I need some advice please.

iCACTUS

Hello everyone. I currently weigh 230 pounds. When I started my journey a little over two months ago I weighed 252 pounds. At the beginning on this journey I was losing anywhere from 2-3 pounds a week. Now, I find that I am losing anywhere to a pound to no weight to gaining weight! I exercise everyday. According to my HRM watch I burn about 1000 calories doing the treadmill at a speed of 3.5 and an incline of 11.

My current goal calories are 1940 a day & I eat about 500-700 of my exercise calories back daily giving me a NET anywhere from 1300-1800 a day. I currently do not do strength training or lifting of any sort. My question is : Why have I stopped losing weight? Why am I suddenly gaining? Could the incline be building muscle?

Did I somehow lose muscle mass at the beginning? I am consistently over my protein. I also notice that at the beginning my metabolism was ravenous! I would always be hungry, now, not so much. Any advice would be welcome. Thank you in advance.

EDIT: I also take a medication for Type 2 diabetes that I am hoping to get off of once I lose more weight. I also have Poly-cystic Ovaries Syndrome but I do not get treated for it as it is not a serious case.

iCACTUS

Any input would be awesome. I'd be so, so grateful. ^^

rcramer7

I don't know what type of food you eat...assuming it's healthy...you seem to be eating the right amount of cals IN MY OPINION. What I would do differnt is add some muscle building exercises. squats, push-ups, some weight training...

The more your muscles are building the more fat you burn. I walk a lot but, the only problem is when I'm done walking so is the fat burning. When I lift weights I burn cals for days as my body rebuilds. Plus, it gives you a healthy look not a hungry look.

Good luck and drink plenty of WATER!

Emili03

I haven't looked at your diary but maybe you need to track your carb and sugar intake. Even while taking meds for diabetes..I'm still thinking these could be a factor. Also, check your BMR for your current weight and see if there is a deficit since you do eat back some of your exercise calories. Sorry, I'm no expert...just some ideas.

iCACTUS

I just made my diary public if that helps. Sorry, I hadn't realized it was friends only.

Thanks for all the advice thus far, I greatly appreciate it.

MariaChele85

Everything seems right, but remember you need to change up your workouts every 6 weeks or so. So If you've been doing this for 2 month bow, its time for a change. Your body has adjusted to this routine. You've hit a plateau. Try something different now.

Sidesteal

I'm going to guess, based on the last 5 days, that you're just eating too many calories.

I would reduce intake by another 300-500 kcals and take most of this from carbs since you mentioned insulin related conditions.

MinnieInMaine

Congratulations!! I think part of it is that you've just passed that honeymoon phase. 2-3 pounds per week is more than average and your body has likely started geting used to your exercise and diet routine.

As others have said, it's good to keep mixing things up, especially on the activity side every couple of months. Add in some strength training and mix up your cardio now and then. Keep challenging yourself with higher weights and keep trying new cardio machines and/or circuit training routines to keep it interesting and keep your body guessing. Keep improving your diet by working on getting rid of the processed foods and eating more cleanly (at least most of the time - we all need our treats!).

I'd also recommend adding sodium to your food tracker. A few high sodium days can really stall out your weight loss, if not show a gain on the scale. I've had a couple of high sodium weekends in a row (too much take-out) and it really gets frustrating knowing that I should be down a pound but the scale won't show it because of the water weight. And of course drink plenty of water to offset that sodium and for a little extra hydration on your active days.

Keep up the great work!

ETA: Have you made sure your calorie limit has changed as you've lost weight? It could be that you need a refresh. Not sure how that works but check your goals and settings to make sure everything's up to date.

KaleidoscopeEyes1056

The first week I worked out, I lost 6 pounds, and I have come to the same point that you have. I agree with the others, change up your workout, and lift weights. Good luck, sweetie!

iCACTUS

Thank you all so much! ^^ I will absolutely switch it up and push myself harder! I will also try to eat more clean.