I went from morbidly obese to 6 pack abs! Ask me Anything
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Vismal-I actually remember when you first joined MFP in 2011 ( I was under a different user name, but stepped away from MFP for a while and forgot my user name/password)...I was using it then to lose baby weight from my second child. You have done excellent work, regained your life and added a new one! Congratulations on your marriage and new baby.
On a more serious note, life has thrown me a curve ball over the last two years and I have managed to sustain two rather difficult injuries. I pulled a tendon in my wrist doing overhead press for 5X5 lifts (it was my first attempt at 95#) and required 4 months of OT with no lifting. And then while running to try to make up for my non-lifting (and to help cope with my life), I developed Achilles tendonitis. I am currently wearing a brace. I have permission to lift again from my doctor. Any ideas for adapting lifts to avoid injury? I think I might be able to pull off squats with weights under my heels, but dead lift? Meanwhile, I am trying to drop the 30 extra pounds I have gained over the last year...
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MandertheDB wrote: »I read through quite a bit of this, but not quite all 70 pages. One thing I didn't see, and please forgive me if it has been answered, or if the answer is elsewhere, I'm new and I'm trying!
Using the great info you've given us here, and trying to create the calorie deficit to lose fat and utilizing MFP, when it gives me my number of calories to reach, is that with a deficit? Or do I need to see a negative number on there to truly create the deficit?
(this question is truly open to anyone with knowledge of MFP, since the guy has been kind enough to answer 70 pages of questions!)
Also, is there a method to knowing exactly how much of a deficit you should have? I know you said giving it three weeks to see if there's loss, but is 500 the place to start? Or is there some formula or something like that to give a more accurate starting point and then adjust from there?
You should hit the number MFP gives you, as the deficit is built in to that number.
Also, the number MFP gives you does not include exercise. It includes your general activity level, but if you exercise, you then log it separately and eat back those calories (maybe not all of them as machines etc. can overestimate calorie burns).
The math for weight loss is pretty simple. Have a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb per week. So that is a 500 per day deficit.
To get an idea of what you should lose at, let us know your stats.
Sex
Height
Weight
general activity level
goal weight
I'm still losing and am 265 with a long term goal ~190, so I can lose 2 lbs per week and have a deficit of 1,000 cals per day. But as I get closer to my goal, my rate of loss will slow down. So if you have less to lose, then 1 lb per week, 500 cals per day, is a good starting point.0 -
You look great! Congrats!0
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This entire thread is full of general advice on both of those topics. I'm happy to answer more specific questions if you have any but for just basic advice, give the thread a read.Hey amazing transformation very inspiring! I'm currently at 298 started 326 and have been lifting about 3/4 months now. Any advice you could offer me regards lifting or nutrition since you have been on a similar journey.
This is EXCELLENT! Congrats on your progress so far! I cringe every time I hear a doctor tell a patient that you cannot "cure" type 2 diabetes. While its technically true, it's a very misleading thing to say. As your example illustrates you can completely negate its effects through proper diet. While the docs might call you a "diet controlled type 2 diabetic" you are for all intents and purposes "cured" for as long as your diet remains in check. I'm very proud of you and it's posts like these that cause me to still update this thread several years after starting it!About 8 months ago, I stumbled on this thread by accident while following a link from Google. At the time, I was a month short of my 58th birthday and had been adding 20 pounds every decade since college. My weight would fluctuate depending on what diet I was on (Atkins, The Zone, etc.) and how much I was eating (usually however much whatever I wanted, in whatever amounts I wanted). In June 2016 I found myself at 234 pounds, and on my 5'6" frame, it wasn't pretty.
So in early of June 2016, I discovered Vismal's success story thread. I read a few pages, then a few more, and light bulbs started going off in my head. I started tracking EVERYTHING I ate. Seriously, if I popped a couple of M&Ms in my mouth, I logged them. One cracker? Enter it on MFP! I also finally started using my gym membership, doing the Ice Cream Fitness workout Vismal recommended. At first I felt like an outsider in the gym, like the fat guy who would come in a few times then disappear for months.
Anyway, to make a long story (kind of) short, yesterday I hit a milestone: 50 pounds lost in 8 months.
I'm now a gym regular and smile when I see people who are where I was back then, just starting out and trying to get a foothold. My goal weight has changed from 175 -- which at the time hopelessly optimistic because I hadn't weighed that little in 30 years -- to 160 pounds, my college weight. Seven months ago, 160 pounds would have been a preposterous goal; now it's just a matter of time and continued effort.
Moral of the story: ANYONE can do this. Seriously, if a lazy 59-year-old lifelong food addict can learn to get his stuff together, diet-and-exercise-wise, then you can, too. Just keep at it. Don't give up!
Side note: A month after I began this journey, I was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. I'd been borderline for a few years and somehow never thought I was in danger. I had an A1C test, which measures your average glucose level over a three-month span, and it came back as 6.7, slightly above the minimum for a diagnosis. My doctor was ready to put me on diabetes meds and statins (for high cholesterol). After four months on the Vismal Program™
, my next A1C came back at 5.4, well within normal and under even the borderline level. My overall cholesterol also dropped significantly, from 212 to 142.
So let me say THANK YOU, VISMAL! As a result of your inspiration, motivation, and willingness to share your knowledge and experience, I now look and feel better than I have in years, and am likely to remain on this planet a few years longer than I would have otherwise. I can't thank you enough, my friend.MandertheDB wrote: »I read through quite a bit of this, but not quite all 70 pages. One thing I didn't see, and please forgive me if it has been answered, or if the answer is elsewhere, I'm new and I'm trying!
Using the great info you've given us here, and trying to create the calorie deficit to lose fat and utilizing MFP, when it gives me my number of calories to reach, is that with a deficit? Or do I need to see a negative number on there to truly create the deficit?
(this question is truly open to anyone with knowledge of MFP, since the guy has been kind enough to answer 70 pages of questions!)
Also, is there a method to knowing exactly how much of a deficit you should have? I know you said giving it three weeks to see if there's loss, but is 500 the place to start? Or is there some formula or something like that to give a more accurate starting point and then adjust from there?
So the way MFP sets up your diet is a bit different than how I set up a diet. MFP gives you a number of calories to eat per day that should cause you to lose however many lbs per week you set it to. They also assume you will exercise, log your exercise, and get to eat extra calories because of exercise. The reason I do not care for this method is that MFP will generally overestimate how much you burn during exercise and cause you to eat too much. I prefer to simplify it by picking a reasonable starting calorie goal, not log my exercise (but certainly still do it), and adjust my calorie total based on actual results. This video will explain how I do things:3 -
Answers above in boldbisonpitcher wrote: »I'm just beginning a similar journey as you. I have a few questions that I hope you can give me some guidance on. I'm 37, male, 6' tall. Started on Dec. 6 at 286. Have lost 28 lbs. in 2 months to get to 258. I have been using the 2 lbs. per week MFP calorie goal (Currently at 1970/day). I usually do not eat back the exercise calories. I have a long term goal to make a transformation similar to what you have and we are starting from pretty close to the same body type. I'm wanting to maintain lean mass, while cutting the fat until I am happy with where I am at and then start bulk/cut cycles. My current workouts are as follows:
Alternating 2 lifting workouts on M, W, F.
Workout 1 - Squats, Bench, Rows, Triceps and Calf Raises
Workout 2 - Deadlifts, Lat Pull-Downs, Overhead Press, Biceps and Abs.
I usually do a 1 mile walk before my lift as a warm-up.
20 min HIIT Cardio - T, Th, Sa
Something similar to ten 100 meter sprints on track, with 100 meter walk between sprints, plus 1 warm-up and 1 cool down walking lap. Sometimes I will do a stationary bike for HIIT to mix it up.
My questions are:
1. Do you see anything you would change in what I'm currently doing that would help me long-term? I would say 3 days lifting + 3 days HIIT is too much for someone in a calorie deficit. I'd maybe do only 1 day of HIIT and replace the other two sessions with longer low intensity steady state cardio like walking or biking at a leisurely pace. Recovery will become impaired because of the deficit and 3 days of HIIT on top of 3 days of lifting can become brutal.
2. What would you recommend as a starting point for my macros? See the video from the post above
3. When you talk about taking a maintenance break for 2 weeks, are you saying eat at maintenance and stop lifting/cardio, or just eat at maintenance and continue workouts? The break only refers to the diet. I'd keep doing the exercise
Thanks for your help in advance.
I would probably ask your doctor what things to specifically avoid. Aside from that, introduce exercises that you think might aggravate your injury slowly, one at a time for about a week. This allows you to tell which exercises you can and cannot tolerate rather than starting 5 exercises all at once and not know which one is giving you problems. Also make sure your starting weights are reasonably low until you have a good idea of what things will/won't aggravate your injury.Vismal-I actually remember when you first joined MFP in 2011 ( I was under a different user name, but stepped away from MFP for a while and forgot my user name/password)...I was using it then to lose baby weight from my second child. You have done excellent work, regained your life and added a new one! Congratulations on your marriage and new baby.
On a more serious note, life has thrown me a curve ball over the last two years and I have managed to sustain two rather difficult injuries. I pulled a tendon in my wrist doing overhead press for 5X5 lifts (it was my first attempt at 95#) and required 4 months of OT with no lifting. And then while running to try to make up for my non-lifting (and to help cope with my life), I developed Achilles tendonitis. I am currently wearing a brace. I have permission to lift again from my doctor. Any ideas for adapting lifts to avoid injury? I think I might be able to pull off squats with weights under my heels, but dead lift? Meanwhile, I am trying to drop the 30 extra pounds I have gained over the last year...2 -
Hi Vismal. Thank you for this thread, it's amazing.
What are your thoughts on LCHF and Keto?
I have PCOS and was told low carb is the way to go for me, but is this too low? Some people have so much success doing it.1 -
notquittingthistime1984 wrote: »Hi Vismal. Thank you for this thread, it's amazing.
What are your thoughts on LCHF and Keto?
I have PCOS and was told low carb is the way to go for me, but is this too low? Some people have so much success doing it.
Both LFHC and ketosis diets are fine if you prefer that style of eating or if in your case a medical condition makes them more favorable. That being said, in both diets, calories are still important. You will not lose weight eating low carb or being in ketosis unless you are in a calorie deficit. Low carb/keto diets also do not cause added fat loss beyond the calorie deficit they create. I am also speaking about losses in the long term, any low carb diet will cause short term weight loss due to water weight reduction. This is not fat loss though and should be noted that anytime you start a low/no carb diet you should expect to lose big numbers on the scale in the first few weeks. Unfortunately that water weight will return if/when you reintroduce carbs into your diet so expect to gain that portion back.5 -
I've always wanted to do an AMA so I thought I'd set one up here. The basics about my story are that I went from 315lbs to 195 and have been making small gains in muscles/losses to fat ever since. Ask me anything, anything at all!
Add me as a friend on here too!
When I hit a wall, I revisit your thread. Have a great day!7 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »MandertheDB wrote: »I read through quite a bit of this, but not quite all 70 pages. One thing I didn't see, and please forgive me if it has been answered, or if the answer is elsewhere, I'm new and I'm trying!
Using the great info you've given us here, and trying to create the calorie deficit to lose fat and utilizing MFP, when it gives me my number of calories to reach, is that with a deficit? Or do I need to see a negative number on there to truly create the deficit?
(this question is truly open to anyone with knowledge of MFP, since the guy has been kind enough to answer 70 pages of questions!)
Also, is there a method to knowing exactly how much of a deficit you should have? I know you said giving it three weeks to see if there's loss, but is 500 the place to start? Or is there some formula or something like that to give a more accurate starting point and then adjust from there?
You should hit the number MFP gives you, as the deficit is built in to that number.
Also, the number MFP gives you does not include exercise. It includes your general activity level, but if you exercise, you then log it separately and eat back those calories (maybe not all of them as machines etc. can overestimate calorie burns).
The math for weight loss is pretty simple. Have a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose 1 lb per week. So that is a 500 per day deficit.
To get an idea of what you should lose at, let us know your stats.
Sex
Height
Weight
general activity level
goal weight
I'm still losing and am 265 with a long term goal ~190, so I can lose 2 lbs per week and have a deficit of 1,000 cals per day. But as I get closer to my goal, my rate of loss will slow down. So if you have less to lose, then 1 lb per week, 500 cals per day, is a good starting point.
In the past, I have not intentionally eaten back my calories for exercising, especially since most of what I do doesn't show calories burned anyway (strength training, yoga)
Female, 5'3, 212lbs, I'm not really sure on activity level...I guess somewhat active? Gym at least 3 times a week for right now, yoga 30-60 minutes a day. I don't really have a specific goal weight, but I was at my healthiest once upon a time near the 130 mark.
!MandertheDB wrote: »I read through quite a bit of this, but not quite all 70 pages. One thing I didn't see, and please forgive me if it has been answered, or if the answer is elsewhere, I'm new and I'm trying!
Using the great info you've given us here, and trying to create the calorie deficit to lose fat and utilizing MFP, when it gives me my number of calories to reach, is that with a deficit? Or do I need to see a negative number on there to truly create the deficit?
(this question is truly open to anyone with knowledge of MFP, since the guy has been kind enough to answer 70 pages of questions!)
Also, is there a method to knowing exactly how much of a deficit you should have? I know you said giving it three weeks to see if there's loss, but is 500 the place to start? Or is there some formula or something like that to give a more accurate starting point and then adjust from there?
So the way MFP sets up your diet is a bit different than how I set up a diet. MFP gives you a number of calories to eat per day that should cause you to lose however many lbs per week you set it to. They also assume you will exercise, log your exercise, and get to eat extra calories because of exercise. The reason I do not care for this method is that MFP will generally overestimate how much you burn during exercise and cause you to eat too much. I prefer to simplify it by picking a reasonable starting calorie goal, not log my exercise (but certainly still do it), and adjust my calorie total based on actual results. This video will explain how I do things: [/quote]
Ok I see. Thank you for that!! FWIW, using your math, my calorie goal is quite a bit higher than MFP gives me and like I told another poster, I don't usually add my exercise or eat back calories, since it doesn't show up anyway.
So do you think eating below the number I came to with your equation is detrimental? (Assuming I'm still getting the same percentage of protein/fats?)
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Do you weigh daily ?0
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Hello, I think I am in need of some general advice. MY doctor has worked with me the past 12 months to find a lifestyle that works for me, since I have PCOS, and while I have lost a dress size, significantly reduced my testosterone levels and am no longer considered insulin resistant (amongst other personal accomplishments) since I started working out 6 months ago, I have only lost 9 lb's since January 1st when I went down to 20g carbs a day.
I am 27, female, I am 5'5 and weight 230 lbs (with a goal of 130-140ish). My goal is to workout 5 days a week, with day 6 for hiking and 7 for resting.
My problem right now is that I am having a very difficult time with recovering after workouts. I do use preworkout and amino acids.
I typically start each workout with a mile of interval runs and 10 minutes on the stairs, my goal is to have a schedule as follows
Monday- Arm focus, sumo squats
Tuesday- Cardio, back squats
Wednesday- Full body (There is a weight lifting class I like to take)
Thursday- Legs focus, deadlifts
Friday - Focus on target area, deadlifts
Right now I tend to make it to the gym about 3 days a week and a 3 miles hike during the weekend.
Since I've started eating less than 20g carb I have been having difficulty with my recovery. I tend to eat between 800-1200 calories per day (I stop when I am full, and this is with doctor monitoring) and I have severe insomnia which I know also effects my recovery. Would carb cycling help? I feel like I am very sensitive to carbs right now and I wanted to lose another 11 lb's and then try to up my carb intake by 25g on leg days and targeted workouts and then see how I do (if I need to add more carbs or not).
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@ Ekoampeace
You're too low on your calories for all the workout you're doing therefore the hard time recovering from workouts. At least your calories should be 1600 minimum since you're lifting. Plus you're adding more deficit by running before you workout and the low caloric level is no helping you into your recovery! Up your calories and on lifting days minimize the running and stair climbing. If this changes don't occur you might incur into adrenal fatigue and then the body will force you not to workout for a few weeks until it can recover once more. You're doing well by lifting and running but you're making a mistake by doing both workouts on the same day and on top of that with a low low caloric level. Up the calories and on lift days just lift. Trust the process and be patient and you will lose fat weight. If calories are not up from 800-1200 to 2000 to 1600 then you will also will lose muscles and your progress will diminish even further. Why am being direct about this to you ? Guess ! I did the same mistake and it costed me. I wanted to lose weight so fast that I made this error and I paid the price.
Good luck and keep pushing ! We all learn by our mistakes.0 -
@Jezreel12 Thank you for being direct. What you say makes sense. Eating more calories is honestly daunting. I understand that it's important to feed your muscles but the big issue I run into is feeling full. I eat so much protein I can't make myself eat anymore and that's usually at about 1,000 calories by the end of the day. I am not willing to eat more than 20g carbs a day at this point.
Most of last year I spent working with a doctor on a diet plan that would benefit me and keep me off medication, As a general rule Ive been avoiding fruits and sugars and certain types of carbs for years because they trigger severe migraines. .
- I started at 100g low carb and 1500 calories, then went down to 50g low carb and 1200 calories, while this stabilized my weight and for the first time in a decade I stopped gaining weight, I was also not losing any weight. I added regular workouts about 6 months ago when my doctor mentioned weight lifting might help displace some of my testosterone levels.
- Since limiting my carbs to 20g I have more energy, more focus, less headaches and I have finally released some weight, but I am unsure of how I can up my calorie intake without upping my carbs. I truly enjoy lifting and I am not concerned about losing weight fast, I just want to keep seeing a steady decline1 -
Omg!! You look amazing0
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1. Myfitnesspal of course. It wasn't until I began tracking my intake that my success really started to take offCongratulations, that's an amazing transformation. What do you think are the top 5 things that led to your success?
2. Understanding that "eating clean" is meaningless and that in order to have true life long success I had to eat foods I enjoyed (ice cream, cookies, etc) on a regular basis but in moderation
3. Lifting heavy weights
4. Not listening when people say "you lost enough already" or "you are getting too skinny"
5. Learning as much about the science behind nutrition and dieting as possible. There is more pseudoscience and myths in this field then any other on earth! So much BS to cut through to find the truth.
#4 is so true, the nicest and most concerned friends and family members have no idea how annoying that is. It's not like you've gone from obese to anorexic, but they start when you've barely touched the "healthy" range of bmi.0 -
Hi! Apologies if you covered this, but what do you think of this? I have 10-15 lbs to lose, and it's going so slowly, I'm willing to try this. Do you see any major drawbacks to this approach? If I did my math correctly, this may put me at 1190 calories per day. I'm 52' 5'3, and 137. Sedentary to light exercise. Thanks!
https://www.muscleforlife.com/rapid-weight-loss/
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It probably wouldn't be detrimental but it usually isn't necessary. Are you weighing all your food on a scale? Do you estimate calorie values often or eat food you didn't prepare/weigh yourself. More often than not when calories need to be very low to lose weight, its because of inaccuracies in counting.Ok I see. Thank you for that!! FWIW, using your math, my calorie goal is quite a bit higher than MFP gives me and like I told another poster, I don't usually add my exercise or eat back calories, since it doesn't show up anyway.
So do you think eating below the number I came to with your equation is detrimental? (Assuming I'm still getting the same percentage of protein/fats?)
Yes but I don't pay any attention to the daily numbers. I input the numbers into trendweight.com and follow the trend they create. Daily weigh ins fluctuate for a myriad of reasons, most notably hydration. Your trend over time gives you an idea of meaningful losses of gains in weight as it accounts for the day to day fluctuations. It's a much more useful number.Fivefootcaloriecounter wrote: »Do you weigh daily ?
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I just joined myfitpal yesterday congrats on you weight loss I'm 39 morbidly obese 390 to 400 may be more I'm trying to get a life for my son I been fat for almost my entire adult life I gained lots of ailments over the years cardiovascular high blood pressure and a bad back you heard it all before I'm sure I'm in pain most of the time its like my skeleton bones and muscles hurt and take more time to stop hurting than normal size people when you started you journey what where some of the things you did to stop pain or did you just fight thru it and at my weight should I walk or bike ride to start
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@ Ekoampeace
You're too low on your calories for all the workout you're doing therefore the hard time recovering from workouts. At least your calories should be 1600 minimum since you're lifting. Plus you're adding more deficit by running before you workout and the low caloric level is no helping you into your recovery! Up your calories and on lifting days minimize the running and stair climbing. If this changes don't occur you might incur into adrenal fatigue and then the body will force you not to workout for a few weeks until it can recover once more. You're doing well by lifting and running but you're making a mistake by doing both workouts on the same day and on top of that with a low low caloric level. Up the calories and on lift days just lift. Trust the process and be patient and you will lose fat weight. If calories are not up from 800-1200 to 2000 to 1600 then you will also will lose muscles and your progress will diminish even further. Why am being direct about this to you ? Guess ! I did the same mistake and it costed me. I wanted to lose weight so fast that I made this error and I paid the price.
Good luck and keep pushing ! We all learn by our mistakes.
While I know you are only trying to help, please save advice for the general forum or at least for people who I have already addressed. When other people answer questions that are directed to me it makes the flow of the discussion harder for me to follow. I know your intentions were to help but this thread is an AMA thread so I'd please ask others to hold off giving advice, especially if I have yet to address the question myself. I may have different advice. For instance, people are always quick to tell others to eat more. When weight loss is the goal, eat more is very rarely the correct answer. I never tell individuals to eat more until I've first asked how strict they are at calorie counting. If the individual is following the guidelines from Calorie Counting 101 (http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/38825118) then I can be fairly certain their count is accurate. If they estimate portion sizes and don't use a food scale they could be unintentionally overeating by quite bit and in reality they still need to eat less despite their calorie goal being "too low". Also, the medical condition she has plays a significant role in what is going on.@ Ekoampeace
You're too low on your calories for all the workout you're doing therefore the hard time recovering from workouts. At least your calories should be 1600 minimum since you're lifting. Plus you're adding more deficit by running before you workout and the low caloric level is no helping you into your recovery! Up your calories and on lifting days minimize the running and stair climbing. If this changes don't occur you might incur into adrenal fatigue and then the body will force you not to workout for a few weeks until it can recover once more. You're doing well by lifting and running but you're making a mistake by doing both workouts on the same day and on top of that with a low low caloric level. Up the calories and on lift days just lift. Trust the process and be patient and you will lose fat weight. If calories are not up from 800-1200 to 2000 to 1600 then you will also will lose muscles and your progress will diminish even further. Why am being direct about this to you ? Guess ! I did the same mistake and it costed me. I wanted to lose weight so fast that I made this error and I paid the price.
Good luck and keep pushing ! We all learn by our mistakes.
As I mentioned above, your calorie count is only as good as your counting accuracy. Check the link I posted above, Calorie Counting 101. Are you doing most or all of the things in that guide or do you do a fair bit of estimating and guessing about portion sizes? Being unable to eat more than 1000 calories due to fullness is a very rare problem. I do not see carb cycling as making any difference here. You're basically doing a keto diet and if your doctor thinks that's the best thing for losing weight with PCOS then I'd stick with it. Even with PCOS though, eating 1000-1200 calories a day should absolutely be yielding greater weight loss then what you are seeing. Look hard at your tracking accuracy and also be sure to account for any cheat days.Ekoampeace wrote: »@Jezreel12 Thank you for being direct. What you say makes sense. Eating more calories is honestly daunting. I understand that it's important to feed your muscles but the big issue I run into is feeling full. I eat so much protein I can't make myself eat anymore and that's usually at about 1,000 calories by the end of the day. I am not willing to eat more than 20g carbs a day at this point.
Most of last year I spent working with a doctor on a diet plan that would benefit me and keep me off medication, As a general rule Ive been avoiding fruits and sugars and certain types of carbs for years because they trigger severe migraines. .
- I started at 100g low carb and 1500 calories, then went down to 50g low carb and 1200 calories, while this stabilized my weight and for the first time in a decade I stopped gaining weight, I was also not losing any weight. I added regular workouts about 6 months ago when my doctor mentioned weight lifting might help displace some of my testosterone levels.
- Since limiting my carbs to 20g I have more energy, more focus, less headaches and I have finally released some weight, but I am unsure of how I can up my calorie intake without upping my carbs. I truly enjoy lifting and I am not concerned about losing weight fast, I just want to keep seeing a steady decline
Your workout programming is a bit all over the place as well. The goal of a strength training program should be to hit all major muscle groups 2-3 times per week. Rather than doing an "arms focus" or "legs focus" I'd do a proven beginners program that is total body 3x a week. 5 days lifting is hard to recover from while in a deficit. If you are currently going 3 days a week and recovery is hard increasing to 5 seems like a mistake. You don't mention your total number of sets/reps but if recovery is suffering reduction in total volume usually helps as well. Moving your cardio until after the lifting sessions can help, or you can do them on your off days (another benefit of 3 vs 5 days lifting). If your interval training is high intensity that will also wreck your recovery. If I was eating low calories and lifting 3 days a week I'd do either 1 or zero sessions of high intensity intervals and use less intensive cardio for added calorie burn.
Severe insomnia might be the biggest factor affecting recovery. People often underscore the importance of sleep. Even if you do everything else correctly, getting little to no sleep will make proper recovery very very hard. Have you tried to have your insomnia treated medically?
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@ Ekoampeace
You're too low on your calories for all the workout you're doing therefore the hard time recovering from workouts. At least your calories should be 1600 minimum since you're lifting. Plus you're adding more deficit by running before you workout and the low caloric level is no helping you into your recovery! Up your calories and on lifting days minimize the running and stair climbing. If this changes don't occur you might incur into adrenal fatigue and then the body will force you not to workout for a few weeks until it can recover once more. You're doing well by lifting and running but you're making a mistake by doing both workouts on the same day and on top of that with a low low caloric level. Up the calories and on lift days just lift. Trust the process and be patient and you will lose fat weight. If calories are not up from 800-1200 to 2000 to 1600 then you will also will lose muscles and your progress will diminish even further. Why am being direct about this to you ? Guess ! I did the same mistake and it costed me. I wanted to lose weight so fast that I made this error and I paid the price.
Good luck and keep pushing ! We all learn by our mistakes.
While I know you are only trying to help, please save advice for the general forum or at least for people who I have already addressed. When other people answer questions that are directed to me it makes the flow of the discussion harder for me to follow. I know your intentions were to help but this thread is an AMA thread so I'd please ask others to hold off giving advice, especially if I have yet to address the question myself. I may have different advice. For instance, people are always quick to tell others to eat more. When weight loss is the goal, eat more is very rarely the correct answer. I never tell individuals to eat more until I've first asked how strict they are at calorie counting. If the individual is following the guidelines from Calorie Counting 101 (http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/38825118) then I can be fairly certain their count is accurate. If they estimate portion sizes and don't use a food scale they could be unintentionally overeating by quite bit and in reality they still need to eat less despite their calorie goal being "too low". Also, the medical condition she has plays a significant role in what is going on.@ Ekoampeace
You're too low on your calories for all the workout you're doing therefore the hard time recovering from workouts. At least your calories should be 1600 minimum since you're lifting. Plus you're adding more deficit by running before you workout and the low caloric level is no helping you into your recovery! Up your calories and on lifting days minimize the running and stair climbing. If this changes don't occur you might incur into adrenal fatigue and then the body will force you not to workout for a few weeks until it can recover once more. You're doing well by lifting and running but you're making a mistake by doing both workouts on the same day and on top of that with a low low caloric level. Up the calories and on lift days just lift. Trust the process and be patient and you will lose fat weight. If calories are not up from 800-1200 to 2000 to 1600 then you will also will lose muscles and your progress will diminish even further. Why am being direct about this to you ? Guess ! I did the same mistake and it costed me. I wanted to lose weight so fast that I made this error and I paid the price.
Good luck and keep pushing ! We all learn by our mistakes.
As I mentioned above, your calorie count is only as good as your counting accuracy. Check the link I posted above, Calorie Counting 101. Are you doing most or all of the things in that guide or do you do a fair bit of estimating and guessing about portion sizes? Being unable to eat more than 1000 calories due to fullness is a very rare problem. I do not see carb cycling as making any difference here. You're basically doing a keto diet and if your doctor thinks that's the best thing for losing weight with PCOS then I'd stick with it. Even with PCOS though, eating 1000-1200 calories a day should absolutely be yielding greater weight loss then what you are seeing. Look hard at your tracking accuracy and also be sure to account for any cheat days.Ekoampeace wrote: »@Jezreel12 Thank you for being direct. What you say makes sense. Eating more calories is honestly daunting. I understand that it's important to feed your muscles but the big issue I run into is feeling full. I eat so much protein I can't make myself eat anymore and that's usually at about 1,000 calories by the end of the day. I am not willing to eat more than 20g carbs a day at this point.
Most of last year I spent working with a doctor on a diet plan that would benefit me and keep me off medication, As a general rule Ive been avoiding fruits and sugars and certain types of carbs for years because they trigger severe migraines. .
- I started at 100g low carb and 1500 calories, then went down to 50g low carb and 1200 calories, while this stabilized my weight and for the first time in a decade I stopped gaining weight, I was also not losing any weight. I added regular workouts about 6 months ago when my doctor mentioned weight lifting might help displace some of my testosterone levels.
- Since limiting my carbs to 20g I have more energy, more focus, less headaches and I have finally released some weight, but I am unsure of how I can up my calorie intake without upping my carbs. I truly enjoy lifting and I am not concerned about losing weight fast, I just want to keep seeing a steady decline
Your workout programming is a bit all over the place as well. The goal of a strength training program should be to hit all major muscle groups 2-3 times per week. Rather than doing an "arms focus" or "legs focus" I'd do a proven beginners program that is total body 3x a week. 5 days lifting is hard to recover from while in a deficit. If you are currently going 3 days a week and recovery is hard increasing to 5 seems like a mistake. You don't mention your total number of sets/reps but if recovery is suffering reduction in total volume usually helps as well. Moving your cardio until after the lifting sessions can help, or you can do them on your off days (another benefit of 3 vs 5 days lifting). If your interval training is high intensity that will also wreck your recovery. If I was eating low calories and lifting 3 days a week I'd do either 1 or zero sessions of high intensity intervals and use less intensive cardio for added calorie burn.
Severe insomnia might be the biggest factor affecting recovery. People often underscore the importance of sleep. Even if you do everything else correctly, getting little to no sleep will make proper recovery very very hard. Have you tried to have your insomnia treated medically?
I have gone over the link. I dont have the greatest record for inputting my food into mfp daily and I often dont weigh my food. I will start trying to be more consistent. I typically eat the same things everyday and since going low carb i've stopped trying to count calories and tried to focus more on macros and listening to when my body is full. Ive counted calories religously for years and I feel like that hasnt helped me do anything but obsess over the amount I eat.
It also just dawned on me that since I am on medication for ADD that may be contributing to why I am full faster.
When I first started working out, I followed a basic lifting program my friend sent me. Since starting I have deviated into doing targeted workouts based on the lifting that I like. I am clearly still new at all this and I do tend to try to rush into my goals. I will dial it back and take your advice and find a beginners program.
When I first started working out I was strictly doing strength training, I consistently do 4x15 . I was counting calories 1200-1500 and losely trying to keep my carbs under 50g. I wasnt losing any weight (although I lost a dress size) so i added cardio on my doctors recomendation and the interval training to try and boost my results. I can say my endurance has gotten much better but I dont feel like I have seen any other improvement and I have no problem cutting that back. Its my least favorite thing to do.
I have been eating 20g carbs since January 1st.
I am working with a doctor to help my insomnia. I love sleep so I would love to sleep! Lol. I am awake till 2am and then fall asleep for about a half hour at a time, awake another half hour and so on and so forth until my kids get up at 7am. my fit bit says I average about 3 hours of sleep. I am exhausted and its been seriously effecting my productivity during the day. I feel like we are going down the list of things I can do and medications to take. There is not much else I can think of that can help me sleep or nap on my own that I havent tried already.
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