Banks, I need your advise!

singfree

I am doing strength training 5 days per week (never the same muscle groups two days in a row) and biking for cardio, average 100 miles per week. I feel that my strength is very good. Here's
the problem:

I'm not a scale watcher, but I look thinner all over, but I'm not really losing weight. I know I am losing fat, but my arms and legs look a bit thinner too, even though I lift weights. I would like to switch up my eating and/ or exercise routine a bit, but am not sure really what to do next. Any thoughts? Thanks!

singfree

I am doing strength training 5 days per week (never the same muscle groups two days in a row) and biking for cardio, average 100 miles per week. I feel that my strength is very good. Here's
the problem:

I'm not a scale watcher, but I look thinner all over, but I'm not really losing weight. I know I am losing fat, but my arms and legs look a bit thinner too, even though I lift weights. I would like to switch up my eating and/ or exercise routine a bit, but am not sure really what to do next. Any thoughts? Thanks!

SHBoss1673

Are you saying you'd like to focus more on weight loss?

You can pm me if you want and we can talk in more detail, or give me your numbers and I can have a better idea of what's going on inside your body.

weight, height, BMI, ahh, anything you have. How many cals you are eating, how many exercise calories you average, what is your eating schedule, when are you eating what types of food...etc

my wife is in a similar predicament (she actually came to me for nutrition advice the other day, MY WIFE! I was in shock, she's right there with me on the knowledge front, this is a huge validation for me). It's tough once you get to a certain level, so I need all the info to give you any advice.

singfree

Thanks for the quick reply!

I'm not into weight loss, I figure the weight will take care of itself.

I'm a 54 year old male, 5'8" and 152 lbs. I do around an hour of strength 5 days a week, and bike around 100 miles per week for cardio. My normal eating is: Oatmeal or cereal with skim milk for breakfast. Steamed mixed veg mid morning, tuna with light mayo and 4 slices light wheat bread for lunch. Mid afternoon applesauce and yogurt. Either chicken or fish & sweet potato for dinner, sometimes add a whey protein smoothie. My downfall is some red wine & pretzels in the evening.

Exercise cals average about 800, sometimes more per day. Total cals eaten, around 1500-1600.

BTW: My wife is a Merrimac, MA native.

SHBoss1673

well, if yoou're exercising about 800 cals a day, and only eating 1500 to 1600 cals, I think you probably have a depressed metabolism right now, which is hindering both your weight loss and any muscle growth (hormone production) you would normally get.

your BMR is around 1500, that's pre exercise and everything. If you're exercising that heavily you should definitely be eating at least 2000 cals.

You should be eating around 1500 MINIMUM (I would suggest about 200 more then that probably as your maintenance cals are around 2050 or so), that means without exercise. You're creating a very large deficit (a self defeating deficit) when you eat 1600 and exercise for 800. That's Somewhere around a 1200 calorie deficit. That's just no good. Weight training especially NEEDS the body to have access to all the normal hormones in order to do what it needs to do. Remember, muscle doesn't care all that much about fat stores when it's trying to build or firm up, it needs active complete protein, vitamin D, calcium(all the building blocks for muscle) along with testosterone, and HGH (a good amount of cortisol helps too). The hormones come from your glands, and if you stunt your metabolism, these glands slow down production. Cardio will still work to a degree when you stunt metabolic rates, but weight training just plain won't. Because, for the most part, cardio is just burning fuel, and you don't need lots of hormones to burn fuel, just the fuel to burn.

The type and times seems good though, just try to add a little more to some of your snacks. Like maybe add some fat to your mid morning snack, or a protein/fat mix (like nuts) and maybe a light ( 100 cals or so) complex carb to your afternoon snack, then maybe another 150 to 200 cals to breakfast or lunch.

the red wine won't kill ya, as long as you keep it to 1 glass and only do so 1 or 2 times a week. Red wine has good anti-oxidents, it's not great for the calorie burning effect, but it's not ALL empty calories so it kinda balances itself out as long as you don't do it many times a week, and keep the amounts low.

singfree

Thanks, this is the type of sound advise I needed. I was ALWAYS afraid to up my cals. The first thing I will do is cut the crap in the evening in favor of somethng more nutritious. I will limit the red wine to a glass with dinner on the weekend.

I can see light at the end of the tunnel, and just needed a little direction and focus. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Thanks again!