Frustrated...Need Help!!

[maggie0327]

i have been working out regularly for the past 6 months and i have lost 13lbs and gone from 32% body fat to 26% body fat, but i am stuck now.
SW: 173lbs
CW: 160lbs
GW: 145lbs
5'3"
i do cardio 30min 5 days a week and on 3 of those days i do strength training for 30 min. i also take 2 spinning classes a week. i eat healthy and i just can't figure out what is going on. i feel like i am working so hard and i have changed so much of my lifestyle to help myself lose weight and get to my goal, but nothing is working. i strength with moderate intensity, i am very muscular and that has never been a problem for me, i don't mind the cardio - i do it. i just don't konw where to go from here.
would love some advice if anyone can help, thanks a lot.
great job to all of those who have been doing so well!

 

[TKOTW]

i have been working out regularly for the past 6 months and i have lost 13lbs and gone from 32% body fat to 26% body fat, but i am stuck now.
SW: 173lbs
CW: 160lbs
GW: 145lbs
5'3"
i do cardio 30min 5 days a week and on 3 of those days i do strength training for 30 min. i also take 2 spinning classes a week. i eat healthy and i just can't figure out what is going on. i feel like i am working so hard and i have changed so much of my lifestyle to help myself lose weight and get to my goal, but nothing is working. i strength with moderate intensity, i am very muscular and that has never been a problem for me, i don't mind the cardio - i do it. i just don't konw where to go from here.
would love some advice if anyone can help, thanks a lot.
great job to all of those who have been doing so well!

While muscle doesn't weigh more than fat (1 lb is 1 lb), 1 lb of fat does take up much more space than 1 lb of muscle.

Cardio and weight training are both excellent for you and both assist in raising your metabolism... You say you eat healthy, what is your diet like?

 

[maggie0327]

i feel like i am very good about what i eat. i have gotten more specific about it recently to see if it would help my plataeu struggle, but no change. i eat between 1200 and 1800 calories a day, depends on the day but no more or no less. lots of fish and lean meat, low fat, good fats, fruits and veggies, etc. i occasionally have a drink - maybe 2 a week or something. if i go out to eat, i choose what i think are healthy options - again lean meat and veggies.
thanks.

 

[TKOTW]

i feel like i am very good about what i eat. i have gotten more specific about it recently to see if it would help my plataeu struggle, but no change. i eat between 1200 and 1800 calories a day, depends on the day but no more or no less. lots of fish and lean meat, low fat, good fats, fruits and veggies, etc. i occasionally have a drink - maybe 2 a week or something. if i go out to eat, i choose what i think are healthy options - again lean meat and veggies.
thanks.

Well, sounds like you have the diet and exercise parts down. However, 1200 calories is too low when you have an exercise program like you do. Your metabolism adjusts itself depending on what you've eaten the past ~3 days. If you're depriving yourself, not getting adequate rest, and over working it's going to cling to every calorie and as much water as it can. I can give you some helpful tips about raising your metabolism if you want, but i'll need to know more about your diet. What is your typical breakfast? How long, and what do you have for lunch? Same for dinner, snacks, or if you do the 6-small meal a day thing just list what you usually eat, when you eat it, and how much you eat.

Are you taking supplements?

Do you typically feel kind of sluggish like something is "just wrong" and you're fatigued, or do you feel energetic like you're going to set the world on fire?

 

[dswithers]

Have you tried HIIT? How about increasing the intensity of your weight training? How about cycling carbs? What are your macro ratios (protien/carbs/fat)?

 

[maggie0327]

i eat breakfast every morning, typically an egg, slice of bread, and 2 slices of salmon, or a piece of fruit and small bowl of cereal or oatmeal, or luna bar, just depends. lunch is usually just something i can grab that is easy: turkey sandwich and chips, or a salad, or if i am eating during a business meating i have to make the most of whatever is being served, still go for healthy options. dinner is always some meal i put together when get home: nothing the same just whatever. i always keep track of my calories for the day and try not to go beyond 1800. if i do go beyond, then i will try to make up for it a different day of the week, that is the 1200-1400 days, not that many. if i go over 1800 it usually because i have a drink that night or something. hope this helps, any advice would be appriciated.

i have tried interval training, i mix up my cardio quite a bit, always a mix of treadmill, elliptical, and bike; i do most cardio as LSD training, then maybe two days of the week i will do interval training. my strength training makes me feel like a guy - i can bench, squat, curl, etc. heavy weights which is great, but i just feel like that is easy, i have tried different goals such as endurance strength training, but i just don't know what the best way to go is.
thanks.

 

[JamesAhrens]

Sounds like you're adding variety to your training which is good stuff, and your diet doesnt sound too bad.

if eating 1800 cals a day and if you are using more, then you should see results by definition.
It might be useful to do a food diary for a week, as it might reveal some habits that you might not be aware of.

Also, try and keep on top of your hydration and sleep.
It might sound counter intuitive but I would reduce the amount of cardio you are doing for a period of time, and do more resistance training.
Basically do fewer sessions in a week but with more rest, and a higher intensity.
Also cutting carbs slightly should help as well.

 

[dswithers]

Doing benches, squats, deadlifts, etc. with heavy weights should not make you fell like a guy. There is nothing sexier than a girl lifting heavy weights!

Interval training is NOT HIIT. HIIT requires the high intensity intervals to be 100% all out efforts. A good HIIT session should not last more than 20 minutes, because you will not be able to continue if you are doing it correctly. And HIIT should only be done 2 times a week at most. Add 3 full body weight training sessions on alternate days and maybe one LSD cardio session a week and that is all the exercise you should need exercise wise. The rest is all diet, nutrition and rest.

 

[maggie0327]

yes i know that i am not doing hiit training, it is just interval training. i have tried hiit training, but i have a hard time getting my heart rate up to max in such a short amount of time, i can usually only get up to about 90% of max heart rate at like the last second, of the 20 seconds, then i recover. what kind of exercises should i be doing with my strength training? should i keep it at a strength, hypertrophy, or endurance goal? thanks for the other suggestions, i will see how it goes.

i do keep a food log daily, that was info from my food log, i just didn't write it all out. i just make sure i count the calories and then i try to make sure i burn a certain number of calories a day. calories in equals calories out(?) thanks!

 

[TKOTW]

i eat breakfast every morning, typically an egg, slice of bread, and 2 slices of salmon, or a piece of fruit and small bowl of cereal or oatmeal, or luna bar, just depends.

Oatmeal is excellent, especially quaker's weight control. Eggs... I hope you're boiling and eating only the whites... pure protein... but fried and eating the yolk... does more harm than good. Salmon is excellent. Cereal... depends. A problem with health bars is that even though they're low in calories "per bar"... the serving size is so ridiculously small it isn't enough to get your metabolism going for the day. In my own personal life... oatmeal and juice works best for me. Don't skip a healthy breakfast.

ilunch is usually just something i can grab that is easy: turkey sandwich and chips, or a salad, or if i am eating during a business meating i have to make the most of whatever is being served, still go for healthy options.

Skip the chips, eat 2 turkey sandwiches on wheat bread instead. Chips are empty fat and grease. Don't eat white bread... it's stripped of fiber and nothing but empty calories. Sara Lee makes great tasting wheat bread. Salads are excellent until you add dressing... then it becomes horrible for you. Use the lowest fat dressing you can stand.

dinner is always some meal i put together when get home: nothing the same just whatever. i always keep track of my calories for the day and try not to go beyond 1800. if i do go beyond, then i will try to make up for it a different day of the week, that is the 1200-1400 days, not that many. if i go over 1800 it usually because i have a drink that night or something. hope this helps, any advice would be appriciated.

Alcohol is FULL of sugar, just like sodas. When you consume sugar like that, your glucose levels rise and your metabolism slows down dramatically.

ii have tried interval training, i mix up my cardio quite a bit, always a mix of treadmill, elliptical, and bike; i do most cardio as LSD training, then maybe two days of the week i will do interval training. my strength training makes me feel like a guy - i can bench, squat, curl, etc. heavy weights which is great, but i just feel like that is easy, i have tried different goals such as endurance strength training, but i just don't know what the best way to go is.
thanks.

Snack on protein throughout the day. Plain deli turkey, boiled egg whites, whey shakes, skim milk...

 

[dswithers]

but fried and eating the yolk... does more harm than good...

That is certainly a debatable subject. If you fry in extra virgin olive oil or some other benign or healthy substance, then frying is no better or worse than boiling. And the only problem with an egg yoke is that they contain saturated fats, which are not good if you consume too much in a day. To determine if you are consuming too much fat in general or saturated fat in particular you need to analyze you total macronutrient (protien/carb/fat) intake and your total saturated and unsaturated fat intake for the day. To just say egg yolks are harmful is an over simplification and misleading.

 

[malkore]

I agree, the diet isn't as good as it needs to be. too high in carbs for your fat loss goals I'm afraid.

lower the carbs every day, but especially on the days you aren't lifting weights...keep the carbs LOW. we're talking like a serving of oatmeal, and then nothing but vegetables the rest of the day.
make up for the lost calories with lean protein and healthy fats. nothing wrong with 60g of fat a day at your desired weight, but make sure its a pretty even split between saturated, mono, and poly unsaturated fats.

on days you do lift weights, you can let your carbs get closer to 1g per pound of total bodyweight...but again, a lot of veggies, and you'll want about 30g of carbs after your weight training session, along with protein.

you also don't eat often enough. really do try to eat 5-6 small meals a day. i think 1800cals is closer to what you should be eating...you're just eating too many carbs...

carbs = energy...you need to lower your available energy intake on cardio days so the body is forced to use stored fat for cardio energy.
the body can't use fat for energy on weight training days, which is why you get more carbs those days.

but you'll be eating a LOT more protein...at least 160g a day.


lastly on the egg thing...yolks are not the devil...nor do you need a ton of them. the easiest thing to do is use 1 yolk for every 2 or 3 whites. keeps your fat intake from getting too high at a given meal.

 

[CollegeGirl]

Don't know if this applies because it seems like diet isn't your real struggle. However, you may try keeping a food diary and tracking every single thing that crosses your lips, a few chips or m&ms here and there unaccounted for can really add up! Also, measuring out portions sometimes helps me, too!

Good luck either way!

 

[maggie0327]

i do keep a food log daily, that was info from my food log, i just didn't write it all out. i just make sure i count the calories and then i try to make sure i burn a certain number of calories a day. calories in equals calories out(?) thanks!

thank you all for your responses, i am trying to make changes and see if they help. i need more food ideas though. i am on the go a lot and don't have time to make food at home, usually i am traveling in the car or out of town. any ideas would be great! thanks again for the help.

 

[stingo]

How many meals do you have in a day? I understand 5 or 6 are preferred to keep the metabolism at peak efficiency.

As for food ideas, try cooking on the weekends and then freezing/refrigerating stuff for the week. Then when you get home all you have to do is pop it in the oven and have a healthy home cooked meal soon afterwards. One thing I do is boil up a bunch of chicken breast on the weekend then use them for sandwiches etc during the week. If you have brown rice, cook it in nonfat chicken broth, and maybe about 10 minutes from when it's done, put the refrigerated chicken breast in with it. They both should be done around the same time (experiment to find what's optimal for you). Blanch some veggies (a few minutes once the water's hot) and you have a nice quick meal. Also, recipes using a crockpot seem to be fairly quick and easy, so that might be an option too.