Plateu frustration, pretty close to going off plan
Well the title says it all pretty much. I've been stuck bobbling back and forth in the 171lbs range for what seems like ages. (About two weeks I guess.) I am so frustrated. I've not gone off plan, my exercise has been consistent. I've not lost inches. I've not lost an ounce. I'm just stuck.
To compound the issue, I can't even track by my TOM like I used to. TMI...I had a uterine surgery in Feb to remove 2 polyps and a fibroid. I had TOM about 2 weeks prior to that surgery and not since. The doc says to wait one more month then come in. (For what? What the heck is she gonna do about it anyway? Ugh) I used to be able to count on a slight gain, TOM, and then a woosh. Now I have no marker of any sort really. So I can't even blame it on that.
I'm frustrated enough that at this very moment I am trying to convince myself NOT to go out and get a big breakfast at the local diner and go to town. Thoughts? Encouragement? Suck it up?
I'm not sure what your plan is but perhaps its about the right time for you to read up on what causes a plateau and how to get out of it.
I've just written a thread today with the words famine reaction in the title. Maybe the book i'm referring to in that thread would help you. Its given me a lot of insight into stuff and i expect it to help me out down the track.
As a result of my new understanding, i've decided to just stick at this current weight for a while so i'm eating a bit more in order to make future fat loss more easy and not to cause a rebound.
You should eat more too because that's the advice the writer gives but obviously she has a great deal more to say that makes worthwhile reading.
She has a website so if you can't find the book easily, you can track her down there. Her name is Dr Amanda Sainsbury-Salis. You can email her even as i did today because i had some questions about her book.
Be kind to yourself, think deeply about the future if you throw in the towel. Wouldn't it be better to take a nice spa day, enjoy a Starbucks or whatever you enjoy and just think about something else for awhile. Let your body catch up and with your surgery and the flux it may well shock you soon enough and if you aren't waiting for it, the results it will be especially sweet. It's like a watched pot never boils as my grandma use to wisely remind me...
Just an addition. I had gotten started with feeling healthy in January and got to your same point in mid February. I went on a series of trips and had company and was just busy for 3 weeks. I made up my mind to just eat reasonably, not get overfull, and move as much as I could. When that busy period was over and things settled down, I could fit into pants that didn't fit before it started. It was such a pleasant surprise and reminded me then of the watched pot never boils thing. And I agree with Patience, I was probably eating a bit more as well.
Last edited by CindySunshine; 04-15-2014 at 09:54 AM.
I think I'm going to try a "shock" meal. In the past at plateaus I have eaten something off plan with higher (not shockingly high) than normal calories. Usually what happens is that tomorrow the scale with go up. But then (in the past at least) it has once again started to slowly move down again, finally!
First of all, two weeks is not long enough to get worried. If you are stuck for longer than a month then I would start looking to change stuff up. One of my favorite weight loss podcasts has the saying "either your program sucks or your adherence sucks." If you are truly sticking to your plan and you aren't seeing results then it is time to start making changes.
Two weeks is not a plateau. Ordinary fluctuations in your total body weight can be caused by all sorts of factors, many which are outside of your control and have nothing to do with how well you stick to your plan. These ordinary fluctuations can easily mask weeks' worth of actual fat loss. Your month-over-month weight loss is a much better indicator than week-over-week of how well your plan is working. A couple of weeks is simply not enough time for actual fat loss to resolve out of the noise of fluid retention due to hormones, muscle recovery from exercise, weather, immune response, and a whole host of other factors.
Stick to your plan a little longer. You will probably see a whoosh.
If you don't see results after a month or two of sticking to plan, that is when it is time to change things up. Anything you change now, might make a difference or might not, but you will never really know because you do not have data on the right time scale.
As an example, when I was actively losing the 120 pounds I lost, I regularly saw no net loss - just bouncing back and forth by a pound or two - for three weeks out of every month. Then in the fourth week I typically saw a big loss, and averaged about 4-5 pounds a month of loss.
If I had made myself crazy switching my plan every month during that 3-week "plateau" that wasn't a plateau at all, I would never have gotten into a long-term rhythm that enabled me to lose all the weight.
Patience. The body is not a clockwork machine. It would be lovely to see our weight marching cooperatively downward by a few ounces each day that we stick to our plan. But it just doesn't work that way. Most of us lose in fits and starts even when we are perfectly on plan.
I hit a plateau in my weightloss too, and I was just able to over come it ---in 10 days I lost 12lbs.---6" from my waist and 5" from my hips--- here are my pics
Last edited by BillBlueEyes; 04-15-2014 at 01:09 PM.
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I think I'm going to try a "shock" meal. In the past at plateaus I have eaten something off plan with higher (not shockingly high) than normal calories. Usually what happens is that tomorrow the scale with go up. But then (in the past at least) it has once again started to slowly move down again, finally!
It's worth a try. I don't know what else to do.
I can say, from personal experience and on more than one plateau occassion, this has worked for me
I hit a plateau in my weightloss too, and I was just able to over come it with the help of some products that my friend recommended to me, being that I am a distributor now-- I do not believe I am allowed to mention what-- but here are my results---in 10 days I lost 12lbs.---6" from my waist and 5" from my hips--- here are my pics
Good work But I don't take drugs of any sort so no "products" for me. I appreciate the thought though.
Stick to your plan a little longer. You will probably see a whoosh.
If I had made myself crazy switching my plan every month during that 3-week "plateau" that wasn't a plateau at all, I would never have gotten into a long-term rhythm that enabled me to lose all the weight.
I have no intentions of switching my plan. Merely going off it for a day. I debated and decided that today I will add the extra 200 cals to one of my meals, and see if that helps. I don't expect to see a whoosh but it'd be nice to see some indication of downward movement.
It gets tough as you get low and you are low for a six footer!
You need to step it up. Either makes cuts to your diet or increase your exercise. I am always making tweaks to keep losing. As soon as I hit 170lbs my body just likes to sit here.
No drugs! Me-either! I am 100% organic, non-gmo, and vegan!! so I totally understand---I just found it helped me to switch to organic, non-gmo, and vegan to get through the plateau--- here I am 4 days later and the weight is still staying off Keep up the determination! You will get through it!
It gets tough as you get low and you are low for a six footer!
You need to step it up. Either makes cuts to your diet or increase your exercise. I am always making tweaks to keep losing. As soon as I hit 170lbs my body just likes to sit here.
Not really low at all. According to the doc, because of my frame size I should be around 140lbs. Maybe in another 15 it will be "low-ish" but currently I'm still overweight.