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Help!!!

Saxtactical
Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
edited February 18 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all! I'm having trouble with my nutrition goals and really need some help. I have not been able to lose weight for a couple weeks now and am, in fact, gaining a little. I have not started measuring my body fat or anything, but am going to tomorrow.

I am eating 2300 calories a day, workout 4-5 times a week heavily, am eating 40/40/20 (carbs, protein, fat) and am a salesman as a full time job 50 hours a week. I just changed to this diet plan this week and added creatine, flax seed oil, green coffee bean extract, and BCAA's to my diet as well as 120oz of water a day. I'm on week 14 of my diet/workout plan and have no intention of stopping

On a side note, all my clothes fit loosely, I'm energized, my wife noticed that my "love handles" are nearly gone, and I am getting noticeable gains in my physique. I'm not getting cuts yet, but I do have noticeable "gains" and most of my body is "lifting" especially my pecs. My friends notice a change in me, but I've hot a plateau and want to get through it. Tips?

Replies

  • Grinder777
    Grinder777 Posts: 21 Member
    None ;)
    I only loose weigth on my resting days,keep up!

    Worst thing u are doing is conversing bodyfat into muscle ;)
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    Really? I didn't know if I was doing anything wrong. Is it normal to just plateau for a few weeks? I tend to weigh less after I drink a couple beers on a "free day" and use those as empty calories instead of my typical diet. I tend to not workout those days either.
  • Rayman79
    Rayman79 Posts: 2,009 Member
    I don't know what the heck Grinders post was about, probably safe to dismiss that one.

    It sounds like you have been making great progress and have your diet in check. It is very normal to hit plateaus in fat loss, particularly as you start to get leaner. How you deal with it depends on how much of a deficit you are in, how agressive you want to be, and how long you have been stuck.

    You might simply find that your new intake is too high for you at your new rate (your TDEE will drop as you lose weight).

    I would not make any adjustments until you have been at a sticking point for 2-3 weeks though. After that point (assuming your deficit isn't too large) I'd add 100 cals to your deficit through eating a little less or exercising a little more. Make adjustments in fairly small increments to give yourself more wiggle room for next time you stall.
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    Okay, sweet. When I lost the bulk of my weight I was eating a lot less, but something got in my head that I was not eating enough. I changed to a higher caloric intake the same time my plateau started, so I'm not sure if that is the mistake I made.
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    Also, my net calories per day end up at around 1200-1400 tops. I usually work pretty hard with a lot of HITT and heavy strength training. My diary is set to public and I'm open to criticism.
  • catcalledjinx
    catcalledjinx Posts: 85
    Seems like you just answered your own question!
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    I guess I will try cutting back to 2000 calories and see if it swings again.
  • catcalledjinx
    catcalledjinx Posts: 85
    You are eating way too much salt though........a balanced diet is best for all-round health. How about trying less time at the gym and more time cooking from scratch; nice, healthy, unprocessed food?
  • Grinder777
    Grinder777 Posts: 21 Member
    I don't know what the heck Grinders post was about, probably safe to dismiss that one.

    It sounds like you have been making great progress and have your diet in check. It is very normal to hit plateaus in fat loss, particularly as you start to get leaner. How you deal with it depends on how much of a deficit you are in, how agressive you want to be, and how long you have been stuck.

    You might simply find that your new intake is too high for you at your new rate (your TDEE will drop as you lose weight).

    I would not make any adjustments until you have been at a sticking point for 2-3 weeks though. After that point (assuming your deficit isn't too large) I'd add 100 cals to your deficit through eating a little less or exercising a little more. Make adjustments in fairly small increments to give yourself more wiggle room for next time you stall.

    Too many words, ur advertising the same...

    He has lost weigth sticking to his diet, he works out 4-5 days a week, he will gain muscle. Gaining muscle means raising his TDEE, so whats wrong with it?

    As I said worst thing he could do is conversing fat to muscle!
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    I cook at home fairly often, I could manage less sodium for sure. My wife and I share a car, so many times the only thing we can do is eat out. I hate every bit of that, but it seems to be the best option for us sometimes. I've cut back from eating out a lot to eating only once per day. I'm gonna try to cut the sodium down today and onwards. I'm sure the sodium is part of myproblem.
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    Looking back, I am realizing I was eating a lot of fat until this week.
  • Grinder777
    Grinder777 Posts: 21 Member
    I cook at home fairly often, I could manage less sodium for sure. My wife and I share a car, so many times the only thing we can do is eat out. I hate every bit of that, but it seems to be the best option for us sometimes. I've cut back from eating out a lot to eating only once per day. I'm gonna try to cut the sodium down today and onwards. I'm sure the sodium is part of myproblem.

    Water?

    If u eat to much sodium u will retain water. In a 5 day 5 lbs diet this would be a problem. But if ur goal is loosing bodyfat it doesnt matter
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    Since nobody has mentioned this yet, I noticed you added Creatine in your post OP, did you just starting taking it? People who take Creatine, typically aren't trying to lose weight and CAN add water weight.
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    Yes, I just started taking it on Monday. I hit a strength plateau in some of my muscles (stupid biceps especially) and knew doing a month cycle of creatine would help get me that boost. Strength is my primary goal with a lean body.
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    Yes, I just started taking it on Monday. I hit a strength plateau in some of my muscles (stupid biceps especially) and knew doing a month cycle of creatine would help get me that boost. Strength is my primary goal with a lean body.

    That might be a tough one to tackle, eventually strength gains on maintenance or a deficit will be very hard to obtain after the "newbie" stages. If Strength is your primary goal, you need to eat!! 2300 cals a day, with heavy lifting, probably won't get you there, I eat around 3200-3500, anything under, my lifts suffer.

    I would probably choose one or the other to be honest, either bulk and add strength and size, and probably a little fat. Or, get lean and cut, and sacrifice strength gains. You might drive yourself crazy trying to do both at the same time. Been there, done that hahaha
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    Well, I'm sitting around 22-27% body fat, so I guess I should just focus on fat loss. I don't care what the scale says to an extent. All that really matters is that my clothes fit better or fall off me as they are doing now. I'd like to get down to a lean body, so I think I may cut cals down until I hit another 10-15 lbs of weight loss then start bulking. Does that make sense? The creatine, for me, is just help to get my mind focused and give a little push in my weight lifting. I was planning on going one month on and one month off until I hit my weight goal.
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    Well, I'm sitting around 22-27% body fat, so I guess I should just focus on fat loss. I don't care what the scale says to an extent. All that really matters is that my clothes fit better or fall off me as they are doing now. I'd like to get down to a lean body, so I think I may cut cals down until I hit another 10-15 lbs of weight loss then start bulking. Does that make sense? The creatine, for me, is just help to get my mind focused and give a little push in my weight lifting. I was planning on going one month on and one month off until I hit my weight goal.

    You have the right approach! Keep it up. Nothing wrong with creatine, just keep in mind, it can add a little weight. But it is good for fat loss, maybe not so much weight loss. I understand some people enjoy it as a pre-workout as well.
  • Saxtactical
    Saxtactical Posts: 10 Member
    That's exactly what I'm using it for. I take it 30 minutes prior to working out and I feel like I wanna rip something apart by time it kicks in. It gives me a fantastic boost and got me to new workout maxes (I don't do 1RM, if I can't do a full set of the weight, I can't lift it well enough to count it) in all of my free weights. The scale put me at 209 today and I dinged 201 Sunday, so creatine puts some serious water weight on me, but fat loss is my main concern and a lean, strong core and body.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Hello all! I'm having trouble with my nutrition goals and really need some help. I have not been able to lose weight for a couple weeks now and am, in fact, gaining a little. I have not started measuring my body fat or anything, but am going to tomorrow.

    I am eating 2300 calories a day, workout 4-5 times a week heavily, am eating 40/40/20 (carbs, protein, fat) and am a salesman as a full time job 50 hours a week. I just changed to this diet plan this week and added creatine, flax seed oil, green coffee bean extract, and BCAA's to my diet as well as 120oz of water a day. I'm on week 14 of my diet/workout plan and have no intention of stopping

    On a side note, all my clothes fit loosely, I'm energized, my wife noticed that my "love handles" are nearly gone, and I am getting noticeable gains in my physique. I'm not getting cuts yet, but I do have noticeable "gains" and most of my body is "lifting" especially my pecs. My friends notice a change in me, but I've hot a plateau and want to get through it. Tips?

    No such thing as a plateau. If you arent losing weight, you arent eating at a calorie deficit.
This discussion has been closed.

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