What your body does on a plateau - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

jendiet · 07-13-2009, 12:22 PM

I was whining about the 179s for 5 days straight now..and a knowledgeable friend told me that the body has to shrink down once it loses some weight...so in between losing, you are shrinking. NO wonder the clothes are looser but the weight seems steady. She told me once I am done shrinking I will start losing again.

interesting!

mandalinn82 · 07-13-2009, 12:32 PM

Sometimes, weight loss slows but you keep losing inches...sounds like that's what's happening to you. The scale can go up/refuse to go down for a LOT of reasons (we have a great "Scale Fluctuations and Water Weight" post stickied in this forum - check it out).

A lot of times, when I was losing, if I was on plan and the scale stalled out for a week or two, I'd be rewarded with a multi-pound "whoosh" a week or so later...overnight, the scale would drop down several pounds.

If you're losing inches, no worries about the scale not being quite caught up. It'll get there.

jendiet · 07-13-2009, 12:35 PM

cool thanks manda! That is very encouraging. Yeah the size 12s are almost loose now. yay! a couple of days ago they were almost too tight to button.

beerab · 07-13-2009, 01:02 PM

This is definitely true- though I was staying the same weight my clothes were still getting looser

I even went down to a MEDIUM in shirts! WOO MEDIUM!

Now that the body seems to have stopped shrinking the scale is going down again

07-13-2009, 01:12 PM

Same thing happens to me. Fortunately, I'm not really obsessed with the scale and I prefer to stop losing weight to let my body catch up with the loss. I mean, you don't want to go thru everything we do to lose the weight only to come out of it a sagging, drooping mess.

I much prefer to use my mirror and comments from friends and family. Plus, I know I'm stronger and can go further distances. I can also feel the muscles that are working their way through that layer of fat I still want to get rid of.

Chin up darling, you doing great and getting where you want to be.

Niecy · 07-13-2009, 01:20 PM

Yep, that is the way it happens with me too. Although my loss sometimes happens at the rate of a few ounces at a time, it usually seems to drop a whole lb overnight and then it stops for a few days or so even though clothes continue to get looser.

Unless you haven't noticed a drop within 2 or 3 weeks, I would just let your body do its' thing. You are doing great!

jendiet · 07-13-2009, 04:13 PM

thanks everyone!