Doing all the right things, not losing weight.

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

7.5 weeks ago I started a high protein/calorie deficit diet, combined with heavy compound lifting and HIIT cardio 4x a week. Eating under 2200 calories a day, and over 225g protein, I went from 241.5 to 229 in 5 weeks, and I was very happy with the results. However, over the last 2.5 weeks, I have been stuck at 229lbs.

This week, I have consumed under 2k calories each day and worked out four times already. I drink around a gallon of water every day. And yet, every morning I wake up to 229.

I have seen marked strength improvements over these 7.5 weeks (1RM on SQ, BP, and DL all up at least 30 bs), and some minimal differences in definition in my quads, shoulders, and arms, but again, the scale is not moving one bit for me.

As I am in a cutting phase, I am feeling a little depressed over this sudden plateau lasting for almost 3 weeks. I know you cannot gain muscle in a calorie deficit, so I do not believe the fat lost is being replaced by muscle gained.

Can anybody help me figure out what is going on?


Diet today:
Breakfast:
8 Egg Whites
1 Scoop of Whey
1 Scoop of Pre Workout

Post Workout:
Banana
2x Scoops of Whey
2 tbsp of PB Fit powder

Lunch:
4 Oz Green Beans
10 oz Chicken Breast

Dinner:
6 Oz Steak
4 Oz Sweet Potato


Protein:238g
Carbs: 117g
Fat: 43g
Calories: 1826
Calories after exercise: 1498

Today's Workout (I do a 4 day Push/Pull split using only barbells/ez bar/plates/kettlebells)
Pendlay Row 5x7
Deadlift 5x5
Pull Up 3 Max Sets
Kettlebell Bent Over Row 3x12
Ez bar Front Raise 3x12

10 Min HIIT on Concept 2 Rower

[WillBrink]

Checking weight but not bodycomp? Unless you're obese, weight is crude to useless metric unless you have to make weight for something. Body comp is what matters, performance in the gym, how your clothes are fitting, etc. are more useful metrics. Get a cheap caliper and track changes (1). Two, weight loss is not linear, though stalling that early is uncommon and "on paper" seems like you're doing a solid job of it. Have you calculated your TDEE? below 2k cals sounds low to me. 300-500 cal deficit is about right.

(1) such as accumeasure. etc.

[LowSpeed_HighDrag]

Checking weight but not bodycomp? Unless you're obese, weight is crude to useless metric unless you have to make weight for something. Body comp is what matters, performance in the gym, how your clothes are fitting, etc. are more useful metrics. Get a cheap caliper and track changes (1). Two, weight loss is not linear, though stalling that early is uncommon and "on paper" seems like you're doing a solid job of it. Have you calculated your TDEE? below 2k cals sounds low to me. 300-500 cal deficit is about right.

(1) such as accumeasure. etc.

I have not checked body comp at all, never even thought to check any measurements past the scale. I'm going to order some calipers and a tape measure on amazon. I am probably in the near-obese category, as I imagine I am at 25-29 BMI right now, trying to cut down to 195-205lbs.

I am shooting for 2k calories a day because I am trying to lose 2 lbs a week. My TDEE is 3165 calories daily. So I figure a deficit of at least 1k should yield faster results. Could it be that I have lowered my calories to the point of slowing my metabolism?

[Inkslinger]

The only thing I want to add to this is, eat those egg yolks. That is the best part of the egg for your body. If you’re worried about cholesterol, don’t!

[ginzomatic]

Will's advice is spot on. Don't pay too much attention to weight; aim for a desired BF%. You're likely gaining muscle at the same time.

Another thing to remember is that your body is retaining more water now than it used to before you were exercising regularly. And if you're hitting it as hard as you say, I'd recommend trying to get up to 1.5-2 gallons of water a day. I don't have any scientific proof to support this, just a suggestion from personal experience.

And be mindful of not burning yourself out, but rather building a healthy lifestyle that you'll be able to maintain for the rest of your life. It took me some time to realize the importance of that

[Dr. Bullseye]

I have done a great deal of bodybuilding/exercise in my life but those are not your issues. Judging by your nutrient breakdown, you are not eating enough fats/carbs to properly metabolize the protein you are eating. If you continue, you will spiral down to a miserable state of semi starvation and extreme discomfort.

Second, decide what your priorities are. If it is number one to lose weight then stop lifting weights. Weight lifting increases your appetite all out of proportion to the actual work done. If you want to get bigger and stronger, get a real diet. By that I mean 15% protein, 20% fat, the remainder complex carbs. This is what human beings, Homo sapiens, eats if simply given the opportunity. Back in the late 1970s boxer Leon Spinx wanted to become a heavyweight and challenge Mohammed Ali and become champion. His trainer told him he could eat as much as he wanted but within those parameters. He did and did and did as history shows.

All you bodybuilding boys out there with your pet crank diets, please simply ignore this post as I have not desire to engage in debate with you. I am simply posting truth for the record.

[Ironman8]

@LowSpeed_HighDrag

Ignore the above post by the Good Dr. It’s not grounded in research in any way and anyone who tells you you need this or that without asking any questions first is typically just grounded in some dogmatic bullshit.

About the only thing he said right is that you may be eating too little carb and fats...and protein might be a touch high depending on your body comp.

Here’s what I would want to know before I give any advice:
1) How did you calculate your TDEE?
2) Do you know what you were eating before? Calorie and macro breakdown?
3) Over the last 7.5 weeks, have you seen a decrease in hunger, dip in sleep quality, decrease in energy during the day, and/or decrease in motivation to go train?
4) What are your stats? (Age, height, weight, estimated body fat %)

[skywalkrNCSU]

Check out this article, it could be some funky stuff going on with water retention because at your weight and activity level if you’re really keeping your intake under 2k you should certainly be burning some fat.

https://bodyrecomposition.com/fat-lo...ishy-fat.html/

[firefighter37]

Needs more CPAP


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WillBrink]

I have not checked body comp at all, never even thought to check any measurements past the scale. I'm going to order some calipers and a tape measure on amazon. I am probably in the near-obese category, as I imagine I am at 25-29 BMI right now, trying to cut down to 195-205lbs.

I am shooting for 2k calories a day because I am trying to lose 2 lbs a week. My TDEE is 3165 calories daily. So I figure a deficit of at least 1k should yield faster results. Could it be that I have lowered my calories to the point of slowing my metabolism?

Faster does not = better, especially if long term fat loss TDEE is still an estimation with a margin of error, so you may need to adjust tweak cals, unless you have access to a metabolic word, and to get technical; the old "1lb of fat = 3500cals" mantra has been shown false and together with estimated TDEE's will have a wide margin for error, means some more granular analysis of your nutrition etc may need to take place if you're not losing any weight. For the full intel dump, see:

"Does a dieting 500 calorie restriction per day apply to everybody?

Let’s put aside the 3,500 calorie rule for a moment and ask the question:

“Is a 500 calorie deficit per day a good guideline for everybody who want to lose weight”?

No! Because a man in general is heavier and has more lean mass than a women, and thus has a greater total caloric expenditure for any given physical activity level, 500 calories of his total will be a lower percentage caloric deficit and 500 calories of a woman’s total, as illustrated in table 2.

Table 2: Fixed (e.g. 500 calories) vs. relative (e.g. 20%) caloric reduction during a diet."

Cont:

http://www.brinkzone.com/weight-loss...-loss-correct/