[teawithsunshine]

Sigh. I'm honestly am not sure if I'm in a plateau here. 3 weeks ago I was so happy after a 95 lb weight loss, to finally see 198 lbs after 12-13 years.

Then last week, I went back to 200 lbs, even though I didn't sabotage my eating plan or stop exercising. This week's weigh in, I was fluctuating between 199-200 lbs so much I gave up figuring out what I weigh.

I eat right all the time: veggies with low-to-no-fat per serving vegan meats, shirataki noodles, some fruit, whole wheat carbs; small amounts of pesto sauce & olive oil (read: healthy fats), etc. I have chocolate once a week as a treat, but I include it in my daily caloric intake (1,200-1,250 calories a day) on my weight loss blog.

I exercise 6 days a week by walking and being on my feet all day.

I do know that my mother's walking treadmill only goes up to 4.0 mph and I hit that mark WEEKS ago. Right now, I have severe iron-anemia which makes me wiped out after work, so walking is essentially the only thing I can do at the moment for exercise. (*I am waiting updates on some tests, so I'll know more what I can do to take care of that problem).

I also suspect that because I drink 12-14 cups of water/herbal tea a day (plain-- no sweetners or sugar added). It goes up to 14 sometimes if I'm at work at times since I'm on my feet all day, it could be partly water retention here. Also my sodium intake is a bit high due to the vegan meats, but within the govt guidelines for sodium intake.

I am happy to say that yesterday I won a bid on Ebay for a brand new Norditrack treadmill - that wholesale goes over a thousand bucks, but I got - after shipping/handling fees - for less than $400 straight from the manufacturer itself - that goes up to 10 mph (plus has a lotta cool gizmos on it). So I'm hoping that when I get it in 2-3 weeks... it will help me on the exercise aspect of bustin' my damn plateau here since I'll be able to increase the intensity of my workouts then

I also have been feeling my muscle legs lately (being firmed up I guess) because when I put on a pair of pants that I wore earlier last week... this week, it was like a HUGE tent hanging off of my bottom, lol. So I have no idea if it's also muscle I'm gaining here, fat I'm losing or what since it's sure not lbs on the scale here.

I'm also several days overdue for my TOM... which makes me wonder if my TOM schedule is going to change again (as it has a tendency of doing every few many years).

I'll still walk and everything... I actually calculated before I ate tonight, 2 slices of whole grain bread I could just "stuff" into my face as a small pig-out consolation here.

It's just... sigh, I just wished my body decided to mess with me AFTER I reached the 100 lb weight loss mark (and was below 200 lbs) and not before.

It's amazing how discouraging one can feel, even though mentally, you know it'll just take some time before your body can "get moving" again to lose weight. Just depressing, sigh.

1. Any tips for breaking a plateau (and is a plateau defined as not losing weight for 2 weeks or more?)??

2. With people struggling with plateaus... what do other 3fatchickies do to get through it????

[jordan]

Just stick with it!!!! You have come so far and right now is a little tiny bump. And it sounds like everything is quickly falling into place in the near future...you are getting your awesome treadmill, test results will be coming back so you can get to feeling better, TOM will eventually come...just hang in there for a bit longer and you WILL see your huge success again. A weight starting with the number 1 is an incredible thing and I know how badly you want it, but until then just focus on the huge number you have lost. Ninety some pounds is incredible. Try to allow that to satisfy you until you are officially back in the ones. Continued success is inevitable with all you are doing.

[amouse]

sounds like hormones to me i gained a little before tom.. its sucks but you will be fine.. i lost it over night 4 pounds difference lol.. stupid female hormones .. should be outlawed along with TOM lol.. have you ever considering measuring instead of just weighing alone? i think weighing alone can be very upsetting salt hormones ill health vitamin defiencies and water retention can all play trick with the scales.. measuring however seems to be more reliable.. you have come along way so dont get disheartened , you will be fine

[JayEll]

Hey!

Most folks define "plateau" as being a stall of a month or more while still staying on plan. So, you're stalled. Either word you use, it's frustrating!

Some random thoughts:

1200-1250 seems low to me at your current weight and activity level. Maybe you should increase your calories to around 1400 and see what happens.

The iron deficiency is troubling--it may mean that you're not getting sufficient nutrition on the plan you're following. You may also not be eating enough protein for the level of exercise you're doing.

Stay away from "small pig-out consolations," even if you have the calories for them. It's not a pattern that's helpful to keep going.

Try not to stress over a two-pound variation. My weight changes that much and more just from morning to afternoon.

Good luck! Hang in there!

Jay

[teawithsunshine]

Hi JayEll--

Actually the anemia was diagnosed before I started losing weight or became a vegan out of necessity (after my gallbladder surgery this summer). Some of the necessary tests I needed done after surgery and before I lost a significant amount of weight was postponed due to insurance change-overs. But I do eat quite a significant amount of protein in my diet, smile.

I rarely do a "pig out consolation" snack here, but I did make sure in advance that I wouldn't overdo anything if I decided I wanted a small "empty calorie" snack here.

I would honestly have less of a big gripe over this if it wasn't for the fact my weight's hovering around the 200lb mark. That and the fact, I'm close to losing a hundred pounds altogether.

Thanks for your concern!!

[Heather]

You know, it seems to me that lots of people have stalls and small weight gains when they reach certain milestones. Some of it may be physical -- our bodies are under stress when we're losing and maybe they need a break? But a lot of it is mental -- like we let down our guard a bit.

At least, I seem to see that sort of thing reported here a lot. Just do your best to get yourself back on track in a reasonable way. I think what you're experiencing is pretty common!!

[nelie]

Tea,

Do you cook with cast iron skillets? Do you eat a lot of leafy greens? There are a lot of ways to increase your iron (besides iron supplements but I imagine you are taking those?)

[Altari]

I've been anemic for a looonnggg time, so I hear you on that! I always take a prenatal vitamin, even when not preggers, for the extra iron. Have you tried increasing fiber with some chewable supplements? I use FiberChoice, and it helped a lot with bloaty, water-weighty-ness.

After I had my gallbladder out, I went totally whole foods. I didn't touch anything out of a box, can or plastic bag. And eating meat and dairy was just..well...plain painful. I eventually, thankfully, was able to incorporate non-vegetation back into my diet.

When you stall like this, sometimes it's encouraging to start measuring. Measure all over - calves, thighs, hips, waist, bust, arms, neck, lol. And watch those numbers. You may be toning up muscles, and getting smaller, but not seeing a weight loss. Which, over a period of time, is a good thing. More muscle = more calories burned at rest AND a more compact body.

[cakses]

I am stuck at 200 as well, and am mostly OP for eating and 100% OP for exercise. I have been fluctuating between 200-203 for a week now. It's frustrating! I didn't give up Coca-Cola to stay the same weight! All I can say is it might take another week or two and it'll (hopefully) just be a memory.

Good luck, I'm right there with ya!