Weight loss seems to have stopped - advice please

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So since December until now i have been exercising and reduced my calorie intake to 15,000 a week (my TDEE is 17,600), to decrease my body fat and build muscle (consuming 1g protein per lbs of body weight). I have gone from 12st 8ibs to 10st 10ibs and appear to have built muscle that i never had before, also the fat lose showing muscles i didn't know i had. However as it has now been 4 months i feel like things have come to a real slow or stop. I want to continue dropping my body fat %, while building muscle if possible. As currently based on pictures and what my scales and calipers are telling me i'm around 15% ish.

Any advice on how to progress from here would be a real help, thanks in advance!

Replies

  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
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    As you get closer to goal the weight loss is slower.

    You say it seems like it has stopped, has it actually stopped or just slowed down?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    It's totally normal for weight loss to slow, would be strange if it didn't.
    Your effective calorie deficit is reducing as you get lighter. Which is it - slowed or stopped?

    As regards building muscle first thing I would look at is your training, is your volume and intensity still appropriate for where you are now?
  • Jamesb2405
    Jamesb2405 Posts: 19 Member
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    You've lost 26 pounds in about 16 weeks. You weigh 150 pounds now (if my math is right).

    Not sure what the problem is. At 15% body fat, you should expect it to be a much slower process.

    And you should want it to be a much slower process too.

    How tall are you? How old are you? Also understand that at that size and relatively low body fat level, it is not going to be likely that you'll build muscle in the deficit that you use.

    Expectations and patience are the biggest advice I can give you, but it's a bit incomplete without more information.

    What does your exercise consist of? Are you strength training? If so, how (i.e. what type of program)?

    So I'm just about maintaining on those numbers, I'm wondering if I should go onto the tdee of 17,600 for a few weeks and see what happens.

    I'm only 5ft 6 and 28 years old, I've dabbled in weights in the past but 2 months of continuous gyming was all. I feel like I've really found my stride this time as I sorted my diet out aswell.

    For training I'm doing a lower/upper split, I'll do upper 2x and lower 1x and rotate it the next week. With each upper lower having 2 different workouts. So in a sense a/b/a then b/a/b, I hope that makes sense.
  • Jamesb2405
    Jamesb2405 Posts: 19 Member
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  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    I'd stop looking for scale #s to drop and continue your training with the focus on progressive weight loading and sufficient nutrition to support your training. That might mean increasing calories a bit.