Plateau

fit19gramma
fit19gramma Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I’ve been doing MFP since 8/01 and have lost 9 lbs. I never go over on calories and try to walk 4-5 times a week. I cannot walk in the heat. For 2 weeks I have been stuck and not dropping weight. I’m 70 years old and getting frustrated. I have 19 more lbs to reach my goal. Any advice?

Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    edited September 2021
    as cm up there said, you've lost more than the recommended amount, but we can chalk that up to initial water weight as well, so at this point, I would say you are probably on target.

    have you truly not lost any weight in 2 weeks or have you not lost the amount of weight you are USED to losing in two weeks? Because even if it is a half a pound or a pound, it is still a loss, and the scale has moved (just not as much as you would like)

    If it truly hasn't moved, it could be water retention (normal), due to age we can (probably but some of our more 'experienced' members may be able to educate me on this) eliminate hormonal water weight fluctuations, or ... and this is the big one- you may be eating closer to maintenance than you THINK you are.

    Did the weight loss 'stop' coincide directly with the time when you stopped walking? If so, this is most likely your answer. I looked, and your diary is not open, so we can't see it. Your logging could be off, either in how you are logging or in the database entries you are using (or both). or, less common but possible, you could be outside of the norm, and your maintenance calories are lower than the average. Logging errors are usually the culprit.
  • fit19gramma
    fit19gramma Posts: 23 Member
    Yes, my weight stopped coming off when I stopped walking. I had a minor medical issue, but stayed under calorie goal. Took a walk today so we’ll see what happens if I get more exercise. I really don’t think I have logging errors.

    Not sure what you mean by “eating closer to maintenance than you think you are.” Please explain.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    fit19gramma wrote: »
    Yes, my weight stopped coming off when I stopped walking. I had a minor medical issue, but stayed under calorie goal. Took a walk today so we’ll see what happens if I get more exercise. I really don’t think I have logging errors.

    Not sure what you mean by “eating closer to maintenance than you think you are.” Please explain.

    your maintenance calories are what you need to eat to MAINTAIN your current weight.

    if the weight loss stopped when you stopped exercising, then either because of inaccurate logging (not realizing its inaccurate) or because your maintenance calories are lower than you believe them to be, you are eating at maintenance.

    When you start walking again, you may retain water, so that might throw the scale off for a bit while your body adjusts again. So don't freak out if the scale jumps up a bit, it may take a week or two to go back down. it's not real weight. Just water retention. It is normal. Our bodies can be very sensitive to an increase in activity level.

    This is another really good thread to read, as well.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,457 Member
    Just an FYI, @cmriverside mentions water retention if you start walking again.

    Many of us throw ourselves wholeheartedly into new “diet plans”, including MFP.

    This includes unfamiliar exercise, which can result in muscle soreness.

    Your wise and wonderful body, when it detects soreness, will retain water and direct it to sore areas to promote healing. This can lead to temporary water weight gain. TMI (but great to know) as you heal, you’ll eventually pee out the extra water.

    This can happen at any time, to the most fit or least fit.

    I exercise regularly and seldom get sore any more, but did an elaborate stretch a few days ago during a yoga class, and my thighs were pretty sore afterwards. Luckily, I knew not to panic when my weight went up a couple pounds.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

    PS: my husband is nearly same age as you and has just begun MFP himself. He’s losing at a similar rate to you, and I’m having to warn him that that rapid loss doesn’t continue. I can remember, and am going through it all over again with him, how invested I was with the initial quick loss that stopped and became frustratingly “normal”.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    Well, all three of us have linked the Weird and Highly Annoying thread. :lol:
    fit19gramma wrote: »
    Yes, my weight stopped coming off when I stopped walking. I had a minor medical issue, but stayed under calorie goal. Took a walk today so we’ll see what happens if I get more exercise. I really don’t think I have logging errors.

    Not sure what you mean by “eating closer to maintenance than you think you are.”     Please explain.

    fit19gramma, if you just started all this five weeks ago, I'm wondering how you even know your "maintenance" calories this quickly. It takes time to dial this all in.

    If you would open your FOOD diary we may be able to help you with your food logging. Are you using a food scale? Making all your own meals? Having days where you're way over?

    Weight loss isn't linear and accuracy is important. Plateaus are common, read that link that we all posted.

    To open your diary, go to FOOD > Settings and scroll to the bottom, click "Public" and Save.



  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    cmriverside wrote: »
    Well, all three of us have linked the Weird and Highly Annoying thread. :lol:

    wonder why :D lord our bodies are ridiculous LOL

    OP, truly, all 3 of us have been around a really long time. And while we all have different personalities and dont always agree on everything, I think its safe to say we all agree it will be one of the three things that have been mentioned. All of us have been very successful in our own weight loss journeys. You name a 'weight not moving' problem, we have all lived through it LOL

    Opening your diary can be scary. It is showing a part of yourself to strangers. But I PROMISE, we do not care WHAT you are eating. You could be eating oreos and Frosted Flakes for every meal and we might worry about you getting the nutrition you need, but other than THAT, we wouldnt bat an eye. We just want to make sure you are weighing it correctly, and using correct database entries, because the database is LOADED with INCORRECT entries. Opening your diary will at least help us rule out the most COMMON issue of a scale not moving.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    edited September 2021
    It sounds like you are losing at a healthy rate, not in a plateau.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,225 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    Just an FYI, @cmriverside mentions water retention if you start walking again.

    Many of us throw ourselves wholeheartedly into new “diet plans”, including MFP.

    This includes unfamiliar exercise, which can result in muscle soreness.

    Your wise and wonderful body, when it detects soreness, will retain water and direct it to sore areas to promote healing. This can lead to temporary water weight gain. TMI (but great to know) as you heal, you’ll eventually pee out the extra water.

    This can happen at any time, to the most fit or least fit.

    I exercise regularly and seldom get sore any more, but did an elaborate stretch a few days ago during a yoga class, and my thighs were pretty sore afterwards. Luckily, I knew not to panic when my weight went up a couple pounds.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10683010/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-fluctuations/p1

    PS: my husband is nearly same age as you and has just begun MFP himself. He’s losing at a similar rate to you, and I’m having to warn him that that rapid loss doesn’t continue. I can remember, and am going through it all over again with him, how invested I was with the initial quick loss that stopped and became frustratingly “normal”.

    Good post!

    One quibble:

    Don't even necessarily have to feel sore, for this to be happening, I believe. If feeling sore, sure, there's likely water retention. But there can be body repair needs that cause water retention, don't necessarily cause soreness.

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