Help required!

Please dont shout me down, I have really tried to read everything on here but I am a litlle stuck and confused, I see there are many experts on here and I would really appreciate some personal advice.

I have been eating around 1200 and 1400 calaries per day (sometimes less, sometimes more), I go to the gym 5 days per week on averave and burn between 300 and 500 calories per time (Spinning/RPM 1x per week, BodyPump 2x per week, Cardio and weight training 2x per week). I have lost a lot of weight (10kg/22ibs) but recently I have hit a plateau.... I haven't lost very much at all in the last month.

Everything I read on here says I should eat more, but I am really not hungry, and when I try to eat more I just feel uncomfortable, I am vegetarian, so there is a reduction in calaries there, also I try to eat a mainly healthy diet, natural, whole foods, apart from probably too much wine on a saturday night! Please look at my diary (minus the 4 weeks vacation I had were i didnt log anything..) and tell me your opinion of what I can do differently/better?

I really would appreciate it! Also do please friend me if you think we can help eachother out on this journey!

Replies

  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
    In my opinion (and I'm sure that some people will have very different opinions), when you hit a plateau (especially when you are close to your goal) you can do any one of half a dozen things. Either up your calories a little (which is probably what other people will tell you to do), cut your calories a little (which I think is a good idea), up your exercise. Change things up in a different way (I recommend checking out intermittent fasting).

    I prefer to cut my calories a bit to break out of a plateau and extend my fasting periods (I usually do anywhere from 16- 24 hours fasted so I try to stick with 20+ hours fasted).

    I think it's kind of just a matter of trying things to shake things up a bit. Again, totally just my opinion.
  • Vaisaxena
    Vaisaxena Posts: 109 Member
    Please dont shout me down, I have really tried to read everything on here but I am a litlle stuck and confused, I see there are many experts on here and I would really appreciate some personal advice.

    I have been eating around 1200 and 1400 calaries per day (sometimes less, sometimes more), I go to the gym 5 days per week on averave and burn between 300 and 500 calories per time (Spinning/RPM 1x per week, BodyPump 2x per week, Cardio and weight training 2x per week). I have lost a lot of weight (10kg/22ibs) but recently I have hit a plateau.... I haven't lost very much at all in the last month.

    Everything I read on here says I should eat more, but I am really not hungry, and when I try to eat more I just feel uncomfortable, I am vegetarian, so there is a reduction in calaries there, also I try to eat a mainly healthy diet, natural, whole foods, apart from probably too much wine on a saturday night! Please look at my diary (minus the 4 weeks vacation I had were i didnt log anything..) and tell me your opinion of what I can do differently/better?

    I really would appreciate it! Also do please friend me if you think we can help eachother out on this journey!

    1) Monitor protein intake - 1g / lb-bodyweight
    2) Refeed 24-48hrs or more as you are severely underfed and severely overtrained (cardio specifically)
    3) Ditch cardio
    4) Reduce daily deficit - 300-500 kCal from TDEE will do
    5) Don't count exercise as "calories burned" - exercise to partition nutrients toward muscle instead of fat NOT to burn calories.... this relates to #3 and #6
    6) Heavy strength training - train like a man

    good luck.
  • Please dont shout me down, I have really tried to read everything on here but I am a litlle stuck and confused, I see there are many experts on here and I would really appreciate some personal advice.

    I have been eating around 1200 and 1400 calaries per day (sometimes less, sometimes more), I go to the gym 5 days per week on averave and burn between 300 and 500 calories per time (Spinning/RPM 1x per week, BodyPump 2x per week, Cardio and weight training 2x per week). I have lost a lot of weight (10kg/22ibs) but recently I have hit a plateau.... I haven't lost very much at all in the last month.

    Everything I read on here says I should eat more, but I am really not hungry, and when I try to eat more I just feel uncomfortable, I am vegetarian, so there is a reduction in calaries there, also I try to eat a mainly healthy diet, natural, whole foods, apart from probably too much wine on a saturday night! Please look at my diary (minus the 4 weeks vacation I had were i didnt log anything..) and tell me your opinion of what I can do differently/better?

    I really would appreciate it! Also do please friend me if you think we can help eachother out on this journey!

    1) Monitor protein intake - 1g / lb-bodyweight
    2) Refeed 24-48hrs or more as you are severely underfed and severely overtrained (cardio specifically)
    3) Ditch cardio
    4) Reduce daily deficit - 300-500 kCal from TDEE will do
    5) Don't count exercise as "calories burned" - exercise to partition nutrients toward muscle instead of fat NOT to burn calories.... this relates to #3 and #6
    6) Heavy strength training - train like a man

    good luck.

    Thanks @Vaisaxena, My TDEE seems to be 2215, so based on your reccomendations I should be eating between 1715 and 1915, I really do not know how to reach those levels, I think I eat a good amount of food, which completly fills me up! I will give it a try, but if anyone has suggestions?!

    Also I dont want to be bulky, I want to be slim, I am scared if I ditch cardio and 'Train like a man' I will become built like a man! I am already fairly tall for a woman (1.70m), with broad shoulders, large bust etc..... wont limiting myself to just weight training bulk me up?