Do weight loss "plateau" really exist when 100% on plan?
 

I ask this because I have NEVER had one in the approx. 29 years of my on and off dieting. I have never had a weight plateau when I was faithful to my plan. I have however had periods of no weight loss when I've licked, tested, tasted and added cocktails and such to my plan. From what I have read a real plateau is several weeks of "on plan eating" with no weight loss. I just want to know how common this really is. Am I a fluke of nature? I would say I'm happy to never had a plateau because they seem to cause a lot of anguish.

I have had periods where it very much slowed but maybe not completely stopped. I might only lose 1/2 pound for three or four weeks and then lose 3 pounds one week.

A plateau is really just the body's rebellion against aggressive calorie-slashing. Some people are lucky enough not to experience it. Good for them... for everyone else, it might take one of several different approaches to get out of one... increasing calories overall, adding a refeed/cheat day, decreasing calories even further, switching up food or exercise, calorie or carb cycling, or just riding out the plateau by letting the body stabilize for a while.

I've found that adding a refeed day (as per Tom Venuto) works like a charm to keep the metabolism high, maintain lean muscle mass, and stave off long plateaus. Love that guy.

Actually I fit into both realms. I've had a true plateau (which means to me at least a month of the same weight) while 100% on plan. The last on plan plateau I had worked itself out though but it took 3 months. I've been on a self induced plateau for about 18 months though. It is because I'm basically comfortable where I am.

I've noticed that sometimes when I plateau, a good "shake up meal" seems to get things going again. And I must admit that I don't eat 100% on plan all the time. Usually when I plateau, I have to closely examine what I'm eating, to see if I'm doing more harm than good (especially where alcohol is concerned).

That depends on your definition of plateau. Whenever I have a plateau I am not being completely faithful to my plan, so I guess is can be considered "my fault", but it isn't just me going off plan (I do that all the time, even when losing steadily), it is a weird state of mind kind of thing. I've been in one for the last 4-5 weeks or so, and in just the last couple of days or so I can feel it receeding.

I think it depends on several factors: what plan you are on; how much you weigh; how strict your plan is; how long you have been dieting; how long you have been on your current plan; how much exercise you are able to get overall; and even if you cut down TOO MUCH; and so on.

When I was much younger (late teens) I was on a plan that I was able to stick to about 90-95% of the time, but rarely have I ever met or heard of anyone who can really stick to any plan 100% all of the time, so kudos to those FEW who can ...

I do have some "DAYS" that I can stick to it 100%; but I am very happy if I can stick to my present plan 90% of the time becuz I don't want to regain all the weight I've lost. I am also actually trying not to lose the weight too fast this time; becuz when I do that, the faster it comes back on. I have been dieting on and off almost my entire life (from 15 years old and up); so I have many years to look back on.

This is the first time that I realized that I must make permanent changes in my lifestyle to have permanent results; and it is really tough, as life throws so many zingers our way. I can now look back and see what things affected my ability to keep the weight off and how I got off track before.

Moreover, it is kind of obvious that we didn't stick to our plan 100%, if we ALL gained the weight back! We must also have some kind of maintenance follow-up included in our plan and try to stick to that the best we can. We must be realistic here: Life isn't perfect, and neither are we -- this is a journey ...

Me too.

I had a notable slowdown at 5-6 months, where I was still losing a monthly amount acceptable to me but not in keeping with what I'd come to expect. Read on this site that it's common to slow down or plateau during those months.

I revitalized a little ... that's when I bought the exercise bike and joined 3fc. Went back to the fastest rate of loss I saw in the first two months. Then added weights.

I do 'believe' in plateaus, however, and wonder if I will have one, or another notable slowdown. I have several tentative plateau plans I think about.

Yes, I have hit plateaus while being 100% on plan, but not usually more than a couple of weeks or so. Usually I can trace it to water weight shifts -- TOM, changes in exercise routine, sodium intake, etc. It eventually goes away and the scale moves.

I definitely had one when I was very near my goal weight. Lasted from about late February until June! I was using Fitday at the time and was meticulous with tracking my calories. I was definitely perfectly on plan for the majority of those 4 months.

I plateaued at 140 with a goal weight of 135. I really really tried hard to lose those last 5 lbs. I had already lost 60 lbs, I definitely knew what I was doing. I decreased calories, I amped up the length of my workouts, the intensity. I calorie cycled.

Around May 2005 (I guess, it's a little hazy) I decided my body was just done losing weight and had reached a happy place. I slowly moved into maintenance and raised my calories from about 1400 a day to around 1800 a day over a period of weeks.

In June, I dropped to 138. While eating MORE than I had been eating in February.

My weight finally stabalized around 130 around January 2006 and had been there ever since :)

I have never had a true plateau while being 100% on plan. However I've had slowdowns while 100% where I've only lost 1/2 pound for a week or whatever... that can usually be traced to that time of the month ;)

for me the key is exercise..if i exercise i dont plateau

I had heard that a plateau is a month or more with no weight change. Therefore, I have never had a plateau. I have had stalls, however, where my weight didn't change for 3 weeks at a time, even though I was on plan.

Jay

The definition of "slow down" is really interesting to me! I've had plenty of weeks of 0.5 lb losses, but I seem to be on a 4 week cycle: big loss, moderate loss, moderate loss, minimal or no loss, repeat...
I'm just grateful for every ounce lost!
Kira

I've never had a plateau while being 100 per cent faithful to my plan. That said, I always stall at around 30 lbs lost. The reason being, I start at 180, usually, and end up at 150 where I am not happy but not horrified with myself, either. So I buy nice clothes and go out to eat, drink, etc., and the weight piles back on.

This is the first time I have lost so much weight, so I have no idea what my body is going to do.