Stalled

linski24

That us all ... Feel like iv gained ... In the first month I lost 4lbs ... Nothing since ... That was January ... So in last nearly two months not a jot ... I daren't step in scales or measure but looking at myself my stomach looks bigger ... And more wobbly again ... Lady two weeks iv eaten at maintenance .. Well around anyway ... Been lifting fir three weeks ...
I'm disheartened and feel and look crap ... I thought I was looking good and was happy now I feel horrid ...
Sorry I'm venting ... The hatred of myself ... And there are people worse off than me ... So I have no right to feel this way ...
AAARRGGGHH ...
Sorry .. Ill crawl into a hole ... Can't vent like this at home as no/one listens ....

Gapwedge01

That us all ... Feel like iv gained ... In the first month I lost 4lbs ... Nothing since ... That was January ... So in last nearly two months not a jot ... I daren't step in scales or measure but looking at myself my stomach looks bigger ... And more wobbly again ... Lady two weeks iv eaten at maintenance .. Well around anyway ... Been lifting fir three weeks ...
I'm disheartened and feel and look crap ... I thought I was looking good and was happy now I feel horrid ...
Sorry I'm venting ... The hatred of myself ... And there are people worse off than me ... So I have no right to feel this way ...
AAARRGGGHH ...
Sorry .. Ill crawl into a hole ... Can't vent like this at home as no/one listens ....

You say "Lady [last] two weeks iv eaten at maintenance .. Well around anyway". What does around anyway mean? What it means to me is you may not be diligent in your food logging and/or measuring portion sizes. Before I got a food scale I was eating 200-300 extra calories because of inaccurate measuring or just "eyeballing" the portion sizes. You may in fact be eating slightly above your TDEE. How do you know?
Not trying to be overly critical here, just sharing from my experience. Be honest and accurate with your logging. I understand your need to vent. No need to crawl into a hole.:drinker:

heybales

In addition to the food side of the equation - how do you know you are eating at maintenance?

If you lost weight first month, you obviously could not have been at maintenance.
You could have badly underestimated your activity, body raised metabolism up to higher eating level, but still stressed enough to not allow a deficit.

Combine that with Gap's comment about the food side of the equation, and those over days are surplus, that means gains.

linski24

Hi
I ate at 15% deficit in January .. So basically I went straight to eating at a deficit ... Iv only eaten at what I thought was maintenance for past couple weeks .. Heybales on your spreadsheet it says my TDEE is 2100 but I think you're right I have overestimated maybe ..!! My fitbit shows at TDEE if 1800-1900 but of course that doesn't take my lifting into account ... I must be stricter with my logging ...
I also wonder if iv done all this right ..?? Should I have eaten at TDEE for a while at the start ..?? Instead if minus 15% ..??

tsta1350

Yeah, the same thing happened to me, I lost weight at first when I started eating a little bit more - like 1600 instead of 1200 a day- but still at a deficit according to my calculations (TDEE of 2200-2500 depending on activity). But then eventually this stopped and I started gaining, indicating that I had damaged my metabolism and needed to do a full reset (which I am now doing) eating at TDEE for 3 months, to get the metabolism working properly and only then (once I have stopped gaining and maintain for a few weeks) will I start cutting to 10-15% deficit, so I can loose weight but maintain healthy metabolism.

I would recommend a full reset, you will most likely put on more weight but it would have happened eventually anyway.. You just have to put up with the extra weight and bloated feeling while eating at TDEE and then eventually you will be able to loose for good, but you have to be patient!!!

heybales

Hi
I ate at 15% deficit in January .. So basically I went straight to eating at a deficit ... Iv only eaten at what I thought was maintenance for past couple weeks .. Heybales on your spreadsheet it says my TDEE is 2100 but I think you're right I have overestimated maybe ..!! My fitbit shows at TDEE if 1800-1900 but of course that doesn't take my lifting into account ... I must be stricter with my logging ...
I also wonder if iv done all this right ..?? Should I have eaten at TDEE for a while at the start ..?? Instead if minus 15% ..??

That depends on genetics, current stress load, abused system, time eating at great deficit, how much was the deficit, how much muscle mass lost, ect.

Some will jump 800 calories more to TDEE and gain 1 - 2 lbs. Reset 4 weeks, and cut and it works.
Some jump 100 every 2 weeks and metabolism moves so slow they gain a tad each time before leveling off. By the end gained 6-8 lbs, and if they take deficit too quick, they get a little loss, then nothing.
Some have to stay a long time.

So 2100 sounds right if you include lifting that indeed the FitBit can't get right at all.

So some will go straight to deficit, but it'll take longer for body to see that this is all the stress it's going to get, and keep raising the metabolism enough to create a deficit.

Since you can't really test both methods, it would be impossible to know which way is faster or better. But the long reset seems to help many deal with food better.
Other hand, some never had a problem with food except for a accident or something that messed them up for a while, just trying to get back in to shape. May not need that time.

You could hold at the current TDEE and reset for a bit and see how you feel, and measure and weigh.

linski24

Completely terrified of gaining 6lbs if I do a total reset .... I can't afford to gain but I can't afford not to in terms of reset ... Oh god ...
Shall have to go sick at work for 3 months .... So no-one can see me ... My self esteem is all by what I look like ... I know it's in my head ...

heybales

Completely terrified of gaining 6lbs if I do a total reset .... I can't afford to gain but I can't afford not to in terms of reset ... Oh god ...
Shall have to go sick at work for 3 months .... So no-one can see me ... My self esteem is all by what I look like ... I know it's in my head ...

You are lifting heavy - nothing to worry about, you can assume half is water weight, quarter is LBM, quarter is up in the air depending on how fast metabolism raises.

Ya, I know the math doesn't work out. Should be scary for the spreadsheet! ha.

linski24

I have under active thyroid .. Although I'm on meds I think I still struggle :-(
So if I put on up to 6lbs will I LOOK 6lbs heavier ..?? Taking all you said into account maybe not ..??
I'm doing the strong lifts 5x5 ... I'm assuming I'm gonna build lbm with that .. I'm in week 4
Heybales I think you're a top banana :-)
Thankyou x

heybales

I have under active thyroid .. Although I'm on meds I think I still struggle :-(
So if I put on up to 6lbs will I LOOK 6lbs heavier ..?? Taking all you said into account maybe not ..??
I'm doing the strong lifts 5x5 ... I'm assuming I'm gonna build lbm with that .. I'm in week 4
Heybales I think you're a top banana :-)
Thankyou x

Depends if much of that is glucose stores finally topped off, that will look like bigger muscle.
Most report no increase in size, actually dropping some, even though weight went up.
Those who have really messed up metabolism that comes up very slowly are eating in excess for however long it takes to come up, so they are gaining muscle and fat during that time.