Hello guys so I’ve been doing adf diligently for months now, it’s been very tough but I manage to pull through every time.
Ive seen a steady decrease in my weight but this month I’ve hit a heavy plateau, a month long one which has never happened before. I haven’t lost anything this month.
I should mention I work out for one hour everyday, I have a very intense cardio routine too.
I’m think of switching back to 5:2 to see if I can get the scale moving again.
But I would also love some suggestions.
For additional information: I am female, started IF this year January end, started 5:2 in March and moved to 4:3 in May.
Answer
When plateaus strike, I’m a firm advocate for numbers. At the very least: a) daily calorie deficit relative to current weight’s sedentary TDEE and b) scale weight trajectory expressed in terms of 30-day moving average (weighing every morning after visiting the bathroom, recording the scale’s nonsense, and, together with the previous 29 values, summing them all up and dividing the result by 30).
Typical scenarios are:
- Water exhaustion, common with low-carb and fasting alike. The dieter lost rapidly for a while only to seemingly stagnate. The 30-day moving average should still show some slow and steady progress, indicative of reasonably pure fat loss still underway, in proportion to the dieter’s deficit. Resolution: Expectation adjustment; keep on keeping on.
- Deficit exhaustion. The dieter lost a bunch of weight but neglected to adjust their intake along the way. At their present day lower weight, what was initially a deficit relative to their starting weight’s TDEE, is now maintenance. The 30-day moving average should be dead steady. Mitigation: Intake adjustment.
- Inaccurate TDEE estimate / statistical error. The calculator overestimated the dieter’s expenditure by spitting out the median of a normal distribution. The dieter should anticipate a likely offset of at least one standard deviation (depending on the implied curve for the particular partition of the general population sharing the same sex / height / age, though +/- 300 kcal/day might be considered a reasonable margin of error) in either direction. The 30-day moving average should be dead steady or increasing. Mitigation: Intake adjustment.
- Inaccurate TDEE estimate / health & genetics. Again an overestimation but not just the work of statistical error but of a health condition (e.g. hypothyroidism, insulin resistance) or unfortunate genetics resulting in compromised energy expenditure. The 30-day moving average should be dead steady or increasing. Mitigation: Seeking professional assistance.
- Diet-induced fatigue. The dieter pushed themselves too hard for too long. They’ve exhausted their finite willpower and discipline, see no progress, sociocultural adversity only makes things worse for them. If sedentary, they might have lost a bit of muscle along the way, resulting in a slightly compromised TDEE. The dieter ends up unconsciously breaking protocol. Hunger fights back, causing them to subtly overeat; physical and psychological exhaustion fight back as well, causing them to lower their activity, deliberate (EAT) and/or spontaneous (NEAT). The 30-day moving average should be dead steady or increasing. Mitigation: Reevaluating attainability and sustainability of one’s goals; taking a diet break; taking things slowlier upon returning, ideally (if formerly absent) with a bit of exercise added into the mix as well.