I just don't get it

Hello! I've lost 20lbs so far in about 11 weeks. But the past 2 weeks I've been stuck at the exact weight ( 376.2) I have been under my calories every single day. I don't understand why I'm not losing now. It's extremely frustrating

Replies

  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,471 Member
    It's not rare at all for me to go a few days in a row with the exact same weight, but 14 days in row would strike me as a bit odd (flip side, it's not unusual for me to gain a couple/few pounds (or more) within 24 hours due to water/sodium/carbs/etc etc)

    Basic troubleshooting - if it's the EXACT same weight every single day, your scale may be broken or need a new battery. Quick test - weigh yourself, put on a backpack or whatever that is going to add a few pounds immediately, and re-weigh. If it's the same number, you've just found the culprit.

    If it's not the scales causing the issue...don't get too worked up. Weight loss isn't perfectly linear and you will have some minor hiccups and stalls along the way. Are you weighing/measuring (and logging, using entries you've checked for accuracy) EVERY.SINGLE.THING. that passes your lips? Any increase/decrease in activity levels or stress? Just going off your avatar, I'm assuming you're female, so it's entirely possible your cycle is masking/confounding your progress as well.
  • Ladyamanda87
    Ladyamanda87 Posts: 36 Member
    JBanx256 wrote: »
    It's not rare at all for me to go a few days in a row with the exact same weight, but 14 days in row would strike me as a bit odd (flip side, it's not unusual for me to gain a couple/few pounds (or more) within 24 hours due to water/sodium/carbs/etc etc)

    Basic troubleshooting - if it's the EXACT same weight every single day, your scale may be broken or need a new battery. Quick test - weigh yourself, put on a backpack or whatever that is going to add a few pounds immediately, and re-weigh. If it's the same number, you've just found the culprit.

    If it's not the scales causing the issue...don't get too worked up. Weight loss isn't perfectly linear and you will have some minor hiccups and stalls along the way. Are you weighing/measuring (and logging, using entries you've checked for accuracy) EVERY.SINGLE.THING. that passes your lips? Any increase/decrease in activity levels or stress? Just going off your avatar, I'm assuming you're female, so it's entirely possible your cycle is masking/confounding your progress as well.

    Yes I record every single thing, and weigh it as well. Good idea with the scale! I'll try that! I have started walking again about a week ago ( an hour minimum) I do have thyroid issues, but I wouldn't think it would cause me 2 weeks of the scale not budging. I am female, and it is possible masking the progress, although I don't feel bloated or anything. It usually isn't for 2 weeks though. Hmmmm thank you so much for your input!
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,107 Member
    edited September 2021
    Daily weigh-ins or weekly weigh-ins?

    For daily weigh-ins, it does strike me a unusual, I might have two days in a row at the same weight, but not 14 weigh-ins in a row. Some scales have fake consistency built in, or perhaps a low battery as someone suggested.

    For weekly weigh-ins: it doesn't strike me as unusual. Stalls (and whooshes) are perfectly normal. You could be holding onto water weight from stress, exercise, hormones... Furthermore, weighing weekly makes it harder to spot your weight trend. You might have weighed less on other days and just have had a higher weight on weigh-in day.
    Patience, plain old patience 🙂
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,052 Member
    edited September 2021
    JBanx256 wrote: »
    It's not rare at all for me to go a few days in a row with the exact same weight, but 14 days in row would strike me as a bit odd (flip side, it's not unusual for me to gain a couple/few pounds (or more) within 24 hours due to water/sodium/carbs/etc etc)

    Basic troubleshooting - if it's the EXACT same weight every single day, your scale may be broken or need a new battery. Quick test - weigh yourself, put on a backpack or whatever that is going to add a few pounds immediately, and re-weigh. If it's the same number, you've just found the culprit.

    If it's not the scales causing the issue...don't get too worked up. Weight loss isn't perfectly linear and you will have some minor hiccups and stalls along the way. Are you weighing/measuring (and logging, using entries you've checked for accuracy) EVERY.SINGLE.THING. that passes your lips? Any increase/decrease in activity levels or stress? Just going off your avatar, I'm assuming you're female, so it's entirely possible your cycle is masking/confounding your progress as well.

    Yes I record every single thing, and weigh it as well. Good idea with the scale! I'll try that! I have started walking again about a week ago ( an hour minimum) I do have thyroid issues, but I wouldn't think it would cause me 2 weeks of the scale not budging. I am female, and it is possible masking the progress, although I don't feel bloated or anything. It usually isn't for 2 weeks though. Hmmmm thank you so much for your input!

    Many women retain water right at ovulation. Then they see a relatively big drop when menstruation starts. Other women retain water coinciding with start of menstruation. Weighing yourself daily for a couple months will help you identify your pattern.

    Also, a rolling 28-day average of your weight will smooth out hormone related water fluctuations and help you see the trend. That takes patience but saves you frustration.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 33,940 Member
    My vote is it's the scale.

    When I start getting the exact same weight even two days in a row, the battery is usually going.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    the EXACT same number EVERY DAY for 2 weeks?

    change the batteries in the scale.

    if still the same? get a different scale.

    truly the same exact number with no variation i would think a scale issue. even if at a plateau of some kind, or normal water retention or weight fluctuation/ whatever, there would be SOME variation even if minimal.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,018 Member
    If your logging is 100% on point (weighing everything, picking vetted entries from the database, not using others' recipe entries there, no "cheat days", etc.), and you'd been losing well before the stall . . . it's either the scale, or water weight effects.

    There are some possible exceptions, but generally if one is eating at maintenance calories, the weight loss will slow down then stop, not be a "losing at a good clip, then bam, stop" kind of thing.

    From what others report in threads here, a couple of weeks in is a common point to have a stall for water-related reasons: Maybe lose partly water weight at first because of changes in types/amounts of food eaten, then the body decides to do some water rebalancing. Bodies are weird! 😉 Add in other reasons for water weight changes (monthly cycle, new exercise, etc.**), and fat loss can be happening but playing peek-a-boo on the scale with water weight, for a surprisingly long time.

    If you would be willing to open your diary to general MFP-ers, even temporarily for a few days, and say so here, I'm sure some of the "old hand" loggers could take a look at your diary, see if anything pops out. This isn't a criticism or disbelief of you, it's simply recognition that all of us go through a learning process at first, because food logging is a set of skills, with potential pitfalls. We can help each other through that, sometimes, speed the learning phase.

    The thing *not* to do, IMO, is to start randomly changing things (it just muddies up the picture - better to get a full menstrual cycle, or 4-6 weeks, of data using the same routine, *then* adjust). The other thing *not* to do is to get frustrated and give up. Losing any meaningful amount of weight is a long-term process, and for those of us who've been obese, realistically managing weight some way will be a lifelong endeavor.

    It takes time to learn the personal strategies that work, but it *can* work . . . as long as we keep working at it, ideally with an experimental attitude, not letting ourselves believe that how it's going this minute is any indication of our value as a human being. High emotion about the current experiment, IMO, is usually not helpful in reaching long-term success. Just my opinion, though.

    ** If you haven't read it, I highly recommend this article:

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

    Hoping it will turn out to be your scale! Best wishes!
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    heres an idea to test the scale.

    get a 5 pound bag of flour, sugar, whatever. brand new, full bag.

    get on the scale without it. check the weight. pick up the bag.

    does the scale go up the correct amount?

    if so, the scale is correct and its just normal weight variance/ water weight or possible logging issues and youre eating at maintenance. but at least youd know if its the scale, or you.
  • Ladyamanda87
    Ladyamanda87 Posts: 36 Member
    Thanks everyone for being so nice and helpful ❤