4 week stall - weight and measurements - after adding weight routines - *DETAILED*

fordinajeep
fordinajeep Posts: 6 Member
edited May 2022 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey All,

THE INCIDENT:

I did search, and yes this is my first post. Gonna be a lengthy one, I want to detail everything to make sure I am not missing something.

I started losing weight over the last year, after I hit my COVID high of 403lbs. Over the year, I meandered down my weight from 403 to 317. This was purely just by walking and eating better and drinking a little bit less.

Feb 19th I had a medical scare, an ambulance ride, and a lengthy ER visit. I went to urgent care after feeling a bit light headed. Urgent care hooked me up to an EKG told me I was having a bad heart attack and they called for an ambulance. For the next 2 hours I thought I was checking out on life. Turns out I wasn't having a heart attack but had severe low potassium levels. Also the ER doc told me I was a type 2 diabetic (which blew my mind I get tested regularly for this and my A1C levels have always been in the 5.1 to 5.3 range). I was put on prescription potassium This was a huge wakeup call, scared the *kitten* out of me that I would check out on my kids early, and that i needed a massive lifestyle change. The ultimate motivator for me.

I had another fasting glucose test done 4 days after this event and it was 132 (32 points above normal). So I cut out all alcohol, bread, rice and potatoes and started following a primal type diet. I started tracking every single calorie, I bought a food scale, and have been weighing what I eat to determine calorie counts. I bought a fitness watch for heart rate monitoring as well. I went to a place and had my bodyfat % measured professionally so I could determine my BMR and TDEE and set my target deficit at 750 calories to try and lose 1.5lbs a week.

Over the course of the next 7 weeks I started hiking 5 times a week hit my goals and went from 317lbs to 293.8lbs. Was super stoked, Im on my last beltloop hole, pulled out my 2x shirts instead of my 3x shirts ect. At 3 weeks post medical incident I had my fasting glucose checked again and it was 88 (back to normal - low potassium can induce diabetic conditions come to find out). Once I started feeling good, and hit my target of being under 300lbs, my reward for that goal was starting to add in a lifting routine as well.

4 weeks ago: I signed up for a gym, I found a decent program to "ramp" me into a normal lifting routine. Week 1: 3 full body lifting workouts, week 2: 2 upper boddy, 2 lower body workouts, week3: push, pull, legs, push, pull, legs - 6 days in the gym. Then this week I did my split sets. I adjusted my calories, and moved my deficit to 500 calories instead of 750 to try and retain mass as I lose fat.


THE CORE ISSUE:

The second I touched weights my weight shot up 7lbs (I fully expected this of the extra water storage ). So I was back to 301. I figured a week or two it would come down and I would start losing again. It came down to 296 at the end of the week....and where it has stayed rock solid for 3 weeks. But what surprised me is my measurements havent changed either. Today is the end of week 4 lifting and my weight is.... 296.


CURRENT ROUTINE

MON - Chest, Tri, Calves, 28min of cardio (alternating between 120hr and 140hr)
279524785-999291360959658-7225503543203023735-n.jpg
TUES- Leg and Abs, 28min of cardio (steady 120hr)
279624120-294087539598093-7566452213952290917-n.jpg
WED: Shoulders and Calves, 40 minutes of cardio (alternating between 120hr and 140hr)
279853942-741303973528369-1674518156582794100-n.jpg
THURS: Back and Bicept, 28min of cardio (alternating between 120hr and 140hr)
279635008-1316017252222941-2548384658544140832-n.jpg
FRI: Legs and Abs, 28min of cardio (steady 120hr)
279510072-2072800536221243-2754332493813901701-n.jpg
SAT: Active rest day 45 minutes of cardio (alternating between 120hr and 140hr)
SUN: Full rest day

THE SUPPLEMENTS AND PRESCRIPTIONS:

Taking all 11 weeks:
Multivitamin
Probiotic
Amlodapine
Chlorthalidone
Potassium
AndroGel 1% (medically prescribed for Low T)

Started taking with lifting:
Protein Powder
Creatine
Glutamine
Collagen
Green Tea Extract
Dietary Fiber

MY BODY STATS:

Body Fat: 35.4%
Body Fat Mass: 104.8lbs
Lean Body Mass: 194.2lbs
Ideal Body Fat for given age: 15.5%
Body fat to lose to reach Ideal: 74.7lbs
Ideal weight for given age: 224.3lbs

279452750-704129887496252-57439945768473708-n.jpg

BMR, TDEE and Deficit:

Method: Kache
BMR: 2241
TDEE: 2689
DEFICIT: 500

RECENT GAINS:
- I destroyed all my PR's for leg day by 20-30lbs each lift
- My hips and thighs were down today, but nothing else
- Lifting heavier in general week by week
- My resting heart rate went from 88 to 65
- Blood pressure is down from 140s to low 120s and even in the high teens.

THEN VS NOW
Last year:
278456244-1015597792663245-1011280984585698154-n.jpg

Today:
20220504-075405-720.jpg

CONCLUSION:

I am at a loss as to what is going on and its been demotivating. I am still going, but my resolve is wavering. Just hoping I am doing something wrong that can be fixed. This week I did try and increase my deficit but with zero change. I hope I have enough detail here to maybe see where I am going wrong.

Replies

  • fordinajeep
    fordinajeep Posts: 6 Member
    edited May 2022
    quiksylver296 wrote: »
    You at Berserker?!? I recognize that gym!!!

    It's hard to hear, but just be patient. You are doing all the right things. Your body is shocked by the new exercise and is holding steady trying to figure out what you are doing to it. Can you commit to another six to eight weeks of staying the course? I can almost guarantee you'll see a whoosh on the scale in that time.

    Haha yep! On Chinden. And yep I am not stopping anytime soon, its just depressing to think about when I am at home.
  • nay0m3
    nay0m3 Posts: 178 Member
    @fordinajeep I can really relate to this! Though I am female and significantly smaller than you, I also actually GAINED weight when I started weight training. It was so frustrating, discouraging, depressing...I knowwww these feeling SO well! Especially when you are busting your *kitten!!! STICK WITH IT. I cannot encourage you enough to just hold in and think of the OTHER reasons you are doing this, whatever those might be! The changes will come. I promise you this. Consistency in the long game is the best approach. YOU GOT THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    Starting exercises will make you gain water weight due to glycogen going to the muscles to help repair them. No big deal. You will eventually lose that water weight once your body gets used to the exercise.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    Wow you’ve got some blooming amazing achievements right there! Congrats! The change in resting HR is amazing and you’re basically extending your life. Please be so proud!

    A few qns to consider:
    1) are you still doing as much hiking now you’re doing weights? If this has dropped off then your calorie burn may have too hence less of a deficit.
    2) have you updated your weight in MFP so that your BMR reflects the weight loss you’ve achieved?
    3) I imagine you are, but don’t forget to log the protein shake calories
    4) my god I know it’s hard to hear but …. HANG IN THERE! It’s soooo frustrating when you hit a stall but honestly one day it’ll change and you’ll be so glad you didn’t throw the towel in.
  • fordinajeep
    fordinajeep Posts: 6 Member
    edited May 2022
    sarabushby wrote: »
    Wow you’ve got some blooming amazing achievements right there! Congrats! The change in resting HR is amazing and you’re basically extending your life. Please be so proud!

    A few qns to consider:
    1) are you still doing as much hiking now you’re doing weights? If this has dropped off then your calorie burn may have too hence less of a deficit.
    2) have you updated your weight in MFP so that your BMR reflects the weight loss you’ve achieved?
    3) I imagine you are, but don’t forget to log the protein shake calories
    4) my god I know it’s hard to hear but …. HANG IN THERE! It’s soooo frustrating when you hit a stall but honestly one day it’ll change and you’ll be so glad you didn’t throw the towel in.

    Thanks!

    1. I have switched to indoor cardio and use a heart rate monitor to get my calorie burn. It has been fairly accurate in that regards. I do not use the machines (treadmill/elliptical) calorie estimations nor MyFitnesspals as they seem really high all the time. I also tend to always shoot under my target TDEE by some to account for overestimation even from the heart rate monitor.
    2. Yep, the TDEE and BMR are for my current weight.
    3. I log all calories. Im very meticulous in that regards. I weight out my butter and mayo if i use them too (and olive oil - all the hidden calories)
    4. For sure :)
  • fordinajeep
    fordinajeep Posts: 6 Member
    ccrdragon wrote: »
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    Starting exercises will make you gain water weight due to glycogen going to the muscles to help repair them. No big deal. You will eventually lose that water weight once your body gets used to the exercise.

    To add to this, creatine also pushes more water into the muscles (on top of the extra water for repairs).

    I hadnt thought about the creatine, thats a good point. But from everything I was reading stalling due to adding weightlifting typically last 2-3 weeks, so at the end of week for I was looking more for my measurements to change and they did not. But I guess adding all that water retention could be be "puffing" me up a hair so to speak.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,262 Member
    fordinajeep wrote: »
    sarabushby wrote: »
    Wow you’ve got some blooming amazing achievements right there! Congrats! The change in resting HR is amazing and you’re basically extending your life. Please be so proud!

    A few qns to consider:
    1) are you still doing as much hiking now you’re doing weights? If this has dropped off then your calorie burn may have too hence less of a deficit.
    2) have you updated your weight in MFP so that your BMR reflects the weight loss you’ve achieved?
    3) I imagine you are, but don’t forget to log the protein shake calories
    4) my god I know it’s hard to hear but …. HANG IN THERE! It’s soooo frustrating when you hit a stall but honestly one day it’ll change and you’ll be so glad you didn’t throw the towel in.

    Thanks!

    1. I have switched to indoor cardio and use a heart rate monitor to get my calorie burn. It has been fairly accurate in that regards. I do not use the machines (treadmill/elliptical) calorie estimations nor MyFitnesspals as they seem really high all the time. I also tend to always shoot under my target TDEE by some to account for overestimation even from the heart rate monitor.
    2. Yep, the TDEE and BMR are for my current weight.
    3. I log all calories. Im very meticulous in that regards. I weight out my butter and mayo if i use them too (and olive oil - all the hidden calories)
    4. For sure :)

    From your OP, it sounds like you may be doing interval workouts now? A heart rate monitor can over-estimate calories for interval-type workouts, though it's a little bit situational. The basic idea is that HR stays high for a bit after the work drops, and the HRM thinks the work has continued because the HR stays up. (I'm oversimplifying a bit . . . but it's a potential issue.)

    If you can find other alternative methods of estimating the specific type of exercise you're doing, compare those estimates, at least.

    Unfortunately, a HRM doesn't measure calories, it measures heartbeats and estimates calories. The further you get from moderate steady state cardio, the more questionable the estimate may be. This probably isn't enough difference to make a big difference, but it could be a small element of why things have changed.

    This is an oldie but goodie, as background, from a fitness pro who used to post here:

    https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Azdak?month=201003

    Like others, I think you're mostly seeing water weight effects, and just going on with your good work in a patient way will pay off. I get that it's frustrating, though!

    So far, your results make you a superstar. Sticking with this patiently, finding a solution (which may just be the patience!) - that will make you a mega-superstar. You're doing great. Keep up the goodness.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    edited May 2022
    Hope you're doing fine.
    Just to add on the whoosh: I just came out of a whoosh (I hope!). Lost more than 2kg of water after two more than 8 hour trips by train, with a city trip inbetween, followed by lots of long sitting meetings at work. The night before yesterday I actually woke up 4 times to go to the loo. This night was a bit better with just 2 times, and one more just after going to bed. Lets hope the whooshing has stopped now. I don't think I ever had such a huge one.

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