A plateau of sorts...

[SunnyGirl86]

Hi everyone!

For starters, I've had my Fitbit Charge HR for a while now and love it, but I keep plateauing at odd weights, get discouraged, and quit.  I'm determined to get to the bottom of what the issue might be this time.  For starters, I have mild cerebral palsy, and like the previous poster, my legs are affected, and I can walk unassisted.  This does, however, mean I walk slower and it's been confirmed in a medical setting that because of less than optimal biomechanics, I use more energy when I walk (how much has never been officially confirmed, but estimates have been 1.5x - 2x more energy per stride ballpark that top orthopedic specialists have mentioned off the record in the past).  Because I'm normally up and about (family/kids, horses, etc), my metabolism isn't impacted like it can be with more severe forms.

However.... I keep plateauing when I feel I shouldn't be.  I've been at this since Nov. 25th with daily weigh-ins and with my Fitbit synced with MyFitnessPal.  I started at 171.9lbs after being sidelined with a broken leg for eight weeks.  I am now down to 166.4 (this is 'true weight', weighing in the morning after using the bathroom before eating or drinking).  I lost a bunch of weight the first week, over a pound on Monday and Tues,.  My caloric intake is 1300-1500 cals/day with at least 1 hour of active minutes a day.  I am a 5' 2", female, 31.  MyFitnessPal has been reporting at least a 500-1000 cal deficit/day.  I've been weighing and measuring religiously.  Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks,

Jess

[Dominique]

You can’t tell whether you "plateaued" after just 14 days. So you just lost 5.5 in two weeks: do you expect to continue losing at a regular pace of 2.25 per week? Weight loss is seldom fully linear, even if you think you’re having the exact same deficit every single day. And since you’re a woman, your hormonal cycle will likely have a big impact at some point of the month. Give it some time, and look at weekly averages rather than at daily fluctuations.

Also: did you make major changes to the type of foods you are eating? This too can have a big impact, especially at the beginning (for instance, if you switched to a low-carb diet).

[Daves_Not_Here · Accepted solution]

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@SunnyGirl86 wrote:

I've been weighing and measuring religiously.  Does anyone have any advice?

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@SunnyGirl86 - Welcome, Jess!  The advice is to keep doing what you are doing.

Agreeing with @Dominique -- 2 weeks does not a plateau make, and your water weight fluctuations are much larger than short-term losses or gains in a couple of weeks.  You may wish to setup an account at www.trendweight.com and connect it with your Fitbit account to get a better feel for your actual progress.

Last thought -- after you track activity and food for a couple of months, you'll get an idea how accurately all this technology is estimating your calorie deficit.  If you are consistently losing a pound a week, then your actual deficit is 500 calories per day regardless of what any app says -- it's easy enough to adjust your eating accordingly.  But I'd say, as long as you are moving towards your goal, it doesn't matter if it takes a little longer.  Carry on!