"It's going to get harder. You're going to hit a stall."
When did it first happen for you? I was wondering if, considering my height, if I might hit mine later (waay later) because pretty much ANY weight on me (even my goal weight) is considered obese on my stature. Or is it just wishful thinking? lol
It depends on what you call a stall--sometimes we get people on here upset because their weight has been the same for 3-4 days. Is that a stall? I think I had the occasional "slight loss" week right from the beginning, but it was always bookended on either side by big-loss weeks, so it didn't bother me (like I'd lose 3 lbs, then half a pound, then 2 pounds). Three times my weight loss stalled for 2-3 weeks while I stayed on plan, which I found to be very frustrating. I hit the first one of those @ about 80 lbs down, I think.
I guess by stall I mean not losing anything for a few weeks, and everyone's been telling me it will be harder to lose weight the more I lose. I guess I'm just blindly hoping it won't be super hard, because even at my goal weight I'm still considered obese. So I dunno.
I stalled for 3 weeks after I lost about 30 pounds. Stayed on plan, and my weight bounced around the same 2 pound range for 3 weeks. I've also had a few days where I've hung out at the same weight and gotten frustrated, lol.
I hit stalls regularly. I have at least 2 weeks a month where my scale doesn't budge an inch, and then for the next 2 weeks I either have a) one whoosh (loss of 3-6 lbs) in a couple days and then another stall or b) I start losing again slowly for the next couple weeks before the stall.
Don't let it get to you. If you eat fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose weight eventually. It may not go as fast as you like, but it WILL happen.
My entire weight loss journey has been one gigantic stall. I lose weight very slowly!
But, I think that's why you have to have those NSV (non-scale victories) to motivate you to go along.
I also think an element of honesty with yourself is in order. I was on a plateau for a long time but I had "accidentally" started eating maintenance calories because I was compensating for what I was exercising. Blergh. It's sometimes easy to rationalize eating more.
Hitting a stall is not a given. Many people don't. I was one of them.
No once can possibly predict what will or will not happen to you and the rate at which you lose weight. How could we possibly know. We don't know exactly what you're eating, exactly how you're exercising and how consistent you are. We don't know your stats, your history and what other factors there might be. And even if we were to know everything, we'd still not be able to foresee what your weight loss future holds.
I urge you to not anticipate anything based on other peoples experiences.
The best way to avoid a stall, though there are zero guarantees, is to stick consistently with your plan. Zero *off* days or meals. It's not for everyone, but it is what I chose - and it worked! Increasing exercise as you go along will also help.
When I've hit a stall, I change some things for a few weeks and that usually helps. I might start a different rotation of workouts, or add or delete certain foods for a few weeks. I definitely have to keep my body guessing. But, when I've hit a stall, it usually has something to do with the amount of rest I'm getting.. Go figure.
I found that my rate of loss did slow down--in fact, it tracked 1%/body weight/week very closely. However, it was less discouraging than I expected because 5 lbs at 170 made a bigger difference than 20--****, 40--lbs at 300. So while the scale wasn't going down quite as fast, the person in the mirror seemed to be getting smaller almost as a watched. And that was hella-cool!
I urge you to not anticipate anything based on other peoples experiences.
Yeah, I like this. I set myself up for failure time and time again because I latched onto others' experiences of losing 1-2 pounds every single week. When that didn't happen for me, I thought I was broken, so I gave up. It turns out I'm not broken. I just stall frequently.
I urge you to plot your weight. After you have a few months of plotting you will start to see your own unique pattern.
I will tell you the weight loss slowed down well before I expected it to. Just after I crossed from obese into overweight the weight loss slowed rather significantly. It's not a race. I'll see you at the finish line.
I don't think I ever did, mine were always self inflicted - too much splurging, too much eating out, not enough exercise, pregnancy, not following my plan, exercising too much and eating too little, etc.
ugh, I've been on a plateau it seems since the beginning. I lost 8 lbs and went from being obese to overweight in one week- and haven't lost anything since then. I excersice, I eat right... no weight loss. I am just sticking to plan and working out though, even though I haven't lost any weight I am still losing inches.
"It's going to get harder. You're going to hit a stall."
everyone says after I lose 20 it will slow to a trickle.. and that was sort of like...what
