Breaking through a workout plateau but now in a weight loss plateau

[Anonymous]

Just wondering if anyone had experienced this. I peloton so that's how I measure this just for context. I have lost almost 40 pounds in the last 15 months. I started working out about a year ago and got the peloton in late October. The first few months on the bike I was making really good steady gains and losing about 3 pounds a month. In like February of this year I feel like my weight loss progress slowed a bit but didn't stop, mostly due to holiday eating and a (COVID safe) weekend away in February. I am losing slowly so an 'off' weekend where I gain a pound kind of creates a monthlong stall. Anyway, about two months ago I had to have minor surgery and it took me about 5 weeks to get back to my previous PRs on peloton.

In the past week though, I feel like my recovery has totally kicked in because I am SMASHING through my April PRs. Like clear enormous improvement. And it was a HARD month of slogging through getting back to fighting shape.

But now my weight loss has totally stalled out. I am basically one pound down since mid April and feel like I have just stopped losing.

Is there something that could be happening where my muscles being built back up slowed me down? Trying not to get discouraged. I have another 20 pounds to go to get to where I think I'd be TOTALLY HAPPY. 25 to get to a 'normal' weight.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you are gaining muscle by exercising on the bike? If I want to continue losing fat I have to be careful not to eat the calories I lose during exercise. You sound like you are gaining muscle while slowly losing fat, and it sort of cancels out on the scale. Do your clothes fit better now than April? That might be a better barometer.

[Anonymous]

You mention exercise, but don't mention diet.

how many calories are you eating? Had you previously adjusted your diet or was the weight loss all through exercise?

As you lose weight you need fewer calories to maintain that new weight and, thus, need to eat even fewer calories to create a deficit and to continue to lose weight.

It is also common for people to relax their diets as they lose weight. Often this means not tracking as closely or not measuring s diligently. If you weight loss has really stalled take a hard look at your diet and where extra calories may be slipping in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You mention exercise, but don't mention diet.

how many calories are you eating? Had you previously adjusted your diet or was the weight loss all through exercise?

As you lose weight you need fewer calories to maintain that new weight and, thus, need to eat even fewer calories to create a deficit and to continue to lose weight.

It is also common for people to relax their diets as they lose weight. Often this means not tracking as closely or not measuring s diligently. If you weight loss has really stalled take a hard look at your diet and where extra calories may be slipping in.

This exactly. If your calorie deficit between diet and exercise stays the same, you eventually get to stasis. To break through you need to decrease your calorie intake/increase exercise until eventually you get to the next point of stasis.

[Anonymous]

I do IF to lose the weight. And I haven't had to do any tracking at all. This works for me as a permanent long term solution in a way calorie counting never has. I think if I had to readjust my diet again in a major way that I would probably just instead decide to accept my current weight, which is still a massive improvement on my old weight!

I have never measured or counted the last year, hence the very slow rate of loss.

I was wondering if there was some other possibility that I just needed to hold the line and get past, but perhaps I need to just work on accepting this as being just fine.

[Anonymous]

I've hit 2 weight loss plateaus over the last 6 months of trying to lose weight. To get through the first one I increased the number of steps I was taking per day by anywhere from 3-6,000. That worked for a couple of months.

Then I hit another plateau - and this one was a weight I hadn't been able to get past for 10 years. We went on vacation then and I decided I'd worry about it when we got home. I'm on Weight Watchers, and I had been very good about staying within my allotted daily points. On vacation I let that go a bit - had dessert, drank wine, etc. (Was also very active, too though, hiking, biking, swimming.) Two weeks later, get home, jump on the scale, and - whoa - I'd lost 2 pounds and saw 159 for the first time since 2011.

Last couple of weeks, I've continued to eat more (use my "weeklies" as they say in WW), and I saw 156.8 on the scale this morning. (I still get at least 10K steps a day and lift 3x week.)

HTH

[Anonymous]

I'd shake up the menu a bit. Same schedule, but maybe move carbs to first half of the day, no starchy vegetables for dinner, some completely different dishes, new flavors.
I agree with not changing the method that works for you (IF). Just keep doing what you're doing, eventually plateau will end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do IF to lose the weight. And I haven't had to do any tracking at all. This works for me as a permanent long term solution in a way calorie counting never has. I think if I had to readjust my diet again in a major way that I would probably just instead decide to accept my current weight, which is still a massive improvement on my old weight!

I have never measured or counted the last year, hence the very slow rate of loss.

I was wondering if there was some other possibility that I just needed to hold the line and get past, but perhaps I need to just work on accepting this as being just fine.

Op that is incredible, very sustainable and a really smart way to go about it and mindset to have.

If you are fine with a slow rate of loss maybe just make a small diet tweak. Nothing drastic but maybe you can cut back a little at one meal?