Horrible Plateau!!

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ddo04495
ddo04495 Posts: 2 Member
in Motivation and Support
Help! I’ve been at the same weight for three weeks! I’m counting, weighing, and measuring religiously. I drink 9-11 cups of water a day. I update my MFP goals every 5-10 lbs to get an accurate calorie count. But the scale won’t budge! I tried incorporating cardio into my AM routine and nothing!!! I’m so discouraged. If there’s no point in dieting, I should just eat what I want 😫

Replies

  • deercrest
    deercrest Posts: 27 Member
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    I think most of us have been there. I know for me it was very frustrating and it was hard to stay motivated. Everyone and every body makeup is different so what worked of one may not work for you. For me it was all about switching things up and getting my body and metabolism guessing. Intermittent fast helped a bit, adjusting my micros helped (moving calories from carbs to proteins). 40% coming from proteins worked for me but that also depends on your size, goal and the type of exercise you do. Most of all resistance training had a far better impact for me than cardio. Also remember to be very leery of just what the scale says. If your increasing your exercise (especially any resistance training) you may be putting on a bit more muscle and losing fat. Pay attention to that one article of clothing that you know how it fits. It will be a far far better gauge than the scale. Send me a message if you want to discuss futherer, I enjoy learning from others as well. Good luck
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
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    Technically 3 weeks is not a plateau. They say it takes 6 weeks to be one but just the same it's frustrating to get stuck. I got stuck for 3 MONTHS when I hit a plateau and that was really frustrating. So the questions are: How long have you been dieting? How much have you lost? Are you weighing all your food? From that point people can probably make some suggestions. If you had a huge initial loss the first week or two and you haven't been dieting for very long then this is water. The body often lets go of a bunch of water particularly if you dramatically change the way you are eating for example going to a low carb program. The fast loss is water then as the water in your system settles and comes back the actual fat loss is camouflaged. You think you are stuck when in fact you are losing fat. Hang in there it will balance out.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
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    First: if you have a digital scale and have lost less than one pound, it won't register until you "reset" it: stand one the scale with a 3lb weight, then reweigh yourself. Digital scales are weird that way.

    Second: 3 weeks is perfectly normal for a plateau, it really is. Quitting because you don't get what you expect in 3 weeks and going back to eating whatever you want is simply going to ruin any and all hard work you've already done.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
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    VUA21 wrote: »
    First: if you have a digital scale and have lost less than one pound, it won't register until you "reset" it: stand one the scale with a 3lb weight, then reweigh yourself. Digital scales are weird that way.

    Second: 3 weeks is perfectly normal for a plateau, it really is. Quitting because you don't get what you expect in 3 weeks and going back to eating whatever you want is simply going to ruin any and all hard work you've already done.

    Not all digital scales do that. Mine does not.
  • dhiammarath
    dhiammarath Posts: 834 Member
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    I was in a plateau for a month, maybe more. What I noticed is that the picture I took at the beginning of the month at the same "scale weight" and the picture I took at the beginning of the next month was very different. This is why I take measurements every 2 weeks. They help, because the inches will come off somewhere if you're diligent and as accurate as you can be while tracking. I then lost a big chunk over the course of a week and a half, as if my body was like "OH YEAH WE'RE LOSING WEIGHT, RIGHT. I'll get right on that."

    Get a trending app. That helps loads! Don't be afraid of plateaus! Keep at it; you'll see results!
  • antsosbo
    antsosbo Posts: 40 Member
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    I'm in the middle of a plateau myself and it kills me to see the same number everyday. But I'm still feeling good so I'm gonna keep at it! I was actually coming today to complain about it, and I'm glad I see other people who are dealing with it. Don't give up the fight!
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    ddo04495 wrote: »
    Help! I’ve been at the same weight for three weeks! I’m counting, weighing, and measuring religiously. I drink 9-11 cups of water a day. I update my MFP goals every 5-10 lbs to get an accurate calorie count. But the scale won’t budge! I tried incorporating cardio into my AM routine and nothing!!! I’m so discouraged. If there’s no point in dieting, I should just eat what I want 😫

    Like others said, a plateau is 6 weeks or more without the scale moving. In the meantime, make sure your logging is as accurate as possible, recheck the entries you're using and also consider that if you just upped your exercising you will likely be retaining more water and that may mask progress.
  • ZDandy
    ZDandy Posts: 16 Member
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    My plateau lasted FIVE months! Despite tracking, working out with a personal trainer twice a week and without the trainer another two or three days a week, meeting with a dietician every two weeks...everything you are supposed to do, I did it. And for those 5 months, the scale didn't budge. I weighed exactly the same every two weeks when I saw the dietician. She tried to encourage me by telling me that I was learning about maintenance and I did appreciate that. Most importantly, I never threw in the towel. I kept doing the things I was doing. Finally, when it was clear I was stuck, the dietician lowered my carb allowance - from 65 g per day to 49 g per day. And she told me to read the book "Eat Fat, Get Thin." And, because I am compliant, I did. That was around the middle of May. Since then, I have lost almost 12 lbs. The moral of my story is DON'T GIVE UP AND DON'T GIVE IN! You don't have to be perfect, you just have to stay in the game.

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