Stuck

bokaba

I've been stuck in the high 270s-low 280s for the past 30 days. After losing 15 pounds down from 300 pretty quickly, I have been stuck at this weight for over a month now. I realize a lot of this could be water retention because I have IBS and a slew of other digestive maladies that can cause retention. However, I should be losing somewhere around 2 pounds per week, which seems to not be happening. The cycle appears that I lose a any where from 5-7 pounds over the course of 2-3 three weeks and then jump back up from that loss in a few days and hold it for a couple of weeks.

That being said, my waist, neck, and stomach (around belly button where most of my fat is stored) have been decreasing. I have been lifting pretty hard for the past couple of months and my arms have increased by 3 inches and my thighs have increased by almost 4 inches plus apparent (meaning it appears so, but cannot be proven) gains in my chest, shoulders, and back that are difficult areas to measure. Any suggestions about what is going and how I can continue to shed pounds? I think I am doing well despite not losing much weight. I am feeling much better everyday. I went to the doctor last week and my gastro-esophagal reflux disease and fatty liver are on their way out.

Chrisparadise579

You are just going to have to tweak your calories and macros some. I would need to look at your diary for more info but you are likely either eating too little or too much

maidentl

You might want to log more accurately. I see a lot of "homemade" and "generic" entries in your diary. Are those your recipes? If not, they're not accurate. For example, your sandwich, if that's not your recipe, it may not be any like the sandwich you're actually eating. You should also try to weigh your food for more accuracy as well.

PotentiallyCrazy

Since you're lifting... Possibly you are gaining some muscle at the same time as you are losing fat? If so, hang in there & keep doing that... muscle burns more fat off, & faster weight loss should be coming soon

sus49

I have had MANY long plateaus and it is very frustrating. But for many of us it is a reality in weight loss. Just keep logging and exercising. My last plateau lasted 7 weeks. And I did not cheat one little bit. But then FINALLY I lost a bit more before going into another shorter plateau.

My advice to you is stop setting dates for deadlines in weight loss. They just make you feel more frustrated and discouraged than you already are. Instead, just keep tracking and exercising and know that EVENTUALLY you will meet your goal!!! KEEP ON TRACKING!!!

bokaba

I am not setting goals, I don't really have a time frame to lose weight other than to become more healthy permanently. I am happy with my results so far. I appear significantly thinner than I did two months ago. Most of the subcutaneous fat around my abdominal muscles is gone (just lots left beneath the muscles left). I also feel much better and am off most of the medication I was taking before.

RodaRose

Be patient with the scale. Getting results you describe like feeling much better and being off medications are great rewards that can help you keep you on track.

Liftng4Lis

With the exception of newbie gains, you do not gain muscle in a deficit, you retain it. If you are getting bigger, than you are eating at maintenance +. You have a lot of generic and homemade in your diary. Are you weighing and measuring your food?

ndj1979

InIt2WinIt66 wrote: »

PotentiallyCrazy wrote: »

Since you're lifting... Possibly you are gaining some muscle at the same time as you are losing fat? If so, hang in there & keep doing that... muscle burns more fat off, & faster weight loss should be coming soon

No...see the bolded part.

based on OP's starting weight he is probable experiencing newbie gains and losing some fat at the same time, which should cease rather quickly…

OP - can you clarify what kind of digestive/medical issues you have? You may need to consult with your physician ..as the typically calories in calories out formula may not apply to you, based on your medical conditions/issues…

sodakat

Unlike most of the above posters, I think it's unusual for you to not lose weight so soon after you started eating at a deficit. Now, you don't say how long it took you to lose the 15 pounds but since you said 'pretty quickly' I suppose it was in a few weeks.

So, my guess is that just by changing your diet you lost some water weight and some fat right away but since you don't weigh your foods you probably are no longer eating at much of a deficit. Instead you are probably eating maintenance calories (the amount you need to maintain this current weight).

Its almost impossible to guess what anything weighs, including fruits like your avocados. Also, unless you are eating "lite" bread at 45 calories a slice, your sandwich is likely much higher than 200 calories, considering 2 slices of bread and some mustard could be as much as 190 calories (cottage bread or potato bread for example are 90 a slice). It may not seem like a stretch to choose the 200 calorie entry instead of using the recipe builder or entering each item in the sandwich separately, but if you are off by a hundred or more calories many times a day, there goes your deficit.

So I guess my question to you is, are you positive the calories you have been logging are correct?