Changing Calorie Deficit Stalled Weight loss?

Skratchie

I'm reaching the end of my rapidly fraying rope here. I think I have an idea to fix it but wanted to run it past others to just see if it would make sense to anyone else.

When I first got serious about losing weight, I knew that in order to lose weight, I would have to eat well. I don't do 1200 calories a day because it makes me want to murder folks. So I figured out my BMR and TDEE and set a goal of about 1980 calories a day. I would eat back some, but not all, of my exercise calories, and I was losing weight fairly steadily. After I hit 20 lbs lost, I decided I better check my calcs again because I didn't want to stunt my weight loss. I came up with about 200 calories less, so I set my new goal to 1790. I'm still eating back some, but usually not all, of my exercise calories. Weight loss stopped completely, and I've been yo-yoing with the same freakin' three - four pounds for weeks now, but I've never gone lower than where I was before I changed my calorie goal. And no, I haven't really lost any inches. In fact, I'm hoping that I just didn't record my last set of measurements right because if not, I've GAINED inches.

I've been playing around again with my BMR and TDEE today and have just about decided to set my calorie goal to 2000 per day. My TDEE is about 2300, so this would create a deficit of approximately 2100 calories a week. Add to that, I get to the gym about four times per week, with an average burn of 300-350 calories each time, which means a total gym burn of about 1200-1400 calories per week, giving me a total deficit of about 3500 calories a week. That puts me in line to lose one pound per week. Under this plan, I would not eat any of my workout calories. I would just eat the 2000 calories a day.

Granted, I'm not always the best with my food choices, and that can definitely be improved upon. But overall, as far as calorie deficit, how does this plan sound? I think what's frustrated me most is that I was losing weight and doing fine until I started screwing with my calorie deficit, then I stalled when I lowered it based on losing 20 lbs.

JaneDough_

"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people succeed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is disappointing. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new comers and veterans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crucial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permanent yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tries to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistent (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becoming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already succeeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficit, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficits you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficit (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

This is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from."

KarlDines

I'm no expert, but I stalled at about 20lbs loss and again at 30lbs. After reading up on it, it's a common thing, so I thought about it simply. To kickstart it I just dropped my intake and upped my exercise, don't read too much into it, if its not shifting then readjust further.

Skratchie

I'm no expert, but I stalled at about 20lbs loss and again at 30lbs. After reading up on it, it's a common thing, so I thought about it simply. To kickstart it I just dropped my intake and upped my exercise, don't read too much into it, if its not shifting then readjust further.

Understandable, but I didn't stall until I changed my deficit. I think I went below my BMR, so I think my best bet is to actually up my calories, not take them lower.

andreabrabham

"I just wanted to post something about what to expect during the phases of weight loss.

Overview (why I'm posting this)
Over the course of about 7 months on here, I have seen many people succeed, I have also seen some drop off the map. I expect this is because some succumb to the demon that is temptation, and some to the devil that is disappointing. I wanted to give a few "heads up"s to both new comers and veterans to the site. Some may know already, some may not. But either way, if this helps anyone to set more realistic goals in their own head, I feel like it has done it's job.

Phase 1. The start of a brand new day! (or week, or month, or year)
Expectations are sky high, usually so is motivation and intentions. This is where most people lose the most weight. At the start it's not uncommon to see 4 to 8 lb losses per week. The reasons for this are mostly (sorry to disappoint) water weight. You drop excess water quickly, and you can have up to 5 lbs of water weight. The next biggest reason is the fat that is right next to the blood vessels, the stuff that you put on in the last month or three, it will melt like butter usually.

Phase 2. Reality setting in.
At about week 3 to a month or so, people suddenly realize that they are no longer dropping 8, 6, or even 4 lbs a week. This is a crucial phase in your journey. Expect this, it is natural. You have shocked your body by changing both eating habits and exercise routine. Now it has had a little while to become used to the new lifestyle, it's going to compensate. Your body still doesn't believe it's permanent yet, so it will still try to store some fat, so now that it knows how to regulate it's new metabolic levels, it tries to store fat in earnest. It's not uncommon for people to hit a wall here, no loss for weeks. Expect this as well.

Phase 3. The routine.
At about 2 months or so, your routine is pretty much set, your body is beginning to believe that you really want to STAY the way you are going now. You will start to see more consistent (but lower, usually 1 to 2 lbs a week) loss, also, you should start seeing some muscle tone (depending on how much you had to lose in the first place). If you stop to think, you should realize that you have improved dramatically in your exercise levels. If you do cardio, you should notice how much longer and harder you can work. This is important to realize as it is just as big of an indicator as weight loss. Also, by now you may notice that your clothes no longer fit right. This is also very important. The weight may not be falling off anymore, but you are becoming a smaller person. Weight is arbitrary, if you are building muscle (which your body is doing at a furious pace by now) you won't notice huge losses, but you will notice wholesale changes in the mirror!

Phase 4. Really digging in.
This is where the second wall can happen. You're probably at between 3 and 4 months by now, and if you have gone this far, you feel like you have already succeeded. This is where many people stumble. they are tired of the routine, tired of eating different things from all their friends, limiting their alcohol intake. Basically the shine has worn off. this is when your really need to plant your feet. Maybe change up your exercise routine, make a concentrated effort to find different, but still nutritional food. Talk to people. And examine how far you have come. At this point, no matter how much external motivation you receive, it's all about believing in yourself!

Phase 5. End game.
5 or 6 months in you are probably working on that "last 10 pounds". This can be discouraging for many as it is a slow burn. Remember, your body probably feels like it is where it needs to be, your brain might think you need to lose 10 more, but your body is quite proud of itself now, it feels like it has "Done enough" and it wants to stay RIGHT HERE. The body LIKES to have a little fat around just in case, especially for the ladies (sorry girls, it's just human physiology). If you feel like you still need to lose it, prepare yourself for some guerrila warfare against your body. Design an exercise regimen that is very dynamic, forget the "same thing every day". Make a plan that challenges you both physically and mentally. Make sure you give yourself a day off here and there to just veg. And by all means, remember, muscle burns fat at rest. So get some weight or resistance training involved.
The last 10 may take 3 to 6 months to lose. I know nobody wants to hear that, but it's true. And forget the idea of increasing your calorie deficit, healthy bodies need good nutrition, your body no longer has the fat reserves to handle the large deficits you could when you were 30 40 or 50 pounds overweight. Better to make it a 3 or 400 calorie deficit (NET, please count your exercise calories too!). It may take a bit longer, but your body will like you for it. Plus it feeds those new muscles and keeps them burning fat, keeps your skin healthy (elasticity is important when you want those places that were stretched out to "snap back") and keeps you from getting head aches and depressed.

Conclusion:

This is what I have learned, not just from my journey, but from others as well on here. It saddens me sometimes to see people hit one of these stages and not recognize it for what it is, a part of the process. If we all can have realistic expectations, then we are more prone to win the fight and stay healthy in the long run. Note that some people will hit these stages harder then others, some may take longer, but for the most part, this is the rule that the exceptions will come from."

Great post! Really helps take away some of the discouragement.

Stoli24

Based on my experiences, JaneDough nailed it. One small difference was that for me, I took the "if it ain't broke dont fix it approach" when it came to my exercising instead of changing it up as she mentioned in Phase 5. Everyone is different and you'll need to find what works for you.

Realistic expectations and time duration is a must, none of this will happen over night. To address your original question... double check your numbers for TDEE, and double check the numbers (via a food scale) that you are putting in for your food. Choose a deficit that will work for you (a 500 cal a day = 1lb a week deficit is a very safe healthy way to go about this). This will likely mean eating back your work out calories. Once you figure out numbers that work for you, try to stay consistent. It's a long road.

Consistency and sustainability is perhaps the biggest pitfall I've seen.

jsitruk

Thank you very much for such a detailed portrayal of the steps involved in weight loss. I have not hit a wall yet but will keep this into consideration the day I do! Thanks again.