Week 8 Plateau--FRUSTRATED
 

This is my 8th week on this diet and I am unfortunately one of these people who weigh myself like every other day. I have my next weigh in tomorrow and I got on the scale today to discover that in 6 days I have not lost a pound. I have not cheated, been well hydrated, eating all the veggies and started doing weight training 3 times a week for 30 minutes to help with losing inches. Although I lost 5 lbs last week, I lost no inches which is where the weight training came in. Now it looks as if I will lose no weight this week. Is this normal? This diet is so strict and it's hard to stay motivated when you are doing everything right and still nothing is happening.

Also, before the 5 lbs weight loss, the week before only lost a pound and week before that half a pound (although it was time of month) Any suggestions, advice, feedback? I'm open. :?:

Ok - deep breaths :)

For starters, you are not in a plateau. A true plateau/stall lasts several WEEKS with no change in weight or inches.

Some weeks you will lose weight, some weeks you will lose inches. There was no need to add weight training just because you didn't lose inches one week.

Your weight likely has not changed in the last few days BECAUSE you are weight training. Muscles retain water when they recover from stress - such as recovery from weight training.

Readjust your perspective - no change in six days does NOT mean that nothing is happening. Your body is going to make adjustments along the way in your weight loss - this journey is not a constant downward drop. Look at my signature - I had highs, lows, no change weeks....but I still managed to lose 70lbs in 7 months.

Great advice from Scorbett (you rock & totally inspire me!!). I've been on program for 6 weeks & have found that the weeks that I exercise, I retain water and have small (or no) weight losses. I do lose inches, though :D
But for me, I am ok with the slow weight loss because I really need to exercise for my sanity!! ;)
If you want faster results, ease up on the weight training. If you enjoy weight training and are ok with slower weight loss, keep up what you're doing. You are down 30 lbs ~ which is awesome!!! So hang in there & you'll be at goal in no time :carrot:

There are a couple weeks I lose .6 or .8 and I can tell ahead of time, but the next week I usually have a better loss. I know last week it was because I was bloated....

Just keep on, don't worry about your scale at home and follow plan. And remember inches count too!

Awesome, awesome advice. These are the kinds of things I need to hear! This is precisely why I posted to have good solid feedback. I appreciate it so much ladies. Lifestyle changes are a marathon not a sprint. I just have to keep that in mind. :)

When I did the HMR diet (very low cal, all liquid "shakes") several years ago, when someone was not losing weight, they would have them add an extra shake/day for a week or two. I think the idea was that the body had gone into starvation mode so you give it some more calories to shake it out of that. I remember doing it one week and it worked.

I don't know if they do that with IP but might be worth asking your coach about.

But many of us have been advised to add a fourth shake on the days that we exercise. You could talk to your coach about that, too.

Hey hey Darla,

Lots of good advice here...agree with most of it. But! I thought I'd add my two cents in for what it's worth....

6-8 weeks into my IP journey....I put my scale in my boyfriends trunk and he took it to his house and put it where I couldn't find it. I did that with encouragement from someone on this site that had similar stats to mine. I didn't take it out until phase 4, sometimes I should out it away even in phase 4 LOL....but most definitely it needed to be away in phase 1 for me personally.

You are doing everything right....then it will happen. Breathe grasshoppah! Your time will come :)

Agree with everything said above. :) And I must stress that there's a very, very good reason that the IP coaches recommend we not weigh ourselves at home!!! If seeing that number stalled or fluctuating up/down on the scale irritates/depresses/stresses you.... then STOP WEIGHTING YOURSELF!!

It just creates additional stress - which btw can result in increased cortisol 'the stress hormone' ... which contributes to weight gain.... who needs that? Follow the protocol diligently... 'keep on truckin'.... and it works.

Unless you can step on the scale and stay calm, cool, and collected regardless of what it tells you, then don't step on it. Wait for your official WI.

If I am reading your info correctly, you have lost 30 lbs in 8 weeks!!! Do the math, that's 3.75 lbs a week!!! I find looking at the average helps me keep perspective on what my body is actually doing...

Ditto what everyone else is saying. It appears that you have lost around 30 pounds by your ticker which is GREAT! Not every week is going to be a loss. I also work out and my weight loss has slowed from 2-3 pounds a week to 1-2 pounds a week. However, I have more muscle tone and I feel great after working out so it is a trade off that I am willing to have.

I am also a daily weigher and agree with the others if it is going to be demoralizing to you then you should not weigh yourself so much. I tend to shrug it off so it works for me. For instance, Wenesday is my WI day and yesterday I was down 1.8 pounds but this morning I was up those 1.8 pounds again. I just rolled my eyes and got on with the day :-)

Keep at it - I know it is frustrating and hard at times but it is far better than the alternative of being overweight and unhappy with your body image (at least that is the case for me).

My weight loss for the last month and half is 7-9 days of nothing (I weigh at home each morning) and then 4 days of LOSS LOSS LOSS 4-5 lbs in 4 days. It's not a plateau, it's your body adjusting. Everyone's is different...you just gotta roll with it. Stay off the scale for a few days if it's buggin' you :)