Help with plateau

[strokinit]

I need some help. This is a long one - check out now if you’re not going to read it. There’s no TL;DR, you will want most of this information anyway. Maybe more.
I am doing everything right, and my weight loss has nearly ground to a halt. 6 pounds in 5 months.
What am I doing? Ok, for starters, got my TDEE: 3118 maintenance - 2495 fat loss - 2240 extreme fat loss
I was doing ~2300 or so, and it was working
I use a food scale, track it with an app, meet my macros, and eat lean meats and vegetables. I drink water, little over a gallon a day. What goes in my body is good.
Before I go further, I should say that I was losing weight (sort of) before I hit this dead spot. The scale did go up, but I kept track, and I did slowly lose INCHES. So I’d roll my eyes at the scale but could tolerate it because I was actually getting smaller.
I exercise, HARD, about 4 times a week or so. 45mins+. I alternate between lifting and bursts of cardio to keep my HR up. My sleep is good.
Once progress slowed to a crawl, I went so long without visible change, and really thought something was truly wrong. This took about 2-3 months, I think.
Once I realized this, I tried to fix it of course. I tried going up on the calories. Since you're working hard, you usually need to eat a little more. 2500. 2700. 2900.
I tried going down...very reluctantly. It’s the main reason it’s taken me so long to ask for help. I know you are in murky waters when you go below the standard fat loss numbers. Desperation leads you to do stupid things. So I went to 2200. 2100. 2000. 1900. And finally 1800.
I stopped giving a **** about water consumption because it’s hard for me to swallow, so I only bother to down about 80oz a day now. I switched my routine from pure lifting to hybrid to all cardio. I change up my routine consistently anyway. I had bloodwork done, and it all came back normal, except a Vitamin D deficiency my doc gave me a supplement for, but says has nothing to do with my weight.
I hypothesized that all TDEE calculators overestimate how many calories I need, because I have very good reason to believe (for reasons I won’t get into) that I have less muscle mass than the average individual. I’m down to 1800 calories now, and not seeing any tangible results.
BTW it’s impossible to meet my macros on those calories. MAYBE if you consumed nothing but protein powder and EVOO. I don’t think the diet exists.
Even though almost most supplements except PP are advised against as a money waster, I am trying CLA out of desperation. I’m 280 pounds, 5’9, and 35 years old. Aren’t overweight people supposed to lose weight faster? I know you guys are going to tell me to go back to 2300 calories like I had to start with, but that stopped working a long time ago, and I gave it a long time to work itself out. Does anyone know WTF is going on? Why the hell am I losing hardly any weight?

[xsquid99]

Nobody here that has a clue would tell you to go back to 2300 calories, you don't lose weight by eating MORE.

Barring any undisclosed or undiagnosed medical conditions you're eating too many calories on a weekly basis. Either you're badly miscalculating, guestimating, not accounting for high calorie drinks/soda/alcohol, sauces, cooking oils, dressings, etc. or making some other kind of tracking errors.

Your body doesn't know numbers, it just knows if its being given enough fuel or not, so drop your calories if you want to lose weight.

[Ukiyo3k]

TLDR:
"I’m 280 pounds, 5’9, and 35 years old.
I am doing everything right, and my weight loss has nearly ground to a halt. 6 pounds in 5 months.
I tried to fix it of course. I tried going up on the calories."

[Tommy W.]

TLDR:
"I’m 280 pounds, 5’9, and 35 years old.
I am doing everything right, and my weight loss has nearly ground to a halt. 6 pounds in 5 months.
I tried to fix it of course. I tried going up on the calories."

Fat loss is simple but not easy. No fatloss=consumption of too many calories on a weekly basis. You need to learn to embrace hunger. Hunger is your body telling you that it wants calories and doesn't want to tap into it's precious fat stores and you're telling your body to learn to deal with it 'cause it's gonna be a long journey. Your body eventually gets the message and settles in.

It's getting over the initial hunger pattern that cause most people to fail and then when calories need to be lowered after fat is lost and the loss stops, the pattern starts all over again.

Eating more to lose fat never has and never will work.

[sjrubens212]

Sorry I'm new to the site. Where do I go to post my own questions?

[strokinit]

Nobody here that has a clue would tell you to go back to 2300 calories, you don't lose weight by eating MORE.

Barring any undisclosed or undiagnosed medical conditions you're eating too many calories on a weekly basis. Either you're badly miscalculating, guestimating, not accounting for high calorie drinks/soda/alcohol, sauces, cooking oils, dressings, etc. or making some other kind of tracking errors.

Your body doesn't know numbers, it just knows if its being given enough fuel or not, so drop your calories if you want to lose weight.

I can't post links because of this site's restrictions, but these numbers are from freedieting, the nutrition forum link recommended for calculating TDEE. 3118 maintenance, 2495 fat loss, 2240 extreme fat loss
I was on the bottom end of where people recommend for you to be, anyway. Always below maintenance.
You seriously want me to drop below 1800? I know that's already way too low. And you're telling me to go lower.
Just so we're clear, you're assuming I cannot measure properly. Or operate a food scale properly.
The point is consistency. Even if, for argument's sake, I measure things wrong, I measure them the same way consistently.

I drink tea with stevia, or almond milk mixed with atkins shakes. I don't drink alcohol. I use ketchup, and log it. I use a liiiiittle bit of cooking oil. Just what's necessary to cook with. The low calorie kind. I use dressings rarely, but I normally log them when I do, coming from Wendy's when I eat there.

[Tommy W.]

I can't post links because of this site's restrictions, but these numbers are from freedieting, the nutrition forum link recommended for calculating TDEE. 3118 maintenance, 2495 fat loss, 2240 extreme fat loss
I was on the bottom end of where people recommend for you to be, anyway. Always below maintenance.
You seriously want me to drop below 1800? I know that's already way too low. And you're telling me to go lower.
Just so we're clear, you're assuming I cannot measure properly. Or operate a food scale properly.
The point is consistency. Even if, for argument's sake, I measure things wrong, I measure them the same way consistently.

I drink tea with stevia, or almond milk mixed with atkins shakes. I don't drink alcohol. I use ketchup, and log it. I use a liiiiittle bit of cooking oil. Just what's necessary to cook with. The low calorie kind. I use dressings rarely, but I normally log them when I do, coming from Wendy's when I eat there.

You're just not getting it

[strokinit]

Fat loss is simple but not easy. No fatloss=consumption of too many calories on a weekly basis. You need to learn to embrace hunger. Hunger is your body telling you that it wants calories and doesn't want to tap into it's precious fat stores and you're telling your body to learn to deal with it 'cause it's gonna be a long journey. Your body eventually gets the message and settles in.

It's getting over the initial hunger pattern that cause most people to fail and then when calories need to be lowered after fat is lost and the loss stops, the pattern starts all over again.

Eating more to lose fat never has and never will work.

I'm at 1800 calories now. I hear what you are saying, but I don't think you are hearing me.

[strokinit]

You're just not getting it

...
READ what I'm writing.

[CommitmentRulz]

I can't post links because of this site's restrictions, but these numbers are from freedieting, the nutrition forum link recommended for calculating TDEE. 3118 maintenance, 2495 fat loss, 2240 extreme fat loss
I was on the bottom end of where people recommend for you to be, anyway. Always below maintenance.
You seriously want me to drop below 1800? I know that's already way too low. And you're telling me to go lower.
Just so we're clear, you're assuming I cannot measure properly. Or operate a food scale properly.
The point is consistency. Even if, for argument's sake, I measure things wrong, I measure them the same way consistently.

I drink tea with stevia, or almond milk mixed with atkins shakes. I don't drink alcohol. I use ketchup, and log it. I use a liiiiittle bit of cooking oil. Just what's necessary to cook with. The low calorie kind. I use dressings rarely, but I normally log them when I do, coming from Wendy's when I eat there.

You can tell us over and over how you are doing everything correctly, but the bottom line is that you are ingesting too many calories. Eat/drink less.

(I know it must be frustrating to work hard at "doing it the right way", but it is what it is... eat less. Good luck!)

[strokinit]

You can tell us over and over how you are doing everything correctly, but the bottom line is that you are ingesting too many calories. Eat/drink less.

(I know it must be frustrating to work hard at "doing it the right way", but it is what it is... eat less. Good luck!)

Ok. You're a stupid mother****er who can't read.

[Tommy W.]

I'm at 1800 calories now. I hear what you are saying, but I don't think you are hearing me.

I'm hearing that you're counting and tracking wrong if you're at 1,800 for 3 weeks or longer and not losing . I don't think you ever posted your height and weight so that is important that you do that

[CommitmentRulz]

Ok. You're a stupid mother****er who can't read.

I suggest that you IMMEDIATELY contact the National Institute of Health and volunteer your information. It is very likely they will want to examine you and document you for scientific purposes, since your body CLEARLY operates outside the laws of thermodynamics.

[LactoseTolerant]

Ok. You're a stupid mother****er who can't read.

You can fool yourself all you want. Your body knows it's not in a deficit.

[Tommy W.]

Ok. You're a stupid mother****er who can't read.

I think too much strokinit has damaged your brain.

[SuffolkPunch]

Don't post again until you can control your temper.