Made a big mistake

engraverguy
engraverguy Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok I know I didnt go about this the right way but Im hopping I can get some good advice to fix my mistake. I'm 45 male and weighed 275. I have lost 87lbs in about six months by lowering my calories to 1500. The last two months I have gradualy raised my calories to 1700-1800. Obviously I went too low from what I have read since then but now I'm stuck bouncing around between 188 and 191. I still want to lose a little more, not sure how much but I really want to get my body fat down low enough to get those abbs to show. I work out with a weight machine for half and hour three days a week and ride a stationary bike or do some workout tape the other two days. Of course I have cut out any fast food, we have changed our diets and try to eat quality carbs, lean protiens and low fats. How do I bring my calories back up to a reasonable amount, continue to lose fat, and not gain weight ? My wife is in the same boat with me, she has lost a bunch of weight as well and started out realy low at 1000 a day and has only worked her way up to 1200. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Replies

  • hipsdontlie1
    hipsdontlie1 Posts: 294 Member
    Sounds like your making the right choices! I suggest increasing your weight training to an hour instead of half an hour (three times per week) and when you lift, lift heavy with short reps. I have had a lot of success with lifting heavy and so have many others I know!!
  • engraverguy
    engraverguy Posts: 6
    Thanks for the advice, Not gunna be easy for me to lift heavy but I will give it my best.
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    Would also recommend to the wife to go above 1,200 to 1,400-1,500 which is closer to BMR and I have had great results here after stalling at 1,000-1,200.
  • FitBeto
    FitBeto Posts: 2,121 Member
    Keep your calories, definitely drop the machines. Lift free weights, squats, dead lifts, presses, etc. Lift heavy, and heavy lifting is whats heavy to you. If you can only pick up the bar then that's heavy to you - start there and then work your way up. Strength training = winning
  • engraverguy
    engraverguy Posts: 6
    She is especialy worried about raising her calories. She says she gained a pound this last week and is worried that raising from 1100 to 1200 is what did it. We both want to raise up to a more realistic maintainance level but neather of us wants to go backwards. We both want to continue to lose a few pounds at least and although we are close to where we want to be in weight, we both have a long way to go to tone. One other thing is that I did lift a lot back when I was a teen and luckely I am slowely regaining some of that definition, but I have a hard time beliving the BMI chart that says I should be twenty pounds lighter. Has anyone gotten hydrostaticly weighed? Is it worth it?
  • engraverguy
    engraverguy Posts: 6
    Thanks Fit I will give it a try
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,430 MFP Moderator
    Lets clear a few things up. First, your wife can NOT gain a lb of fat at even 1200 calories... In fact, she probably can't even gain a lb of fat until she hits 2000+ calories (depending on how active she is). I don't know how tall you are, but if you were average height, you would cut at 2100 calories. I would concentrate the three days at the gym to heavy weight lifting (low rep high weight). If you post your wife's stats, I can run the numbers, but I would think she would be around 1500-1700 calories. But of you should do heavy weight lifting (hour a day 3 days a week) with some minor cardio 1-2 days. Also, a higher protein diet can help with muscle retention; I would suggest the macro's to be 35/40/25 (c/p/f).


    Also, if you mainly care about fat loss, you should stay away from the scale. Weight lifting can make a person retain water in order to repair muscles. Also, keep in mind that a person coming off of a low calorie diet can take up to 6 weeks to adapt as you are "resetting" your resting metabolic rate. When you eat low calorie diets, your body adapts and will burn less calories than your natural basal metabolic rate. The biggest component to getting abs and definition throughout your body is time. It takes time to cut fat and you can't worry about weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    To the OP...if you're getting close to your goal weight, the Lbs don't shed as fast...now is definitely the time to start hitting the weight room; as someone else suggested, 60 minutes x 3 days/week. You may not notice considerable changes on the scale, but you will notice considerable changes in body composition, replacing fat with lean muscle.

    I know a lot of people who have reached their goal weight, but have still been unhappy with the results and felt like they needed to do more; in reality, they were at perfectly healthy weights, but still had a high % body fat to muscle ratio. Start lifting and burn that fat!
  • engraverguy
    engraverguy Posts: 6
    Thanks wolfman I think that is closer to my issue. I have always had more muscle since I lifted a lot as a young man. Acording to the BMI charts Im supposed to be 165 at the most and I just cant see myself back to the weight I was at 16 when I was lifting an hour to an hour and a half five days a week.I can see maybee droping another eight to ten pounds. Another problem I think I might be having is some lose skin. I dont have a ton of it but I do have some around my belly. I am starting to see some definition back in my abs but I guess I just have to be patient and keep working out. I have to tell you though its a whole lot harder to motivate myself then it was when I was younger. I have been working out on a bowflex and loved the smoothness of the workout and was taking the lower weight more reps approach because at my age I worry about injury and a week off because it hurts isnt going to do me any good. I guess I have to suck it up and bump up my workouts if I want the results.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    Keep your calories, definitely drop the machines. Lift free weights, squats, dead lifts, presses, etc. Lift heavy, and heavy lifting is whats heavy to you. If you can only pick up the bar then that's heavy to you - start there and then work your way up. Strength training = winning
    exactly what I was going to say as well. Look into stronglifts as a decent starting program. I'd rather be strong and healthy than to worry about definition in the abs only. Just my .02.
  • mwooderson
    mwooderson Posts: 254 Member
    Keep your calories, definitely drop the machines. Lift free weights, squats, dead lifts, presses, etc. Lift heavy, and heavy lifting is whats heavy to you. If you can only pick up the bar then that's heavy to you - start there and then work your way up. Strength training = winning

    LOVE LOVE LOVE this advice!!! I have seen the biggest and best changes in my body since I began lifting weights 3 - 4 times per week....and NO machines. Everything I lift is barbell and dumb bells with loads of squats, lunges, dead lifts and power lifts.
  • dsimmons107
    dsimmons107 Posts: 387 Member
    Well sounds like you are on the right track. Look at exercises and routines that burn fat and do more of them. I am sure you are using a heart rate monitor at this point. If so the lower and mid ranges are really good fat burners. Things like walking are very good to do that. Get the heart rate at about 60% of you max heart rate and maintain it. Listen to your body. You definitely need to eat if you are working out a lot. Spread your eating out over the day to increase and stabilize your metabolism. Great Job. I was 239 and thought I would be happy a 180 but I am currently at 168 and I like it her much better. Very low body fat at 10%. Keep it up. You will get to where you want to be.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Lets clear a few things up. First, your wife can NOT gain a lb of fat at even 1200 calories... In fact, she probably can't even gain a lb of fat until she hits 2000+ calories (depending on how active she is). I don't know how tall you are, but if you were average height, you would cut at 2100 calories. I would concentrate the three days at the gym to heavy weight lifting (low rep high weight). If you post your wife's stats, I can run the numbers, but I would think she would be around 1500-1700 calories. But of you should do heavy weight lifting (hour a day 3 days a week) with some minor cardio 1-2 days. Also, a higher protein diet can help with muscle retention; I would suggest the macro's to be 35/40/25 (c/p/f).


    Also, if you mainly care about fat loss, you should stay away from the scale. Weight lifting can make a person retain water in order to repair muscles. Also, keep in mind that a person coming off of a low calorie diet can take up to 6 weeks to adapt as you are "resetting" your resting metabolic rate. When you eat low calorie diets, your body adapts and will burn less calories than your natural basal metabolic rate. The biggest component to getting abs and definition throughout your body is time. It takes time to cut fat and you can't worry about weight.

    Listen to this. He knows what he's talking about :)
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    Well sounds like you are on the right track. Look at exercises and routines that burn fat and do more of them. I am sure you are using a heart rate monitor at this point. If so the lower and mid ranges are really good fat burners. Things like walking are very good to do that. Get the heart rate at about 60% of you max heart rate and maintain it. Listen to your body. You definitely need to eat if you are working out a lot. Spread your eating out over the day to increase and stabilize your metabolism. Great Job. I was 239 and thought I would be happy a 180 but I am currently at 168 and I like it her much better. Very low body fat at 10%. Keep it up. You will get to where you want to be.

    You do not need to spread your eating out - intra-day meal timing as it impacts metabolism is irrelevant.

    OP: listen to Psulemon - he is giving good advice.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    lol i am backing out of this one
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    do some workout tape the other two days.

    wait, wut?
  • getwashboardtummy
    getwashboardtummy Posts: 5 Member
    I don't think you have mad a mistake at all - look at how far you've come!!

    So you upped your calories and it didn't work, time to re- focus.

    If you don't know what to lose to achieve the body you want

    Go to http://www.bodybuilding.com/guides/

    It will take you through a VISUAL guide showing the body type you're after and tell you how much you need to lose to achieve it - it's also FREE!

    Good luck! D
  • engraverguy
    engraverguy Posts: 6
    OK I will realy try to up the weight lifting. I will train a bit harder and try to lift higher weight. Two questions , one; when lifting higher weight what should I shoot for as far as reps? Right now I have been taking the lighter weight more reps approach and lifting fifteen reps. The second thing is ; I have a realy unique job where I have winters off completely but work seven days a week during the summer. I wont be able to lift most of the time during the summer (except maybee a day here and there).How will that affect me, will doing thirty minutes of exercise each morning be enough? I am up and running around all day during the summer so im not sitting, but much more than situps, pushups ext in the morning will be realy difficult.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
    OK I will realy try to up the weight lifting. I will train a bit harder and try to lift higher weight. Two questions , one; when lifting higher weight what should I shoot for as far as reps? Right now I have been taking the lighter weight more reps approach and lifting fifteen reps. The second thing is ; I have a realy unique job where I have winters off completely but work seven days a week during the summer. I wont be able to lift most of the time during the summer (except maybee a day here and there).How will that affect me, will doing thirty minutes of exercise each morning be enough? I am up and running around all day during the summer so im not sitting, but much more than situps, pushups ext in the morning will be realy difficult.

    With Stronglifts, I lift 3 days per week and it takes 35-45 minutes to be 100% finished. It's absolutely enough time. Good luck with everything.

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