weight loss plateau

[Anonymous]

I’ve lost 15 pounds since mid March by tracking my eating and keeping to ~1500 calories per day. I aim for 100g of protein per day, and a balanced diet of fruits, veggies, proteins (chicken, fish/seafood, eggs, yogurt, milk). I eat little added sugar, and don’t eat any processed carbs until a small portion with dinner (1/2c rice or similar). I have essentially dropped alcohol, although not intentionally, more because I haven’t wanted to “waste” calories on a drink.

I’m still about 20 pounds above my goal weight. But the scale has barely budged in the past month (2 weeks in a row it actually went up, but has since gone back down leaving me about net neutral gain/loss for the past 4 weeks). I haven’t noticeably changed any habits. I haven’t skipped a day of food intake tracking, I haven’t changed what I’m eating. I’m exercising the same (I mainly take walks and do yoga). I’m about 10 years post menopausal so I’m not having any hornonal fluctuations related to that.

I’d appreciate any tips for getting past this plateau.

[Anonymous]

Try switching up your exercise routine for a week or two. Do some strength training videos with light weights (free on YouTube).

I've lost nearly 50 pounds and my plateaus have been at weights I was at for a while in the past. I weighed 145 for a long time and it took about a month before I could break that plateau. It felt like my body recognized that point and said "hey we're comfortable here".

Stick with it, and good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Funny, I am “stuck” at 145, also! Thanks for the suggestion to add weight training, I have been meaning to do that anyway.

[Anonymous]

How realistic is your goal weight for your age/size/body shape?

If you build muscle through strength training, your weight may stay about the same even if your body composition changes because muscle weighs more than fat. Would you be satisfied with that result, even if the number on the scale doesn't budge? Or went up?

I'm 5'4" and lost 15 lbs last year - I now bounce around from about 142-145 and have held steady there for about 4 months. I added weight training as part of my new routine and am MUCH, MUCH stronger than I was a year ago. I am continuing to build muscle. I've decided I'd rather eat and be stronger than continue to lose weight. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

OP here, I need to lose at least 10 more pounds as my bmi is on cusp of overweight and I have a lot of excess belly fat, and 20 would be even better (my long time weight is 30 pounds below where I am now, so a goal of losing 20 more pounds doesn’t seem unrealistic?).

[Anonymous]

As you lose weight, you need to decrease your calories even more. You need to switch something up temporarily. Add in an extra 20 minutes of walking. Increase calories for a week. Decrease.

[Anonymous]

It takes 1800 cal to maintain your starting weight, so you can lose on 1500.
Now you are staring weight - 20c the maintainer will be lower than 1800, assume 1600, then you need 3 times the time to see the same weight loss.
Either add a cardio class or walk another 5000 steps per day.

[Anonymous]

To the prior PPs, as I said I’m at 1500 cal/day. I now weigh 145 and am hoping to drop to 125. By your suggestions, I’d now have to drop to say 1400 cal/day, and then when I’m at 140-135, drop again to 1300/day, and so on. By the end, I’d be at 1200ish cal a day - that doesn’t seem healthy??

- OP

[Anonymous]

I have lost 60 lbs. on a 1200 calorie a day diet (since last August). It's not unhealthy. It's not a great deal of fun, but it's a very common target food goal for diets.

[Anonymous]

I've been on tirzepatide since last July and I lost 25 pounds July-November and nothing since. I don't have the same "feeling full faster" feeling I had early on though I am consuming fewer calories by choice.

[Anonymous]

I lost 45 lbs since last July although I have plateaued since February. I have not gained any back and in the past few weeks have lost about another three. I have been pretty happy to find that even though I'm not losing, and I have about 20 more lbs I want to lose, I have not gained any back so I'm obviously now good at maintaining a much lower weight than I carried for most of the last 20 years. I see that as an accomplishment similar to the loss.

I do not count calories or adhere to any diet other than lowering my carbs, increasing proteins, going longer between eating, eating less when I do eat, and occasionally treating myself to stuff I crave. I also have not used any weight loss drugs or programs. I don't know why I have been so successful this time whereas struggled previously. I'm just enjoying my new body (and new clothes!) immensely.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve lost 15 pounds since mid March by tracking my eating and keeping to ~1500 calories per day. I aim for 100g of protein per day, and a balanced diet of fruits, veggies, proteins (chicken, fish/seafood, eggs, yogurt, milk). I eat little added sugar, and don’t eat any processed carbs until a small portion with dinner (1/2c rice or similar). I have essentially dropped alcohol, although not intentionally, more because I haven’t wanted to “waste” calories on a drink.

I’m still about 20 pounds above my goal weight. But the scale has barely budged in the past month (2 weeks in a row it actually went up, but has since gone back down leaving me about net neutral gain/loss for the past 4 weeks). I haven’t noticeably changed any habits. I haven’t skipped a day of food intake tracking, I haven’t changed what I’m eating. I’m exercising the same (I mainly take walks and do yoga). I’m about 10 years post menopausal so I’m not having any hornonal fluctuations related to that.

I’d appreciate any tips for getting past this plateau.

Too much carbs still unless that 1100 calories excluding protein is mostly all from fat, which going by the foods you mention, it is not.

Either adjust carb intake way down, or exercise way up for a while to kickstart things again.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve lost 15 pounds since mid March by tracking my eating and keeping to ~1500 calories per day. I aim for 100g of protein per day, and a balanced diet of fruits, veggies, proteins (chicken, fish/seafood, eggs, yogurt, milk). I eat little added sugar, and don’t eat any processed carbs until a small portion with dinner (1/2c rice or similar). I have essentially dropped alcohol, although not intentionally, more because I haven’t wanted to “waste” calories on a drink.

I’m still about 20 pounds above my goal weight. But the scale has barely budged in the past month (2 weeks in a row it actually went up, but has since gone back down leaving me about net neutral gain/loss for the past 4 weeks). I haven’t noticeably changed any habits. I haven’t skipped a day of food intake tracking, I haven’t changed what I’m eating. I’m exercising the same (I mainly take walks and do yoga). I’m about 10 years post menopausal so I’m not having any hornonal fluctuations related to that.

I’d appreciate any tips for getting past this plateau.

Too much carbs still unless that 1100 calories excluding protein is mostly all from fat, which going by the foods you mention, it is not.

Either adjust carb intake way down, or exercise way up for a while to kickstart things again.

this is bad advice (esp given how little info op has given about her diet)

[Anonymous]

Keep going, and the plateau will pass. It just takes time for your body to realize it's not starving, and to keep going. Happens all the time (pre-weight loss drugs).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep going, and the plateau will pass. It just takes time for your body to realize it's not starving, and to keep going. Happens all the time (pre-weight loss drugs).

This has never proven true for me.