Let me start off by saying...I've always been a big guy. Football player build. Thing is, I don't play football. I decided to do something about it. Since December, I have lost 28 lbs (down to 228) and 3 inches on my waist. I combined weight lifting and cardio (both 5 days a week) and the results have been great. I've also changed my diet and have been very happy with the toning. But now my progress is at at a standstill. I've tried cutting my calories more, longer workouts, more protein, less bad carbs, more supplements and I can't lose that final 10 lbs or more importantly, 2 inches on my waist. What am I doing wrong??? Thanks
I can't lose anymore weight!!
- Thread starter Milk215
- Start date
I didn't realize I was in the women's section before, sorry. My cardio workout is the same everyday, except Wed. Mondays- 30 mins on the bike, 1 hour weights for chest, 15 mins on treadmill. Tues- weights for back and shoulders. Wed- 30 min boxing class or off day. Thurs- weights for legs. Fri- weights for arms. Sat and Sun- off. At 228 lbs, I consume 1800 calories a day. 40% good carbs (no processed foods, white flour, or sugars...well maybe on Saturdays), 50 % protein (mostly whey and soy) and 10% fats. Should I change something?
yeah.. eat more fat. also, how is your fiber and water consumption. The two play a large role in your nutrient absorbsion and digestion.
Im curious where you came up with that ratio of carbs/pro/fat. Its good that you are consuming high quality carbs, but when are you consuming them.
I would recommend you lower your protein intake and raise your fat intake.
Also, if you havent already.. get some EFAs into your diet (Flax, fish oil..)
Have you considered thermos?
Im curious where you came up with that ratio of carbs/pro/fat. Its good that you are consuming high quality carbs, but when are you consuming them.
I would recommend you lower your protein intake and raise your fat intake.
Also, if you havent already.. get some EFAs into your diet (Flax, fish oil..)
Have you considered thermos?
Forgot to list supplements. I take Sesamin, Chromium Picolinate, CLA, arginine pyroglutamate, mutlivitamin with lycopene, tribulus. I wasn't to sure about thermos because I am on medication for hypertension, which is under control since the weight loss. Are they safe for hypertension patients?? I eat early in the day, before and after workouts and drink protein shakes before bed.
First of all, i don't think you're eating enough. 1800 calories for a 230lb guy is nuts, i eat twice that and im 60 pounds less. boost it up to at least 2500 calories
you should be eating 5-6 meals a day, every day. perhaps put 350 calories worth of peanuts in a bag or something to snack on in between your four meals and eat 2 servings of lowfat cottage cheese before bed.
i did the same thing you did when i was losing weight and i had the same results. i ate 2-3 small meals a day and i did lose 30 pounds, but i couldn't lose anymore.
and as niceone was hinting at, you should eat your good carbs early in the day and eat less carbs later on.
good luck!
you should be eating 5-6 meals a day, every day. perhaps put 350 calories worth of peanuts in a bag or something to snack on in between your four meals and eat 2 servings of lowfat cottage cheese before bed.
i did the same thing you did when i was losing weight and i had the same results. i ate 2-3 small meals a day and i did lose 30 pounds, but i couldn't lose anymore.
and as niceone was hinting at, you should eat your good carbs early in the day and eat less carbs later on.
good luck!
theleip
2
Given the stats you gave lets take a closer look at what you could be doing to maximize your weight loss and speed back up your metabolism.
To maintain your weight you need rougly 2800 calories. This is taking in account your weight, activity so on. So to lose fat you need a decrease in calories but not so much that you are in starvation mode. A safe calorie cut for not doing this is on average 500 calories. Especially when working out you don't really want to go below this as you will plateau more and loose fat at a lower pace. So you need to shoot for eating around 2200-2300 calories a day for right now.
As far as a diet its good to get at least 25% of daily intake calories from good fats. Here are some good fat items...
Natural almond nut spreads-(simliar to peanut butter but instead of peanuts they have almond selections) you can find in any health store and some supermarkets or even make your own with a food processor.
Flax oil/seed-Either having the oil itself in protein shakes or getting products with flax is a great way to get in good fats.
Avacodos-lots of good fats and also provide good energy source.
Fish-Fish is the best meat fat source as usually lower in sat fats and high in Omega-3's.
Getting in at least 5 meals a day is really important. I know its hard but coolers and microwaves make this a lil easier. I litterally when in a rush pack a cooler and when need stop at a gas station, buy a water and go to the back and hit up my food. Find ways to make it work for you cause if you can do this it will speed up your metabolism and burn at a faster rate. You have been taking in too few calories and cause your metabolism to slow because its storing fat due to fear of nothing being nurished. If you turn it around and take in more calories with a more focused workout plan, you should see some gleaming results.
To maintain your weight you need rougly 2800 calories. This is taking in account your weight, activity so on. So to lose fat you need a decrease in calories but not so much that you are in starvation mode. A safe calorie cut for not doing this is on average 500 calories. Especially when working out you don't really want to go below this as you will plateau more and loose fat at a lower pace. So you need to shoot for eating around 2200-2300 calories a day for right now.
As far as a diet its good to get at least 25% of daily intake calories from good fats. Here are some good fat items...
Natural almond nut spreads-(simliar to peanut butter but instead of peanuts they have almond selections) you can find in any health store and some supermarkets or even make your own with a food processor.
Flax oil/seed-Either having the oil itself in protein shakes or getting products with flax is a great way to get in good fats.
Avacodos-lots of good fats and also provide good energy source.
Fish-Fish is the best meat fat source as usually lower in sat fats and high in Omega-3's.
Getting in at least 5 meals a day is really important. I know its hard but coolers and microwaves make this a lil easier. I litterally when in a rush pack a cooler and when need stop at a gas station, buy a water and go to the back and hit up my food. Find ways to make it work for you cause if you can do this it will speed up your metabolism and burn at a faster rate. You have been taking in too few calories and cause your metabolism to slow because its storing fat due to fear of nothing being nurished. If you turn it around and take in more calories with a more focused workout plan, you should see some gleaming results.
Bump up the cardio to 1 hour, 5 times per week, and make it count. Monitor your heart rate - keep it up - 150+. Decrease or remove starches altogether. And kill the Soy - poorest choice of protein, low biological value, difficient in methionine, contains biocompatible plant estrogens and will actually suppress thyroid function. Best protein powder I know personally is Fit 365. You can PM me for more specifics. Good luck.
Adam
Adam
I don't like your ratios. 10% calories is far too low. I always encourage my clients to consume about 30% calories from fat. 5-6 meals, each meal consisting of a protein source (chicken, beef, fish, powder, eggs) - 50-60 grams of protein. Add a soure of fibrous vegetables (broccoli, spinach, lettuce, etc.) and a healthy fat source (assuming the protein source was lean, add e.v. olive oil, coconut oil, flax oil, butter).
Be consistant, train harder, and step up the cardio.
As far as calories, I don't know enough about you to say. If I were in your shoes, I would bump up the calories to about 2500, eating in the fashion described above, for 4-6 weeks, then systimatically reduce calories by about 100 per week. By the time you get back to 1800, the fat should be pealing off. This process will kickstart your metabolism without adding fat.
Be consitant.
-Adam
Be consistant, train harder, and step up the cardio.
As far as calories, I don't know enough about you to say. If I were in your shoes, I would bump up the calories to about 2500, eating in the fashion described above, for 4-6 weeks, then systimatically reduce calories by about 100 per week. By the time you get back to 1800, the fat should be pealing off. This process will kickstart your metabolism without adding fat.
Be consitant.
-Adam
What about days I can't make it to the gym or get in any cardio (3 of the 5 days I worked this week were AT LEAST 12 hours)? Should I still eat 5 to 6 small meals with the same amount of calories and good fats? Or should I cut back somehow because I didn't get to work out? I didn't realize nutrition was so important yet...difficult
Keep your diet the same no matter if its a training day or non.
The point of many smaller meals is to keep food in your body, which keeps your metabolism going.
The point of many smaller meals is to keep food in your body, which keeps your metabolism going.
My meals remain the same on training and non-training days except for my post workout nutrition. I have an extra 400 calories on workout days worth of high GI carbs (immediately post workout)
You dont need to eat the same thing every day. The point of doing this is so that you can track and troubleshoot your progress. You can adjust your diet depending on how your body is reacting.
Like others are saying, keep that constant flow of nutrition throughout the day, every day. Your body is prone to fat storage and it will be less likely to do so if you keep it fed.
You dont need to eat the same thing every day. The point of doing this is so that you can track and troubleshoot your progress. You can adjust your diet depending on how your body is reacting.
Like others are saying, keep that constant flow of nutrition throughout the day, every day. Your body is prone to fat storage and it will be less likely to do so if you keep it fed.