I lost 75lbs, now in the final 25lb stretch.. but stuck! Give me your advice

[janesays]

Hi all,

Been a longtime lurker on bb.com and active on my profile, but this is my first real post in the forums. I have been doing really well overall in turning my life and health around, but for the past 2 months I have been at a plateau and it's really starting to get to me and I am losing my patience, something I usually have. I am looking for others' opinions here please.

A back story if you want to give a personalized opinion: While I have done tons of diets and quick fixes, it was a little over a year ago when I finally decided to get focused and just change my life.. for good. I am 5'8" and, at my highest, weighed 260lbs. Through the next 8 months, I lost about 60lbs. This wasn't that hard on my body-- since before I was eating out all the time, easily eating 3000 cals a day or more, so through counting calories I slowly cut that down piece by piece. But of course as I get smaller, I needed to eat less calories to maintain that rapid weightloss. I hit my first real plateau in January, and for a few months (late feb-late april) I dropped my cals down way too low.. my guess is about 1000-1200 cals a day. I wasn't really exercising those months, probably because I didn't even have the energy to do it anyways without the cals, but I dropped down another 15 lbs to 185. But I finally got it through my head in May to start eating a better amount again and pick up the hardcore exercising again, just because while I want to be skinny, being skinny-fat would be worse than being fat!!

For the past 2 months, I have been working out about 5-6X a week (2X a week with a trainer). A typical workout for me is 5-10 minutes interval cardio warmup (heart rate at 155-170), 20-30 min circuit weight training (aim to squeeze it into the 20 min by cutting down the breaks between sets). Also, about 3X a week I run 5k. I don't workout long, but I workout hard.

So, my problem! For these same past 2 months, some days the scale goes down still, but some days I have also gained back (currently at 186-- same weight I was at the end of April). I obviously still have fat to lose, and while I have made tremendous progress, I have the hardest part ahead of me still. Ultimately I would like to maintain at 160lbs.

My diet has improved a LOT, but I am curious to know what everyone else here thinks. My trainer has his opinion but I want to hear everyone else on here. Right now, I am eating 1600-1800 cals a day (heavier cardio days it is always on the higher end). I eat that over 5-6 small meals a day. I can give a typical daily meal plan for me if necessary. Reading other threads here, I feel like this is a good number... but obviously my body has not been reflecting that lately. It almost (ALMOST) makes me want to go back down to that unhealthy and unrealistic calorie intake of 1000-1200 a day! Because then, I was losing weight and clothing sizes. I have gotten so used to losing lbs and buying smaller jeans every time I go shopping, that I now get pissed off that I am maintaining-- I'm not ready to maintain yet! Of my 185lbs, my lean body mass is 129lbs... you can do the math (k- I will.... 30% BF!).

What is going on? Did I ruin my metabolism by going down that low in cals a few months ago, and now that I am back to "normal" diet cals I am gaining weight? And it can't all be muscle weight gain the past 2 months-- or else I would still be losing inches, right? Is it a problem of my diet or a problem of my exercising, or both, or neither? Am I just being impatient? Help me please! I am feeling desperate, and that may be what got me into this situation in the first place!

Thanks in advance. So glad I found this site and all the motivating/educated people that come here!

[glen666]

If you have been doing this with no breaks for a long time I would say take a week off diet and gym eat more calories dont go mad but dont go in deflict and then straight back on the diet after the week off.

I try and take a week off every 10-12 weeks.

[GluabeCY]

Well ... first of all, a big "BRAVO" for your progress . I ve lost a lot of weight too. But now i got stucked (same as you). I need to lose another 6-8lbs to get a flat stomach . Im not fat now . I just got some subborn fat left on my midsection and chest. But i know one thing . For the last 3 months i havent changed a lot even if im trying harder and harder than before.The trick is to keep doing what you do . Keep it up. Try harder. It doesnt matter if you got stucked . Try other things ---> Experiment with your body . Eventually if you keep trying you will lose weight . Your body uses its last defense against fat loss . If you keep fighting , you will win . Simple as that .


One of my favourite quotes :

''Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.'' William A. Foster quotes

Cheers

Gluabe

[DJohnson]

After losing around 80lbs I was plateaued for 2 months at 12% without making any changes. What finally got me "un-stuck" was switching to a high-protein carb cycling. Seems my body doesn't like going under 12% bodyfat without cutting carbs.

Not gonna lie to you, sometimes you gotta go kinda low on the calories, especially if you have a desk job or something similar. Obviously if you're not losing weight something is going to have to give. Try lowering carbs upping protein but if that isn't enough then you'll have to add activity or drop kcal.

Cut out the cheats. Only allow cheats that work into your kcal and macros. It's just until you start maintaining. Cutting is harder than maintaining, you probably will have to make some sacrifices.

[Spacehead]

Yeah if you aren't losing weight, you are getting too much calories.

When you are getting 1200 kcals for 5 days and then cheat on two, it doesn't do that much damage.

But, if you now get 1800 kcals and cheat over it sometimes, you see why you gain weight back?

So, keep your calories at 1400-1500, but don't cheat, stay on it, you will lose weight.
There isn't plateaus, there is only poor discipline.

If you get too tired and hungry with all that cardio, cut it back to 2-3 times a week. It is better to eat less that exhaust your mind and body.

[Exilict]

I am in the same spot you are!

I went from almost 300lbs to 220, now trying to get rid of that last 20 lbs seems light a night mare.

My problem, I was looking at the scale! Muscle was growing all around, and I was still losing inches off of my gut. But the scale kept giving me a crappy number.

Trust measurements, not the scale!

-C

[GluabeCY]

Originally Posted by Exilict

I am in the same spot you are!

I went from almost 300lbs to 220, now trying to get rid of that last 20 lbs seems light a night mare.

My problem, I was looking at the scale! Muscle was growing all around, and I was still losing inches off of my gut. But the scale kept giving me a crappy number.

Trust measurements, not the scale!

-C

Exactly

[xenotick]

Originally Posted by janesays

Hi all,

Been a longtime lurker on bb.com and active on my profile, but this is my first real post in the forums. I have been doing really well overall in turning my life and health around, but for the past 2 months I have been at a plateau and it's really starting to get to me and I am losing my patience, something I usually have. I am looking for others' opinions here please.

A back story if you want to give a personalized opinion: While I have done tons of diets and quick fixes, it was a little over a year ago when I finally decided to get focused and just change my life.. for good. I am 5'8" and, at my highest, weighed 260lbs. Through the next 8 months, I lost about 60lbs. This wasn't that hard on my body-- since before I was eating out all the time, easily eating 3000 cals a day or more, so through counting calories I slowly cut that down piece by piece. But of course as I get smaller, I needed to eat less calories to maintain that rapid weightloss. I hit my first real plateau in January, and for a few months (late feb-late april) I dropped my cals down way too low.. my guess is about 1000-1200 cals a day. I wasn't really exercising those months, probably because I didn't even have the energy to do it anyways without the cals, but I dropped down another 15 lbs to 185. But I finally got it through my head in May to start eating a better amount again and pick up the hardcore exercising again, just because while I want to be skinny, being skinny-fat would be worse than being fat!!

For the past 2 months, I have been working out about 5-6X a week (2X a week with a trainer). A typical workout for me is 5-10 minutes interval cardio warmup (heart rate at 155-170), 20-30 min circuit weight training (aim to squeeze it into the 20 min by cutting down the breaks between sets). Also, about 3X a week I run 5k. I don't workout long, but I workout hard.

So, my problem! For these same past 2 months, some days the scale goes down still, but some days I have also gained back (currently at 186-- same weight I was at the end of April). I obviously still have fat to lose, and while I have made tremendous progress, I have the hardest part ahead of me still. Ultimately I would like to maintain at 160lbs.

My diet has improved a LOT, but I am curious to know what everyone else here thinks. My trainer has his opinion but I want to hear everyone else on here. Right now, I am eating 1600-1800 cals a day (heavier cardio days it is always on the higher end). I eat that over 5-6 small meals a day. I can give a typical daily meal plan for me if necessary. Reading other threads here, I feel like this is a good number... but obviously my body has not been reflecting that lately. It almost (ALMOST) makes me want to go back down to that unhealthy and unrealistic calorie intake of 1000-1200 a day! Because then, I was losing weight and clothing sizes. I have gotten so used to losing lbs and buying smaller jeans every time I go shopping, that I now get pissed off that I am maintaining-- I'm not ready to maintain yet! Of my 185lbs, my lean body mass is 129lbs... you can do the math (k- I will.... 30% BF!).

What is going on? Did I ruin my metabolism by going down that low in cals a few months ago, and now that I am back to "normal" diet cals I am gaining weight? And it can't all be muscle weight gain the past 2 months-- or else I would still be losing inches, right? Is it a problem of my diet or a problem of my exercising, or both, or neither? Am I just being impatient? Help me please! I am feeling desperate, and that may be what got me into this situation in the first place!

Thanks in advance. So glad I found this site and all the motivating/educated people that come here!

We have exactly the same problem! Haha, I'm 5'8" and stuck on 186lbs, can't get it to shift lower. I didn't start as high as you however (208). I'm also eating in the same calorie range as you (1600-1800 a day). I have the same goal in getting down to around 160lbs which I was hoping to do for October, but I'm not sure I'm going to get there now.

[dbluegoat]

Originally Posted by janesays

Hi all,

Been a longtime lurker on bb.com and active on my profile, but this is my first real post in the forums. I have been doing really well overall in turning my life and health around, but for the past 2 months I have been at a plateau and it's really starting to get to me and I am losing my patience, something I usually have. I am looking for others' opinions here please.

A back story if you want to give a personalized opinion: While I have done tons of diets and quick fixes, it was a little over a year ago when I finally decided to get focused and just change my life.. for good. I am 5'8" and, at my highest, weighed 260lbs. Through the next 8 months, I lost about 60lbs. This wasn't that hard on my body-- since before I was eating out all the time, easily eating 3000 cals a day or more, so through counting calories I slowly cut that down piece by piece. But of course as I get smaller, I needed to eat less calories to maintain that rapid weightloss. I hit my first real plateau in January, and for a few months (late feb-late april) I dropped my cals down way too low.. my guess is about 1000-1200 cals a day. I wasn't really exercising those months, probably because I didn't even have the energy to do it anyways without the cals, but I dropped down another 15 lbs to 185. But I finally got it through my head in May to start eating a better amount again and pick up the hardcore exercising again, just because while I want to be skinny, being skinny-fat would be worse than being fat!!

For the past 2 months, I have been working out about 5-6X a week (2X a week with a trainer). A typical workout for me is 5-10 minutes interval cardio warmup (heart rate at 155-170), 20-30 min circuit weight training (aim to squeeze it into the 20 min by cutting down the breaks between sets). Also, about 3X a week I run 5k. I don't workout long, but I workout hard.

So, my problem! For these same past 2 months, some days the scale goes down still, but some days I have also gained back (currently at 186-- same weight I was at the end of April). I obviously still have fat to lose, and while I have made tremendous progress, I have the hardest part ahead of me still. Ultimately I would like to maintain at 160lbs.

My diet has improved a LOT, but I am curious to know what everyone else here thinks. My trainer has his opinion but I want to hear everyone else on here. Right now, I am eating 1600-1800 cals a day (heavier cardio days it is always on the higher end). I eat that over 5-6 small meals a day. I can give a typical daily meal plan for me if necessary. Reading other threads here, I feel like this is a good number... but obviously my body has not been reflecting that lately. It almost (ALMOST) makes me want to go back down to that unhealthy and unrealistic calorie intake of 1000-1200 a day! Because then, I was losing weight and clothing sizes. I have gotten so used to losing lbs and buying smaller jeans every time I go shopping, that I now get pissed off that I am maintaining-- I'm not ready to maintain yet! Of my 185lbs, my lean body mass is 129lbs... you can do the math (k- I will.... 30% BF!).

What is going on? Did I ruin my metabolism by going down that low in cals a few months ago, and now that I am back to "normal" diet cals I am gaining weight? And it can't all be muscle weight gain the past 2 months-- or else I would still be losing inches, right? Is it a problem of my diet or a problem of my exercising, or both, or neither? Am I just being impatient? Help me please! I am feeling desperate, and that may be what got me into this situation in the first place!

Thanks in advance. So glad I found this site and all the motivating/educated people that come here!

so your exercising for maybe 45mins a day at most?

why not do more, specifically with weights, still do the cardio but do it after the weights, spend like 45mins on weight training and then cardio
and also maybe try eating 1500ish calories, dont go real low just a little less.

personally I don't think you exercise enough to be honest. I spend at least 1-1.5hrs in the gym 5 days a week.

btw, congrats! your looking good, keep it up. I think your body probably just has adapted to the routine, you need to push yourself even harder now.