Only a stone to lose....but plateaued so early!

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Replies

  • motivatedmartha
    motivatedmartha Posts: 1,108 Member
    AdLibbb wrote: »
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    For someone who has so little to lose, it may take up to two months to start noticing trends. The readings are often too noisy with natural fluctuations that any loss or gain may get drowned out by these fluctuations. Be patient.
    But I thought, according to this app, I should be losing a pound a week so why the two month wait? It is so disheartening. I just know when I compare my recent eating and intake with the volume and stuff I have been eating over the past year that my body should be dropping the weight with the contrast. Can you give me a guide as to how patient I need to be. I am sorry if I am being a pain and annoying....I guess I’m just living this every day with the hope and disappointment and the extra weight is really bothering me.

    Incidentally, should it take just as much patience to put the weight back on?!

    Don't be disheartened - sometimes when the scales don't move the tape measure (or your clothes)
    do
  • ExistingFish
    ExistingFish Posts: 1,259 Member
    Someone posted this link elsewhere on the forums, I thought it was so good I'd share again.

    http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

    This can explain why you wake up weighing more or less one day or the next, even if the trend is downward.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
    I'm maintaining, but still weigh myself every morning. The past three days my weight has been creeping up while I'm still eating my normal maintenance calories. Oh yes! I just returned from a longer car drive (increased water weight), started working out again (increased water weight) and have not had bowel movement in two days. It all influences weight, but not bodyfat.
  • AdLibbb
    AdLibbb Posts: 14 Member
    ExistingFish wrote: »
    Someone posted this link elsewhere on the forums, I thought it was so good I'd share again.

    http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

    This can explain why you wake up weighing more or less one day or the next, even if the trend is downward.

    This is fascinating! What an amazing article! I understand 😊 Thank you😘😘
  • AdLibbb
    AdLibbb Posts: 14 Member
    Motivated Martha - your comment made me go back and double check my loss and time periods. Basically when I got the initial shock, I was at the vets! 😂 I weighed my dog and then thought I may as well get on the scales. That’s when I saw the weight gain. I was fully clothed though. I then did my own casual diet but I didn’t buy scales for the home till 1 July. So all I know for certain is that between 1 July and today 22 July I have gone from 10 stone to 9 stone 10 (the lowest weight). From what everyone is saying, that is pretty much on track. I must be honest, I do FEEL slimmer and think my clothes are fitting me better again. I feel like I look better. As you have quite rightly said, the scales and the clothes may give different answers.

    I think I will be happy to lose another 4 pounds next month and then another 4 pounds the next. I will be delighted with that....and from what I now understand, that should be achievable.

    I am soooooo grateful to everyone who has responded for their reassurance. I know that compared to many people on here, my journey is easy and really no big deal. However I have always had a tendency to put on weight and I have always had to watch myself. I am not a naturally slim person and I have been angry at myself for allowing this creep to happen. I am thankful to you all for not judging my impatience over this as for me, it has been quite a shock and upsetting to think it will take so long to get the weight back off. You have all been so great and understanding with your explanations and insights xx
  • AdLibbb
    AdLibbb Posts: 14 Member
    Guys I am just so gutted 😢😢😢I have put on 3 pounds! The last few days I have been having my big meal late in the day around 9/9:30pm due to new working hours. But I am still tracking my calories.

    Also I guess I am less active because three days a week I am now at a desk job so not walking the dog (don’t worry he goes to my friends the days I work and is with her dogs all day and gets his exercise)! However with it being a real heatwave here for the last month it hasn’t been possible to do our usual daily long walks anyway as dogs can’t cope with the heat.

    However the fact is that I am still eating circa 1300-1400 calories a day. How on earth can weight gain be happening? It just is not fair. It’s funny because I felt inside that the long plateau was not good....but I relied on your reassurance and trusted it. And now look what has happened. I don’t understand it as I have been so good! Do I just have a natural fighting weight? Help, advice, encouragement seriously needed please!!!! Thank you 😘
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    AdLibbb wrote: »
    Guys I am just so gutted 😢😢😢I have put on 3 pounds! The last few days I have been having my big meal late in the day around 9/9:30pm due to new working hours. But I am still tracking my calories.

    Also I guess I am less active because three days a week I am now at a desk job so not walking the dog (don’t worry he goes to my friends the days I work and is with her dogs all day and gets his exercise)! However with it being a real heatwave here for the last month it hasn’t been possible to do our usual daily long walks anyway as dogs can’t cope with the heat.

    However the fact is that I am still eating circa 1300-1400 calories a day. How on earth can weight gain be happening? It just is not fair. It’s funny because I felt inside that the long plateau was not good....but I relied on your reassurance and trusted it. And now look what has happened. I don’t understand it as I have been so good! Do I just have a natural fighting weight? Help, advice, encouragement seriously needed please!!!! Thank you 😘

    Weight loss isn't linear, it's fine.
  • AdLibbb
    AdLibbb Posts: 14 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »

    Weight loss isn't linear, it's fine.

    By “fine” do you mean “meaningless”? Do you mean I haven’t actually gained weight? That I haven’t undone my hard work? I am beginning to feel like the only way for me to get back slim is to starve myself like when I was on 1200 calories 😔
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    AdLibbb wrote: »
    TavistockToad wrote: »

    Weight loss isn't linear, it's fine.

    By “fine” do you mean “meaningless”? Do you mean I haven’t actually gained weight? That I haven’t undone my hard work? I am beginning to feel like the only way for me to get back slim is to starve myself like when I was on 1200 calories 😔

    No, you have gained weight, you just probably haven't gained fat, so it's no big deal. Just keep on with your deficit and the scales will drop eventually.

    Did starving yourself work last time?
  • AdLibbb
    AdLibbb Posts: 14 Member
    Tavistock Toad - yes it did! I dropped loads of weight quickly and was so motivated.....just bloody starving!
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    AdLibbb wrote: »
    Tavistock Toad - yes it did! I dropped loads of weight quickly and was so motivated.....just bloody starving!

    I feel like you aren't really taking on board what everyone is trying to tell you. Maybe one of these threads will help:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10359984/women-menstrual-cycle-weight-and-fitness-matters/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1

    These and many others are in the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each board.

    Look, you can live and die by the number on the scale every week, feeling like you're cursed, starving yourself to force your body to produce the number you want to see when you want to see it. And you will probably end up yo-yo dieting and feeling deprived forever. Or you can try to learn from all the experience and knowledge here: Even if you do everything right, you will not lose weight every week, and sometimes you will gain. Water weight can fluctuate several lbs per week, Stressing out over the # on the scale is wasted effort.

    I am now trying to maintain my weight after losing 20 lbs. My weight fluctuates between 125lbs and 130, and sometimes I can jump from the low end of that range to the high end overnight. And I don't care, because I know it doesn't mean anything. When I was losing weight, sometimes I would see my weight go down and up several lbs every week and then after 6 weeks I would finally be 2 lbs down. The little half lb losses were hiding behind water weight all that time. It didn't bother me, because I understood the process and never defined success or failure by something as random as the number on the scale.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    AdLibbb wrote: »
    Tavistock Toad - yes it did! I dropped loads of weight quickly and was so motivated.....just bloody starving!

    And yet you need to lose weight again, so.....?
  • AdLibbb
    AdLibbb Posts: 14 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    AdLibbb wrote: »
    Tavistock Toad - yes it did! I dropped loads of weight quickly and was so motivated.....just bloody starving!

    And yet you need to lose weight again, so.....?

    I hear you. I guess I am blaming the weight gain on the fact that I have increased my intake to1400 calories not the painful 1200. I have interpreted that as meaning that unless I am literally starving I can’t lose weight. But I get your point...

  • AdLibbb
    AdLibbb Posts: 14 Member
    kimny72 wrote: »
    AdLibbb wrote: »
    Tavistock Toad - yes it did! I dropped loads of weight quickly and was so motivated.....just bloody starving!

    I feel like you aren't really taking on board what everyone is trying to tell you. Maybe one of these threads will help:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10359984/women-menstrual-cycle-weight-and-fitness-matters/p1

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1

    These and many others are in the Most Helpful Posts threads pinned to the top of each board.

    Look, you can live and die by the number on the scale every week, feeling like you're cursed, starving yourself to force your body to produce the number you want to see when you want to see it. And you will probably end up yo-yo dieting and feeling deprived forever. Or you can try to learn from all the experience and knowledge here: Even if you do everything right, you will not lose weight every week, and sometimes you will gain. Water weight can fluctuate several lbs per week, Stressing out over the # on the scale is wasted effort.

    I am now trying to maintain my weight after losing 20 lbs. My weight fluctuates between 125lbs and 130, and sometimes I can jump from the low end of that range to the high end overnight. And I don't care, because I know it doesn't mean anything. When I was losing weight, sometimes I would see my weight go down and up several lbs every week and then after 6 weeks I would finally be 2 lbs down. The little half lb losses were hiding behind water weight all that time. It didn't bother me, because I understood the process and never defined success or failure by something as random as the number on the scale.

    I found this totally insightful. Thank you Those articles have helped me understand so much better and I LOVE the Mildred explanation. I feel that I may be eating my calories back too much and also am not creating the deficit I really need to achieve to see results. If I don’t exercise then I can only eat 1619 calories every day. I am so grateful for this information....I am a scientific logical kind of person and this will really help me understand the science of it all and how the cumulative effect will show. Thank you!

  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
    AdLibbb wrote: »
    Guys I am just so gutted 😢😢😢I have put on 3 pounds! The last few days I have been having my big meal late in the day around 9/9:30pm due to new working hours. But I am still tracking my calories.

    Also I guess I am less active because three days a week I am now at a desk job so not walking the dog (don’t worry he goes to my friends the days I work and is with her dogs all day and gets his exercise)! However with it being a real heatwave here for the last month it hasn’t been possible to do our usual daily long walks anyway as dogs can’t cope with the heat.

    However the fact is that I am still eating circa 1300-1400 calories a day. How on earth can weight gain be happening? It just is not fair. It’s funny because I felt inside that the long plateau was not good....but I relied on your reassurance and trusted it. And now look what has happened. I don’t understand it as I have been so good! Do I just have a natural fighting weight? Help, advice, encouragement seriously needed please!!!! Thank you 😘

    Looks like you have found some answers and maybe you now realize this, but the mere fact that you are eating your last meal later than you were before can make it look like you have gained weight (read: fat). If that's the source of the weight, you have not gained fat, you just have more in your system at the time you weigh. If the last time I eat is later than usual and it's a larger meal or snack, I can guarantee you my weight will be higher the next day than it will if I eat dinner at my normal time. No big deal, there's just more in my system at that point in time, but it's not fat weight.

    However, that might not even be the culprit. It could be because of higher sodium, it could be because of the heat, it could be because of where you are in your cycle. Point is, unless you ate enough over maintenance to gain three pounds, you haven't gained fat.

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