Plateauing 8 pounds above my goal

[corgigal]

Hi! I have managed to lose 18 pounds since November 2023, and I am only 8 pounds away from my goal. I started at 146lbs, and I am now 128lbs and I am 5’1” and a vegetarian. I am just stuck, and I have been stuck at 128 for about 2 months now. Before this I was losing about 4 pounds a month, and then… it just halted. My weight fluctuates down to 126 but is more often than not closer to 128 lbs. the point of this is to ask how you all got passed this? I have been slacking on tracking my food and need to get back to doing that, but even so I have been watching and limiting what I eat, no more than what I did when I was tracking from what I remember. I need to exercise more but I have been dealing with some health issues that make staying active very difficult lately. So besides getting back on the calorie tracking train, what can I do? I really want to lose these last few pounds for the summer and I know it’s possible but I feel stuck. I’m happy with my progress but I want the progress to keep going and just need some advice.

 

[angelonline]

@corgigal For me it comes down to tracking. Running did speed the process along slightly, but it was harder to gauge progress because it made the scale less reliable when I put on inevitable water weight from “the pump”.

 

[butterfly2222]

@corgigal I recently wrote a pretty complete post about plateaus. It’s in my history if you want to check it out.

 

[inthepottershands]

@corgigal did u take any maintenance breaks? it can help. for every ~3 months of deficit, take 1-2 weeks break when u will be eating maintenance calories. then weight should continue to gradually get down. also u will gain few pounds initially as u will likely eat more carbs while maintaining so don't be freaked out.

but being petite, it's miserable to lose weight without exercising - the calories are low, progress slow, so if u have any interest in some cardio activity or weightlifting, it would surely help. just choose something u enjoy, to be able to stick to it

 

[phillyflash]

@corgigal If you can, increase your steps or incorporate yoga (45 minutes-60 minutes) it's gentle but will still burn calories. Tighten up your calorie tracking as you mentioned. I eat mostly vegetarian and reducing my carbs and increasing fats helps shifts things a bit initially. Also trying not to eat past a certain time at night (usually 6pm) helps me as well.

Good luck!

 

[lalalady11]

@corgigal Ugh. Tell me about it. I need to lose 10 pounds to achieve my goal. I’ve been stuck with it for the past 4 months. I lost a good 20 pounds over 6 months. It just won’t move. My nutritionist suggested upping my caloric budget while I also raise my TDEE through movement and exercise. Currently, I’m consuming 1600 kcal. She wants me to slowly increase 100 cals every few days until I get to 1900 cals and raise my TDEE accordingly. I dunno. I have yet to try it though.

 

[jacquelinejean]

@lalalady11 Oof. Three hundred calories is a lot to burn through additional movement.

 

[strugglingsoul89]

@corgigal Let it settle a bit. Let this feel natural for a while. Recuperate and come back to it in 4 months.

 

[jacquelinejean]

@corgigal I have several special events in late May and June.

I just tried to zip up a dress I wanted to wear for one of them.

Motivation restored.

I don’t want to spend $$$$ on a new formal when I have one in my closet.

 

[byways4life]

@jacquelinejean Hahaha I’m in the same boat, send help

 

[jacquelinejean]

@byways4life Industrial Spanx, boob tape (because my strapless bra is ancient and I heard the elastic die when I tried it on) and Rent the Runway are my backup plans!

 

[byways4life]

@jacquelinejean Oh bummer… my events are mostly pool parties wish me luck!

 

[jacquelinejean]

@byways4life Oh my sister in suffering…you’ve got it worse. At least I can break out the corsetry (or duct tape) if I’m in a real jam.

 

[sandralois]

@corgigal Could be that you've reached a weight where your body is content and healthy, so it's trying to stay at that weight. But the way to lose weight is the same as always, track your calories and make sure you're burning more than you're taking in. Maybe up your cardio to give yourself a larger deficit

 

[rodneys]

@corgigal If you have health issues that limit your exercise—talk to your doctor. The success rate of weight loss without exercise is less than 5%.

 

[tobyp]

@corgigal If you're in a plateau and its lasting (one time I thought I was for like a month but was a mix of alcohol and a super heavy period bloat) then you're not in a calorie deficit.

If you're tracking food and still not seeing results, might be time for a food scale. I don't weigh out everything but things like nuts, chia seeds, sauces and dressings I do. It's so easy to go over on those things and end up with an extra 100 calories. And with us being so petite an extra 100 calories a few times a day will get your out of your deficit.

I also find having a pedometer and actually keeping track of my steps gets me moving more than when I don't. Some days I feel like I got tons of steps in but then I actually didn't. On days I'm tracking steps I find I'm more willing to take the stairs or park farther away.

 

[iamsuperb]

@corgigal I hit a plateau for a couple months. I was already working out regularly, but I started tracking calories and macros again.

I happened to take a break from the gym for about two weeks (my body was exhausted from work/school-related stress). I still ate in a deficit, but that was surprisingly much easier when I was less active. I just focused on relaxing and taking care of my mental health.

Surprise surprise, I weighed myself afterwards and I had dropped from 128 to 124.

Never underestimate the impact stress has on your body! And make sure you’re getting enough sleep at night. Sleep is soooo important for both physical and mental health!