Nine weeks of tracking this and the scale has been parked at 187-188 for 16 days now. Down 18 lbs total, but the waist tape is down 4.25 inches, fasting glucose went from 104 to 92, and CRP dropped 3.8 to 2.1.
Eating roughly the same calories, lifting twice a week, sleep is decent. So is this a recomposition/water thing, or am I just in a normal plateau? Curious if anyone has tracked waist and labs through a stall. What moved first for you — the scale, the tape, or the bloodwork?
The waist dropping while the scale stalls was my exact pattern weeks 8-12. Pants got loose before the number moved.
Constipation can also make the scale lie. I was up 2.5 lbs for days, then it vanished after things moved.
Not constipation for me. Salty takeout added 3 lbs overnight, then dropped 4 days later. Scale is noisy.
How are you measuring waist? I was off by an inch until I marked the tape spot with a pen.
The CRP and fasting glucose drops you posted would matter more to me than the scale. Mine improved while weight barely moved.
That CRP/glucose point is why I stopped weighing daily. I had a 6-week stall around week 10, but my A1c went from 5.7 to 5.4 and triglycerides dropped 40 points. My clothes fit differently before the scale caught up.
I also noticed I was under-eating protein and losing strength, so I added a daily shake and kept lifting. The scale started moving again, maybe 0.5 lb/week.
Not saying that's your case, just what lined up for me. The tape measure would have saved me a lot of frustration.
I think inflammation and glycogen were part of it too.
Under-eating protein was my issue too. Once I hit 120g most days, the stall broke after two weeks.
Shakes spiked my appetite, so I switched to Greek yogurt and eggs. Same protein, way less hunger.
My stall wasn't water or constipation. Turned out thyroid-related on labs. Not saying yours is.
I disagree that it's always water. For me, a true 5-week stall meant my calories had crept up 200/day. Trakcing fixed it.
The tape measure is the better trend here.
Something people forget when they're comparing timelines: nine weeks in is still early. The scale rarely moves in a straight line until somewhere around week 14. What actually keeps people patient is the stuff off the scale — waist measurements and labs.
I'm a data nerd and the scale is the worst metric for me. I started measuring waist at the navl every Sunday morning before food, and during a 3-week scale stall my waist dropped 1.5 inches.
Same thing with my fasting glucose, it kept creeping down while the scale sat still. Track a 7-day average and your waist, not daily numbers. 16 days is annoying but not a true plateau yet.
Belt notch beats the scale. Two notches tighter over a three-week stall where the number never moved.
Sodium and stress are my hidden stallers. I had an 18-day scale freeze, then realized I was eating restaurant food 3x a week and my rings were tight.
Cut back to one meal out, drank more water, and dropped 2.8 lbs in four days. Sleep matters too—one terrible night can show up as 2 lbs of water. Are you tracking sodium or weekend alcohol? That might explain the 16 days.
16 days feels like forever but it's not a plateau by most definitions. I stalled for 4 weeks around week 9, same calories, lifting twice a week.
Scale didn't move but I lost anther inch off my waist and my CRP dropped. Took progress photos every two weeks and that kept me sane. The scale caught up in week 13 with a sudden 3 lb drop. Keep going.
I quit daily weigh-ins around week 8 and only compare 10-day averages now. Scale sat at 191-192 for 15 days, but the average still fell 0.3 lb/week and my thigh tape dropped 1.25 inches before my waist caught up.
The surprise was that a higher-protein breakfast and fewer late carbs made the average move again, not more cardio. Are you tracking a 7-day average or just single mornings?
Nine weeks of tracking and I'd kill for a 4-inch drop at the waist. The scale remains the worst roommate.
CRP 3.8 to 2.1 is the real victory lap. My joints noticed before my jeans did.
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