Lack of weight loss

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  • royaldrea
    royaldrea Posts: 259 Member
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    Best advice is to be patient/don't give up.

    If you've lost an inch and a half already you're doing fine. Don't worry about the scale so much, though it sounds as if you're well informed and are keeping a very level head.

    Keep on working out and watching what you eat. Look into using your scale - tbh I lost a lot more, a lot faster, before I had the scale than I did now when I'm being much more diligent, but I feel much more informed about what I eat which is wonderful - even if everyone else thinks I'm being crazy and obsessive.

    Make sure you get enough food to fuel your body. If you are eating what you think you're eating, you should be ok, although that menu sounds really boring to me. A little more probably won't hurt since you sound like a tall guy.

    Good luck with everything! I hope all goes well and you learn what works for you, and what is sustainable in the long run.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Hi Lindsey-

    Thanks again for your comments. I am just starting out so I want to work out the creaks and cracks in this old-man 35 year old body first, stretch out those tendons get my body used to the motions and lose some of the excess bodyfat but then yes I was thinking of moving into a routinue much like the one you describe. I'd like to include regular pull-ups and deadlifts but before I do that I want to make sure I am strong enough (to be able to do pullups) and I'm loose enough (used to lifting enough to do deadlifts safely) in order to avoid potential injury to my back. Where I would like to get to is a sort of compound push-pull with a lot of bodyweight exercises mixing in lunges/squats, deadlifts pushups and pullups with some scattered dumbbell single-muscle exercises.

    I've been diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency in the past (I live in Seattle so that doesn't help). It might be a good idea for me to go get a physical see how things are going.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    I almost forgot, I was gonna post a couple links for you that may help


    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet?hl=short+sweet+<span class=

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Yeah royal my menu is a bit boring. I'm starting my diet out high protein to try to drop the fat and then later will probably increase the carb for a more sustainable diet for general workout. I've sacrificed a lot of variety for convenience so I don't detract to much time away from my other responsibilities. I've been fine with the diet thusfar but I do realize that if its to be longterm it needs to be more varied and interesting than it currently is.

    Lots of protein powder supplements, processed protein bars, plain chicken breast, plain canned tuna, the occasional tortialla or glass of milk with some raw vegetables tossed in isn't exactly exciting I hear you there. But so far I've been turned on enough by the idea of getting fit that it hasn't been a problem. When it comes time to move to something that is life-long sustainable though I will have to tackle that and look into some healthy cooking options.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Three years ago I attempted a very similar program of diet and exercise that I kept going for about 8 months before I allowed myself to come off the rails and lose my control for the last three years. I went from about 14% bodyfat and some decent definition to what I am today which is probably around 27% bodyfat.

    Basically I just want to regain those gains, drop the fat and find a sustainable healthy lifestyle that will either maintain or make slow gains on what I have accomplished.

    Have a picture of my back from when I was at 14% but no idea how to post it as I don't see a photo button. Perhaps I will make it my profile photo as reminder of where I'm trying to get to. That picture I think I'm about 158 pounds and I'm about 188 right now which I can assure you is not added muscle.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    Hi Lindsey-

    Thanks again for your comments. I am just starting out so I want to work out the creaks and cracks in this old-man 35 year old body first, stretch out those tendons get my body used to the motions and lose some of the excess bodyfat but then yes I was thinking of moving into a routinue much like the one you describe. I'd like to include regular pull-ups and deadlifts but before I do that I want to make sure I am strong enough (to be able to do pullups) and I'm loose enough (used to lifting enough to do deadlifts safely) in order to avoid potential injury to my back. Where I would like to get to is a sort of compound push-pull with a lot of bodyweight exercises mixing in lunges/squats, deadlifts pushups and pullups with some scattered dumbbell single-muscle exercises.

    I've been diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency in the past (I live in Seattle so that doesn't help). It might be a good idea for me to go get a physical see how things are going.

    My fiance is 37 and started with the program (though he was a former athlete -- it's just been 15+ years since he was truly athletic). You can start at low weights -- we did -- and then work up so you can focus on good form. He still isn't doing full pull-ups (and neither am I), but assisted -- with a step stool or weight bench (or if you're at the gym, that fancy pull-up assist machine). But, I'm totally with you that good form is ESSENTIAL, especially as you increase weight. The empty bar is only 45 lbs and you can increase at your own pace -- we did.

    Same with sprints -- most will say start off with only a few reps and ideally sprint up hill as it's less jarring to your tendons, ligaments and joints and gets you into proper form right off the bat (with a high kick). When we started, we did 3 sets of 8 sec sprints, resting in between each long enough to bring heart rate and breathing to normal (a couple of mins). Then increased each week to include another rep -- 4 sets on week two, 5 sets on week 3, etc. After you get up to 8 sets of 8 sec sprints, then you can start increasing length to 10 secs, etc. But, when you start, it's really important to start off small. And you'll be shocked by how much you feel even 3 sets of 8 sec sprints -- I was super shocked and it seemed to really help with fat loss.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I think not having deadlifts in my routinue is a pretty big gap and I agree that I could fill that without much effort. I actually have an Olympic weight set, smith machine and bars at home so it wouldn't be that hard to dust them off and start off light with some deadlifts with a curl bar and a plate on each side.

    Just three years ago I was able to bust out about 10 pull-ups I think so it wasn't that long ago that I could do this. I think just 3 years of sloth + 30 pounds of bodyweight has stopped me from being able to do them now but I'm confident I can get there again.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    I think not having deadlifts in my routinue is a pretty big gap and I agree that I could fill that without much effort. I actually have an Olympic weight set, smith machine and bars at home so it wouldn't be that hard to dust them off and start off light with some deadlifts with a curl bar and a plate on each side.

    Just three years ago I was able to bust out about 10 pull-ups I think so it wasn't that long ago that I could do this. I think just 3 years of sloth + 30 pounds of bodyweight has stopped me from being able to do them now but I'm confident I can get there again.

    Are you taking any creatine (either in your protein powder or separately)? I just know that can cause crazy water retention, so if you're doing that for repair/bulking, it could also be the culprit.
  • BarbaraJeanAnne
    BarbaraJeanAnne Posts: 2
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    Don't forget that the increased muscle mass will increase your weight, so if you are gaining muscles, you MUST be losing fat!
    BMI is the best way to tell.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Hey Lindsay-

    Recently I started adding a bit of creatine to a recovery shake (which is basically just chocolate milk) after workout yes. I had heard that it increased muscle water retention.
  • lindsey1979
    lindsey1979 Posts: 2,395 Member
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    Hey Lindsay-

    Recently I started adding a bit of creatine to a recovery shake (which is basically just chocolate milk) after workout yes. I had heard that it increased muscle water retention.

    That might be it. If you wanted to test, you could go off for a couple of weeks and see if your weight decreases. From what I've read, it definitely causes major water retention.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    No I don't think I'll bother stopping the Creatine just to see if I lose scale-weight. To be honest I'd rather do whatever helps me continue my workouts and stick to my diet and I'm sure it will sort itself out with time. If its water retention then after another month I should have lost enough bodyfat that water retention alone wouldn't offset it. If I still don't see any weight loss after another month then I definitely should re-evaluate. I'll also take a look at portions a bit more as well.
  • chefchaddy1
    chefchaddy1 Posts: 1
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    First if all I can't believe how identical your story is to mine. I had same problem where weight just stayed the same. My weight and height are the same. What changed for me was eating more. I am now averaging 2 pounds loss a week. It is hard sometimes to eat more but it's part if the training effort. I notice you said you are eating 1700-1800 cal. Is that total after you subtract calories burned (net calories) ? You may not be pulling in enough and your body is actually slowing metabolism. I net out between 1900 and 2100 daily not counting Sunday cheat day. I also used to exersize as intens as you but realized I was not embracing recovery time/days. Once I did ibfeltbit changed everything and I began seeing the 2 pound a week drop.

    My wife thinks she will go to fitness hell if she doesn't go to gym everyday. I think a lot of folks are thinking like this but recovery is key to progress.

    Again, I am no expert, everybody is different but this is what has been working for me.

    Heart rate monitor has been great tool as well as digital scale.

    I weigh all my protein powders because those scoops are not dead on.
  • SarahJaneEmmott
    SarahJaneEmmott Posts: 3
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    I would definitely start to track everything here on a food diary. It really helps you understand exactly how much you are eating. It will help you figure out if you are eating too much or not enough. You add your exercise too. Try it for a week and see what happens.

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