Near the end of my journey but new job throwing things off

Or maybe your new job is making your Fitbit inaccurate and you aren't really having those massive deficits?
Perhaps interpreting some of your job related movements as walking steps?
(A bit like the step counter on my phone tells me I've done thousands of steps when it's in my pocket when I'm cycling.....)

Personally I would give a major change in your routine at least a month to settle out in case there are water weight related issues from adjusting to your new job. It wouldn't take much soreness to mask a half pound a week fat loss.

The_evildead wrote: »

So I am nearing the end of my weight loss journey about 2-3 lbs left to lose I started a new very physical warehouse job two weeks ago which according to fitbit has me burning 3500-4000 calories a day. I am struggling to eat anywhere near enough each day so my deficits are up to 1000 cal plus at least 3 days a week yet my weight is staying the same any ideas ? Do I just need to eat more to make my body let go of the last few lbs ? For reference I am 5 foot 6 inches and I weigh 149lbs was losing previously at a rate of 1/2 pound a week

I would first of all think that your fitbit is wrong. So ignore that. With this new job would you be classed as lightly active, active or very active? This depends, among other things on steps per day outside of exercise. Adjust your MFP settings to that. Then maybe change your settings to maintenance and eat at that for at least 2 weeks or so, just to get used to it. Observe what happens on the scale. The run a small deficit, maybe 0.5lbs per week. Weight loss should pick up again.

edit: just saw your answer above. That would probably be very active then. So change your settings to that to start with. And completely ignore the fitbit.

Two weeks in the new job, depending on what you did before, is maybe still also a zone where scale results could be muddled because of some water retention related to increased activity. I think your going forward plan outlined above is a good one. Be alert for too-fast loss as a possibility, too, if there is a water-weight component, after it starts to moderate. Your job sounds *very* active.

misterdenis wrote: »

The_evildead wrote: »

I should add I feel like I am losing weight just not showing on the scales

Could very well be. I’m no expert but I would tend to say that maybe you’re building more muscle due to your active job, which compared to volume is more massive than fatty tissue. In other words 1 kg of muscle takes up less space than 1 kg of fat, so you may feel slimmer but be converting tissue.

Do you take measurements as well? I never used to but when I hit a plateau a few years ago I started doing it and realized I wasn’t losing weight, but was losing waist.

Unfortunately, muscle gain just isn't very fast. (I wish!) A couple of pounds a month of mass gain would be a good result for a man (which OP is) under ideal conditions. Ideal conditions include a calorie *surplus*, a good progressive strength training faithfully performed, good nutrition (especially but not exclusively protein), relative youth, good genetics. Some of those don't apply to OP, it sounds like (others may).

On the flip side, half a pound a week (that same 2 pounds a month) is about the slowest observable realistic rate of fat loss, and it can take weeks for that to show up clearly amongst fluctuations.

Strength gains can be pretty fast (from neuromuscular adaptation, i.e., better recruiting and using existing muscle fibers, not from gain of new muscle fibers, i.e. mass gain), especially for beginners or people resuming strength training after a long hiatus. Some increased definition or firmness can show up fairly quickly (on a person without a lot of subcutaneous fat covering the muscle structure), for reasons related to pump and the water retention in the muscle for repair. Mass gain, sadly slow. Months, not 2 weeks in a more active job, unfortunately.

The_evildead wrote: »

Think this might be the best approach mfp gives me 2790 for maintain at very active so will just eat at that all week and hopefully the days I work will balance out and make the small loss I need

Just keep in mind that the final few pounds can wait. It is far more important right now to get your energy needs met so that you don't end up fatigued and struggling to perform your new job. If you are experiencing water retention it may be weeks before the scale catches up with you again so try not to let that get in your head.