Hi all,
I'm new here but this looks like a great place and I hope there is some people here who can give me some advice.

I'm in a rut. I think I might have hit a weight loss plateau.
I started out at about 300lbs and have successfully lost 40 lbs. I need to loose about 60-70 more. I was doing great with exercise and calorie counting but all of a sudden the weight stopped coming off. Now I just fluctuate a pound or two but stay around 262. It is very frustrating. No matter how little I eat, or how much I exercise it doesn't move. It has been this way for about a month now. My clothes continued to get looser over the month but nothing else has changed.

I am slowly loosing confidence and becoming very frustrated. The previous weight came off pretty easy but now it doesn't move.

I eat about 1500-1700 calories a day and have a pretty active lifestyle training and competing with dogs, acting in ren faires, and walking, hiking or running at least 4 days a week. I have tried to add weights into my routine but I have not been able to stick to that yet. I also try to always choose healthy foods and avoid the fried and junk foods.

Should I change my diet, or am I doing something wrong?
Advice?

I lost a bunch then stuck in the 250s for QUITE a while (let's just say a lot longer than a month). I kept the exercise at a good level, but I did let the calories sneak up on me, little extras here and there, going out to eat, etc. not enough for me to gain, too much for me to lose. Had trouble with the consistency, which is key. Don't know if you track your calories, but you might want to check that (just throwing it out there bec it was my experience).

A month is not a great amount of time to go by. You could be seeing a temporary stall due to water weight, extra exercise, weather. it's summer, and heat can do a number on me re water retention.

don't lose heart! 40lbs is a great amount to lose!

OMG, 262. Yep that was my majic number too. Well, close, anyway.

I started 8/14/2008 and went from 369.5 to 271.5 or thereabouts in exactly 6 months. 98, 99 lbs lost. Then got STUCK for THREE MONTHS. My weight jumped around in the 270s, a couple of forays up into the 280s, for three months. STALL!!!

I stayed 100% OP, no cheating. I added exercise. I added weightlifting. I added HEAVY weightlifting. I investigated every single thing I put in my mouth, including vitamins, to check for hidden carbs (I'm on Atkins).

I got irritated. I got frustrated. I got MAD! But I never, ever gave up.

And during those three months, I lost almost three sizes! No weight, but size! (And that's what really counts!)

Now I am back losing, slowly, but still losing size right on schedule...about a size every six weeks-to-2 months.

If you're in a stall, investigate it. Check everything. Food, exercise, sleep...etc. And hang tough, because you are a lot stronger than some stall. I think mine was due to just losing so much so fast, my body went into shock. You'll get through this!

A lot of people seem to stall around 250-260. I know I do, too, when I get down to that level. That's usually when I give up and start going back up the scale.

There's a theory that your body "remembers" different weights that it's been before, and that when you hit one going down, it needs a bit of extra time to settle through and continue losing. Don't know how scientific it is, but there seems to be a lot of anecdotal evidence for something like that.

Personally, I was around 260 for a good five years when I was in my 20s and 30s. If there is such a thing as my body "remembering" a particular weight, that's a really good candidate.

But think about this... you are still feeling healthy, energetic, and your clothes are getting looser. That means that your program is still working, so long as you are seeing progress in clothes loosening. Sometimes the body just seems to take a month or so to "readjust" itself before continuing with weight loss.

Not that you shouldn't be extra vigilant to be sure you haven't allowed bad habits to creep back into your life. But just know that it's not abnormal to have a stall for a time when you hit certain weights.

Keep working your plan. Your plan will work. You may not see a scale loss today, or tomorrow, or next week. But over time, you WILL see the loss, so long as you continue an effective plan.

I'll leave the advice to the others, but I just wanted to say welcome to the forum!

I have had plateaus of several months myself. It's frustrating, but if you don't give up you will break through eventually, and it'll be worth it in the end. My advice would be to really make a commitment to weight training. You might find that's exactly the ticket to breaking your plateau; it worked for me during one of mine. Good luck!

Just wanted to echo what the others said about determination. Don't give up, that will only lead you back up the scale. Make up your mind that you will stick to your plan no matter what the scale says. It will eventually give up and drop again. I think this is the hardest part of weight loss, when you don't get the satisfaction of seeing lower numbers. Hang tough, you are doing great!

Not much advice to give beyond what the smart girls here have said, but try not to despair. Your body IS changing, even if the scale isn't moving. This is evidenced by your dress size changing and loosening clothes, and is a HUGE victory, even when it doesn't feel like it.

Also, consider that a plateau is your metabolic processes adjusting to a lower weight. The longer you hold weight stable the healthier you become AND the more likely you are to keep those pounds you lost off for good.

Weightloss is a marathon, not a sprint. Your body is just taking a little rest before gearing up for more loss. Keep doing what you've been doing, maybe take a scale break, and see where you are in a couple weeks. When your body is ready it will start dropping weight again without a ton of effort. Heck, most people lose weight in little steps and plateaus anyway! Steady losses week after week are an exception, not a rule!

I am in a 2 month stall. The last time I lost weight, I breezed right through this weight, and hit a stall at around 260. I had no idea I'd stall at this high a weight, but here I am, losing inches but not lbs.

My usual pattern, at least from my previous journey last year, was to go 3-5 weeks without a loss and then whoosh down a few all at once. So this time knowing my body has that pattern has helped me stay the course. But darn, this time it is longer and at a higher weight.

Hang in there. Some people lose steadily while others zig zag along.

Thanks for all the wonderful words of wisdom and encouragement. I took them to heart and I am going forward looking at this as just another challenge I can overcome. To celebrate I started a C25K routine and it felt great. Who knew night runs could feel so good and it sure beats the hot sun.

Thanks again and I will be sure to stick around these forums. You are all a wonderful bunch of beautiful people.

to the forum!

I am at a 3 week stall. I have lost nothing! I was very discouraged this morning. My usual downfall. But after seeing several posts from others about the same struggles I am really feeling better. I decided to post instead of going and getting a candy bar!

So just hang in there and stick around!

I hit a HUGE wall around 262. It kept bouncing, coming off, going on... it was a pain in the butt. One thing that got me through? Work your plan and it will work for you. STICK TO IT and it WILL come off as long as you are creating a daily calorie deficit.

You CAN and you WILL do this.