Down from 330 to 220; stalled

chrball
chrball Posts: 5
in Health and Weight Loss
I've lost about 110lbs in the last year, first by cutting calories and then adding in 1-2 hours of walking every day. This last month I dipped as low as 213 and back up to 220 where I seem to have stalled. While I'm happy with how much I have lost, i still see a lot of 'problem areas' particularly around mid-section (loose, sagging skin with a fair amount of subcutaneous fat but only in specific spots.

Cutting calories(1400 daily limit) and walking don't seem to be enough anymore - would I be better off switching to purely strength training rather than the 1-2 hours of walking? Also for anyone who dealt with loose skin after huge weight loss: does skin start to rebound immediately or should I get down to a much lower body fat % before seeing results? Thanks!

Replies

  • aserranzana16
    aserranzana16 Posts: 43 Member
    First, congratulations! What an amazing accomplishment. You must be stoked.

    With regard to the stall, it's likely that your body has just adapted to the level of activity you've been doing, and is doing it more efficiently now - which means less calories burned. You may want to try revving up your workouts with some light jogging, or uphill walking. While strength training definitely helps by adding muscle (which will burn more calories), I don't think switching completely from walking to strength training is going to get you the results you want.

    Awesome job so far, and keep up the good work!
  • chargraves
    chargraves Posts: 65 Member
    I agree with the previous poster's suggestion about adding strength training to your cardio. You have probably loss some muscle over the last year of weight loss. During the time your weight has stalled how closely have you been measuring your food? Eyeballing, weighing, measuring cups? 1400 calories sounds low for a 220 lb man but should have resulted in you losing weight almost too fast. I know how hard it is to fight your way through the 300s then down through the 200s! Congrats on the 110!
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    I'm 196 pound man eating around 2000 calories a day and losing weight. So my first thing is are you weighing and measuring your food accurately? That's weigh solids and measure liquids because if you're not losing you're not eating at a deficit. Also are you using accurate entries off the database? The other thing could be over estimating exercise calories. The more weight the smaller deficit you have so the more accurate you need to make sure you're calories counting is. If you open your diary people will be able to give more specific advice and point out anything that could be a problem.
  • Marlena0708
    Marlena0708 Posts: 27 Member
    I'm sorry I have no advice (I don't even know what the heck I'm doing and certainly can't advise anyone else), but I wanted to respond and congratulate you on the 110 lbs you've lost so far. That is truly an awesome, awesome accomplishment. Hat's off to you, friend. That is so great!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    number one you are a 26 year old young man eating less calories than me...yah not a good idea.

    Men should get a minimum of 1800 calories.

    as for the stall? how long? 1-2weeks..that's not a stall...4-6 weeks is...

    If it's been 4-6weeks you are either overestimating burns or under estimating intake and are eating maitenance.

    Get a food scale and weigh all solids and measure liquids and log accurately which means choosing the correct entries.

    As for the problem areas yes it's time (it was time last year actually) to pick up some heavy weights...

    I suspect you have lost a significant amount of muscle mass in that 110lbs...esp if you are eating such low calories.

    check out stronglifts or starting strength...
  • kjurassic
    kjurassic Posts: 571 Member
    I was walking 50-60 minutes a day and losing slow and steady. I started incorporating 15-25 minutes of light jogging into those walks. Woo Hoo - 18 pounds in 2 months instead of 16 in 3 months. Just a thought.....might work for you?....

Categories