[Quirky Chick]

Any advise appreciated. So, I have been on a weight loss journey the last few months. I lost 30+ lbs, but I think I am stuck. I have been weighing, and no change what-so-ever in well over a week. I had been losing at least a lb a week, but usually around 3. I am trying to remember how I got out of it a few years ago when I lost 100+ lbs in a bit under a year, but I can't remember exactly. I tried so much, and I remember it took awhile to get it back going. I have a goal that's really important to me, that's due by mid next month. I actually have very, very little clothes now, and I refused to buy much as I didn't want to allow myself to get comfy and stay at this weight. I have a lot of cute clothes that I want to wear next month. They are 1 size down from what I'm in now. I also go up North to PA on the 19th of June for a family reunion, and I want to be in those clothes and feeling better. (hope that doesn't sounds too superficial, because I'm really not ) Anyone?

[Buffinlovin]

I just have to say, you have done super fantastic so far!!!!

Some people say to "wiggle" your diet a bit, if you reach a plateau, by eating more than you normally would for two days, then eating less for two days. I don't know if this works, as I haven't had to do that yet, but a couple of my friends have and they said it helps get the weight loss back on track. Also, perhaps try adding in a 30 min walk, or additional exercise if you don't do a lot.

And it's not superficial at all to want to feel confident in those clothes!! I have a pair of jeans I am determined to get into, simply because I liked how my bottom looked in them =P You want to be able to show your family how awesome your weight loss has been, and I would think of that as more motivation than anything else

You can do it!!!!

PS: *wave* to fellow east coaster!!!! I live about 90 minutes outside of philly....its gonna be a hot summer!!

[Emme]

A week with no loss isn't a plateau...you're talking at least 3-4 weeks of no weight loss for it to be a true plateau. Stick with what you are doing. You can do it!!

[elvislover324]

I agree with Emme about the timeline for a plateau but I understand your frustration!

I went for weeks weighing 200.8, 200.6, 200.2 and I thought I'd go out of my mind. I was perfect on plan, working out, crying here. Then the last 3 weeks I went to 199.4, 196.4 and now 193.2. I lost more in the last 2 weeks than I did for the whole month before! Now, I would love for this 3lb a week trend to continue but I know it won't. But I will take a few ounces here and there if I can get the wooshes of big losses to follow!

Hang in there, your weight will catch up. Just trust your eating, trust your exercise and trust all of us.

[Eat]

A few things could be at play here.

One, if you are eating the same calories that you were 30+lbs ago, you may need to adjust them down as your caloric needs have dropped with the weight loss. Smaller people burn fewer calories.

Two, you may need a diet break. After so long of eating lower calories, your leptin levels, thyroid levels, etc. could have dropped and eating around maintenance calories could help bring them back up. If you are doing low carb, try getting 150-200 carbs a day for a week to help restore the hormone levels.

Three, it could be your body holding on to water and you just need a whoosh effect. One theory is that empty fat cells are filling up with water. You can try a dry carb load, in that you eat a lot of carbs, but drink very little. This is not easy as you will be dying of thirst. The carbs will fill glycogen stores and draw water in. If you aren't consuming the water, it must come from within the body - namely, the empty fat cells holding water. Then you stop eating the carbs, the ones you did eat will get burned for energy, and the accompanying water will be released. In essence, the whoosh effect.

A week may be too little of a time to call a plateau. Any or none of these could be what's going on, they're just possibilities.

[Quirky Chick]

Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the support, and feel a little better. I normally wouldn't call a nearly 2 week "dry spell" a plateau (even though it's unusual with my weight loss) but the fact that before when I had that big weight loss a few years ago, I did plateau, and it started around the same time this has happened. It seems to me it was around 3-4 months in. So I am guessing that's what this is, by past experience. I remember I had to cut down so low (really, really low calories) it's not advised unless a doctor ok's it - which mine had - but I can't remember everything exactly. I thought you all's insight might help, or jog my memory on exactly what it was that pulled me out.

PS- Now that I am getting closer to a set goal, I am stressing some. I imagine that probably isn't helping, either.

[shcirerf]

Patience. This is not a plateau.

Sometimes our bodies need some time to catch up to what we're doing.

[Kaitie9399]

Congrats on the weight loss so far!!!

I find that I can see trends in my weight-loss from month to month by recording a daily weigh in, I can see exactly where my progress was and is. I agree however, a week--a whole week at the same weight is discouraging...but it does happen, and it can be for a million and one reasons. Hormones, tom, stress, eating too much, eating to little, too much salt, not enough sugar, building muscle....a million reasons. Doesn't make the torture any easier but if you have the daily record then you can see, hey this happens every month around this time or, hey the same thing happened in March what did I do to get the scale moving again.

Keep up the good work!!!

BTW: Is that you in your avatar pic? Has anyone ever told you that you look like Sigourney Weaver?

[JohnP]

Originally Posted by Eat

A few things could be at play here.

One, if you are eating the same calories that you were 30+lbs ago, you may need to adjust them down as your caloric needs have dropped with the weight loss. Smaller people burn fewer calories.

Two, you may need a diet break. After so long of eating lower calories, your leptin levels, thyroid levels, etc. could have dropped and eating around maintenance calories could help bring them back up. If you are doing low carb, try getting 150-200 carbs a day for a week to help restore the hormone levels.

Three, it could be your body holding on to water and you just need a whoosh effect. One theory is that empty fat cells are filling up with water. You can try a dry carb load, in that you eat a lot of carbs, but drink very little. This is not easy as you will be dying of thirst. The carbs will fill glycogen stores and draw water in. If you aren't consuming the water, it must come from within the body - namely, the empty fat cells holding water. Then you stop eating the carbs, the ones you did eat will get burned for energy, and the accompanying water will be released. In essence, the whoosh effect.

A week may be too little of a time to call a plateau. Any or none of these could be what's going on, they're just possibilities.

Looks like someone has been reading Lyle McDonald's stuff. Excellent. Everything you said is right but is it applicable?

Context matters.

In the context of this dieter the only thing that makes sense is water retention and there is no reason for her to worry about dropping the water short term as her goals are not short term.

Therefore the best course of action is not change anything and just continue. The weight loss will catch up to the fat loss that is happening.

[Amarantha2]

You are doing great, and as everyone has said, this is not a plateau.

Weight loss is not linear.

[Quirky Chick]

Originally Posted by Kaitie9399

Congrats on the weight loss so far!!!

I find that I can see trends in my weight-loss from month to month by recording a daily weigh in, I can see exactly where my progress was and is. I agree however, a week--a whole week at the same weight is discouraging...but it does happen, and it can be for a million and one reasons. Hormones, tom, stress, eating too much, eating to little, too much salt, not enough sugar, building muscle....a million reasons. Doesn't make the torture any easier but if you have the daily record then you can see, hey this happens every month around this time or, hey the same thing happened in March what did I do to get the scale moving again.

Keep up the good work!!!

BTW: Is that you in your avatar pic? Has anyone ever told you that you look like Sigourney Weaver?

You do make some good points, and it does make sense. What's amazing is, if I were to reply to someone else posting the same type of thread, I think I'd say most of what you have. It's amazing how much we miss when we can't step back and look. Seems harder when it's ourselves we're looking at. lol. And come to think of it, I have been doing more, so maybe I have built a little muscle. I have been rooting, gardening, weeding, carrying bags of rocks, etc. So I have been using my arm muscles throughout the day and sometimes at the max strength I have. I also boosted up my walking by about a mile or so more than what I was doing. I also started drinking 1 Special K protein shake a day, which seems pretty good, but it does add more sodium to my diet than I was on. I know I can be prone to holding water weight, but it didn't occur to me at the time that those shakes may boost that due to the added sodium.

No, I really never had anyone tell me I looked like her lol. Maybe it's the angle of the photo. Try my profile picture - it's newer and you might be able to see it better, hehe.