Stalled, help!

djbrink21

So been at this 3 weeks now (this time around). Started at 242 and am now at 237. Trouble is I was at 237 a week ago and am still there today with no change.

2 weeks ago I started at the gym and last week I went M, W, F like clockwork, doing cardo and lifting (I wear a HRM to track my burn). I added more food last week and am adding even more this week to try to stay closer to my 2100 cal/day limit. And I've worked hard to keep the weekends more inline with the rest of the week when I'm at my best (though I'm not sure how much better they can be).

I'm going to take some measurements tonight to help see if anything is changing, but I don't feel like I've put on any real muscle mass or anything that would be contributing to the stall.

My journal is open and I've prelogged today everything up to dinner (which is the only meal I don't have control over since my wife makes it).

I'm just so bummed that I am stalling on only the third week. Any advice?

ladynocturne

Hello there, we need to know your height as well.

Whenever you add more food, you are going to store more waste in your bowel as well as just naturally consume more sodium. It is completely normal to not lose any weight the first week.

Also you added lifting to your routine, when muscles are healing from a workout, they store a ton a water in themselves during the repair process. It is also normal to not lose any weight according to the scale.

So you basically just started doing 2 things they inhibit the scale from telling you you weigh less.

Don't panic.

djbrink21

I'm 6 foot.

ladynocturne

6"0' tall 237lbs

Your TDEE is 2735 calories/day, this is how much you burn during normal activity, no exercise, just existing.

Eating 2100 calories a day you have a deficit of 635.

Are you netting 2100 with your workouts? (eating the calories you burn working out?) This is important as well, having too high of a deficit can cause a plateau or "stall" later in your weight loss journey. This is because as you lose weight, you don't just lose fat, you also lose lean muscle, and the higher the deficit, the more likely you will lose lean muscle.

Working out helps prevent some lean muscle loss, but it's extremely difficult to gain any muscle when you're at a caloric deficit.

deksgrl

Your sodium consumption is quite high. You are not logging the water you drink, you should be drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day.

cougar2007

I see a few things on here.

1) You are packing in too much food into one or two meals. You need to focus on 6 meals a day, Jamming in a huge lunch and dinner is not going to cut it.

2) You macros suck. You are consuming way too little protein a day and way too much fat.

3) Your diet is sporadic. You are going through the stage where you want to lose weight, but you aren't totally sold out for it. In just the few days that I have peered through your log I see some fat stalling items - butter cake, maple syrup, white rolls, salami, pork ribs, deep friend french fries, cuban sandwich, Crispy Chicken Salad, etc. Stay clear of Gatorade, that is soooo high in sodium, I don't even want to look at it. Stay clear of that sodium and you will begin to drop that water weight.

4) Stick to what you know is good for you - chicken, tuna, salmon, lean cuts of beef and your fruits and veggies. Your white breads are killing you and you seem to be a guy that likes his dairy products. Stick to reduced fat cheeses, cottage cheese and greek yogurts. They keep your protein consumption high and your calorie counts low.

5) For right now, I would stick to more weight loss and less muscle building. This will come with some controversy, but you need to find a workout plan that is right for you. For guys, it seems that you can just will away fat and have biceps that kick *kitten* in a year.

6) I think what you are experiencing is a lot of water weight dropping focus on keeping your macros in check and you will begin to lose real weight that you will keep off.

7) Also focus on doing more in the gym when you are there. It wouldn't hurt to bump up your days. Focus on doing HIIT on one or two days and the rest on muscle building.

auddii

It's been one week. You haven't stalled. My weight can fluctuate 3-4lbs in a day for a lot of different reasons. Just keep at it and don't give up when you see minor scale fluctuations.

djbrink21

Your sodium consumption is quite high. You are not logging the water you drink, you should be drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day.

I can't speak to the sodium, but water consumption is far from the problem. I have already finished 2 24 oz camelbak bottles this morning and am just about done my third. I drink water like a fish. Don't leave my desk without my water bottle and when I walk in the door when I get home I get a glass of ice water and fill it many times throughout the evening. I actually don't log my water because then I'd never put my phone down...lol.

deksgrl

Keep drinking the water. Eat 2100 net cals. Be consistent, and patient.

palmerar

You have to stick with 1 plan for AT LEAST 4-6 weeks to determine whether it is working for your or not. So try one method out for a while, don't go crazy because 1 week did not yield the results you desired. Try to set monthly goals for yourself rather than weekly, losing it the right way takes time which requires both patience and consistency.

Greenrun99

Patience...

Lammerchops

Patience...

This.

Ignore any reply that tells you to "drink another glass of water" or spread your meals out. 6 meals per day may work for some people who prefer to eat smaller meals more often, but it's not the secret to weight loss.

Weight loss is about basic math. Burn more cals than you eat. The end. If you are looking to only lose fat, the equation is still the same, with the addition of heavy weight lifting. Low weight, high rep circuit-style weight lifting is categorized as glorified cardio. You don't even have to cardio at all if your diet is dialed in. The diet will do the work for you.

Weight loss isn't linear. You can drop 3lbs, stall for 2 weeks, then the following week drop 1lb or more. Track your weight loss on a spreadsheet and follow the bigger picture.

Give it time. Like 4-6 weeks, as per a previous poster. Weigh and track all of your meals using a foodscale. Don't blow your intake on the weekend and undo your progress during the week. Patience and consistency = key.

jadethief

You won't lose weight every week. I know that it is disappointing to get on the scale and it hasn't budged (or worse, it goes up!), but just be patient, keep eating at a deficit, and keep working out.

Sugarbeat

I agree with giving it more time. You probably didn't gain weight steadily every week, so losing it probably won't happen steadily every week either.

purdynerdybirdy

Weight loss isn't linear. Weight lost is best tracked over weeks and even months. Patience, young grasshopper.

rosellasweet

6"0' tall 237lbs

Your TDEE is 2735 calories/day, this is how much you burn during normal activity, no exercise, just existing.

Eating 2100 calories a day you have a deficit of 635.

Are you netting 2100 with your workouts? (eating the calories you burn working out?) This is important as well, having too high of a deficit can cause a plateau or "stall" later in your weight loss journey. This is because as you lose weight, you don't just lose fat, you also lose lean muscle, and the higher the deficit, the more likely you will lose lean muscle.

Working out helps prevent some lean muscle loss, but it's extremely difficult to gain any muscle when you're at a caloric deficit.

Would you happen to know where I could find a reliable TDEE calculator? I highly doubt that I have the same TDEE as a 6 foot man, but my TDEE this morning was calculated at 2780. My stats:

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 178.4
Workout: 5-6 days per week. Working with resistance bands for 35 minutes every other day and cardio for 45 minutes every other day.

According to my BMR calculator I'm at 1612 and that's usually what I try to stick to. So a 1,100 calorie deficit isn't going to do me very good is it?

Lightbulb1088

good info in here

Lammerchops

6"0' tall 237lbs

Your TDEE is 2735 calories/day, this is how much you burn during normal activity, no exercise, just existing.

Eating 2100 calories a day you have a deficit of 635.

Are you netting 2100 with your workouts? (eating the calories you burn working out?) This is important as well, having too high of a deficit can cause a plateau or "stall" later in your weight loss journey. This is because as you lose weight, you don't just lose fat, you also lose lean muscle, and the higher the deficit, the more likely you will lose lean muscle.

Working out helps prevent some lean muscle loss, but it's extremely difficult to gain any muscle when you're at a caloric deficit.

Would you happen to know where I could find a reliable TDEE calculator? I highly doubt that I have the same TDEE as a 6 foot man, but my TDEE this morning was calculated at 2780. My stats:

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 178.4
Workout: 5-6 days per week. Working with resistance bands for 35 minutes every other day and cardio for 45 minutes every other day.

According to my BMR calculator I'm at 1612 and that's usually what I try to stick to. So a 1,100 calorie deficit isn't going to do me very good is it?

With my calcs, you come in with a TDEE of approximately 2,100. Resistance band work for 35 mins counts as light exercise, and I took the liberty of assuming you also do light cardio for 45 mins, unless I've misjudged.

I also returned a BMR of 1560 on you. BMR is basically your burn rate while snoozing. If you committed to truly eating 1700 cals a day (ie, weighing and tracking everything and not eating freely or bingeing on weekends) you'd lose weight.

verptwerp

Well, your food log shows a lot of bread, muffins, and fatty meats ...... when I eat that stuff (and I do eat it occasionally) it goes right to my belly ....... try eating more LEAN proteins, and FRESH/FROZEN veggies & fruit for awhile ..... see what happens .......

Best of luck :drinker:

Whipppets

You want to see a big change, then do something that puts you out of your comfort zone.. Do real push ups
Do planks and do these at least 5x a week. When I say push ups I mean 100s a day even if you have to do
10 at a time.. This works your whole body and will help you burn more calories during the off time.
I am not a trainer or a doctor just someone that likes push ups and at 56 years old has abs.
Also MWF thats minimal.. My spin teacher says to do cardio 7 days a week.

rosellasweet

6"0' tall 237lbs

Your TDEE is 2735 calories/day, this is how much you burn during normal activity, no exercise, just existing.

Eating 2100 calories a day you have a deficit of 635.

Are you netting 2100 with your workouts? (eating the calories you burn working out?) This is important as well, having too high of a deficit can cause a plateau or "stall" later in your weight loss journey. This is because as you lose weight, you don't just lose fat, you also lose lean muscle, and the higher the deficit, the more likely you will lose lean muscle.

Working out helps prevent some lean muscle loss, but it's extremely difficult to gain any muscle when you're at a caloric deficit.

Would you happen to know where I could find a reliable TDEE calculator? I highly doubt that I have the same TDEE as a 6 foot man, but my TDEE this morning was calculated at 2780. My stats:

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 178.4
Workout: 5-6 days per week. Working with resistance bands for 35 minutes every other day and cardio for 45 minutes every other day.

According to my BMR calculator I'm at 1612 and that's usually what I try to stick to. So a 1,100 calorie deficit isn't going to do me very good is it?

With my calcs, you come in with a TDEE of approximately 2,100. Resistance band work for 35 mins counts as light exercise, and I took the liberty of assuming you also do light cardio for 45 mins, unless I've misjudged.

I also returned a BMR of 1560 on you. BMR is basically your burn rate while snoozing. If you committed to truly eating 1700 cals a day (ie, weighing and tracking everything and not eating freely or bingeing on weekends) you'd lose weight.

It's only been 5 weeks so I'm not too concerned. I went from 186 to 178. I burn 450 calories during my cardio so I don't know if that's light or not, but I do agree that the strength training is. About 220-240 calories burned.

I weigh, measure, track everything and for most days it's looking like my calorie average between 1590 and 1608. I guess I can have 100 more calories huh? Based on the whacky TDEE I was given, I have my goal set to 1,800.

I was just curious on why all the calculators were telling me I had the same TDEE as a grown man. Thanks for the help!