Strange Weight Loss issue, need outside advice

wraith1375

Hello,

I am a frequent "lurker" on here but just never posted til now. I am 27 years old, 5'7, 205 lbs. I used to be 276 lbs but through diet and exercise I hit a weight of 173, 3 years ago.

Things have been good in the weight loss department. However, as I mentioned above, I have somehow crept back up to over 200 lbs. Seemingly I have gained 10 lbs in 3 months. I am dumbfounded as to why.

I have been exercising for the last 3 years 5 times a week at the gym.

Its either 3x a week cardio -long distance running/elliptical for 60 minutes – 75 minutes.
And 2x a week weight lifting (strength: as in 4 sets of 15 reps if possible). Doing all upper body, back, and abs. (no legs, to much cardio for me to worry about them)
And a 1 hour long walk later in the day.

Once every 3 months I’ll flip the number of days for each workout type.

I always go hard at the gym, like heart rate at 160+ for the entire cardio session hard. According to the machine I am burning approximately 1000 calories a day working out.

I try to eat under 2000 calories a day and of course once in a great while I let myself cheat.

Well now that my weight is edging back up past 200 I went nuts the other month during a panic.

I went 6 weeks with 2 hours of elliptical workout 3 times a week and lifted twice a week for 90 minutes plus an hour walk each day.

I STILL gained weight. Even with all of that working out, for 6 weeks, I could not drop a pound. I was holding my calorie intake again at around 2000. This makes no sense to me. I should have been burning nearly 1600 calories a day and with my metabolic rate I should not have gained.

So I went to the doctor, I check out fine. He had me send in blood work for a possible thyroid issue and it checked back okay. He was a bit shocked that I didn’t lose any weight with that much activity.

I have just recently gone up a pants size. I was a 34 and now I’m wearing a 36 and don’t need a belt to keep them up. So I think I am gaining fat somehow.

I don’t eat fried foods, all I drink is water (a lot of water) Dr. Pepper 10 soda (maybe a L a day), and I bake all my foods. I eat fruits and veggies, no desserts, hardly drink beer.

Does anyone have any idea why I can’t seem to lose weight? I know that I have definitely gain a good bit of muscle. It’s the increase in pants size that has me worried. I should not be increasing in waist line with a muscle mass increase should I?

I have currently cut my workout back down to 1 hour a day since I was killing myself with the 2 hours a day. I have also started HIIT/Interval training on the treadmill. Sorry for the long post but I could really use some advice here! Thanks!

BigT555

you say you "try" to keep under 2000 calories, are you actually counting everything?

if you have went to the doctor and he said everything is okay then you must not be at a calorie deficit

if you definitely gained some muscle then this too points to not being at a deficit

from what you said you're clearly exercising a ton (which is good) but fat loss is done in the kitchen, not the gym

DanaDark

Open Diary?
How much sodium?
How are you measuring your foods?
How are you obtaining your estimated calories burned?
Eating back exercise calories?
What are your numbers? BMR? TDEE? Goals?

Most likely, you're over estimating your burn while under estimating your intake. But without extremely accurate measurements with a diary, it is difficult to really say anything.

wraith1375

I had also thought about me possibly over estimating my caloric intake and over estimating calories burned. But at that level of workout I give it a bit less weight. And for the last 6 weeks I would ONLY eat what I burned off at the gym, at which point I relied on my metabolic rate to burn the fat.

I've used online tools for my BMR and TDEE and the numbers tell me I can eat around 2200 calories and still lose weight, so I give no credit to them.

I usually go off of serving size and round high when I log it. For a while I didn't bother writing things down. There comes a time when it becomes habit and not dieting. I has been 3 years since my initial loss and I expected the slow creep up in weight as I worked to gain muscle mass.

It was the recent jump in weight/waist size that sent up alarms as well as my recent inability to lose.

basically here is where I am at now. Would everyone agree that keeping at 1200 calories a day, working out using HIIT training twice a week and lifting 3x a week, that I should start losing weight?

Assuming I do keep to 1200 a day with no cheats and don't miss gym sessions (which is a never).

Because the 1200 is what I just started 4 days ago. I know, probably not the healthiest number but it should be high enough to keep my body up and running.

wraith1375

forgot to add thanks for the replies!

DanaDark

Not logging accurately is a major problem especially given you only want to lose 10 more pounds according to your ticker.

You're creating massive deficits when you do not need them.

Not giving credit to the numbers is your first major error.

GreenIceFloes

And for the last 6 weeks I would ONLY eat what I burned off at the gym, at which point I relied on my metabolic rate to burn the fat.

So you netted 0??

Also, you have to be extremely specific, and not round off numbers until you have a very firm grasp on your methods and estimations. And this is especially important if you are aiming to lose a comparatively small amount of weight per week (0.5 lbs, for e.g.), because there is almost no margin for error.

wilsoje74

What do you eat daily?

bcattoes

I had also thought about me possibly over estimating my caloric intake and over estimating calories burned. But at that level of workout I give it a bit less weight. And for the last 6 weeks I would ONLY eat what I burned off at the gym, at which point I relied on my metabolic rate to burn the fat.

I've used online tools for my BMR and TDEE and the numbers tell me I can eat around 2200 calories and still lose weight, so I give no credit to them.

I usually go off of serving size and round high when I log it. For a while I didn't bother writing things down. There comes a time when it becomes habit and not dieting. I has been 3 years since my initial loss and I expected the slow creep up in weight as I worked to gain muscle mass.

It was the recent jump in weight/waist size that sent up alarms as well as my recent inability to lose.

basically here is where I am at now. Would everyone agree that keeping at 1200 calories a day, working out using HIIT training twice a week and lifting 3x a week, that I should start losing weight?

Assuming I do keep to 1200 a day with no cheats and don't miss gym sessions (which is a never).

Because the 1200 is what I just started 4 days ago. I know, probably not the healthiest number but it should be high enough to keep my body up and running.

1200 total calories for a man who exercises a lot? Sounds like a bad idea to me. Have you considered some type of food intollerance or allergic reaction for the sudden weight gain? Do you know what your BF% was before, and if yes, have you had it measured since the weight gain. You might be dealing with something other than fat here.

Starving yourself is probably not the best answer.

hellodangergirl

There are more medical issues than thyroid problems that could be causing your weight gain; the example coming to mind is PCOS. And honestly, I hate to even say it, but if you went to a family doctor or general practitioner, (s)he may not have checked for the right thyroid hormones (mine didn't, and the endocrinologist she referred me to had to re-do the blood work to check for the right ones). Get thee to a specialist. An OB-GYN to check out PCOS and endocrinologist for other issues. And finally, take it easy on yourself. You could be over-training and doing more harm than good. Or you could be pregnant (I'm assuming you're a girl. Just sayin, it's a possibility)?

GreenIceFloes

There are more medical issues than thyroid problems that could be causing your weight gain; the example coming to mind is PCOS. And honestly, I hate to even say it, but if you went to a family doctor or general practitioner, (s)he may not have checked for the right thyroid hormones (mine didn't, and the endocrinologist she referred me to had to re-do the blood work to check for the right ones). Get thee to a specialist. An OB-GYN to check out PCOS and endocrinologist for other issues. And finally, take it easy on yourself. You could be over-training and doing more harm than good. Or you could be pregnant (I'm assuming you're a girl. Just sayin, it's a possibility)?

OP is a 28 year old man.

hellodangergirl

My bad. Ignore the PCOS and pregnancy stuff :embarassed:

tryn2

The ONLY possibility is you are eating more than you think! MEASURE and write down everything you are taking in. Religiously! Use a kitchen scale

GreenIceFloes

My bad. Ignore the PCOS and pregnancy stuff :embarassed:

:laugh:
But yes, overtraining could be an issue contributing to his problem.

Branstin

Since you have lost a great deal of weight before then my guess is it is the food. Accurate logging of your food is invaluable for weight loss. Do not play the guessing game on calories when it no longer works for you. Start tracking as accurately as possible.

Here is a great place to help you get back on track:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

Anniebotnen

Something is definitely off. If you have no medical issues, you ought to be losing weight with that amount of exercise if your calorie count is accurate. I am the same height as you, MUCH older, female, weigh and exercise less than you do, and lose weight eating about the same number of calories as you do. I suggest making sure you are logging your calories accurately, and perhaps lowering your intake to 1800 per day for a while to see what happens, before going to 1200.

Soccermavrick

Ok, to me this sounds a lot like some muscle gains, which is a good thing, at least to me. I am not sold that a scale is a tell all number. I use it, but I also look at calculating Body Fat and Body Measurements to help.

My concern here is, the body will adjust to what you are eating. And eating too little robs you of nutrients and can send the body into starvation mode, so seeing 1200 worries me. Honestly, I question how well you are tracking your foods, are you measuring them, or eye-balling, etc... And take a look at your body's measurements. It sounds like you are getting a good deal of exercise, I might even wonder if there is a component of over-training in there, but the big area to me would be is it diet and/or perception. (We can all be overly hard on ourselves and swear that we are in worse shape than we think.)

I think we need more information.

Heatherybit

Get a HRM for cardio. It's a definite must. The machines are not accurate and often over estimates calories burned. Additionally, rounding, guessimating on food is a definite deal breaker for me. I always eye ball the portions wrong, compared to using a scale. Unless there is a real health issue, these two things are effective, well at least they have been for me.

MamaFunky

Sounds like you could benefit by using a HRM, instead of relying on what the machines say. Also, if you don't have one already use a food scale. A food scale can really help you know what a portion size really is.

That is great your check up went well at the Doctors. It all boils down to calories in vs. calories out. That is where a HRM, a food scale and logging all go hand and hand.

Good luck!

wraith1375

Lot's of people wondering how I measure calories.

I either look up the calories per serving on the MFP or I look on the box where it breaks down serving size.

When I meant by "estimate" is I round up. If something I am eating (say a sandwhich) adds up to 190 calories it gets logged as 200. Same with something that is 220, that becomes 250.

I do measure when its a oz/serving kind of thing.

I am so detailed about calories I have memorized the calories in everything I eat. Protein bar, breakfast, sandwhich, fruits.

I suppose the general consensus is I somehow ate an excess of 35000 calories a week even when exercising 2 hours a day with internse cardio. While I find this hard to believe I will go with it since I don't see to many more things it could have been. Isn't that what Sherlock Holmes always says?

And yeah 1200 isnt a lot but I take multivitamins and eat a protein bar after the gym. The 1200 calories I do take in are fruits and veggies and some meat, so nutritional stravation isn't a concern of mine.

Also since being at 205 I have hit my personal best in lifting and cardio endurance. So physically I'm not declining.

Has anyone had any luck going with HIIT/Interval Training as opposed to Running? I thought perhaps over exercising and doing the same kind of cardio just wasn't burning the same amount of calories that it used to. And I'm reading that HIIT is now the "best" way to burn calories using cardio.

Bad part about the measuring idea is you drop 100 lbs you tend not to be as tight skin wise. Especially the gut which is my main concern.

Also HRM are built in to all machines at the gym.

thanks for the responses!

TrainingWithTonya

Honestly, it sounds to me like you aren't eating enough to fuel the activity you are doing so the body is breaking down muscle and storing fat to try and survive. I see it all the time with clients who think they are doing themselves great favors by cutting food intake to lose weight. Everytime I tell them to eat more, they baulk at the thought. Then when they finally follow my instructions and eat to fuel their activity, they drop the body fat easily. So, my suggestion would be to figure your actual fuel needs, including everything you burn from exercise and from your resting metabolic rate, then eat no less than 80% of that number. I know you said you don't trust the BMR/RMR calculators, and I don't blame you since a lot of the info online is bunk and not backed by actual science. For research at school (I'm doing my Masters in exercise science), we actually measure RMR, but when I'm working with private clients, I use the Cunningham formula [RMR = 500 + (22 x Lean Body Mass)] because it was based on the original Harris-Benedict data that has shown to be most accurate for general, non-athletic populations but takes into consideration the amount of muscle mass that those of us who exercise carry around and has proven to be most accurate for those with higher muscle mass. I then add the exercise calories burned to get a total daily energy expenditure. I don't add anything for the thermic effect of food because I feel it is already accounted for in the rounding of the Atwater factors for estimating calories per gram of food. Also, I'd recommend changing your weight training so you can actually build muscle fiber size in order to increase your resting metabolic rate. If you are going light enough you can do sets of 15, you are building muscle endurance but the type 1 muscle fibers don't hypertrophy much so what you are gaining is definitely not muscle mass. Switch to heavy weight and low reps (no more than 6 reps for strength and 8-10 reps for hypertrophy) and add in some leg work. If you are just doing cardio and endurance training, your body will break down the type 2 muscle fibers that have the potential to hypertrophy and burn more calories because it doesn't need them. The body is then fueling the activity you are doing with the components of that broken down muscle so that it can store whatever you consume as body fat, which is easy to store. And it doesn't care if it is "healthy" food that you are consuming, the body can store anything as fat if necessary.

wraith1375

Interesting. How do you calculate Lean Body Mass?

wraith1375

using the wikipedia formula and converting everything to metric, I calculated out a RMR of 1783. Does that sound reasonable?

TrainingWithTonya

Interesting. How do you calculate Lean Body Mass?

Body weight x body fat % = Body fat mass

Body weight - body fat mass = Lean body mass

Also, these formulas all use kilograms of body weight or lean mass, not pounds. So for any of the calculations, divide weight in pounds by 2.2 to get kilograms.

Example:

220 pound person, 25% body fat, Workout burning 1000 Calories

220 / 2.2 = 100 kg body weight
100 x 0.25 = 25 kg body fat mass
100 - 25 = 75 kg lean body mass

RMR = 500 + (22 * 75)
RMR = 500 + 1650
RMR = 2150 Calories per day (not counting exercise)
TDEE = 2150 + 1000
TDEE = 3150 Calories per day
Eat no less than 80% of TDEE = 3150 * 0.8 = 2520 MINIMUM Calorie Intake

wraith1375

I guess the hardest part is how do you determine body fat %? You usually need to use a water displacement method don't you?

TrainingWithTonya

I guess the hardest part is how do you determine body fat %? You usually need to use a water displacement method don't you?

Hydrostatic weighing is one of the most accurate ways to measure it, but you can do a general estimate without anything but a tape measure if that is all you have. Here is a link to an old blog post I did with the formulas for estimating body fat.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/TrainingWithTonya/view/determining-body-fat-104431

While measurement formulas aren't the most accurate, they generally only have an error rate of 5%, calipers are 4%, and bio-electrical impedance 3% if they are all done properly.