Plateau? Already?

[KaraLisa]

I have over 150 pounds to lose, so I don't think that's what's going on, but I'm stuck, on week 3 and have even gained and not losing anything! I have kept my 1,000 calorie deficit every single day but 1, tracked every single thing, and I'm at a loss. Ideas?

[smhermione]

Are you losing inches?  Sometimes our bodies take a while to adjust to the new routine we are introducing to it.  It may be that with more excercise you are gaining some muscle which makes you smaller, but may not show a reduction on the scale.  Good luck and keep it up!  You may want to invest in a scale like the Aria that shows body fat percentage.  For me, it helps me to understand that I may not have lost weight, but I did lose fat.

[TiffTreble]

Don't worry, KaraLisa. 

I just got through a 2 week plateau after keeping a 1,000 cal deficit and not chaning a thing!

It's very frustrating, but just keep doing what you're doing and you will lose. 

The measurements idea is a good one.  I had lost an inch on my hips, but the scale hadn't moved at all.  I use the Aria scale and it also helped me not feel so bad because I was gaining muscle while losing fat, which isn't a bad thing. 

Keep it up! 🙂  You'll get through it!

[steff]

If you have hit a plateau, change things up!  In your case, you have been eating a very, very low calorie diet.  You should amp it up to 1200 calories a day.  If you are exercising, try doing something different.  If you do walking on Mon, Wed, and Fri, try adding weight resistance on Tues, and Thurs.  Just a simple change can get you over the plateau.

[DanPamperin]

I'm basically going to echo what others have already said, but have one question: Have you been exercising as part of your weight loss plan? 

If you've been exercising, you may be putting on muscle, which weighs significantly more than fat.  So measuring inches and body fat percentage will give a good indicator of positive change.  I don't rely on weight too much because of that (I only get on a scale approximately every 2 weeks, at most).  The boot camp I go to measures my body fat percentage each month -- I rely more on how I feel, how my clothing feels (clothing that didn't fit now does), and how I look in the mirror.

And remember -- you are not the number on that scale!  Stick with it, and you'll definitely see change!

[JenniLacey]

First, muscle does not weigh more than fat. A pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same. Muscle is denser and takes up less room than fat per pound. You will also not gain muscle weight on a calorie deficit, you can't grow something from nothing, you require a calorie surplus to gain muscle weight and building muscle is very slow process, it doesn't happen overnight. You can however, gain fluid weight.

If you have recently begun an exercise program, you may be experiencing fluid retention in the muscles that will mask fat loss on the scale. Because you can't isolate fat on the scale (your body is made up of more than just fat weight, it also consists of fluid, lean muscle and tissue weight) I would recommend taking monthly body measurements to see if you're losing inches.

Make sure you are cutting back on high sodium, high sugar and processed foods. All these things cause fluid retention. I guarentee if you clean up your diet, you'll see the scale move.

[steff]

One other note about muscle and fat.  As we workout and begin using drowsy muscles, we have to feed them.  What does muscle need, oxygen rich blood.  Turns out, if you don't need much blood for your muscles, the blood vessles dissolve.  But, as we call on those muscles they need that blood so our bodies actually build the vessles and we even experience a gain in the amount of blood in our bodies. 

[KaraLisa]

Well, that's the thing. I'm not really gaining muscle, and can tell I'm not really losing inches (clothing wise). I have made a choice to delay foot surgery until I lose weight in hopes of better results in recovery. I have to be careful excercise wise, and really being on it and doing things can cause a lot of pain (even though it's casted in a walking boot). My doctor is on board with this plan, but at this point it is kind of urgent that I make weight loss go a bit faster, and I'm starting to realize I just can't. 😕 I have slowly been learning more as this is day 4 of tracking everything I put in body, and I'm starting to watch my levels and what I should and shouldn't put in my body.  What a journey!!  

[steff]

Okay, this is what I would do, if I were you.  First, bump the calories up.  You may have inadvertently put yourself into "starvation mode", which means your brain percieves that rough times are here  so it makes your body hang onto every ounce of fat and use it sparingly.  What you should consider is bumping up your calories to 1200 - 1400.  Cut the white food, ie, sugar, white flour, pasta, white rice and white potatoes.   Cut the complex carbs way down and finally, measure and weigh, weigh and measure all of your food.  We are all notoriously good at underestimating our calorie intake.  

[KaraLisa]

MFP suggests 1700 for me, so I usually try to stay around there...

That helps a lot. I've been trying to stay out of starvation mode. I know my body likes to go into it, as I went days as a child not eating. It's almost as if it remembers that!

[steff]

I have been in a boot and walking is hard.  But, you can grab a couple of cans out of the panty or couple of water bottles, sit in a chair..sit up nice and tall, put on some lively music and let your arms do the dancintg.   If you have dumbbells, resistance tubes or even a stretch band, you can use those.  Ladies have terrible upper body strength and this would get you going in the right direction there.  Honestly, you won't burn many calories, but you will start building muscle.  Muscle and fat both burn calories, but muscle burns more and for much longer periods of time.

You are welcome to PM me, if you have questions that I might be able to help you with.

[KaraLisa]

Thank you!!

[DanPamperin]

Thank you for reminding me why I didn't do so well in science classes 😉  My point was for the same amount of space (for example, a cubic foot), muscle will weigh more than fat.  So if overall weight is remaining the same, muscle might be increasing while fat is decreasing, and the only way to identify that is to take measurements. 

My point was not to focus too much on the scale and to take into consideration other things as well. Nutrition is key -- I agree cutting out processed foods can cause a dramatic improvement.

Good stuff all around 🙂

[Mary]

You're right, muscle DOES weigh more than fat.  Saying it doesn't because a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat is like saying my car doesn't weigh more than me because a pound of my car weighs the same as a pound of me.  

[steff]

Muscle does not weigh more than fat.  A pound of muscle and a pound of fat both weigh a pound.  However, the VOLUME of muscle is smaller than the volume of fat, pound for pound.   A pound of gold and a pound of feathers both weigh the same.  A pound of gold will fit in your hand, but a pound of feathers won't.

When you qualify the amount being weighed, as in the car comparison, we can compare which weighs more.  The quantity in the car comparison is a particular car against a particular person.  We weigh them both and the car outweighs the person.  So, if we quantify the amount of muscle and the amount of fat, and use the exact same measure and weigh them, the muscle will outweigh the fat.  A cubic inch of muscle weighs more than a cubic inch of fat.   The size is the same, the weight is different.  Without qualifying the amount, you are only comparing one thing against the other.  Weight is afterall only the amount of pressure gravity is pulling on a particular object. 

[Mary]

 "So, if we quantify the amount of muscle and the amount of fat, and use the exact same measure and weigh them, the muscle will outweigh the fat."

I believe that it's understood by 99% of people that when a quantity isn't specifically mentioned, one means "of an equal volume".  Just like in the 'car vs. me' one is understood to mean the entire car vs. all of me, when no quantity is mentioned.  You don't have to specify how much of the car or how much of the muscle.  

I just hate this semantic debate every time someone says muscle weighs more than fat.  The person jumping in with the "no, it doesn't" comment just looks pseudo-intellectual and bossy and like they've been studying MFP forum snappy replies.  Everyone knows a pound is a pound and that a more muscular person weighs more than a more fat person of the same size.  

[steff]

Does gold weigh more than feathers?  Does lead weigh more than books?  Without the specificity, the answer is yes, no, or maybe.

As for the semantic debate, you appear to be actively engaged.