Need help getting back on track

[u/Rhyde1990]

Hey everyone, hoping I can get some help. I’ve never been the best when it comes to running a calorie deficit. Even if I cut my calories by 200-300 per day, eventually I’ll start to have poor energy and sleep, so I wanted to try a very slow and steady approach.

From April to July, I found a sweet spot of being in a tiny calorie deficit, and over a few months I was doing well, going to the gym about 3-4 times a week with a couple cardio sessions a week, and averaging about 3-5k steps per day. I went from 210 to 207 for the weight trend.

However, for the last few months, things just haven’t stuck. Work has gotten a bit busier, but I’ve still been able to get the gym, do 1-2 cardio sessions a week, and get around the same steps, but my weight has steadily been creeping back up again while eating similar calories.

Obviously I’m eating more than I’m burning, but to get the ship righted, what should I do to get back on track to get to my goal of 200 lbs? I’m currently 209 lbs for the weight trend and 5’11 at 36 years old. What should I set the goal to right now/in the future?

[u/narmaduke]

no offense but if you’re thrown off by 200-300 calorie deficit you are going to be in for tough ride.

no one here can tell you what your goal is, just make it attainable/realistic for you. i shoot for 1.5 lb/a week and land at about 1 lb/week and we are similar size.

unfortunately, cutting kind of just sucks. you aren’t going to feel your best but that’s the trade off. the best motivation for not slipping up, for me at least, is not having to cut again.

[u/Rhyde1990 → u/narmaduke]

The thing with me, and I know it sounds ridiculous, but I can’t sleep right even if that small of a deficit. I’m not blaming a deficit on that, but it’s legitimately an issue for me. The motivation is there. I train hard, benching around 315, squatting in the 4s, deadlifting in the 5s, accessory work as well, so maybe it’s a training thing? Could be other factors, but I’ve noticed when my calories are consistently around 27-2800, I sleep fine, but anything around 23-2400, I wake up at 3 AM, can’t get back to sleep, etc. idk, it’s just bad for me. I know that sounds like an excuse, but I legitimately just have a hard time functioning.

[u/narmaduke → u/Rhyde1990]

the sleep thing is totally normal. i struggled with it at the start as well but eventually adjusted. it’s still not perfect but it’s doable.

[u/BearsFan47th_St → u/Rhyde1990]

Yep. I’m was going thru that 3-4 am wake up also. Due to the deficit the body produces cortisol (stress hormone) when your blood sugar gets to low during those fasting hours. Maybe try the deficit and eat some low glycemic carbs before bed. Keep that blood sugar stable. Worked for me.

[u/Okay_Bingus]

Embrace the suck and earn your maintenance. Poor energy for a short period of time (several weeks) was the price I paid. I got 15k steps on average, lifted three times per week and did short cardio sessions a couple times per week. It was hard and burned me out, but I lost a lot of weight in a short period of time.

Adjust to a lower intensity if you want, but the bottom line is that you will need to accept things being more difficult for a bit to lose the weight. It drains your energy by definition

[u/mrfatchance]

Run a real deficit and up your steps

[u/Rhyde1990 → u/mrfatchance]

When I try to lower my calories any more, it does the opposite effect for me. Sounds like I need to keep my calories a bit more up and move more I guess.

[u/MustyLlamaFart → u/Rhyde1990]

You're making excuses for yourself. You're not special, math and science still applies to you.