Help !

[JJLD]

Hi everyone —
I am a 26F, 5’5 & 180lb
My goal is to lose around 40lb
I have been stuck in a plateau for about 3wks now, and my brother suggested getting into strength training.
I have been lifting weights at home for almost 2wks now, & I definitely challenge myself and move on to the next set quick enough to keep my heart rate up
and sweat quickly into my workout. I can tell I’m becoming stronger and plan to keep on lifting heavy.
My TDEE says for cutting 500cal I should intake around 1600cal & I do. This worked for 7 weeks (before I started lifting) where I lost 8lbs and now I am just stuck!
Also it is recommended that I consume 190g of protein... Is that right? Because even with the help of a 30g protein shake and lean chicken breast,
it is hard to get to 125g of protein for me. Do I go into a further calorie deficit?
How do I get out of this cycle? TYIA!

[spradish]

Studies on protein requirements can vary significantly but if you aim at .8 grams per pound of bodyweight, you can rest assured that your needs are covered (they may be more than covered and they definitely won't be less than covered.) No need to be obsessed with being exact either. 140-150 g/day is good.

Starting to lift weights will cause some water weight gain so I would wait out this pause in weight loss, especially so since you're a woman (which means that your water weight is shifting constantly anyway.) I'd give it another 4 weeks before dropping any calories.

[xsquid99]

Yeah you dont need 180g of protein, I'm a 212 lb guy and that's what I eat. You're really probably more than good with 125g a day.

Spradish is right about the water weight shifts too. A "plateau" lasting longer than 3-4 weeks just means you're not longer in a caloric deficit and you need to drop your calories further.