Hey ladies. I've hit the dreaded plateau. Yesterday was my first weigh in since my vacation. (I should have weighed in when I got back but didn't.) I was 185 before I left. 9 days after returning I am 184. I didn't count calories on vacation, but I did estimate every day with my general knowledge of calories and portions. I didn't eat much meat (some lean protiens...and I still don't know how calorie dense goat is, but it can't be worse than red meat.) I didn't eat any 'hidden' calories like sauce or butter. I did have a bunch of carbs though, white rice, multi grain breads. No cocktails, only a few beers. In my quick mental adds, I was around maintenance. I only got one jog in though.
But I hit the gym in my usual fashion upon coming home and went back to my regular 1300-1500 calories per day cycle, meticulously logged on Fitday. Ok...I will admit that I DO end up way under that sometimes. I will also admit that I don't eat 4-5 times a day. Usually I have 300 or 400 calories during the say before I get home and plow down 800 calories for dinner. So spreading out my meals is something I know I can fix.
But what is getting me down is, plateaus are usually associated with your metabolic rate catching up with your diet? Right? Well I had just had a 15 day break from my diet, where I was eating 4-5 times a day, whole foods. I would have expected this would have been good for me, let my lean muscle get re-fueled, and my basal metabolic rate increase. But alas. After 9 days of regular dieting action upon my return....I lost a pound.
This is a bad mental plateau as well...since I've only lost a 4 pounds since Christmas. But of course I didn't gain any weight over the holidays (a miracle) and I didn't gain any weight over vacation (another miracle) so I should be happy. But still 4 pounds in a month is tough to swallow when I had been doing like...15!
This is mostly a plateau rant I guess, but if anyone has any ideas... I'd be glad to hear them!
Plateaus are normal - after all, you should give your body a break to adjust to your new shape. If you've stuck to your plan, and it has worked so far, there is no reason not to trust it to gain momentum again.
Maybe it is close to TOM, and you are retaining water? Healthy and affordable metabolism boosters are ginger (in tea, not in cookies though! ), chilli peppers, curry, basically spices - though one should keep an eye open for those which also rev up appetite. Personally, I switch to fish and sea-food, egg-white omelettes and, since I am prone to forget to drink enough water, check my water intake as well. Green tea, especially the puer-ha variety also acts as metabolism stimulant in a healthy way. I'd say, focus on protein-rich foods, preferably slow-carbers rather than fast-carbers, put a smile on your face and keep us posted about your results!
Honestly, I'm not really sure you are in a plateau. First a plateau isn't a plateau until you have been stuck for a while - like weeks. You actually lost, while not much, the scale is going down.
Just keep doing what you are doing. As we say here a lot, weight loss isn't linear and you will see dips and rises along the way, deserved or not!
Not a plateau in my book either. My weightloss has not been linear, ever. I lose nothing for 2 or sometimes three weeks then whooss, 3 pound has gone. You're still losing, don't knock it.
I've only lost 1.5lbs since Christmas but its still in the right direction.
Ooops, right, you are still losing weight, even if it has slowed down a tad in your opinion. During the last year I had two major plateaus - of 3 and 4 months each; the size kept shrinking, judging by the clothes but the weight was relatively steady, fluctuating +/- 1 kg for MONTHS! However, I figured out that if I am doing the right thing, it will pay off in the long run - and so it did! I wish I was younger (45 now) and had my teen and twenties metabolism, but what can you do...
Nods, I wouldn't consider it a plateau either. Like everyone has said, maybe it's not going as fast as you want it to, but it's going. And Jillian Michaels said it very well on her most recent appearance on Rachael Ray, that it's mostly a mental thing, "a figment of your imagination" as she put it. Not to say this is necessarily whats going on with you but there is usually something going on with what you're doing in your routine whether you stopped counting calories religiously, you're not working out as hard or as long, you stopped mixing up your exercise routine, etc. that's affecting the weightloss. I'm not an expert but I think the fact that you ate a little out of your norm while you were on vacation and drank that it may have affect where your body was at with the weight loss. I'm sure you know alcohol is exteremely sinister and should be avoided at all costs when trying to lose weight. The beer probably could have messed with your system (especially if you haven't drank alcohol in a while) causing you to retain fluid and now it's just starting to get back on track. I would say that keep doing what you're doing by eating within your calorie allotment and making sure it's good whole foods (mostly whole grains with the carbs), keep exercising and change it up if you have to so that it's varied, and up your water content a little bit and you should see a change in the scale.
Last edited by gymlee; 01-29-2009 at 12:59 PM.
Reason: I can't type
Hiya Nods. I feel for you Chicky. I know the let down all too well lately.
I was just looking at my journal last night, and was kind of bummed that I have only lost 2 pounds since New Years. (It was 4 but for some odd reason I gained 2 pounds at last weeks weigh in...while staying totally on plan....gurrrr) I've been doing well on my plan except for 2 days around the beginning of the month...which were not utterly terrible...just bad . Anyway, it sucks, and I know we both want to see that darn ticker move, but sometimes it just doesn't. I agree with the poster who said that sometimes our bodies just need to catch up. I have noticed personally that even though I've only lost 2 pound this month, my clothes are looser...so somethings going on in there. We'll get through this...perseverance! It was one of my 10 year old sons vocabulary words this week. He said it meant stick-to-it-ness.
I'm going to join team "not a plateau". You're still losing!
Remember that weight loss is NOT linear or predictable, and give yourself a week or two of OP to see if the trend continues. If it does, you may need to tweak some things, but for now, just keep going.
Your weightloss has just slowed a bit, but still going in the right direction, so I too say "your doing great!"
I do know with plateau's, whenever you do experience one, I have read and it has worked with me to confuse your body. What I mean is change what you do around. Change up your foods, increase your calories by 100 - 200 and also change up your workout. If you walk, instead ride a bike and so on. Sometimes our bodies become complacent and adapt to what we are doing, so we need to shake it up!
I am with you! I was going to post a new thread about my "plateau" but I DID technically lose 1 pound in the past 2 weeks, so I guess it's not technically a plateau. It sure feels like one though, considering that I've been losing 2 or 3 pounds a week for a while. I am trying to change up my diet a little and see if that triggers something... good luck though!
Hey thanks guys! I actually feel a lot better! Now that I'm looking at it like...hey, I'm still losing weight!!!
I'm used to having super awesome controllable metabolism, like I did in college. Then I keep remembering that I'm almost 30 and that was a decade ago. I can't eat a pizza anymore because I ran three miles.
Plateau...grrrrr....ideas?
), chilli peppers, curry, basically spices - though one should keep an eye open for those which also rev up appetite. Personally, I switch to fish and sea-food, egg-white omelettes and, since I am prone to forget to drink enough water, check my water intake as well. Green tea, especially the puer-ha variety also acts as metabolism stimulant in a healthy way. I'd say, focus on protein-rich foods, preferably slow-carbers rather than fast-carbers, put a smile on your face and keep us posted about your results! 
I feel for you Chicky. I know the let down all too well lately.
