I’m 43, 5'9, started at 219 in January and hit 182 this week, but the scale hasn’t moved more than 0.6 lb in five weeks. I weigh food, lift three days, walk 8k steps.
Fasting glucose went from 112 to 104, LDL 138 to 129, but waist is stuck at 38.5. I’m eating 1,900 on weekdays and probably closer to 2,700 Sat/Sun. Is this a real plateau, or am I just undoing the week? Curious what data you’d track next.
Weekend math is boring but brutal. If Sat/Sun really adds 1,600 over weekday, that’s ~230/day average. Could be enough to stall at your size.
Not necessarily. I stalled 6 weeks at 174 after 40 lbs. Waist finally dropped 0.75 inch before scale moved. Are you measuring same spot/time?
Same spot. Waist down 0.5, scale flat. Tape beats daily weight.
Your weekday 1,900 might be lower than you think if you’re not logging oils, bites, creamer. I’d do two weeks of exact weekend logging first.
I’d also check sodium and carbs Friday-Sunday. A 2-3 lb water swing can hide fat loss for 10 days.
Wait, glucose 104 and LDL 129 are going the right way. That matters more than five flat weeks. What did your doctor say about the trend?
Five weeks isn’t a plateau yet. I’d look at monthly averages, not this week. My 7-day average lagged 3 weeks behind my deficit.
The Saturday/Sunday estimate is probably the key. I did the same thing at 185: 1,850 Mon-Fri, then 2,600+ weekends with restaurant food.
When I tracked every weekend for a month, my true average was only a 150-cal deficit, not 500. The scale didn’t lie, my weekly math did. Try a two-week block where you eat the same average every day, not just weekdays.
If weight still flat and waist flat, then maybe it’s time to adjust activity or intake with your clinician.
Not sure the flat same-average-every-day approach is necessary. Higher weekends and lower weekdays works better for plenty of people — food, sleep, training, whatever you're tracking. But you need the real weekend number, not "probably."
Probably closer to 2,700 is doing more than you think.
What are your lifts doing? If squat/bench are up while weight is flat, that’s a decent sign. I’d track waist, progress photos, and a 7-day weight average.
I’d pump the brakes on calling it metabolic adaptation. At 182 and 5'9, a true stall usually means intake crept up or output dropped.
Walking 8k is good, but if your step count was higher earlier, that’s a few hundred calories gone. Also, five weeks with improving glucose and LDL looks like a body recomposition phase, especially if you’re lifting.
Pick three data points: average weight, waist, and a weekly lift. Give it three more weeks. If all three are flat, then change one variable, not five.
Five weeks at the same weight and a stuck 38.5 waist looks like a real stall, not just weekend damage.
Your weekends only average your week to about 2,130 a day, so you’re not fully undoing it, but that gap can absolutely flatten five weeks. I’d track a rolling seven-day calorie average and weigh daily just to see the Tuesday-to-Wednesday water spikes, not to judge any single morning.
Under six hours of sleep and my waist holds water for a week.
Heavy lifting can hide fat loss for weeks because your muscles hold water while repairing. When I added squats three times a week, my scale sat still for about six weeks and my belt still went in one notch. Are your lifts still progressing? If yes, I’d trust the waist and gym numbers over the scale right now.
Waist stuck at 38.5 while the scale won’t budge screams gut water/transit to me. Are you actually regular? I stalled at 179 for a month, then realized I was only going every other day and eating 4,000mg sodium most days.
Added 35g fiber and a 20-minute walk after dinner; my waist dropped 0.75 inch in 10 days, then the scale followed. Track navel waist same time, morning, not after training.
Measure yor neck and upper thigh too. My waist plays dead while my thigh drops.
Five weeks flat after 37 down isn’t a plateau, it’s your body arguing. I’d check if you’re eating back exercise calories.
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