trying to lose weight but end up maintaining

cdavison2018

You are adding muscle, it weighs more than fat. Be happy with your leaner look and keep exercising progressing as you feel ready. We are all too hung up on the scale! Keep tracking and review it often for those little tweaks that can make a difference and add up, too.

sullrico18

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

Good advice here!

fatcity66

Ugh, why is there so much nonsense??
This thread has it.

MKEgal

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

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

10% body fat is not really a reasonable goal for most people.
175 is a healthy weight if you are 5'11" or over. Here's a BMI chart: http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
Of course, if you're a body builder you're going to have more muscle than normal, so will be heavier than normal.

Since you're close to the weight you want to be, you're going to lose weight slowly, maybe 1/2 lb per week, IF you're really operating at a calorie deficit.
Weigh / measure all your food. Ignore net calories, just pay attention to total cal.

Harvard medical school says that to maintain weight, you need 15 cal per pound.
http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HB_web/calorie-counting-made-easy.htm
To lose weight, you need 10 cal per pound of your goal weight.
Somewhere between those 2 numbers you'll find the right point, & will lose weight.


And here are some suggestions about eating, with links to the scientific studies which support them:

"the combination of a high-[carbohydrate] meal and aerobic exercise may effectively improve appetite control and body weight management."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22300359

This study compared eating a small breakfast, medium lunch, and large dinner, [200, 500, 700 cal]
with eating a large breakfast, medium lunch, and small dinner [700, 500, 200 cal].
"The [large breakfast] group showed greater weight loss and waist circumference reduction ... fasting glucose, insulin [&] triglycerides ... decreased significantly to a greater extent in the [large breakfast] group."
In addition, hunger was less and satiety was greater.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23512957
Full text:
http://genetics.doctorsonly.co.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Jakubowicz-at-al-Obesity-2013-oby20460.pdf

"subjects assigned to high caloric intake during breakfast lost significantly more weight than those assigned to high caloric intake during the dinner"
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24467926
Full text: http://www.tradewindsports.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Nutrient-Timing-and-Obesity-2014.pdf

"data suggest that a low-calorie Mediterranean diet with a higher amount of calories in the first part of the day could establish a greater reduction in fat mass and improved insulin sensitivity than a typical daily diet."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24809437

mchlsmit

If you still want to lose weight:

1. Drink more water
2. Create a calorie deficit
3. Lift weights (progressive overload)
4. Sort out your macronutrient ratios (60% carbs, 20% protein, 20% fat for example)
5. Log your intake well - measure, weigh and log everything!
6. Cut out all sugary crap - food and drink
7. Eat more fresh fruit, veggies and lean protein
8. Avoid overtraining

Find what works for you then do it. FYI - It takes about a year to put on 5 pounds of muscle.

revjames

As above but I don't do weights. I was 'stuck' at about 188lbs for a long time having come down from 208 a couple years ago. I cut out 'sugary crap' and bread and upped my game so there was at least 1000 calorie deficit every day. In a couple of weeks I'm down to 180lb and the running is improving as a result.

IHateThinkingOfAUsername

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

Good advice here!

+3!

susanhallberg

Been exactly there, I tried a 21-day semi-elimination diet that eliminated the foods that are what they call rapidly fermentable foods. These foods may be nutritionally sound, but they can cause the bloating, cramping, stomach pains and weight gain. Once you get ride of them, it's amazing how fast you can lose that bloat (and weight). You can probably find an internet source to research it. If, not let me know, and I'll send you the source I used.