Weight loss

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lilyallalone45
lilyallalone45 Posts: 3 Member
edited April 2023 in Health and Weight Loss
So I’ve been trying to lose about 10-20 pounds. About 5 months ago I was doing really well. I went from 160ish to 125ish but then I stopped losing weight and actually gained a lot back. Now I’m 136(average) and I can’t seem to lose it. Starting this “journey” at 160 and being obese and wanting to not go back to being the fat kid I need help.

(Edit) when I lost the 35 pounds I did it in about 2-3 months
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  • herringboxes
    herringboxes Posts: 259 Member
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    Sorry to hear you are struggling. A few thoughts:

    Losing 35 pounds in 2-3 months means you were losing at a rate of 3-4+ pounds per week. For people who have a lot of weight to lose, 2 pounds a week might be ok. For your stats, 1 pound a week might be ideal.

    The problem with losing 4 pounds a week for someone 160ish and below is that you are going to be losing muscle as well as fat (after the first week or so where you miggt actually lose several pounds of water weight with no issue).

    Your body needs to heal from the damage, and it will repair itself by reversing the drastic weight loss it was subjected to. I recommend setting your loss at half a pound per week.

    - Not sure of your height but I doubt you were obese at 160. Overweight, sure, but not obese. Be gentle with yourself and be realistic - that’s how you meet your goals, calmly and steadily, with an accurate view of the situation.

    - “Fat kid” - just noticed this on a reread. I hope that you can feel better about yourself as you are, and reach your goals for your own reasons. If people such as peers or family members are bullying you, my heart goes out to you. What is your age? If you are a teen, you will want to be careful for a number of reasons.

    You might want to turn your attention away from weight loss and toward fitness. Your weight is likely already good, you might feel better with a cardio and strength program. I’ve recently started one and I’m amazed at what I’m seeing in the mirror.
  • lilyallalone45
    lilyallalone45 Posts: 3 Member
    edited April 2023
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    I appreciate the kind words but in reality I am kinda on the bigger side of things. I’m 5 foot 3. I also didn’t have a lot of muscle when I started out so. I hope you’re doing well in your journey.
  • lilyallalone45
    lilyallalone45 Posts: 3 Member
    edited April 2023
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    I wasn’t trying to say that losing weight was going to give me muscles just in reply to what @herringboxes said about losing muscle instead of weight. Although I may have misunderstood you. If so my mistake.

    I am trying to be better than when I first started. For example when I started I didn’t exercise, I just restricted what I ate. Now I do both.

    Everyday I either have leg, core, or arms day and I burn about 200-400 calories each time. Every night before I go to bed I do a little light weight lifting, 50 sit-ups, and a little cardio. None of which is included in my workout for the day. I’m also trying to get abs, if that says anything.

    I’m also trying to eat only non-processed foods but sometimes I don’t have a choice because I don’t make the food or work.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,392 Member
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    lilyallalone45 wrote: »
    I wasn’t trying to say that losing weight was going to give me muscles just in reply to what @herringboxes said about losing muscle instead of weight. Although I may have misunderstood you. If so my mistake.

    I am trying to be better than when I first started. For example when I started I didn’t exercise, I just restricted what I ate. Now I do both.

    Everyday I either have leg, core, or arms day and I burn about 200-400 calories each time. Every night before I go to bed I do a little light weight lifting, 50 sit-ups, and a little cardio. None of which is included in my workout for the day. I’m also trying to get abs, if that says anything.

    I’m also trying to eat only non-processed foods but sometimes I don’t have a choice because I don’t make the food or work.

    But you lost muscles. I mean, you'd not be able to sit or walk if you didn't have muscles, right? You'd just be a bag of bones and bodyfat. Every rapid weightloss leads to muscle loss, and this is even more dramatic if you're undertrained because regaining the lost muscles is a massive amount of work. Muscles are not only important for mobility. They provide bone strength, and losing muscles might increase the risk of ostheoporosis. Your heart is also a muscle.

    Thus breathe, relax. You wanted to lose 10-20lbs, and you lost more than 20lbs. So what's the problem? Also, slow down. Your body really can only burn a certain amount of bodyfat at any given time. If you lose too fast your body will use muscle as energy at a much higher rate.
  • herringboxes
    herringboxes Posts: 259 Member
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    I can understand why you might think you had no muscle to lose, but it’s not so! Even if you were a lifelong couch potato, you still had (and have) muscle mass. Elderly people usually lose muscle mass over time even if they were never in any shape.

    So it’s not just athletic types who lose muscle mass when crash dieting.

    It sounds like you are doing great, trying to eat healthy and exercise. You are clearly trying to learn and research what is good for you. I can totally understand the struggle to eat things that fit your goals when you can neither buy nor prepare your foods. Are/is your parents/parent supportive of you and your goals or are you on your own in this regard or fighting against the tide?

    I think my oberall sense is that you would benefit from slowing down both on weight loss and possibly exercise too.

    If you overdo calorie deficit, you will feel miserable, and not be able to continue the extraordinary effort it requires. I was able to lose 18 pounds (from 150 to 132) over 24 weeks - started Nov 1, average 3/4 pounds per week (started faster but now it’s slower). I felt good despite eating a calorie deficit, bevause it was modest.

    Overdoing exercise can lead to burnout. Very tempting to just start hitting it really hard. I am a couch potato and I started a exercise plan that is working great for me. I will likely adjust it in the future but I’m seeing lots of results just doing 3 strength exercises per day, three times per week (based loosely on Stronglifts 5x5), and cardio twice weekly. Rest days are just as important to your muscles and your mind as well.

    The best results don’t come instantly, but they last longer and feel better.

    You can do it! Stick around and get support, learn what works for YOU, and do it for your own reasons.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,626 Member
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    These workouts are.... well they're workouts! 🤷‍♂️

    I mean maybe you're not sweating rivers but I can assure you there's a heck of a lot of people who would consider 50 sit-ups by themselves to be a workout.

    Many of us, myself included, tend to focus on negative instead of positive aspects. Glass half full when it comes to how we look and feel. We also tend to ascribe more importance to how our bodies look as opposed to the whole package that makes us what we are.

    But that's neither here nor there.

    If you want to be healthy, the things that you do you will have to do long term

    So try to concentrate on things that you see yourself doing long-term. Clubs or Rec leagues anyone? 😝

    Nothing wrong by the way with short exercise bouts before you go to bed If it doesn't negatively affect your sleep, but don't discount them as irrelevant or as calories that you don't have to account for spending!
  • celestialsecrets7232
    celestialsecrets7232 Posts: 10 Member
    edited April 2023
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    136 sounds great for your height? In my case, when I was younger, 20's I guess, my ideal weight for my body was 140. My height then was 5'7. I looked fine. Every time I would try to lose weight so that I could be 130-135, my body would just go back up to 140. I am medium boned and that also plays a part. You're body knows it's ideal weight, so if you're eating healthy and exercising, then it will stay at the best weight for you
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,919 Member
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    lilyallalone45 wrote: »
    I wasn’t trying to say that losing weight was going to give me muscles just in reply to what @herringboxes said about losing muscle instead of weight. Although I may have misunderstood you. If so my mistake.

    I am trying to be better than when I first started. For example when I started I didn’t exercise, I just restricted what I ate. Now I do both.

    Everyday I either have leg, core, or arms day and I burn about 200-400 calories each time. Every night before I go to bed I do a little light weight lifting, 50 sit-ups, and a little cardio. None of which is included in my workout for the day. I’m also trying to get abs, if that says anything.

    I’m also trying to eat only non-processed foods but sometimes I don’t have a choice because I don’t make the food or work.

    Yeah working out is paramount really and weight resistance training is specific for your particular goals and to progressive overload, which is basically adding more weight on a time line. Muscle can be maintained while in a caloric deficit and muscle can actually be added if enough substrate is consumed, which is protein and if you have enough body fat, which from your description you should have enough stored energy to compensate for your deficit. This course of action should be time sensitive with periods of maintenance training. Good luck. Cheers.

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