A stall might not really be a stall at all.

We read about stalls all the time on this forum. I want to share my thoughts on these stalls with you. Please remember, as always, this is just my point of view, and I am sure you can find alternate opinions.

All stalls are not created equally. There are at least three different situations that we all refer to as "stalls" but they are all quite different and require different tactics to overcome.

1) The fist stall, or the dreaded three week stall is not really a stall at all. It has to do with glycogen depletion. Here is a good explanation of what is happening during the three week stall. I got this off of another post, but it had no attribution since it was copied and pasted from somewhere else.

Our bodies use 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, 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 a 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 that fat can't be used for short bursts of energy -- like, to outrun a saber-tooth 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, 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.

2) Then there is the stair-step losing pattern that is quite common especially for woman who still have their menses. You lose for a few weeks out of the month and then the weight loss stops or you even gain a bit for the next few weeks. Overall, the weight is dropping, but it is not following a straight line, but looks more like a staircase. That is how I lost weight and it took me a few, at least three or four cycles, before I stopped freaking out about it. The thing to remember about this type of "stall" is that you continue to lose inches and sizes while the weight does not drop. I would be shocked to find a full dress size drop after one of these "stalls" .

3) Then there is a stall that is not really a stall at all, it is more of you reaching your maintenance range. I read many posts about people being 6 or more months out wondering why they have stalled. In most cases, they have reached maintenance. In order to continue losing, they need to lower their calories and decrease their carbs or increase their activity level.

4) I have read of some cases where a person was "stalled" for a while and than the weight continued to drop. My guess is that they have changed something in their diet or exercise or medication. Usually, this doesn't just happen although I am sure we all wi**** could. There are of course variations on all this, but I think I covered the majority of cases.

I've been somewhere between 2 and 4 for a while now... can't figure out if my slower losses are just dumb luck or if I am developing the stair pattern. In my case, I tend to think some of it is coincidence though, because:

a) about two and a half weeks ago I started strength training, and I have read that this can cause some women to not lose for a week or so while their bodies adjust- and I had a two pound drop out of nowhere at the end of that week, when the scale had been holding steady for days and days before that,

b) I'm on an antibiotic right now. Started it Saturday morning, and between Saturday and yesterday morning my weight shot up an entire pound... I had stayed on plan all weekend, had not had large amounts of sodium, and had exercised Saturday after weighing in... and the biggest part of that gain was Sunday morning. Go figure.

c) I actually tore a muscle in my thigh on Sunday night, and had some swelling yesterday morning that undoubtedly contributed to the gain I saw yesterday.

I lost 10 or 12 pounds last month (can't remember without seeing my sig), so this month seems to be an anomaly so far. Now that I'm at an overweight BMI instead of being obese, 10-12 pounds a month is probably porportionately a decent speed IMO. It doesn't compare to the 15 pounds I was averaging when I first started, but still. This month I may not reach 10-12 pounds down, but hopefully things'll pick back up once I finish this medication and my body decides to quit freaking out about the strength training and running. On a side note, my legs are the leanest they have been since my figure skating days!

ETA: Not saying that everyone's case will match mine, of course... just sharing my experience.

With everything you have going on now, you are right, I think it is just a combination of things.  Also, it is normal to have some months when we lose a bit less than others.  Sounds like you are doing great and this is not really a stall at all.  Of course, as usual, if for whatever reason you go through more than a month without losing weight, you should reconsider your eating, but it doesn't sound like you are anywhere near that situation right now.  I hope your muscle heals quickly.

Thanks :) 

Dittoing Elina, and adding- I started the stair step pattern at about my half-way point.. before that it was more steady. That seems to happen to a lot of us ladies..

Good to know!  Thanks for the info and reassurance :) 

Great point, the same thing happened to me. 

Thanks!  This is very helpful, as always!

 
Spot On !!!!

Love the Disclaimer up front !!!

frisco

 Thanks Elina!! I'm 2 weeks out and I want to cry, I keep telling myself to chill out, that eventually the weight will come off, but I am bummed anyway. I got mirena last week, gained a pound, and then haven't lost a thing since. Boo!!! Maybe it's time to take some measurements, I haven't done that since before surgery! Anyway, thanks for the info. So helpful! :)