New to Forum...New to this whole game...hoping for help/ideas

[pburgraider10]

Hello all,

A brief intro. I am a 37 year old male who on February 9th, decided I needed to get back control of my life. I started with just "dieting" for a few weeks before starting James Grage's Rewired Program.
Prior to that, outside of when I was in college, I had a rather sedentary lifestyle and got up to 218 lbs. On my 5'9" frame, that meant it was time for a change. Anyhow, before starting Rewired, I lost 5 lbs and began it at 213.8 lbs.

Which brings me to the frustration...question...advice seeking section of my thread. By end of week 3 I was down to 204 lbs. I was feeling really good and had a lot of motivation.

I just finished day 47 of week 7, and I weighed in at 203.6 lbs. I have been at a virtual weight standstill for the last 3 weeks. I guess, what I am saying is that I am getting a little discouraged (I am going to see the program through completion).

Yes, I see the clothes fitting better. Yes, I have dropped two belt holes. Yes, I see definition starting in parts of my body. All those keep me going, coupled with people asking if I am dieting or that I look different etc.

I have been following the plan to nearly perfection. I am doing the morning and evening sessions as listed. I missed 2 days in 47, both of which were made up the next day. I am keeping my diet at around 1600 cals. I feel I am on point...confused as to why the weight is still there.

Oh, but the good news, is I have a new love in the gym. I do not lack the desire to go. I like it, I like the way I feel as a result of it.

So is this natural? Is there a direction I should be heading? Any advice I should be reading up on?

Thank you all

[EchoFour]

You're on the right track, bro. I'm not familiar with the program you listed, but if you are exercising regularly and with full intensity, and you are tracking your calories and macros, you can expect a period of re composition for the first few months. That is to say, you're replacing fat with muscle and your weight might not change a whole lot unless you start out as extremely overweight. I went through the same thing and was discouraged until my wife convinced me to take progress photos. You can't see your progress when you're looking at yourself in the mirror every day, but those photos will tell the story. Never mind what the scale says.

[DocHoss]

Yes, I see the clothes fitting better. Yes, I have dropped two belt holes. Yes, I see definition starting in parts of my body. All those keep me going, coupled with people asking if I am dieting or that I look different etc.

Isn't this much more important than what number is on the scale?

[avataris]

Definitely what Echo and Doc said about the scale. If you are using the scale as a barometer of your progress, your going to have a bad time. Ditto on recommending the progress pics. You may want to add body measurements and/or body fat measurements to your tracking, although discrete data in any form can get you mired in the minutiae instead of the overall progress a periodic photo will show. It sounds like you are definitely on the right track though. Keep it up!