i dont get it....

[momof3]

hey everyone

ive got a dilemna and youve all been so helpful previously i hope you can take a look and give some advice....

background
so per my last post i have maintained uping my cals to 1500 consistently for a while now. over the holidays i did jump on the "m&m" diet for a few days but did not gain any weight (or lose any) at all.

nutrition
my diet has been super clean and im eating about 300-400 more calories now then before. my exercise has maintained the same, though my running has been limited to 2 times per week instead of 4 but i do other cardio in its placce.
i am definately eating way more protein then previously and im doing the 40 40 20 ration on fitday. i try to eat my body weight in grams of protein and usually succeed though i find it a litle difficult to get all the protein i need/want in and still stay within my calorie range because i also try to ensure i get adequate calcium (a chick/osteoporosis thing) and fruits, etc.

also, i tried to do fasted cardio but i think the shear intensity i work at prohibits it...i am starving after and get headaches/dizzy...so thats y u will see me eating a lite bfast then another after.

a typical day would be (today for example)
8am a bowl of oatmeal
9am workout
1130am 6 egg whites and a glass of lite soymilk
1pm 5 (cooked) oz chicken, 1/2 c. of soup, 1. cup salad w/ 1 tbls ff dressing
2pm orange
4pm 1/2 c. cottage cheese
5pm workout
630pm 10 strawberries
7pm 5 (cooked) oz extra lean hamburger, ww bun, 1 1/2 c. broccoli
8pm ff yogurt

today is a red meat day. on days im eating more fish or shrimp (because they have fewer cals and fat) ill add like an apple w/ peanut butter or something. also its very rare that i eat this much bread, i usually have 1/2c. brown rice or a small red potato.

also ive been really consistent over the last week to drink at least 64 oz of water. previously i was drinking tons but didnt bother to measure it.

supplements: i take a womens multivitamin (epecially since my hypoglycemia zap) fish oil, calcium, magnesium, zinc combo and cq10.

exercise
mornings
40 min to 1 hour cardio (runing 2 days a week, step class, spin class, boot camp, kickboxing, rowing machine, stair mill, etc).
1 hour ub/lw splits mt (wed weights off, extra cardio) thf

evenings
1 hour cardio 3 days a week

saturdays i either run or spin for an hour and do yoga for an hour

problem
ok so heres my dilemna: i managed to gain 3 lbs over the last week. (please dont say it probably water because i wouldve believed that excuse last week but not this one i also "feel" bigger/heavier around my tummy...now that may just be in my head becasue i dont knwoo if you can actually gain 3 lbs all at once in your stomach area..plus my jeans have been feeling tighter and id like for them to be getting looser...are my abs just becoming gigantic or seomthing???

im teetering with the idea of dropping my clas back down to 1200 (maybe 1300) because i was seeing amazing progress then. and im not sure i know what more to add. because its hard to see the gain after all the progress ive made and hard work...

i was hoping the weight gain just wasnt a product of the "metabolism repair" i was doing (and thank you sparrow and falco for the wonderful advice) and will come off quickly if i keep with the cals....the fitness part is a lifestyle so thats not hard, its the eating so much im having trouble with.

thanks everyone.

ps if nothing else eating all the time has been helping y hypoglycemia

 

[dswithers]

A few truths that might help:
1. concentrate on fat loss NOT weight loss
2. more cardio does NOT equal more fat loss, in fact too much cardio can actually increase body fat
3. lifting heavy weights does cause fat loss

 

[momof3]

A few truths that might help:
1. concentrate on fat loss NOT weight loss
2. more cardio does NOT equal more fat loss, in fact too much cardio can actually increase body fat
3. lifting heavy weights does cause fat loss

thanks dswithers

thank you you make a good point...i want to mention a point of clarification for future responses: i dont lift girly weights...i lift heavy and specifically. i am well focused and determined.

i have been focusing on bf % changes (as mentioned in previous posts)...sidenote: i should get that tested again this week, but that still doesnt address the jeans tighter in abdominal area issue

anyway, i dont want to appear whiny or unknowlegable like some of the new years newbies (nooffense of course) because ive been doing this for a while and am always reading/gaining info & insight. because of this i come to you beause id really like specific thoughts/ideas/actions instead of generalized suggestions

thanks again!! i look foward o hearing from you

 

[sparrow]

Hey there-well your diet looks really great, although you might want to add some protein with that oatmeal in the morning. That will keep your insulin levels more stable through your hard workouts. After working out in addition to that soy milk add some berries or other fruit or more oatmeal. You need carbs at that point to recover better.
OK but that aside thats not the issue...
I think you are doing too much cardio. I think that dswithers had a good point on that. I know you are looking for words of wisdom but truthfully I am in a similar boat as you are right now. I don't do a split cardio day but I do exercise almost 2 hours every day to train for the triathlons. The majority of that is cardio. I eat 1300-1500 a day, drink my water, take my vitamins, eat clean etc. and I too fight the tight pants, like daily. While my metabolism has improved a ton, I think this still has to do with too low of calories. In black and white my numbers show that for my activity and stats I should be able to eat 2100 cals and LOSE weight. I can gain still on 1500. My body fat has remained between 14-15%, so I know I'm not gaining fat but I don't necessarily want more bulky muscle. I'm with ya on the frustration. I'm sorry I can't be of more help but I look forward to other posters who might have further insight.

 

[xtonymarsx]

Gotta agree with Sparrow here. I think you need some form of protein in the morning along with your oatmeal. I think you need to up your protein intake in general. Other than that, I can't see anything really wrong with your routine.

it's hard for me to say for sure because my ratios are based on a 3500 + calorie diet right now where yours are based on less than half of that.

I think you are on the right track though. Keep up your intensity and you will do fine.

 

[LiveFromNY]

vERY NICE . . . DON'T FORGET FRESH VEGGIES IN YOUR SALAD!

 

[mike79]

sounds to me if ur doing enough cardio throughout the week, it has to be ur diet. I think your eating to much, Id lower the calories. You should be able to loose around 1-2 healthy pounds a week. Weightloss, ofcourse all based on burning more calories than you consume.

if you been eating around 1500 calories a day for a good while now, your body could have gotten used to it by now, like me when im trying to gain weight, i can eat around 3200 cals a day and see results , but then after a while i dont gain anymore, so i have to take it up to around 3700.

 

[tonymcclellan]

Well its almost impossible to gain 3lbs in single week, as that would amount to 10500 extra calories over 7 days.

Ill be back....

 

[sparrow]

I think its also impossible to gain weight on 1500 cals when shes doing SO much every single day. Even almost any sedentary person loses weight on 1500 cals. I think her body is still in starvation mode and the exercise aggrivates it further

 

[mike79]

if she was seeing results on eatting 1300 calories aday, and then went to around 1500ish, and in 2 weeks hasnt lost any weight on the 1500 cal diet, i think its time to reduce the calories, theres a thin line between starving and body maintenance, its tuff to find the sweet spot sometimes

it is possible it could be water weight, or all in ur head, some days, im sure all of us have looked in the mirror and thought " man i look small, or man i look big today" that kinda thing

 

[sparrow]

But don't you think, at least on the days that she does double cardio, that she burns just in exercise even more than what shes eating? Don't you factor in the number of calories you'd need just to survive, plus what you burn in exercise minus the number to make a big enough deficit for weight loss? It just seems like that number should be much higher than 1300 for weight loss.

 

[mike79]

i dont agree that it should be higher, but diet is kinda a touchy thing, what works for some ppls , might not work for others... depending on the individuals genetics and metabolism etc.... a good rule of thumb to start with is if ur not loosing weight on ur current diet... count how many calories u eat in a given day, and decrease it by 250, in the course of the week , u should be down 1 - 2 pounds, and after 2 - 3 weeks of not loosing any weight on the diet ur on, u gotta drop the calories again by 250. , vice versa if u want to gain weight

 

[sparrow]

i dont agree that it should be higher, but diet is kinda a touchy thing, what works for some ppls , might not work for others... depending on the individuals genetics and metabolism etc.... a good rule of thumb to start with is if ur not loosing weight on ur current diet... count how many calories u eat in a given day, and decrease it by 250, in the course of the week , u should be down 1 - 2 pounds, and after 2 - 3 weeks of not loosing any weight on the diet ur on, u gotta drop the calories again by 250. , vice versa if u want to gain weight

But if she IS in starvation mode she should expect nothing to change if she goes down in cals right? Her body will keep fighting the good fight?

 

[mike79]

1100 to 1500 calories is on the lower end of the spectrum, but its not starvation mode, espcially eating a steady 1500 a day, ur not starvin.....

but if she WAS in starvation mode, anything u eat will be stored as fat, and u run the risk of actually puttin on more weight. But like i said 1500 aint bad, anything lower than 1000 calories a day, ur tap dancing on a landmine, sort of speak.

if your body can maintain ur weight at ur current diet, u can safely decrease ur calories by 15 to 20%.

and momof3, how often are u weight training? That is just as important as cardio, high intensity weight training sessions work wonders! and using decently heavy weight wont make u big and brawny im sure u know most of this stuff already.....

 

[momof3]

wow tons of great comments...see this is what i needed so keep going...well get to the bottom of this problem!!

im going to start answering questions in reverse order cuz its just easier for me that way so...mike to answer your question:

i do an ub/lb split MT and TH Fr i do lift heavy (not girlie weights) and got some guns on me yay me!!! lets hope though its all in my head...

 

[momof3]

But if she IS in starvation mode she should expect nothing to change if she goes down in cals right? Her body will keep fighting the good fight?

do you think i could be still in starvation mode? and how much longer should i ride it out? i wanna drop this last little bit of weight so i can get a boob job and tummy tuck to remove baby stretch marks (so i can look like you) before the summer!wowzers!!! lol time, oh beautiful friend, is of the essence

 

[momof3]

Well its almost impossible to gain 3lbs in single week, as that would amount to 10500 extra calories over 7 days.

Ill be back....

this is absolutely correct...and i know i was eating more then that on my m&m diet..but at least on the second day i switched to peanut m&ms so id at least get some protein

ok i will swap you your info tomorrow i hafta research!

 

[momof3]

Gotta agree with Sparrow here. I think you need some form of protein in the morning along with your oatmeal. I think you need to up your protein intake in general. Other than that, I can't see anything really wrong with your routine.

it's hard for me to say for sure because my ratios are based on a 3500 + calorie diet right now where yours are based on less than half of that.

I think you are on the right track though. Keep up your intensity and you will do fine.

thanks tony
what do you suggest for protein ratios/amounts etc.?

 

[momof3]

if she was seeing results on eatting 1300 calories aday, and then went to around 1500ish, and in 2 weeks hasnt lost any weight on the 1500 cal diet, i think its time to reduce the calories, theres a thin line between starving and body maintenance, its tuff to find the sweet spot sometimes

it is possible it could be water weight, or all in ur head, some days, im sure all of us have looked in the mirror and thought " man i look small, or man i look big today" that kinda thing

just an fyi...i plateaued at 1300 and ended up going into the dr for headaches/dizziness due to hypoglycemia and as my dr said not eating enough...so hence the increase in calories (dr suggests 1750 but im like whoa now to many!) and it has helped my bs levels. but my goals seem to contradict each other....ie lose weight/build muscle/stay healthy
thanks mike!!!!!!!!!!!!

btw --yer frickin huge!

 

[sparrow]

do you think i could be still in starvation mode? and how much longer should i ride it out? i wanna drop this last little bit of weight so i can get a boob job and tummy tuck to remove baby stretch marks (so i can look like you) before the summer!wowzers!!! lol time, oh beautiful friend, is of the essence

Woah, thats super nice of you thanks!
Well, I'm not sure I'm qualified to give any advice about what you should do next, being that I'm in the same boat and not necessarily "practicing" what I'm "preaching". I would suggest you up it another 100 cals and increase your water. I only say this because a few times as I was increasing cals I jumped up a few pounds in weight over a few days but because my goal was to get my metabolism up and going as fast as possible I just plowed ahead anyway. The 2 times this happend and I increased, I maintained, or lost some (of what I had gained) over the next week. You may want to increase your protein slightly above your carb percentages too. Just try it. I have found I do better with a lower carb diet, even with all the exercise. When I have too many carbs (over 60-70) I get lethargic and weak in the gym and I gain more easily. The last thing is, I know you said you're charting your water now, but is it possible you are drinking more than usual and maybe your body is just getting the hydration it really needs making the scale heavier?
I do feel the frustration..When I reached 1500cal I was gaining too but looking back on my pics I think I appear leaner. When I started backing off from 1500 and now some days get as low as 1100-1200 again I can tell I store a little "extra" even if the weight looks like its dipping a little. It may seem like a "lose/lose" situation, but we'll figure out whats going on.