Just can't shed the pounds...

[caper]

hey guys. Im 22, male, 5'9 and 175 pounds

Ive been running practically everyday or cycling since my knee/shins have been killing me for about 30-40 minutes a day. every other day i do about an hour of weights.
So monday i will do Biceps and chest, wed i would do back, triceps and shoulders and cycle back to bi's and chest thursday. Im decently muscular but all the muscle i gain is just pushing out my existing body fat. mainly my chest and my stomach.

For diet, ive been trying to do the atkins...it sucks and i cheat alittle but i am still taking in low carbs and sticking away from salts and sugars. I'd say my diet consist of instant oatmeal, chicken breast with saltfree seasoning, salads and tuna.

It has been about 2 months...very little results in the stomach area...everywhere else i can see alittle tightening but i flexuate between 165-175 pounds whether i workout or not. i think my metabolish is SUPER slow...

Any ideas on what i can try? should i resort to supplements? or any meal plans or schedules that you would suggest?
My only problem on meals is that i hate eggs and meal plans that require hours of prep and lots of ingrediants. Im pretty good about sticking with 3-4 differenht meals for months at a time.

HELP!! thanks!!

 

[Physio Dude]

show your workout plan... how long do you cycle? what resitance?
same with weights..

 

[caper]

Diet:
Breakfast: Grapefruit juice or V8. Instant oatmeal. and a fruit like banana
Lunch: Tuna on romaine lettuce wrap with mustard and water.
Dinner: Salad with baked chicken breast(usually with lots of seasoning, thyme, basil, saltless rub)

and on the weekends, i have a few beers or crown and cokes. =)

Workout:

Mornings: Wake up and go running for 40 minutes. Or cycle on a swinn bike with medium steady resistance on days that i will be doing weights. On the inbetween days where i dont do weights, i will do a power cycling where you stand up and increase and sit down...i do that for 30 minutes.

About 6ish:

Wieghts Day One: mainly focus on chest and biceps with 3 reps on 10 on most.
Start with vertical chest press machine. Start with Two 45's on each side, then increase weights by 10 pounds per side.
Switch to biceps. I do 45 dumbell stand up arm curls. I do the 777, 7 full curls, 7 upper half curls, and 7 lower half curls.
Switch to chest. Dumbell Bench Press with 45's. Then increase to 55, then 65.
Switch biceps. I do cable curls, usually 45-65 pounds.
Switch to chest. I do cable flys or chest press...at about 115 then incress to two sets of 135.
Switch to biceps. Single arm bicep pull downs with cables. usually 20 pounds and do alot of reps.
Switch to chest. Chest flys on a vertical machine. untill im tired.
Switch to reps and do 3 reps of 15 Front raises and lateral raises with 17.5 pound weights

DAY 2: rest and do more cycling/steps/running

Weights Day 3:

Start with sit down cable rows, and do about 150 and increase 10 pounds.
Switch to Tri's. Tricep pushdowns with cables. not sure how much, maybe 40-50.
Switch to Back. Do that machine wear you sit facing it and pull the bars back behind you.
Switch to Tri's. Do arnold dumbells, basically with 25 pounds. just a sit down and push weights above head.
Continue with Tricep Dip Machine...usually set pretty high.
Then onto the incline tricep and chest machine...its ALWAYS right by the Machine chest press but i forget the name.
Then back. One-arm dumbbell row. usually 35's
Then Lat pulldown with 115
Then back to tri's with one handed cable pulls. the one where you stand up, faceaway from the machine, put your arm at a 90 angle and horizontal to the ground and pull the cable bar. usually about 30 pounds.

thats usually about it...maybe a few added machines. Depends on my day and how busy the gym is.

 

[caper]

i used to play hockey and soccer and my legs are very fit and strong so ive never really worked them out unless it was a secondary in a machine...working my legs also makes it difficult to run everyday.

 

[surreal]

The cardio/aerobic is the only thing that will help you lose the fat. Muscle strengthening and toning indirectly helps, but its a very slow process.

Still, 30-40 minutes of running a day sounds like you're doing what needs to be done.

Metabolism doesn't sky rocket over-night and losing that fat isn't instantaneous either. I should know! 5'8 165 lbs. All my body fat is a small layer (I call the love bar) around my gut. My abs are made of steel though. I have the muscle, but its no easy task getting rid of that layer of fat covering it. I've been working out/running on and off for a couple years now, and started taking it seriously (routine) this summer.

I've also noticed more improvement in my arms and legs than my stomach (though there has been a little improvement there as well). The biggest problem areas always hold out the longest.

Edit: Sorry, I didnt catch the "atkins" mention. You should be taking in a lot of carbs if youre going to do cardio/aerobic excercise. I'm suprised you're keeping this up with a low carb intake... Running burns about a 50/50 mix of carbs and fat, and although 0 carbs means youre burning more fat youre also burning muscle tissue because the human body can't convert fat into energy fast enough. Fat is the slowest calorie in converting to energy (even though they store the most amount of energy). If youre running without carbs you're killing and weakening your muscles.

I'd suggest you consume the carbs and simply work harder or differently with your aerobic exercising. If its a slow jog when you run try sprinting with breaks inbetween. HIITs seem to be a new popular fad (when I played football we called them suicides) - very similar in the results they achieve.

The harder you breathe the easier it is for muscle to burn fat using oxygen. And the more intense the longer you'll burn fat once you're done... a fast spring will continue to burn fat longer after you're done running. Biking is easier on the bones but you'll need to do it longer than running to get the same effect. Swimming is great if you do laps and take it seriously. Especially if you're like me and your body can't naturally float. Wish I had access to a pool!