It's been nine weeks off reta and the scale still hasn't moved

I’m in a similar empty-nester reset—walks, cooking real meals, trying to build habits that outlast the meds. My scale froze around week 8 off, but my waist kept shrinking for a bit.

What helped me was tracking the pattern of night appetite: mine spiked when lunch was too small or I ate dinner too early. I started a planned 8pm yogurt-and-berries bowl and a mug of tea, then closed the kitchen.

Are your nighttime cravings true hunger, or more the old after-dinner habit? That answer might point to a different fix than cutting back.

There was a thread last spring about this exact 8–12 week window after coming off. What stood out: scale froze, measurements kept moving.

The size 14 to 10 is the real story. If I were you I’d switch to weekly waist/hip + a 7-day weight average, and check weekend tracking — that’s usually where the 172–176 bounce hides.

Night appetite: is it true hunger or just the old witching-hour habit? A lot of us found a planned protein/fiber snack around 8 and a bigger breakfast helped more than trying to white-knuckle it. Are you eating back your lifting calories, or keeping intake steady?

Yo, the size 10 vs frozen scale is a clue, not a failure. When I came off mine, I also stalled in that same range, but my belt kept loosening.

Dorm-specific trap: dining hall dinner is carb-heavy, then nighttime hunger hits and I’d destroy a PB sandwich “for protein.” What helped was pre-logging a cheap 30g snack (Greek yogurt + sugar-free pudding mix, or tuna packet + rice cakes) and comparing only weekly average weight, not daily. Are you weighing daily or weekly?

If daily, the bounce might just be sodium/water from lift days. Also, are you accidentally eating back your lifting calories via “little bites”? That was my whole leak.

Hey, been there. Nine weeks off is still early days for your body to settle.

That frozen scale + smaller jeans combo is classic recomp—muscle is denser than fat, so the scale stalls while measurements drop. Are you tracking waist/hip inches?

I’d bet you’re down 1–2 inches since week 14. For the night appetite, what’s your last meal timing?

I found pushing dinner later and adding a big volume salad helped more than willpower. Also, search “frozen scale” from last spring—several of us saw the whoosh after a few weeks of consistent sleep and steps. Keep the long view.

Nine weeks is long enough that scale noise isn’t the main signal. What’s your 7-day average doing? If it’s flat but waist at navel is down and lifts are progressing, that’s recomp/water, not fat regain. If waist is creeping, the night appetite is likely the leak.

I’d log 5 straight days—including oils, bites, and evening snacks—and compare total intake to your maintenance estimate. Weigh same time, post-bathroom, pre-food.

130g protein is solid, but timing matters less than total. Sharp question: are you actually tracking the night eating or estimating it?

That’s usually where 300–500 kcal hides.

Nine weeks is around when the post-med water/lean-mass shifts settle, so I’d stop letting the scale be the headline. Size 14 to 10 is real progress. Grab a tape: waist at navel, hips, thigh, same time monthly. Also, is the night appetite actual hunger or the old habit window?

In past threads, folks who added a solid protein+fiber anchor at dinner and brushed/tea’d right after found the evening noise dropped without changing much else. What do your two non-lifting days look like? That’s where I’d look first.

Nine weeks at 172–176 can just be noise while your body settles. I’d ignore the daily number and look at your 7-day average over the last 6 weeks, plus a waist/hip tape measure once a month. Clothes going from 14 to 10 with the scale flat is a huge win.

For night appetite, I plan a 150–200 cal protein snack around 8:30 and log it—if I wait until I’m ravenous, I graze standing up. What’s your waist measurement doing lately? That’d tell you if this is a real stall or just recomp noise.

I’d be curious what your 7-day rolling average is doing vs the daily scale. Mine went flat for ~10 weeks after stopping, but my waist kept dropping 0.5 cm every 2 weeks, so it was recomp/water noise.

What finally moved the trendline was adding 2k steps on non-lifting days and logging the nighttime stuff before dinner, not after. With 130g protein, how’s the distribution?

I do 40g breakfast, 40 lunch, 50 dinner and it cuts my 9pm hunt way down. Are you tracking waist/hips monthly or just weight?

That’s the number I’d trust right now.

First off, size 14 to 10 is not a frozen scale, that’s a win. I’m a dorm rat on a budget too: my night appetite hack is saving a bowl of plain Greek yogurt + sugar-free cheesecake pudding mix + frozen berries for after my last class.

Feels like dessert, cheap, and adds protein. Are you tracking waist/hips or just the scale?

When my weight stalls but clothes loosen, I try to trust the tape measure more than the bathroom floor. Also, are you eating enough earlier in the day? My 10pm fridge raids are way worse when I “save calories” all afternoon. Not saying that’s you, but it’s definitely my pattern.

The scale is the worst metric for you right now. You went 14 to 10 while the scale sat 172–176—that’s recomp, not a stall.

I’d track waist at navel, hips, and your top set on squat/bench/row weekly. If those hold or improve while waist drops, ignore the bounce.

The night appetite is the lever. What’s your last meal? I need 35–40g protein plus volume—big salad, berries, Greek yogurt—or I’m in the pantry at 9pm. Also, are you sleeping 7+?

Sub-7 destroys my evening control. What’s your weekly average weight, not daily?

not the same med, but I plateaued after coming off too. The daily scale lied to me, but my weekly average stayed flat because of night eating. Are you tracking the evening stuff, not just protein? For me it was “just a bite” while cleaning up that added 300–400 cal.

What helped: a planned 150–200 cal protein snack at 8:30, then kitchen closed and tea. Also measure waist/hips weekly—going from size 14 to 10 is a huge signal.

If those keep moving while the scale doesn’t, you’re recomposing, not stuck. What’s your nightly trigger—boredom, stress, or actual hunger?

Honestly, frozen scale plus size 14 → 10 sounds more like body-comp/water shifts than fat regain overnight. In the trials, some weight regain after stopping is common, but it’s usually gradual and noisy week to week. Are you tracking a 7-day average and waist/hip, or just daily scale?

What changed in the last 3 weeks—sleep, steps, weekend sodium/alcohol, lifting volume? Night appetite is the wild card for me: I had to separate true hunger from habit. Pre-logging dinner and front-loading protein earlier helped. If clothes still fit better, that’s real progress.

Your lift log might be the better scoreboard here: if you’re adding reps or load at 172–176, that 4-lb band is often just water/glycogen and repair. I’d take navel + upper-thigh tape every Sunday, same morning, plus one front photo in the same light.

For the night appetite, what does your dinner look like? Shifting 30–40g protein to my last meal (and not saving most of it for after 9pm) was the only thing that quieted that when my appetite came roaring back.

Are you eating enough earlier in the day, or is dinner pretty light?

night appetite is the variable I’d drill into. For 10–14 days, log everything after 7pm plus sleep hours, then compare average intake to your plateau weeks.

If night calories crept up, that explains the freeze; if not, you’re likely at maintenance and recomping. Also track waist at navel and thigh monthly.

Lifts going up while waist holds = composition shifting. What does your after-7pm intake look like on a typical Tuesday vs Saturday?

Night appetite is the gremlin for me. Are you actually logging after dinner, or does your log stop at your last meal?

I held a “plateau” for weeks and it was 300–500 cals of kitchen grazing after 8pm—never a meal, so I never counted it. The fix wasn’t heroic: pre-log a 200–250 cal night snack, then herbal tea and upstairs. Scale started creeping down.

Also, if your lifts are progressing, water from repair can mask things for 10–14 days. What does a typical 8–10pm look like for you?

The night appetite is probably the real data point here. When I hit maintenance, my scale did the same 4-lb dance while my waist kept shrinking—because I was under-eating all day and then grazing after 9pm.

I started logging just two things: dinner time and my last bite before bed. Turned out I needed a real dinner, not a snacky one, and a

The size 14 to 10 part is the real headline. Have you taped your waist/hips since week 14? I’d bet they’re still creeping down even with the scale flat.

Same thing happened to me after I came off—scale bounced around for a couple months, but my belt notch and thigh measurement kept improving. Also, are your lifts progressing? If your squat or rows are going up while weight holds, that’s recomp, not a stall.

I’d track a monthly average plus tape, and give it another 4–6 weeks before calling it stuck. We had a thread on this last spring—scale lies, tape doesn’t.

The 4-lb bounce screams water/glycogen, not fat regain. Are you tracking a 7–10 day average or just daily weights?

That was the only thing that kept me sane after I stopped: daily weigh-in, ignore it, compare 10-day averages. Also check your lifts — if squat/row numbers are creeping up while the scale is flat, you're likely recomping.

I stalled at the same kind of spot, and my strength kept climbing while the scale didn't. What does your sleep look like lately? That was my hidden variable.

Nine weeks is about when the "new normal" settles, and a few pounds of that is usually water and glycogen from consistent lifting. Were you lifting 3x during the med phase too, or is that new since you stopped?

If it's new, that's likely your whole answer — I had the same thing happen and my waist kept shrinking for six weeks while the scale sulked. Pull out a tape measure, compare waist at the navel to your week-14 numbers, and check whether your working weights have gone up.

Going 14 → 10 with the scale parked is a good sign, not a stall.