Stuck in a rut

corporatehippie
corporatehippie Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm half an inch short of 6' tall, 180 lbs. I have been weight training for the last 1.5 years and have gained a good 20-25 lbs. My ultimate goal was always to work away the fat once I've put on significant amounts of muscle, and hopefully go down to 10% body fat so I can see my abs.

I've been trying to lose fat since last November, but finding it INCREDIBLY hard. The only time before when I tried to, I was quite successful - lost about 8 lbs in a month by eating at 1500 Calories, roughly a 1000 Cal deficit. But this time the scale is just not budging.

Though I've been trying since November, I have been very serious about it only since beginning of March. Initially, I was tried the same strategy that was successful earlier - aimed for 1000 Calorie deficit for a couple of weeks. No change. For the last 2 weeks, I am pursuing the INSANITY program, pushing my TDEE to 3000+ and eating around 2000 Calories. No change in my weight. Even my belly looks the same - though I've not taken any measurements, I can feel intuitively that I haven't lost any weight.

Till now my understanding was simply based on calories in vs calories out. But now I began reading a lot of threads that talk about metabolism slowing with too large a deficit and many people suggesting to actually increase calories in and maintain a smaller deficit, especially when body fat is less than 20% or so.

I'm quite confused now. Is 1000 Calories too large a deficit? I have around 6 weeks and really hoping to lose 12 lbs or so. Also, I started the Insanity program to push my calories out to 3000 so I can eat 2000 and still have a 1000 deficit. So if I should only be having a 500 Cal deficit, I'd rather not break my back working out like crazy..!

So what do you suggest:

A - Keep going for a few more weeks on 3000 - 2000 = 1000 deficit? Maybe the intense workout is causing water retention or is just about to start showing the results?

B - 1000 Cal is too large a deficit and is screwing up my metabolism. Maybe I should try only 500 Cal deficit. In this case I still would have to decide if I should do 3000 minus 2500 OR 2500 minus 2000.

Please help!

Replies

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I'll be the first to ask: How are you calculating your calorie consumption totals? How often do you weigh food w/ a digital scale?
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
    Till now my understanding was simply based on calories in vs calories out. But now I began reading a lot of threads that talk about metabolism slowing with too large a deficit and many people suggesting to actually increase calories in and maintain a smaller deficit, especially when body fat is less than 20% or so.


    Don't listen to these people. They are the uneducated bigots of the fitness world. Adaptive thermogenesis will not happen on a 1500 calorie diet. It won't even happen on a 1200 diet.
  • corporatehippie
    corporatehippie Posts: 7
    Staci - I'm quite conscientious when it comes to counting calories. But have been traveling and eating out last couple of weeks as well, so becomes difficult at times to get an accurate measure. I'm home now, so should be much easier to do that - I do weight my food pretty much every time at home.

    Dmenchac - there is like a million threads that talk about how undereating can totally compromise on weight loss on stuff..! I guess that's more for diets that are less than 1200 Calories. But read at many places about 'net' calories and 'eating back' exercise calories, which doesn't fit into the whole calories in vs calories out mentality. Still quite confused about this. Example:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919346-still-think-your-1200-or-less-diet-is-a-good-idea

    Alright, I'm just going to stick with what I'm doing right now and hopefully I start seeing results soon... But others, please do advice as to if my numbers make sense.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    By eating at a 1000 calorie deficit while only wanting to lose 12 pounds, you may actually sacrifice the Lean Body Mass that you purposely tried to build. Typically the way to cut is then take a smaller calorie deficit while getting enough protein, to preserve the mass while losing the remaining weight.
  • corporatehippie
    corporatehippie Posts: 7
    I've somehow never lost muscle or strength even when I've cut down to 1500 Cals.. Continuing to train with weights to hold on to the muscle. But losing fat is no. 1 priority now, just not having any success or progress at the moment. Going to keep pushing, somethings gta give!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    I'm not talking about strength. And how do you know you haven't lost LBM along with fat while losing weight?
  • corporatehippie
    corporatehippie Posts: 7
    Well I'm assuming strength is a reflection of LBM - if I don't lose strength, I'm probably not losing LBM, right? Anyway, as I said, that's not as much a concern. The whole point of this thread was to figure why I'm not losing fat.

    I think Staci might have diagnosed the issue here. I've started being super sincere about my logging, and I get the feeling that that's what went wrong this entire time.. I think I was eating way more than I thought. Already lost a pound since I started logging properly 3 days ago! Hoping my progress will begin now. For others with similar issues - don't take logging lightly, MFP is a godsend but weigh your food and make sure you know EXACTLY how much you're eating!
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Well I'm assuming strength is a reflection of LBM - if I don't lose strength, I'm probably not losing LBM, right? Anyway, as I said, that's not as much a concern. The whole point of this thread was to figure why I'm not losing fat.

    I think Staci might have diagnosed the issue here. I've started being super sincere about my logging, and I get the feeling that that's what went wrong this entire time.. I think I was eating way more than I thought. Already lost a pound since I started logging properly 3 days ago! Hoping my progress will begin now. For others with similar issues - don't take logging lightly, MFP is a godsend but weigh your food and make sure you know EXACTLY how much you're eating!

    You could lose LBM without losing strength, the size and mass of the muscle isn't a reflection on the strength of it.
  • corporatehippie
    corporatehippie Posts: 7
    Man this is so strange. Been VERY sincere with recording everything I eat for the last week, and continued with Insanity. I measure my weight every day at the same time. Started at 178.8 lbs; Its fluctuated, bust last 4 days it has been 180+, today it was 181 lbs. Working my *kitten* off on the workouts and losing fat is number 1 priority in life right now - still no progress. Very disheartening. Going to continue though, maybe it will happen soon.
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Did you change your calorie goal or your workouts?
  • corporatehippie
    corporatehippie Posts: 7
    Nope.. Same workouts, same calorie goals. Made my diary public - might be 300-400 calories above my goal, but that shouldn't be anything on a 1000 Calorie / day deficit..
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    Well, as noted before 1,000 calories is a steep deficit for you. With the stress of the diet and exercise, you could be releasing cortisol, the stress hormone, which can prevent weight loss. Also, your sodium seems to be quite high, it could be water weight.

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