Weight Plateau?

Options
Hi all,

I have stayed at about the same weight over the last 2 weeks. I was on a roll with losing weight until 2 weeks ago. I actually went through another period about a month ago where I was stuck at the same weight for a few weeks as well.. Any advice?
I am tracking my calories and making sure I stay within a certain calorie goal!

Replies

  • BradOWGolf
    BradOWGolf Posts: 13 Member
    Options
    Advice is to keep going and don't give up -- I have found myself in the "plateau" place several times and while it is frustrating, just recognize that for some of us it happens and then press on.

    I'm on my way down from nearly 250, so you'd think that a pound, which is under 1% of that weight, would come off easily and keep coming off. Nope, I've been stuck at several weights on the way down.

    For what it's worth, I give myself a B to B- on counting and tracking calories and my weight drop seems to lag about 48 hours following what I refer to as good stretches of 2 to 4 days of exercise and above average nutrition and healthy eating for me at least.

    Good luck, don't give in to the temptation to quit out of plateau frustration.
  • sydneypink23
    sydneypink23 Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    As women, our weight fluctuates all the time. Where are you in your menstrual cycle?

    Check out this article:

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

    My period just ended!
  • sydneypink23
    sydneypink23 Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    yirara wrote: »
    Yep, period is yet another reason to store more water. us women constantly fluctuate. It's a fact of life and nothing to worry about. Mind you, you might also be a whoosher! Nothing happens on the scale for 1-3 weeks and suddenly you pee 2-3 times in one night and the next morning you're on the weight you should have been to start with. Then you 'plateau' again for a while and get another whoosh, etc.

    That definitely makes sense! Lol
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,731 Member
    Options
    To others' comments, I'd add this:

    I didn't see where you mentioned how much you've lost, or how close you're getting to goal.

    As the process goes on, sometimes the logging/tracking practices that have been very successful become less successful, because the tolerances of the process get tighter as we have less to lose.

    Some people are successful using the same methods all the way through, which is great. Some people find that they need to tighten up processes that have previously worked (things like weighing vs. measuring food, double-checking vs. believing package weights, logging every BLT (bite lick taste), avoiding using others' database entries for finished foods (but using specific individual ingredients of one's own foods instead), double-checking frequently-used food database entries to make sure they're correct, making sure exercise calories are truly reasonable, etc.).

    You may be doing all of those things perfectly already, so I don't mean this as a criticism. But, for some people, this can be a factor.

    Since you're still losing, just less consistently, the water weight issue is still a higher likelihood. At some point, some people also find that they benefit from a short refeed at maintenance calories, or a longer maintenance break. That's not just about psychology/compliance, it can be about hormones that affect water retention. More about that issue in this thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    Best wishes for continuing success! :)
  • sydneypink23
    sydneypink23 Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    Avidkeo wrote: »
    I love showing this because it really shows reality.

    I weigh every day. First thing in the morning, straight after going to the toilet. Without clothes. And you really ges a sense of what's going on. You can see that almost every 2 weeks I have a small rise, followed by a good loss (the most recent rise is due to isolation, not hormones). Now its not entirely that I just gained out of the blue, a lot of these were due to increased intake also. But you get the idea.

    I like tracking daily now because I can ignore the individual weight, focus on the trend and ai know that each blip is followed by a good loss.

    wehemf9og13w.jpg
    Wow. I love that. Thanks for sharing!!
  • sydneypink23
    sydneypink23 Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    To others' comments, I'd add this:

    I didn't see where you mentioned how much you've lost, or how close you're getting to goal.

    As the process goes on, sometimes the logging/tracking practices that have been very successful become less successful, because the tolerances of the process get tighter as we have less to lose.

    Some people are successful using the same methods all the way through, which is great. Some people find that they need to tighten up processes that have previously worked (things like weighing vs. measuring food, double-checking vs. believing package weights, logging every BLT (bite lick taste), avoiding using others' database entries for finished foods (but using specific individual ingredients of one's own foods instead), double-checking frequently-used food database entries to make sure they're correct, making sure exercise calories are truly reasonable, etc.).

    You may be doing all of those things perfectly already, so I don't mean this as a criticism. But, for some people, this can be a factor.

    Since you're still losing, just less consistently, the water weight issue is still a higher likelihood. At some point, some people also find that they benefit from a short refeed at maintenance calories, or a longer maintenance break. That's not just about psychology/compliance, it can be about hormones that affect water retention. More about that issue in this thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    Best wishes for continuing success! :)
    I will definitely read that article. My starting weight was 170, I’m now like 159. My goal is 130!
  • sydneypink23
    sydneypink23 Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    To others' comments, I'd add this:

    I didn't see where you mentioned how much you've lost, or how close you're getting to goal.

    As the process goes on, sometimes the logging/tracking practices that have been very successful become less successful, because the tolerances of the process get tighter as we have less to lose.

    Some people are successful using the same methods all the way through, which is great. Some people find that they need to tighten up processes that have previously worked (things like weighing vs. measuring food, double-checking vs. believing package weights, logging every BLT (bite lick taste), avoiding using others' database entries for finished foods (but using specific individual ingredients of one's own foods instead), double-checking frequently-used food database entries to make sure they're correct, making sure exercise calories are truly reasonable, etc.).

    You may be doing all of those things perfectly already, so I don't mean this as a criticism. But, for some people, this can be a factor.

    Since you're still losing, just less consistently, the water weight issue is still a higher likelihood. At some point, some people also find that they benefit from a short refeed at maintenance calories, or a longer maintenance break. That's not just about psychology/compliance, it can be about hormones that affect water retention. More about that issue in this thread:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1

    Best wishes for continuing success! :)
    I will definitely read that article. My starting weight was 170, I’m now like 159. My goal is 130!

    Should I aim to have a refeed day on a rest day or a low intensity day?
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Options
    FYI, 2 weeks is nowhere near a plateau but just part of normal fluctuations. A plateau is 4 or more weeks without losing weight OR inches.

    Start with patience. a short term stall is also a good time to double check your logging to make sure you are not letting extra calories creep in. After a period of success, it is easy to get a little overconfident and get a bit loosey-goosey. If you are still logging accurately, just hang in there.
  • sydneypink23
    sydneypink23 Posts: 27 Member
    Options
    earlnabby wrote: »
    FYI, 2 weeks is nowhere near a plateau but just part of normal fluctuations. A plateau is 4 or more weeks without losing weight OR inches.

    Start with patience. a short term stall is also a good time to double check your logging to make sure you are not letting extra calories creep in. After a period of success, it is easy to get a little overconfident and get a bit loosey-goosey. If you are still logging accurately, just hang in there.

    Thank you for the advice!!