Can somebody help me???? Stuck again!

S

skyler1

New member
I went back through my past journals, etc. and have found that i am the exact same weight as i was on feb. 10th. yup, now it is march 23rd. I WAS losing 3 lbs/month (as i am a slow loser) and i have always exercised. I changed up my routine some...more weights, more protein...exercise differnt times of day, changing/adding more water per day....i'm PSYCHED i havent gained but how can I kickstart a loss again?? It is like every time I hit a new era, i get stuck and I dont know how to keep it moving......:confused:

..but generally my plan has been this:
mon/tues/wed/sunday - cardio (elliptical - ranging intensity,duration, programs)
mon/wed/sat- weight lifting
thurs/sat - pilates (machines - reformer)
friday - OFF

Calories are at 1200 / day. I need some tweaking and I need some help..

anybody have some for me??????

Thanks.
S
 
hum...ok, lets think...maybe you should eat 1500 for one week and then go back to the 1200 and see what that does?
 
i dont know. i've read about that. but i just dont know what is right. i definitely do a lot of exercising and weight lifting so i very well could be replacing muscle for fat, and i know muscle weighs more....but, does that mean, i wont lose any more?
 
Well...could you post the type of workouts you've been doing, length of each sesssion and how long you've been doing that particular exercise?
Is the elliptical pretty much your cardio most of the time?
That could be part of the problem. In order to get that "jump start" you need to change it up. Choose another type of cardio you're not used to. Have you tried any type of interval training?

How are your clothes fitting? Do you pretty much FEEL the same weight? Do you feel anymore toned? Do you wear a heart monitor if so, what zone are you staying at?

What does your eating consist of. Where are those 1200 calories a day coming from? Where did you get that number? Unless it's given to you by a nutritionist etc. (and even then) I'd play around with it. I always tend to go more on how you're feeling during your workouts. Sometimes we can't increase our intensity because we don't have enough fuel to do so, so what we think is our "max" really isnt'. KWIM?


I'm also not big on eating "too" much protein. The active adult only needs about .8 - 1.0 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight....but of course that varies a little with athletes. Too much protein can also be stored as fat and backfire.

HTH a little!
 
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Thanks KZPlano! Here are my answers....

Yes, I've been doing mostly elliptical for cardio (bc it has been really cold outside), i'm usually a runner in the non-winter months, but I do change it up in terms of duration, intensity, programs...I do anywhere from 35-60 minutes and also incorporate HIIT. So, yes, I do interval training.

My only other option for cardio (as I dont belong to a gym) is walking/running, I guess, but again, i dont know if that is too similar to the elliptical?? Any recommendations for changing up the cardio? and how long, etc?

Unfortunatley, I lost my initial measurements that I took a while back, BUT, my clothes are looser and I am back down to a size smaller (my so-called regular size) when i am shopping so I have definitely lost inches. Also, I am definitely stronger (which i am psyched about!), but I am looking for some definition in the muscles and it seems the fat is hiding it...

I dont use a heart rate monitor but my elliptical has one and yes, i stay in the recommended zone...

My eating consists of 1200 calories. I screwed up for a little while and ate 1050 average/week thinking that would help and i think i put myself in starvation mode so now have been averaging 1250 cal/day and it goes like this:

2 eggs/oatmeal - breakfast
cottage cheese/fruit - snack
tuna/crackers - lunch
almonds - snack
protein/veggies/salad - dinner
Lots of water and multivitamins/calcium

I feel GREAT during my workouts. I do not feel at all drained or stressed due to lack of fuel in the slightest bit.

I've calculated my BMR and it says 1450ish, so minus 500 cal to create the deficit to lose 1 lb / week is too low...so i heard never to eat less than 1200 and thats where i got that number....should i be eating more? i am so confused and really appreciate your help...
 
For a 155 pound person (70.45 kilograms) you would need 56-70 grams of protein a day.
Basicly your weight in pounds /2.2 is your weight in kilograms.
Your weight in kilograms x .08 will give you the requirments a day.
 
i'm 139, 5'5'', female. i'm in the 'healthy range' but on the high side (barely in there ;)).


suggestions? suggestions? suggestions????? (and thanks!!!)
 
Hmmm...well, I'll tell you this much I eat a looot more than you do!! LOL (o.k not that that's a good thing, I'm a female, 5'5 currenlty pregnant but my ideal weight is about 132).
I'm also a runner but my eating is pretty different.
How are you doing your interval training?
Do you do any sorts of "bursts", how many, how long do you "rest" or slow down etc.

The HR monitors on machines are not very accurate, it's a suggestion but if you can, I'd get a HR monitor and use it during the runs as well (if you're still trying to lose weight then).

If you want to stick with your current eating plan...
I'd use egg whites only (don't know if you do that already), I'm not a big fan of oatmeal..I'd do a bagel instead maybe.
I do snack on cottage cheese and fruit a lot (fat free cottage cheese) but I add a salad or a sandwich (wheat breat, no mayo, mustard if you like it, turkey no ham).

Tuna and crackers? O.K I'd fall over my friend. =) But if it works for you!!
I'd eat a bigger lunch, something with chicken, rice, a wrap, pita etc. You don't have to have a LARGE portion of this since it's your lunch.

Dinner sounds good.

The reason I wonder how intense your interval training is, is because of your diet. I wonder if you're pushing yourself hard enough...BUT you might be. We all have different metabolisms etc.


O.K I just read your weight etc. hard to tell how much of you is fat? ;) Have you had your body fat measured (best if done with calipers by someone who knows what they're doing).
 
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no, i havent had my body fat testing in a while. i know i need to do that. but with pictures, you can clearly see that my arms are NOT defined and I am stronger and also there is definitely fat in my midsection...so, there is more to go.

Yes, i do HIIT....2 minutes super hard, rest 2 minutes, 1 minute really hard, rest 3 minutes...and just keep changing...is that right?
 
Well, one of the first things I'd do is get my body fat measured. That will reallly give you something solid to go on. I'm not sure what your goal is as far as what you want to look like (as opposed to how you look already).

As far as intervals. On a treadmill, for a short but effeciant workout... might do them 2X a week when not training for anything in particular. One of my favorites is ...oh what's it called..I forgot the term..but anyway. I'll do say a mile warmup and then 3 X800, 2X400 and 1X200 and then a cool down.
Or I'll do 3 min or 4 min. runs, but I stick to a certain amount of time as well as the rest time...so that during each interval I can see how far I went as opposed to the last interval. Then over time you can also see how you've been improving (how much distance you've been covering during 3 min intervals).

You can play around with the numbers but I wouldn't allow my heart rate to go down too much..on an elliptical it's a little hard to do any type of "burst".

If you're really limited as to where you can work out what you could do is use a jump rope, do some sort of kicboxing (if you like kicboxing), even jogging in place can be a killer (picking up your knees high enough), you just need to make sure that you're hear rate stays elevated.

I would vary your cardio. If you have a bike you can get a trainer (the bases you load your bike on)...and use that as well.
Have you tried any workout tapes??? I used to a be a no-video type of person. It's hard to find GOOD videos that really push you, ones that don't have much down time etc. but there are also some really good ones. If you visit you can find all sort of reviews, tapes for beginners and advanced etc. Check out as well, she has some great videos.

Anyway, hth a little!!!
 
skyler said:
i'm 139, 5'5'', female. i'm in the 'healthy range' but on the high side (barely in there ;)).


suggestions? suggestions? suggestions????? (and thanks!!!)
Click to expand...

Yeah you're slimming down to the point where it gets hard. I dunno your age, but your metabolism is resisting your efforts it seems. All I could really suggest is what everyone else says. Spread out your 1200 calories over 5 small meals every 3 hours. Vary them daily, maybe only 1000 cals on your least active days and 1400 on the most active. Eat before working out. And no carbs after lunch. We know you can do it, one way or another.
 
thank you all. yes, i do have video fitness tapes that i was thinking about going back to for a while to change up the cardio...and also it is warming up again so i can acutally go for a run again hopefully (i'm terrible in the cold).

as for my age, i am 29.

and you are right, i really do need to get my body fat % measured but I can see the fat covering muscle so I know I'm not where i need to be...
 
Take a look at water intake. Drinking a lot of water each versus soda's, juice, coffee,etc. can really help take the pounds off. 8 glasses a day can help your body drop those pounds. It helps me lose and maintain, I also feel better. Scott Living a Life full of adventure and fun!
 
Hi skyler, I'm new here, but just wanted to remind you that just because your weight is higher, does NOT mean your not making forward progress.. Lean muscle weights much more than fat, so you could be putting on lean muscle mass, and replacing fat - Which is a great thing. A BF measurment would be better gauge to go on, I believe.

Keep up the great work!
 
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