Lost 50 pounds, added cardio/strength, and now have stopped losing

[Anonymous]

I just hit the 50 pound mark. I have 30 more to go. I had been walking, hiking, and biking the whole time. Over the past three weeks, I added a morning cardio/strength workout that keeps my heart rate up high and incorporates a lot of lifting with dumbbells, kettle thingies, and exercise bands. I know I'm getting stronger and more flexible. But I have not lost any weight these entire three weeks. I haven't gained. But it's so frustrating. I am eating more, but about 300 calories more. I'm still running a calorie deficit according to Fitbit.

Is it just the food? I added this workout. It's not substituting for anything. So now I'm working out much more each day.

It's just so frustrating...I know muscle weighs more...but is that what's happening or am I eating too much? Anyone else been there, done that?

[Anonymous]

Wow, congrats!!! Sorry I know you were looking for advice, and I don’t have any, but I wanted to step in and tell you that I admire your efforts, and to keep at it!!! You’re doing great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow, congrats!!! Sorry I know you were looking for advice, and I don’t have any, but I wanted to step in and tell you that I admire your efforts, and to keep at it!!! You’re doing great.

Thanks! I feel a lot better!

I just don't want to fail now.

[Anonymous]

Too much car\dio. Stop the low weight high cardio thing that keeps your heart rare up. You should be adding true strength work to the hiking/bikinh, which itself is already cardio.

Do real strength, muscle building work. Reduce the amount of cortisol flowing through your body. Keep doing the hiking/biking.

Adding cardio with light weights on top of cardio isn't much of an addition and could iust be making you hungrier.

[Anonymous]

If you added 300 calories your Fitbit is probably overestimating the calories from the workout. Or your metabolism is fighting you. Either way, it sucks but going back on the extra 300 is probably the only solution. Maybe every other day?

[Anonymous]

7:05 here - sorry about all the terrible typos!

Just do real weight work with the weights. Don't fling them around to get your heart rate up.

[Anonymous]

I assume you are accounting for the fact that you need to eat less to lose weight at say 160 than you did at 210? Could be muscle gain or just a plateau. 3 weeks isn’t that long. Are you taking any body measurements? Feel any change in your clothes in the last three weeks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just hit the 50 pound mark. I have 30 more to go. I had been walking, hiking, and biking the whole time. Over the past three weeks, I added a morning cardio/strength workout that keeps my heart rate up high and incorporates a lot of lifting with dumbbells, kettle thingies, and exercise bands. I know I'm getting stronger and more flexible. But I have not lost any weight these entire three weeks. I haven't gained. But it's so frustrating. I am eating more, but about 300 calories more. I'm still running a calorie deficit according to Fitbit.

Is it just the food? I added this workout. It's not substituting for anything. So now I'm working out much more each day.

It's just so frustrating...I know muscle weighs more...but is that what's happening or am I eating too much? Anyone else been there, done that?

The problem is you are doing more and expecting to lose weight by adding in more exercise. My guess is that you are burning fewer calories than you think (calorie burn estimates are horribly inaccurate) while eating more than you think. To gain weight, weight being in the form of muscle or fat, you need to be eating in a calorie surplus. Muscles does not weigh any more than fat, a pound is a pound. Muscle is more dense so it takes up less space, meaning if you put on muscle you will look smaller than if that muscle was fat. But putting on muscle is not easy and takes a very long time, not something you will do in 3 weeks.

Now if you suddenly start to exercise more there is sometimes a period where you retain more water, but that will even out.

You have lost 50 lbs which is incredible and shows that you know what you are doing! My advice it to check your calories, make sure you are tracking everything accurately and consistently. I would go back to how you were eating before adding in the extra exercise; don't add in extra calories because you worked out.

I am not sure about your height and weight or how many calories you have been eating to lose but if you have lost 50 lbs it is also possible that you need to adjust your calories down to account for having lost 50 lbs. But that depends on where your calories are and if they were based on your desired goal weight or something else. A good calculation to determine calorie range for fat loss is goal weight x 1012.

[Anonymous]

WHy do you think you are burning 300 calories hence can eat 300 calories more? Go back to what you were doing, since you know what works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Too much car\dio. Stop the low weight high cardio thing that keeps your heart rare up. You should be adding true strength work to the hiking/bikinh, which itself is already cardio.

Do real strength, muscle building work. Reduce the amount of cortisol flowing through your body. Keep doing the hiking/biking.

Adding cardio with light weights on top of cardio isn't much of an addition and could iust be making you hungrier.

DP. Absolutely not. Ditch weight training and add more cardio. Cardio is the king of weight loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Too much car\dio. Stop the low weight high cardio thing that keeps your heart rare up. You should be adding true strength work to the hiking/bikinh, which itself is already cardio.

Do real strength, muscle building work. Reduce the amount of cortisol flowing through your body. Keep doing the hiking/biking.

Adding cardio with light weights on top of cardio isn't much of an addition and could iust be making you hungrier.

DP. Absolutely not. Ditch weight training and add more cardio. Cardio is the king of weight loss.

No, diet is the king of weight loss. Do the exercise you enjoy, not what you think will make you lose weight faster.

[Anonymous]

Thanks all. I am probably eating too much. I will cut back a bit. I feel thinner and clothes feel looser but jo real measurement changes other than bust which kind of sucks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. I am probably eating too much. I will cut back a bit. I feel thinner and clothes feel looser but jo real measurement changes other than bust which kind of sucks.

Don't be discouraged. It has only been 3 weeks. You have come incredibly far and are doing an amazing job! I know some above posters have said to focus on cardio to lose weight but I huge believer in strength training. Cardio may burn a few more calories in the sort term, but in the long term you will be much happier with the body you build through strength training. I am 10 lbs. more than I was before I had kids, but I can fit in all my old clothing and my measurements are smaller because of strength training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks all. I am probably eating too much. I will cut back a bit. I feel thinner and clothes feel looser but jo real measurement changes other than bust which kind of sucks.

Don't be discouraged. It has only been 3 weeks. You have come incredibly far and are doing an amazing job! I know some above posters have said to focus on cardio to lose weight but I huge believer in strength training. Cardio may burn a few more calories in the sort term, but in the long term you will be much happier with the body you build through strength training. I am 10 lbs. more than I was before I had kids, but I can fit in all my old clothing and my measurements are smaller because of strength training.

Congratulation on what you are doing! Stick with things. I'm another believer of strength training. In the long run it will firm up the flab that you have
and tone things up.

Don't be hard on yourself. You are doing a great job!

[Anonymous]

You are doing great! Keep putting the work in. But one thing to remember is that you can never out exercise a bad diet. Track your calories using an ap not your fit bit. Way more accurate. Figure out exactly how many you calories you are eating regardless of exercise.