I'm stuck
simonfishburn
Posts: 6 Member
Hello guys,
Last November (2014) I weighed 21 stone (300lb or so). I decided to lose the weight and have my goal be 15 stone (210lb). I cut my calories down to 1000-1300 a day instead of 2000, giving myself a 700-1000 deficit. I started exercising for 20 minutes 3-4 times a week and the weight just flew off. 6 months later I was down to 16 stone (224lb). Everything was going great. I met a girl and I got comfortable with myself for a while. I maintained weight completely at 224lb. That lasted until October when we broke up. I told myself that in December before Christmas I'd do one last push to try get myself to my goal....I only managed to get to 220lb before Christmas came round. During Christmas I put on 6lb and now weigh around 228lb. January first came I started back on my diet of 1300 calories a day, I started going to the gym and doing cardio for 30 minutes on the crosstrainer (elliptical) which burnt 550 calories in 30 minutes according to my weight. This and what I was eating, the weight should of started flying off again. I also started doing heavy weight training to try maximise the amount of afterburner effect for more calories to burn. It's now week 3 and I am still the same weight and don't look like I've lost any body fat. I am still 32% body fat with a large overhang of skin on my waist from the rapid 6 month weight loss, which I am going to need a tummy tuck to remove. My goal would be to get to 20% body fat before I go for this operation. If within 4 weeks of training for 6 hours a week I haven't lost anything, what am I doing wrong? Am I cutting down too much my body thinks it's starving and is hoarding fat storage? Is my body used to the 6 months of crosstraining I did before? I'm getting really frustrated with myself as I am very close to my goal and don't want to get disheartened!
Please help
Last November (2014) I weighed 21 stone (300lb or so). I decided to lose the weight and have my goal be 15 stone (210lb). I cut my calories down to 1000-1300 a day instead of 2000, giving myself a 700-1000 deficit. I started exercising for 20 minutes 3-4 times a week and the weight just flew off. 6 months later I was down to 16 stone (224lb). Everything was going great. I met a girl and I got comfortable with myself for a while. I maintained weight completely at 224lb. That lasted until October when we broke up. I told myself that in December before Christmas I'd do one last push to try get myself to my goal....I only managed to get to 220lb before Christmas came round. During Christmas I put on 6lb and now weigh around 228lb. January first came I started back on my diet of 1300 calories a day, I started going to the gym and doing cardio for 30 minutes on the crosstrainer (elliptical) which burnt 550 calories in 30 minutes according to my weight. This and what I was eating, the weight should of started flying off again. I also started doing heavy weight training to try maximise the amount of afterburner effect for more calories to burn. It's now week 3 and I am still the same weight and don't look like I've lost any body fat. I am still 32% body fat with a large overhang of skin on my waist from the rapid 6 month weight loss, which I am going to need a tummy tuck to remove. My goal would be to get to 20% body fat before I go for this operation. If within 4 weeks of training for 6 hours a week I haven't lost anything, what am I doing wrong? Am I cutting down too much my body thinks it's starving and is hoarding fat storage? Is my body used to the 6 months of crosstraining I did before? I'm getting really frustrated with myself as I am very close to my goal and don't want to get disheartened!
Please help
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Replies
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Survival mode is bunk. Bodies need energy to work, to move, to digest, to repair, to grow etc. . When they have less energy coming in they will use stored energy (ie fat etc.) or they will stop/ slow down on growth, repair, movement etc.
If your hair and nails are still growing as usual, skin is not horribly dry and you can still get out of bed then your energy needs are being met. If you are not losing or gaining - then you maintaining. Check your logging for accuracy and check that you are not over-estimating your workout burns and over-eating those cals.
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In my opinion, starvation mode is not bunk.
When MFP lowered my calorie allowance down to 1200, I stopped losing weight. For 6 months. And it was horrible.
I got depressed, working so hard, day in, day out. I weighed everything, took my pre-made lunches into work, cooked everything from scratch - put still stopped losing.
I assume it depends on who you speak to, as to what their viewpoint is on it. But I spoke to a nutritionist, who said that starvation mode happens after 4 consistent days of eating too little, then the body starts keeping hold of everything.
I'm back up to 1600 calories a day, and I'm losing again.
But I can only speak from experience.0 -
ZombieLauren wrote: »In my opinion, starvation mode is not bunk.
When MFP lowered my calorie allowance down to 1200, I stopped losing weight. For 6 months. And it was horrible.
I got depressed, working so hard, day in, day out. I weighed everything, took my pre-made lunches into work, cooked everything from scratch - put still stopped losing.
I assume it depends on who you speak to, as to what their viewpoint is on it. But I spoke to a nutritionist, who said that starvation mode happens after 4 consistent days of eating too little, then the body starts keeping hold of everything.
I'm back up to 1600 calories a day, and I'm losing again.
But I can only speak from experience.
Oh my....that nutritionist is wrong.0 -
Bodies cant run on fresh air, if calorie requirenents remain similar then the energy has to come from somewhere. If calories were being stored as fat where would the energy come from?
Calorie requirement may reduced by not growing skin cells or nails or moving way way less and adaptive thermogenesus may kick in after prolonged under eating but that effect is marginal0 -
Tighten up on your logging. Make sure your measurements are correct. If you were really eating only 1300 calories AND burning 500 then you'd be losing like crazy (and too aggressively).
You're probably eating more than you think and burning less than you think.0 -
You're not losing any fat because you're starving yourself and the body's trying to store it all. Starvation mode doesn't work. Look at it this way; I'm 209, female, work out less than you, and am losing 2-3 pounds/week on 1800 calories a day.
My advise; bump your calories back up to maintenance for a few weeks, reset your body, then set your allowance to at LEAST 1600 (preferably higher).
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If its only been a few weeks of weight stalled AND you started a new weight training program: you could easily be retaining water for muscle repair due to the new training. Make a reasonable effort to be accurate on your food logging, but at this point its too soon to panic due to lack of change on the scale. Give it another 3-4 weeks.
Plus, if you're a guy (assuming so from your name/picture) then reevaluate your calories. Your total daily energy expenditure and calorie needs are perhaps higher than you think. Not something that will stall weight loss, but could hinder your ability to meet your nutritional needs.0 -
Eat to perform!0
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Hmm I've always logged exactly the same way I am today, I log pretty accurately I'd say, and even for discrepancies, MFP, to lose 2lb a week at my BMR, I should be eating 1580 calories, obviously I'm working out 3-4 times a week including 2 hours of cardio in that a week and 3-4 hours of weight training per week in those sessions....and I always come in under 1300 calories a day, so even if I wasn't being 100% accurate, I doubt I'm 280 calories worth of inaccurate. Guess I'll just stick at it and see what happens!
Thanks for your replies guys0 -
A few things...are you weighing your food? And are you taking off your TDEE or your BMR (it should be the former)?
1300 is too low for a male, especially at your size. You should be aiming for more and logging more accurately.0 -
ZombieLauren wrote: »In my opinion, starvation mode is not bunk.
When MFP lowered my calorie allowance down to 1200, I stopped losing weight. For 6 months. And it was horrible.
I got depressed, working so hard, day in, day out. I weighed everything, took my pre-made lunches into work, cooked everything from scratch - put still stopped losing.
I assume it depends on who you speak to, as to what their viewpoint is on it. But I spoke to a nutritionist, who said that starvation mode happens after 4 consistent days of eating too little, then the body starts keeping hold of everything.
I'm back up to 1600 calories a day, and I'm losing again.
But I can only speak from experience.
If that were true then why do people who are actually starving have no fat?0 -
Either open up your logs or give a food breakdown. I have trouble believing you are not feeling massive hunger on a true 1300cal/day diet. You didn't give your height so off bf % your like 5'7" ish. You can easily lose weight at a much higher #. Which means if your maintaining there is an extra 1000+ cals in your food.0
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ZombieLauren wrote: »In my opinion, starvation mode is not bunk.
When MFP lowered my calorie allowance down to 1200, I stopped losing weight. For 6 months. And it was horrible.
I got depressed, working so hard, day in, day out. I weighed everything, took my pre-made lunches into work, cooked everything from scratch - put still stopped losing.
I assume it depends on who you speak to, as to what their viewpoint is on it. But I spoke to a nutritionist, who said that starvation mode happens after 4 consistent days of eating too little, then the body starts keeping hold of everything.
I'm back up to 1600 calories a day, and I'm losing again.
But I can only speak from experience.
If that were true then why do people who are actually starving have no fat?
Because they're not eating ANYTHING.
They're not even eating enough for the body to hold on to. Anorexics have the same problem. That's not what I'm talking about.
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My diet is pretty impeccable too....
50g of porridge at 8am, 200 calories
Banana at 11am - 100cal
Subway salad at 1.30pm, 200 calories
Apple at 4pm - 80 calories
Different dinner every night, most likely something such as roast chicken with no skin and boiled potatoes with mixed veg, calories can vary, either way that leaves 1000 calories to play with for dinner and it's never over 700.
I also do quite a lot of walking around at work, more active than my last job before I stopped dieting. More exercise than before too, nothing else has changed, I just seem to have stopped losing.0 -
ZombieLauren wrote: »ZombieLauren wrote: »In my opinion, starvation mode is not bunk.
When MFP lowered my calorie allowance down to 1200, I stopped losing weight. For 6 months. And it was horrible.
I got depressed, working so hard, day in, day out. I weighed everything, took my pre-made lunches into work, cooked everything from scratch - put still stopped losing.
I assume it depends on who you speak to, as to what their viewpoint is on it. But I spoke to a nutritionist, who said that starvation mode happens after 4 consistent days of eating too little, then the body starts keeping hold of everything.
I'm back up to 1600 calories a day, and I'm losing again.
But I can only speak from experience.
If that were true then why do people who are actually starving have no fat?
Because they're not eating ANYTHING.
They're not even eating enough for the body to hold on to. Anorexics have the same problem. That's not what I'm talking about.
It's the same thing let's not discuss it here. There are threads dedicated to this. You should go read them. So you can know more about the myth. People aren't magic physics and the laws of thermodynamics applies. Let OP know if you have anymore advice for him that wont just lead him to gaining.0 -
I'm aware that there are different opinions about starvation mode, however, I stated that my post was my opinion, and I'd like to remind people to be respectful of other peoples opinions, instead of outright saying they're wrong. Especially when there are scientific studies covering either side of the argument, with no definitive answer.
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simonfishburn wrote: »My diet is pretty impeccable too....
50g of porridge at 8am, 200 calories
Banana at 11am - 100cal
Subway salad at 1.30pm, 200 calories
Apple at 4pm - 80 calories
Different dinner every night, most likely something such as roast chicken with no skin and boiled potatoes with mixed veg, calories can vary, either way that leaves 1000 calories to play with for dinner and it's never over 700.
I also do quite a lot of walking around at work, more active than my last job before I stopped dieting. More exercise than before too, nothing else has changed, I just seem to have stopped losing.
Are the items all bring weighed? Do you measure all ingredients and sauces used? What are you drinking? Every banana isn't 100cal, that subway salad is only if 0 dressing, you could be having a craft bear at 400 cal with dinner.0 -
ZombieLauren wrote: »I'm aware that there are different opinions about starvation mode, however, I stated that my post was my opinion, and I'd like to remind people to be respectful of other peoples opinions, instead of outright saying they're wrong. Especially when there are scientific studies covering either side of the argument, with no definitive answer.
I would like to see your scientific studies. Because you are wrong and spreading misinformation to people looking for help is dangerous.0 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »ZombieLauren wrote: »I'm aware that there are different opinions about starvation mode, however, I stated that my post was my opinion, and I'd like to remind people to be respectful of other peoples opinions, instead of outright saying they're wrong. Especially when there are scientific studies covering either side of the argument, with no definitive answer.
I would like to see your scientific studies. Because you are wrong and spreading misinformation to people looking for help is dangerous.
This. There are no legitimate studies out there showing that "starvation mode" as you're touting it is real.0 -
EAT TO PERFORM! Firm believer in the don't starve your body with low cal intakes, give your body the energy it needs...I too think that 1300 per day is low
I'm 5ft 7 currently 84Kg and on a net deficit of 1200, I train 5-6hrs per week and I wouldn't be abel to train as I do on just 13000 -
louisedbatchelor1983 wrote: »EAT TO PERFORM! Firm believer in the don't starve your body with low cal intakes, give your body the energy it needs...I too think that 1300 per day is low
I'm 5ft 7 currently 84Kg and on a net deficit of 1200, I train 5-6hrs per week and I wouldn't be abel to train as I do on just 1300
Yeah I'd agree with what your saying if he was losing to fast and experiencing fatigue/I'll health. At this point I'm not convinced the cals in is accurate. I'm also 5'7" at 157 down from 240. A base tdee at my current weight is still 2100 cal. Which means at a 1300cal per wk diet he would be at a massive deficit and losing a lot maybe to much weight. Though that's not the problem being seen.
Also op I noticed you are measuring your progress by bf% and not weight. Why are you doing that? Is your actual weight dropping? Devices that measure bf% have fluctuations and the % will go down slower than actual #s.0 -
ZombieLauren wrote: »ZombieLauren wrote: »In my opinion, starvation mode is not bunk.
When MFP lowered my calorie allowance down to 1200, I stopped losing weight. For 6 months. And it was horrible.
I got depressed, working so hard, day in, day out. I weighed everything, took my pre-made lunches into work, cooked everything from scratch - put still stopped losing.
I assume it depends on who you speak to, as to what their viewpoint is on it. But I spoke to a nutritionist, who said that starvation mode happens after 4 consistent days of eating too little, then the body starts keeping hold of everything.
I'm back up to 1600 calories a day, and I'm losing again.
But I can only speak from experience.
If that were true then why do people who are actually starving have no fat?
Because they're not eating ANYTHING.
They're not even eating enough for the body to hold on to. Anorexics have the same problem. That's not what I'm talking about.
Where is the cut off? What is the amount of calories that makes you hold on to fat?0 -
simonfishburn wrote: »Hello guys,
Last November (2014) I weighed 21 stone (300lb or so). I decided to lose the weight and have my goal be 15 stone (210lb). I cut my calories down to 1000-1300 a day instead of 2000, giving myself a 700-1000 deficit. I started exercising for 20 minutes 3-4 times a week and the weight just flew off. 6 months later I was down to 16 stone (224lb). Everything was going great. I met a girl and I got comfortable with myself for a while. I maintained weight completely at 224lb. That lasted until October when we broke up. I told myself that in December before Christmas I'd do one last push to try get myself to my goal....I only managed to get to 220lb before Christmas came round. During Christmas I put on 6lb and now weigh around 228lb. January first came I started back on my diet of 1300 calories a day, I started going to the gym and doing cardio for 30 minutes on the crosstrainer (elliptical) which burnt 550 calories in 30 minutes according to my weight. This and what I was eating, the weight should of started flying off again. I also started doing heavy weight training to try maximise the amount of afterburner effect for more calories to burn. It's now week 3 and I am still the same weight and don't look like I've lost any body fat. I am still 32% body fat with a large overhang of skin on my waist from the rapid 6 month weight loss, which I am going to need a tummy tuck to remove. My goal would be to get to 20% body fat before I go for this operation. If within 4 weeks of training for 6 hours a week I haven't lost anything, what am I doing wrong? Am I cutting down too much my body thinks it's starving and is hoarding fat storage? Is my body used to the 6 months of crosstraining I did before? I'm getting really frustrated with myself as I am very close to my goal and don't want to get disheartened!
Please help
I suggest you wait until you've been at your goal weight for two years before having the tummy tuck. Other posters have said it takes this long for their skin to snap back. You're 21, so you have youth and elasticity going for you.
Unfortunately, it also seems like you have impatience going on as well. Your body is likely holding on to water due to your new exercise regimen. Give it time.
Also, exercise burns tend to be inflated so only eat back half of what you're told you earned. You can change this manually in MFP - the number you're given is editable.
But do have base calories of 1500, as lower for a man is not healthier.
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