Weight loss totally stopped

Archeron

hi all
Apologies if this has been done before, but I was hoping to ask advice.

In February this year, I decided to try and get fit. Weighing 119kg, I had a lot of weight to lose, so i started gym and strict diet. Since then I have gotten down to 101kg, which I am quite happy with.

Over the past month or so though, my weight loss has completely stopped and I have no idea why.

Currently, I am going to the gym on average 5 times a week, sometimes 6. While there, I do 45 minutes cardio (cross trainer and rowing machine mostly) during which I burn an average of 550 - 700 calories. I then do about 30-40 minutes of various weights on the machines that the trainer recommended to me. I dont do much free weights just yet as I was told my posture is terrible and I should try to strenghten up before moving onto free weights, so its mostly the machines I use.

My diet is hugely better now, though it turns out I was not eating enough when I started off (starting using myfitnesspal app to track this now). Diet consists predominantly of fresh fruit and veg, lean meat. Average day would be breakfast - a breakfast protein shake and fresh fruit, protein shake after the gym which I do either first thing in the morning on after work. Lunch would tend to be raw veg and chicken breasts mostly, followed by fruit. Evening meal would be something light, scrambled egg or chicken and veg again. If I am not meeting my calorie goals for the day, I would finish with another protein drink. Snacks through the day would be usually dried fruit and nuts, but I always watch the qty. I have cut back on drinking alcohol significantly and would probably average about two pints of beer a week now at the weekend.

Over the course of the average day I would usually drink 3-4 litres of water too. I have completely cut out as much sugar as possible, and completely stopped eating bread products.

Its a bit disheartening that I cannot see to lose any more weight now, and though I am really happy with progress so far, the BMI index still indicates that I am at least 11KG overweight now. I am six foot two in height and have gone from size 38-40" waist to a 34" waist. I am also really broad in teh chest and shoulders.

Anybody any ideas how I could get over this? I've read about weight loss plateau, but I thought I would be past this now. I have increased intensity on all my exercises too, but it doesnt seem to be making any difference. My body shape has changed quite a bit, but I still have major flabby bits and I cannot seem to do anything about them.

I am considering trying to go to the gym twice a day to try and make it 8-10 sessions a week, but I'm worried I'll get sick of it if I try to go too much and I am enjoying it too much at the moment to risk getting sick of it.

Any thoughts would be really appreciated!

Alf Veedersane

You've lost 18kg.

A) That's a huge amount. Congratulations.

The parameters of what weight loss have changed. You require fewer calories now that you're lighter so what was a deficit at 119kg is possibly in and around maintenance at 101kg. Try reducing your calories a bit more again. If you're tracking, be wary of the calories you're being told you burn in the gym. They're usually overestimated.

Don't be demoralised. This is part of it. When you lose weight, you need less. So just try small adjustments and in time you'll hit the sweet spot.

Mellor

What's your calorie target in MyFitnessPal?

It's probably time to reevaluate that. From the weight you lost so far, you could be burning maybe 500+ fewer calories per day.

Oryx

Dont go to the gym twice a day. Recipe for burnout or injury.

Dont believe what gym machines tell you re calories

Your body shape is changing. Thats the key thing, rather than weight, because your body composition is changing.

Youve lost a lot of weight, and thats great. It is natural and normal for the loss to plateau, or get harder to shift as your weight reduces.

If you want to exercise more, change it up. Get outside for your cardio, do more interesting things now the weather is good. Run, cycle, kayak, hike trails, throw frisbee, just be active outdoors. Dont make it all about the gym, because I can already see motivation is getting hard to maintain. But if you incorporate your fitness activity into your leisure activity, it becomes a lifestyle thing and you do it without noticing.

Zillah

Archeron wrote: »

I burn an average of 550 - 700 calories

If you're factoring this into your calculations it is probably sabotaging you. That's an incredibly high number for 45 mins of cardio. Probably half of that.

Stench Blossoms

Have you been doing the same exercises since you started trying to lose weight? It might be an idea to change them up a bit.

How long have you been stalling for?

Archeron

thanks for the replies everybody.
Myfitnesspal is suggesting 1750 calories a day, so when I exercise, I enter that and it removes the calories burnt from the total. It gives me messages most days saying that I am not eating enough, as taking exercise into account, I am usually about 300-700 below that target every day.

Its been about 4 weeks now that things have totally stalled, cannot lose a single pound more than I have.

Thanks for all the good advice.

Alf Veedersane

Archeron wrote: »

thanks for the replies everybody.
Myfitnesspal is suggesting 1750 calories a day, so when I exercise, I enter that and it removes the calories burnt from the total. It gives me messages most days saying that I am not eating enough, as taking exercise into account, I am usually about 300-700 below that target every day.

Its been about 4 weeks now that things have totally stalled, cannot lose a single pound more than I have.

Thanks for all the good advice.

The calories MFP gives as being burned during exercise are notorious for being overestimates so that could be part of the problem. If you're 300 kcals below your allowance and that's factoring in what they give as 700 kcals burned during exercise, the realisty is that you're probably actually only burning 400 kcals or thereabouts which would mean you're not in a deficit at all.

Is that 1750 based on your stats now or what you've always used?

Archeron

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

The calories MFP gives as being burned during exercise are notorious for being overestimates so that could be part of the problem. If you're 300 kcals below your allowance and that's factoring in what they give as 700 kcals burned during exercise, the realisty is that you're probably actually only burning 400 kcals or thereabouts which would mean you're not in a deficit at all.

Is that 1750 based on your stats now or what you've always used?

Thanks Alf. Thats based on my stats now, I only started using the app when I stopped losing weight, so I based it on my current weight, and that was the calorie guide it gave me back.
Great to know that the cardio guide to calorie burned is not essentially accurate.

Alf Veedersane

Archeron wrote: »

Thanks Alf. Thats based on my stats now, I only started using the app when I stopped losing weight, so I based it on my current weight, and that was the calorie guide it gave me back.
Great to know that the cardio guide to calorie burned is not essentially accurate.

As a general rule of thumb, I wopuld advise dividing the calories by 2. It's closer to the actual result and if you're building it into your calorie counting for the day, then it's better to underestimate the calories burned during exercise than overestimate.

The net ffect of revising downwards the calories burned by exercise is that you might have to reduce your consumption to stay in a deficit. But it might only mean ditching one of the protein shakes and a banana less, for example.

Desmonddoyle

Oryx wrote: »

If you want to exercise more, change it up. Get outside for your cardio, do more interesting things now the weather is good. Run, cycle, kayak, hike trails, throw frisbee, just be active outdoors. Dont make it all about the gym, because I can already see motivation is getting hard to maintain. But if you incorporate your fitness activity into your leisure activity, it becomes a lifestyle thing and you do it without noticing.

This is great advice - we all seem to be conditioned into becoming passengers on the 'gym and shakes' money train these days, as the answer to everything, and we seem to stay on it regardless of where its going, usually until bankruptcy hits. Finding something active that you enjoy is the best way to make sure you will still be active this time next year, and there really is so many options that would beat being stuck in a gym. Swimming, cycling, hill walking, footie, gym, dodgeball, wall climbing - try as many as you can in the summer while you can. The winter is long enough to be tied down with gym routines.

Zillah

Desmonddoyle wrote: »

This is great advice - we all seem to be conditioned into becoming passengers on the 'gym and shakes' money train these days, as the answer to everything, and we seem to stay on it regardless of where its going, usually until bankruptcy hits. Finding something active that you enjoy is the best way to make sure you will still be active this time next year, and there really is so many options that would beat being stuck in a gym. Swimming, cycling, hill walking, footie, gym, dodgeball, wall climbing - try as many as you can in the summer while you can. The winter is long enough to be tied down with gym routines.

I am so glad I bike to work and I refuse to stop bringing it up whenever anyone talks about commuting. It's free, it's fast, you're largely immune to heavy traffic, it keeps you healthy, and it doesn't cost you any time: it actually saves time compared to the vast majority of commutes. I'm so used to it now that I don't even think of it as exercise, and still do 3-5 gym sessions with weights per week. Having 45 minutes of cardio per day as your baseline before you even start thinking about having to make a special effort to exercise is bril.

Pat_custard

I'd recommend giving a boxercise class a go, or swimming for 40 minutes.

If you haven't done either before or in a long while I guarantee you'll find them a good way to over come the plateau!

I find them great cardio exercises while also being resistant training which is good for strengthening muscles you mightn't necessarily target by lifting weights.

Mellor

Archeron wrote: »

thanks for the replies everybody.
Myfitnesspal is suggesting 1750 calories a day, so when I exercise, I enter that and it removes the calories burnt from the total. It gives me messages most days saying that I am not eating enough, as taking exercise into account, I am usually about 300-700 below that target every day.

I'd imagine that the 1750 figure includes a larger deficit. Maintenance should be 3000+. I'm wondering what you inputted for "goal weight" loss.

These are only estimates, as are the exercise calories - which can be over as above. But I'd be very surprised in 1750 wasn't a deficit no matter what way you count exercise.

What is a typical total calories from food, before taking off exercise calories.

Archeron

Mellor wrote: »

I'd imagine that the 1750 figure includes a larger deficit. Maintenance should be 3000+. I'm wondering what you inputted for "goal weight" loss.

These are only estimates, as are the exercise calories - which can be over as above. But I'd be very surprised in 1750 wasn't a deficit no matter what way you count exercise.

What is a typical total calories from food, before taking off exercise calories.

Hi Mellor,
I entered the aim to get down to 90KG (which according to BMI stats is the heaviest I should be, so its a starting goal for me). My typical daily count for calories taken would usually be in and around 1200-1500 a day, sometimes less, although I am trying to keep up. Even though I am still badly overweight, i have had a very poor diet for a long time, usually eating a lot less than most people. I had read some things online about the body going into starvation mode and had thought maybe thats why the weight loss stopped, so I started using MFP app to try and make sure I was getting more calories in, but from good places.

Thanks for all the excellent advice on this thread, now I know that my exercise may be lying about calories burnt, I dont have to worry so much about forcing calories in at the end of the day to make up the numbers, though I still get a warning 5 days a week from the app saying that I am not consuming enough.

Really appreciate all the replies everybody!

Alf Veedersane

Archeron wrote: »

I had read some things online about the body going into starvation mode and had thought maybe thats why the weight loss stopped, so I started using MFP app to try and make sure I was getting more calories in, but from good places.

There are metabolic adaptations that will take place the more weight you lose - you burn calories less easily etc. But not at this stage in the game.

Also, just as asn aside, since a lot of people give recommendations about the type of exercise you should be doing...there is no one exercise you should be doing. If you enjoy something, that's what you should be doing. Making youreself go to the gym won't work in the long term but if you enjoy it, it can be very enjoyable. If you like walking, do that. If you like a sport or several sports, do that. Whatever you enjoy doing is something that you'll continue to do in the long term rather than just doing something to help with the weight loss in the short term that you'd give up sooner rather than later.

Pat_custard

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

There are metabolic adaptations that will take place the more weight you lose - you burn calories less easily etc. But not at this stage in the game.

Also, just as asn aside, since a lot of people give recommendations about the type of exercise you should be doing...there is no one exercise you should be doing. If you enjoy something, that's what you should be doing. Making youreself go to the gym won't work in the long term but if you enjoy it, it can be very enjoyable. If you like walking, do that. If you like a sport or several sports, do that. Whatever you enjoy doing is something that you'll continue to do in the long term rather than just doing something to help with the weight loss in the short term that you'd give up sooner rather than later.

There are ways of enjoying the gym? :eek:

Alf Veedersane

Pat_custard wrote: »

There are ways of enjoying the gym? :eek:

Yep.

Not everyone hates the gym.

Zillah

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Not everyone hates the gym.

It blew my mind when I discovered that there were some people out there that genuinely thought we were constantly miserable and punishing ourselves.

Alf Veedersane

Zillah wrote: »

It blew my mind when I discovered that there were some people out there that genuinely thought we were constantly miserable and punishing ourselves.

I don't hate the gym. I hate myself - that's why I go.

That and the enjoyment, but that's neither here nor there, wha'

Archeron

Hi all
Just wanted to update to say thanks for the advice, I've taken to heart what was mentioned about the calorie burn on the machines being over estimated, and have been trying new exercises and new programs on the cardio I hadn't done before. I'm well happy to say that I've since lost another 5kg and am down to 96, the lightest I've been in a long long time. Much appreciate the advice from everybody! I've still another 8-12kg to go I reckon, but I'm feeling a lot more confident about it now, and I'm really enjoying getting there.