[aria212]

Hello!

This is my first thread on 3FC, though I use the site all the time!

I am so frustrated about my current plateau.
I started actively losing weight september 10, and I have lost 22 pounds so far. I had a couple plateaus that lasted no more than 5 days as a result of not eating enough calories and water retention from some strenuous hiking.
HOWEVER, this plateau is a mystery to me. Normally I can figure out what is stalling my weight loss, but this time I have no idea. This all started when I took up boxing and more strength training to give my workouts some variety. I was so sore for a few days! So I naturally thought the weight gain was water weight. But despite working out every day, and staying on par with my diet, the scale has not moved.
I did 30 minutes on the elliptical yesterday, plus 20 minutes of boxing, 25 minutes of yoga and a 45 minute jillian michaels work out dvd. And nothing. No difference today! I am no longer sore from shifting my work out, so shouldn't the weight be dropping again? Is my body in shock? I just don't know.

Any suggestions that might help with my sanity would be greatly appreciated!
thanks!

[Lolo70]

Weight loss comes mostly through your diet. Looking at your work out regime, it is clear that you will have water retention and you are also building muscles. Muscle is denser than fat. My advise: Measure inches and forget about the scale.

[luckymommy]

I can understand why you're frustrated. The thing about the scale...it's not an accurate reflection of what's going on....it's just one indication. Weight loss is not the same as fat loss so you could be losing fat and the scale will show no loss because of water or other factors. Also, you may have lost water initially and now you're losing fat but the scale is still not reflecting what is going on. You have lost a lot of weight in a short period of time so there's an adjustment period. If you know that you're eating at a caloric deficit, then eventually, you will see the numbers drop on the scale. I think a lot of people tend to give up when the scale doesn't show them what they want to see...just hang in there! You're doing great! I highly recommend putting the scale away, which is what I have done. I weigh myself every so often and I hardly lose any weight but over time, it's going in the right direction.

Also, take some photos and compare them each month to new photos.

[mandydawn77]

For me, weight loss is like 90% diet and 10% exercise. I say this because I stalled out for months on the Atkins diet after losing 73 pounds in a little over a year. I switched to WW's and my carb cravings came back and I binged through the holidays and of course gained some weight back. I started doing zumba the last week of January this year. Compared to any other workouts I have ever participated in zumba is very strenuous. By the end of February I was doing zumba 4 days a week and loving it. I didn't go back on my diet though and I continued to gain weight even though I was exercising like crazy (compared to my normal couch potato self). On June 14th we started a weight loss challenge at work and I went back to the Atkins diet and I lost the 25 pounds I had gained back within 12 weeks. I'm now on Weight Watchers and the weight is coming off great for me right now. I have never stopped doing zumba since I started because I truly enjoy it even though it's rough.

I didn't mean to make my response so long. My main point is that, in my experience, diet is the most important part for weight loss. I truly think zumba has strengthened me and changed my body shape and definitely increased my stamina, but zumba alone did not result in weight loss, in fact I kept gaining.

You have done really well to have lost 22 pounds in such a short amount of time. Please don't give up just because you're not seeing instant results. I've almost made it to 100 pounds lost and it has taken me over two years to get there, but I'm so happy that I went back to dieting when I did because I could have easily gained all that weight back and I remember how miserable I was back then. When I look at the big picture I'm proud of how far I've come, but many times in my journey I have wanted to give up when the scale didn't move for awhile. We all want instant results, but unfortunately that just doesn't happen. Just keep doing what you've been doing and I guarantee when you look back in a year you will be so happy you didn't give up.

It's completely normal to hit little plateaus; we all do. Don't worry, just like luckymommy said, if you're eating at a caloric deficit the weight WILL eventually come off.

[happybug]

Wow, that's a lot of exercise in one day. I sometimes wonder if the reverse happens with our bodies,(like in the case where we eat too little our bodies go into starvation mode and keep the fat on), that when we exercise too hard our bodies try to adjust by not burning so many calories. Your post is so similar to a friend of mine who walked up to 5 hours one day and killed herself exercising through the week and lost nothing. Oh, then there was my niece, she was drinking weight loss shakes and eating mainly fruit and salad, killing herself exercising and losing nothing, but the first week on WW, eating a variety of food (by her words, a lot of food!) she lost a whole kg! Maybe vary your diet? Check that you're eating enough calories. Keep going, you've done really great so far!

[rookietrader]

I would start looking at your nutrition. How many calories are you really eating a day? Its either too little, maintenance, or too much. We know you work out but weight loss is majority nutrition. You've lost 22 pounds in less than 2 months which is actually really good and maybe a little fast. I'm suspecting you maybe eating too little calories. Some weeks you may not lose a pound then a week later you may drop 5 pounds. The scale can be very tricky. Don't give up. Stick with it. Being stuck at the same weight for a few weeks can happen. I think its normal. If you are eating right just continue to stay with your same routine. If your weight is stuck after months of working out and eating right then I would worry.

[Munchy]

When I start a new strength training routine I usually stall (or even gain a few pounds) for about 6-8 weeks before losing.