5 Weeks In and Having Some Trouble

rderrickwhite
rderrickwhite Posts: 69 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I'm about weeks along in my fitness journey... I'm 6'6" tall. 35. I started at 290. By week 3, I had lost 14 lbs. Week 4 had no weight loss. When I weighed in today, I had gained half a lb. I get 30-60 minutes of cardio per day Monday-Friday. I try to get between 60-100 minutes on the weekends. I do some weight training 3-4 times per week, but probably nothing too impressive for a lot of guys or girls on this site. Long story short I try to spend 1-2 hours in the gym every morning before work. I'm pretty religious about logging my food and am consistently under my calorie goals. My diet is pretty clean, I even cut out alcohol all together. I started getting more protein than MFP said I should, because so many other sources indicate that you should have more (I'm not getting 1 gram per lb though)... I also reduced my calorie goal when I lost 10 lbs... There may be a small amount of calorie creep, but not much (I don't always log it if I eat a stick of celery).

Any advice? I'd like to drop 50-60 more lbs. I know it can be normal to start to have trouble at this stage, but if there is anything I can do, and it's healthy advice, I'll put in the time.

Replies

  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    That's a lot of exercise, and you're a big guy, so you should be eating a fair amount of calories. If your deficit is too high, you might seen your weight loss stall early. How much are you eating each day (and do you eat back your exercise calories)?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    A few things. I hope you are eating like 3000 calories because that is a lot of exercise. Second, you do not and should not exercise every day. Your body makes progress when you let it repair. Third, don't do cardio every day, it's just creating a much larger deficit which requires more calories. Creating large deficits lead to a lot of muscle loss which you want to mitigate. This will be enhanced by the fact you are consistently under your goal.

    What we need to know; how many calories are you eating?


    Next, your expectations. You can't expect weekly or daily weight loss, it's not how it works. Rapid weight loss means rapid muscle loss. So if you want to be fit and lean, you want to maintain your muscle.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    At your age, height and weigh... and with your activity level, you're burning about 4000 calories daily.
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/

    Are you eating 3000-3200 daily? If not, you should eat more.
  • rderrickwhite
    rderrickwhite Posts: 69 Member
    That's a lot of exercise, and you're a big guy, so you should be eating a fair amount of calories. If your deficit is too high, you might seen your weight loss stall early. How much are you eating each day (and do you eat back your exercise calories)?

    I do not usually eat back the amount of calories I burn. I take in between 1700 to 2000 calories. Of course this number does not discount my calories burned from exercise. I pretty much just eat when I'm hungry. I've never actually been a huge eater, but I do not move around a lot at my job, I work in Northern Mexico and the food tends to be laden with fat and sodium, and I was getting a stupid amount of calories from alcohol and/or soda. So, I examined my diet, cut out the BS, and started getting up at 4:30 so I could hit the gym prior to crossing the border.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    ^ So then don't bust your butt in the gym. Just lift weights 3-4 times a week as you are to maintain muscle mass and then eat what you are. You're shooting yourself in the foot by doing all that cardio.
  • da_bears10089
    da_bears10089 Posts: 1,791 Member
    i'm a 5'5" female losing weight and i eat as much as you do, with half of the cardio you do. you need to eat a lot more.
  • rderrickwhite
    rderrickwhite Posts: 69 Member
    I'm sensing a general theme here. Thanks for the quick advice, it is appreciated.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,432 MFP Moderator
    That's a lot of exercise, and you're a big guy, so you should be eating a fair amount of calories. If your deficit is too high, you might seen your weight loss stall early. How much are you eating each day (and do you eat back your exercise calories)?

    I do not usually eat back the amount of calories I burn. I take in between 1700 to 2000 calories. Of course this number does not discount my calories burned from exercise. I pretty much just eat when I'm hungry. I've never actually been a huge eater, but I do not move around a lot at my job, I work in Northern Mexico and the food tends to be laden with fat and sodium, and I was getting a stupid amount of calories from alcohol and/or soda. So, I examined my diet, cut out the BS, and started getting up at 4:30 so I could hit the gym prior to crossing the border.

    Well you definitely should eat more and cut exercise out. I would recommend keep with the 3 days of weight training but cut cardio to 2-3 days. I personally like 4 days of weight training as I incorporate an endurance day. And as a reference point, i am 30, 5'11 and 195 lbs. I eat 2500 calories (macro's at 40/40/20) and I lose 1 lb per week but it's all fat. I have maintained my muscle mass.

    Also, don't be afraid of fat. It's not bad for you.
  • LvlyLars
    LvlyLars Posts: 18 Member
    I know I'm somewhat new to this site but I'd say just wait a week or so. You may not lose each week but something triggers it to kick back in gear. Also, I'd say try adding something different to your diet. I know sometimes if I change up my routine like adding a cup of milk in the morning to drink, I will lose that week. Also, getting sleep can be a good trigger to losing weight. If you are waking up at 4:30 every morning, try skipping one or two of those workouts and getting a bit more sleep in...that can make a huge difference. Good luck to you!
  • rderrickwhite
    rderrickwhite Posts: 69 Member
    ^ So then don't bust your butt in the gym. Just lift weights 3-4 times a week as you are to maintain muscle mass and then eat what you are. You're shooting yourself in the foot by doing all that cardio.

    Thanks for the advice. Frankly I enjoy going to the gym, and I thrive on having a routine. Any advice beyond eating more? I'd like to continue going to gym as frequently as I am, because if nothing else I enjoy it.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    EDIT: just seen the other posts.

    to summarise, cut down on the cardio (you dont have to stop all together if you enjoy it) add a rest day, and for the love of god, eat more to fuel your exercsie!!!!
  • Fozzi43
    Fozzi43 Posts: 2,984 Member
    Weight training and cut down on cardio.
  • heysarge13
    heysarge13 Posts: 403 Member
    As your friend of many years all I can say is..... Listen to the advice your getting from everybody. And quit being a wimp and start throwing those weights around.
  • rderrickwhite
    rderrickwhite Posts: 69 Member
    As your friend of many years all I can say is..... Listen to the advice your getting from everybody. And quit being a wimp and start throwing those weights around.

    yep yep yep...

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