Stalls!

[Arctic_Mama]

Yes indeed ladies, after a few days of troubleshooting I think I can call it what it is.

Since last Thursday I've been bouncing between 188.8 and 187.0, despite staying perfectly on plan (with one meal, four days ago, that was nearly on plan except for some bell peppers). At first I thought it was that meal that was stopping the scale, and ovulation, but it's been too many days and it doesn't fit my normal hormonal pattern. After losing 20 pounds in as many days my body has decided it wants to sit and adjust a bit

Today I've decided to do an apple day and see if that jumpstarts things. If not, I'm just going to give it more time. I'll report back and tell you how it goes. Stalls are normal and even expected, we'll see if I can bust it manually.

[Peppermint]

I'm right there with ya!

I also dug up some info on Stalls from another HCG board that gives me some hope. I'm posting a few posts that seemed to make some sense to me. YMMV re the apple day according to the veterans over there:

If there's one question that we veterans get more than any other, it's about stalls. We answer these every single day. So here is the skinny on stalls: THEY HAPPEN. You didn't do anything wrong. A stall after the first few days of great losses is almost a given. A long stall in the middle of the round is more common than not.

But rejoice! Stalls aren't a bad thing. I know they feel bad because you've been so good and have followed the diet to a T. But what happens is that you are gaining back some of the water you lost early on. So the fat THAT IS STILL BEING LOST is not showing up on the scales. I really believe those stalls help solidify the losses for when you get to P3 too. I see way more people upset about gaining in P3 when they rushed there as soon as they could because of that typical stall. They assume their body is done, but that's not the case.

So don't be fooled. Hold the course and don't let the stall upset you. It will break when it's ready to break. There is little you can do about it. You may read stories about having a handful of nuts or doing a mini steak day. But these things really don't work. It's just coincidence because the stall was about to break anyway. It would have broken no matter what you did. We get so desperate for it to break that we will try anything. Take your measurements. This will encourage you when you are in the middle of a stall. I have had 10 day stalls in the middle of every long round so I know how upsetting it can be. But put your sights on the end goal and know that you are getting there!

In the original Pounds and Inches, Simeons states that the explanation given for stalls goes like this:

- Fat weighs less than water. (this is true -- water weighs 8 pounds per gallon)
- While the body breaks down fat from cells, some cellular structure is still left behind and as the fat goes, water comes in to fill the space.
- Before the cellular structure is broken down and reprocessed by the body, it has water hanging around in it.

IE: the space that was once filled by fat (lighter) is now filled by water (heavier) and THAT is why we sometimes see stalls but loose inches.

Dr. S says that this is a simplified explanation for a complicated process, but if you think about it, it does make sense. Water is heavy stuff, and I'm sure all the ladies out there can attest to feeling that weight gain around TOM. It's water!

And when someone countered with a pound = a pound ... period, came this reply:

A pound of fat, a pound of water and a pound of muscle do all weigh the same, a pound. However a sq ft of fat, muscle, and water all weigh different amounts. Just as a pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of lead but a 12 x 12 inch box filled with feather will be markedly lighter than one filled with lead. So consider the space of the fat cell for illustrative purposes we will say a square inch will weight more once it is filled with water than it did when it was filled with fat. Make sense?

[Arctic_Mama]

I agree with all those posts, I definitely think they're wise. I noted on my blog this morning that realizing it is a stall and not hormones or a dietary error actually made me feel much better! I'm still losing inches right now, as far as I can tell, so that is helpful, too. After such consistent losses I'm not surprised my body is playing a little mid-cycle catchup, honestly.

I like apples so I'm looking forward to a day of them. I'm wacky, though

[Majerus]

You are probably right, your body is probably really doing a catch-up. You've done so awesome!!

[Nicole T]

Originally Posted by Arctic_Mama

I agree with all those posts, I definitely think they're wise. I noted on my blog this morning that realizing it is a stall and not hormones or a dietary error actually made me feel much better! I'm still losing inches right now, as far as I can tell, so that is helpful, too. After such consistent losses I'm not surprised my body is playing a little mid-cycle catchup, honestly.

I like apples so I'm looking forward to a day of them. I'm wacky, though

I know that during my 4 day stall I KNEW I was losing inches because I suddenly noticed my inner thighs weren't touching when I walked LOL I do believe that our bodies have to catch up with our weight losses sometimes and that can mean a 3-4 day stall (or even more depending on your body).

[Arctic_Mama]

Oh gosh, can I just say how much I LONG for having thighs that don't rub? I have close-set legs and even at 160 pounds I don't remember not having rubbing issues. I want your losses, Nicole!

[SunnyFL]

Being a Latina I never had thighs that didn't touch, even when I weighed 115 LOL...typical hourglass hehehe! Lucky thing you!

I've been stalled for three days...153 is a weight my body loves loves loves. I think I am losing inches though. Round one I lost a total of 20" from my body, a lot my waist, of course

Here is to breaking the stall! Hang in there, I am...

[Clairr]

Thanks so much Peppermint! that's really helpful!!

Originally Posted by Peppermint

I'm right there with ya!

I also dug up some info on Stalls from another HCG board that gives me some hope. I'm posting a few posts that seemed to make some sense to me. YMMV re the apple day according to the veterans over there:





And when someone countered with a pound = a pound ... period, came this reply:

[Arctic_Mama]

Well the apple day may or may not have worked. I dropped 1.4 pounds, but that puts me .2 below my previous low when the stall hit, which could still be in 'stalled' territory if the scale doesn't move over the next few days. Either way it felt good and I think it was necessary, but I'll have a better idea tomorrow if I have been moved past that set point.

[agentventi]

I would say it worked! 1.4 lbs is great!
How did you do your apple day? Did you eat them all raw or can we bake some of them?
I am going to need to do one soon, I keep bouncing around the same pound. It has been a week!!

[minimonkey]

Hope the stall truly broke for you, Arctic! Some folks have great success with apple days... others (like me) do not... but that 1.4 loss had to feel good in any event.

[Arctic_Mama]

It does appear to be broken, thankfully. I've been losing half a pound a day since then, which is slower than previously but still good progress. I have fourteen more injections in this round to hit forty doses, and so if I can keep losing and get into the next weight decade (about five more pounds) I'll call it a success regardless of slowing/stalling in the second half of the round