hi Laurie,

Wow, you've lost 15 lbs in the first 5 weeks; that's an average of 3 lbs a week.

It's normal and should be expected to lose lbs quickly at first, then settle to a slower rate of loss during OWL. A true plateau is defined as 6 weeks of no loss of lbs on the scale, and no loss of inches with the tape measure. You did measure yourself at the beginning, right?? Often the scales won't reflect the loss of fat and inches because we're retaining a little water or there's still some food in the intestine (waste does have weight!). But the tape measure will show that the inches are coming off.

Also, a true plateau means you've been following your respective program to the letter, no cheating. And no other stall-factors, such as medications which can slow weight loss, eating a lot of processed and/or salty foods, hidden carbs from highly refined processed foods such as the protein Frankenbars and sugar-free treats, fake carb imitations of high-carb foods, such as bake-mixes, pastas and breads.

And, for some of us, losing weight in stop-start stages is the norm. We lose weight, then stall for a week or two. Then whoosh, off come a few more lbs, then things stop again. This can be very frustrating .. the best advice is to avoid the scale and don't let it dictate your success. Use the tape measure to track inch loss, and pay attention to how loose your clothes are fitting. These are better indicators.

Congrats on your success so far, and keep up the good work.

Doreen