frame you'd hoped. It's still a win, though, no matter how long it takes...

    OP, don't give up when you hit what you think is a "plateau." Consider your progress so far a success. Just take a break at maintenance for awhile (in other words, keep doing what you're doing because you are basically at maintenance if you're staying the same) and then get back to it (adjust your calorie goal down to reflect your new lower weight - it drops as you drop weight, and tighten up your tracking with a scale, etc.) when you are feeling more motivated again. Good luck! B)

    I didnt give up cause i plateaud. I just didnt get time to make food or workout. I had 12-13 hour job. Travelling took another 2 hours. So i ate whatever was available at work.
    I restarted my weight loss, and since the time i posted about this. I lost 8.5 kgs and am stuck again now. However, i will take a break for a week at maintainence.
    Thank you so much!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,619 Member
    urshela111 wrote: »
    jenilla1 wrote: »
    I'm always curious about why people who get stuck at some point end up giving up and gaining everything back. I'd rather fall short of my goal but maintain the weight I did lose than give up completely and gain everything back. Seems like a waste of a lot of good effort. I guess an "all-or-nothing" type personality would be more likely to have this happen. Resist that mentality. You can still be a relative success while falling short of achieving perfection. And you probably can still achieve your goal, but maybe not in the time frame you'd hoped. It's still a win, though, no matter how long it takes...

    OP, don't give up when you hit what you think is a "plateau." Consider your progress so far a success. Just take a break at maintenance for awhile (in other words, keep doing what you're doing because you are basically at maintenance if you're staying the same) and then get back to it (adjust your calorie goal down to reflect your new lower weight - it drops as you drop weight, and tighten up your tracking with a scale, etc.) when you are feeling more motivated again. Good luck! B)

    I didnt give up cause i plateaud. I just didnt get time to make food or workout. I had 12-13 hour job. Travelling took another 2 hours. So i ate whatever was available at work.
    I restarted my weight loss, and since the time i posted about this. I lost 8.5 kgs and am stuck again now. However, i will take a break for a week at maintainence.
    Thank you so much!

    During that week, get a food scale and start keeping accurate records.

    I started using a food scale back in 2015 ... what an eye-opening experience! It makes a difference.

  • Fursian
    Fursian Posts: 551 Member
    This kinda reminds me of the cat that never got the memo about cats and water, and went swimming.

    When I started, I fortunately paid no attention to that buzzkill of a word, plateau (never got the memo). Really believe it helped not knowing, for me. When I stalled, I gathered it was just for the usual array of reasons, and that the scale would eventually shift, and it did.

    Kept a diary and a pair of kitchen scales, and just pressed on.
This discussion has been closed.