Riddle Me This, Fatman...

LoseWithLaurie

Ok. I started losing weight in April 2012. By April 2013 I'd lost about 100lbs. That's all well and good but I still had another 30 or so to lose. After April, my weight loss slowed down to virtually nil. So, for the last several months, I had been eating an average of around 1800 cals/day and working out and staying active. No results. No pounds lost, no inches.

I decided my best next step was to take a diet break. So for a couple weeks I ate whatever I wanted and didn't log. I maintained same activity level. A fair estimate of cals ingested would be around 3500/day. After a few weeks I showed no gain. None.

Am I to assume this new calorie intake is my true tdee? It's the only thing that makes sense to me, honestly. Even though the numbers don't jive with all the formulas and calculations that are supposed to be real life...so I'm wondering wtf?

Is there another possible explanation? And what's my next step? I want to lose another 20lbs and then to maintain/body recomp.

After 18 months, I feel like I know less than ever:/

servilia

What are your stats?
If 3500 was your tdee you would have been losing at 1800. Did you log consistently those days when you say you averaged 1800? I ask because this past week you weren't very consistent and the days you did log, you were netting 2000+. You say you didn't gain at 3500 but that's just an estimate since you say you weren't logging your food so it's possible you weren't eating that much.

LoseWithLaurie

This past week I'm looking to hit around 3000, not 1800. If I'm not gaining, not thinking I should cut. And I can't know for sure what I was eating while I wasn't logging, but I do know what food has in it. Lol. Seriously. I ate as much as 5000 some days...that's why I said on average. I'm waiting to figure out my true maintenance/tdee to cut. The calculations all pointed me to 1800 ish as tdee-20. It. Didn't. Work. Hence the diet break

michellekicks

I have found there is often a huge range at which I can eat and not gain or lose. It's what I figure is the recomp zone... if you're lifting weights. When you give your body more food, it will use it to build more muscle. You don't know for sure you were eating 3500 calories/day without accurately tracking. Even if you were, if you're lifting weights, your body is using those calories. Read this just for giggles...

http://everydaypaleo.com/the-giant-women-experiment/

Not that I think paleo is the way here... I think this woman could have achieved these results with IIFYM, but it's interesting what her body did with the extra calories.

LvLite

You could try switching up your macros for a bit, see if your diet impacts your loss/water retention.

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I have found there is often a huge range at which I can eat and not gain or lose.

This. I wonder if it has something to do with activity levels. When I'm eating less maybe I subconsciously move less. When I'm eating a lot maybe I'm more inclined to fidget, dance around while I clean, go for random walks, work hard when exercising etc.

WalkingAlong

I know I stink at guessing my calorie intake. I wonder if your 1800 was more like 2200 and your 3500 is more like 2500.

Or if one day soon you'll wake up and be up 5 lbs. That's how it works with me. No gain/loss for months then BAM, up or down 4-5 lbs.