Weight Loss Stalled - any help?

duracell_bunny

Since the beginning of July I've been dieting and exercising strictly. In the first five weeks I lost 17lbs without much extra effort beyond a strict eating plan & walking every day. Then in the three weeks since that I've only lost 3lbs and I've had to slog my guts out for them. I'm super strict with my food and I go to the gym 6 times a week. Is there any way to get out of this stall? I thought the old "less in - more out" was always true but it doesn't seem to be working in my case.

You know the drill, post your daily diet please and what do you do in the gym?

seamus

17lbs over five weeks is quite a drop. A bluewolf says, post your diet and regime. You may not be eating enough.

duracell_bunny

Breakfast - steamed mackeral (not in brine or oil)

Lunch - grilled chicken fillet/prawns with lettuce, cucumber, celery (1 tsp of curry powder mixed with 1tsp of mayo)

Snack - 1 tblsp pumpkin seeds (supposedly good for psorasis)

Dinner - grilled chicken/beef/white fish with vegetables (2 carrots, 1/4 white cabbage, 1/2 courgette, 1/2 red pepper) with splash of soy sauce & a shake of 5spice.

At some point in the day I have a cup of tea with unsweetened soya milk and a soya yogurt (sometimes I stir a spoonful of oats into the yogurt). I have the odd peach or apple if I'm really hungry after the gym while waiting for dinner to cook - stops me stuffing my face with biscuits!

I'm allergic to dairy, egg whites and corn/maize.

I drink at least two litres of water a day.

I have one big glass of red wine each weekend but no other alcohol since 1st July.

In the last three weeks, I've up my gym work to 6 times a week. I jog/run for 20-30 mins. Then I rotate all the usual weight machines (lat pull down, chest press, bicep curl, tripcep dip, leg curl/extend, thigh abductor/adductor - I don't know the names of them all) and then a sh*t load of squats and lunges followed by ab work and then stretches.

Very good diet, well done.

1lb a week is a good target to keep to. The first "lump" of weight you lose will always include water weight, glycogen, and won't be repeated again.

With that diet as it is, you'll trim down at a good safe pace.

What you can do to try and increase the weight loss is to try changing your training. HIIT or weight lifting instead of jogging and machine work will really help you out. You mention you are squatting, well done, are you doing bodyweight squats or lifting weights too?

It all looks very clean and good to me though.

duracell_bunny

Deleted User wrote: »

What you can do to try and increase the weight loss is to try changing your training. HIIT or weight lifting instead of jogging and machine work will really help you out. You mention you are squatting, well done, are you doing bodyweight squats or lifting weights too?.

I find it very intimidating going into the free weight section of my gym - its on a different floor of the building - so thats why I've been sticking to the machine weights.

I squats and lunges with a medicine ball (the heavy one the size of a football). I do like a set with the ball above my head, a set with it at chest height and a set twisting side-to-side - if that makes sense).

Yeah it's not easy to start if your gym has some seriously big guys lifting. But everyone has to start somewhere. Most of these people would actually be helpful too if you were to ask for some advice on form or what excercises to do.

I'm a staunch anti-machines guy, I just feel that you can use your time so much better with a bar and some weights.

How about trying HIIT though instead of just your normal jog? You will certainly reap benefits from that. Essentially you want to push yourself as hard as you possibly can for 45s/1min, then take 1.5x/2x that in a far slower pace, but still be moving, and you repeat as many times as you possibly can. The first 3/4 repetitions should be okay, but it should start to get incredibly difficult after that.

rubadub

Deleted User wrote: »

1lb a week is a good target to keep to. The first "lump" of weight you lose will always include water weight, glycogen, and won't be repeated again.

Exactly, I aimed for 0.5lb per week myself. Most doctors recommend 1-2lb max, any more than this and you are probably losing muscle mass. As you are doing weights you might be putting on some muscle. I remained 12 stone for about a year but lost lots of fat in that time, adding muscle and losing fat at the same rate.

Do not just track weight, take measurements and photos, change is gradual like a kid growing up, if you see them/yourself everyday it goes unnoticed.

Deleted User wrote: »

Most of these people would actually be helpful too if you were to ask for some advice on form or what excercises to do.

This comes up all the time in the fitness forum, and without exception everybody has commented on how helpful and friendly the hardcore looking guys were, though they looked intimidating at first.

El_Dangeroso

Stalls are normal and necessary. Be patient!

Do you measure at all? Do your clothes feel looser? Because I dropped a dress size stalling constantly and only losing about 3lb.