I have been on a diet since after the holidays and have lost about 14 pounds. I have always had success logging calories in MyFitnessPlan.

My goal is to lose about 2 pounds a week and 30 pounds overall and then implement some long overdue habits to keep the weight off.

I seem to have stalled out over the last two weeks and am not sure why. I understand calories in : calories out and, again, have tracked everything through MyFitnessPal. Any reasons why weight loss might have slowed? I have lost only one pound over the last 2 weeks.

A few questions that I think will help:

Are you exercising at all? What was your starting weight? Goal weight? Are you measuring your food out on a scale or guesstimating? Do you stick to making your own meals, or eat out?

In the past, when I've hit a plateau, sometimes if I take a day or two "off" and eat in a surplus (not go crazy, just maybe a big steak for dinner with baked potato and butter, that kind of stuff).

The only times I've been successful losing weight at that pace was when I was doing Insanity workouts + major calorie deficit. I didn't find it to be sustainable and usually gained the weight back.

Either you're underestimating what you're taking in, or overestimating the amount of calories you're burning. or a combination of both. The little things can add up

If you've been dieting for the past 2-3 months, diet fatigue can really start to set in, making it more and more likely to "slip"- especially if you are restricting yourself severely. You start moving less so you're burning less calories, OR you start to sneak in little snacks or eating more in your meals because subconsciously you're just tired of it

Sometimes it's better to take a "diet break" just to give yourself a chance to reset. You've already lost 14 pounds, which is no small feat! Taking a month to eat at "maintenance" can be enough to start another fat loss phase a bit later.

So how do you do that? If you're truly stalling out, track your intake meticulously for the next 2 weeks, along with your weight (you could just weigh yourself 2-3 times a week and then take the average over that two weeks). If your weight remains the same, now you know what your "maintenance" calories are for your current weight. You could just eat at that level for the next month for a mental reset, and you'll probably be more willing to start dieting again because you've been able to recover.

The downside is you lose a month of not losing weight. The benefit is you're still down 14 pounds, and you're less likely to rebound

How lean are you? Generally, the guy with 30% body fat will lose weight 100x more easily than the guy with 10%. Probably not, but it might just be time to lower the total calories you're eating.

if youre restricting too much, your metabolism will slow to meet calories...

To answer a few questions…

Was 184lbs, now 170.

Skinny fat is 155ish, fit (half Ironman) is 145. Lean (marathon with lots of HIIT) was about 137.

I measure all home cooked food by volume or on a scale and am pretty neurotic as I have always seen results. Have never had a slowdown like this so I'm wondering what is going on.

Are you exercising, or just dieting?

Mostly diet. Bike to/from work once a week.

The curve looks like your consumption vs burn has reached equilibrium. Increase burn, hold diet steady, to see if you can jump start the metabolism again.

Ragoo said:

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The curve looks like your consumption vs burn has reached equilibrium. Increase burn, hold diet steady, to see if you can jump start the metabolism again.

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I agree with this, and would recommend you increase the burn by lifting some weights.

CC09LawAg said:

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In the past, when I've hit a plateau, sometimes if I take a day or two "off" and eat in a surplus (not go crazy, just maybe a big steak for dinner with baked potato and butter, that kind of stuff).

The only times I've been successful losing weight at that pace was when I was doing Insanity workouts + major calorie deficit. I didn't find it to be sustainable and usually gained the weight back.

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During WWII they used conscientious objectors in the Minnesota Starvation Experiment to see how to better understand the treatment of POWs in the far east. I believe they (the experiment subjects) were kept at a caloric deficit of 25%.

At the halfway point a lot of subjects had stalled and they decided to celebrate being halfway done by giving everyone a regular meal with a little surplus calories.

That night they observed many of the subjects getting up to pee several times. The next day they had dropped significant weight over night (around 5 lbs). This has been dubbed the "woosh effect".

The thought is that as fat cells deplete your body fills the area where they were with retaining water temporarily. When you hit a brief calorie surplus your body releases that water.

Sounds like bro science, but the experiment and my personal weight loss journey back it up. Maybe someone smarter than me can weigh in on the topic.

Thanks y'all. I have injured my foot running so most cardio is out. I will see if I can't kickstart the weight loss with some weights.

aznaggiegirl07 said:

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if youre restricting too much, your metabolism will slow to meet calories...

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This is largely a myth, as the reduction in metabolism from prolonged caloric restriction is minimal.

Start calisthenics...Get some gymnastics rings and have it it. You've simply equalized your in vs. out...Plus, you need to build strength/muscle...so many reasons why people need to be fit enough to control their own body weight.

Be careful with MyFitnessPal as the beacon for your diet.

It isn't bad, but not near as accurate as many think it is. Secondly, most who use it tend to eat out quite a bit… nothing wrong with eating out, but most people do it too much. Never know what's actually in that order of beans or what's all in a salad if you aren't preparing it yourself.

Exercising is really important, but if you commit to 7 hours a week, I guarantee you will get way more bang for your buck if you take half of that time and commit it to going to the grocery store and making really good tasting nutritious meals for yourself rather than going to restaurants to rely on that for you.

Walking is low impact. Try to hit 10,000 steps a day.

What is your height?

You have good literature on this? I'm curious.

A lot of great answers above. Great job on the 14lbs too! Here is something that could help as well:



This is a very common issue and stall outs happens. Your body is designed to adapt to any stimulus and when on a diet, your body is trying to keep you from starving. So consider a short, controlled break. He should go over this in the video.

Remember that your caloric needs to maintain a certain level of bodyweight changes as you gain/lose weight. A 230 lb person might need 3,000 calories per day to maintain that weight while the same person at 200 lbs might need 2,500/day (just making these numbers up). If the 230 lb person goes on a "restrictive" diet of 2,500 calores per day, they will lose weight at a progressively decreasing rate until they hit 200 lbs. Then they will stop losing weight because they have hit the maintenance level for 200 lbs. In order to lose more, they will either need to further restrict calories or increase energy expenditure.

Look into carb cycling. Your body will slow down metabolism to meet input after a while. If you keep it guessing, you can keep losing long term.

aggiederelict said:

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You have good literature on this? I'm curious.

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Hard to prove a negative, however, just google "starvation mode" for plenty of articles dispelling this widely held belief.

From a logic sense, it makes absolutely no sense to lose more weight while comparatively eating more, as is suggested by some who claim that too big caloric deficits can lead to a markedly slower metabolism that leads to slower weight loss compared to those with more modest caloric deficits.

If you consider it from an evolutionary standpoint, it also does not make sense. Marked drops in metabolism have to come from somewhere, which likely means significant organ dysfunction. It would not be advantageous for a species to drastically decrease metabolic rate every single time they have gone a few days or weeks with reduced caloric intake. This is exactly what fat is for. Our bodies are always trying to be efficient as possible while maintaining appropriate functioning. Fat is utilized during deficit phases to maintain optimum functioning. We do not typically see true "starvation mode" until you are below 5% body fat (in men), and even then despite the organ dysfunction, you will continue to lose weight if you are in a caloric deficit. Your metabolism will not "slow to meet your calories", you will just eventually die.

The numbers I see typically quoted with regard to metabolic changes in individuals in a prolonged caloric deficit, it is no more than around a decrease of 100-200 kcal/day from their BMR. Essentially a minuscule amount.

The biggest reason for changes in BMR during weight loss is weight loss itself. It takes less energy to power a 200 lb man than a 250 lb man.

Cromagnum said:

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Look into carb cycling. Your body will slow down metabolism to meet input after a while. If you keep it guessing, you can keep losing long term.

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carb cycling is a tactic used in weight class sports.

Cromagnum said:

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Look into carb cycling. Your body will slow down metabolism to meet input after a while. If you keep it guessing, you can keep losing long term.

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TL;DW- It's just another way to group your calories to make it easier to lose weight. Energy balance is still the base for all of it

The kicker is that any "diet", especially a caloric restriction diet is doomed to fail if you go back to your previous way of eating. To keep the weight off requires a commitment to a new way of eating. Caloric restriction is impossible long term. Your body will adjust metabolism and try to hold on to fat because you are starving yourself.

The easiest way to cut weight by diet alone is hands down the carnivore diet. Eat to satiety, don't worry about calories. Meat, eggs, dairy if you're tolerant. That's all you need.

If that way of eating isn't something you want to do long term, use it as an elimination diet to lean out and then slowly start adding back carbs. Start with fruit, rice, tubers and see how it feels. I would stay away from processed foods, grains, seeds, legumes and most vegetables altogether. (This is the part where people lose their mind and think zero carvers are crazy)

I have an injured foot so lots of walking is out though I do cycle. I am mostly looking to aggressively get back to a normal weight and then maintain from there. Permanent habits/changes that I will keep have included:
- regularly weighing in
- IMFing (eating only between 12 and 6p, eliminates snacking at night)
- larger portions of veggies/salads.

Have gotten past the slump and have lost another couple pounds…. 16 so far this year

Quote:

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The kicker is that any "diet", especially a caloric restriction diet is doomed to fail if you go back to your previous way of eating. To keep the weight off requires a commitment to a new way of eating. Caloric restriction is impossible long term. Your body will adjust metabolism and try to hold on to fat because you are starving yourself.

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Caloric restriction is not meant to continue once you are at goal. At that point you switch to caloric maintenance. Also, all diets goals are "caloric restriction" if they are working. You literally cannot lose weight without maintaining a caloric deficit. And once again, caloric restriction leading to metabolic dysfunction outside of individuals with extremely low body fat is a myth. Your body will not "hold on to fat". The whole point of fat is to be utilized during periods of energy deficits.

aznaggiegirl07 said:

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if youre restricting too much, your metabolism will slow to meet calories...

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Came here to say the same.

What is your daily calorie intake vs. your TDEE? What's your lean body mass? What are your macros?

I also enthusiastically encourage, as others have said, to allow yourself a cheat/celebration day. I don't necessarily believe in the "woosh effect" or the "keep your body guessing" suggestion, but it helps maintain the motivation to "behave" during the week if you know you have a reward coming up. It's a nice mental reset.

It's worth noting that I've lost 26lbs in 7 weeks through a caloric deficit as noted in MyFitnessPal. Was 225lbs eating 2400 calories a day and brought that in-line, restricting to 1200-1500 calories in a day. BMI went from >30 to ~29, with more progress to go. Using low-ish carb and IF/OMAD to help keep my calories in line.

Eat less


What's your ins vs outs (& Macro breakdown)??

Skillet Shot said:

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The kicker is that any "diet", especially a caloric restriction diet is doomed to fail if you go back to your previous way of eating. To keep the weight off requires a commitment to a new way of eating. Caloric restriction is impossible long term. Your body will adjust metabolism and try to hold on to fat because you are starving yourself.

The easiest way to cut weight by diet alone is hands down the carnivore diet. Eat to satiety, don't worry about calories. Meat, eggs, dairy if you're tolerant. That's all you need.

If that way of eating isn't something you want to do long term, use it as an elimination diet to lean out and then slowly start adding back carbs. Start with fruit, rice, tubers and see how it feels. I would stay away from processed foods, grains, seeds, legumes and most vegetables altogether. (This is the part where people lose their mind and think zero carvers are crazy)

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Spot on. Pay more attention to carbs than calories. Also avoid sugar and heavily processed foods as much as possible.