Complete Plateau, what to do?

[LoveSandbanks]

When I first started mj, the weight fell off. 2lb a week every single week. I went on holiday for 2 weeks in July and gained 2lb and for the last 4 weeks have gone up and down the same few lbs remaining the same.

im still taking 5mg as the side effects are as bad as I can handle but im tracking every thing I eat and keeping a significant calorie deficit and the scales remained the same. I’m having some personal training at the gym and my trainer suggested that I was eating too little so I’ve upped my calories but still staying g in a fairly decent deficit.

has anyone else been here? Any suggestions on what to do?

I know the obvious answer is to move up to 7.5mg but I don’t really see how that will help except increase side effects as my appetite suppression is still good?

I have hit plateaus with every diet including ozempic last year. I am only just starting mounjaro but I would say your options are stick with it longer because plateaus seem to end eventually or risk 7.5 if you can’t bear waiting it out.
What side effects do you have?
I self funded ozempic but my gp was happy to prescribe ondansetron as an anti emetic in case of need but turned out I didn’t actually need it. Would your gp prescribe something for your side effects?

I think you're right that moving doses won't help as you're still getting significant suppression and really that's all MJ is doing for us.

What side effects are you having?

Are you definitely being super strict with counting calories, weighing everything? Drinking loads?

I wonder if your body is adjusting to the increase in calories? Have you checked your TDEE to make sure the calories suggested by the PT is correct?

If you reflect and realise that suppression could be better, then you probably need to push through and increase the dose - I've heard it doesn't always mean increased side effects and can actually help matters if you find your sweet spot. I suspect if you ask your prescriber for advice, that's what they will suggest 🙈

Side effects are most crippling fatigue. I’ve switched my injection day to Friday so that it doesn’t impact work but weekends are a write off

its reassuring that plateaus are inevitable. Frustrating but reassuring 🙄

I empathize , plateaus are so infuriating but as someone mentioned on a different thread just try to look at them as your body adjusting to the new lower weight and catching up.
For me, I’ve found that staying the course and doing nothing helps - I double down on the water, and protein and if need be beef up the fiber to ensure I’m not constipated. However annoying they are, usually you find you’re going down in measurements even if the scales have not shifted. And then, just as you’re losing your will to live, voila - 3-4-5 lbs down seemingly overnight. You can tell when that whoosh is happening as you wee a lot more for a day or so, and then BAM the scales PLUMMET!

Stay the course, do your thing, you got this!

Hi all I'm having the same problem and I was wondering if it was ever going to work properly for me - I am sticking with it and hoping for the best - I've had no weight loss for 2 weeks now and I'm on 7.5mg. Mine seem to come in waves nothing for a while them 6lbs in one go - I would prefer a few pounds each week as it then seems as though something is happening - will continue for now

On my big weight loss journey I lost 5 stone in 5 months with Slimming World then plateaued and it took a further 4 months to lose the last 10 pounds to my target weight and a BMI of 22.5. I think the problem was that I was exercising so hard after 5 months: from a couch potato to alternating a 10k run one night to high intensity interval training the next. For the first time on SW I was very hungry and my portion control slipped.

How much weight have you lost already?

You body needs time to adjust to it's new weight which is why we hit a plateau, it's completely natural and highly frustrating.

My advice is to stick with it, drink plenty of water and do you take vitamins to help with tiredness?

https://www.secondnature.io/guides/mind/motivation/weight-loss-plateaus-explained?campaignid=8918399894&adgroupid=87186600622&adid=411990390160&gclid=CjwKCAiAv_KMBhAzEiwAs-rX1JrbfsoA0UO8-3riolFSbAYpPhquqQ8aN_GpoGFbtCDSy8OoLYJUAhoC0m0QAvD_BwE

Plateaus are normal I am in one now. It’s about my 5th plateau in 18 months. A plateau is 4 weeks. Track over a month and look at fluctuations. This is where exercise and diet adaptations need to come in, just slight ones. You can add in an extra work out and make sure you don’t eat back your exercise calories. Or cut down on carbs a bit for a week or so see what effect that has. I am trying to get out of my plateau so I am exercising a bit more as I am right near my final goal now. Weight loss is not linear at all.

Ot is very frustrating, but your body literally cannot make energy from nothing, so of you are in calories deficit you must be losing and it will show up eventually . Just hang in there !

I'm in a plateau currently. Haven't lost anything for about 4 weeks now. The Voy coach said the same as the above article. Just got to hang in there and keep doing what I am doing

@Tagyoureit that was a really interesting article and has helped reframe the plateau as a positive thing rather than negative.

in 30 years of dieting I think this was a the first time I’ve bee conscious of a plateau, probably because I always threw the towel in at this point in the past!

@LoveSandbanks I'm glad you found it helpful! Good luck on your journey!

If you’re so tired you’re not eating enough.

You still need fuel for your body to function.

The plateau is physics. When you first started you were heavier, therefore used more calories, now there is less of you, not so much.

You can buy weighted vests, fooling your body that you are heavier, therefore burning more calories.

This is backed by science, not some garbage like the starvation mode 🙄 They are widely available, mine weighs 12lbs, but you can get various weights.

Great article, I also needed this! Thank you!

Thank you @Tagyoureit I’m on week 4 of my journey and haven’t lost anything this week, in fact I’ve put 0.25 of a lb on. I’ve averaged 800 calories a day so can’t eat any less without making myself ill. The weight I’ve stalled at is a weight I’ve stalled at before. The article helps to makes sense of it all. I definitely needed to read that today. Will keep doing what I’m doing and look forward to a sudden whoosh downwards, hopefully I won’t need to wait long!

I'm glad you've found it helpful!

Here's another that also an interesting read.

www.secondnature.io/guides/mind/motivation/overcome-weight-loss-plateau