I'm starting to plateau. I need to shed more body fat.
rsaper87
Posts: 5 Member
I've been hitting the gym 5 days a week for the past 9 months. I was just over 200 lbs when I started and now am at 153. My body type is endomorph. I made good progress in the first 6 months, but the past 3 months have been unproductive in terms of losing abdominal fat. I eat very healthy but I still can't break 150. I assume I need to add more cardio, but generally I do an equal amount of cardio and resistance. It seems like my upper body and legs are getting good definition, I'm much stronger, but my abdominal fat is still too much. My core is tough to work out. I thought that easing off the resistance and doing more cardio was the trick, but then I started to lose muscle mass. So I have to pick one or the other, or find an alternative. I'd like to hear some advice from someone with a similar experience.
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You don't say anything about eating in a calorie deficit, which is what you need to do to lose weight0
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I have resistance workout 3 days a week, and cardio 3 days a week with yoga on the 7th day. My workouts are about 45 -h long. My usually bicep curls are with 30 lbs weights, shoulder fly and row workouts with 15 lbs weights, and on my leg workout days I do lunges holding 20 lbs weights, (one in each hand, so 40 lbs total) I used to do more reps of less weight, but now I generally do less reps of heavier weights. I do core workouts 3 days a week as well right after my resistance training. When I first started 9 months ago, I weighed 201 lbs, and started the p90x workout, and I lost 50 lbs in 4 1/2 months, and that's when I began to pIateau. I don't consume enough calories so I think my body is holding onto the weight, however I burn an average of 550-570 calories a day, and routinely run 10K and half marathons throughout the year. My daily intake is about 800 calories. Not nearly enough I'd say for a healthy metabolism. But I do understand that to lose weight I need to burn more than my intake. That seems very difficult, assuming someone my height (5'10") is supposed to be intaking 1600-2400 calories a day.0
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...ah, you should eat much more than 800 a day. I'm not sure how you function on that.0
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At 5'10 you want to weigh 137 pounds?? That seems really really low. Maybe consider eating at maintenance and start lifting more to add muscle and lose fat.0
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Why are you eating 800 calories a day? With that low of an intake, your metabolic rate is really going to slow down. And you burn FAT at rest, so when your metabolic rate drops, so does the rate of fat burning. Don't try to outsmart your body. You should be eating a minimum of 1800 to 2200 calories.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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blankiefinder wrote: »At 5'10 you want to weigh 137 pounds?? That seems really really low. Maybe consider eating at maintenance and start lifting more to add muscle and lose fat.
I agree. For a man that seems extremely low. And 800 calories a day can't sustain you forever, especially while you are so active.
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Why are you eating 800 calories a day? With that low of an intake, your metabolic rate is really going to slow down. And you burn FAT at rest, so when your metabolic rate drops, so does the rate of fat burning. Don't try to outsmart your body. You should be eating a minimum of 1800 to 2200 calories.
So very true, especially the bolded part. Do not try, as you will fail!
I don't understand why your goal weight is so low?? I'm a woman, 5"8, 140lbs and eat twice as many calories as you, and the only exercise i do is walking..
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My advice would be to change your training routine. Chances are your body has become used to what your doing and can cope with it. First, choose your goal: Lose body fat or Gain muscle? Very hard to do both at the same time. Second, use a routine to get you to your goal. For me, if I want to lose body fat, I usually do the 30 Shred, alongside some running and Circuit training with weights on alternate days. Alongside this I eat very clean, Salads, Fruit, Vegetables and I Juice alot too. If I want to increase muscle mass, Its shed loads of protein (both powder and animal protein) load up on creatine, and train heavy and cut down the cardio. The 5x5 routine is good for this. Once again, I would only sustain these routines for 8-12 weeks maximum, then change again. This is what works for me. I'm not perfect, but i'm better than I was 2 years ago
Hope this helps 0 -
I've been hitting the gym 5 days a week for the past 9 months. I was just over 200 lbs when I started and now am at 153. My body type is endomorph. I made good progress in the first 6 months, but the past 3 months have been unproductive in terms of losing abdominal fat. I eat very healthy but I still can't break 150. I assume I need to add more cardio, but generally I do an equal amount of cardio and resistance. It seems like my upper body and legs are getting good definition, I'm much stronger, but my abdominal fat is still too much. My core is tough to work out. I thought that easing off the resistance and doing more cardio was the trick, but then I started to lose muscle mass. So I have to pick one or the other, or find an alternative. I'd like to hear some advice from someone with a similar experience.
i have similar stats over same time frame.
personal trainer recommended calisthenics( planks,medicine ball crunches/ sit ups and leg raises) to work core and reduce belly.
along with increased weight/ lower reps for strength training and full body cardio of rowing,elliptical and swimming are all working to shape me up.
down from a 46" waist to 30" from following above advice.
maybe get objective advice from someone at your gym over specific goals.
good luck and congrats on your loss so far.
ps i eat more than 800 cals in protein daily alone,would be virtually impossible to achieve your goals on your low intake imo.
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I have resistance workout 3 days a week, and cardio 3 days a week with yoga on the 7th day. My workouts are about 45 -h long. My usually bicep curls are with 30 lbs weights, shoulder fly and row workouts with 15 lbs weights, and on my leg workout days I do lunges holding 20 lbs weights, (one in each hand, so 40 lbs total) I used to do more reps of less weight, but now I generally do less reps of heavier weights. I do core workouts 3 days a week as well right after my resistance training. When I first started 9 months ago, I weighed 201 lbs, and started the p90x workout, and I lost 50 lbs in 4 1/2 months, and that's when I began to pIateau. I don't consume enough calories so I think my body is holding onto the weight, however I burn an average of 550-570 calories a day, and routinely run 10K and half marathons throughout the year. My daily intake is about 800 calories. Not nearly enough I'd say for a healthy metabolism. But I do understand that to lose weight I need to burn more than my intake. That seems very difficult, assuming someone my height (5'10") is supposed to be intaking 1600-2400 calories a day.
OMG - what are you doing to your body?
EAT
Build muscle with progressive weight training whilst eating a decent amount of calories - like 1800 or more
Hit protein and fat macro minimums (0.8 -1g protein per lb of LBM / 0.35g fat per lb of bodyweight)
Compound lift programmes can target more of your body - progression of weights (eg how long have you been lunging with 40lb weights, move up)
and build in a rest day(s)
I'm a 5'8, 160lb female and I am still trying to find maintenance because I'm still losing at 2100 calories with 3 workouts a week
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I did see a personal trainer for a while, and he said that my workout routine was sufficient, but stressed that I needed to double my caloric intake. "Eat more and more" he said. It's not that I don't want to, but I simply am not hungry enough to do so, nor do I have the time. I work from 9-6 (the next few months it will be 9-8). So my times to eat are in the morning, where I have a breakfast high in protein (chicken or turkey bacon with eggs) and then I go to the gym on my lunch break at work. I get a 90 minute lunch each day so I usually get a good workout in, and when I get back to my office I will get half a sandwich with no cheese (I've cut out cheese completely from my diet) and some fruit. And when I get home I'll have grilled chicken and vegetables. And if I'm still hungry I may have a fat free Greek yogurt. And that's it. Never anything more. My carb intake is low, protein high (though not high enough). I also take workout supplements prior to workout, and after. Also on long endurance runs I'll use running gels to get those carbs into my blood stream and muscles faster. How are all of you able to eat so much? I feel like my stomach would burst.
And I should also say that my goal is not to have a specific weight, I know muscle weighs more than fat, and I can see from my progress photos I slowly lose fat over my abdomen but still weigh the same (hence I think I do lift a fair amount of weight) so I'm almost positive my problem is my diet. So ultimately, I just want to loose the remaining abdominal fat. I'm starting to see some of my upper ab muscles but the lower ones are covered. I don't necessarily need to have a 6 pack, I don't care, it's just more about losing the bit of belly fat.0 -
You definitely know the answer to your own question. You have to eat more- how about adding calorie-dense foods like peanut butter, nuts, higher fat dairy (full fat greek yogurt would be a great place to start). Your body can't build any muscle when you are in such a severe caloric deficit which really negates all the work you are trying to do when you work out. Honestly on such low calories, it's a miracle you have any energy to do anything ever.0
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Depending on portion sizes the food you list looks like way more than 800 calories (not that I'm saying that is a bad thing). Do you weigh/measure everything or just eyeball it? Just saying that I wouldn't just double what you're eating assuming that would get you to 1,600 calories a day.0
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Why would any man want to be 130 some pounds at 5"10? You said you're at 153? That even seems low. I'd go for eating more and lifting weights. You should be at 170-190.0
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Time is not an excuse. I work full time and am a student full time with a 2 hour drive between home and work. I still make time to plan and prepare meals because it's important enough. 9-6? I would kill for that schedule.0
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galgenstrick wrote: »Time is not an excuse. I work full time and am a student full time with a 2 hour drive between home and work. I still make time to plan and prepare meals because it's important enough. 9-6? I would kill for that schedule.
Seriously. I work 7:30-5:30, oftentimes without a lunch hour (away from my desk). I also have an elementary-aged son and a disabled husband. I still manage to eat more than 800 calories/day! Lack of time is not an excuse. It just means you have to plan better.
Also, why have you cut fat from your diet, as it appears from the menu sample you gave earlier?0 -
I'm not a nutritionist, or trainer, or anything like that. But it sounds like you're looking to get abs? That will require a combo of increasing muscle mass and losing body fat (and unless you're a body builder with very low fat % already, spot training isn't going to help you). It's hard to do both at the same time once you've already leaned out. Do you have an idea of your current body fat %?
It looks like you've already lost a lot of fat, but not necessarily gained muscle. So you'll need to decide which is more important - continuing to lose body fat, or gaining muscle. To lose body fat, you work off the deficit (although yours sounds too low, so your body may just be holding on to everything). To gain muscle, you typically no longer follow a deficit. Again, for folks who are very overweight, you can sometimes do both, but once you get closer to goal, you may want to focus on either cutting or bulking.
I guess my point is, you may just want to switch things up and see what happens. You should net way more, focusing on proteins, and I'd recommend lifting heavier (although please do so safely).0 -
OP, good job on your progress, but you need to seriously reassess what you’re doing: this isn’t healthy, sustainable, or a good idea in general!
You should be happy because you’re at a good place now to start a serious strength training routine that will reshape your body, keep you strong, and help maintain your muscle mass. As it stands, you’re close to “skinny fat” territory. Check out this photo of a two dudes at 10% body fat. The one on the left weighs 15 lbs more, but look at his muscle - I don’t think you want to look like the guy on the right, do you?
So basically, listen to what everyone else is saying: eat more, strength train, and you’ll get stronger and more fit!0 -
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I did see a personal trainer for a while, and he said that my workout routine was sufficient, but stressed that I needed to double my caloric intake. "Eat more and more" he said. It's not that I don't want to, but I simply am not hungry enough to do so, nor do I have the time. I work from 9-6 (the next few months it will be 9-8). So my times to eat are in the morning, where I have a breakfast high in protein (chicken or turkey bacon with eggs) and then I go to the gym on my lunch break at work. I get a 90 minute lunch each day so I usually get a good workout in, and when I get back to my office I will get half a sandwich with no cheese (I've cut out cheese completely from my diet) and some fruit. And when I get home I'll have grilled chicken and vegetables. And if I'm still hungry I may have a fat free Greek yogurt. And that's it. Never anything more. My carb intake is low, protein high (though not high enough). I also take workout supplements prior to workout, and after. Also on long endurance runs I'll use running gels to get those carbs into my blood stream and muscles faster. How are all of you able to eat so much? I feel like my stomach would burst.
And I should also say that my goal is not to have a specific weight, I know muscle weighs more than fat, and I can see from my progress photos I slowly lose fat over my abdomen but still weigh the same (hence I think I do lift a fair amount of weight) so I'm almost positive my problem is my diet. So ultimately, I just want to loose the remaining abdominal fat. I'm starting to see some of my upper ab muscles but the lower ones are covered. I don't necessarily need to have a 6 pack, I don't care, it's just more about losing the bit of belly fat.
"Not really hungry though" and "I have time to eat three meals a day but not, like, enough calories in those meals" are not valid reasons to starve yourself. You do realize that you're likely to seriously, potentially permanently, harm your body, yeah? You do have the time, and it doesn't matter whether you're hungry or not, just like it doesn't matter whether you feel like paying your electric bill or not. There are just some things you do in life, like not starve yourself.
Did you know that when you eat that little, that alone is often an appetite suppressant? Eat more. Eat more calorie dense foods instead of physically more food, if you just honestly cannot eat more than a half a sandwich for some reason.
Are you getting enough fat for things like proper hormone regulation? Enough protein to help your body not, say, cannibalize muscles so much (remembering that your heart is a muscle)? Did you know that if you'd eaten at a proper deficit, and lifted properly, you might look much better by now, because your body might have kept more muscle mass?
Your actual problem is most definitely your diet. Your "weight loss problem" is your impatience. Eat enough. Get proper nutrition. Develop some patience -- the last few pounds take forever. Stop obsessing -- you may have some very specific body goals, but you most certainly are not walking around with enough abdominal fat that anyone but you is going to notice, judging from your picture. Fine tuning your look at this point could take months or years, and will probably benefit from a heavy lifting program (and FOOD).
Also, this:I have resistance workout 3 days a week, and cardio 3 days a week with yoga on the 7th day. My workouts are about 45 -h long. My usually bicep curls are with 30 lbs weights, shoulder fly and row workouts with 15 lbs weights, and on my leg workout days I do lunges holding 20 lbs weights, (one in each hand, so 40 lbs total) I used to do more reps of less weight, but now I generally do less reps of heavier weights. I do core workouts 3 days a week as well right after my resistance training. When I first started 9 months ago, I weighed 201 lbs, and started the p90x workout, and I lost 50 lbs in 4 1/2 months, and that's when I began to pIateau. I don't consume enough calories so I think my body is holding onto the weight, however I burn an average of 550-570 calories a day, and routinely run 10K and half marathons throughout the year. My daily intake is about 800 calories. Not nearly enough I'd say for a healthy metabolism. But I do understand that to lose weight I need to burn more than my intake. That seems very difficult, assuming someone my height (5'10") is supposed to be intaking 1600-2400 calories a day.
Suggests to me that you either don't understand the math behind weight loss, or you still somehow believe that at your size, a 1000 calorie or more deficit is appropriate for you. If I throw your numbers into a calculator, and assume you're sedentary, I get about 2000 cals a day to maintain your weight. So eating 1500 to 1750 a day, and THEN eating back ALL the calories you burn from exercise, would net you a *healthy deficit*. Why you think that losing weight with a maintenance level of 2000 calories sedentary is "very difficult" is beyond me -- my maintenance at sedentary is like 1800 and I'm losing just fine, without starving myself.
Are you under the impression that "burn more than my intake" means you have to exercise to burn more calories than you eat, for some reason? Because that's how you're acting. Your body burns 2000 a day just from existing and allowing you to do minimal daily tasks, such as shower, and sleep. You're feeding it less than half that, and then going out and burning more on top of that. There's nothing okay about this.
*Harsh because I care, and because I see you not listening -- to the calculators, to your trainer, to us ("I feel like my stomach would burst", "am not hungry enough to do so, nor do I have the time"). And btw, if you read the responses in this thread and still feel very reluctant to eat more, you should probably tell someone in your life that you need help and get a consult with a therapist.0 -
I am in same boat but attended a presentation on beans - which I have avoided. since adding beans to my diet (1/2 cup of navy beans on ww toast, or 1/2 baked potato) I have lost .8 pounds in a week. So am trying to up my fibre and protein a bit, and exercise more. I think this will really help! Good luck, you have done extremely well!0
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Here's a start OP: swap fat free greek yoghurt to normal and add cheese back in? And drink some fruit juice? If you wanna get crazy rub some bacon on it
..then eat that bacon! I'm not sure why this is so hard? 0 -
I have resistance workout 3 days a week, and cardio 3 days a week with yoga on the 7th day. My workouts are about 45 -h long. My usually bicep curls are with 30 lbs weights, shoulder fly and row workouts with 15 lbs weights, and on my leg workout days I do lunges holding 20 lbs weights, (one in each hand, so 40 lbs total) I used to do more reps of less weight, but now I generally do less reps of heavier weights. I do core workouts 3 days a week as well right after my resistance training. When I first started 9 months ago, I weighed 201 lbs, and started the p90x workout, and I lost 50 lbs in 4 1/2 months, and that's when I began to pIateau. I don't consume enough calories so I think my body is holding onto the weight, however I burn an average of 550-570 calories a day, and routinely run 10K and half marathons throughout the year. My daily intake is about 800 calories. Not nearly enough I'd say for a healthy metabolism. But I do understand that to lose weight I need to burn more than my intake. That seems very difficult, assuming someone my height (5'10") is supposed to be intaking 1600-2400 calories a day.
You are getting your numbers confused....your intake should be moderate deficit from your TOTAL burn for the day. Your TDEE. This would include your BMR (which is the calories your body uses just to exist), plus your exercise calories.
Here's a link to a lot of very useful information. Continuing what you are doing now is actually setting you back significantly....If you're looking to build muscle, lose body fat and lean out, then the number on the scale won't matter. And to do that, you need to eat.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1
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Why are you eating 800 calories a day? With that low of an intake, your metabolic rate is really going to slow down. And you burn FAT at rest, so when your metabolic rate drops, so does the rate of fat burning. Don't try to outsmart your body. You should be eating a minimum of 1800 to 2200 calories.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Wait, I thought starvation mode was just a myth?0 -
Why are you eating 800 calories a day? With that low of an intake, your metabolic rate is really going to slow down. And you burn FAT at rest, so when your metabolic rate drops, so does the rate of fat burning. Don't try to outsmart your body. You should be eating a minimum of 1800 to 2200 calories.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
Wait, I thought starvation mode was just a myth?
You can slow down your metabolism -- it is not enough to prevent weight loss. If you starve yourself, you will lose weight. But it can be enough to mean that when you try to stop, your BMR is not where it would have been otherwise. Your body tries to operate more efficiently -- it's starving, so it stops doing certain things (maybe building healthy fingernails, for example) to conserve energy. So, as a baseline, you burn less.
"Starvation mode" is the myth. Adaptive thermogenesis is real: http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
Namely:
"The true part is that being in a deficit DOES in fact cause your metabolic rate to slow down over time. This is known as adaptive thermogenesis, and it happens as a result of any prolonged deficit. The more excessive (in terms of size and duration) the deficit is, the more significant this drop will be.
The false part however is the idea that this “metabolic slowdown” is significant enough to actually STOP weight loss. It’s not. And it sure as hell isn’t significant enough to cause weight gain.
It’s mostly just enough to slow down progress a little over time."0 -
Your body's probably mad at you for trying to kill it. It's doing all this work for you and you're not fueling it.
It sounds like you're a smart cookie and your method has gotten you this far but don't be afraid that if you eat, you'll lose your gains (towards weight loss). It also sounds like you've convinced yourself that eating this little is going to work.
Everyone here gave you some good advice - Eat more. Even if you aren't hungry. Some more tips around what you're already doing.- If you aren't hungry, start sipping your foods (shakes) and eat more nutrient/calorie dense food. For starters, add an avo to your breakfast and move from low fat to full fat greek yogurt. That should add an extra 300-500 cals to your diet doing/eating things you already do.
- When you get back to your office, have a post-workout shake. Then eat your half sandwich/fruit
- Create a meal plan at the beginning of the day so you know what time you're eating
- Get more fat in your body
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DeguelloTex wrote: »
IKR?0 -
That's not really resistance training, if you ask me. I'm an out-of-shape 41-year-old woman, and I lift heavier weights than that. OP, your trainers SUCK. I would skip the trainer and follow a weight lifting program/book like several that are mentioned here. You're starving yourself AND wasting time in the gym on old lady exercises. Lift heavy and eat to fuel your workouts. You'll drop the fat in no time and look better in the end.0
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