Yay weight gain!

M

mathmajor

New member
So, I'm a 22-year-old male and I'm kind of pissed.

Once upon a time I was 303 pounds. About a year ago I reached a milestone... I lost 100 pounds. It's pretty great. For the last year or so I've kept eating fairly healthy to maintain.

Well, I'm still 203 pounds though. I want to get more off. I'm not super muscular so something like 180 should do it.

I started watching what I eat a bit harder. I eat vegetarian + fish. Every day I count calories and reach 1700-1900 and a few times a week I jog. I drink water like crazy at work and at home water/fresh brewed green tea, no cal of course. Vitamin every day. No bathroom troubles.

Only fast food I allow is Subway 6" veggie no cheese, with baked chips.

I never worked this hard to lose weight in the initial 100 pounds. Despite my best efforts I'm not losing anything at all after a few weeks. In fact I gained a couple pounds since Monday. I weigh very consistently... first thing in the morn in the same-ish clothes after going #1.

Did I mention I'm 22? I'm frustrated beyond belief. I think when I'm 40 I'll just no longer need food. The calories in the air will sustain me. :banghead:

So I play this game every morning where I wake up and see if I gained weight. It's a fun way to start the day!
 
And before someone starts going on about calorie measurements being off, no, they're not. I usually overestimate to make up for error.
 
Congrats on the weight loss. Now that you are 203 it will be harder to lose weight than when you were 303. It will be much slower. What kind of cardio are you doing now? Sports? Jogging a couple of times a week- how far do you run? How tall are you? Weight loss when you are lighter takes even more time and effort. The key is not to get frustrated. Persevere through it- eventually you will start to lose.
 
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The funny thing with the body is it LOVES routine, this means if you are doing the same exact thing everyday or every week then your body is use to exactly what you are doing.

Some tips on how to switch it up:
  • Do days of lower calories then a day of high calories, this can trick the body into dropping weight.
  • Try some different workouts, add some strength training or do some HIIT workouts a few times a week.
  • Make sure to calculate the right number of calories for your body NOW, when you were 100 pounds heavier you required more calories to maintain.
  • Switch up the foods in your diet, variety is the spice of life and anyone would get burnt out eating the same things everyday for the rest of their life.
  • Make sure you are eating ENOUGH. When I hit a stall in weight loss, believe it or not, it was because I was not eating enough. I was eating about 1,200-1,400 calories (I am a 127 pound female) a day and working out for 2 hrs a day and the scale would NOT budge... I bumped up my calorie intake to 1,600-1,800 a day and suddenly weight FELL off.

I am no expert, just someone who has had to lose a lot of weight myself and have struggled with the dreaded plateau myself.

And congrats on the loss to date :) Keep it up!
 
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Thanks for the advice all. My running routine was doing 20 minutes of intervals a few times per week. I can't do much more than that. Each sprint period takes it out of me. My treadmill crapped out recently so today I simply powerwalked around the neighborhood and did my weights.

I'm kind of self-conscious about jogging outside. Loose skin flying everywhere, it's so gross.

I do have one or two meals out per week. I don't go crazy but it's definitely more cals than normal. During the week I'm really good. I always pay for it on the scale though. It might be the water weight. I'm kinda salt sensitive on the scale. No massive bloating but usually 1lb in a day from very salty meals.

I thought maybe the weight gain/plateau was from doing weights but I don't go at it that hard. My muscles aren't burning/sore afterwards to gain water.

I really am scared about getting older. I'm already having trouble and I eat (pardon me but) like a 50-year-old woman. I could eat more but truth be told I'm really satisfied by eating high fiber, fruits/veg and lean protein. I don't feel unnourished.

I'm 6' even, 200-203 pound fluctuation, not a lot of muscle. I have thin arms and legs until my thighs and keep most of it on my torso. My genetics are awful... my mom, sister, and uncle had to have weight loss surgery.
 
I'm in the same place right now! When I was heavier I found weight loss to be as simple as cutting calories, then when I lost some weight, in order to keep losing I had to start exercising 2-4 times a week for an hour at the gym (mostly cardio). Now that I've had to take a forced break from exercise, I find that I'm GAINING just by not working out!
So we're definitely on the plateau. Both needing to lose that most difficult last 20lbs. I'm going to be adding more calories to my daily allowance (I'm slowly increasing from 1300/day to 1600/day), and going back to the gym at least twice a week.
I think shawnnam has it right, routine needs to be switched up! Google "weight loss plateau" and see what kind of tips and tricks you can find for changing your routine and letting you body know it's okay to lose weight.

One thing I can suggest is adding a nutritious oil to your foods to add some calories and fat. Good ones to try; Olive, Grapeseed, Avocado, and Safflower. I take a tablespoon of safflower oil everyday because it's cheap but still good for you.

You've already lost a third of yourself, you'll be able to do this just fine! :)
 
Bump for update... I tried switching it up and varying my eating/exercise... in the month since I posted my "fluctuation range" is down a pound or two maybe. 198-201 something like that. My BMR is 2070 calories... I can't even imagine hitting that much in a normal day the way I eat.

Ate out at Olive Garden over the weekend and gained two pounds in two days and it hasn't come back down. My weight loss friends take a 'cheat' meal in stride but I always pay dearly for it. I'm going to keep on trucking, I guess.
 
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