Not Happy With the Scale

3 weeks is pretty early to hit a plateau so it's probably not a true plateau. I dieted for 3 months before I hit my plateau. But, let's say it is a plateau... Change your exercise. Don't every do the same thing twice - at least not within a few weeks time. Every day should be different. Second, do weight training AND cardio. I use the book series "Weight Training Workouts that Work". I take classes at my gym as well as walk/run on the treadmill and elliptical.

I don't know about the cereal thing, but sugar can be a defeater - more than fat in my opinion. I eat Fiber One Honey squares (I can't bring myself to eat Original Fiber One, but I know people who love it.) The Honey squares have only about 3 or 4 grams of sugar and lots of fiber, which will help keep things moving along through your stomach and intestinal tract.

Lastly, try using a heart rate monitor with a calorie counter when exercising so you can have a little more accurate count on your calorie burns besides what MFP has in their database. Remember to subtract your base calories burned.

hi, stay encouraged, just think soon you will be happy, throwing yourself a party!!!! it will be just fine

<~~~No scales in my home! for me it is like a Mirror to Dracula!

So I am about 6 weeks into my weight loss journey here on MFP. The first 3 weeks went .I lost about 7 pounds. Now i seem to be at a plateau. I was eating1200 cals. I have bumped that up to 1500cals hoping for the numbers to start going down on the scale. Well.....its going up!!!!!! What am I to do? Its been 2 weeks. Guidance please.

When you were losing, how many calories per day were you on at the time?

If it was 1200 calories per day, why did you up the amount?

I'd say you could also confuse your body by eating maybe 1200 cals one day then 1500 the next day, then maybe 1100 day after that (if u would go under 1200) then go back up to maybe 1400...Just keep confusing your body!

Increase your cardio!

no... increase your strength training routine, eat your exercise calories and be patient. try eating clean foods.

This is the closest thing to accurate you should be doing..


First of all, stay off the scale. You're counting too much on what that number is, and not enough on how you feel, what your activity level is, and what your body is changing into/adapting too. Muscle weighs more than fat, if you're doing a nice toning strength training, sure, you won't see a scale shift, but you'll see yourself getting thinner!

Did you take before and after picutres? < Those are the best motivators. I don't understand why you upped your calories, but to each their own.

Eat 5 small meals a day, and keep it under 1200 calories, and see what suits your workout needs. You don't want to feel lethargic, but you don't want to eat until full either. Not knowing much about your activities or lifestyle, I'd say just be careful what you eat, "Low fat" and "Low Calorie" aren't always better options! Do research into what you're putting into your body.

My meals are public, and they're nice examples of a training diet. I get the nutrition I need for the energy I need, and I do Max Interval training for 50 mins a day. (No, I don't log my exercises on here, the calories they assume are incorrect by a long shot)

Get a heart rate monitor that shows calories burned, wear it all day, and thru a workout and you'll see what your body is shedding as far as calories. That's the best way to tell weather or not you're using what your body has stored as energy.

Following these steps, I lost over 70 lbs in 6 months, and I wasn't ever a "obese" person, just "big". I was also training for my First marathon, which I went from not being able to run for much longer than 90 seconds, to being able to run 3 miles at a time, 10 min miles. (Not the best, but much better than where I was)


Hope some of this is helpful, and if you have a difference of opinion, I'm open to suggestion, but don't flame!

- Will S.

The only cereals I eat and it is very infrequent are puffed rice and puffed wheat... With skim milk and stevia so it's over a cup of cereal for almost no calories. measure everything..... I estimate when I cannot measure.... Fist is a cup... Thumb is a tablespoon, thumbnail is teaspoon...... use a small coffee mug instead of a bowl for cereals and make sure you understand potions on labels....

Increase your cardio!

no... increase your strength training routine, eat your exercise calories and be patient. try eating clean foods.

This^