Scared of weight loss plateaus.
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urshela111 wrote: »
If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.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)
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
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?2 -
[/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
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urshela111 wrote: »urshela111 wrote: »
If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.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)
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
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.
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urshela111 wrote: »urshela111 wrote: »
If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.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)
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
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).1 -
meganpettigrew86 wrote: »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.0 -
smithmssycatsmithiris30 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. 0 -
Are you not eating some of your exercise calories back? Because if so, then your deficit is likely too high.urshela111 wrote: »
If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.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)
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
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.
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
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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.urshela111 wrote: »urshela111 wrote: »
If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.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)
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
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?
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
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Why are you more scared of a stall while losing than getting or staying overweight? Obesity is the thing to be scared of.3
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urshela111 wrote: »urshela111 wrote: »
If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.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)
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
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.
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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!1
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chelllsea124 wrote: »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.
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Are you not eating some of your exercise calories back? Because if so, then your deficit is likely too high.urshela111 wrote: »
If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.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)
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
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.
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
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.0 -
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urshela111 wrote: »
Are you not eating some of your exercise calories back? Because if so, then your deficit is likely too high.urshela111 wrote: »
If you read EVERYTHING about plateaus, then you should know that they are actually RARE.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)
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
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.
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
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: »
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.4 -
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 goals1
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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!
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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!
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!1 -
urshela111 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!
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.
1 -
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.2
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