what causes weight loss to plateau?

[notsomuch]

I'm beginning to get a little frustrated by the way that my losses seem to have stopped.
As far as i can tell, i'm doing everything right.

I do a mix of red and green days, try not to choose the same healthy B extras every day, get my five a day in (2 of fruit, 3 of veg) and keep my sins below 10 (average 5 a day) and i still don't seem to be shifting anything more!

I have lost 2st 4lbs and have around another 3st to go to get to where i want to be.
It's so soul destroying to get on the scales and see that i am yo-yoing up and down with the same three pounds.

 

[kjs1628]

I firmly believe that the body has a few weights at which it is happy. I have one particularly 'sticky' weight, which I stick at for ages when I'm putting on weight, as well as when I'm losing it. The tricky thing is that these plateau weights don't tend to be where you want them (my worst one is about 2 1/2 stone overweight), so it is disheartening that yours is 3 stone over where you want to be.

I do think, though, that with perserverence, you will get past that weight, and then it'll suddenly start coming off much faster again. I can't pretend to know any science about this, but it's what seems to happen to me (in fact it can be seen in my weights below!!!). It's a pain in the arse when it's happening, but keep going and look forward to the scales dropping rapidly in the next few weeks.

x

 

[Rachelina]

Have you done a food diary? what has your consultant had to say? how quickly have you lost the 2st 4lbs?, if you started on 10th November then that is only 3 months ago so this weight loss in that space of time is an awful lot. Basically if you lose weight quickly your body will reach a point where it will plateau for a while.

The best thing you can do at the moment is just carry on and persevere, as long as you are following the plan 100% it will come off, remember, this isn't a diet which you follow until you've lost weight and then stop, this has to be a lifelong change so if you're eating healthily and not going hungry try not to stress about it.

One thing to try is going back to basics, as if it was your first week, don't eat anything processed, stick to basic free foods that you have to cook from scratch, this can sometimes help

 

[notsomuch]

i do the online thing because i work shifts.

i have started a food diary on this site so that people may cast an eye over it and make suggestions where they can.

i'm really open to any suggestions to get me moving again!

 

[Rachelina]

I can only see one entry for your food diary for yesterday hun? do you have another diary?

When you say you are plateauing between 3lbs, what have your weight losses/gains been over the last six weeks?

 

[Irene]

Hi
So maddening when this happens.
You need to get someone to look over your diary, go back to the first week, eat lots of SS foods - basically what everyone has already said.
There are some that try SE - I have to admit I found this difficult as all my days are green but maybe worth a try?
Also do you eat lots of bananas and grapes - a discussion at class last night was about these 2 fruits and someone who had not eaten them last week lost 2.5lb after STS for a couple of weeks.
Irene

 

[kjs1628]

yeah, I've heard that about bananas too. I tried cutting them out when I plateaud, and it didn't make a difference, but some people definitely report better losses without them.

 

[HellieCopter]

I used to do WW and both bananas and grapes were quite high in points. Think it's cos they are higher in sugar.
So I think for some people that might be an issue. But then, for others it wouldn't matter at all. Experiment I suppose!

 

[Annie68]

I'm sitting on that very same plateau with you right now. I've lot 3 stone 3 and a half pounds since October 1st, so it's come off quite quickly. For the last 4 or 5 weeks my losses have been 1lb or so and last week a 1/2lb gain for no reason, even though I'm sticking to plan 100%. My food diaries are all ok, I've eaten speed and superspeed foods and I still sit here around the same weight! It's really frustrating, especially as still have a lot to lose, I'm only about 1/3 of the way to target.

I've just been told to stick at it and eventually my body will give in and start losing again properly.

So blimmin maddening though isn't it!!??!!

 

[Starlight]

I'm sitting on that very same plateau with you right now. For the last 4 or 5 weeks my losses have been 1lb or so and last week a 1/2lb gain for no reason, even though I'm sticking to plan 100%. !

If youre still losing weight you havent hit a plateau. SW losses are like WW between 1 & 2lbs a week, so it could be youre just having a run of 1lb a week losses. Youre still losing though which is great. Gaining 1/2lb can happen for many reasons and no reasons and its a total pain in the rear when it does.

With regards to the original post about what to do, try changing your eating pattern for a week or so, if your body is getting used to the same foods it can have an adverse effect (Lord knows why). If youre hitting a long plateau, why not try taking a week or so off your diet. My doctor recommended that when I hit a 4 week plateau, I stopped counting points etc for 2 weeks and went back onto it and that seemed to really kick start it again.

You will get through it, its so annoying and really disheartening but dont give up

 

[elizabeth]

I think I'd have to agree with the above, it could be your body just letting you know it's had enough of the same thing all the time and needs a jolt. Relax for a week, have what you like, then get back to it and see what happens.

 

[judimac]

Have you checked your portion sizes? Are you eating all your points? Do you drink lots of water? Are you exercising? If the answer to them all is yes then altering what you do is the answer, you have to change your exercise program every 6 weeks to challenge the body, I reckon the same goes for your eating.

 

[notsomuch]

My portion sizes are ok. everything that needs to be weighed or measured is.
I mix up what i eat so that i'm not eating the same foods all the time.
i do exercise too.
It's just frustrating to think that i am following the plan and here i sit with nothing happening

 

[nexangelus]

From the web: 'The reason is that the human body works hard to keep energy intake and output in balance. In other words, your body does not like to lose weight (not a revelation, huh?). After your initial weight loss, your progress will slow down and eventually stop even though your exercise and food intake is consistent. The bottom line is that the very efforts you make to burn more calories may eventually slow it down.' http://exercise.about.com/cs/weightloss/a/weightplateaus.htm

Not very detailed or informative answer, but it happens because the body has to adapt to the new weight, metabolic rate and such...it is a complex thing and the body wants to stay constant and it will also according to some scientific research want to go back to the weight it thinks is its normal weight (if you have been obese or overweight then it will take this as your normal weight) so it fights to get back to that or stay as near to it as it can...

My plateau looking back at diaries and such (three times now I have lost lots of weight and it has been the same weight exactly each time)...is the 10 stone 2 pound mark, it kinda ups and downs round this number for a couple of weeks and then suddenly the weight will fall again...this time around it took the gym and a new approach to eating to sort it out...my new sticking point and my body seems to love this weight even more, is 9 stone 6 (have hovered around here for about 9 months now)...it won't go lower for long and it likes being just above it...so I think I am resigned that this is it now...

 

[nexangelus]

Found some solutions: 5 Ways to Break a Weight Loss Plateau

 

[KD]

Not very detailed or informative answer, but it happens because the body has to adapt to the new weight, metabolic rate and such...it is a complex thing and the body wants to stay constant and it will also according to some scientific research want to go back to the weight it thinks is its normal weight

Yes, the body setpoint. Think that most researchers agree with this now. Mainly to do with hormones such as leptin.

I have certain body setpoints. Weights that have halted on the way up and down, and one very high one

Working on making a low one now :clap:

But there are other reasons too, like mentioned in various posts above.

Too many calories
Too few calories
Body taking stock.

Another important one is what I call the pre-woosh factor. This is when the fat comes out of the fat cell (fat cells always remain), and the fat cells fill with water.

The water can stay there for a while, but then they will suddenly release it and you get a whoosh with a big drop

I lost 6 stone on SW but had a 12 week plateau at one point, followed by a 12-13lb loss in one week.

Bodies are weird.

 

[HellieCopter]

Ah...that must be what my body is doing...lining up for a whoosh!!! :giggle: I wish!!!

I've seen it in loads of people though and been through it myself. Perseverance is the key, and changing things to make your body work harder!

 

[notsomuch]

i'm tired of getting to 13st and then getting on the scales and seeing 13st 3lbs.
it goes back and forth between those two and has been doing for a good few weeks now.

i've tried throwing in more red days as a lot of people seem to think that those give better losses, but not for me!

i'm really getting to the end of my rope with this!

 

[susiesue123]

hi, thanks for the above posts, found it very helpful - my body also has sticking points i have realised - the highest is 10.11 - I never go abouve this however bad I have been - at the moment it is 10.1 10.2 mark and i think i will hover round here not being able to get below 10 then all of a sudden bang - it drops to 9.12 and then sticks again at 9.7,
after reading your post i looked back to my previous charts etc and noticed this, so thank you, i will carry on having faith in s.world - be heathly and know it will show long term x