Hi,
I am at a weight plateau the last week (only been going since the first). I work out almost every day for an hour - going between bike and elliptical. At first I dropped a lot of weight - almost 8 pounds (I know some of this is water weight). I have stayed the same now for a week (maybe even going up a few ounces).
I am 56 years old (past menopause), so I know it will be harder to lose than when I was younger. Right now I eat around 1600 calories, although yesterday I decided to cut it to between 1400 and 1500 to get results. (I want to lose as quickly, but as healthfully as possible, because I am starting to have problems with my knees, etc and I am going on some long treks in May.)

One week without a loss does not make a plateau in my book. I've not lost for 2 weeks and I still would regard this as a stall, rather than a plateau. Just keep at it.

Kitty

The first week, you lose a lot of water weight as your body adjusts to eating differently, etc. The second week is another matter. You would have to be at the same weight for more than a month to be on a "plateau." In fact, you'd have to stay the same weight for a couple of weeks to even call it a stall!

Stay with your program. Stay with your program. Yes. You can't rush these things. You're doing OK.

Try not to weigh every day if the scale is freaking you out. Try every three days instead. But stay with your plan.

Jay

Though I have never tried it I have heard people talk about calorie zig zagging to help break a plateau. Instead of eating 1600 hundred calories a day try to average 1600 a day for the week. So maybe eat 1800 one day then 1500 then 1700 then 1400.
Like I said, I have never done it but I plan to try it if I hit a plateau.

Thanks for the input. So then, what is a good amount of calories, not to little and not too much? In the old days they used to say 1200, but now I understand that is too little. You see people on these weight loss shows losing huge amounts of weight every week. I don't watch the shows much, but how do they keep losing such vast amounts of weight?

Do you measure yourself? I've found that the scale can be the most discouraging element to a weight loss plan. I prefer staying away from mine and only using it so I can figure out my Body Fat Percentage. My tape measure has shown itself to be so much more effective and useful than my scale...and the tape measure cost me $2 and the scale cost me $40.

Good job on the 8 pounds! Keep it up!

The kiss of death to permanent weight loss is "I want to lose as quickly..." I bet you know that. I believe at your weight and height you should be careful of dropping your calories too low. My point is this, say you drop 40 pounds and stop losing, where are you going to go calorie wise, you can't just keep dropping calories forever you will be hungry and you might give up. I understand about the knee thing (I have bad knees also) but we have to make sure our goals are realistic. Oh, btw congratulations on your weight loss so far.

I agree that two weeks would be a stall, even 4 weeks is only a mini-plateau. I have known individuals get stuck for months and still manage to break through.

Lori

Weight loss is frustrating, isn't it! It's certainly NOT linear -- meaning that you can do the same thing from week to week and sometimes you will lose, sometimes stay the same and sometimes gain... this is a complex process!

You need to take a deep breath and have some patience. Don't try to change things up before you even know if they're working! Good luck!

I am so glad this forum is here! - I will back off weighing every day and remind myself frequently that this is a change for life not a "diet" and I have to see it that way. Years of the habits of dieting are difficult to break -and patience is a virtue I have to acquire

Don't go by the weight loss shows...please.

You started on the first correct, and have lost 8 pounds? That is FABULOUS. A healthy rate of weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week, and you have already passed that.

Don't get frustrated. It is very normal for someone to lose an average of 1-2 pounds per week-but doing so by losing 3 pounds one week, none the next, 2 the week after that, and none the next. It won't be the same every week.