Weight loss: beating the plateau

shanleeworthy
shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hey guys. Been in the community for 3 years now, recently weighed in at 52.8kg’s - starting weight was 80kg’s. My goal is 48kg’s so I’m on the home stretch but I find that this is the hardest part, and my body seems to bounce up and down 5kg’s, currently at my lowest weight I’ve been in 5 months

I usually exercise everyday, but currently have hip bursitis & I’m getting corticosteroid injections, so I am out for about 2 weeks.

Can someone give me some tips on how to continue losing weight? I’m on a 1’200 calorie deficit.

Replies

  • Joeydz7
    Joeydz7 Posts: 22 Member
    The final stretch is always the hardest part but it’s totally worth it, hang in there 😉👍
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    Thanks for your reply! It’s so hard, really hoping to get some good replies here so I can figure out the best options! :)
  • Iwantahealthierme30
    Iwantahealthierme30 Posts: 293 Member
    Maybe try yoga from a chair. Search wheelchair yoga or desk yoga on youtube for while you're recovering so that you're still moving. a 1200 deficit is a lot. I've been the exact same weight for 2 weeks, scale will not budge, only thing I can think of for myself is to cut out snacks if you eat any.
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    Thank you.
    Sorry when I said 1’200 calories deficit that’s what I meant I eat in day. :)
    And no I don’t eat any snacks, just 3 meals a day, sometimes 2 (intermittent fasting). Depends on how low of a calorie intake I have for the day.
    Hope you are going well with your weight loss, sounds like you are hitting the plateau as well! X
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    edited September 2020
    It's pretty normal for the last pounds to be slower. When they're slower, they're harder to see on the scale . . . not because it's an actual plateau, but because normal, healthy fluctuations in water weight and digestive contents disguise fat loss on the scale.

    As an example, I'll share my Libra (weight trending app) graph for the past few months. I've been in maintenance for 4+ years after losing 50ish pounds, but decided to (re-)lose a few vanity pounds ultra-slowly. I didn't want to mess with a big deficit for a shorter time, but went for a 150-250 calorie deficit (pretty painless). Not only was the scale not showing the loss for long periods, the weight trending app even got confused sometimes, and for some periods even thought I was *gaining*. Nope. At this stage, I trust the process, if I get my calorie level right, things will work out.

    The graph (now a few weeks old) has my 7-day weight trend (solid horizontal-ish line), and the little vertical lines connect my daily weights to the trend. Think about how this process looked, at some of these points, for up to several weeks: "Plateau"? Gain? Loss? All of the above?!? But when you look at the overall period, multiple months, it's 100% obvious that I was losing weight. (It's in pounds, but that trend line starts at around 60.6kg, heads down to about 58.3.) That's how slow loss shows up.

    xcs5revluor3.png

    If you've been losing pretty well at 1200 in general, stick with it. The clouds will part, over time. It's probable that your bursitis and the corticosteriods are causing some water weight weirdness. Don't cut calories further - at least not yet. That's counterproductive - you don't want subtle fatigue depressing your energy output even further. I'm now around 57.3kg, at 165cm (and age 64), still slowly dropping downward. The above chart happened at 1850 calories, *plus* all exercise calories. Patience is a good ally, if the last few pounds are dropping slowly.

    Best wishes!
  • sal10851
    sal10851 Posts: 171 Member
    The whole "starvation mode" thing is a myth. Your body can't store fat without the extra calories present. If you are in a deficit you're body will get the extra energy it needs from your body fat reserves. It might not reflect on the scale due to countless factors but you are using up your fat reserves. Try using a tape measure to track your progress and don't just rely on the scale.
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    AnnPT77

    Thank you so much your reply has been very helpful. The calories I am taking in are so low because I am unable to exercise, usually I run 10 - 15k’s a day, plus the odd weight training exercises.

    I have struggled with inebriate day a week binge eating for a while, but it only lasts a day and then I go back to eating between 1000 - 1200 cals. I burn 1465 calories a day with my BMR process so I’m in a daily deficit of 265.

    I’d say my water retention is from the day of eating 200 calories over my normal, and the fact that I am getting the injections like you said :)

    Again, thank you. And I think you look amazing! Good job
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    sal10851

    Thank you! This is also new news.
    I’ve never known the starvation mode to be a myth!
    I have struggled with an eating disorder before due to having my tonsils removed, being unable to eat anything solid and noticed I lost copious amounts of weight even when all I ate was watermelon. (But that was when I was weighing around 70 kilograms). The fat just melted off me
  • Daisy_Girl2019
    Daisy_Girl2019 Posts: 209 Member
    I'm on daily 1200 cal also. Added you here! Hope you accept. 😁
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    Daisy_Girl2019 wrote: »
    I'm on daily 1200 cal also. Added you here! Hope you accept. 😁

    I accepted! :)
  • nicok1234
    nicok1234 Posts: 4 Member
    Have you tried adding in a cheat meal apparently can boost metabolism?
  • Mariner322007
    Mariner322007 Posts: 24 Member
    I’ve currently hit a wall also but hopefully will break through it soon enough
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    Along with Ann's excellent observations, you might find this post helpful:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10662287/the-goal-is-the-process/p1
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    Mariner322007 wrote: »
    I’ve currently hit a wall also but hopefully will break through it soon enough

    We can do it! I have faith in you
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    try2again wrote: »
    Along with Ann's excellent observations, you might find this post helpful:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10662287/the-goal-is-the-process/p1

    Thank you friend ❤️
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    nicok1234 wrote: »
    Have you tried adding in a cheat meal apparently can boost metabolism?


    No cheat meals added, thank you for your input though. I wish I could add one or two, but it’s just not feasible for me to do so.
  • Dancer0515
    Dancer0515 Posts: 69 Member
    I am beginning to get to that plateau but still have approx 50 pounds to loose. I just changed my activity and do something different everyday. So it shocks my body! I also do carb load once a week and then get right back into my calorie deficit
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    Dancer0515 wrote: »
    I am beginning to get to that plateau but still have approx 50 pounds to loose. I just changed my activity and do something different everyday. So it shocks my body! I also do carb load once a week and then get right back into my calorie deficit

    Awesome job! I will take that into consideration xx thanks for your input
  • freshstart180213
    freshstart180213 Posts: 170 Member
    im struggling I have my last 6 pounds to lose and circumstances this month just seem to just get in the way. We have had a cold, which we had to test for covid. Thankfully it was negative but it meant being stuck indoors till we knew the result. I thought that with my kids being at school it would actually mean I could exercise more easily instead this cold has triggered some asthma and so the idea of exercise is making me cough and choke so that's out until my suppressed immune system can actually fix itself just feels like im dancing around the same three pounds. Tips and advice welcome
  • shanleeworthy
    shanleeworthy Posts: 14 Member
    freshstart180213 wrote: »
    im struggling I have my last 6 pounds to lose and circumstances this month just seem to just get in the way. We have had a cold, which we had to test for covid. Thankfully it was negative but it meant being stuck indoors till we knew the result. I thought that with my kids being at school it would actually mean I could exercise more easily instead this cold has triggered some asthma and so the idea of exercise is making me cough and choke so that's out until my suppressed immune system can actually fix itself just feels like im dancing around the same three pounds. Tips and advice welcome

    Stay strong! And I’m hoping you feel better soon. Weight loss can be tedious, especially when we all enjoy good foods, especially in these times we all look to something to make us smile, and in my case it’s food.

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