Source
r/loseit•
mxorkrane

Not losing weight anymore?

F27 5’6 sw:315lb+ lw:148lb Cw:152lb gw:140-135 and a large mesomorph body frame (same wrist and neck measurement as my 6ft female friend)

For context I’ve lost a lot of weight two years ago and have kept a normal but on the upper end of healthy bmi in that time. I wanted to give myself a little more wiggle room and lose 12-18lb but after a month of comfortably being on a 750-1000 cal deficit (based on lightly active tdee otherwise my garmin watch puts my deficit at 1.5-2k).

I track everything religiously whatever goes into my mouth, other than water, touches my food scale, even oil and I don’t snack(no handful of nuts here). I cook 100%of my meals myself so theres no sabotage going on. I will even add 5g to any thing I eat to make up for packing errors, and 0cals products get recorded as 10cal (aka my sriracha obsession).

My protein intake is my highest macro (it helps with joint pain), I follow a Mediterranean diet (fresh fruits veggies, whole grains and low cal bread, lean meats fish, egg whites, and 0%greek yogurt) other than being low carb for the last two years. I work retail and I don’t have a car so my steps are in the 12.5-15k daily range, I’ve gotten good at carrying 20lbs of groceries a mile away and get 330+minutes of heightened heart rate a week so I don’t go out of my way to exercise above that. Based on my diet, current weight/weight loss, and activity level I don’t think it could be insulin resistance. I do have undiagnosed lipedema, but I can’t imagine that would affect the non-diseased fat on other parts of my body, and a deficit is a deficit, there is still weight to lose.

I would go to a doctor, but I don’t have insurance and I can barely afford rent let alone a hospital visit, (I live with family that disqualifies me for assistance).

I’m losing my mind a little here, and just looking for some reassurance and maybe any similar experiences? And before anyone suggests weight training I refer back to the lack of car and carrying heavy groceries decent distances, any attempt to go above that has put me out of commission with joint pain that hasn’t reduced with my weight loss.

Posted Sep 1, 2023, 8:34 PM UTC

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Kitchen-Ad1829New•

how long have you been stuck at your current weight?

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mxorkraneOP165lbs lost•

I had been at a 500 cal deficit for a month prior, I switched to 750-1000 in this last month.

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Kitchen-Ad1829New•

you are not in a deficit if you have not lost any weight in a 750-1000 calorie "deficit".

https://thefitness.wiki/faq/why-cant-i-lose-weight/

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mxorkraneOP165lbs lost•

I've lost over 150lb I know how to follow a deficit (my intake is between 1.4-1.2k), and religiously, I even checked my food scale for accuracy, unless I'm eating in my sleep (not possible) I don't know what to say.

This is frankly unhelpful and ignoring my request for reassurance/similar experiences.

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OftenwrongsNew•

You are here because it isn't working. They gave the solution. There isn't magic involved. By definition you are not at enough of a deficit or you are counting wrong.

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relinquishthedonuts15lbs lost•

I have to say it - strength training will help your joint pain. I have multiple chronic illnesses that cause joint pain and the ONLY thing that helped was strength training. My physical therapist says it's maddening because most people's ailments can be addressed or even completely resolved with strength training, but like you...they don't have insurance and so never see a PT to tell them so.

My advice? You're at a high normal weight, which is probably where you're supposed to be if you do have a larger frame. This is exactly why the range of healthy weight is a RANGE. Get a little handcart for your groceries and try working in some functional strength training to help your joint pain. Once you get through that, you'll be able to increase your exercise and build muscle and get a nice shape.

I use FitnessBlender.com and work out at home. My workouts are usually only 30-45 minutes, and they have tons of bodyweight workouts. There is a free membership, but the premium does come with more workouts and full programs.

By the way - joint pain is caused by inflammation. Inflammation leads to water retention which leads to a heavier scale weight by up to 10 lbs, depending on how bad it is. So I really really do recommend doing some strength training to build up the muscles around your joints to help keep that inflammation and pain down. When I started PT for my pain, once I got into a groove with the exercises I dropped like 8 lbs in a week just from not being so inflamed anymore.

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mxorkraneOP165lbs lost•

The thing is I am doing strength training exercises as mentioned, just not formally with weights, my job is near a the grocery store that I go to daily, 20lb is the minimum weight I carry, if they have sales I'll be carrying 6 12packs of sodas that family requests, otherwise I'm helping stock room every time at work, which is already 4-5 days of endurance strength training.

Joint pain is caused by the lipedema which has only been minimally helped with my diet and compression garments, and requires surgery to alleviate.

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relinquishthedonuts15lbs lost•

Right, I said functional strength training for your joints, not traditional strength training. That's going to look more like pilates or yoga with maybe some traditional moves thrown in as you get stronger, and carrying things around and stocking is not working those small muscles. In fact, if those smaller muscles are not strong enough, the work you're doing could be making it worse.

I get joint pain from medical conditions, including ones that require surgery because that's what I was dealing with. I did PT leading up to and after surgery and it helped significantly. Frankly, it doesn't sound like you're going to be getting surgery any time soon, so it's worth a shot to see if it helps. It'll help reduce the impact of your job on your joints, too. Maybe try looking up physical therapy videos on YouTube for your specific joints that hurt, or for lipedema generally.

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mxorkraneOP165lbs lost•

I do yoga, dance, and stretching every day to help with my joints already, I mentioned strength training in my post because I know lose-it loves to point to that, but what I meant was that I'm not looking to add more of it to my already intense daily routine, because I'm concerned with a lack of weight loss, and completely missing other symptoms.

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relinquishthedonuts15lbs lost•

Well, like I said, give it more time. A month isn't long enough, especially when you're trying to lose a small amount of weight.

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justoffthebeatenpathNew•

Most likely water weight. Just keep doing what you're doing.

And before anyone suggests weight training I refer back to the lack of car and carrying heavy groceries decent distances, any attempt to go above that has put me out of commission with joint pain that hasn’t reduced with my weight loss.

It's sad to say but heavy groceries and no car does not make up for proper regimented exercise. If you are lifting such heavy weights that you are hurting your joints you need to listen to your body and go easier on yourself.

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mxorkraneOP165lbs lost•

It's the maximum weight that I can do 4-5 days a week and stockroom, if it was 2 weeks I'd blame the lack of loss on muscle growth, but it's been a month at this rate of deficit and another at 500cals with nothing.

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justoffthebeatenpathNew•

joint pains caused by a disease that requires surgery

Sorry, it wasn't clear from your post that it was an injury / congenital. I had chronic hip issues that didn't get resolved until 2 surgeries so I feel you there.

It is likely water weight though. If you're tracking as diligently as you're saying (which I do as well) there have been some months where I see zero progress and then I'll drop 5-8 pounds in a week. If you're not seeing anything after a few months you could try lowering your intake by a very incremental amount (like 100 calories) and see the result of that.

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mxorkraneOP165lbs lost•

I'll just have to hold on then, my intake is already lower than I'm comfortable with at 5'6 (1.2-1.4k daily and I don't eat back calories)

It's actually frustrating because even when I was a teenager I couldn't get under the high 140's (I can rule out a tumor) since I developed the lipedema deposits (it's symmetrical on both legs) at puberty, it seriously affected my mental health and resulted in the weight gain I had, and that barrier rearing it's ugly head again sucks, but we all have road bumps.

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OftenwrongsNew•

You don't actually state calorie intake, so people can only guess. Not losing? Eat less calories. Repeat as needed.

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PittipantsNew•

As others have stated you are simply eating at maintenance or a very slight deficit. I would just reduce calories slightly and keep tracking your weight and I bet it will start trending downward. You mentioned you have already lost a lot of weight so you know how it works. However one thing to keep in mind is he less you have to lose the slower it comes off.

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mxorkraneOP165lbs lost•

Did you read my post or my second edit?

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PittipantsNew•

These types of posts and comments are so incredibly annoying. “i’m bot losing wight. Please do bot recommend the thing that is the only solution to my problem”.

You are not in a deficit. You were counting your calories wrong. You were eating more than you think.

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mxorkraneOP165lbs lost•

I have a food scale I make everything homemade, I checked my scale’s accuracy, I have lost a dramatic amount of weight in a year and spent another year in maintenance, I have helped other people successfully do cico I am eating 1200-1400 calories without question and intentionally over estimating calories

lean ground meat and protein powder, and veggies+fruits can only be off so much when they are being precisely measured daily

I have a fat disorder (look up lipedema instead of being a jerk) that I was not aware could flair up and was panicking

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