Everything going the right way except weight

carrollsno1

Gonna be a long one.

Back in January i reckon i was around the 120kg mark. I was always doing strength training on and off however the pandemic and nature if my employment made it extremely difficult to get into a solid routine. In the summer of 2021 my employer at the time provided a yearly check up, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugars everything was ideal however i was still around the 120kg mark, i had to get a bigger band to read my blood pressure due to the muscles in my arms being bigger than the usual (nurses words not mine). The only advice i was given was to increase my protein at the time due to my weight as i was feeling run down but i was doing everything else 100%. The weight went up to 125kg before Christmas but i started back trying to get a routine as best i could but it wasnt easy due to my working conditions. I left the job before Christmas and started with a new company with more local work which would allow me to focus more on my training. I was tipping away at weight training and a bit of swimming in January then saw a notice for the local tri club looking for new members. I said id give it a go as i presumed i wasnt losing weight as easy due to lack of cardio training. Looking back at the first training session that night my drills were 200m jog then 200m walk to ease into it since then ive done two duathalons and four triathlons (sprint distances) ive recieved nothing but positive feedback from inside and outside the club on how well im doing and how much ive came on since joining. Fast forward to the summer and i have to relocate for 20 weeks however im still following a training plan from the tri club and a strength training programme with an online coach as well as tracking my calorie intake something i had not done the first 6 months of the year. To my horror despite all the compliments on my appearance clothes fitting better and a massive improvement in my fitness i was shocked to see the scales read 128kg in July/August it felt as if all of it was for nothing really. Ive been fairly consistent with 2700 calories/day as reccomended and usually getting about 200g of protein/day im not a massive drinker and ive taken more control over my weekends foodwise too this last three months. Again the compliments keep on coming in, the clothes are looser fitting on me i feel better i can see more muscle definition in my body and im lifting weights ive never lifted before. Im a fair width now i was in the shower cubicle this evening at the gym and there wasnt much more than an inch to spare either side of me at the shoulders. Despite all my training however i tipped the scales at 132kg this evening a ridiculously heavy weight. I was just dumbfounded as to why after everything ive done this year this is the case. The only hiccup training wise this year was the running slacked off for a few weeks in September as the last triathlon i did took an awful lot out of me. Im at a loss as to how this is the case after all the training im doing. I know most people say forget about the scales etc thats fine for people half my weight not at my weight. I was hoping to lose 12kg this year not gain 12kg. I dont care if its muscle im too heavy at this weight im aiming for an olympic tri next summer and maybe a half ironman the following summer doing those at this weight would be an absolute disaster i reckon. I work at heights in my job most ladders are rated to 120kg and mobile platforms have a certain weight limit too and at this rate ill hardly be able to go up in one of those with just a measuring tape even.

I need to get the weight down big time has anybody else had a similar problem or know what might be holding me back? When i saw the scalec this evening i just thought to myself f*ck it what was the last 9 months for at all. Its the first time ive properly questioned what the f#ck im at.

TLDR fat man goes training cardio and weights starts tracking calories too gains 12kgs wonders what its all for.

radiotrickster

OP, are you always weighing yourself at the same time? My weight varies by up to two kilos throughout the day (could even be more depending on what I’ve eaten) so I weigh myself in the morning before breakfast to get consistent readings.

Have you spoken much with a GP about this? Also are you male or female? I’m asking this because a friend of mine was struggling to lose weight and got diagnosed with PCOS. She said she lost a stone once she started on medication to regulate her hormones so it could be something like that that’s out of your control until a GP can help you.

Black Sheep

OP, you're doing a lot of stuff right, you've got a coach, you're tracking calorie intake and you're already quite active.

If I am honest, it's unusual that you've gained 12kg in the circumstances, especially if you began from a base of having fat to lose, so the good news is this should be solvable. Whether it can be done in a thread online versus dealing with a coach or dietitian face to face is another question.

My few cents for what it's worth though: Strictly speaking the accounts of the compliments received , clothes fitting better etc. could suggest some positive body re-composition occurred from the training, but it'd be unlikely that most of that 12kg would be lean body mass i.e muscle. Because sometimes we do see people who stay the same, or very similar weight, and what's occurring is they are having body re-composition but no weight loss in absolute terms at the beginning. But 12kg puts that out of the picture.

So the first thing I would look at is your calories and macros again. Were you actually in a deficit, for how long, and what was your adherence like? Even factoring in continued weight training, considering all factors really, you should have gone down rather than up. No one 'should' be able to gain 12kg in a deficit.

In general, you are posting some big numbers. I was tempted to ask what your height and age area (I'm not even going to bother asking sex, it's obvious). But since you gave us the 120kg starting weight, to be honest it is not that relevant. Whether you are 5'5 or 6'5 If you're going the calorie deficit route then strictly speaking if you had it to lose to start with, if you're in a deficit you should be heading the right direction. So to reiterate, that's where I'd have to look first.

I understand what you're saying, that at this stage you just need to get the weight down in absolute terms, in order to keep working. An option might be to go to a dietitian or someone else competent to assess you via body measurements and recheck and plan calorie deficit numbers.

silverharp

Take a waist measurement and pick a day same time, either every week or every other week, if thats in any way dropping whatever you are doing is working

Cill94

You've definitely improved your body comp from the sounds of things so be proud of that. Getting more fat off is going to come down to finding a sustainable way to eat less calories. That's the part that your coach can help you with, as the strategy that's worked well for me might be terrible for you. Make being in a deficit as easy as possible and keep pushing on in your training. 💪

Owenee

1. Set realistic goals. Don't set yourself up for disappointment by setting unrealistic expectations. If you have never been a size 2, it's probably not going to happen overnight (or ever). Focus on making small, achievable goals that you can consistently work towards.

2. Trying to make too many changes at once is often overwhelming and unsustainable in the long run. Rather, start with one or two small changes and stick with them until they become habit before adding anything else into the mix.

3. Be mindful of your progress (or lack thereof). Keep track of how you're doing by taking measurements, photos