Hit a plateau only 5 weeks in

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tmarie21218
tmarie21218 Posts: 1 Member
edited May 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all!
This app helped me lose all my baby weight with my first child so naturally after I had my second (now 7 months) I decided to use the app again. I’m eating all the same foods, cardio 5 days a week and tracking everything like I did last time but the weight is just not coming off! I eat pretty healthy,
I mean I think I do!? High protein, low carb diet, stay away from processed food and I drink about 80-100oz of water daily. I had a big loss the first two weeks combined but the last 3 weeks I have stayed the same basically only lost .5lb in the 3 weeks. When I looked back to two years ago when I lost the baby weight I’m literally eating the same foods and doing the same cardio but I am not losing weight like I was. Tips and advice would be much appreciated!!!

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
  • lmf1012
    lmf1012 Posts: 402 Member
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    Like you, I am 5 weeks in and had a big loss the first two weeks (9 of 12lbs total) and since then it has been 3 lbs in 3 weeks so not as slow as you but slow. You are going to get all the same advice as was given to me, check your logging accuracy and be patient. Keep doing what you're doing. It is SO frustrating I know, oh so frustrating. 2 of my last 3 weeks had a .2 and a .4 loss. It feels like FOREVER but it will not always be like that. I would not be surprised if you have a good week coming up soon, sometimes our bodies are finicky that way.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,677 Member
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    There's also the fact that a big loss during the first couple weeks of low carb eating is mostly water. As your body gets used to eating low carb, it starts holding on to more water. You can still be losing fat, but it is disguised by the water retention. If your calories are where they should be, keep doing what you are doing and you will lose weight.

    FWIW - I had the same experience doing low carb dieting. The first time I did it, I lost 14 lbs. the first two weeks, the second time I lost 9 in that same period. The third time I lost about 5 in the first two weeks. Over time, I still lost weight, but the initial loss was nothing like the first time. Still, with patience and consistency, the weight does come off.
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    edited May 2021
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    tmarie21218 wrote: »
    Hi all!
    This app helped me lose all my baby weight with my first child so naturally after I had my second (now 7 months) I decided to use the app again. I’m eating all the same foods, cardio 5 days a week and tracking everything like I did last time but the weight is just not coming off! I eat pretty healthy,
    I mean I think I do!? High protein, low carb diet, stay away from processed food and I drink about 80-100oz of water daily. I had a big loss the first two weeks combined but the last 3 weeks I have stayed the same basically only lost .5lb in the 3 weeks. When I looked back to two years ago when I lost the baby weight I’m literally eating the same foods and doing the same cardio but I am not losing weight like I was. Tips and advice would be much appreciated!!!

    Never mind all that.... you need to count calories.

    Sure, eat balanced for health, but unless you are monitoring your calorie intake it really does not matter how much protein or carbohydrates your consume or how much water you drink as it will affect your fat loss not at all.
  • lmf1012
    lmf1012 Posts: 402 Member
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    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    lmf1012 wrote: »
    Like you, I am 5 weeks in and had a big loss the first two weeks (9 of 12lbs total) and since then it has been 3 lbs in 3 weeks so not as slow as you but slow. You are going to get all the same advice as was given to me, check your logging accuracy and be patient. Keep doing what you're doing. It is SO frustrating I know, oh so frustrating. 2 of my last 3 weeks had a .2 and a .4 loss. It feels like FOREVER but it will not always be like that. I would not be surprised if you have a good week coming up soon, sometimes our bodies are finicky that way.


    3 lbs in 3 weeks is not slow. 12 lbs in 5 weeks is not slow. Every week will not be the same, even if you calorie intake and expenditure are the same, due to fluctuations in water weight and the weight of food in the digestive system.

    I am very well aware that every week is not exactly the same, it’s not even remotely realistic for starters and I never said I thought that or gave any indication I believed that in my post.

    Compared to the first two weeks (yes, I know it was mostly water weight), 3 lbs over 3 weeks is slow TO ME. Knowing or thinking fat loss is slow and finding it frustrating doesn’t mean we don’t know that’s how it goes or that it’s normal, etc. Healthy weight loss by definition is slow, that’s the point.

    In my mind, the first two weeks don’t even count, it’s not a rate that is true fat loss and is therefore not sustainable nor remotely likely to continue. So as far as I am concerned, fat loss started three weeks ago and that is how I am viewing my real progress.

  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
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    5 lbs in 3 weeks is pretty close to the maximum possible safe/healthy weight loss of 2 lbs/week, so I am not sure why there's dissatisfaction. How much did you expect to lose beyond that?

    Anyway, the first couple/few weeks of a diet are very exciting as the weight just falls off, especially if one is eating low-carb and shedding water. Then the long slog begins, water levels are done rebalancing for the low-carb diet, and expectations must be managed. If 1.67 lbs per week is leaving you dissatisfied, it is time for some expectations management, because you are having a solid success so far.

    Just keep plugging away. I don't think you need to bother with examining macros or water or anything else right now. Just lose weight and keep losing weight, and if in another month or two it isn't adding up to everything you'd hoped it would be, then maybe take a look into the details.

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