Heavy lifting and TDEE-20 has stalled my weight loss

64GT

I have done all the calculators and it seems like roughly 180 lbs is a good weight for me. I started 6 months ago at 222 and today I'm 205.

I ate 1600 cal/day per MFP for first 4 months and had steady loss with 3x/week mostly cardio exercise.

Now I've done 7 weeks Stronglifts 5x5 and approaching 100 on most of the lifts.

I did some reading about TDEE-20 and that comes up with more like 2050 cal/day for me, so I switched to that a few weeks back.

I feel good and strong. Waist is shrinking ever so slowly. Shoulders and arms and quads are growing perceptibly bigger and stronger... but my weight loss graph has gone flat. Not gaining or losing since going to TDEE-20.

But... it's making me crazy to see stagnation on the scale.

Any suggestions to change something, quit whining and go with it, or something different???

krawl78

Bump! I'm having the exact same issue! It's driving me insane.

bacitracin

measure body fat percentage with some calipers. Screw the scale. It's useless when lifting; just make sure your pants don't get tighter and you're fine.

xMonroeMisfit

I feel good and strong. Waist is shrinking ever so slowly. Shoulders and arms and quads are growing perceptibly bigger and stronger... but my weight loss graph has gone flat. Not gaining or losing since going to TDEE-20.

What's the problem again?

Sounds like its working great. Don't let a scale mask your accomplishments. Your body is reshaping. A scale will change 1,000 times a day.

My scale has changed 4-5 lbs difference in a matter of minutes some times. My measurements don't.

If it REALLY is that important to you - Eat at Maintenance for a week or 2.

So_Much_Fab

Measurements, measurements, measurements!

If you're shrinking regardless of what the scale says, you're doing it right!

cmriverside

The solution is to stay off the scale. Ta Da :drinker:

64GT

I feel good and strong. Waist is shrinking ever so slowly. Shoulders and arms and quads are growing perceptibly bigger and stronger... but my weight loss graph has gone flat. Not gaining or losing since going to TDEE-20.

What's the problem again?


Sounds like its working great.

Really? OK, I guess so.
If 180 is a goal for me, I don't feel like I'll ever get there and that's what makes me feel like I have screwed up the formula.

mustgetmuscles1

Losing body fat and gaining muscles size? Throw the scale out the window. You are doing it right just keep going. Eventually the number on the scale will start moving once you exhaust the newbie gains of muscle and water retention from starting a weight lifting program. Not that that should matter though.

erickirb

Most likely water retention and can have some small increase in weight due to increase bone density (but most likely water in your muscle due to the heavy lifting)

grdaze

from what I understand, heavy lifting will sculpt your body but it won't necessarily move the scale - you need cardio for that. If you want to see the scale move again, add cardio to your routine.

LeenaRuns

I feel good and strong. Waist is shrinking ever so slowly. Shoulders and arms and quads are growing perceptibly bigger and stronger... but my weight loss graph has gone flat. Not gaining or losing since going to TDEE-20.

What's the problem again?

Sounds like its working great. Don't let a scale mask your accomplishments. Your body is reshaping. A scale will change 1,000 times a day.

My scale has changed 4-5 lbs difference in a matter of minutes some times. My measurements don't.

If it REALLY is that important to you - Eat at Maintenance for a week or 2.

I agree. I've been doing 5x5 for about the same amount of time. Squats and DL over 100 lbs now. The scale's not changing, but I love it. It's all about how you look, not how much you weigh. BY VOLUME, muscle weights more than fat, so you can be tighter and smaller but the same weight.

links_slayer

measure body fat percentage with some calipers. Screw the scale. It's useless when lifting; just make sure your pants don't get tighter and you're fine.

^^this

xMonroeMisfit

I feel good and strong. Waist is shrinking ever so slowly. Shoulders and arms and quads are growing perceptibly bigger and stronger... but my weight loss graph has gone flat. Not gaining or losing since going to TDEE-20.

What's the problem again?


Sounds like its working great.

Really? OK, I guess so.
If 180 is a goal for me, I don't feel like I'll ever get there and that's what makes me feel like I have screwed up the formula.

I have a goal weight also, and if I ever get there, GREAT, but I do know that at 142 lbs I looked flabby and no where near as lean and firm as I do now. I'll take the tight and smaller looking body that everyone can see over a number only my Doctor and I know ANY DAY.

Make a Body Fat % goal. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't concentrate on a scale weight because that will definitely frustrate you and cause you to stop doing what you are doing now, which is working GREAT for you. Trust, you will thank me in the long run and soon enough be posting pictures on the success board.

rduhlir

If you are losing inches then you ARE LOSING. It just isn't showing up on the scale, but on the tape measure.

Panthers89

My scale is not moving either, but as somebody told me recently, I look better now than I did last summer. If your measurements and stamina are improving, then it doesn't matter what the scale is telling you.

Sure, I'd like to lose another 10-12 pounds, and I think that I will, but once I got in shape and started eating better, the weight loss definitely slowed down and has pretty much stagnated. However, I can tell that I'm moving some mass around, reshaping, almost eliminated my love handles that I've had since high school, and I look (not to mention feel) much better at this time compared to a year ago when I was 10 pounds lighter.

I'm betting that you are frustrated about the scale (as I am), but it is a lifestyle change. I seem to need to change my calorie / TDEE / exercise adjustments every few months, and I'm still trying to eat more to get to TDEE - 15%. After a few years of watching and counting every calorie, I find that I'm not hungry enough to hit that number. Go figure, we lose weight and then can't eat enough to get to TDEE numbers - it's complete irony.

iAMsmiling

I've been dealing with pretty much the same situation for quite some time. It's important to remember that you are transforming your body, not just loosing weight.
I'm not losing weight, but I'm learning to be satisfied with "I feel great."

(I regret not having taken some good measurements when I first got started...)

Fr3shStrt

I agree with what just about everybody is saying above - you're losing inches - that is awesome, don't worry so much about what the scale says.

But... I also understand your concern... you still want the number to go down. It will, but you are now holding onto that awesome muscle and losing only the fat so you will lose "weight" slower - and that is totally OK.

Finally, if you went from 1600 to 2000, your body needs to adjust. Give it at least 4 weeks before you start to really freak out.

eAddict

I, too, have been 'stuck' since November (nearly 7months) just CAN NOT get out of the weight range I am in. I also take measurements (havta post thme sometime I guess) and not much has changed. I would really like to break 200 with a goal of 185 or so.

If anyone has a way to break a plateau please share!

ktliu

I was on a plateau for 3 weeks, it drove me nuts, and I just finally come off it last Monday. and the scale slid down 4 lbs in a week. So I guess will power wins. or the other thing, check your intake.

mamasmaltz3

Throw away the scale and re-evaluate your goals. There are lots of men and women on here who do not fit into the "normal" BMI because they have more muscle. I have started a heavy weight routine and I am done with the scale. I plan on going by tape measurements and clothing size. When lifting heavy the scale and BMI charts become a very inaccurate measurement of progress.

TriShamelessly

Press on! Start measuring, you'll see the difference there and in how your clothes fit.