Where do I go from here?

[stigss]

Hello! I’ve made a couple of posts on here if you want more context and pictures.

23 years old, 5’3”, sw: 148lbs, cw: 138, gw: 130

I’ve gone from 148lbs to 137lbs between August and November 2023 by eating 1400cals p/d and eating at least 100g protein p/d with 8-10k steps and 1-3 days lifting heavy.

My weight loss stalled at the beginning of December and then the holidays came around so I stopped tracking. I’ve gained slightly during the holidays which is to be expected.

I’m happy that I met my initial goal of losing 10lbs but I’m not visually where I want to be yet and I’m unsure of where to go from here because I’ve stopped losing weight and I don’t know what’s caused it. (Note that my weight loss plateaued weeks before Christmas)

Should I recalculate my tdee and eat at 1350cals?

Should I try to eat at maintenance? (Maintenance for me is 1500 or I gain)

Should I increase my activity?

I appreciate any insight!

 

[lexmark]

@stigss I had put myself at 1,350 cal in order to lose weight. I’m 5’2”, sw 152lbs, cw 146, gw 135. I lost the first 6 lbs with the 1,350 plus cardio 2x week, and weight training 1-3x week. Then hit the plateau. I then hired a trainer/nutritionist who actually increased my calories to 1,650 and 150gr of protein as long as I hit 7,500 steps everyday (or a good 25-30min cardio per day), and strength training consistently and heavy 3x per week. The goal is to establish better metabolism. So it may take me a little while to start losing again, but I’d be building a lot of muscles, and improving metabolism. Otherwise, the only way to keep losing is that every time you hit a plateau, you drop your calories. But then you are slowing your metabolism drastically, and it’s not sustainable (so he said to me).
I’m trusting the process, and hoping to hit my goal, fingers crossed

 

[stigss]

@lexmark Ooh, makes sense! I’ll be honest that I’m scared of gaining weight but at this point I’m more scared of having to eat like a mouse for the rest of my life

I’ve seen this work for so many of the shorties on this sub and I’m just hoping that it works for me too. I tried this briefly about a year and a half ago but I wasn't as active and didn't have as much muscle as I have now, so i'm hoping that my 10k steps and 3 days of lifting will be enough!

Although I've lost 10lbs, I'm not seeing much visual change and I carry my fat around my midriff (see previous posts). Since I'm aiming for fatloss, I'm not actually concerned with my scale weight as long as I look how I want to!

 

[lexmark]

@stigss I think what I’ve been learning is that slow and steady progress is better than any fast weight loss. I’m losing maybe one pound a month, it’s super slow, but also building muscle, so that takes a while.
I think you are doing it right! If you drop your calories too drastically, then that’s what you’ll have to eat for the rest of your life just to keep the weight off as you mentioned.
Last year I went into a very low calorie diet, 1,150-1,200 calories a day with a program called Optavia. Worst thing I’ve ever done. I did drop 15 pounds in a couple months, and felt like I accomplished something. Well, in a few months after going back into normal eating habits, I gained the 15 lbs back and 6 more! It was horrible! I would have had to continue on that really strict diet forever. So that’s why now I’m more focused on muscle gain above all, and yay, for now I get to eat 1,650 calories a day

 

[stigss]

@lexmark Love that for you! So do you think I should carry on how I am at the moment? 1400 works for me and isn’t difficult for me to maintain but my body hasn’t been responding to it since December 15th when I hit my lowest of 137lbs. I lost this weight by going to the gym to weight lift only once a week most of this time and I’m now starting to go 3x a week starting from last week. Maybe the increase in exercise will increase my tree so that I don’t have to dip my cals any lower. Might even be able to increase to 1500? What do you think?

 

[lexmark]

@stigss I think the increased exercise will let you keep your calories! My trainer also suggested walking everyday, so your 10k a day is also going to help you!
I think the drop in calories should be your last resort, I think you got this!

 

[lexmark]

@stigss Btw, it’s been 2 weeks on this new 1,650 calories, and I dropped 1 lb (I weighted myself everyday since I know there are differences everyday), but my lowest from before I started and my lowest this week is already 1lb
So I’m extremely happy I didn’t put on any weight eating more calories!
It’s also really difficult to eat 150gr of protein a day and feel hungry lol!

 

[stigss]

@lexmark Wow! Sounds like you’re on a sustainable path and I might join you tbh. Definitely won’t be dropping my cals anymore even if I plateau again since my bmr is estimated to be around 1360. I think I’ll increase to 1500 these next few weeks and see how my body responds in terms of weight and energy levels. I’ve also changed my lifting program for the first time since August so my body might respond differently to that too. Thank you for your advice! I really appreciate it!

 

[lexmark]

@stigss Yes, sustainable and long term commitment is my goal! I can’t do any more crash diets!!
Good luck! And yes, do it for a few weeks and just see how you feel. We are all different, so things might work differently too!
Also, try to update your lifting program every time you hit a plateau as well. I was lifting and every couple weeks I’d hit a PR. Until I didn’t anymore. Then my trainer said that I’d hit a plateau there too, that’s why I wasn’t progressing anymore. So he is going to keep changing my program every few months.