I went for my fourth week weigh in and only down 1 lb. Yes, it was a loss but in getting 800-900 calories a day, I thought I'd be seeing a larger loss especially over a period of two weeks. (Last week I only lost .2 lbs). The first week, I lost 7 lbs and the second week 5 lbs. I thought it would continue along these lines. Is this a plateau or do I need to do something different? My coach tells me to start adding in some cardio. I'm kind of afraid because sometimes this makes me lightheaded and since I have suffered from hypoglycemia before, I don't want to end up passing out. Maybe I need to add the cardio and use another packet if needed? I only do 3 packets a day and have been 100% on program. Would appreciate some advice from the pros here! Or do I just need to be patient??

forgot to add that I had been doing strength training 3 days a week, not extreme weight lifting or anything though. Also my body fat has consistently went down even though the scale is not following!!!

First off, you are doing GREAT! I know how hard it can be to see weeks of less-than-jaw-dropping weight loss, but stick with it. It works! Weeks 3 and 4 are notorious for little or no loss. You lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks...your body needs to adjust. I lost 0 week 4 and was just as irritated and annoyed and discouraged as I know you are feeling. Focus on how much better you are already feeling with the weight you have lost so far, stay 100% OP, and you WILL see results in the weeks to come...Promise!

You are over 200 lbs... I would think perhaps you should be eating one more packet. Technically you don't want to do 'cardio' but adding a brisk walk a day is beneficial. Not working hard enough to get out of breath & sweaty, though. Thirteen pounds in four weeks is 3.25 lbs a week - very good progress. Average is 2-3 lbs a week. Don't be discouraged! Remember, you've just started this program and your body has to drop the water weight (glycogen stores) first then it will start to 'get in gear' to lose the fat. Your whole system of energy usage is changing over right now from quicker carbs to more complicated slower burning of your fat stores. Give your body a chance to catch up to this new way of running. Also don't forget that Time of Month and other incidentals can throw a whack in your losses temporarily.

Hang in there and make sure you are getting all your water, salt, vitamins, and oil! Skipping out on any of these things can cause a stall and will make you feel unwell to boot. Don't worry about counting calories, this is not a calorie counting diet, it is a low carb, adequate quality protein diet.

Keep on going, and check back on the Daily Chat with your questions & progress, that's where we all hang out from newbies to multi year maintainers. Don't give up!

Liana

Kathy, don't be discouraged, you are doing great! I can understand your frustration, for the past two weeks I "only" lost 1 lb each week, but this week I lost 6!! So don't be discouraged you'll have slow weeks, but it WILL come off!! You got this!!

Thanks all, I really need to hear this! I got home for my weigh in yesterday at around 7:30 and went to bed. Thankfully I didn't eat too!!

But you're right, I just need to keep on and be patient!!! I am feeling so much better!

14 lbs in 4 weeks is 3.5 lbs per week average. It is definitely in the 15/month ballpark I got my first few months on IP (before moving to 10/month)

I'll tell ya what? I'll trade you. You can have my 90 lb loss and the ensuing long stall that created a need to maintain for a year before getting to goal. I'll take your 3.5/week average. Heck, I'd even trade for consistent 10/month average. I'd trade because I know how to stick to plan and if I could get to goal without a major stall (defined as 4-6 weeks of no change on scale or measuring tape), I'd take it in a heartbeat.

I don't say that to be a b...what I'm trying to point out is that we need some perspective when losing weight. Every week won't be 10 lbs. It just doesn't work that way & we can't wish it into existence.

I affectionately refer to this perspective needed as "attitude adjustment".

To help with this, I'm quoting from today's daily chat
Weight loss isn't linear. You won't see a straight line. If you chart WIs every week, the data points will be very jagged (my wii fit did that for me). But then if you create a trend line, you'll see that the trend is down! If this is your desire, I say stick with the trend.

We all have timelines we want to meet. We need to shelve those. They only cause discouragement. Instead we should be celebrating not only every lb lost but every increment of a lb lost! How long did it take to get in your current condition?

Do you own The Beck Diet Solution book? If not, go on Amazon and order it RIGHT NOW!!! As we are making changes physically, we also need to make cognitive changes that will result in us learning to maintain this weight we are losing.

We only feel as good as we allow ourselves to feel. So changing a defeatist attitude to one of celebration changes your whole perspective. You lost weight! You are losing weight! What could be bad about that???

In the meantime, I suggest joining the 100% thread and sticking 100% to the sheet. This is the group where I see the most consistent progress and the most people reaching goal.

Also, re cardio: Take a walk! That's all the cardio you need right now. Not even a power walk. Just walk 20 minutes after dinner each nite. It does amazing things for our bodies when done consistently. Have you added an extra (80 calorie) packet after each weight training session? I hope your coach said to do that.

Kathy - I know how down you can get on weeks when you have smaller or no losses but hang in there, you are doing great!

As said before, weeks 3 and 4 typically have smaller losses as your body adjusts. Also, you will probably start to see a pattern in your losses. I'd go 2 or 3 weeks of 0, 1 or 2 lbs down and then 4 or 5 lbs down and then back to 0, 1 or 2. It all averages out. In 52 weeks on P1 I lost 120 lbs (the rest came off when I was phasing off). So 2.3 lbs a week average which is a really great rate.

Just keep doing what you're doing - the weight will come off!

Kathy,

Your experience sounds similar to mine. Last 2 weeks <2lb losses. This week, 4.8. When I started I also had big losses the first 2 weeks with <2lbs/week. In 13 weeks I've lost 51.2 lbs. Stick with it, trust the program. You have had great results and are 100%. You can do this!

R

Oh, and everything Lisa said!

I agree that you are doing great and please don't be discouraged! Some things to look at could be:

Are you measuring your dinner? For a while I was eating less than 8 ounces because I was eyeballing it. I bought a scale after being on the diet for 4 weeks and realized my mistake.

What kinds of protein are you eating for dinner? Sometimes if you switch up the kind of protein that you have it can get the body out of its comfort zone. (I.E. if your protein is always chicken, maybe add in a red meat once or twice a week).

Are you eating any restricted packets? If you are having a restricted every day, try cutting it down to only 2 or 3 days a week. If you aren't having any restricteds at all, try adding one in 2 or 3 days a week.

Like others have said: make sure you are having your salt, water, and vitamins. I am guilty of missing them from time to time.

If your inches are decreasing and are not matching the scale, it could really just be that you are losing fat and gaining muscle. Even if you are not going crazy with the weights, feeding our muscles protein and strength training can make them healthy. Not a bad thing.

How are your clothes feeling? Sometimes we need to get away from the number on the scale and focus on how we look/how our clothes are fitting.

If you start cardio, I would just stick to a low impact walking. I have just started walking and am trying to keep my heart rate in the "fat burning zone" so that I don't overdo it.

I do not recommend this.
The restricteds are there so we don't feel so deprived.

They are part of the program & for some people (especially if you're over 200 lbs), cutting them out could SLOW weight loss. Even with a restricted, you're eating less than 1000 calories/day.

The people I've "met" here on this forum who have had great success used the WHOLE program, including the restricteds.

Interesting, are you supposed to have 1 every day? I have really only been having 3 or so a week.

You bet! Especially if you are a heavier gal, you still need to eat enough food to keep you going - no need to deny yourself this as it can stall your losses. Enjoy!

Liana

I have had one every single day from Day 1. I eat my Quest bar as my after-dinner, watching TV, after-my-kids-go-to-bed snack!