Structured plan= too much pressure?

Mapes84 · February 2015

I am a chronic fluctuator, basically gaining and losing the same dumb 20 lb for the last 10 years of my life. I am getting married in October, so I finally decided it's time to get serious about transforming my body. I decided to start following a 12 week training plan I found on body building dot com (Jamie Eason's Livefit). I am currently in week 7, and my frustration level has reached an all-time high. I am definitely gaining muscle, but NOT losing body fat- and I have confirmed this with body fat measurements, tape measure, and before and after pictures. Not one pound, and no, my clothes don't fit better. I have been at the gym 90 minutes a day, 6 days a week, since the New Year. I have been depriving myself of all of the foods I love, and totally overhauled my diet to up my protein intake while watching my calories like a hawk. This plan has me eating in a higher range than I ever have before, but insists this is necessary in order to avoid muscle loss. I have noticed for the past several weeks I have been in a HORRIBLE, nasty mood. I wake up angry and stay angry all day. It's a wonder my fiancée still wants to marry me. I think I finally realized that my foul mood is related to how much effort I have been putting into this crazy plan without seeing the results I had hoped for. I really want to see it through and finish it so there are no questions left in my mind- especially since most people report seeing the most fat loss in the last 4 weeks. I guess this all of this was to ask, has anyone ever found that following a strict plan like this one just created too much pressure? I tend to get really obsessive about diets, and I feel like I am falling into an awful depressive slump when I was just trying to make a positive change in my life

EmeryRuin · February 2015

It sounds like you have 5 weeks left in the program and most people report that they see fat loss in the last 4 weeks. If you were to change up your program and still didn't see any fat/weight loss would you beat yourself up over changing the program? If yes, then stick with it for the next 5 weeks. At least you can say that you tried it and it didn't work for you. With a free mind, you will be able to move on to something else without second guessing your decision to abandon this program. (I know nothing about this program, so I'm assuming it is an okay one).

fanncy0626 · February 2015

I would check out the 8 hour diet. It is a fasting diet where you eat during a 8 hour window. You exercise 8 minutes in the morning to Rev up your metabolism and fat burning mode. I eat between noon and 8pm. Also I suggest adding cardio to your workout. I do cardio in the morning and I have noticed most of my fat is disappearing. The 8 hour diet also says that it turns on what they called the health gene which I think might have some merit. I noticed my skin tightening and cellulite disappearing. Your strength program will build muscle and that is better than fat. I build muscle by bodyweight exercise. I do 100 butt to the floor squats, leg lift, push ups and hold a plank 5 times for 45 second. I do Kenpo X for loosening me up 6 days and zumba Exhilarate and activate alternating days 6 x week. I was like you but now have lost 30+ lbs and am tightening up like crazy.

Good luck!

cheshirecatastrophe · February 2015

Mapes84 wrote: »

This plan has me eating in a higher range than I ever have before, but insists this is necessary in order to avoid muscle loss.

Wait--do you mean the plan had you *increase* your calories? Or just protein?

Weight loss is a function of calories eaten being less than calories burned over the course of the whole day. It's that simple. If your weight is staying the same, you've got the equation balanced. To lose weight, eat less. You can eat yummy foods you love and still lose weight.

When you lose weight, some of it is going to be fat and some of it is going to be muscle. That's just how it works. There are ways to *minimize* what percentage of weight lost is muscle: eat enough protein, lift heavy weights, lose weight slowly (eat only a little below the number of calories you burn in a day). "Enough" protein shouldn't cause such a horrific reaction, though--how much does the plan have you eating? Usually they say 1g of protein for every pound of lean body mass, or 0.8g per pound you weigh. Sometimes I do have to throw in a protein bar or add some protein powder to an omelette to get there, but I've always got room for at least one medium-ish treat per day.

If I were pouring my heart and soul into 90 minutes at the gym 6 days a week along with eating nothing I liked, I'd by a cranky monster, too...I don't know anything about the program you're doing but that seems like a lot. Like, training for a marathon level, a lot.

Mapes84 · February 2015

I think you're right...if I walk away now, I'll just chalk it up as another failure. I am just desperate for it to be over at this point so I can either A) feel satisfied if my results improve, or

move on to the next thing!

EmeryRuin wrote: »

It sounds like you have 5 weeks left in the program and most people report that they see fat loss in the last 4 weeks. If you were to change up your program and still didn't see any fat/weight loss would you beat yourself up over changing the program? If yes, then stick with it for the next 5 weeks. At least you can say that you tried it and it didn't work for you. With a free mind, you will be able to move on to something else without second guessing your decision to abandon this program. (I know nothing about this program, so I'm assuming it is an okay one).

AbsoluteTara79 · February 2015

Height/weight? Food scale? Looks like you go over your calories frequently.

Mapes84 · February 2015

Well, I would say really an increase in protein and overall calories...it has me eating in the 1500-1800 range, and doing moderate cardio 4 x week (which shifts to HIIT in the last 4 weeks). Carb cycling kicks in after another week, which I am not looking foreword to. I have generally stayed under 1500 when dieting in the past. I am eating around 150-175 g of protein, which is a lot for me personally (I don't like chicken or fish, so the struggle is real). I think regardless of what the plan says I "need" to do, I'm just not creating enough of a deficit for fat loss to occur. I'm increasingly of the belief that you can't add muscle and subtract fat simultaneously (or at least without supplementing).

cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »

Mapes84 wrote: »

This plan has me eating in a higher range than I ever have before, but insists this is necessary in order to avoid muscle loss.

Wait--do you mean the plan had you *increase* your calories? Or just protein?

Weight loss is a function of calories eaten being less than calories burned over the course of the whole day. It's that simple. If your weight is staying the same, you've got the equation balanced. To lose weight, eat less. You can eat yummy foods you love and still lose weight.

When you lose weight, some of it is going to be fat and some of it is going to be muscle. That's just how it works. There are ways to *minimize* what percentage of weight lost is muscle: eat enough protein, lift heavy weights, lose weight slowly (eat only a little below the number of calories you burn in a day). "Enough" protein shouldn't cause such a horrific reaction, though--how much does the plan have you eating? Usually they say 1g of protein for every pound of lean body mass, or 0.8g per pound you weigh. Sometimes I do have to throw in a protein bar or add some protein powder to an omelette to get there, but I've always got room for at least one medium-ish treat per day.

If I were pouring my heart and soul into 90 minutes at the gym 6 days a week along with eating nothing I liked, I'd by a cranky monster, too...I don't know anything about the program you're doing but that seems like a lot. Like, training for a marathon level, a lot.

d_bawss · February 2015

I'm not familiar with the plan you're using but here are my thoughts. It seems like the program is having you to increase your calories (protein) in order to gain the maximum amount of muscle that is possible (although I'm not sure why you're bf% hasn't decreased any by this point). The shift to HIIT during the final four weeks along with the reduction in carbs SHOULD give you the results that you're aiming for. I know the frustration and pressure that you're feeling and I wish you the best of luck!

cheshirecatastrophe · February 2015

d_bawss wrote: »

The shift to HIIT during the final four weeks along with the reduction in carbs SHOULD give you the results that you're aiming for.

Why? HIIT/intervals and steady-state cardio are a wash as far as calorie burning is concerned (that is, they give you the same results weight-wise in the end. HIIT burns more in a shorter amount of time, but you can't sustain it for longer periods the way you can steady-state cardio. The "afterburn" effect of HIIT is drastically overstated and your body generally compensates by reducing little movements b/c it's tired). Low-carb will shed a couple pounds of water weight, but not fat.

Mapes84 wrote: »

Well, I would say really an increase in protein and overall calories...it has me eating in the 1500-1800 range, and doing moderate cardio 4 x week (which shifts to HIIT in the last 4 weeks). Carb cycling kicks in after another week, which I am not looking foreword to. I have generally stayed under 1500 when dieting in the past. I am eating around 150-175 g of protein, which is a lot for me personally (I don't like chicken or fish, so the struggle is real).

That is an INSANE amount of protein. (Unless, I suppose, you are secretly eight feet tall and so the lovely figure in your profile pic is proportionately much larger than I'm assuming.) Extra protein does not do us any extra good. 0.8g per pound is a good benchmark. No wonder you hate what you're eating!

I think regardless of what the plan says I "need" to do, I'm just not creating enough of a deficit for fat loss to occur. I'm increasingly of the belief that you can't add muscle and subtract fat simultaneously (or at least without supplementing).

That's what the data (your weight) says, at least. If you are very new to lifting heavy weights--and I mean a program like Stronglifts 5x5 with barbell squats and deadlifts--it's possible you might see a few "newbie gains," although in the best of circumstances it is difficult for women to gain more than 1 lb of muscle per month. So yeah. Not so much with muscle gain. You can protect somewhat against muscle *loss*, though (hence the protein and lifting heavy...but not THAT much protein, again, YOW!).

It also sounds like you could benefit mentally from a few rest days from the gym.

Structured plan= too much pressure?

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