Ready to Give Up

J

junkfoodbad

2
Let me give you a little history first before i rant. I am 5'9" 200lbs. At my heaviest i weighed about 230lbs back when i quit smoking. I have been on and off fad diets with varying degrees of success. The most successful was when i first did atkins, i got myself down to 185lbs. Of course we all know how insanely unhealthy atkins is.

A couple of years ago, I started doing cardio about 3 times a week, but never really dialed in the diet so i saw little to no results. So a couple months ago, i decided i would start doing cardio everyday (5-6 times a week) cut my calories WAY down to something like 1600 calories. Obviously too low. I lost an initial 15 really quick, bringing me to my current 200lbs and i just stopped losing weight completely. Dead standstill. I figured it had to be the diet.

Then, about a month ago i found this site. I read, i absorbed, and i started a new regiment. I would focus on a clean diet of 2400 calories doing a 50/25/25 protein/carb/fat ratio, i would continue to do cardio 5-6 days a week. i would also weight train 3 days a week MWF with a push/pull alternating split.

Well here i am, almost a month later and i havent lost any weight. I toyed with the idea of maybe im gaining muscle and losing fat. I dont have a body fat caliper but i plan to get one soon so all i have to verify this is some pictures.



To me, i dont see any progress but i look at myself in the mirror everyday. People have mentioned to me that i look skinnier but i dont know if they are just blowing smoke up my @ss cause they know how hard im working.

Heres my diet

B - oatmeal and whey shake
S - peanuts or almonds
L - lunch meat or grilled chicken wrap
S - apple
PWO - whey shake
D - chicken, fish, or beef and veggie usually broccoli
S - peanuts or cottage cheese

Cardio usually consists any of the following 6 days a week
- racquetabll
- 20 minute HIIT on eliiptical
- 2 mile jog

Lift schedule is MWF alternating A and B all exercises are 3x10

A (push)
-Bench Press
-Shoulder Press
-Skullcrushers
-Lunges
-Calf Raises

B (pull)
-BO DB rows
-deadlifts
-bicep curls
-wrist curls

As you can see, im busting my @ss here. And i know im not going to quit but its really really frustrating to see no progress. My goal is to be 160 which is ideal for my height. I have a stocky build so maybe thats not possible but i have been around 185 before so i know its possible for me to be lighter.

Any ideas what i can be doing wrong? I need to see progress or else it just doesnt seem worth it.

Thanks
 
Hi there. I just had a look at your photos and, you're right, significant progress is difficult to spot. However, all of those progress pics were taken over a period of a little over 2 weeks!! How much physical difference do you honestly expect to see in that time?? If I'm reading things correctly, you have lost 2lbs over that period so, thats about 1lb per week. Nothing wrong with that - thats 52lbs after a year!!

I can't see anything wrong with your diet or your training routine but, there again, I can't see anything wrong with your progress either. Sure, it would be nice to accelerate things a bit but, you're heading in the right direction. If you give it all up, what do you think will happen?

I know its tough but, patience is the key. Maybe you could add some more cardio, see if that helps things along.
 
The first 2 were actually taken at the end of the day. So i assumed i was heavier by the end of the day. I've been weighing myself in the morning consistantly at 198. It's just frustrating cause ive been doing cardio everyday for the past 3 months. And after the initial 15lbs i lost in the first 2 weeks, it just stopped.

Also, I've only been documenting this for a little over 2 weeks, but the results were same obviously for the couple months before that as well.

I'm not going to quit working out, so maybe the thread title was a bit harsh, but i think it correctly expresses my frustration.
 
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Sounds like you've hit a plateau if your progress has been stunted for that long. The 2 pieces of advice I would give at this stage are 1) Treat yourself: Go out for a meal and dont worry about watching the calories. I know it sounds too good to be true but, sometimes it can give your metabolism the kick start it needs to start losing weight again. Personally, I 'cheat' once a week and I haven't hit a plateau yet 2) Try doing some different cardio: your body may have become extremely efficient at what you usually do so, something new might shock it into dropping weight again. Maybe rollerblading or swimming or something?
 
I might even go as far as taking an entire 2 weeks off. No supps, NO TRAINING.. just live healthy and get rest. Let your body recouperate.
When you get back on, why not ease up on things.. You might want to lower the number of times you run each week down to 4. Sounds to me like you might be overtraining especially with that HIIT in there.
 
junkfoodbad said:
is it possible to overtrain cardio? i mean, burning calories is burning calories right?
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Its a double edged sword bro.. While its nice to have the fat burning effects, it takes a toll on the rest of your body. Especially LBM (when on a hypocaliorc diet)
 
I would listen to these guys

I was doing cardio 5 days a week and strength 3 days a week, Niceone told me to just do 2 days cardio and 3 dyas strength, and my changes started taking place, I am developing nicely...this is the last 2/3 weeks.

my changes over the last 2-3 weeks has been very noticable, which has me syched.

But maybe a slight change is what you need.
 
So you suggest i try to cut down the cardio? Maybe switch it up to 3 days a week, maybe opposite my lift schedule?

Would you suggest i cut down my calorie intake a little to compensate for the doing less cardio?
 
I perform fasted cardio 7 days/week with minimal, if any, muscle loss. The key is how you manipulate your diet.
 
LV, what changes would you suggest i make to my diet?

I know this isnt an exact science, and im not looking for the "magic solution" but i just want to try something new and see if i can get something to change. I know my body, and i know something isnt clicking right. Given everything im doing, i know i should see more results.
 
SteveK said:
Hey LV what is fasted cardio?
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Fasted cardio is cardio usually right when you wake up on an empty stomach forcing your body to use fat stores as energy because it doesnt have food for energy
 
junkfoodbad said:
LV, what changes would you suggest i make to my diet?

I know this isnt an exact science, and im not looking for the "magic solution" but i just want to try something new and see if i can get something to change. I know my body, and i know something isnt clicking right. Given everything im doing, i know i should see more results.
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Here is what I suggest:

Meal 1 - oatmeal and egg whites OR make this a pro/fat meal
Meal 2 - Whey/flax oil
Meal 3 - Lean protein ie chicken breast, lean steak, tuna, etc....w/1-2 cups fiberous veggies and 1-1.5 oz real cheese.
Meal 4 - apple (is this is pre-workout its fine)
Meal 5 - PWO (IMMEDIATLY following training) - whey shake/dextrose
Meal 6 - PPWO- chicken, fish, or shrimp and brown/white rice, yam, sweet potato, etc...


On your non-training days you will not have a pwo and ppwo meal. You can make:

Meal 4 - whey/flax oil meal
Meal 5 - pro/fat/veggie meal
Meal 6 - pro/fat meal or whey/flax oil meal

Also, I'd suggest changing your training routine up to a 4 or 5 day split routine.
 
Just out of curiosity LV, why should he consume fat first thing in the day?
Im also curious about that last meal containing sweet potato. I know they are actually better than regular potatoes, but is it a good idea to consume a carb rich food like that before bed when you are cutting? *tries not to sound like a fear monger* :)
 
niceone said:
Just out of curiosity LV, why should he consume fat first thing in the day?
Im also curious about that last meal containing sweet potato. I know they are actually better than regular potatoes, but is it a good idea to consume a carb rich food like that before bed when you are cutting? *tries not to sound like a fear monger* :)
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Some people are very carb sensitive, like myself, and that is why I suggested a pro/fat or pro/carb meal for meal 1. He will need to track his progress with trying the pro/carb out for a while. If he doesn't see any progress, he can switch it to a pro/fat.

Regardless if it's 1am in the moring, you NEED to consume a PPWO meal containing a pro/carb. There are no if's and's or but's about it. It WILL not stall progress, regardless of the time. Just as long as it's your PPWO. This should be consumed 1 hr after your PWO shake.

My last meal is at 8pm while cutting and yes, it is my PPWO. Non-training days it should be a pro/fat.
 
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