Weight loss slowed down cause lost muscle from exercising?

[PiratePixieQueen]

Hello everyone, I`m new here

First i went to my doctor a little over a week ago for a check up and my thyroid was normal as well as all other blood tests so i have no issues there.

I have lost 125 pounds since december 2016 from around 300 lbs to now around 176l bs,I did it with walking (using a treadmill and walking outside) and changing what I eat and how much. Now i only did cardio and no weight lifting,well the past few months it seems like my weight loss has slowed down i slowed down on walking to give my body a break and bring up my calories to see if thatd help but it didnt.

I assume its because all my muscle is gone and my metabolism has slowed down so a month ago i started to lift 3 and 5 pound weights 3 days of the week and the other 2 i do cardio but different cardio exercises besides just walking and when i do that i also started using 2 pound ankle weights and trying to do laying down leg exercises.

Just recently i started using a whey protein powder supplement on the days i lift to get extra protein then what i can get from natural sources from what i already eat like greek yogurt,egg,milk,peanut butter,almonds.

My question is should i still do cardio or just focus on lifting weights while still being in a caloric deficit for awhile then start back on cardio? Which is better?

And does anyone else get frustrated that their weight fluctuates weekly and now just through out the day cause i know thats normal. Like for awhile scale was showing 175-177 lbs and lately it shows 176-181 lbs


Idk what to do, I want to get to 165 lbs. But maybe this is the weight im meant to be at :/

 

[Trusylver]

Firstly, don't assume, what is your bodyfat % , has it been changing along with your general weight loss, use your bodyfat % to determine lean mass, is it going down ?

Before adding in protein powder, first make sure you actually need it, what are your macros from your regular diet ?

excessive cardio can have an adverse effect on muscle mass but you need to doing a lot.

Have you got a muscle weakness problem ? 3-5 lb weights are what would be used to lightly rehab an injury or to work very small muscles in isolation (eg. the muscles of the rotator cuff), not to maintain or build muscle. The weights used in a strength program to maintain muscle in a calorie deficit need to be heavy for you with low reps per set, not light weights done for heaps of reps which will do nothing except boost endurance.

 

[PiratePixieQueen]

I dont know what my bodyfat % is.

I dont count my macros.

I was doing a lot of cardio for a long time. I am starting out on small weights because i have never lifted weights before.,plan on working my way up eventually. I follow Youtube videos of dumbbell lifting

 

[Trusylver]

be very careful of YouTube videos, many of them have poor form which will eventually lead to injury and a lot of the routines are unbalanced which also leads to injury.

however to put the weights into perspective, a 5lb weight is less than a moderately heavy shopping bag.

a few other things to remember, weight loss always slows down the closer you get to your goal. as you loose weight you need to continually adjust how much you are eating because as you loose your body needs fewer calories.