Are you stuck? Plateuing?

Driven, can you explain in more details how you determine what the "low" in calories days should be, and what exactly you do to cut out carbs, how do you change your meals? My BMR is 1277, according to formular, and adjusted for sedentary lifestyle (x1.2) I burn 1532 per day.

Thanks!
 
Thanks for the great advice!

The suggestions you listed did work for me really well. The mixing up carbs and protein, zigzagging calories from 1200-1600 and different intervals and intensities of exercise. My body caught on quick to things I tried so I kept changing things around. Kept it from getting boring too and even made meal planning and exercise fun. At least, I kept thinking that way!!!
 
i'm with NTL here. I'm confused... what is a "low day" and what is a ". high day"?

for example, by the calculations, what i need to live and maintain is 1427, with exercise is 2258 calories.

so, i need to create a 500 cal./day deficit to lose a lb per week should be 2258-500= 1758 calories per day???????? that seems awfully high.

could you please clarify?? I am for sure STUCK. :(

Thanks,
S
 
Low days vs. High days

Ok ... first of there is a base that us guys and gals must not drop below, to avoid going into starvation...

Women: 1200 cals
Men: 1800 cals

ok this is true for most people unless you have a really small frame and are a guy then its a little trickier

But ok on a Low day what you want to be doing is creating a deficit of 500 to 1000 calories... it really depends on what you body can handle... for skyler you are right on the mark... you are totally correct with that amount of intake at 1800 cals... yeah it seems like alot but it really isnt, because what you are trying to do here is make your metabolism step on the gas, you have to give it more fuel at regular intervals to make it zoom, but you want to create that deficit on 5 days out of the week so you will drop near 1 lb a week.

So when you are chugging down 1800 cals a day on your "low" days your body will adapt and learn how to even store fat from that... so what you want to do is mix it up with high days ever so often so it is never used to a constant "low" state this will keep you metabolism on the go, and yes it may seem like alot of food from what you are eating now. You want to add in healthy high thermogenic foods, like.. whole grains and oats with a good source of lean protein and healthy fiboruos carbs (veggies). You are forcing you body to deal with a larger amount of food constantly and it will kick you metabolism into high gear..

also like skyler about how much are you eating now... and also thats why i use the BF% one because the other one over shoots what i need to eat by about 500 cals... so if you can go to a local gym and get your BF% measured by them... could be free might cost 10 bucks... but it will really tell you where you are at..

Ok, NTL heres how i adjusted my meals to be sure...ill first show you how i was eating before and how im eating now..

Before:

meal 1: nothing .. always skipped breakfast.. HUGE!!! mistake...

meal 2: a light snack like a granola bar... and a coke.. Doh! good food with a ton of empty calories....

meal 3: Big huge burrito a "disaster" burritto... with beans and rice with cheese on top... uh-oh again about 1400 cals at once... omg!!!

meal 4: huge steak or chicken breast with some pasta and some french bread... again omg around like 800-1200 cals in one meal huge mistake...

Now:
"Low"
meal 1: oatmeal with either a balance bar or a little of protein added in...

meal 2: Light salad with a piece of bread with half a turkey breast on it

meal 3: Tuna sandwich on pita bread with some veggies on it

ok now we switch the starchy carbs for fiborous carbs (veggies)
they have much less calories in them than starchy carbs.

meal 4: a chicken and spinach salad

meal 5: Some veggie soup like minestrone or black bean and onion soup

meal 6: something light like half a turkey breast with a small salad

High days... whatever i feel like really just try not to go over board... and still make healthy food choices..

One thing that you will notice is that i am sure to always have a lean protein with any of my meals because protein slows the sugar (carbs) into the bloodstream which keeps you insulin at steady levels... and kinda insures you never go into a state where you are storing fat.. hey guys.. im down to 275 from 305 in last november... on another thing.. this should not be a deprivation thing... it needs to be solid and filled with foods you like and enjoy just be sure to enjoy your food dont make it a chore... Have fun with it... ok.. if you have any other questions... just fire away lol :p

--Driven with ambition
 
Exercise...

Ok... NTL you would go down to like 1000 cals a day an thats not so good if you cut out that many cals... your body will go into stavation mode and start storing whatever it can... so you can cut about 300 cals on your low days... and supplement it with a little bit more exercise... 20 mins on a brisk walk would do you really good and help you sort your day out after its over...

--Driven to Success
 
So when does one know they might have a real issue with their metabolism not being similar to everyone elses?
 
thanks driven, but i can't imagine (i am a female) eating 1800 calories in a day. seems WAY over the top for me...but maybe i need to use the other calculation with the BF% within it?
 
I'm not a doctor, studying to be one though :p

Ok, well as far as metabolism goes... you really need to dicuss that with a dietician or a nutritionist... because they have taken at least 2-4 years of schooling on things around that.. but most metabolisms are pretty similar if you give it good healthy foods at regular intervals like every 2.5 - 3 hours... then your metabolism will speed up... unless you have some sort of hormone disorder.. again i would speak to a metabolism expert and find out if you have a problem...most likely you dont though its somewhat of a rarity... but yeah get checked out but most likely you dont... most people in america were never educated how to eat right for a healthy life... but any way... talk to a qualified person :p

--Driven
 
So Driven..where did you come from exactly? you seem to have popped up out of no where.. or maybe I've just missed ya.. You seem to have a lot of information..
 
Heh yeah im new, i got advised when i hit a plateu a little while ago to find a support group... so i joined this forum and its actually really helped out.. because before i was pretty much going it on my own through reading every books i could get my hands on and going to the gym and doing exercise and taking up some active hobbies (rockclimbing)... I'm also a biology major with a heavy interest in immunology, nutrition, and endocrinology so i like reading about what works and what doesnt and why... so i've gained alot of info... and love sharing information.. so anyways.. i hope that answers your question :p
 
Hmm. now only if I read this post earlier.. lol!! Thanks.. no you really are quite helpful with all the info!
 
Driven, Thank you for all the info! Yes, I'm doing approximately that - eating 1200 calories and adding exercise on top of that. I seem to be on the way down - I've lost 1.5 lb in last 3 days. Time will show whether some of it is water. :)
 
This sounds all very interesting but at the same time im sooo confused. hehe far too many numbers for me to handle. Think ill just stick with the 1200cal and be done with it. :)
 
skyler said:
1.5lbs in 3 days!!!!!!!!!!!!! holy moly! i'd say NTL has broken her plateau!!
Click to expand...

Well, not so fast, Skyler. I went down and then up, gained those 1.5 and then some, and its finally coming back down again. I broke the plateau, alright, but its going UP not DOWN. LOL. I am having MAJOR water fluctuations recently. I guess I'm not plateauing, but my weight keeps changing every day, so it is very hard to say where I am now, except that I'm somewhere between 135 and 137.5. I would not mind this approximation except that I'm loosing about 1.5 lbs per month, and I want to loose more.

RNW, thanks for bumping this up!
 
You need to tell us more about your height, weight, age, number of calories you eat or what you eat, and your exercise routine. Are you doing anything different now then what you did 4 weeks that you've been loosing?
 
I'm 26, 5ft 6 abd weigh around 200lb:mad: ! I joined a slimming club and I followed it but the last couple of weeks I have fallen off the wagon and I cant seem to get back on it! Its a points counting system and the points value of foods are based on number of calories and the amount of saturated fat. I think its because I was doing really well and I have become a bit complacent with what i am eating, thinking that I can eat a bag of crisps or have some popcorn or chocolate but clearly I cant!
 
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