Plateau!

Jsullivan199001

Thank you everyone

steveko89

The best way I've found for determining my actual TDEE is to use a spreadsheet I found on R/fitness (google drive link below). It was developed by a user to back-calcuate TDEE and make adjustments based on daily weight and logged calories. It does require you to weigh yourself daily and be precise with your logging. If you're not already using a food scale I suggest getting one and weighing everything you can; I even weigh liquids and adjust for density. It may seem like overkill but it's worked well for me to break a similar cycle; I was right around 180-185 for about a year, started using this methodology and found my TDEE was being overestimated using a HRM + estimated maintenance to for my TDEE by about 300 calories. Paired with not being precise enough in my logging, my weight was stagnant and I felt like I was spinning my wheels before I started using the spreadsheet. I'm down nine pounds since August 8th (183lbs to 174lbs), just under 0.4lbs/week on average. May not seem like much but I'm in the ballpark of 12-14% body fat (male) so it's not like I have a ton of fat to lose. It takes a few weeks worth of data to really dial in the TDEE on the sheet but I've found it to work really well.

Like others have said, you need to trust the process enough to stick to a calorie level for a few weeks and adjust if it's not working for you. As far as lifting programs go, I've seen numerous recommendations for Strong Curves and see that plenty of users are following it with success. There's also a dedicated Strong Curves subreddit.

Spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8EbfzFB0mBrMGJ6V2N5QWNfeTg
Fitness Reddit Wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fitness/wiki/getting_started

fiddletime

My goal weight was 125 at 5’2”. I still had belly fat so went down to 121. My face was gaunt, to me I looked overall “too thin”, except for my belly fat. It was still there, but less. I should have done a weight lifting program, but didn’t know about that. Instead I got super frustrated, gained weight back, and am now back in my 125 maintenance.

I do a strength and endurance class two nights a week. After a year I’ll decide if I need to do StrongLifts 5x5 that I’ve read about on the Fitness boards. Hang in there. You’ve mastered maintenance and are at a good weight. Go on the fitness boards daily and start reading about recomp.

yirara

Interesting spreadsheet. I've used something similar that I'd build for myself back then. I guess you input the net calories if you're workout out. However, that assumes one knows approximately the workout calories.

steveko89

yirara wrote: »

Interesting spreadsheet. I've used something similar that I'd build for myself back then. I guess you input the net calories if you're workout out. However, that assumes one knows approximately the workout calories.

That's actually one of the things I really like about the spreadsheet, you input total calories so it includes any exercise or NEAT in the calculation for your true TDEE. Takes trying to estimate or measure workout calories and/or activity level out of the equation. Narrows the inputs to easily measurable variables of total calories and daily weight. Calories are attributed in rears (i.e. I put in my calories from yesterday and my weight this morning for today's date when I hopped on the scale this morning). Most estimators put my sedentary (accurate, have a desk job, don't do too much outside of intentional exercise) TDEE at 2200, though my Polar HRM was giving me back 600-700 calories per workout so I was at a much shallower deficit than I thought; effectively I was recomping when I really needed/wanted to be cutting.

The data I have collected supports the methodology that a calorie deficit should be created in the kitchen, not the gym. I only worked out a few times around Christmas and New Years' and haven't lifted at all since 1/7 due to a pec strain, though my calculated TDEE for those weeks is only ~100 calories less than my overall estimate (almost six months of data) despite the absence of weightlifting for 75-90 minutes 3x/week, running or rowing 1x/week, and other warm weather activity like playing golf and mowing the grass that were all factored in the the majority of the data.

jennrissa

A good scale could help if you're cooking your own meals. It might help you to get a more accurate count at what you're eating. Plateaus sometimes take a while to get past. Someone told me to take measurements of the scale is not moving. I know it's taken me close to 6 months for the scale to start moving down. Just keep working at it! You can do it ♡.

Jsullivan199001

How can I download and edit the spread sheet? I have tried and it won’t let me edit it? Thanks