Scale stuck 3 weeks but my RHR keeps dropping?

Waist down 0.75 and RHR down 6 in 3 weeks sounds like real progress, not just water. The scale is just the slowest feedback loop.

I had a similar lag on a 20 lb loss. Scale stalled 19 days, then dropped 3.2 lb over four mornings. RHR was already down 5.

Did you change sodium or carbs around week 9?

Not sodium, IMO. Worth knowing before you blame your diet: creatine's the one that freezes the scale for almost a month while the lifts keep climbing.

The fasting glucose drop is interesting. Mine followed sleep more than weight. How are your sleep and stress looking?

The RHR drop could be better cardio fitness from the walking and lifting, not only fat loss. Sleep can move glucose too, so that shift may not be purely fat loss. I track both and they often correlate but not perfectly. When my scale stalled, the first thing I checked was whether my weekly average had actually stalled or if I was just looking at daily noise. If 184–185 is a weekly average, then it’s a real plateau. If it’s daily weights bouncing, you may still be losing. What does your 7-day average show versus four weeks ago? I’m not saying the scale is useless, but it’s a lagging indicator compared with waist and resting heart rate.

The glucose shift stood out to me too. Mine dropped 8 points when I stopped late-night snacking, before the scale moved.

That late-night snack thing is real. Sleep's better and the morning readings look cleaner, but the scale doesn't care until the weekly average moves.

Trust the waist tape more than the scale here.

Disagree a bit. Waist can shrink from posture and less bloat. I’d wait two more weeks, then reassess if th eweekly average is truly flat.

What does your lifting log say? If volume is up, water retention from repair can hide 2–4 lb easily. That happened to me after switching to 4x/week.

I’d look at trend weight over 14 days, not just a single 21-day stall. I lost 22 lb and had two three-week stalls that both broke within days of a lighter training week. I’m not saying that’s your situation, just that the scale isn’t linear. Your RHR and waist moving together is a better sign than either alone. Waiting two more weeks is reasonable, but if the weekly average is genuinely flat after that, I’d start questioning intake. Also, if you’re weighing food, a 5% logging error can matter more than any water shift. I use a two-week average and compare Monday-to-Monday to avoid this rabbit hole.

I had a 19-day stall at 178 while my RHR fell 7 bpm and my waist dropped almost an inch. Weirdly, the scale whooshed 2.5 lb two days after I took an extra rest day and ate a normal-carb dinner. If you're lifting 3x and walking 8k, I'd track weekly averages and a same-spot waist measure, not daily lows. Are you sleeping worse or more stressed during this stretch? That can tank RHR without fat loss.

My RHR only drops like that when I'm actually sleeping enough. Are you logging sleep, or just workouts?

My old jeans got loose two weeks before the scale moved. Clothing fit is the honest tracker.

I stalled at 185 for almost four weeks last spring, same deal: RHR down, glucose better, waist down 1.25 inches. What finally moved it was boring weekend tracking—I was underestimating Friday/Saturday by like 600-800 calories, mostly oils and drinks. Once I logged those honestly, the scale dropped 3 lb in 10 days. Maybe audit your two highest-intake days before calling it a recomp pause.

Six bpm in three weeks is a big swing, so I'd poke at the boring stuff before crediting recomp. I cut my two weeknight glasses of wine in February and my RHR went 66 to 60 in about 20 days with zero change to my calorie budget. On the scale side, what fixed my head was switching from the daily number to a 10-day rolling average: mine sat at 187.0–187.3 for 19 days, then dumped 2.8 lb in five days, and the average just glided down like nothing happened. Keep weighing daily, but judge the average. If your 10-day average is genuinely flat while you're honest about intake and steps, that's a different problem than the single-day number being flat.

My scale went flat for three weeks and the culprit was oil and taste-testing. I was 'weighing my food' but eyeballing the olive oil in the pan and not logging the four or five bites of my kid's mac and cheese. I measured it for one week out of curiosity and it came to about 240 cal/day, which is 1,700 a week, basically the half pound I was expecting to lose and didn't. Nothing else changed. Once I weighed the oil and logged the bites, the scale resumed at about 0.6 lb/week. Not saying that's your deal since your waist and glucose are both moving right, but a flat scale plus a dropping RHR can also mean your true maintenance is lower than the calculator thinks after 18 lb down. Worth eating at what you log for two weeks and seeing if anything shifts.

Your three markers moving together looks encouraging, but I'd be careful reading a 6 bpm RHR drop as proof of recomp. Mine fell 5 bpm in six weeks just from adding two 45-minute zone 2 walks a week, no fat loss required. On the scale side, I went 25 days flat after bumping squats from 3x5 to 5x5, because more volume means more glycogen and the water that comes with it, and it hid roughly 2 lb of real loss. Then it fell 3.4 lb in eight days during a deload week. Waist down 0.75 inch and fasting glucose down 7 points in three weeks is a lot of movement to be noise. If your lifts are still climbing, I'd hold calories steady another 2–3 weeks and judge off the 4-week waist measurement.

Quick one: what was your weekly loss rate over the firt nine weeks? 18 lb in 12 weeks is around 1.5/week, which is fast enough that a three-week flat stretch can just be water and glycogen catching up. If your 10-day average is truly dead flat, that's when I'd start looking at calories rather than waiting it out.

Try a 7-day rolling average instead of daily weights; my 21-day flatline hid a 1.9 lb drop.

18-day flat scale here, and my sleep was the tell: waking four times a night during a work deadline kept water retention high until I got two solid 8-hour nights. Weirdly, my lifts kept climbing, which made me think I was recomping, but I was actually eating back my 8k walk calories. Killing that 250-calorie nightly snack broke the stall in six days.

My belt notch is my real scale—down one hole during a 24-day flat stretch. Jeans don't lie.

Weekend sodium and a couple drinks can hide three weeks of work; my Sunday-to-Wednesday drop was 2.8 lb.

I climb, so my weight swings 3-4 lbs and the scale's useless. What I go by is hangboard numbers and top-set reps — hold those while weight's flat, and it's fat coming off, not muscle.

Hi, I’m brand new here (week one), so take this with a grain of salt. The RHR drop plus waist and glucose improvements sound like your body’s adapting even if the scale is lagging. One thing I’ve started tracking is DOMS/water retention from lifting: when I’m sore, my scale can sit flat for days, then drop after a rest day. Have you added reps/weight recently, or are you extra sore this month? That might explain a 21-day hold more than fat loss stopping. Also, huge congrats on the 18 lb and the waist change — those are real wins.

This screams recomp. What are your lifts doing? If your squat/row/hinge loads or reps are creeping up while your waist shrinks, the scle is just lagging. I had a 25-day flat stretch, and the tape moved before the number did. I started tracking a 7-day weight average plus one Sunday arm/thigh measurement, same time, same lighting. Also, how’s sleep? My RHR drops when I’m actually recovering, not necessarily when fat is flying off. Are you seeing strength PRs or better sleep lately?

Three weeks is my usual “trust the tape, not the scale” window. One thing that gets me: heavy lower-body days make me hold 2–3 lb of water for 3–4 days, even when my waist is tightening. Are you weighing after the same rest day? Also, chaotic kid mealtimes mean I keep a snack drawer with pre-portioned jerky, roasted chickpeas, and string cheese, so I’m not doing mystery bites while packing lunches. RHR down, glucose down, waist down sounds like the scale is just lagging. I’d keep weekly waist photos and let the whoosh come.

Night shift here. The scale is the last thing I trust. I weigh after my main sleep, not before or after a shift. Same spot, after bathroom, before coffee. Random timing swings me 3 lb easy. Your RHR and waist are moving the right way. That’s the signal. Sharp question: are you comparing weights

Three weeks flat with RHR -6 and waist -0.75” means the scale is likely your noisiest sensor. Are you comparing 7-day medians, or just daily numbers? I had a 24-day flatline where every morning looked identical, but the weekly median was still drifting down 0.2 lb. The thing that finally moved it was tracking sodium and late meals—not touching calories. If your 7-day median is also flat, then it’s a real stall and I’d change one input for 10–14 days.

Maintainer here. When I got close to goal, the scale would stall for weeks while my RHR and waist kept improving. The hidden culprit was water from training and salty meals. A hard session plus a normal-ish dinner could keep me 2–3 lb up until a rest day. I switched to weekly averages and only “official” weigh-ins after a rest day with normal sodium. Have you tried a rest-day morning weigh-in? If that number finally moves, it’s just masking. Your waist and fasting glucose trends are the better signal right now.

check your scale weight after a rest day vs after a heavy squat day. I can swing 3–4 lb from inflammation/glycogen. If your 21-day window had more volume PRs, that’s likely masking fat loss. I’d take a deload week, keep protein high, sleep +30 min, and compare weekly averages. If waist still down and RHR low, you’re fine. Sharp question: what’s your weekly average weight trend over those three weeks, not the daily range? That’s the only number I trust during recomp.

Did your lifting volume change during those 21 days? My last stall looked like this: weight flat at 181–182, RHR down 5, waist -0.5”. I’d gone from 3x8 to 5x8 and added a daily walk. Tracking 7-day median weight instead of daily finally showed ~0.3 lb/wk down. Extra sets/reps can leave repair water masking fat loss for a few weeks. What’s your weekly volume trend?

cafe owner here. The scale does this to me during menu changes, when I’m “just tasting” spoonfuls all shift—weighed meals, but those bites and extra sodium park the scale while my waist and RHR keep improving. Quick question: did your lifting volume or daily steps dip during these 3 weeks? A deload or busier-than-usual week does the same to me, then it releases. Also, are you measuring your waist at the same time of day? Morning before coffee vs after a 10-hour shift is a whole inch difference on me.

Any chance you started creatine or upped sodium/carbs around the same time? I had a 3-week scale plateau with other markers improving; it was water from a new lifting block + creatine. RHR dropping at the same time tracked with better sleep/recovery, not the scale. In the trials, weight and fat loss often decouple over short windows. If you’re not already, compare 7-day average weight to the previous 7-day, not daily. Did you change anything supplement-wise or sleep-wise 3 weeks ago?

What changed in your lifting volume or proximity to failure during those 21 days? Added sets/reps can drive glycogen and repair-water retention, easily masking fat loss. I’d track a 7-day rolling median weight and compare same weekday, plus thigh/upper-arm tape. RHR -6, waist -0.75", and fasting glucose down 7 points is a coherent recomp signal. Did sodium, carb timing, or training frequency shift in that window? That’s the next variable I’d rule out.

dorm dining hall sodium is my villain origin story. When my scale froze for three weeks, my RHR and waist did the same dance. What helped was tracking a 7-day median weight instead of daily, and checking my scale on

I’d zoom out to 7-day averages instead of the daily number. A 21-day flat scale can still hide a 0.5–1 lb/week drop if you’re comparing today to a random high day. I also track waist at navel plus a monthly trend line—anything shorter is noise for me.

Sharp question: are your main lifts still progressing or holding load while weight is flat? If yes, I’d bet you’re trading fat for lean mass/glycogen, especially with RHR and glucose improving. When I was in the last 10 lb, I had a 4-week scale stall while my squat and pull-ups climbed, then the scale dropped 3 lb over a week. Not magic—just lag.

Hi, new here—week one, so sorry if this is a silly one. Did you change your sleep or room temp? My resting HR drops when I sleep in a cooler room, and my fasting glucose looks better, but the scale can sit still for ages. Also, are you measuring waist at the exact same spot? I once moved my tape down an inch and got a fke 0.5-inch loss. If your waist and glucose are trending down, that seems like good stuff, even if the scale is being stubborn.

Fellow cafe owner here. My scale loves to stall when I’m doing a lot of taste-testing—even tiny spoon licks add up sodium/carbs, and I’ll hold water while my waist keeps shrinking. One thing that helped: I batch tasting to one 10-min window, use tiny spoons, then rinse with sparkling water. Also, are you weighing after your heaviest lifting day? I’m consistently +1.5–2 lb for 48 hrs after a hard session, then it whooshes. If your RHR and glucose are trending that way, I’d personally stop daily weigh-ins for a week and just track waist + how clothes fit.

Hey, similar boat here. My 3-week stall came with a 5-bpm RHR drop too. Turned out I was holding water from a new hilly walking route — scale froze but waist kept shrinking. Are you tracking a weekly average or just the daily number? My whoosh hit after a rest day and a big pasta dinner. The tape and glucose are telling the real story.

week one here too, but your waist/RHR wins sound like quiet progress. Hope the scale catches up soon! 😅

OP, fellow road warrior here. When I'm in hotels, my scale stalls even in a solid deficit—usually from airport/plane bloat. Are you flying a lot? For me, compression socks + a 20-min walk after landing + extra water flushes it out. That RHR drop is a great sign though. Keep the faith!

Are you tracking 7-day averages or just the daily number? I had a 3-week flatline at 178 while my RHR dropped and waist shrank, and my weekly average was still creeping down ~0.5 lb. The daily weights were just noisy from water/sodium/glycogen, not fat. What helped was comparing same-day-of-week: Monday vs Monday. Also, I measure waist after exhale at the same spot, no shirt, first thing. That 0.75 inch and glucose drop are real signals. Lost 40, regained 25, now down 12—stalls lie.

I’ve had stalls where the tape measure moved before the scale did—hang in there.

Man, my longest stall looked like this. What finally moved the scale wasn’t adding cardio; it was auditing cooked vs raw weights. I’d been logging 200g cooked rice as 200g raw for weeks, which was easily 200–300 cal/day off. Are you comparing same-day weigh-ins or 7-day medians? Lifting soreness and water can mask a 1–1.5 lb drop. If waist and RHR are trending the right way, I’d check the food log before changing the plan.

Have you cross-checked on a different scale? I had a 3-week flatline that turned out to be my scale reading 2 lb high after the battery got low. Also, what does your 7-day average look like? Daily numbers can hide a slow 0.2 lb/wk drop. If waist is down 0.75 and RHR down 6, I’d trust the tape over the scale for now. In the trials, these early cardio/metabolic shifts often show up before weight moves much, but n=1 it’s messy.

Scale sulking while jeans get loose is the classic recomp troll. Hang in there.

this looks like recomp, but one thing I’d check is your non-lifting-day NEAT. I had the exact same 21-day freeze—RHR down, waist down—and realized my 8k was one walk, then I sat the other 15 hours. Adding 5 min after meals and taking calls standing got the scale moving 4 days later. Are your steps spread out or mostly one block?

One thing that fooled me: gut transit. When protein/fiber go up and water intake shifts, you can carry a few pounds of stool/glycogen water for weeks. My scale stalled while my waist and RHR improved; weekly averages showed a slow downtrend even when daily numbers looked identical. Are you tracking 7-day averages or just daily? Also, sleep quality can drop RHR and mask fat loss via water retention. I’d keep the tape and glucose as your real scoreboard and give it another 2 weeks before changing anything.