2 weeks no change on the scale, opinions/thoughts?

[Vintovka]

As a preface, I'm 6'3" ~270 lbs (mostly fat), last summer I dropped to this from 300 and now I'm trying to lose more.

For the past two weeks I've been eating once a day (between 5 and 6pm), around 1500 Cals or so and walking 2.5 miles every day in about 45 mins (9pm) as well as light lifting every third day (3x12 with 2 20lbs dumbbells of arnold curls, military presses and bent over rows for upper and squats and lunges for lower, alternating workouts between upper/lower).

I don't think it's starvation mode as I read you have to really cut Cals to hit that (and it also sounds like a fat people myth for losing weight without changing their caloric intake).

I basically drink no water so I'm thinking maybe fluid retention?

Online calculators put my basal metabolic rate around 2800 Cals a day and the walking at burning ~500, so I should have a deficiet of 1800 Cals/day and with there being ~3500 Cals in a pound of fat I should see about a 3.5 lbs drop a week.

This is what I was seeing the last time I was losing weight, I was weighing daily and the losses meshed with the math. Now I've been weighing once a week but the scale still says 269 after two weeks of this regime.

I feel like I'm losing fat, veins on the back of my hand look more defined, pants looser, but maybe my mind is playing tricks on me.

The water is a big issue, I know and I'm gonna remedy that (I can't really drink at work as I work in a research lab, no food/drink where there's acids/carcinogens/dangerous bacterias, take your pick, heh).

But other than that, thoughts or opinions?

Thanks

 

[[S]alvatore]

Ok when I get back later today i'll write up a more detailed post or pm you. You're going about this the wrong way.

- 1 meal a day? How the fu<k can you function? What food is contained in that 1 meal? You need to be eating 6-8 smaller meals spread out every 2.5-3 hours.
- Can you perform cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach? If not i'd say maybe straight after your weights session.
- What does your whole resistance training routine look like? Days, exercises, sets, reps.
- Yes, drink more water. 5-6 litres a day at least.
- And don't go by what the scales say, ever. Go by the mirror, how clothes fit, and if you can bodyfat calipers (although I think general weightloss is your goal in mind for now).

I'll elaborate more when I get a chance.

 

[Vintovka]

In addition to restricting my Cal intake, 1 meal a day was a exercise in self control. I got overweight through the usual combination of inactivity and overeating, I ate all the time, if I was hungry, bored or had a bad day. So eating once a day was proving to myself I have control in that regard.

I've gotten used to it so that now the hunger is just a dull ache I push to the back of my mind.

My one meal is no good I'm sure, Chinese takeout (chicken, brocolli, water chestnut and baby corn plus pork fried rice). I love the stuff. I can, and do, eat the stuff every day. It's convient because I'm not much of a cook and cheap, $4.50 a day.

Looking at examples of Calories in Chinese food from a few websites, 1500 may have been to generous of an estimate, although the portions sizes are big at the place I go to.

I used to walk first thing in the morning on an empty stomach (my stomach was usually empty till 5pm or so) but lately having been walking in the evening around 9pm.

Eating 6-8 meals a day will be difficult for the same reason for the water above as I just take one break a day and somedays were in a cave or a forest taking samples and setting up data loggers all day.

I guess if I really want this though I should find a way.

 

[Driven2Succeed]

u really cant figure out how much weight ur gonna lost based on a diet. there are so many factors that play a role in ur body and its horomones and how it functions..

the biggest thing is a lifestyle change.. u definitely should be eating 4-6 times a day but smaller meals. i think 2000 calories a day is sufficient when ur at 270.. not being a doosh but u definitely dont need any more than that. just make sure ur 2000 cals are from good choices.. aim for somthing like this.. breakfast 500 cals, snack 250, lunch 600, snack 250, dinner 400.. add in a shake if u workout, a snack can be a handful of nuts or a protein bar or some yogurt. this type of diet works pretty well as long as u are exercising..

u gotta look at ur body/metabolism as an oven or a fire..if ur trying to make a fire burn, u know u have to slowly add things to it.. if u dump all ur logs on it its just gonna die out and then its gonna be starving later..

good work on losing 30lbs.. i know how hard it is from personal experience.. keep up the good work.. and start drinking water man, u gotta!!!

 

[Driven2Succeed]

dude, go check out menshealth.com or bodybuilding.com .. lots of good nutritional advice and pretty good message boards..

 

[Vintovka]

I think fluid retention was playing a big role with the scale issue, I drank a crap ton of water last night and pissed a lot, this morning weighed in at 264.5 vs 269 the day earlier.

Good advice all around, it's gonna be hard trying to eat so often during the day though, I'll see what I can do.

When I got serious about restricting my cals and walking I was ~275, so 10lbs over 3 weeks doesn't seem shabby, but it went real fast the last time I lost some weight for the first 15 lbs or so then panned out to a much slower rate. I was eating 1200 Cals/day and running everynight though, but finally I fvcked up my knees so bad I could barely stand up. So this time I'll stick to walking, heh.

 

[Warboss Alex]

throw the scale out the window.

I can already see you're a weight-watcher (literally, not a member of the club) and no good comes of that. so many factors determine your scale weight.

 

[reyalp]

www.burnthefat.com

^^^^You need this book.

If you aren't losing any weight, it's either:
A) Your diet
B) Your activity level
C) Adaptation to A or B

I'm leaning more towards A here.

1500 cals is not near enough food. Your thyroid responds to this extreme caloric defecit by slowing your metabolism down.
My total daily energy expenditure is about 3000, and I weigh 179lbs!
While 2800 might be your BMR, that doesn't take into account your daily expenditures. BMR is basically what you would burn if you slept all day.

Please read that book I mentioned. We would really have to write a book to help you properly.
Also, if you want to change up your routine, Warboss Alex has made very good posts with sample routines. Alternatively, you could try this routine:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=750551