Help with maintaining muscle

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JohnW9211
JohnW9211 Posts: 3 Member
edited January 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, I have a bunch of questions I'm hoping someone can help me out with. I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

I've been obese my whole life. At one point in high school I was about 350 lbs. I started logging my weight with the Fitbit app back in 2014 and since then have tried to loose weight numerous times. My highest weight since I started tracking it was 324.6 lbs. I'm currently in the middle of my most successful attempt yet (I'm not quitting this time). As of today, I am about 220 lbs, and I've lost about 68 lbs since beginning on September 2, 2018. I've accomplished this simply through counting calories and the occasional HIIT cardio session on a treadmill. My goal is to get down to 200 lbs and then begin building some muscle.

The problem is, I've only been consuming 1,800 calories a day (not counting the days I gave in to my cravings and would go way overboard) and have not been doing any weight training. As a 26 year old male at 6' 3", I think this may have been a bit too extreme of a calorie deficit, especially since I wasn't incorporating any weight training into my regime. Now that I'm getting closer to my goal, I'm starting to realize that that was a mistake and I think I'm beginning to look kind of... flabby/skinny fat.

So I want to start doing some weight training. That leads me to my first couple of questions. First off, is 1,800 calories a day too low? I currently have a fairly active job, but it varies from day to day and I may soon be getting an office job to replace my current job. I want to keep losing weight, but I also want to maintain what little muscle I have left.

Second, I currently wear a Fitbit Versa. Is the estimated calories burned on those a fairly accurate figure to go by?

Third, can anyone recommend a good beginners weight training routine for loosing weight with the limited selection of weights available at a Planet Fitness? Once I hit my goal weight and begin focusing on building muscle I am go to switch to a local gym with a much better selection of equipment, but for now, I want to stick with the much cheaper Planet Fitness.

I've included some pictures to help illustrate my non-existent muscles :/

Thanks in advance. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

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Replies

  • JohnW9211
    JohnW9211 Posts: 3 Member
    edited January 2019
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    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Don't wait on the strength training start now. Congrats on your weight loss!!!!!

    Is 1800 to low? How much are you losing per week currently? With 20 pounds left you should be slowing any weight loss to a pound a week and when you get between 15-10 pounds slow that down even further to .5 a week.

    You will have to keep in mind changes from active job to a desk job will change your calorie needs will change. If/when you add in strength training, these will be added to MFP separately as you perform each workout.

    Have you gauged the data from your watch against your real world results? So if you take for example the last 4 weeks using your current calorie intake and your scale weight, does the calories burned per day equate to what is happening per your data?

    Lastly, being a newbie to strength training, you will build some muscle in a deficit. Ideally your calorie deficit should not be too aggressive as mentioned above, daily protein intake should support weight loss and your strength training.

    Beginner programs can be found in this link, I would look for a 3 x week total body program.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Thanks for the reply, Roxie. I’m averaging about 3 pounds a week right now, which sounds like it’s waaaay to fast at this point. I think I’m going to try increasing my daily calories.

    Are total body programs better for beginners than doing each muscle group on seperate days?
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
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    1800 is very low, you want to eat more on the days you lift but if you key your exercise into MFP it will automatically add those calories to your daily goal.

    Any program labeled suitable for beginners is fine to start with. The question is, what fits your life. The advantage to starting out with a full body routine 3x/week is that it's only 3 days a week. Starting with any kind of a split routine means you will be lifting 5-7 days a week and that's just generally harder to fit into life. Since it sounds like you only work out occasionally right now, then going with the fewer number of days is probably going to be an easier transition. You can keep doing the HIIT as well.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2019
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    JohnW9211 wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    Don't wait on the strength training start now. Congrats on your weight loss!!!!!

    Is 1800 to low? How much are you losing per week currently? With 20 pounds left you should be slowing any weight loss to a pound a week and when you get between 15-10 pounds slow that down even further to .5 a week.

    You will have to keep in mind changes from active job to a desk job will change your calorie needs will change. If/when you add in strength training, these will be added to MFP separately as you perform each workout.

    Have you gauged the data from your watch against your real world results? So if you take for example the last 4 weeks using your current calorie intake and your scale weight, does the calories burned per day equate to what is happening per your data?

    Lastly, being a newbie to strength training, you will build some muscle in a deficit. Ideally your calorie deficit should not be too aggressive as mentioned above, daily protein intake should support weight loss and your strength training.

    Beginner programs can be found in this link, I would look for a 3 x week total body program.

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Thanks for the reply, Roxie. I’m averaging about 3 pounds a week right now, which sounds like it’s waaaay to fast at this point. I think I’m going to try increasing my daily calories.

    Are total body programs better for beginners than doing each muscle group on seperate days?

    3 pounds a week is way to aggressive, you are wise to decrease your deficit now minimizing further muscle loss, this would be a high priority since you are close to goal.

    As a beginner you will benefit better from more frequency, helps you build up a base level of strength by working every muscle.
  • JohnW9211
    JohnW9211 Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks for the advice guys! I’m going to increase my calories by at least a couple hundred and adjust it from there as needed. I’m currently not counting my macros and have only been paying attention to calories. Should I switch and start counting macros as well? I probably haven’t been eating enough protein lately, so that’s probabaly contributing to some of the muscle loss as well.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    JohnW9211 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advice guys! I’m going to increase my calories by at least a couple hundred and adjust it from there as needed. I’m currently not counting my macros and have only been paying attention to calories. Should I switch and start counting macros as well? I probably haven’t been eating enough protein lately, so that’s probabaly contributing to some of the muscle loss as well.

    You need more than a couple of hundred calories. You're massively under eating.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    JohnW9211 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advice guys! I’m going to increase my calories by at least a couple hundred and adjust it from there as needed. I’m currently not counting my macros and have only been paying attention to calories. Should I switch and start counting macros as well? I probably haven’t been eating enough protein lately, so that’s probabaly contributing to some of the muscle loss as well.

    Several hundred not a couple of hundred!
    Yes it is well worth ensuring you get sufficient protein - it become more important as you get leaner, it gets more important as you exercise.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
    edited January 2019
    Options
    JohnW9211 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advice guys! I’m going to increase my calories by at least a couple hundred and adjust it from there as needed. I’m currently not counting my macros and have only been paying attention to calories. Should I switch and start counting macros as well? I probably haven’t been eating enough protein lately, so that’s probabaly contributing to some of the muscle loss as well.

    In your case, the only macro you really need to pay attention to is protein. It is fine to exceed your macro goals - think of your protein number as a minimum.

    Do change your weekly weight loss goal to a pound a week, as you are seriously undereating.

    Note: when you log weight lifting, do it in the Cardiovascular section - the Strength Training section is just for notes and will not give you exercise calories.
  • Katiebear_81
    Katiebear_81 Posts: 719 Member
    Options
    JohnW9211 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advice guys! I’m going to increase my calories by at least a couple hundred and adjust it from there as needed. I’m currently not counting my macros and have only been paying attention to calories. Should I switch and start counting macros as well? I probably haven’t been eating enough protein lately, so that’s probabaly contributing to some of the muscle loss as well.

    I would. If you're trying to maintain muscle mass, prioritizing protein sources will become a bit more important.

    And I agree with the others - a couple of hundred calories won't be enough. I'd probably add back in 500 calories, start lifting. Do this consistently for a month and see where you land.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
    Options
    JohnW9211 wrote: »
    Hey guys, I have a bunch of questions I'm hoping someone can help me out with. I apologize in advance for the length of this post.

    I've been obese my whole life. At one point in high school I was about 350 lbs. I started logging my weight with the Fitbit app back in 2014 and since then have tried to loose weight numerous times. My highest weight since I started tracking it was 324.6 lbs. I'm currently in the middle of my most successful attempt yet (I'm not quitting this time). As of today, I am about 220 lbs, and I've lost about 68 lbs since beginning on September 2, 2018. I've accomplished this simply through counting calories and the occasional HIIT cardio session on a treadmill. My goal is to get down to 200 lbs and then begin building some muscle.

    The problem is, I've only been consuming 1,800 calories a day (not counting the days I gave in to my cravings and would go way overboard) and have not been doing any weight training. As a 26 year old male at 6' 3", I think this may have been a bit too extreme of a calorie deficit, especially since I wasn't incorporating any weight training into my regime. Now that I'm getting closer to my goal, I'm starting to realize that that was a mistake and I think I'm beginning to look kind of... flabby/skinny fat.

    So I want to start doing some weight training. That leads me to my first couple of questions. First off, is 1,800 calories a day too low? I currently have a fairly active job, but it varies from day to day and I may soon be getting an office job to replace my current job. I want to keep losing weight, but I also want to maintain what little muscle I have left.

    Second, I currently wear a Fitbit Versa. Is the estimated calories burned on those a fairly accurate figure to go by?

    Third, can anyone recommend a good beginners weight training routine for loosing weight with the limited selection of weights available at a Planet Fitness? Once I hit my goal weight and begin focusing on building muscle I am go to switch to a local gym with a much better selection of equipment, but for now, I want to stick with the much cheaper Planet Fitness.

    I've included some pictures to help illustrate my non-existent muscles :/

    Thanks in advance. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

    I agree with the recommendation to start strength training now. Since you currently aren't, Planet Fitness will be fine for you as your starter gym. Just don't fall in love with any program that calls for equipment that yours doesn't have.

    For example - I believe there are popular programs that use barbells, such as StrongLifts, and PF's don't have heavy enough barbells or the needed Olympic barbells.

    (I'm fuzzy on the StrongLifts details; perhaps someone more knowledgeable will chime in.)

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