Weight loss plateau/walking

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acertaingirlsheri
acertaingirlsheri Posts: 6 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone, my name is Sheri and I joined Fitness Pal in February. I’ve lost 29 pounds but, I’m at a weight loss plateau. I started walking on the Fourth of July and have worked my way up to five miles a day. I feel great but haven’t lost a pound since I started walking. I’m still only eating 1200 calories a day. Has this happened to anyone else had this problem? Help please….I’m at wits end and feel like I need to stop walking!🤪

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  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,156 Member
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    Did you lose track of your original topic? You got a few replies there (including a link to my own topic, when I also experienced a stall due to walking):
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/46164589

    You didn't mention only eating 1200 calories in the other topic though. How much do you weigh currently and how tall are you? How active are you (besides the walking)? 1200 should be low enough to lose weight for most women (or even too little), if you are weighing and logging your food accurately.
    With only 1200 calories daily intake, I'm even more inclined to think the issue is water retention.
  • acertaingirlsheri
    acertaingirlsheri Posts: 6 Member
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    Yes, I couldn’t find my original message. Thank you for the link.
  • acertaingirlsheri
    acertaingirlsheri Posts: 6 Member
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    Hi Lietchi. how long did it take you to see weight loss again. I haven’t walked in three days and as of this morning I’ve lost two pounds. Maybe I should walk three times a week rather than seven days a week.
  • Bronty3
    Bronty3 Posts: 104 Member
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    I imagine a lot of this is water retention due to you now working your muscles more. How much do you weigh now and how tall are you? Are you tracking calories with a food scale? Are you eating back your exercise calories? Lastly, do you like walking? Don't give up something you potentially enjoy that has great health benefits just because you don't see the scale moving. There are non scale victories as well like working your way up to walking 5 miles daily when perhaps you only ever could do a mile or were mostly sedentary.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,156 Member
    edited August 2021
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    acertaingirlsheri wrote: »
    Hi Lietchi. how long did it take you to see weight loss again. I haven’t walked in three days and as of this morning I’ve lost two pounds. Maybe I should walk three times a week rather than seven days a week.

    Personally, I don't feel water retention in itself is a reason for reducing exercise. The goal is fat loss, I presume, not just chasing a number on the scale :wink:
    If water retention is indeed the cause of the stalled weight loss, it doesn't mean you're not losing fat anymore.

    So walk as much as you like, especially since you seem to enjoy it and just let your body adjust.
    You can take one or two days off per week (or just take a shorter walk) if you think your body needs to recuperate.
    Similarly, If you've been eating 1200 calories since February, it could be a good idea to eat at maintenance for a week, just to give your body a break. (and ignore the increase on the scale if you do that, because it's just from increased food in the digestive system etc)
    (Increased) exercise and being in a calorie deficit is a source of stress for the body, so it can be a good idea to just take a break occasionally. (Stress can also cause water retention)
  • acertaingirlsheri
    acertaingirlsheri Posts: 6 Member
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    Thank you again so much for your advice. I started walking again today but, I took it easy….just a nice walk at a slower pace. BTW I weighed this morning and was down three pounds. I think I’m going to walk every other day and yoga on my off days.
  • autobahn66
    autobahn66 Posts: 59 Member
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    @Lietchi Just want to say thanks for your level headed advice in this thread and others! I also found it really useful.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,156 Member
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    You're welcome :smile:

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