So i've searched & read many of the previous "stall" threads but none seem to be similar to my issue. My HW was 387, SW 338(sleeved on 6/20/18), CW 250lbs. My macros are 1000-1200cals depending on lifting days, 90-110g protein, 50-60g carb per day. I'm lifting heavy 4 days per week with 45min HIIT cardio 5-6x/week. Per Apple Watch I'm burning between 4500-5500 cals per day so clearly burning 3x what I take in. My nut says I am were I need to be macro wise but the scale is just not friggin moving. My goal is cutting another 40lbs. I wonder if I am just not getting enough calories but don't think I can eat more. I don't want to lose any muscle mass, just burn fat. I've spoken with a few trainers who train bodybuilders & they think I am not getting enough calories but they admittedly don't have experience with bariatric surgery. The flip side is I've made a lot of progress and body has changed. I've dropped several sizes(4x to 2x), 50" waist to 40" but have more to go. Seeing people with better numbers and doing much less work is getting very frustrating. My question is- has anyone had a lengthy stall like this and was working out heavy? Was upping calories the answer? Was lowering your macros the answer? and were you able to maintain your muscle mass? TIA!

Hi there,

First off, you can't compare your progress to others. The fact is, if you weren't training hard, you'd probably be losing more weight on the scale--but you wouldn't see it on your body the same way. The scale is BS-just an easy metric to track. You should be more focused on losing inches--which is really the whole point anyway. As long as that's happening (as you said), you're doing the right things. The weight loss on the scale will eventually catch up. Second, you may want to get a body fat monitor, like the handheld one that Omicron makes. I have only lost 3.5 pounds in the past month, but I lost 1.5 inches off my waist and 1.8% of my body fat. I don't consider that a stall by any means.

If you want to experiment with increasing your calories or changing up your diet by cutting down on carbs or increasing the amount of healthy fat you're eating (something along those lines), you might give your body a little kickstart by confusing it. Bottom line is you lost 137 pounds since last June. That's f---ing amazing. That last few pounds are always going to be the hardest.

Thank you for the reply and encouragement! Gets very frustrating at times after working my behind off at 45yrs old like I was in high school/college again and not see the scale move much lately. I took my measurements this morning and am down an inch in waist & chest so as you said, what I am doing is working, just not from a scale standpoint. Onwards I go with this marathon, not sprint. Going to look for one of those Omicron handhelds this weekend. Thanks again for the words and advice!

First off, congrats on such an amazing success so far with your weight loss and transformation! I’m not in any way a fitness expert or anything, and I haven’t had Bariatric surgery yet, but I’ve experienced something similar before. When I got down to my lowest weight a year ago and I was at the gym for 2 hours a day doing cardio and lifting, I hit a major wall all of a sudden. I was counting my calories on my fitness pal daily which was only 1200 but was burning more then that a day. Then my weight loss doctor said something to me that made a lot of sense. She said your body gets used to that level of activity and calories you are burning and therefore you will have to do even more for your body to “react”. So she suggested to actually take a step back from the gym for about a week. Giving my body a rest and a chance to recover while watching what I ate. And in that week I dropped 9lbs. It was kind of amazing how my body really did just need some rest. Maybe it’s worth a shot even though I know it’s hard to not work out everyday.

3 hours ago, GansettRam74 said:

Thank you for the reply and encouragement! Gets very frustrating at times after working my behind off at 45yrs old like I was in high school/college again and not see the scale move much lately. I took my measurements this morning and am down an inch in waist & chest so as you said, what I am doing is working, just not from a scale standpoint. Onwards I go with this marathon, not sprint. Going to look for one of those Omicron handhelds this weekend. Thanks again for the words and advice!

FYI, I just turned 45. I know that being a 45 year old guy trying to get back into shape has some unique challenges. We can't train the same way we did in our twenties, nor should you even try. What worked then, will not work now--not for the long term anyway. I am kicking my ass like you are. I am up around 4am to get to the gym by 4:30-4:34. I take a spin class five days a week (twice on Wednesdays). I then weight train intensively 5-6 days a week, mixing and matching supersets and drop sets. Focusing on compound lifts most days and then having one day of just isolation and "Big Lift Day" once a week when I do squats, deadlifts, barbell rows, bench press, kettle bell swings, lat pull and mix in pushups and rowing machine as part of a circuit. I keep the weight challenging but not max by any means. i have to focus on trying to perfect my form--I can't get way with sloppy form like I could 20 years ago. I always use a heart rate monitor so I make sure that I keep my bpm up into the high 130's low 140's on average. I'll spike in the 150's the end of a super set and then rest until my rate drops in the 120's and then start a new set (usually that means waiting 1minute to a 1:30 seconds). Forget what the scale says, I think just adding this one "Big Lift Day" into my routine really kicked my body into gear and got my muscle mass growing and definitely kicked up my testosterone a notch (which is great for getting rid of belly fat). If I didn't have extra skin around my mid-section from years of being obese, I would have a six pack now.

August 2018:

This week:

I know you are working out a lot and eating well, but are you maintaining your water intake? I had a major stall after going to a trainer for months. I decided to try swimming and the weight started coming off again. I try to change up my routine whenever I start to stall and the change in activity seems to help. Best of luck on your journey.