A USC interview ask hit while my weight loss stalled

I’m in a similar spot—month 14-ish, and the scale’s been flat while my sleep and stress went sideways. The one thing that helped me not spiral was switching to monthly waist/hip measurements and a simple energy note; the scale didn’t move but my jeans did.

On the USC thing, I’d ask what the interview is actually about and whether you can see questions first. What part of saying yes feels heaviest—the time commitment, or talking about your body with a stranger?

You can say no, or yes with boundaries.

I'd say yes, but treat the interview as data collection, not a verdict on your stall. Nine weeks inside a 4-lb window is annoying, but my own trendline did the same around month 12—turns out my 7-day average was flat while my 28-day slope was still -0.15 lb/week.

I log daily, then only look at 10-day rolling mean and monthly waist. Also check if your "same" 6 a.m.

shake and 20-min walk are actually same: I found my shake crept +40 cal and walk pace dropped after a cold. What's the interview asking about—early expectations vs. reality?

That might be worth 45 min if they share findings.

Before you say yes, ask what they’ll do with the findings. I did one of those interviews and it was unpaid emotional labor with no aggregate results.

For the stall: audit the “same” stuff. Weigh the shake, check your walk pace/distance, and compare 7-day averages instead of daily weights.

My 6-week plateau turned out to be a 12-minute walk I’d been calling 20. Waist tape moved before the scale did.

What changed outside the scale—sleep, stress, cycle, lifting numbers?

i’d say yes if it’s low-effort, but I’d ask two things first: Is it IRB-approved through USC, and do they need video or just phone? I did a phone one last fall and the video part was the dealbreaker—small town, everybody knows my voice and my truck.

Also ask if they’ll send a plain-language summary after; that’s the only reason I bother. And if they want insurance or local pharmacy details, decide ahead how much you’ll share, because explaining prior auth can eat the whole hour.

If it’s 30 minutes and no camera, I’d do it. If it’s 90 and homework, I’d pass.

The flat scale plus a request for your story is a lot. What would make saying yes feel okay?

I’d counter with: can I send anonymized trendline screenshots instead of doing a 60-minute call? I track weekly averages, not daily weigh-ins.

My own 28-day slope stayed slightly negative through an 11-week flat window, then dropped 2.8 lbs in 8 days. If they’re studying stalls, that’s the data I’d want.

Also ask if there’s compensation and whether you can see the questions beforehand. Saying yes feels okay to me when I control the format and can bail.

Sorry to hijack — quick side q: has anyone found a protein shake they still don’t dread 14 months in? I’m rotating flavors and losing the will.

On the USC ask: I’d want to know whether they’re collecting anything besides the scale — waist, lifting numbers, sleep, hunger — because my own 9-week “stall” was flat weight while my squat went up and pants got looser. If it’s scale-only, that’s a no from me; if they care about recomp signals, maybe worth 30 minutes.