Hi fellas...I was just wondering, what are some of the common causes of stalls? From what I gather, not eating enough calories, eating too much sodium (water retention), and possibly exercise (gaining muscle weight) are some of the main ones. Can you fill me in on a few more?

I've been on a stall for maybe a week now...I lost 22 pounds in the first 3 weeks (18 year old male, by the way) but I'm stuck right at 200. I even gained a pound or two. I'm still eating well...Sometimes I don't get enough calories but I've been pretty consistent with getting about the same amount under what I should have. I'm looking to get down to about 180 (and then start putting on the muscle weight! ) so I've got those last 20 to go. Everyone around me says "oooh, noooo, you don't need to lose weight...you already look really slim" but I think we can all attest to the fact that it doesn't matter what others say as long as you aren't happy with the way you look.

Anyway, any suggestions on breaking this stall (and future stalls)? Also, I've heard about plateaus...what I've heard was that your body tries to maintain its shape by retaining water for a while, and you may gain a couple of pounds, but even though you're staying with the weight, you're really losing fat...any truth to that? I sure hope so

Thanks for any help.
-Justin