Feeling defeated with weight loss
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caseyjoappel
Posts: 3 Member
Hello I’m a 32 year old who’s goal is to lose weight & feel confident.
I’ve actively started watching what I eat since April of 22 I lost 30 lbs just on being consistent with better food choice which was a major win. I started going to the gym around Thanksgiving time & have since then lost another 5 lbs. I feel like I’ve hit a plateau with my weight stating the same. I do understand that I may be gaining muscle but I feel so defeated that the scale hasn’t moved. I’ve been really good about my food choices and always strive to hit my protein intake & don’t worry much about my fat or carb intake. I’ve been trying to go to the gym twice a day 6 days a week both 45 min sessions. (Signed on to do the 75 hard challenge with another friend of mine) I’m just lost of ideas on how to get my scale to moving again. I’m 5’7 and originally started at 250 & down to 215.
Any ideas tips or tricks or any supplements you recommend and why?
I’ve actively started watching what I eat since April of 22 I lost 30 lbs just on being consistent with better food choice which was a major win. I started going to the gym around Thanksgiving time & have since then lost another 5 lbs. I feel like I’ve hit a plateau with my weight stating the same. I do understand that I may be gaining muscle but I feel so defeated that the scale hasn’t moved. I’ve been really good about my food choices and always strive to hit my protein intake & don’t worry much about my fat or carb intake. I’ve been trying to go to the gym twice a day 6 days a week both 45 min sessions. (Signed on to do the 75 hard challenge with another friend of mine) I’m just lost of ideas on how to get my scale to moving again. I’m 5’7 and originally started at 250 & down to 215.
Any ideas tips or tricks or any supplements you recommend and why?
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Replies
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You haven't mentioned the one thing that really matters: how many calories are you eating? (How) are you tracking your food intake?5
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What is your protein intake goal? What is your average net calories each day? For reference, I'm a 6'3" male who is currently trying to drop from 200 down to 175 for my sport of bicycle racing. Weight falls off pretty quick when you run a calorie deficit. Using the app, I set my daily goal at 1650 calories. So if I did zero exercise, I would only eat 1650 which is a small deficit resulting in around 3/4 lb per week of weight loss. If I exercise, I eat what I need to properly fuel the workout, which is usually around 300 calories for a 90 minute bike ride. That same ride will burn around 1000 calories or more, but you don't need to eat to replace all those calories burned, just what you ate to fuel the workout should be good. If it is a rather intense workout, you can add another 100-200 calories of carbs afterwards to help with glycogen replenishment, but let the rest of the burned calories just add to the overall deficit. I can comfortably hold about a 600-700 calorie deficit on top of the original 400 calorie deficit from the 1650 daily goal, which equates to about 2 lbs per week. How similar is your plan to something like this?3
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Sorry I did leave out all the major details…
I’m currently at a 1500 calorie intake
I have my app set for 150 carbs 50 fat & protein 113g … i scan all my foods before eating to see where I’m at with my daily intake but cook alot as well usually a lot of protein chicken/steak and peppers & veggies.. only carb I will really indulge in is rice or sweet or a regular potato once in awhile..I’m also not a big eater I usually graze verses having big meals… Stress used to be a big trigger for me to over eat but now the gym is my “drug of choice” lol
My workouts consist of strength training for 45 and then another workout of 30 mins of strength training.. working upper body, core, glutes & hamstrings then finish off with 15/30 min treadmill inclined…0 -
If you have plateaued less than 2-3 weeks you may be retaining water. Plateau for more than 3-4 weeks you need to lower weekly calories. Twice a day training may me lowering your NEAT and affecting your TDEE. Too much training can be counterproductive in some situations.3
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IMO, HOW you are coming up with intake is important at this point. Are you using a food scale, measuring, eyeballing? How are you tracking servings?3
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caseyjoappel wrote: »Sorry I did leave out all the major details…
I’m currently at a 1500 calorie intake
I have my app set for 150 carbs 50 fat & protein 113g … i scan all my foods before eating to see where I’m at with my daily intake but cook alot as well usually a lot of protein chicken/steak and peppers & veggies.. only carb I will really indulge in is rice or sweet or a regular potato once in awhile..I’m also not a big eater I usually graze verses having big meals… Stress used to be a big trigger for me to over eat but now the gym is my “drug of choice” lol
My workouts consist of strength training for 45 and then another workout of 30 mins of strength training.. working upper body, core, glutes & hamstrings then finish off with 15/30 min treadmill inclined…
@Lietchi also asked another very important question: How are you tracking your food intake? @Carriehelene repeated that question, and I'll do the same. Are you using a food scale to measure completely and consistently? Are you accounting for every thing you eat this way?
That easily could be your answer.4 -
Tracking my food by the MyFitnessPal app with scanning the barcodes. I don’t use a scale sounds like I should invest in one. I consistently plan my meals around my goal intake each day & I document everything I have each day & plan ahead. My basic foods I eat are protein (shrimp chicken steak) veggies (broccoli cauliflower carrots peppers salads) hardly any fruits & the only dairy I eat is cottage cheese (small helpings) & a random cheese stick now and then. Carbs (white brown rice measured out) sweet potatoes/potatoes (rarely)
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I agree with the suggestion to measure your food by weighing on a kitchen scale in grams rather than using measuring cups or spoons. It can make a significant difference particularly if eating calorie dense food or food that is hard to guesstimate. When you are cooking for yourself it may be particularly important to measure things like cooking oils and to measure generally so as not to just put the extra half portion plus on the pan to cook/on your plate to eat because its too small of an amount to save. If you are cooking and eating it you should be measuring and recording it. There is a difference in calories between 4 and 7 oz of meat or potatoes …. Obviously! But sometimes when you are cooking for a family or even just yourself those extra three oz somehow don’t look like a full portion even though they are almost an entire portion, and so you end up eating more than you intended. Be sure you are paying attention to things like toppings (cream, cheese, guacamole, breadings etc.) and using and recording those accurately too. I am sure you are logging the calories in beverages, but don’t forget to log things like the milk or cream and sugar you add to coffee and tea, and to record the proper size pours of beverages including alcohol if you consume it. A glass of wine in a bar has grown from 4 ot 5 oz to sometimes be close to 8 or even 9. The same unintentional calorie creep can occur with caloric drinks of all varieties
Since you are doing two workouts a day (which to me seems like a lot, but if it works with your lifestyle and you can keep it up long term then great) maybe consider switching one entirely to cardio. Most of the work of losing weight happens for most people by cutting calories - the gym is for feeling good and staying healthy, but cardio combined with strength training is a great mix. Maybe alternate doing a spin or dance or boxing class one day and doing strength training another. And mix up your routine. It will burn more calories and hit your body differently. Sometimes getting out of a rut gets thing moving again.
Finally, don’t get worried even if you get stuck for a while. Eventually the weight will shift if you are keeping to the calorie limit you have set. I lost a significant amount of weight and I definitely hit plateaus that lasted several weeks for no apparent reason as I was losing. I think I was just hitting various points at which my body/mind felt the need to recalibrate for one reason or another but the trend of loss ultimately continued down.
good luck and stay positive! You are making good progress already!6 -
caseyjoappel wrote: »Tracking my food by the MyFitnessPal app with scanning the barcodes. I don’t use a scale sounds like I should invest in one. I consistently plan my meals around my goal intake each day & I document everything I have each day & plan ahead. My basic foods I eat are protein (shrimp chicken steak) veggies (broccoli cauliflower carrots peppers salads) hardly any fruits & the only dairy I eat is cottage cheese (small helpings) & a random cheese stick now and then. Carbs (white brown rice measured out) sweet potatoes/potatoes (rarely)
I'm cool with planning meals. It helps one make increasingly better choices when they see the Calories they're about to spend.
I'm semi-cool with scanning barcodes: I've seen the wrong info come up a few times so what was logged after scanning still needs to be double checked.
BUT HOW ON EARTH DO YOU BARCODE SCAN BROCCOLI?!?!? Or measure white or brown rice and potatoes without a scale? BTW: check out the nutritional values between potatoes and sweet potatoes and between white and brown rice. I do tend to over-eat white rice if I am not careful; but do you see the differences on paper? I see some minor ones. But not THAT many; but I digress!
In any case: hOW are these items barcode-readable or measurable without a scale!? I barcode scan my TV dinner or 'candy' bar... and still weight it, but that's just me...
When I first discovered MFP, I pre-bagged my snacks in already weighed and black markered baggies. And logged my food BEFORE eating it--as an inviolate "rule".
Doing so had a few unintended, but as it turns out, GOOD, consequences.2 -
I often put a measuring cup ON MY SCALE and pour in. The mass read on the scale sometimes, but usually doesn't, match what the mass would be based on the label for the volume.
For cooking oil, I put the bottle on the scale without the lid, tare out the scale to zero, pour into the pan, and weigh again. I am amazed how good I've become at pouring exactly 11 grams. Sometimes it's a bit off, so I log that.
Yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, or anything - always the scale. I'm pretty good at estimating a one-ounce (28 gram) hunk of cheese, but sometimes I am WAY off. Those little things can add up. Certainly if I bought some meat at the butcher, it's been weighed already since it's sold by weight; I can trust that if I want. But not if I buy something in a multi-pack. I don't buy deli meat, but I bet a bagel the slices aren't always exactly what the label says.
Now I want some cheese, but I don't think I can fit it in today. Maybe I'll take some tomorrow for a snack if I go for a hike.4 -
Side note, but strength training twice a day? Muscle grows during rest, I would give each muscle group 48 hours between training.
Also, strength training doesn't burn a lot of calories (but it's great for other reasons) so if you are eating back exercise calories and your strength calories are inflated, that won't help
But personally I would lower strength training a bit and replace with a bit more cardio.3 -
@caseyjoappel Awesome that you’re incorporating regular exercise. However I want to reiterate what others have said about your twice daily gym sessions with daily strength training. Is this something you can see yourself doing, well, for a really long time. Like years? Is this your normal practice? My daughter is an elite runner and doesn’t workout twice daily on a regular basis. Maybe a couple times a week.
Remember that we should approach this journey as trying to establish better health habits for life. If twice is something you have always done, great. But if this is just to lose weight, there’s a danger that you won’t or can’t keep up the regimen.
Also someone else mentioned—and I agree—that strength training requires rest to work—24 hours at a minimum per muscle group. It’s the repairing of muscle that builds it up. In fact, if you’re doing full body every day and you’re not feeling the effects of overtaxed muscles, it makes me wonder if you’re not lifting heavy enough. Lifting heavy really helps boost your strength and ultimately increases your metabolism. Do
upper body, core and lower body on different days giving those groups time to rest. Strength training really only needs to be 3-4 times per week, but if you split out by muscle group, it’s not as taxing to do every day.
Are you doing the exact same workout every day? You really should be mixing it up—endurance, speed, intervals. Also don’t just use the machines. Walk, run, swim, bike, hike. Try a new sport or hobby. This will inspire you mentally and physically. Your body adapts if you do the same workout so you will burn less and less over time.
I love your dedication. Try not to make it a slog but an exciting journey toward a healthier life.2 -
caseyjoappel wrote: »Tracking my food by the MyFitnessPal app with scanning the barcodes. I don’t use a scale sounds like I should invest in one. I consistently plan my meals around my goal intake each day & I document everything I have each day & plan ahead. My basic foods I eat are protein (shrimp chicken steak) veggies (broccoli cauliflower carrots peppers salads) hardly any fruits & the only dairy I eat is cottage cheese (small helpings) & a random cheese stick now and then. Carbs (white brown rice measured out) sweet potatoes/potatoes (rarely)
I'm cool with planning meals. It helps one make increasingly better choices when they see the Calories they're about to spend.
I'm semi-cool with scanning barcodes: I've seen the wrong info come up a few times so what was logged after scanning still needs to be double checked.
BUT HOW ON EARTH DO YOU BARCODE SCAN BROCCOLI?!?!? Or measure white or brown rice and potatoes without a scale? BTW: check out the nutritional values between potatoes and sweet potatoes and between white and brown rice. I do tend to over-eat white rice if I am not careful; but do you see the differences on paper? I see some minor ones. But not THAT many; but I digress!
In any case: hOW are these items barcode-readable or measurable without a scale!? I barcode scan my TV dinner or 'candy' bar... and still weight it, but that's just me...
When I first discovered MFP, I pre-bagged my snacks in already weighed and black markered baggies. And logged my food BEFORE eating it--as an inviolate "rule".
Doing so had a few unintended, but as it turns out, GOOD, consequences.
All of those things come in bags, many are even available in single serving bags/cups. I can’t think of a single food I eat that doesn’t come out of a bag or a box. I don’t track on MFP anymore and never once got a correct listing using the scanner, but I can see how any of those items could be scanned.0 -
Side note, but strength training twice a day? Muscle grows during rest, I would give each muscle group 48 hours between training.
Also, strength training doesn't burn a lot of calories (but it's great for other reasons) so if you are eating back exercise calories and your strength calories are inflated, that won't help
But personally I would lower strength training a bit and replace with a bit more cardio.
In addition to not resting being suboptimal, you could also be retaining a lot of water from this overtraining.3 -
I am 5'7" also and started April of last year. I had some health issues that lit a roaring fire under my butt so the first 6 months the weight fell right off. But since around November I also have platued. I was really getting discouraged. This week I started rationing like they did in Great Britain during world War 2. This might not be your answer but the point in me saying this is....I found an entertaining way of getting on with properly dieting again. I do watch my calorie intake but now have rations to help me stay even more in focus. It's a bit of a historic study also. This week the weight started falling off again. My birthday is in 9 days and I'm 4 pounds away from goal so there's another couple incentives. Also, April will be my one year anniversary of the health scare so I want to have gone from obese (April last year) to "normal" weight by then. I agree with what people are saying above, you do need a scale and to track more closely. But is there a fun way of going about this that might help you focus more? Is there incentives that can help motivate you to hit goals at certain times? You mentioned a challenge, that will likely help. You certainly don't need to work out more...it's sounds like your issue is likely strictly tracking calorie intake. Anyway, I do wish you the best in getting past this stall. I know how frustrating it is. It's almost enough to make a person want to give up...just don't do that! Keep on keeping on.3
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My number one suggestion is to buy a food scale. It took me over a year of tracking before I got one and it was eye opening how off I was (in either direction). Especially because things like a slice of bread on the package would say 27 grams was a serving, yet I never got a slice that wasn't 32-33 grams. And I was always way off on meat.
Second, try using measurements since you are weight lifting. Your weight could be staying the same while you are shrinking. Are your pants getting looser?
And third, please don't work out twice a day, 6 days a week. Even working out 6 days a week on the same muscles once a day will not allow them to grow. Here's how you know if it's too much: When you lift, are you lifting more than you did the time before? Do you feel energized while lifting? Or does it seem to get harder and you feel weak? If you are not consistently lifting a bit heavier or more reps each time, then it's time for a rest. Switch it up with cardio or long walks. Even my weight lifting husband who cannot go a day without working out (for the last 25+ years) will lift every other day and go for a run the days between.2 -
I agree that working out twice a day is probably excessive, and most likely unsustainable, as you will burn out. If you truly enjoy working out 6 days a week, I would suggest that you rotate one day upper body, one day lower body, one day core. Do each twice a week and there's your 6 days in the gym. And I would keep the cardio every day too.2
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I can attest that 1600 is maintenance for me, so at 1500 you may be closer to maintenance than you think? What’s your day job?0
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