Seriously, Why am I Not Losing Weight?

I don’t know, I think there could be other factors. Are you getting enough sleep? Have you had any blood work done recently to make sure your hormones are all at good levels? Are you feeling stressed a lot? There could be some sort of hormone problem lurking under the surface, especially if you were taking medication previously that wrecked your body and sleep patterns. Is the sleep apnea still happening? Do you get good deep sleep at night? or is it light and do you wake up a lot in the middle of the night? That could make a big difference.

There’s some things that you could improve, but I don’t see this diet able to maintain 270 pounds.

You could ditch the “beef noodle soup” (I’m assuming this is ramen noodles, which I personally think are delicious, but acknowledge are a bad food source) and just add in the rest of the ingredients for an actual salad and not just eat lettuce. I feel like that would be the single best change you could make aside from maybe adding some more protein (you could possibly be getting enough, though; if your strength levels are still increasing, then adding more protein may just be adding more unnecessary calories).

Of course, with that being said, if your muscle mass is increasing from the 5/3/1 and your weight is staying the same, I suppose it’s possible that your weight is staying the same as a result. Does it seem like you’re carrying less fat? Do you have a way that you’re checking your fat percentage outside of how you look in the mirror and a weight scale?

You could be more concise with how many calories your dinner is, but unless you’re more than 300 calories off with your estimation, I don’t see this making a big difference. I’m thinking you’re savvy enough to at least be in the ballpark, but I may just be guilty of giving people too much credit.

Ditching the shot of brandy every night might not be a bad idea. It’s not a lot, but if you keep it to once every 2 or 3 nights or even once a week, it could help.

How long has your diet been like this? Did you just start it recently? or have you been sticking with it for a couple months or longer and still not lost any weight? Remember that results aren’t linear in many cases, so you may just have a short time period of no results, then start seeing them if you stick with the program long enough.

Also, I really like the predator conditioning article from earlier this month. You may want to consider dropping your last weight training exercise and putting more energy into some hardcore conditioning at the end of your workouts. You could do that and still stick with your 5/3/1. That could make your workouts more geared towards burning some of that fat off.

I don’t claim to be an expert, but these are my thoughts for what it’s worth. Could be way off, if so then please excuse my stupidity.

I know this site isn’t exactly a strong supporter of cardio but your cardio is really lacking. Unless your Exercise Bike intervals are truly soul crushing to the point of vomit inducing, I think you could up your cardio. If you can manage it into your week, I’d include 20-30 minutes of steady state (140-160 bpm) cardio at the end of each workout. I’d also focus on more body weight bearing cardio; treadmill (even just uphill walking), rowing, stairmaster.

Either that or a soul sucking 20 minute HIIT workout in place of one or two of those a week. This shit sounds terrible but it gets easier and easier.

If you can’t manage more time in the gym, you need to switch to a workout scheme that is less CNS shocking and more calorie burning and muscularly demanding to get your metabolism going. The ‘10x3 for fat loss’ could work. There are tons of others.

Also, throw out that bullshit in your fridge. Blue cheese, buffalo sauce, port wine cheese and cream of celery can be substituted for healthier alternatives if not just taken out completely. Salt, pepper, vinegar and chicken stock, man. If you can’t burn more calories in the gym, you may need to go on a greater deficit in the kitchen.

You must also factor in your daily routine outside of the kitchen and gym. I used to live in NYC and maintained my weight around 200lbs. I moved to LA and while I found myself getting stronger, I went up to 225lbs. I just walked more in NYC and have had to add more cardio to my routine to get back down. If you drive from bed, to a desk, to a gym and back to your bed, you are pretty sedentary. That and at 25 you’ve also probably just passed the height of your natural metabolism. It will continue to go downhill unless you rev that engine more.

I used to play a couple sports that required me to keep my weight low. I used to use that as an excuse for my slowed metabolism in my early to mid twenties. You can fix it. You just need to reprogram your body.

Sorry if I was a little aggressive with the “throw out that bullshit in your fridge” comment. It’s true that at the most basic science of weight management, it’s calories in versus calories out. But when you get more specific, you need to look at the makeup of those calories and how your body processes the ingredients.

Anything with the word cream in the name will not be canceled out by the word celery. I grew up in a family where even extra soy sauce from delivery gets put in a larger bottle in the cabinet so I understand the issue with leftovers. No spoonful gets left behind. Just need to manage those leftovers a bit better if you can and progressively fill your home with healthier ingredients and snacks.

Stairs can help but there’s still a big difference between 30 minutes of cardio and a 5 minute blast of stairs. I’m just a big supporter of prolonged cardio. I think it gets the body in a burning state and then keeps you there. I’ve always said 19+ minutes is what it takes your body to really start burning fat. There are obviously opposing views.

I’m all for the tough interval training as well but I do believe that the kind of intense stuff that I’ve found effective like sprinting or box jumps mixed with jumping rope at your weight could create some joint issues. Even at just 230lbs, I started feeling some pain in my feet from sprint intervals. I would however never tell someone that they should add 90 total minutes of working out a week if they didn’t have the time. Just make sure that you really get that heart pumping if you have no choice besides shorter periods of cardio. If you find yourself pretty strong, 10 flights of stairs is really just a warmup. 10 minutes at a moderate pace on a stairmaster is something like 40+ flights of stairs for reference.

Are you also taking body measurements at all? Like TDub301 said, you could also be putting on muscle mass. If you have just started the heavy lifting (2-3 months), you could theoretically be making huge mass gains. If your chest and legs are getting bigger but your waist is remaining the same or getting smaller, you’re probably in store to really start losing some fat. That extra muscle will burn more calories.

Make sure you’re getting a lot of cholesterol in your diet. It helps increase hormones responsible for weight loss.

One other thing I noticed is when protein is increased to the 150g+ range fat loss becomes almost automatic.

[quote]Aero51 wrote:
The multiple reply function on the website is a pain in the ass so Ill do my best to answer point by point. Busy day today.

  1. I think a simple food scale would go a long way to counting calories more accurately. I love cooking and any homemade food is harder to count calories. I can pick myself up one easily.

  2. I dont see how cream of celery is bad… The entire can was only 180 calories, poured over 1.83lbs of chicken thighs, with 250 calories per 4oz of said chicken. Chicken breast is leaner, but thighs have more nutrients and taste better. They are still healthy. I like organ meat too (liver and hearts mostly) and buy it when I can.

  3. Id rather stick with 5/3/1 simply because I have committed to the program already and it is flexible enough where it can be adapted to fat loss. Id probably pursue 10x3 if I was getting off a program but I am in the middle of my second cycle coming back from a comp in August.

  4. I have a personal hang up with leftovers that I need to get over, which Im working on. Id rather not get into it.

  5. I think cardio will be feasible on my lunch break at work. They have some machine that I can use, but I could just as easily climb the 10th floor a few times a day. I recall reading about building the pull up by placing a bar near a door, every time you pass the bar you have to do one. Eventually you end up doing 20 or so a day and get really strong.

  6. I used to use my phone to count calories and record macros, but I do a better and more consistent job when I write it down in a small notebook, which I keep on my kitchen table. I generally just record calories and the item eaten. Ive used this method before with great success

  7. Precisely what concerns me is that I feel like I have to put much more effort into dieting this time around with fewer results than a few years ago when I dropped 35lbs (220 to 185). My goal is to get down to 230, which is about a 30lb drop again. I am much stronger and generally in better shape (despite my weight increase) now than when I did my first major diet in 2010-2012.

  8. Additionally, when I went up to 220lbs I was eating very bad. I would go to the all you can eat buffet for lunch at school and at night eat a pint of icecream or have more fried food. I eat much better now and cant lose the weight. I dont know why.

  9. I gained the weight from seroquel. It was prescribed off label as a sleep aid. At the time the doctors had no idea I had sleep apnea and attributed my insomnia and fatigue to another disorder which affects sleep. Needless to say, they were useless pieces of crap. Id like to sue them, their children and their children’s children just so I can visit their sorry poor asses on the soup kitchen line every day. I went off it during the summer of 2014. I went from 190 in the summer of 2012 to 270 by early 2014.

  10. As far as binges go, I get them sometimes but not often. 2 weeks ago I had insane craving for pasta and ended up eating 2000kcals worth. It was home made but still really unhealthy. I used to get cravings for chocolate and sugar but since Ive been eating my apple in the morning that Yogi thinks is more terrible than bull-testicle-a-la-mode I noticed I don’t crave artificial sugar any more.

  11. Yogi, I usually get a greek yogurt with my apple, which has 10 grams of protein. If I eat protein shakes that early im sure Ill have the shits and piss off everyone in the office.

  12. I don’t know my recent macros. When I was using my phone app I was averaging (fat, carb protien) 40,20,20.
    [/quote]

This is all well and good but the fact remains that your diet is not good, and your routine is not geared towards weight loss. It sucks that the medication caused you to gain so much weight but there’s not much use in crying about it, best just to fix your diet and change your routine.

For the sake of argument, consider this: Imagine your diet was…

Breakfast:
-Protein shake which doesn’t have to be whey if you can’t tolerate it. I can’t either. (30g protein).

Lunch
-250g Chicken breast (50g protein)
-half avocado
-something green and fibrous (broccoli, asparagus, spinach etc)

Dinner
-250g steak (50g protein)
-half avocado
-salad with tomatoes, onion, lettuce, mushrooms

Post Workout Meal
-250g Chicken (50g protein)
-100g white rice (weighed uncooked)
-fibrous veg

Snack
-100g cottage cheese (20g protein)
-cup of berries

That right there is about 200g of protein and 80g of carbs. I can’t be arsed working out the fats but you can rest assured there’d be enough of a calorie deficit for you to lose weight. You could eat like that every day, and once a week have a massive carb refeed.

Keep doing 5/3/1 if you want but add some intervals or complexes or something to the end of each workout.

If you did that, you would lose weight. No question.

[quote]Yogi wrote:

[quote]Aero51 wrote:
The multiple reply function on the website is a pain in the ass so Ill do my best to answer point by point. Busy day today.

  1. I think a simple food scale would go a long way to counting calories more accurately. I love cooking and any homemade food is harder to count calories. I can pick myself up one easily.

  2. I dont see how cream of celery is bad… The entire can was only 180 calories, poured over 1.83lbs of chicken thighs, with 250 calories per 4oz of said chicken. Chicken breast is leaner, but thighs have more nutrients and taste better. They are still healthy. I like organ meat too (liver and hearts mostly) and buy it when I can.

  3. Id rather stick with 5/3/1 simply because I have committed to the program already and it is flexible enough where it can be adapted to fat loss. Id probably pursue 10x3 if I was getting off a program but I am in the middle of my second cycle coming back from a comp in August.

  4. I have a personal hang up with leftovers that I need to get over, which Im working on. Id rather not get into it.

  5. I think cardio will be feasible on my lunch break at work. They have some machine that I can use, but I could just as easily climb the 10th floor a few times a day. I recall reading about building the pull up by placing a bar near a door, every time you pass the bar you have to do one. Eventually you end up doing 20 or so a day and get really strong.

  6. I used to use my phone to count calories and record macros, but I do a better and more consistent job when I write it down in a small notebook, which I keep on my kitchen table. I generally just record calories and the item eaten. Ive used this method before with great success

  7. Precisely what concerns me is that I feel like I have to put much more effort into dieting this time around with fewer results than a few years ago when I dropped 35lbs (220 to 185). My goal is to get down to 230, which is about a 30lb drop again. I am much stronger and generally in better shape (despite my weight increase) now than when I did my first major diet in 2010-2012.

  8. Additionally, when I went up to 220lbs I was eating very bad. I would go to the all you can eat buffet for lunch at school and at night eat a pint of icecream or have more fried food. I eat much better now and cant lose the weight. I dont know why.

  9. I gained the weight from seroquel. It was prescribed off label as a sleep aid. At the time the doctors had no idea I had sleep apnea and attributed my insomnia and fatigue to another disorder which affects sleep. Needless to say, they were useless pieces of crap. Id like to sue them, their children and their children’s children just so I can visit their sorry poor asses on the soup kitchen line every day. I went off it during the summer of 2014. I went from 190 in the summer of 2012 to 270 by early 2014.

  10. As far as binges go, I get them sometimes but not often. 2 weeks ago I had insane craving for pasta and ended up eating 2000kcals worth. It was home made but still really unhealthy. I used to get cravings for chocolate and sugar but since Ive been eating my apple in the morning that Yogi thinks is more terrible than bull-testicle-a-la-mode I noticed I don’t crave artificial sugar any more.

  11. Yogi, I usually get a greek yogurt with my apple, which has 10 grams of protein. If I eat protein shakes that early im sure Ill have the shits and piss off everyone in the office.

  12. I don’t know my recent macros. When I was using my phone app I was averaging (fat, carb protien) 40,20,20.
    [/quote]

This is all well and good but the fact remains that your diet is not good, and your routine is not geared towards weight loss. It sucks that the medication caused you to gain so much weight but there’s not much use in crying about it, best just to fix your diet and change your routine.

For the sake of argument, consider this: Imagine your diet was…

Breakfast:
-Protein shake which doesn’t have to be whey if you can’t tolerate it. I can’t either. (30g protein).

Lunch
-250g Chicken breast (50g protein)
-half avocado
-something green and fibrous (broccoli, asparagus, spinach etc)

Dinner
-250g steak (50g protein)
-half avocado
-salad with tomatoes, onion, lettuce, mushrooms

Post Workout Meal
-250g Chicken (50g protein)
-100g white rice (weighed uncooked)
-fibrous veg

Snack
-100g cottage cheese (20g protein)
-cup of berries

That right there is about 200g of protein and 80g of carbs. I can’t be arsed working out the fats but you can rest assured there’d be enough of a calorie deficit for you to lose weight. You could eat like that every day, and once a week have a massive carb refeed.

Keep doing 5/3/1 if you want but add some intervals or complexes or something to the end of each workout.

If you did that, you would lose weight. No question.[/quote]

I agree with you, I think it is doable. Id probably save money in the long run eating like that as well. Ive gotta try meal planning. One of my weaknesses is organization. Ill give it a try.

[quote]Aero51 wrote:

[quote]Yogi wrote:

[quote]Aero51 wrote:
The multiple reply function on the website is a pain in the ass so Ill do my best to answer point by point. Busy day today.

  1. I think a simple food scale would go a long way to counting calories more accurately. I love cooking and any homemade food is harder to count calories. I can pick myself up one easily.

  2. I dont see how cream of celery is bad… The entire can was only 180 calories, poured over 1.83lbs of chicken thighs, with 250 calories per 4oz of said chicken. Chicken breast is leaner, but thighs have more nutrients and taste better. They are still healthy. I like organ meat too (liver and hearts mostly) and buy it when I can.

  3. Id rather stick with 5/3/1 simply because I have committed to the program already and it is flexible enough where it can be adapted to fat loss. Id probably pursue 10x3 if I was getting off a program but I am in the middle of my second cycle coming back from a comp in August.

  4. I have a personal hang up with leftovers that I need to get over, which Im working on. Id rather not get into it.

  5. I think cardio will be feasible on my lunch break at work. They have some machine that I can use, but I could just as easily climb the 10th floor a few times a day. I recall reading about building the pull up by placing a bar near a door, every time you pass the bar you have to do one. Eventually you end up doing 20 or so a day and get really strong.

  6. I used to use my phone to count calories and record macros, but I do a better and more consistent job when I write it down in a small notebook, which I keep on my kitchen table. I generally just record calories and the item eaten. Ive used this method before with great success

  7. Precisely what concerns me is that I feel like I have to put much more effort into dieting this time around with fewer results than a few years ago when I dropped 35lbs (220 to 185). My goal is to get down to 230, which is about a 30lb drop again. I am much stronger and generally in better shape (despite my weight increase) now than when I did my first major diet in 2010-2012.

  8. Additionally, when I went up to 220lbs I was eating very bad. I would go to the all you can eat buffet for lunch at school and at night eat a pint of icecream or have more fried food. I eat much better now and cant lose the weight. I dont know why.

  9. I gained the weight from seroquel. It was prescribed off label as a sleep aid. At the time the doctors had no idea I had sleep apnea and attributed my insomnia and fatigue to another disorder which affects sleep. Needless to say, they were useless pieces of crap. Id like to sue them, their children and their children’s children just so I can visit their sorry poor asses on the soup kitchen line every day. I went off it during the summer of 2014. I went from 190 in the summer of 2012 to 270 by early 2014.

  10. As far as binges go, I get them sometimes but not often. 2 weeks ago I had insane craving for pasta and ended up eating 2000kcals worth. It was home made but still really unhealthy. I used to get cravings for chocolate and sugar but since Ive been eating my apple in the morning that Yogi thinks is more terrible than bull-testicle-a-la-mode I noticed I don’t crave artificial sugar any more.

  11. Yogi, I usually get a greek yogurt with my apple, which has 10 grams of protein. If I eat protein shakes that early im sure Ill have the shits and piss off everyone in the office.

  12. I don’t know my recent macros. When I was using my phone app I was averaging (fat, carb protien) 40,20,20.
    [/quote]

This is all well and good but the fact remains that your diet is not good, and your routine is not geared towards weight loss. It sucks that the medication caused you to gain so much weight but there’s not much use in crying about it, best just to fix your diet and change your routine.

For the sake of argument, consider this: Imagine your diet was…

Breakfast:
-Protein shake which doesn’t have to be whey if you can’t tolerate it. I can’t either. (30g protein).

Lunch
-250g Chicken breast (50g protein)
-half avocado
-something green and fibrous (broccoli, asparagus, spinach etc)

Dinner
-250g steak (50g protein)
-half avocado
-salad with tomatoes, onion, lettuce, mushrooms

Post Workout Meal
-250g Chicken (50g protein)
-100g white rice (weighed uncooked)
-fibrous veg

Snack
-100g cottage cheese (20g protein)
-cup of berries

That right there is about 200g of protein and 80g of carbs. I can’t be arsed working out the fats but you can rest assured there’d be enough of a calorie deficit for you to lose weight. You could eat like that every day, and once a week have a massive carb refeed.

Keep doing 5/3/1 if you want but add some intervals or complexes or something to the end of each workout.

If you did that, you would lose weight. No question.[/quote]

I agree with you, I think it is doable. Id probably save money in the long run eating like that as well. Ive gotta try meal planning. One of my weaknesses is organization. Ill give it a try.
[/quote]

aye mate, meal prep is like 90% of any weight loss endeavour. There’s tupperware in your future. Lots and lots of tupperware

I still think yogurt and an apple is better than bull testicle-a-la-mode.

[quote]Aero51 wrote:
I still think yogurt and an apple is better than bull testicle-a-la-mode.[/quote]

anal sex with Ron Jeremy would be better than a hand job from Edward Scissorhands but I’m not parting with my hard earned cash for either

[quote]Yogi wrote:

[quote]Aero51 wrote:
I still think yogurt and an apple is better than bull testicle-a-la-mode.[/quote]

anal sex with Ron Jeremy would be better than a hand job from Edward Scissorhands but I’m not parting with my hard earned cash for either[/quote]

Don’t knock it until you try it.

Why did the medication make you gain weight? Are you still on that medication or is it still in your system? That seems to be a glaring variable. If the medication was the direct cause of your weight gain those effects are what must be reversed.

Due to your lack of response to the previous questions (concerning sleep, stress levels, medication, etc) I’m guessing all that is a-ok, then?

[quote]TDub301 wrote:
Due to your lack of response to the previous questions (concerning sleep, stress levels, medication, etc) I’m guessing all that is a-ok, then?[/quote]

Sorry, I usually don’t check this forum during the weekend. My sleep is crap. I have sleep apnea which got worse as a result of the weight gain, though I’ve probably had it most of my life as I’ve never gotten good sleep. Stress levels are always high. Im an intense guy, I wake up in the morning wanting to punch people usually. I haven’t taken the medication since August of 2014, so it might be out of my system but I had lingering side effects for many months afterword.

No worries. I just think there may be other things you might want to address that could also play a part in hindering your progress.

Is there anything you can do to help with stress control and sleep issues? I bet that would help. I’m assuming you’ve tried some stuff.

Also, have you been on your current diet for a long time?

[quote]Aero51 wrote:
Im an intense guy, I wake up in the morning wanting to punch people usually.[/quote]

lolwut!?!?

Switch to Beyond or Beach body challenge 5/3/1 template -full body usually superior for leaning people out.

Also sub the bike for rowing intervals from time to time. The 2k for time is pretty much king for fatloss…

Another thing drink a ton of water consistently especially can help flush out any long term ‘residue’ of the heavy meds

[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
Switch to Beyond or Beach body challenge 5/3/1 template -full body usually superior for leaning people out.

Also sub the bike for rowing intervals from time to time. The 2k for time is pretty much king for fatloss…

Another thing drink a ton of water consistently especially can help flush out any long term ‘residue’ of the heavy meds[/quote]

My gym is bare bones for cardio. We have two bikes and that is it! Sometimes I alternate the bike with very high rep squats, like 100. The squats were tough only for the first day surprisingly.

[quote]Aero51 wrote:

[quote]RampantBadger wrote:
Switch to Beyond or Beach body challenge 5/3/1 template -full body usually superior for leaning people out.

Also sub the bike for rowing intervals from time to time. The 2k for time is pretty much king for fatloss…

Another thing drink a ton of water consistently especially can help flush out any long term ‘residue’ of the heavy meds[/quote]

My gym is bare bones for cardio. We have two bikes and that is it! Sometimes I alternate the bike with very high rep squats, like 100. The squats were tough only for the first day surprisingly.
[/quote]

HIIT on the bike is fine then I would do for a bit longer tho like 12-20 mins