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Weight Loss Challenge 8: Not Sorry For Your Loss
- Thread starter viciouskillersquirrel
- Start date
How do you all deal with plateaus? I am sick of them. I weigh myself every day in the morning. I've been as low as 193 and today 196. This has been repeating for almost 3 weeks now. I thought it had passed when I hit 193 recently but then it just kinda bounced back again. Was 194.5 for like 2-3 days in a row then today 196.
I know some of it is water retention. I try to drink around half a gallon of water a day (not including the few other drinks like ACV + coffee). But over three weeks not getting any consistent progress is a bummer.
What I have tried so far is having a cheat day per week where I eat 30% more calories. I also dialed back from one meal a day to 12:12 for like a week and now I am at 16:8 intermittent fasting. I haven't been working out as much but I've switched up my timing and frankly my caloric deficit is enough without the heavier cardio I have reduced anyway. I've been meeting my macros pretty well and calories overall around 20-25% deficit.
I'm not sure what else I can or should try except blindly go forward hoping that my body begins to shed some weight again. I did read that keto can be a bumpy road at times.
I know some of it is water retention. I try to drink around half a gallon of water a day (not including the few other drinks like ACV + coffee). But over three weeks not getting any consistent progress is a bummer.
What I have tried so far is having a cheat day per week where I eat 30% more calories. I also dialed back from one meal a day to 12:12 for like a week and now I am at 16:8 intermittent fasting. I haven't been working out as much but I've switched up my timing and frankly my caloric deficit is enough without the heavier cardio I have reduced anyway. I've been meeting my macros pretty well and calories overall around 20-25% deficit.
I'm not sure what else I can or should try except blindly go forward hoping that my body begins to shed some weight again. I did read that keto can be a bumpy road at times.
Initial Weight (April 10): 258 lbs
April 17: 256
April 24: 252.6 lbs
May 1: 251.8
May 8: 246.8
Current Goal: 205 lbs
Switched my workout regime to be more focused on strength and stuck closer to my diet. Getting better at managing portion size and sleeping during the work week.
April 17: 256
April 24: 252.6 lbs
May 1: 251.8
May 8: 246.8
Current Goal: 205 lbs
Switched my workout regime to be more focused on strength and stuck closer to my diet. Getting better at managing portion size and sleeping during the work week.
Missed the first challenge thread but cheering for all of you! I'm personally down 21 lbs since New Year's Day, so I'm with you guys in spirit!
Haven't updated in a spell but here goes - I'm excited to report some downward movement - I have plateaued somewhat and unsurprisingly coinciding with more exercise and training for races - I've managed to get back to losing weight:
Wed. 17th April: 52.4 KG
Wed. 24 April: 52.3 KG
Wed. 1st May: 52.2 KG
Wed. 8th May: 51.7 KG
Wed. 17th April: 52.4 KG
Wed. 24 April: 52.3 KG
Wed. 1st May: 52.2 KG
Wed. 8th May: 51.7 KG
Sorry for no update last week. I did weigh myself though, so I'll just include it here:
April 11th: 145 kg
April 18th: 143.2 kg
April 25th: 143.2 kg
May 2nd: 144.5 kg
May 9th: 141.8 kg
Feels very nice to have such a big jump after 2 bumpy weeks! I will have some cake on Mother's Day on Sunday, but it shouldn't be too bad. Glad to be back on track!
April 11th: 145 kg
April 18th: 143.2 kg
April 25th: 143.2 kg
May 2nd: 144.5 kg
May 9th: 141.8 kg
Feels very nice to have such a big jump after 2 bumpy weeks! I will have some cake on Mother's Day on Sunday, but it shouldn't be too bad. Glad to be back on track!
I know I tried either in the last thread or one before it and bailed. I won't do that again as I was still in denial back then and not ready to put in the work. I was 450 a week ago at my Dr's office and I started to If and only eat up to or slightly below 2000kcal a day. This morning I am 441! I'll post a picture tomorrow when I weight myself. I look forward to updating this thread unlike last time.
OP
OP
Well done on your progress so far! The start, where you try to form new habits, is the hardest part. I'm looking forward to seeing your updates.
By the way, there's no need to post a picture anymore. I found that the rule really restricted participation and I'm not into gatekeeping people's health.
Hi everyone. I've decided to sort my weight out and I've been using MyFitnessPal to track calories. It's been going well for the past three weeks and I've been aiming for a 1000 calorie deficit. It feels sustainable but it means I'm regularly eating less than my BMR. I've seen sites that say this is a really bad idea, and others say it's fine, and I don't want to slow down my weight loss if I don't have to. I feel like if I was hurting myself I'd feel awful and weak, but I feel fine. Not sure what to do for the best.
Just make sure what you're doing is sustainable, you dont want to go on a big deficit that drives you crazy and causes you to go back to your old eating habits.
If you feel fine then its not a big deal.
OP
OP
1000 calorie deficit (~4000kJ) puts you on track to lose about 2lb / 1kg a week, which is fast, but not unrealistic. Others in this thread have done it. Especially if you're in the obese BMI category, it should be sustainable because your BMR and TDEE would be quite high to begin with.
The question though is how do you feel? Do you feel light headed or tired? Is light exercise a struggle? Do you feel physically hungry all the time to the point of distraction? If so, what you're doing might be unsustainable because it's a constant effort rather than just being something you do.
The key is to form habits - relying on willpower alone won't work long term. When eating right, hydrating, getting regular exercise and sleep become normal you'll see the most success. If they're something you have to make a special effort for, you'll slip the second you have a bad day.
Thanks to tracking my calories and general awareness of my eating habits and and feed schedule, I feel in total control of maintaining my weight. Three times now I've had massive, 6k+ cheat days. My weight delta the next morning is usually between an added 5-7b lbs. If I return to my regular maintenance diet of approximately 2000-2200 calories, it takes about 4-5 days to return to my previous weight. It's very empowering to know how my body responds to overeating because I know that a cheat day isn't the end of the world, so I need not beat myself up over it.
I'd imagine most of that weight gain overnight is just water weight. You can't really add 5-7lbs overnight. That'd be insane.
Yeah and scales can be weird as well. One time the scale showed I gained two pounds one week (the only time it showed a gain), only for the next week to show I lost 10. The more you weigh it seems the more fluctuation can happen. What's important though is that you're going down in general.
Today I am officially at a 68 pounds loss since January! Not participating in the contest but I love reading the stories. Keep it up people!
Today I am officially at a 68 pounds loss since January! Not participating in the contest but I love reading the stories. Keep it up people!
Thanks for the replies. I think because I've cut out calorie-dense junk food, it doesn't feel like I'm undereating. I'm also not worrying if I go a few hundred cals over my target.
4/26 - 238.7lbs
5/9 - 235
This was with no exercise and a shitload of cough syrup as I've had the cold this entire week.
5/9 - 235
This was with no exercise and a shitload of cough syrup as I've had the cold this entire week.
Yeah that would make sense, I ate a lot of salty fried food and sugar! Popeyes, pizza, ice cream, chocolate...all so good haha.
A Fitness youtuber made a 10K calorie challenge video, and she took before/after measurements. The morning after, her total weight up by approx 5 lbs. Her body fat % went from 14.3% to 15%, and her body fat mass went up by 2 lbs. So two lbs of extra fat! What was most alarming to me was her blood glucose level, which went up from 79 to 112 (pre-diabetic!).
I don't think I'll do many ultra cheat days in the future. Seeing that spike in weight can still mess with me. Instead, I'll sneak in a few cheat meals here and there while still staying around my daily caloric needs.
laminated I'm with you, ultra cheat days as you call them won't be happening with me anymore. I'd rather have a cheat meal as you say, or a guilty pleasure item once or twice a week. But buying a six pack of beer and bags of chips on a Friday night and just saying fuck it it's the weekend? That shit is in the past for me.
Here here. I'm turning 39 this year, gotta take care of this temple haha. Those ultra cheat days take its toll on me mentally. After my last ultra cheat day, I was seriously pissed at myself and felt a little depressed.
OP
OP
I have to call bull on that one. While you can gain fat much, much faster than you can reliably lose it, a while kilogram of fat gain overnight seems impossible, no matter how much you eat. After a certain point, your intake will be greater than your body's ability to process the nutrients and it'll pass through the digestive tract undigested. We already know this happens with excess protein intake.
I don't know at what point this happens, but four days' worth of nutrition in one day has to be getting close.
I suspect a lot of that will be water retention.
Dude I hear you. I turn 40 this year. Can't be fucking around like that anymore, I can't justify it to myself like I thought I could in the past. Never really could, there was always an element of 'You know you're only cheating yourself' there.
So I've been talking to a few folks in one of the ERA Discord servers, and figured I'd bring it up here too, in case people had questions or whatever.
On Monday, I had a vertical sleeve partial gastrectomy, a weight loss surgery. I was in the weight loss program at my hospital for three months prior, and lost 40 pounds during that time. My starting weight was 358, I'm now 318.
Anyway, I figured I'd make a post on this thread and maybe also make one that's more detailed in its own thread since I know people in the past have inquired about it. I'm pretty much an open book on it so I don't mind answering questions either here or through PM. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
On Monday, I had a vertical sleeve partial gastrectomy, a weight loss surgery. I was in the weight loss program at my hospital for three months prior, and lost 40 pounds during that time. My starting weight was 358, I'm now 318.
Anyway, I figured I'd make a post on this thread and maybe also make one that's more detailed in its own thread since I know people in the past have inquired about it. I'm pretty much an open book on it so I don't mind answering questions either here or through PM. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
That was my thoughts pretty close. I don't think the body can actually build fat stores that quickly.
OP
OP
I don't actually know the answer, but from personal experience using fortified formula and mixing olive oil and thickened cream into a premie baby's food, we'd sometimes be giving him an adult's energy intake each day. 100g of weight gain was still a victory.
Then again, ancient hunter gatherers would sometimes go days without food and once they'd made a kill. Maybe an adult is different somehow. I suspect though that the feasting wouldn't all just take place over the course of a day.
Hmm are there published studies on caloric limits for how much calories the body can digest? Top Strongmen competitors typically eat upwards of 12k-20k calories per day to build strength and gain weight. If they don't eat at those caloric levels, they start to lose weight and can't get stronger, which tells me that much of those calories are being utilized by their bodies to maintain their weight and drive their strength gains.
April 26th: 213lbs
May 1st: 209lbs
May 10th 208lbs
I managed to drop a pound despite necking 20pints of beer and eating out 4 times in a week. Fasting sure is great :)
May 1st: 209lbs
May 10th 208lbs
I managed to drop a pound despite necking 20pints of beer and eating out 4 times in a week. Fasting sure is great :)
Previous Weight - 235
Current Weight - 237
Yes, went up two lbs. However, I've also not been able to be as physically active as I would like due to work commitments. But at least I came back in here to own up to my gain lol
Previous Weight: 145.4lbs
Current Weight: 143.6lbs
Forgot about this. Last week got sick and didn't weigh myself.
Current Weight: 143.6lbs
Forgot about this. Last week got sick and didn't weigh myself.
I'm only doing IF of about 16:8 or 18:6, and I can already imagine how OMAD works so amazing for the people that can train themselves to do it. There is only so much food you can eat in one sitting before feeling full, especially if you eat healthy home cooked meals with vegetables and greens included.
I've had days where I've cheated a lot (mostly on weekends with alcohol), but I've been super strict with the IF windows to the point where I don't think I've broken it in over a month.
I've had days where I've cheated a lot (mostly on weekends with alcohol), but I've been super strict with the IF windows to the point where I don't think I've broken it in over a month.
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Next update
145.4 kg
Low carb week, added another beach tennis lesson to my schedule. Destroyed some chocolate one night but got back to dieting next meal.
145.4 kg
Low carb week, added another beach tennis lesson to my schedule. Destroyed some chocolate one night but got back to dieting next meal.
5/11/19: 159.8lb
Finally got on a scale after my work trip. Was eating nothing but salad for dinner for convenience and it helped me drop 2lb lol
For reference this was what I did:
Organic spring mix: enough to half-fill a 2liter Tupperware container
1-2 boiled egg
chicken breast strips
1oz blue cheese
Tomatoes
Blueberries
Dressing to taste (I had some chipotle ranch from Aldi)
Pistachios (optional)
Pull all this out of the fridge, throw into the Tupperware container. Mix and eat. It's huge in volume and filling, and takes maybe 5mins to prep.
Finally got on a scale after my work trip. Was eating nothing but salad for dinner for convenience and it helped me drop 2lb lol
For reference this was what I did:
Organic spring mix: enough to half-fill a 2liter Tupperware container
1-2 boiled egg
chicken breast strips
1oz blue cheese
Tomatoes
Blueberries
Dressing to taste (I had some chipotle ranch from Aldi)
Pistachios (optional)
Pull all this out of the fridge, throw into the Tupperware container. Mix and eat. It's huge in volume and filling, and takes maybe 5mins to prep.
Did my morning weigh in 05/11/19 down to 437. At this rate or just bit slower I'll be back to 420 were I started the last thread.
Weighed in this morning at 314.2! Last week I was 316.6 and I really thought I was gonna be at a stand still. Somehow, despite my best efforts to screw myself over, I've lost almost 2.5 pounds. Just need to be all the more vigilant going forward.
Had a terrible week. Including overeating quite a bit. Even went back to sweets for a few days. Stupid stress eating. Right now I can already give me a gold star when I leave the bed.
Still managed to pretty much stay even at 98.6kg. Probably adding another Kendo lesson this week. Not really sure how it will go, since it will be the main club training, not the student sport program.
Still managed to pretty much stay even at 98.6kg. Probably adding another Kendo lesson this week. Not really sure how it will go, since it will be the main club training, not the student sport program.
4/26: 165.4 lbs
5/3: 162.8 lbs
5/10: 163.6 lbs
Up slightly this week; was only a matter of time. Wrote last week about doing better on the weekends, and failed miserably. I know what's going on, too. As I've lost a lot of weight, some of my old bad habits have started to occasionally creep back in. I'm hardly going off on a bender over the weekends or anything, but I've been less disciplined and let things slip a little.
On the bright side, this was easily my best week of the year in terms of fitness. Did my full workout every weekday morning, even upped the intensity a bit, and had no trouble finishing. Also managed to not feel like crap at any point, even at the end of the week. Going to resume doing push-ups this coming week and start toning my upper body a bit.
Apr 26: 195.8 lbs
Apr 28: 194.1 lbs
May 5: 191.9 lbs
May 11: 190.2 lbs
Steady progress. Hopefully this family gathering doesn't throw me off too much.
Apr 28: 194.1 lbs
May 5: 191.9 lbs
May 11: 190.2 lbs
Steady progress. Hopefully this family gathering doesn't throw me off too much.
Unofficial weigh in.
159lbs
My birthday is next month, I'm making it a temporary goal to lose around 4lbs before then. Which could be difficult as I'm exercising and putting on muscle at the same time. I might buy a body measuring tape so I can get a measurement of my belly since that might be really more of what I'm looking for rather than a numbers loss on a scale.
159lbs
My birthday is next month, I'm making it a temporary goal to lose around 4lbs before then. Which could be difficult as I'm exercising and putting on muscle at the same time. I might buy a body measuring tape so I can get a measurement of my belly since that might be really more of what I'm looking for rather than a numbers loss on a scale.
5/5: 182lbs
5/12: 180lbs
man, im having such a hard time getting into the right mindset for this. im in my 30s now and im wondering if im just going to be having a much more difficult time getting back into shape than i had before. my biggest issue so far is finding the energy to do some exercising when i wake up and when i get out of work, and im still drinking a lot of my calories, but im steadily making progress nonetheless. i made the mistake of looking at some old pictures of when i was in my best shape and just got so bummed out seeing myself now. ugh. one week at a time...
5/12: 180lbs
man, im having such a hard time getting into the right mindset for this. im in my 30s now and im wondering if im just going to be having a much more difficult time getting back into shape than i had before. my biggest issue so far is finding the energy to do some exercising when i wake up and when i get out of work, and im still drinking a lot of my calories, but im steadily making progress nonetheless. i made the mistake of looking at some old pictures of when i was in my best shape and just got so bummed out seeing myself now. ugh. one week at a time...
Update:
April 22, 122.2kg
April 29, 123.3kg
May 6, 122.8kg
May 13, 124.5kg
Bleh. Bunch of homemade pizza and cake destroyed me last week. It's kind of weirdly amusing to me that as soon as I started really keeping track of my weight, it started going kind of poorly.
April 22, 122.2kg
April 29, 123.3kg
May 6, 122.8kg
May 13, 124.5kg
Bleh. Bunch of homemade pizza and cake destroyed me last week. It's kind of weirdly amusing to me that as soon as I started really keeping track of my weight, it started going kind of poorly.
Back from vacation, time to check how bad it was...
...
115.2. kg...
... Not *that* bad considering I didn't watch what I drank and eat at all.
Now it's back to intermediate fasting and calorie counting :D
...
115.2. kg...
... Not *that* bad considering I didn't watch what I drank and eat at all.
Now it's back to intermediate fasting and calorie counting :D
Down to 05/13/2019 431.5lbs down from 455 lbs on 04/19/2019. I feel awesome, I'm not starving myself I eat between 1.5k kcal to 2k kcal a day plus doing 16:8 fasting. Though I am curious at this point how much of that is water weight. I use to probably eat over 4000 MG of sodium a day also well over 3000 kcal a day just super unhealthy fast food, take out, pizza ect.
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I'm 193.5 lbs again, same as last weigh in lol... I'm feeling positive about it though.
I've been eating more, intentionally, trying to break this stall. Seems to be working?
I've also been tracking my micro-nutrients better. Cronometer >>> carb manager. I still need to eat more potassium + magnesium though I think my omega 3 to omega 6 ratio is decent if not great.
I've been eating more, intentionally, trying to break this stall. Seems to be working?
I've also been tracking my micro-nutrients better. Cronometer >>> carb manager. I still need to eat more potassium + magnesium though I think my omega 3 to omega 6 ratio is decent if not great.
I'm really glad to see that I'm still in the mid- 51s KG this week, during the rest of the week I'm often in mid 52s KG but by Wednesday because I'm doing most of my longer runs unsurprisingly it's gonna dip a bit because of water retention etc.
One thing I'm working really hard on is not stress eating, reality is I'm trying to have a calorie deficit with CICO and of course that doesn't always feel pleasant. I'm trying to really make sure I'm eating to sate hunger not because I feel uneasy.
Either way I'm happy with the progress:
Wed. 17th April: 52.4 KG
Wed. 24 April: 52.3 KG
Wed. 1st May: 52.2 KG
Wed. 8th May: 51.7 KG
Wed. 15th May: 51.6KG
One thing I'm working really hard on is not stress eating, reality is I'm trying to have a calorie deficit with CICO and of course that doesn't always feel pleasant. I'm trying to really make sure I'm eating to sate hunger not because I feel uneasy.
Either way I'm happy with the progress:
Wed. 17th April: 52.4 KG
Wed. 24 April: 52.3 KG
Wed. 1st May: 52.2 KG
Wed. 8th May: 51.7 KG
Wed. 15th May: 51.6KG
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