Why do diets stall?

Dave Welch

Dave Welch

New member
I am inviting your ideas and opinions, but at the same time I am offering up a couple of hypotheses of my own:

1 – Calorie reduction too severe.

I have read that if the calorie reduction is too severe, that the body’s metabolic rate will lower to compensate for the food shortage. This will have side effects of tiredness and lethargy and more. This is not a healthy situation.

2 – Metabolic rate adjustment.

I have plotted a graph of my theoretical BMR/Harris against my actual metabolic rate. I can see that my metabolic rate tries to hold constant whereas the theoretical metabolic rate gradually reduces as weight reduces.

As the actual rate gets further away from where it needs to be, a point is reached were the rate is just too high, and the body reduces the metabolic rate to an acceptable level. This is where I am at the moment, were my weight loss has stalled for 30 days.

I have also identified 4 metabolic cycles that repeat in a period. Tomorrow is the start of a new period, and so I am hoping that the slump will be over. I don’t think case-1 applies as my calorie count is not that severe at 1050kcal per day.

Advice, ideas and opinions welcome.

clipped%20137.jpg


Dave

 
My calorie intake was around 900kcal but I recently increased this back to 1050kcal with a BMR/Harris of 1981. But, after reading a scathing and yet very important post by Steve (I think), I have now increased that number to 1100kcal and plan to gradually increase the number a lot more over the coming weeks. I will increase an extra 200kcal once the exercise starts, to cover the extra energy expenditure.

I planned on starting my exercise program once I got down to 80Kg. Being 60yrs old (in 10 days), and not having exercised in 20 years, I considered it dangerous to start while carrying a lot of weight.

My new E-bicycle arrives in about ten days, as cycling is something that I have enjoyed in the past. I live on the slopes of a volcano and so I will definitely require the motor assist to get back home. This will also allow me to start the exercise program gradually and yet still cover the ground.

As a post script to my starting post; this mornings weigh-in was a dramatic loss, and I am cautiously optimistic that the slump may be over, as predicted, but I will still be raising my intake, following the websites advice.

Dave
 
After losing 65 pounds I can say that most 'stalls' are where/when I saw the inches fall off and my jeans get looser. I watch the scale like a hawk and I know I probably shouldn't but when it stops moving I usually do a little carb boost for a few days and then back to a very regimented ketogenic diet. I usually always see the most change in my body when the scale isn't busy, it's what helped me not get too frustrated at the scale and fitting clothing is a big motivator for me so I dug in even deeper during those plateaus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top