trying to lose weight but end up maintaining

NowIFeelYa

I have lost a lot of weight, well not as much as some people on here but you can tell a big difference from the first of the year until now , I used to be 215, I have recently been jogging a mile in 9 mins sometimes a couple seconds more and then going for two or three more in around 10 mins each, I usually jog three miles a day and fast walk three and most of the time go to the gym and at the end of the day I weigh a little less, but no matter how hard I work out or what I eat, I never go over my calorie intake but I always end up at 180lbs. I have been to 175 at my lowest this year/ five years but seems like my body thinks my healthy weight is 180. I like the way I look at 175 vs 180 my stomach is a lot flatter. every once in awhile I over eat but still I only weigh 180 maybe 180.6 at the most by the end of the day plus the next day, I'm very happy where I'm at but I would like to lose about 13 lbs maybe a little more to get around 10 percent body fat for the first time since high school. I stopped drinking soda, sweet tea, and eating sugary snacks even lift more to maybe even things out but still doesn't seen to work. Only thing I have really noticed is I don't go to the bathroom regularly maybe one or two times in about three days. could that be it? Or is my body getting used to all the exercise and I should work out harder?

NowIFeelYa

I'm currently at 1,570 calories a day, maybe I should just work out harder the more I do the easier it's getting only about three weeks ago I was only going and mile a day. Each day I seem to do a little more.

XXXforeverXXXyoung

You shouldn't rely on the weight because you could have gained the weight from added muscles from your work out . Maybe you can reduce your calories or substitute your high calorie foods with lower calorie ones.

NowIFeelYa

thanks everyone, it's just today is my bday and I had wanted to reach my goal by now, but realized some people take even longer to do the progress I have already made. It feels great every little bit I lose and the days my stomach is flat I feel like I accomplished more then a few days later my stomach is bloated :-/ . I have read a lot about weight loss and watched a lot of youtube videos and have been stuck at a certain weight a few times but 180 seems the hardest to surpass. I have given up on seeing my abs this summer and by the time I prob would get to that point it's prob going to be cold outside lol. I'm hoping I can keep up with all the exercising and not really go over 180 tho unless it's muscle weight, but I know usually it's only normal for about 2lbs max of muscle a month and I am a beginner lifter.

ConnorS879

if you're not going to the bathroom often enough, eat more fibre, lost of cereals boast high fibre content

SezxyStef

How long have you been "stuck" If it's a week or two that's normal...if it's been 4-6 weeks you are eating at maitenance.

Your diary is closed but chances are if you are logging just over 1500 calories as a almost 30 year old man and you aren't losing weight... you aren't logging accurately. If you don't weigh your solids and measure liquids chances are you are underestimating your intake.

How are you measuring your burns? Are you eating those calories back?

To lose weight you just need to be in a deficit and if you aren't losing there is an error somewhere...

but no you haven't gained muscle unless you are doing a progressive load lifting program and new to lifting...as usually you need a surplus and lifting to do that.

revvindevin

I'm thinking it's your metabolism. Try to eat your breakfast within the first hour of waking up if you're not doing that already. Also, spread your meals throughout the day. Small meals, but many. Spaced at about 3 hours apart. If you're waiting more than 4 hours between meals, include a small snack there in between. It's not all about calories too, make sure that what you're eating is actually nutritious. A proper diet is the easiest way to lose weight.

A really good meal/snack I've been eating recently is 3 eggwhites. Just remove the yolk and add seasonings if you like (I use pepper and garlic powder). It's only about 50 calories and has over 40 different kinds of protein. Very good for you.

Also if you're lifting, I suggest a high protein diet. Great for muscle repair and protein's also very filling. I've been maintaining a high protein diet recently, along with scheduled meals and snacks, lifting, and cardio, and have been seeing great results this past week whereas I wasn't before.

Beckilovespizza

Happy Birthday and well done for losing your previous weight. Just to check that you know when you lose weight you need to recalculate your TDEE based on your current weight. I might be wrong but i think its every 5lbs or so? I am sure you have done this already but one of my friends didn't realise this and started to maintain. Good luck!

SezxyStef

I'm thinking it's your metabolism. Try to eat your breakfast within the first hour of waking up if you're not doing that already.
Also, spread your meals throughout the day. Small meals, but many. Spaced at about 3 hours apart. If you're waiting more than 4 hours between meals, include a small snack there in between. It's not all about calories too, make sure that what you're eating is actually nutritious. A proper diet is the easiest way to lose weight.

A really good meal/snack I've been eating recently is 3 eggwhites. Just remove the yolk and add seasonings if you like (I use pepper and garlic powder). It's only about 50 calories and has over 40 different kinds of protein. Very good for you.

Also if you're lifting, I suggest a high protein diet. Great for muscle repair and protein's also very filling. I've been maintaining a high protein diet recently, along with scheduled meals and snacks, lifting, and cardio, and have been seeing great results this past week whereas I wasn't before.

all that is bolded is just a big fat NO...bro science.

elisa123gal

I'm not an expert..but it sounds like you are at a plateau. don't reduce your calories down. do you want to be stuck the rest of your life eating like a bird and working out like crazy?

I say keep exercising and eat more for a while…shake things up…then go back to a calorie deficit in a week or two. I bet the scale will start moving again for you.

Glakhmed

I had a heart attack Sept 6 of last year and my cardiologist said he wanted me to drop 40 pounds by the one year anniversary. I was 260 at the time and when I last weighed myself, I was 259. I've probably lost 50 pounds easy, but it just comes storming right back. It's really depressing, makes it feel like all this work is for nothing. But I try to stay at it and keep telling myself that decades of abusing my body through poor diet and lack of exercise is not going to be cured in a year. I think one reason I am having such difficulty is because this is the weight myh body expects to be at and it tries to maintain. Your body could be saying something similar and it might take some extra "oomph" to get over that hump.

Best wishes to you, Happy B-Day, and I hope your 30s turn out MUCH better than mine.

Francl27

How long have you been "stuck" If it's a week or two that's normal...if it's been 4-6 weeks you are eating at maitenance.

Your diary is closed but chances are if you are logging just over 1500 calories as a almost 30 year old man and you aren't losing weight... you aren't logging accurately. If you don't weigh your solids and measure liquids chances are you are underestimating your intake.

How are you measuring your burns? Are you eating those calories back?

To lose weight you just need to be in a deficit and if you aren't losing there is an error somewhere...

but no you haven't gained muscle unless you are doing a progressive load lifting program and new to lifting...as usually you need a surplus and lifting to do that.

+1

revvindevin

I took a nutrition class at college where we explicitly discussed everything that you just denied. These words came from a nutritionist.

Patttience

Wait! You are 180 pounds, eating only 1560 calories a day and doing all this exercise and NOT losing weight? AND, you are young and a guy!

Something is seriously wrong here. The only thing i don't know that need to know is your height but even so, everything else points to a problem with your metabolism if you are not losing weight and everything else is accurate.

To make the comparison, i am a 5'4", female, 50 years old, weigh about 148 pounds, do no exercise, don't lead an active life at all, and lose weight on 1500 calories a day.

If you are able to get hold of a book by Dr Amanda Sainsbury - Salis she will explain what might be going wrong with your metabolism. Its called the Don't Go Hungry Diet and she is a scientist who works on metabolic matters to do with weightloss. In this book she explains it really well and also how to correct the problem.

I disagree with all the other things that revindevin suggests, however. Eat the whole damn egg. Don't go on a high protein diet. Just eat the right amount of protein for your weight. See this excerpt:

"How much do you need? Step on a scale and be honest with yourself about your workout regimen. According to Mark Tarnopolsky, M.D., Ph.D., who studies exercise and nutrition at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, highly trained athletes thrive on 0.77 gram of daily protein per pound of body weight. That's 139 grams for a 180-pound man.

"Men who work out 5 or more days a week for an hour or longer need 0.55 gram per pound. And men who work out 3 to 5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour need 0.45 gram per pound. So a 180-pound guy who works out regularly needs about 80 grams of protein a day.

"Now, if you're trying to lose weight, protein is still crucial. The fewer calories you consume, the more calories should come from protein, says Layman. You need to boost your protein intake to between 0.45 and 0.68 gram per pound to preserve calorie-burning muscle mass.

"How much do you need? Step on a scale and be honest with yourself about your workout regimen. According to Mark Tarnopolsky, M.D., Ph.D., who studies exercise and nutrition at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, highly trained athletes thrive on 0.77 gram of daily protein per pound of body weight. That's 139 grams for a 180-pound man.

"Men who work out 5 or more days a week for an hour or longer need 0.55 gram per pound. And men who work out 3 to 5 days a week for 45 minutes to an hour need 0.45 gram per pound. So a 180-pound guy who works out regularly needs about 80 grams of protein a day.

"Now, if you're trying to lose weight, protein is still crucial. The fewer calories you consume, the more calories should come from protein, says Layman. You need to boost your protein intake to between 0.45 and 0.68 gram per pound to preserve calorie-burning muscle mass. This short article tells you how much you need.

Read more: http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/guide-to-protein/recommended-protein-intake.php#ixzz39nWkEoKo

Certainly do not just do more exercise. That's not sustainable.

WhittlingAway

Strength train rather than so much aerobic

rosebette

After looking at your profile, I might concur with Pattience. You're young, and you're a guy. How tall are you? If you're a decent height and have good muscle mass, 180 lbs. might be the right weight for you. 1500 calories is way too low for a guy your size. That's my TDEE, and I'm 5'1.5" female.

sparacka

I took a nutrition class at college where we explicitly discussed everything that you just denied. These words came from a nutritionist.

From the webpage of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics:

***How is an RD different than a nutritionist?

The "RD" credential is a legally protected title that can only be used by practitioners who are authorized by the Commission on Dietetic Registration of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Some RDs may call themselves "nutritionists," but not all nutritionists are registered dietitians. The definition and requirements for the term "nutritionist" vary. Some states have licensure laws that define the range of practice for someone using the designation "nutritionist," but in other states, virtually anyone can call him- or herself a "nutritionist" regardless of education or training.

Individuals with the RD credential have fulfilled specific requirements, including having earned at least a bachelor's degree (about half of RDs hold advanced degrees), completed a supervised practice program and passed a registration examination — in addition to maintaining continuing education requirements for recertification.***

A "nutritionist" doesn't need to know jack-squat in order to refer to themselves as such.

***edited for clarity

goldfinger88

It's not as simple as calories in, calories out. Moreover, exercise of any kinds burns a tiny amount of calories. To burn off one pound you'd have to run 39 miles at one time. Exercise keeps fat off. It does not take it off. Not to any big degree. Weight loss is in the diet and the types of food you eat.

Not all your weight is fat. You need to know what your actual body composition is so you know what you "really" need to lose and weigh. Look at what you're eating. Are you getting a good amount of fat and protein? These are more important than carbs. You want fewer carbs and more fat and protein as the latter two make you feel full while carbs make you hungry.