Need Help Moving Those Numbers

[Stacy]

For five days the scale hasn’t moved (except for about .2 of a pound up and down). I can’t figure out why this is and need some advice. According to 4 different websites my RMR (resting metabolic rate) is between 2,300 – 2,800 calories a day (but each one of them gave me a different figure). My current calorie intake is 1,700 to 1,900 calories a day. This should equal the scale going down yes? Well, it’s not. I need some advice on how to get the scale moving again.

And before you ask – I’m VERY meticulous about my food journal. I weigh and measure and count calories for every thing that goes into my mouth, so my calorie counts are accurate.

Could the websites be wrong about my RMR?

Here are my stats:

5’5”
358 lbs.
31 years old
Horribly sedentary - Desk Job for over 10 years, though now I try and work out at least 30 minutes 3-4 times a week.

I was dropping 2 – 3 pounds a week on 1,600 calories but decided to up the calories because I was told this was too low. But now at 1,700 – 1,900 calories the scale isn’t moving at all. I've lost 27 pounds in the past two months and really love the progress so far. Though the stalled scale really sucks and I'm not used to seeing it sit still for so long.

Anyway, any constructive advice is appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[shygemini]

Makes sense to me...if you were eating 1600 calories, and losing, and then upped it, then yes your body will want to hold onto those calories and prevent you from losing more weight. It is good that you increased your caloric intake, don't get me wrong! Personally I would suggest varying your calorie intake...so say one day have around 1700 calories, and then have around 2200 calories etc...keep it switched up so your body keeps guessing :0

ANother thing to do.....maybe try doing a different exercise? Something you hate? I find usually if we hate it that means that we will burn alot of calories doing it (and you won't hate it for long). For instance, i used to work out on the crosstrainer machine. I hated it at first, then i really began to love it. However my weight loss stalled. So...i realized that i am used to that sort of exercise. I switched to my nemesis, the stair stepper machine...and the weight loss continued.

Hope this helps

 

[Stacy]

Makes sense to me...if you were eating 1600 calories, and losing, and then upped it, then yes your body will want to hold onto those calories and prevent you from losing more weight.

Yeah, but no matter how you slice it - 1,600 or 1,900 daily calorie intake is way lower than my supposed RMR of 2,300 - 2,800. So either way I should still be losing weight. I'm just not. I don't understand it.

 

[Harold14370]

Stacy, don't worry about a 5 day plateau. It is perfectly normal. It just doesn't mean a thing. I have had plateaus lasting up to a month. Continue what you are doing and the scale will start moving again, eventually.

 

[Jacklinger]

Do you find yourself drinking a lot of fluids and then needing to urinate frequently? Your body needs lots of water to help mobilize it's fat and you may retain that water for a while but eventually you will purge it and lose several pounds in one day.

Good luck!

 

[Stacy]

Do you find yourself drinking a lot of fluids and then needing to urinate frequently? Your body needs lots of water to help mobilize it's fat and you may retain that water for a while but eventually you will purge it and lose several pounds in one day.

Good luck!

Yeah, I drink a ton of water, anywhere from 10 to 14 cups a day. Thanks for the post, this gives me hope!

 

[Stacy]

Stacy, don't worry about a 5 day plateau. It is perfectly normal. It just doesn't mean a thing. I have had plateaus lasting up to a month. Continue what you are doing and the scale will start moving again, eventually.

Oh gosh! A month long plateau, I don't think I could handle that. lol I do hope the scale starts going down again soon. I'm now on day six and this is just getting ridiculous - I've never seen the scale sit still like this. I'm thinking of dropping my calories back down to 1,600 and seeing if that does the trick. I'm just afraid that if my body continues on like this I'm going to have to be eating only 1,000 calories a day by the time I reach my goal weight! >.<

 

[Kayshiz]

Its been five days sweetie, give it a bit.

I have been exactly 170.3 for the past 4 days, no matter what time of day I weigh myself, it seems like it just ain't budging, but I know I have been eating right and exercising, so I am not worried in the slightest, it will move again, your body just has to catch up.

 

[Stacy]

Its been five days sweetie, give it a bit.

I have been exactly 170.3 for the past 4 days, no matter what time of day I weigh myself, it seems like it just ain't budging, but I know I have been eating right and exercising, so I am not worried in the slightest, it will move again, your body just has to catch up.

Thank you, hon. That means a lot that you're in the same boat and not worried. I'll try not to stress it and just stick it out. I guess if the scale still doesn't move in the next 3 or 4 days I'll see about adjusting my calorie intake.

 

[Stacy]

So now it's been 8 days with the scale not showing any progress. The day before yesterday I decided to decrease my calorie intake to see if it would get the scale moving again. So I ate a little over 1,200 calories the day before yesterday, still no progress, then yesterday I ate around 1,350 calories and woke up to find a TWO POUND WEIGHT GAIN this morning! WTF? This is making me nuts! Isn't it physically impossible to be living on such a deficit and not have any weight loss?!

 

[to_the_beat]

Stacey
Did you weigh yourself at the same time? Your body will flux throughout the day - one major factor being water consumption. Another good idea would be to only weigh yourself once a week (or if you can't last that long once every three days) to eliminate the 'non moving scale' frustration syndrome. Remember if your not 'obese' or 'highly overweight' healthy weight loss is a pound or two a week. Good Luck! Remember to fuel your body for the exercise you are doing with heathy foods and drink lots of water and you will smash your goal!

 

[WineDeer]

I've been on plateaus that last months -- not just days or weeks. But I have PCOS and I blame those plateaus on that!

Do I get discouraged? Sure. But I also know that my body will adjust and start losing weight.

The way I see it, my body is in shock it actually lost weight! It needs some time to calm down and realize that this isn't such a shocker of a situation. I tell my body it's okay, it's allowed to lose weight and it's not the end of the world.

You're doing fine. Weight loss is not a straight line going down. You'll have plateaus and what's important to learn is to keep going despite not seeing the weight go down.

Hopefully, this journey is not just about weight loss, but about eating healthy and being healthy for you.

 

[Stacy]

I've been on plateaus that last months -- not just days or weeks. But I have PCOS and I blame those plateaus on that!

Do I get discouraged? Sure. But I also know that my body will adjust and start losing weight.

The way I see it, my body is in shock it actually lost weight! It needs some time to calm down and realize that this isn't such a shocker of a situation. I tell my body it's okay, it's allowed to lose weight and it's not the end of the world.

You're doing fine. Weight loss is not a straight line going down. You'll have plateaus and what's important to learn is to keep going despite not seeing the weight go down.

Hopefully, this journey is not just about weight loss, but about eating healthy and being healthy for you.

Well I ate pretty healthy before and have always been in very good health, so yes, it is mainly about weight loss.

The plateau finally left after having its grip on my body for 10 days. Within the past three days I have lost nearly 3 pounds so it was a "whoosh" of weight loss, despite not changing anything in my eating and exercise programs. I just stuck with it and the scale finally started cooperating again. lol