Stalls and Plateaus and BMR (OH MY)

I recently posted a math question... According to my BMR (basal metabolic rate - the # of cals my body needs to maintain current weight based on bmi and activity level)... I was consuming much less than needed. Over the course of 8 weeks it should have resulted in 16 lbs of weight loss ...instead I got nada, zip, zerooonie... This was one of the great responses I received...hope it answers some of ya'lls questions too. A lot of the "Slippage in the System" comes when trying to get to exact numbers on Caloric Expenditure. Those categories of- Sedentary, Lightly Active, Moderately Active, Very Active, Extremely Active...? Unless you can "plug-in" to a monitoring device that gets an accurate and precise number read-out on "Calories Burned," the best that can be hoped for is 'somewhat close.' Somewhat close by 100? Or 500? A day? 2 days? The slightest variations add up quickly. Even if one is absolutely anal retentive about counting each step taken, each Perceived Exertion Unit, there remains the case of taking a 'fuzzy / poetic' description of energy expenditure, and attempting to 'describe it' with a number. Yes? Add one other... Muscles burn calories at different rates, even when exerting the same force. In much the same way that two fireplaces, filled with equal amounts of wood, may burn at different 'speeds' than one another. So many variables are at play. The composition of the material, the availability of oxygen (spaces between) etc, etc, etc..... Fairly Ok "Guess-timation" is about as "good as it gets." Then there is the "wiggle room" of water to deal with... There's an 8 to 10lb. volume of "wiggle room" due to water alone. And it comes into play a lot. This has to do with our bodies using glycogen for short term energy storage. Glycogen is not very soluble, But it is stored in our muscles for quick energy - One pound of glycogen requires 4 lbs of water to keep it soluble, And the average glycogen storage capacity is about 2 lbs. So, when you are not getting in enough food, (Like when you drop down to your calorie intake) Your body turns first to stored glycogen, Which is easy to break down for energy. And when you use up 2 lbs of glycogen, You also lose 8 lbs of water that was used to store it Voila -- the "easy" 10 lbs that most people lose in the first week of any diet. As you stay in caloric deficit, however, Your body starts to 'realize' that this is not a short term problem. You start mobilizing fat from your adipose tissue And burning fat for energy. But your body also 'realizes'---- (by way of your liver releasing hormones signaling low Cal intake) ---That fat can't be used for short bursts of energy - Like, to outrun a sabertooth tiger. So, it starts converting some of the fat into glycogen, And rebuilding the glycogen stores. And as it puts back the 2 lbs of glycogen into the muscle, 8 lbs of water has to be stored with it to keep it soluble. So, even though you might still be LOSING energy content to your body, (Thus showing negative Calorie load overall) Your weight will not go down or you might even GAIN for a while As you retain water to dissolve the glycogen that is being reformed and stored. Yes? The whole 'weight-loss' process is not a straight "Slide" down the scale. More like "Stair-Steps," (Down then forward, then down, then forward, etc... As your body cycles fat out of "deep storage" and through the Liver Into the muscles as Glycogen. The muscles and Liver can hold about a 3 weeks supply. This is why many people find that their "Stall" or "Plateau" Breaks when adding a bit of exercise And upping their water intake, or in the case of an "extreme exerciser," The total Calorie or Protein Intake, To signal the liver to let go of more Glycogen. Fear not, many people who are now enjoying life at a normal BMI Once had a few weeks or so of thinking- "...my weight loss has been awfully slow, has it stopped..."?

Christina- Thank you for reminding us all again of how wonderful our bodies work, and it has its reasons and purposes that we dont always agree with. There have been many times I wonder "why" -the stall...not wanting to realize Yes..my body has a reason for the things it does...I would like to lose the last 15 lbs that I need to but my body will decide when and how long that will take as I stay on the program and remind myself that I am just human...Thanks again, Sue.

All true.... and in the end it really won't matter how long it took, as long as I am healthy. I feel better, that is the main point to me. I have more energy than before and I can walk around without being in pain. I has won the battle already! More weight loss will come, just not as fast at the first 100 lbs. Sherryl