I feel like I am stuck and REALLY do not want to fail :(

jeangv
jeangv Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently decided to change my lifestyle and am eager to become a healthier fitter person. I have been going to the gym and eating at home as well as eating healthy for the first time in my life. I am determined to succeed and I WILL NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO FAIL!

I have lost some weight but still have a LONG way to go. I feel like I am stuck and really need to see some progress for all the work that I am doing. I have noticed that I am getting into better physical shape at the gym since my heart rate is down for the same cardio exercises (I use a heart rate monitor) and I can lift more weights on the machines than I used to.

Here are my stats:

Age: 38
Gender: Male
Height: 5 Feet 4 Inches (5’4”)
Starting Weight: 298.7 lbs
Current Weight (4/22/2013): 266.8 lbs
Body Fat Percentage: 56% Body Fat
Activity Level: Light (Go to the gym 5 times a week, 40 minutes of light cardio or light resistance training / Burn about 500 Calories on cardio)

Food Calories Consumed Daily: 1,800 Calories per day

Goal: 15% Body Fat (or about 137 lbs)

My Food Diary
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/jeangv

My Exercise Diary
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/diary/jeangv

Please give me some ideas as to what to try next. What can I do differently? I have made the lifestyle change, now I want to see some results but have been stuck for a long while. I know I am impatient, but am I also screwing up in some way? More weights / Less cardio? More both? Less calories? More Calories?

Please help...
Jean-Marie (Allen, TX)

Replies

  • sweebum
    sweebum Posts: 1,060 Member
    You are eating far too little with all the exercise you're doing. Either up the food, or decrease the exercise a bit. 1800 is great, but you have days where you're eating 1200 and then exercising on top of it.
  • lachesissss
    lachesissss Posts: 1,298 Member
    Try increasing the intensity of your cardio (not all at once, but gradually) and check out a basic lifting program. A lot of people like Stronglifts, there are tons of videos on it and it's really easy to follow. I don't have the link to it, but there was a forum post entitled "In place of a roadmap...." that was authored by a very knowledgeable member (Helloitsdan), that I found really, really helpful. I agree you should eat more, as the deficit is already built into your daily goal, and focus on your macros, especially your protein. Don't forget to take it one step at a time, and don't be too hard on yourself. You got this! Good Luck!
  • lovemitch125
    lovemitch125 Posts: 257 Member
    Up the calories. Prob to about 2,200.
  • mel3491
    mel3491 Posts: 31
    check out 'eat more to weigh less'. It's eye opening and really makes sense
  • Jimbully51
    Jimbully51 Posts: 1
    You wont fail if you are realistic with yourself and dont expect to look all schwartzenegger by tomorrow. Until we can teleport or nasa gets that whole wormhole thing ironed out you will still have to begin every journey with a single step. Even then youll have to walk to the teleporter. Just sayin. The healthy way is to lose a little at a time and learn along the way. You see you are already running a marathon and youve made awesome progress. Dont give up on yourself. Youre in this for life and we are all in it with you. You got this. Dont beat yourself up if things stall out for awhile. Expect it. Its part of the process just make small adjustments till you start losing again. And by all means keep in touch on this site. There are many of us who may need to lean on you at some point too. Keep up the good work!! Bulldog jim
  • aronao
    aronao Posts: 112 Member
    I think you need to eat more. Your BMR is around 2200 so you need to eat at least that AFTER exercise calories are deducted.
    check out the first post on this thread for more info http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
    I think you need to eat more. Your BMR is around 2200 so you need to eat at least that AFTER exercise calories are deducted.
    check out the first post on this thread for more info http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm

    You want him to eat 2200 + eat back exercise calories? ????????

    Why would someone who is Obese III go for a 0.5 lb/wk weight loss target?

    That's far too conservative and frankly ridiculous. If the guy is going to put in serious effort to hit the gym 4-5 times a week, aiming for such a low deficit which will only move the scale ~ 2 lbs/mth is going to kill motivation.
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
    OP:

    Congrats on losing 33 lbs so far. When did you start your program? From a quick look at your diary, it looks like you started logging at the start of the year. If that's the case, you've basically hit a 2 lb/wk weight loss so far.

    A rate of 2 lb/wk is very good, very few people would suggest you should be more aggressive than that.

    I would suggest the following:
    1. Eat enough calories to get an average daily deficit of 1000 cals
    2. Be consistent in your caloric intake ..... don't have these sub 1200 cal days that you logged early in January
    3. Keep your head up, this is a process and it will take time
  • dancrespo
    dancrespo Posts: 1
    Great job so far. We all hit that wall where we are getting very little of the results we are shooting for. Don't let that get you down. If I may, try to come up with a six week plan regarding your exercises. This allows your body to respond and eventually adjust to this routine. Then come up with something new for the next six weeks. This short term planning will allow you to continue challenging your body and mind.

    A few people did mention the low amount of calories you've been consuming. I can relate because I have fallen short myself but what I can tell you is that healthy eating doesn't have to be a struggle. Stay the course and remember, its not a race but a marathon. I hope you overcome this slight bump in your road to a healthier you!
  • GregLeatherman
    GregLeatherman Posts: 28
    Sometimes it's not just about calories. Make sure, just for one example, that you get enough sleep. This is when your body releases things like HGH, which can help build muscle and lose fat. . .
  • larnsperger
    larnsperger Posts: 161 Member
    You at least are moving in the right direction. Recently I heard of a jumpstart method, by Bob (trainer on Biggest Loser) where for 3 weeks you are limited to 40/40/20 protein/carbs/fat. No complex carbs after breakfast your meals must meet the 40/40/20 requirements, all the vegetables you want (of course no, butter, cheese and other stuff we smother them in), no alcohol and lots of water. I do know his "Jump Start to Skinny" method is limited to 800 calories per day for women and 1200 for men. Personally I could never attempt that for 3 weeks, but I can understand if you need a motivator to get you going. The biggest problem is your weight loss is going to slow appreciably after those 3 weeks. Sometimes all we need is rapid success to get us going though.

    I agree you may not be getting enough calories, or at least the right kind of calories based on your work-outs. I would try to up your protein. I personally cannot lose weight without a decent amount of protein. But I'm only an expert on what worked for me.

    Best of luck, and hang in there. This is a life long journey :)

    P.S. - I'm not a fan of the Biggest Loser, but a healthy jumpstart probably wouldn't hurt anyone for three weeks.
  • ggxx100
    ggxx100 Posts: 520 Member
    You've probably been told this, and will be told this again, but you need to eat more. Right now, the calories you are eating are definitely not sufficient enough to cover all of your macronutrient needs. If you must eat at that extreme of a deficiency, try incorporating more lean protein and fats into your diet to gain muscle in the process. I'd shoot for 2300 calories with your activity level.

    Bottom line...

    I'm 5'1", and 98 pounds. I eat the same amount of calories as you do, to maintain my weight.

    If that doesn't turn the light bulb on, nothing will....
  • jeangv
    jeangv Posts: 4 Member
    This is Jean-Marie again, the original poster (OP). I am amazed and all the positive responses! Thank you all so VERY much! Based on what everyone is telling me, I guess I really have to eat more calories if I am going to keep working out (which I really think I need to do). I see the workouts as related but not a direct impact to my weight loss.

    At the gym I see myself getting better very quickly, and that motivates me. But the weight loss is different, it is all over the place and I never know if what I am doing is right.

    I plan to eat more calories and stay above my BMR which I calculated to be 1,519 Calories using the Katch-McArdle formula that takes into account my body fat percentage. So on cardio workout days I will make sure I eat more calories to stay above or at 1,519 calories. What should I do on the days I do weights?

    All I ever drink is water and I drink LOTS of water (always have). I really only eat 3 meals, and I will try to eat more often. I plan to eat more protein throughout the day. I will keep going to the gym 6 times a week and will do cardio one day and weights the next and repeat and rest one day.

    Thanks again to everyone and let me know if you think this is a good idea or I have something wrong. I really appreciate the feedback and will reply to all the comments.

    Thanks again for all l the responses, here are my replies to each.

    gsarah1 - I will try to increase my calories on the days I go workout. You say you eat that same number of calories (1,800) to maintain your 98 lbs? Thanks for the advice and I will eat more protein as well.

    Larnsperger - Thanks so much for the advice. I will start eating more protein on a daily basis. I will make my snacks richer in protein as well as keep my veggies simple (no butter or anything other than grilled since I dislike raw vegetables)

    GregLeatherma - I wish the problem was lack of sleep, but I sleep GREAT. Sleep has never been a problem for me (other than loving sleep so much it is almost impossible for me to try to go to the gym early in the morning). I can easily sleep 9 - 10 hours a day if work (and life) did not get in the way.

    Dancrespo - I like your idea.. I will come up with a plan for the exercise and then change it up. I am glad I am not alone in eating too few calories and enjoying the initial loss but then hitting a wall. I know this is a long term plan, just want results.. But I am sure they will come. I just don’t want to be doing the wrong thing.

    Mock_Turtle - I really started getting serious about my health on March 4th, 2013. I initially started with very low calories (900 Calories) but then I hit this wall about 20 days ago and the weight loss just stopped. So now I have gone to 1,800 calories, but am being told that this too is too low. I will try to be more consistent, but raising my calories is a mentally hard thing to do. I really do want much better than 0.5 lbs per week weight loss given that I have such a high BMI. I think I would be satisfied with a least a 2 lbs per week loss and do whatever it took to achieve that loss consistently. I just want to know what I really need to do to make that happen and keep it sustained.

    Aronao - Eating 2,200 calories NET (after exercise) seems very high to me. That would be 2,700 Calories of food on a cardio day that I burn 500 calories of exercise. Based on the Katch-McArdle for BMR that uses your current body fat percentage, my BMR is 1,519 Calories. So after exercise, isn’t 2,200 calories too high? Right now I realize that I am below my BMR after you factor in a workout, but do I really want to go very far above it?

    Jimbully51 - I am trying to be realistic, I am just anxious and frustrated. If I could see some routine downward scale movement, even if it was slight, I would be happier. I also want to make sure I am not screwing up, and from the comments here, I am screwing up with not enough calories. So I am going to try to fix that.

    mel3491 - I have been to that site, you are right, it really does make sense!

    lovemitch125 - I may just do that and up the calories.

    lachesissss - I will try to increase the cardio, but to be honest I am really pushing it. My heart rate is held pretty high for a long while during the workout. I will keep trying to do more, I do like the progress I have made, but don’t really enjoy the workouts. I do mostly treadmill and elliptical, I have thought about mixing it up with the stationary bike and stair climber. I will eat more protein and try to be less stressed about my weight loss. It really is harder than I thought it would be.

    Sweebum - I will not eat low calories any more. I will try to go up on the calories eating healthy.

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