Should I care?
griff7809
Posts: 611 Member
The scale hasn't moved since mid Jun (230 lbs.)
My standard week consist of the following:
Every other day I lift, full body, 30 sec rest periods.
3 sets of 8-12 reps.
2 x chest
2 x back
2 x biceps
2 x triceps
5 x legs
1 x ab machine
1 x back extension
I always give a 48 hour rest period between lifts.
In between lift days I either run (usually a 5k @ 9-10 min pace) or I lap swim for 30 minutes.
My caloric intake varies between 1600-2000 per day.
In the last couple of days, I've started to lap swim in the mornings and either run or lift in the evenings to see if this will jump start my weight loss. I rarely care about what the scale has to say because I like to focus on how my clothes fit. But I haven't seen results in either the scale or my jeans in a while:grumble: . However, my shirts are getting tighter (in the right places). :happy:
(Note)This is not my first time incorporating 2 a-days. When I'm home, I typically ran (5k) in the mornings and lifted at lunch time switching things up with riding my mountain bike to work (5 miles one way).
Any expert advice is appreciated, thank you for reading.
-Griff
My standard week consist of the following:
Every other day I lift, full body, 30 sec rest periods.
3 sets of 8-12 reps.
2 x chest
2 x back
2 x biceps
2 x triceps
5 x legs
1 x ab machine
1 x back extension
I always give a 48 hour rest period between lifts.
In between lift days I either run (usually a 5k @ 9-10 min pace) or I lap swim for 30 minutes.
My caloric intake varies between 1600-2000 per day.
In the last couple of days, I've started to lap swim in the mornings and either run or lift in the evenings to see if this will jump start my weight loss. I rarely care about what the scale has to say because I like to focus on how my clothes fit. But I haven't seen results in either the scale or my jeans in a while:grumble: . However, my shirts are getting tighter (in the right places). :happy:
(Note)This is not my first time incorporating 2 a-days. When I'm home, I typically ran (5k) in the mornings and lifted at lunch time switching things up with riding my mountain bike to work (5 miles one way).
Any expert advice is appreciated, thank you for reading.
-Griff
0
Replies
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try having a cheat day with your food, you will be surprised what that can do when you get back on track. you probably are building muscle so don't dispare yet0
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I completely disagree about the cheat day.
Sounds like you've got a good exercise plan. Exercise will help you tone and get healthy, but not lose weight per se.
Are you measuring carefully, weighing everything, and hitting appropriate net calorie goals? That's how you lose weight.0 -
this ^^I completely disagree about the cheat day.
Sounds like you've got a good exercise plan. Exercise will help you tone and get healthy, but not lose weight per se.
Are you measuring carefully, weighing everything, and hitting appropriate net calorie goals? That's how you lose weight.
can you share you diary, so we can see what's going on?0 -
The more I read the more perplexed I've been. Your eating is fine, if inconsistent. I find it interesting that a military man isn't drinking much booze though, you teetotal or not counting it?
I think you may be doing a lot of intense work outs but avoiding longer cardio. What you do is really good, except it's all the same. Do you have the time to mix in a longer but less intense cardio workout in? A long bike ride, something like that?
Edit: my idea of a long bike ride is 30 miles +0 -
What do you have your weight loss goal set at?
You may need to up your calories a little bit - you're actually doing pretty intense workouts. Are you using a heart rate monitor?
I remember back when I was nearer to my goal I actually had to drop down to .5lbs a week because I was doing aerobics or lifting daily, running a 5k daily, an then hiking/biking on my off days. It simply wasn't enough food when I had MFP set to 2 or even 1 lb a week, so I wasn't seeing any weight loss. Dropping it down actually got things moving again.0 -
The more I read the more perplexed I've been. Your eating is fine, if inconsistent. I find it interesting that a military man isn't drinking much booze though, you teetotal or not counting it?
I think you may be doing a lot of intense work outs but avoiding longer cardio. What you do is really good, except it's all the same. Do you have the time to mix in a longer but less intense cardio workout in? A long bike ride, something like that?
Edit: my idea of a long bike ride is 30 miles +
Great advice, thank you. I actually don't drink very often...last beer was over two months ago.0 -
What do you have your weight loss goal set at?
You may need to up your calories a little bit - you're actually doing pretty intense workouts. Are you using a heart rate monitor?
I remember back when I was nearer to my goal I actually had to drop down to .5lbs a week because I was doing aerobics or lifting daily, running a 5k daily, an then hiking/biking on my off days. It simply wasn't enough food when I had MFP set to 2 or even 1 lb a week, so I wasn't seeing any weight loss. Dropping it down actually got things moving again.
My ultimate weight loss goal is a 30 lb. loss. However, I really don't care about my weight per se. What I do care about is being able to take my shirt off in public and not be embarassed to do so. I have a heart rate monitor but rarely use it. I can definitely start! thanks for the advice...good stuff!0 -
It doesn't really matter too much what exercise you are doing or what you are eating as long as you are using up more calories than you are taking in. As long as you stay in a caloric deficit (typically something like 200-1000 calories less than you need per day) then the weight will go, sometimes it just takes a little more patience.0
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My BMR is right at 2000 calories per day. I typically burn 500-1000 a day so I feel I'm already at a significant deficit.0
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Your program outline is extremely vague. I have no idea what exercises you're doing and what % of 1RM. Have your lifts stalled? What lifts are you even doing? I'm inclined to say your program is *kitten* but I don't even have enough info to say that yet.0
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Your program outline is extremely vague. I have no idea what exercises you're doing and what % of 1RM. Have your lifts stalled? What lifts are you even doing? I'm inclined to say your program is *kitten* but I don't even have enough info to say that yet.
Sorry I was vague. Basically, I'm not new at all to working out and vary the types of exercises quite often (workout to workout). The list I gave was to identify the muscle groups I was working and duration of rest.
To use chest as an example: Monday may be flat barbell press and cable cross overs, but wednesday may be incline press and dumbell pullovers. Doest that make sense? I vary the exercises but ensure I perform two exercises per muscle group in my whole body lift. To answer your question, my lifts haven't stalled. Does this help? I appreciate your input.0 -
np Griff, small ancetode to illustrate why I said longer cardio.
When I first started cycling I used to do a 1 hour intense ride, all the time. I came back exhausted everytime even after 2-3 months of doing the same ride/route. I was also getting exhausted maintaining 18mph over 1 hour (flat ground effort -> speed).
When I started riding longer distances, my speed initially dropped but because I gave myself the ability to improve (riding hard for 30 miles is different for doing it for 18) as I began to up the ante on the new longer rides not only was I burning more by virtue of cycling for longer, I was also going faster then the intense 1 hour rides despite not reaching the same effort level. I really think that's what you need to do if you want to get out of the plateau. goodluck with it. 0 -
great stuff.
I added a 3rd exercise to my lift last night instead of doing only two exercises per muscle group. I will also add more time to my cardio. I will double it since I usually average about 30 mins of cardio a day (running, swimming, biking). Thanks for the advice!
-Griff0 -
If your BMR is about 2k a day as you reckon, your actual deficit is quite a bit harsher than the 500 cals a day, since you haven't accounted for your activity.
As such, I'll be the second to recommend a cheat meal. It has helped me previously, when I was on a more severe deficit.0 -
If your BMR is about 2k a day as you reckon, your actual deficit is quite a bit harsher than the 500 cals a day, since you haven't accounted for your activity.
As such, I'll be the second to recommend a cheat meal. It has helped me previously, when I was on a more severe deficit.
I like food....just sayin!
Cheat meal sounds good, will plan it for this saturday.0 -
Your program outline is extremely vague. I have no idea what exercises you're doing and what % of 1RM. Have your lifts stalled? What lifts are you even doing? I'm inclined to say your program is *kitten* but I don't even have enough info to say that yet.
Sorry I was vague. Basically, I'm not new at all to working out and vary the types of exercises quite often (workout to workout). The list I gave was to identify the muscle groups I was working and duration of rest.
To use chest as an example: Monday may be flat barbell press and cable cross overs, but wednesday may be incline press and dumbell pullovers. Doest that make sense? I vary the exercises but ensure I perform two exercises per muscle group in my whole body lift. To answer your question, my lifts haven't stalled. Does this help? I appreciate your input.
IMO you would probably benefit from three day a week total body work out. ...something where you hit legs/arms/back/shoulders/tris on M W Fri with cardio on off days...
Are you familiar with compound lifts - squats, deadlifts, overhead press, pull-up/chin up, etc? If now, learn them and then incorporate them into your routine...
After like three months of the total bod you could more to an upper/lower split four days a week like Mon - upper/tues - lower / wens off or cardio/ thurs - upper/friday - lower...0 -
also, are you drinking a lot of water? If you are working out that much if could be water retention ..you can hold anywhere from five to eight pounds of water weight...if you drink a crap ton of water - talking pissing A LOT - it will help you flush out the water retention..I did this about three weeks ago and went from 181 to 176 in like one week just from releasing water weight...0
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@ndj
Extremely valid, I'm probably not drinking enough water. Additionally, I am familiar with compound lifts. I can't squat due to a severe groin pull some years back but the others I incorporate already. I'm not a fan of dead lifts (no good reason...just don't like them) and could definitely perform them more often. Thank you for your input it is very much appreciated!
-Griff0 -
Just going to say that OP is super polite and it's refreshing.
I agree with ndj1979. New moves, and water, water, water! Good luck!0 -
Just going to say that OP is super polite and it's refreshing.
I agree with ndj1979. New moves, and water, water, water! Good luck!
Thank you! I won't lie, it wasn't easy, in my opinion if you ask for advice...be prepared to get it from all "sides".0 -
Another vote here for mixing up the workouts. Shock the body a bit.0
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OP - you are very polite.
I must say that the advice that you're quite overweight and haven't been losing, so you should 'cheat' more does not make a lot of sense to me. Perhaps it does in your context.
I would also suggest that you look at your percent of calories for carbs. If you have been that heavy, you may be somewhat insulin resistant. Lowering carbs to 35% may help you burn more and store less fat. That's true even if you're not insulin resistant - it helped me a lot. I highly recommend the book Why We Get Fat as food for though (as it were). If you look at the NIH website on weight less, they essentially back up the findings reported in the book. It's not a diet book. It's a very easy to read book about how and when our body stores and burns fat. It gives you good ideas about how that might apply to your life. It's probably in your library.0 -
Not sure if you've had body composition analysis done and I was shocked at the difference in my weight goal that it made. Also, they told me to stay away from a scale and only use measurements to judge and/or pics. Sounds like you're in that mind frame anyway. There's been great advice here, but have you thought about investing in a personal trainer - even for 3 sessions to get some new ideas from a professional. I just bought a 20 sessions package, which included the body composition training, and I'm SO HAPPY I DID!!0
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OP, how tall are you? If your BMR is 2000, your TDEE is going to be much, much higher given your exercise schedule. You shouldn't be aiming for a deficit from your BMR, but rather your TDEE. There are a lot of TDEE calculators out there, for example this one:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
I put in 230lbs, 41 years old, male, and guessed you were 5'7 which set your BMR close to 2000. Your TDEE at 3-5 hours a week of moderate exercise is 3208, 20% cut from that is roughly 2500 calories to lose weight. Even if you only worked out 1-3 hours a week as "lightly active," 20% cut is 2276.
Sometimes our bodies just adapt to our routine. Do you have a rest day? Do you weigh out your portions or guesstimate?0 -
I would be wary of the "eat more" advice. I tried that and started gaining...
It really is trial and error; you have to try something stick with it for four to six weeks and see how your body reacts...0 -
OP - you are very polite.
I must say that the advice that you're quite overweight and haven't been losing, so you should 'cheat' more does not make a lot of sense to me. Perhaps it does in your context.
I would also suggest that you look at your percent of calories for carbs. If you have been that heavy, you may be somewhat insulin resistant. Lowering carbs to 35% may help you burn more and store less fat. That's true even if you're not insulin resistant - it helped me a lot. I highly recommend the book Why We Get Fat as food for though (as it were). If you look at the NIH website on weight less, they essentially back up the findings reported in the book. It's not a diet book. It's a very easy to read book about how and when our body stores and burns fat. It gives you good ideas about how that might apply to your life. It's probably in your library.
good stuff, thank you. I will check it out. At this time, I'm averaging (or trying to) a 40/30/30, carbs/protien/fat. Thank you for your time and I will look into it.0 -
OP, how tall are you? If your BMR is 2000, your TDEE is going to be much, much higher given your exercise schedule. You shouldn't be aiming for a deficit from your BMR, but rather your TDEE. There are a lot of TDEE calculators out there, for example this one:
http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
I put in 230lbs, 41 years old, male, and guessed you were 5'7 which set your BMR close to 2000. Your TDEE at 3-5 hours a week of moderate exercise is 3208, 20% cut from that is roughly 2500 calories to lose weight. Even if you only worked out 1-3 hours a week as "lightly active," 20% cut is 2276.
Sometimes our bodies just adapt to our routine. Do you have a rest day? Do you weigh out your portions or guesstimate?
I am 6 ft tall (72 in). I will take a hard look at TDEE. Funny thing is I joined fitness pal because I discovered I was taking in too few calories. When I'm at home, Sunday is my rest day after a long run on Saturday (7-10 miles). For the next couple of months I won't be home and haven't taken a day off (due to boredom) in a couple of weeks. I was thinking last night I need to take a rest day and will probably start that this Sunday.
@leannerae40
Yes I have had a body composition (not in the last 5-6 months though). In the military, we are very fortunate to have free access to dieticians and exercise physiologists, and I have taken advantage of this benefit. Your advice is sound and when I get home I will schedule another "bod Pod" test to see where my body is at regarding lean muscle mass vs fat.0 -
A BMR of 2000 seems very high. Do you mean TDEE?The scale hasn't moved since mid Jun (230 lbs.)
My standard week consist of the following:
Every other day I lift, full body, 30 sec rest periods.
3 sets of 8-12 reps.
2 x chest
2 x back
2 x biceps
2 x triceps
5 x legs
1 x ab machine
1 x back extension
I always give a 48 hour rest period between lifts.
I would suggest sticking closer to 3x8 than 3x12, even try going down to 5x5. Once you can do 3x8, up the weight until you can't. Rinse and repeat.0 -
OP - you are very polite.
I must say that the advice that you're quite overweight and haven't been losing, so you should 'cheat' more does not make a lot of sense to me. Perhaps it does in your context.
I would also suggest that you look at your percent of calories for carbs. If you have been that heavy, you may be somewhat insulin resistant. Lowering carbs to 35% may help you burn more and store less fat. That's true even if you're not insulin resistant - it helped me a lot. I highly recommend the book Why We Get Fat as food for though (as it were). If you look at the NIH website on weight less, they essentially back up the findings reported in the book. It's not a diet book. It's a very easy to read book about how and when our body stores and burns fat. It gives you good ideas about how that might apply to your life. It's probably in your library.
This is something I was thinking but written so eloquently, I'll just say strong agree, lol! I couldn't see your diary, so I didn't add this to the conversation.
If it's your waist that's widening, this may be something to consider. I lifted 3 x weekly, have an active job (dog walker) and even after 4 steady months of weighing all my food, portion control, not eating out, and trying to nail down the problem using a fitbit and HR monitor when appropriate, still didn't see a loss.
Turned out that my carbs & ensuing metabolic dysfunction were holding me back. Re-arranged my macros & everything is working as it should, weight is coming off easily and reliably. It worked the same way for my husband.
Just something to consider, when all else fails. I really wish I'd considered this a helluvalot earlier than I did, I might've saved myself from a permanent diagnosis as opposed to a transient one.0
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