Help Me Solve My Fat Loss Plateau Puzzle

Rumik

Hi all,

Really hoping there are some fitness coach/nutritionist type people out there who can lend me their expertise. I am currently in a fat loss plateau that is really puzzling me.

I am a 34 year old man, 5'4", 125lb. I have lost nearly 60lb in about 4 years being in a pretty constant calorie deficit. But I want to focus on this year...



As you can see, I was at around 130lb at the end of last year, then shot up around Christmas and New Year (as you'd expect!) but from January to March I was pretty consistently losing between 0.5 and 1lb a week, working out 3 times a week (Stronglifts 5x5 at 80% max). My heart rate monitor told me I was burning 250 calories per workout, so that's what I told MyFitnessPal.

Here's my food diary from an average rest day in that period. Please feel free to browse more if it gives you a better idea of my routine. But in a nutshell:

08:00: Porridge (225 cal, 8g fat, 33g carbs, 9g pro)
12:00: Turkey Chilli (264 cal, 8g fat, 13g carbs, 33g pro)
15:00: Turkey Chilli (264 cal, 8g fat, 13g carbs, 33g pro)
17:30: Scampi and baked beans (489 cal, 18g fat, 52g carbs, 23g pro)

Total: 1242 calories, 42g fat, 111g carbs, 98g protein.

Here's an average workout day.

08:00: Porridge (225 cal, 8g fat, 33g carbs, 9g pro)
10:00 Banana (56 calories, 0g fat, 14g carbs, 1g pro)
12:00: Turkey Chilli (264 cal, 8g fat, 13g carbs, 33g pro)
15:00: Turkey Chilli (264 cal, 8g fat, 13g carbs, 33g pro)
17:30: Paprika Pork with Cous Cous (681 cal, 27g fat, 46g carbs, 65g pro)
18:30: Workout - 250 calories approx
20:00: Fat Free Yoghurt (62 cal, 0g fat, 10g carbs, 6g pro)

Total: 1552 calories, 51g fat, 129g carbs, 147g protein.

I was sleeping 7-8 hours a night, at least 5 nights a week.


Mid-way through March I was made redundant from my job, and I honestly can't remember how stringently I stuck to my routine, but as you can see from the report my weight started to hold steady there. I wasn't working out as much and I gave in to temptation more often than usual. It took a month before I got another job, but there was an awful lot of stress in that period and lack of sleep, and that's still going on really, because now I'm working 300 miles away from my wife and daughter during the week. I can't seem to sleep more than 6.5 hours a night no matter how early or late I go to bed (though I've settled in more in the last week or so, so I'm hoping that'll improve).

On the other hand, my new job has a free 24 hour gym, so pretty much since I arrived I've been working out again, but doing a lot more. I bought a FitBit Charge HR to help me more accurately track my calories burned but so far it hasn't helped, although right now I'm getting in 2 workouts a day:

Mon - AM: Walk/Run 30 mins (approx 250 cal)
Mon - PM: Weights 60 mins (approx 150 cal)
Tue - AM: Walk/Run 30 mins (approx 250 cal)
Tue - PM: Walk/Run 30 mins (approx 250 cal)
Wed - AM: Walk/Run 30 mins (approx 250 cal)
Wed - PM: Weights 60 mins (approx 150 cal)
Thur - AM: Walk/Run 30 mins (approx 250 cal)
Thur - PM: Walk/Run 30 mins (approx 250 cal)
Fri - AM: Walk/Run 30 mins (approx 250 cal)
Fri - AM: Weights 60 mins (approx 150 cal)

So what am I eating at the moment? Let's take this week as a good example:

On weight days I eat porridge for breakfast with a yoghurt as a snack mid-morning. For lunch I'll eat a more carb-heavy lunch, but I'll still take a chicken salad if it's available. For dinner I have my usual chilli (it's been my mainstay meal for the past couple of years now - I cook up a batch on Sunday or Monday and it lasts me the week).

On non-weight days I eat a higher fat breakfast - scrambled eggs and bacon, with a yoghurt for a snack. For lunch I'll go for the chicken salad again if it's available, and then chilli for dinner. I try to eat more fat on non-weight days and more carbs on weight days, though that's just what I'm trying at the moment. Historically, low carb/high fat has always given me better results.

Using my FitBit Charge HR (which tracks heart rate), I am tracking my TDEE - and it's usually between 2000 and 2500 depending on how active I am that day. I have it linked up to MyFitnessPal, which I have told my goals are 1341 cal, 84g carbs, 52g fat, 134g pro a day, though until this week they were more like 1500 cal. Whatever the goal, I've been in a 500 calorie deficit at least, for the past month. And my weight hasn't moved.

Sure, on weekends my carbs are usually higher. I usually drink a few light beers or a bottle of wine. Or I have a cookie or piece of chocolate or cake. And if I don't manage to keep in that 500 calorie deficit, I most certainly do not have a surplus. That's according to FitBit and MyFitnessPal, of course. Who knows how accurate that stuff really is.

My goal is to get down to 12% body fat - I'm around 15% right now. I have this stubborn ring of fat around my lower belly that I really want to get rid of so I can feel comfortable spending a couple of years bulking up. I've read that there's a physiological change that occurs once you're around 12% that makes it easier to maintain your weight, so that's pretty much been my goal. Actually, that link now says 10-11%, but it definitely used to say 12%!


So, does anyone have any tips for things I could change to break through this plateau? Any general advice related to my goals that you think would be appropriate? Any information I haven't included that would help you help me better?

Thanks in advance!

Ryan

misssmadalyn

When I got to 60 pounds lost, I was stuck for about a month. I changed my workouts, added more veggies & didn't weigh for 2 weeks. I started the stationary bike which I love! It's fun & I break a sweat in a matter of minutes. When I stepped on the scale after the 2 weeks of not weighing & changing my workout I lost 3.8 pounds.

misssmadalyn

Your body could be used to the running, try something different

TavistockToad

how much more are you trying to lose?

TimothyFish

What's wrong with the weight you are at now?

Rumik

As I said in my post, it's not weight I want to lose exactly, it's body fat. I have an annoying ring around the bottom of my stomach that I want to shift, and just generally lean out some more.

I doubt my body is used to running just yet, I've only been doing it 4 weeks In fact I'm doing about x4 more exercise now than I was 2 months ago, and I'm just not losing. I do see changes in the mirror, however, though without confirmation from the scales it's hard to be positive about that.

editorgrrl

Rumik wrote: »

I bought a FitBit Charge HR to help me more accurately track my calories burned but so far it hasn't helped.

My goal is to get down to 12% body fat - I'm around 15% right now. I have this stubborn ring of fat around my lower belly that I really want to get rid of so I can feel comfortable spending a couple of years bulking up.

Set your goal to maintenance: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

Ignore Fitbit's calorie goal and follow MFP's, eating back your Fitbit adjustments. You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

Start taking measurements and progess photos, and stop obsessing about the scale. You got smaller—now you need to get stronger. Shift your focus from weight loss to increasing your lean body mass (recomp).

TavistockToad

Rumik wrote: »

As I said in my post, it's not weight I want to lose exactly, it's body fat. I have an annoying ring around the bottom of my stomach that I want to shift, and just generally lean out some more.

I doubt my body is used to running just yet, I've only been doing it 4 weeks In fact I'm doing about x4 more exercise now than I was 2 months ago, and I'm just not losing. I do see changes in the mirror, however, though without confirmation from the scales it's hard to be positive about that.

eat at maintenance, do some recomp. of at the very most a deficit of 10% of your TDEE

Rumik

I'd appreciate some explanations along with your suggestions... I don't want to just blindly follow advice. Help me out, tell me why you're right!

DeguelloTex

Rumik wrote: »

Mid-way through March I was made redundant from my job, and I honestly can't remember how stringently I stuck to my routine, but as you can see from the report my weight started to hold steady there. I wasn't working out as much and I gave in to temptation more often than usual. It took a month before I got another job, but there was an awful lot of stress in that period and lack of sleep, and that's still going on really, because now I'm working 300 miles away from my wife and daughter during the week. I can't seem to sleep more than 6.5 hours a night no matter how early or late I go to bed (though I've settled in more in the last week or so, so I'm hoping that'll improve).

I think stress -- cortisol -- and lack of sleep can have a much bigger impact than they get credit for. That said, things like this happen.



I was eating and exercising very, very consistently and at a not insubstantial deficit for the period covered by that graph. Weight just stopped coming off and actually started to go back up. The only obvious differences were some family health issues and wrapping up a school year with grading a lot of my kids' tests, papers, and projects. Then, that stress went away and the weight is falling off and has "made up" for that stall/plateau. Could be a coincidence, I guess.

Rumik

Thanks mate. I'm going to make a big effort to get at least 7 hours sleep from now on, I just hope it works! I'm less stressed than I was a month ago, but living away from my family sure takes its toll. Especially when I'm due to go back to work on Sunday nights and my little girl begs me not to go

Rumik

Okay, so nearly everybody I've asked this here and other places online have suggested re-composition. Following the MyFitnessPal guides here and here, these are the suggested figures:

Weights Day
Calories: 2288
187g protein, 187g carbs, 88g fat

Rest Day
Calories: 1791
187g protein, 43g carbs, 96g fat

The only wild card here is my Activity Level - I've set it to Lightly Active, which results in maintenance calories of 1990 per day. However, given that my FitBit has my TDEE at between 2000 and 2500, perhaps that's not close enough. What do you guys think? Should I increase my calories and risk going to far, or play it safe and risk not going far enough?

Thanks

editorgrrl

Rumik wrote: »

Okay, so nearly everybody I've asked this here and other places online have suggested re-composition.

The only wild card here is my Activity Level - I've set it to Lightly Active, which results in maintenance calories of 1990 per day. However, given that my FitBit has my TDEE at between 2000 and 2500, perhaps that's not close enough. What do you guys think?

If (and only if) you enable negative calorie adjustments, setting your activity level is entirely a matter of personal preference when using a Fitbit.

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

futuremanda

Rumik wrote: »

Okay, so nearly everybody I've asked this here and other places online have suggested re-composition. Following the MyFitnessPal guides here and here, these are the suggested figures:

Weights Day
Calories: 2288
187g protein, 187g carbs, 88g fat

Rest Day
Calories: 1791
187g protein, 43g carbs, 96g fat

The only wild card here is my Activity Level - I've set it to Lightly Active, which results in maintenance calories of 1990 per day. However, given that my FitBit has my TDEE at between 2000 and 2500, perhaps that's not close enough. What do you guys think? Should I increase my calories and risk going to far, or play it safe and risk not going far enough?

Thanks

MFP doesn't give you your TDEE up front. Your Fitbit knows all your steps and your running, but MFP is only guessing at your steps and doesn't know about your running until it's logged or it gets the Fitbit adjustment.

So either allow the Fitbit to give adjustments to MFP, or log a sample day of exercise, because MFP will add those calories to the 1990, and then you can compare more fairly.

Rumik

Okay, I'm strongly considering a period of bulking. All signs point to my body simply needing a break from the diet, so I'll eat at maintenance for a couple of weeks and then slowly increase to I'm in a 500 calorie surplus, and make adjustments as necessary.

I'm following the advice on strengthunbound.com about bulking, but it makes no mention of increasing carb cycling - more carbs/less fat on weight days, less carbs/more fat on non-weight days. So, in all your experience, would you vary the macro intakes on training/non-training days?

Thanks!

DeguelloTex

Rumik wrote: »

Okay, I'm strongly considering a period of bulking. All signs point to my body simply needing a break from the diet, so I'll eat at maintenance for a couple of weeks and then slowly increase to I'm in a 500 calorie surplus, and make adjustments as necessary.

I'm following the advice on strengthunbound.com about bulking, but it makes no mention of increasing carb cycling - more carbs/less fat on weight days, less carbs/more fat on non-weight days. So, in all your experience, would you vary the macro intakes on training/non-training days?

Thanks!

I do that. I think it helps. Maybe it really doesn't, but as long as I think it does, it does.

Rumik

I'm trying to figure out how best to set my MFP goals.

When FitBit and MFP are connected, MFP will adjust my daily goals according to the data it's getting from FitBit about my actual calorie burn (my TDEE). But MFP still uses the calorie target I set as a baseline, right? So if I want to be in a 100 calorie surplus, what do I do? My TDEE varies by day, but all MFP knows is the daily calorie goal I set in the goals, right?

What if I change my daily calorie goal in FitBit to autmatically work out a goal for me, rather than manually specifying a calorie target? Will that adjust the daily calorie target in MFP?

EDIT: Figured the best way is to just look at my MFP goal when I first wake up, before any adjustment has been made for activity, and set that as my MFP maintenance goal and increase from there.

Rumik

So here's my plan:

Week 1 - Just below maintenance

1800 calories a day

* 187g protein
* 187g carbs
* 33g fat

Week 2 - +100 calories = 1900 calories

Week 3 - +100 calories = 2000 calories

Week 4 - +100 calories = 2100 calories

Week 5 - +100 calories = 2200 calories

Week 6 - +100 calories = 2300 calories


Total surplus = 400 + TDEE.


Any comments/thoughts?

DeguelloTex

Seems low on fat, imo.

Rumik

I was thinking about carb cycling with it, but I really odn't know how I'd find nearly 100g of fat on non-training days.

DeguelloTex

Rumik wrote: »

I was thinking about carb cycling with it, but I really odn't know how I'd find nearly 100g of fat on non-training days.

I don't know that you'd need 100g.

I'm eating 2200 a day right now. Lifting days have 43g and off days have 73g. It averages out to about 60g, which is 25% of my weekly total.

arditarose

I think I need cliffs

Rumik

I didn't randomly pick a number, I'm going to start off eating just below my TDEE and then slowly increase it. Carefully. I've been in a deficit so long my body needs a break from it. I'm looking forward to gaining some muscle for a while

fad_sin26

To lose body fat i suggest incorporating more muscle hypertrophy training aka strength training. You must build more muscle to get rid of fat. Up your protein to 130g. I suggest 3-4 full body strength training days focusing on heavy compound lifts. That way you build and maintain muscle. The diet will get rid of the fat. Cardio ensures a calorie deficit. Don't add your exercise to the myfitnesspal app. That just gives you more reason to eat more!

Rumik

Maybe you're right. My goal IS to lose more body fat, but I can't deny that it's not working right now and I need a break. And cutting afterwards should be a lot faster and easier - maybe that's why the weight came off so fast at the beginning of the year... directly following a maintenance phase. After all, the body adapts to a consistent long term calorie deficit by slowing down metabolism to conserve calories. Long term cutting quite simply isn’t very good for your body. There are negative side effects of long term cutting above and beyond the loss in metabolism (both mental and physical; sex hormones notably decrease and all body processes that require growth/regeneration suffer). These negative side effects only get stronger and stronger the leaner you get. Spending some time bulking (or at the very least, in maintenance) will eventually undo all of the negative side effects of cutting too long. Or so I've read, anyway. Why do you suggest only a week?

Rumik

fad_sin26 wrote: »

To lose body fat i suggest incorporating more muscle hypertrophy training aka strength training. You must build more muscle to get rid of fat. Up your protein to 130g. I suggest 3-4 full body strength training days focusing on heavy compound lifts. That way you build and maintain muscle. The diet will get rid of the fat. Cardio ensures a calorie deficit. Don't add your exercise to the myfitnesspal app. That just gives you more reason to eat more!

Sorry, I know it was a long one, but did you read my original post? I do three 60 minute weight training sessions a week. And my protein is, on average, way above 130g.

Rumik

If I don't track weight lifting calories, surely that will put me in a greater deficit that I'm aware of, thus making any specific daily calorie target a bit of a shot in the dark? I woke up this morning and immediately checked my MFP full day prediction of my calorie expenditure (as it's linked with my Charge HR) and if I did nothing else all day it would be just under 1700, so I'm taking that as my TDEE and intend to eat to that, plus whatever calories I burn on top. I just did some weight training and running, the total calorie burn according to my Charge HR is 302, which seems like a safe bet to me. Or would you disagree? That number will only increase throughout the day... right now the prediction is at 2048.

It's interesting what you said about Extreme Calorie Deficit - I've been wondering if that were the case for a while but trying to find anything concrete on Google is near impossible. Maybe it was my search term. Either way, it's nice to hear that it IS possible, and it makes sense because it's not the first time I've felt like I simply wasn't eating enough calories to burn fat.

Thanks for the advice. Keep it comin'

Rumik

Quick update - I took a couple of weeks eating at maintenance and managed to maintain my weight. Now I'm back to the diet, eating more carbs and less fat on training days, and the other way round on rest days. I'll report back in a couple of weeks.

LivingtheLeanDream

thats light for a guy regardless of being 5ft 4. (I say this as I'm very slim and am 133lbs at 5ft 2) Shouldn't you just be focusing on body recomp?

Rumik

I don't know, should I? What makes you say that? I want to lose the ring around my naval and then focus on either maintaining or putting on muscle, depending on how I feel about the way I look once that ring is gone.

Okay so it's been about 2 weeks since I started back on the diet again and while my measurements are coming down my weight is staying the same. I'll check back in 2 weeks - if my measurements are going down but my weight is staying the same then that must mean I'm putting on about as much muscle as I'm burning fat, with allowances for water retention, etc. So in that case I'm happy.

I'm eating at a 500 calorie deficit (totalling 1200 calories in per day), but I know I can comfortably double my cardio work every day if I need to burn more, but that already seems low to me and as I said my weight isn't coming off, so I'm worried this will just lead to more confusion over how to proceed. I'll check back in 2 weeks for a progress update - hopefully my measurements are still going down.

editorgrrl

Rumik wrote: »

I'm eating at a 500 calorie deficit (totalling 1200 calories in per day), but I know I can comfortably double my cardio work every day if I need to burn more.

That deficit is much too aggressive for your size (male, 5'4", 125 lbs.)—you'll lose lean body mass. Set your goal no higher than .5 lb. per week and be patient.

You cannot build lean body mass (aka recomp) at a deficit.