Hi, I'm 18 years old, 385 lbs, male, and I've lost about 55 lbs since October of last year. I currently have no medical issues (besides being overweight, obviously). I have been trying to lose weight since for as long as I can remember, as I've been overweight a majority of my life. I tried and failed many times. This time, I'm really going for it and I want to try my absolute best.
Currently I've put myself on a diet of 1500-2000 Calories a day. I lost a good amount of weight this way. But, recently I feel like I'm on a plateau, staying between 385-90 for the last two weeks (it fluctuates now and then). Also, I've heard that I should maybe be eating more? My TDEE is like 3800. I've heard that I need to eat only about 200-300 calories less than that to lose weight. But, I've noticed that if I go over the 2000 Calories I set for myself that I start to gain again.
Is it possible that I damaged my metabolism in some way?
Also, In terms of exercise I've just been doing very little cardio (30 minutes on my exercise bike) just whenever I have time. 1-2 times a week maybe. I also work full time at a restaurant where I'm running around most of the time. So I count that as some exercise.
Should I start weight lifting?
I heard It's best to lose fat first and then gain muscle. I just don't know. Weight lifting is something that I'm very interested in so I think Id enjoy doing it. I just don't know where to start.
I want to start exercising much more, I just haven't had the time until now.
Thank you if you took the time to read all of this. I don't have much money to pay for a PT so I hope I can get some answers. Thanks!!!
PS. Goal is to lose 20lbs/a month and my goal weight is 200lbs
Currently I've put myself on a diet of 1500-2000 Calories a day. I lost a good amount of weight this way. But, recently I feel like I'm on a plateau, staying between 385-90 for the last two weeks (it fluctuates now and then). Also, I've heard that I should maybe be eating more? My TDEE is like 3800. I've heard that I need to eat only about 200-300 calories less than that to lose weight. But, I've noticed that if I go over the 2000 Calories I set for myself that I start to gain again.
Is it possible that I damaged my metabolism in some way?
Also, In terms of exercise I've just been doing very little cardio (30 minutes on my exercise bike) just whenever I have time. 1-2 times a week maybe. I also work full time at a restaurant where I'm running around most of the time. So I count that as some exercise.
Should I start weight lifting?
I heard It's best to lose fat first and then gain muscle. I just don't know. Weight lifting is something that I'm very interested in so I think Id enjoy doing it. I just don't know where to start.
I want to start exercising much more, I just haven't had the time until now.
Thank you if you took the time to read all of this. I don't have much money to pay for a PT so I hope I can get some answers. Thanks!!!
PS. Goal is to lose 20lbs/a month and my goal weight is 200lbs
Answered by Roman Footnick
Great job on losing 55 pounds! If you enjoy doing cardio, please continue... but it is not a great way to lose body fat unless it's done first thing upon waking after fasting all night.Your metabolism has probably slowed down to compensate for the caloric deficit you've put it in. The good news is you have discipline and can control what you put in your body.
While I'd prefer to know your metabolic and hormonal levels from some good blood work, I'm going to give you some basics to work off of.
1. Start lifting weights. Hard, intense resistance exercise will do wonders for your metabolism. Adding more muscle to your frame will convert your body into a fat burning machine. And seeing constant strength improvements should encourage you to keep going and never give up.
2. Use your discipline to vary your diet and allow your body to realize you are not dying. Basically, if our metabolism thinks we are not going to get any food - it slows down... Otherwise we would have died off very quickly as a species due to various famines. Remember the human body is an incredible adaptive mechanism. SO... you have to vary your diet when your body is not responding in a desirable way. This means adding "cheat" meals on occasion. These are meals that are calorically dense and completely foreign to your daily routine. This is a meal. ONE! Not a cheat day. The most common method is to diet until you no longer see progress and then add ONE cheat meal and the get back on your regular routine. For some this is every 5 days, while for others 3-4 weeks. It varies for each individual.
3. The other option is to vary your dieting techniques (ie. Intermittent fasting, paleo, ketogenic, vegan, etc.) There are a variety of ways to change the diet and caloric intake to trick the body into not realizing you are trying to take off fat (a tool for survival in times of famine.) You will still likely require cheat meals on occasion, for caloric reasons mentioned above.
Beyond these 3 basics, you may want to get some blood panel tests to see what going on metabolically (T4, T3, TSH, Total testosterone, free testosterone, E2, A1C, etc.) So for instance, if you're T3 comes back low (a common issue), your doctor can prescribe you the appropriate medicine and your mission will be that much more attainable.
Keep up the good work and good luck.
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