Mysterious lack of weight loss

The Coffee Shop
1

For the last 2 years, I’ve been completely 100% sedentary. I’ve eaten out 100% of my meals, and I do mean 100%. I’ve been living on things like chipotle, qdoba, pizza hut, fried chicken and mashed potatoes, wings, taco bell, etc. No idea how many calories per day, but I’d imagine it’s a lot.

And my bodyweight has stayed pegged right at ~173 lbs in the last 2 years (and I’m 5’ 10", 32 years old).

So, in the last 4 weeks, I’ve radically changed my diet to: oats, brown rice, chicken breast, salmon, asparagus, broccoli, hard boiled eggs, mixed fruit, salads (with very little dressing). I’ve only been drinking water. No soda, juice, or alcohol. I still haven’t been counting calories, but I only eat 2 meals per day because I’m just not hungry for a 3rd meal.

I’ve also added in a pretty intense daily workout (the “Insanity” workout video which is ~40 minutes of intense cardio with lots of leg work that keeps your quads sore on a daily basis), along with a 3 mile daily walk.

And…my body weight is still stuck at the magical 173 lbs! Won’t go up, won’t go down.

I’ve googled this and it seems to always come down to overestimating your activity level and underestimating your calories. But this really just doesn’t seem to add up.

Do I just reduce my calories/portion sizes even further? I can’t imagine I’m eating more than 1500 calories per day, but that’s just a loose guess.

Back in my triathlon days I’d be around 145 lbs and eating just TONS of food. But that was also with 10-12 hours of training per week.

2

For a second I thought this was in the lavender room, then I thought this can’t be right
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4

For a second I thought this was in the lavender room, then I thought this can’t be right

Blep is the ultimate arbiter but I think it’s okay
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5

For a second I thought this was in the lavender room, then I thought this can’t be right

At least he’s not eating hamberders.

Oh there were plenty of hamberders, believe me!

6

I was not trying to step on anyone’s toes, I was momentarily confused
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7

I was not trying to step on anyone’s toes, I was momentarily confused

All that ergot in your French country bread?

8

And…my body weight is still stuck at the magical 173 lbs! Won’t go up, won’t go down.

If you increase the natural fat content of food and get rid of the brown rice and oats (grains are not good), you will slowly start needing less food and you will lose weight.

Also, equating health and weight is a big mistake. Eat healthy foods and get your body used to eating less often (like you are) then you will find your normal weight. You don’t lose weight to get healthy, you get healthy and then lose weight but focus on your diet and throw out your scale.

9

It was the absinthe
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10

FWIW (and I know I’m risking lavender room probation for a serious answer) I previously lost quite a bit of weight. After I had gained it back, after losing it. So I’ve been through it a couple of times.

I never lost weight in a steady decline. Ever. I would lose weight and then plateau for days or weeks. I didn’t change anything; my weight would just stay the same. Then I would lose weight, and then plateau again. It’s like that. The key is consistency. It takes consistent effort day after day to achieve it. Good luck!

11

You need to go on Naked and Afraid. Everyone that does loses between 20 and 40 lbs in 21 days.

12

And…my body weight is still stuck at the magical 173 lbs! Won’t go up, won’t go down.

If you increase the natural fat content of food and get rid of the brown rice and oats (grains are not good), you will slowly start needing less food and you will lose weight.

Grains, particularly high fibre are good. They are only bad if you are on a HFLC diet.

13

4 weeks isn’t that long. Sounds like you’re taking on plenty of protein and doing high intensity exercise so may be putting on a bit of muscle (albeit you wouldn’t put on much in 4 weeks). Also possible that exercising after such a long period of being sedentary means you’ve got a bit of inflammation and water retention going on.

Don’t focus too much on the weight, certainly not on a day to day or week to week basis, just carry on eating clean and exercising to be healthy, body composition and weight will follow in time.

14

The usual trite internet answer is “no one defies the laws of thermodynamics” but I think that’s a dick thing to say. However, maybe try counting a typical day’s worth or week’s worth of calories (while you eat them, memory estimates are notoriously poor). This will give you an idea of your typical deficit, or lack thereof, and a first pass at expected rate of loss. It’s best to do this first before trying to pin it on some obscure endocrine disorder.

At the end of the day, weight loss is almost always non-linear and water retention can play havoc with the numbers at times. Provided you’re not trying to hit a number for a weight bracket or corporate challenge (lol) I’d personally go for daily/weekly skinfold measurements (at the same time of day) or even just the ol mirror test (again, at the same time of day).

15

You need to go on Naked and Afraid. Everyone that does loses between 20 and 40 lbs in 21 days.

That woman who fell down the hill and laid next to a stream for 16 days in Hawaii looks pretty skinny too.

16

You need to go on Naked and Afraid. Everyone that does loses between 20 and 40 lbs in 21 days.

That woman who fell down the hill and laid next to a stream for 16 days in Hawaii looks pretty skinny too.

Or do a thru hike of the AT or PCT (or CDT if your hardcore).
Even gorging yourself in trail towns, most people that aren’t skinny already lose 40-60 lbs.

17

I remember doing the Insanity program about 5 years ago and not losing a pound in the first month. It was frustrating. Definitely lost inches though. In the second month the weight fell off, about 20lbs. You’re putting on muscle/retaining water. Fuck the scale, take measurements.

18

Uhm, you’re 173. Not sure your height, but you’re doing well. It comes in fits and surges. Since you’re doing that body weighted gym cardio the muscular build will be more than a “pure endurance athlete” kind of build once you’re done.

I’m 155 because I only race bikes and run a bit. I don’t do weights. So, I have no chest/arm weight at all to my body.

I’d be in the 140s if it wasn’t for about 5 lbs dispersed around my belly/bum from my nightly beer consumption.

You may feel/look better finishing off upper 160’s or even near 170 than you might if you get down to 150’s or super low under 150.

Outside of looking strong on a bike or running, nothing much impressive to look at when you’re really small. Maybe being mistaken for an anorexic horse, all legs and no body.

I say that, but am happy with what I’ve got.

If you’re interested in what got me down there, it was becoming fat adapted on longer tempo rides. Some folks depend on a lot of gels to do long rides and eating a ton before/after. If it isn’t intense intervals and you don’t plan on “laying down the hammer”, no need really.