I've lost 7 pounds and am looking to lose 5 more. Currently I weigh 114 pounds and I am 5'2". But I have PCOS so the weight is coming off very, very slowly. It has taken me almost 3 months to shed those 7 pounds. I calorie count (1200-1500) and usually exercise 6 days a week, 3-4 hours a day.
I've been stuck at 114 for a week now and the scale won't budge even a 0.01! I want to break this plateau and lose weight faster (it has been
PAINFULLY slow). Should I increase/decrease my calorie intake? Increase protein intake? (it is usually 60-90) I don't think I can increase exercise any more...
First of all, congratulations on the pounds you lost! I think it is important you understand that your achievement is to be highlighted. Plateauing for a week is common, so I would just stick to the food plan and wait a bit. Maybe you can cut down on carbs and add more vegetables instead, secure your water intake, but just be patient. You have proven to be patient so far, so don't get discouraged and keep going. I am confident that in a few days you will start losing again. Good luck!
You are very, very close to your goal weight, and you haven't been at the same weight very long. As we get closer to goal and to smaller and smaller bodyweights, it takes much longer to lose even small amounts of weight - you just can't create as much of a calorie deficit. And a week is a minor blip on the scale - not enough to base plan changes on.
Stick with it, I wouldn't worry until you'd gone 6-8 weeks without any change, and even THAT might happen since you're so close to your goal.
A week without loss is not really a plateau. Normal fluctuations in your weight happen all the time and often mask fat loss. For example, if you lost half a pound of fat last week, but retained half a pound of fluid weight, you would not see any loss.
Fluctuations can happen for a wide variety of reasons, many of which are out of your control - exercise, dehydration, sodium intake, hormones, even the weather can cause fluid retention. The food that you eat has a considerable amount of weight to it too, so how much of it sits in your digestive tract at a particular moment also affects your weight. So it's pretty typical for ordinary fluctuations in your weight to temporarily mask fat loss on the scale.
So, what to do? The only answer is patience. You have to wait long enough for fat loss to become clear over of the noise of these fluctuations. At a low starting weight already, you may not lose more than a half a pound of fat in a week, or a pound at most. So you might have to wait 2-4 weeks to really resolve your fat loss on the scale. It happens to everyone; it's part of the process.
Try to remember that what matters is not whether you weigh less today than a week ago; look at a longer time scale, like a month or two. Stick to your plan regardless of these fluctuations, and give it time.
I've been on a plat for 6 weeks now. I'm thinking I need to re-eval my caloric needs. Again. ~heavy sigh~
And a side note to the OP: I'm a little concerned about your exercise habits (exercise 6 days a week, 3-4 hours a day.) That seems rather excessive, unless you're an athlete in training. Not judging; just - as I said - concerned. That's not healthy; I'd say it falls into the category of obsession.
Hi everyone, thanks so much for your advice. I'll just stick to what I'm doing atm and hopefully will see results soon.
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And a side note to the OP: I'm a little concerned about your exercise habits (exercise 6 days a week, 3-4 hours a day.) That seems rather excessive, unless you're an athlete in training. Not judging; just - as I said - concerned. That's not healthy; I'd say it falls into the category of obsession.
Thanks, I totally understand where you are coming from. But yes, I am an athlete (rhythmic gymnastics) at quite a high level. So it is necessary to train that much, I am not doing it purposefully for weight loss.
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Maybe you can cut down on carbs and add more vegetables instead
I will try to cut down carbs more. I don't eat bread and always measure out pasta/rice servings... I guess I love pasta too much LOL. Carbohydrate counting is usually at 180 (I use sparkpeople). I'm not sure whether that is outrageously high or normalish?
Breaking the plateau?
