Can I get a little feedback?

Darth Pooh

Darth Pooh

New member
I started out at 280 lbs last October, as of today I am 215. The past month I have plateaued or lost a minimal amount of weight. I currently eat about 1500 calories a day but have read that I may be starving myself. I believe someone my size should be eating about 1820 calories a day (I think I am going to ZIGZAG my calories with 1720 one day and 1920 the next). A typical day consists of:

Breakfast: Oatmeal (170 calories), Banana (115 calories)
Snack: 100 calorie pack (varies daily)
Lunch: Sandwich (using healthy choice/light bread, 200 calories), Applesauce (50 calories), Veggies like cumcumbers/celery (50 calories)
Snack: Protein Bar (Peak Bar, low fat high protein 130 calories)
Dinner: Protein (chicken, steak, etc about 300 calories), Starch (potato, whole grain rice ~ 250 calories), Veggies (~ 70 calories)
Snack: Maybe another 100 calorie pack / sugar free pop 15 calories / maybe a bowl of cereal 250 calories...

Whatever I do, I try to get to 1500 calories.

My exercise is fairly steady, 5-6 times a week. Cardio everyday, it varies from 2.5 mile jog, circuit training, HIIT on the elliptical (maybe it would be considered interval training from what I've been reading) Cardio varies from 30-40 minutes. Most recently I introduced a bit heavier with weight training. Before I was doing LOW weight with HIGH reps. I do weight training four times a week, Monday and Thursday (Chest/Biceps), Tuesday and Friday (Back, Triceps, Shoulders). I normally take Sunday/Wednesday off, I am thinking of adding Wednesday (cardio only).

I don't understand the plateaus and I am becoming more and more frustrated every week. Any help would be appreciated... please harsh works.

-Keith
 
I am sorry but I forgot some information, I am 5'11'' and my goal weight is 190 lbs. once I get to that point I have no problem bulking back up with more muscles . I have also decided to kick up my cardio a bit, minimum of 35 minutes on the elliptical and removed circuit training (i don't enjoy it as much and it doesn't "feel" effective.)

I do not know my body fat %.

as I mentioned before, I am going to zigzag my calories (1720 then 1920), hopefully it should help (i think I am in starvation mode with 1500 calories).

I think I am looking for confirmation of my ideas.
 
I don't think you are eating enough at 1500...

Granted I am in a totally different ballpark than you, but it just doesn't seem healthy bro.

Why aren't you lifting legs at all? Maybe Wednesday should be legs....squats, extensions, press, lunges etc?

Also, if you are trying to use weight training to lose weight...you are right to change to heavier weights. You need to bulk up a little muscle, and heavy weight will do that for you, as long as you are getting the protein to support it.

I tossed your input into this (what I knew about it) and your numbers are low on intake.



Hope I was even remotely close to useful

Chef Soli
 
Darth Pooh said:
I started out at 280 lbs last October, as of today I am 215. The past month I have plateaued or lost a minimal amount of weight. I currently eat about 1500 calories a day but have read that I may be starving myself. I believe someone my size should be eating about 1820 calories a day (I think I am going to ZIGZAG my calories with 1720 one day and 1920 the next). A typical day consists of:

Breakfast: Oatmeal (170 calories), Banana (115 calories)
Snack: 100 calorie pack (varies daily)
Lunch: Sandwich (using healthy choice/light bread, 200 calories), Applesauce (50 calories), Veggies like cumcumbers/celery (50 calories)
Snack: Protein Bar (Peak Bar, low fat high protein 130 calories)
Dinner: Protein (chicken, steak, etc about 300 calories), Starch (potato, whole grain rice ~ 250 calories), Veggies (~ 70 calories)
Snack: Maybe another 100 calorie pack / sugar free pop 15 calories / maybe a bowl of cereal 250 calories...

Whatever I do, I try to get to 1500 calories.

My exercise is fairly steady, 5-6 times a week. Cardio everyday, it varies from 2.5 mile jog, circuit training, HIIT on the elliptical (maybe it would be considered interval training from what I've been reading) Cardio varies from 30-40 minutes. Most recently I introduced a bit heavier with weight training. Before I was doing LOW weight with HIGH reps. I do weight training four times a week, Monday and Thursday (Chest/Biceps), Tuesday and Friday (Back, Triceps, Shoulders). I normally take Sunday/Wednesday off, I am thinking of adding Wednesday (cardio only).

I don't understand the plateaus and I am becoming more and more frustrated every week. Any help would be appreciated... please harsh works.

-Keith
Click to expand...
Darth Pooh said:
I am sorry but I forgot some information, I am 5'11'' and my goal weight is 190 lbs. once I get to that point I have no problem bulking back up with more muscles . I have also decided to kick up my cardio a bit, minimum of 35 minutes on the elliptical and removed circuit training (i don't enjoy it as much and it doesn't "feel" effective.)

I do not know my body fat %.

as I mentioned before, I am going to zigzag my calories (1720 then 1920), hopefully it should help (i think I am in starvation mode with 1500 calories).

I think I am looking for confirmation of my ideas.
Click to expand...

Your eating to little and that lifting routine is awfull for your goals. Something more along the lines of an upper/lower split or a full body routine is more for your goals. A body part split is one of the worst regiments one can do for weight loss. Your also completely neglecting your legs and midsection and likely loading up with a bunch of isolation's. Compounds are your friend.
Stay away from the "low weight high rep myth" It has its place in certain situations but not here, not now.

1,500 calories is far to low. Both of the other numbers you have listed are likely on the low side as well. I'm going to make a quick estimation and say to maintain you would need roughly 2,300-2,500 calories. Not factoring additional exercise but with a some what active life style.

Dump the 100 calorie packs and the cokes, their empty calories with near no nutritional content. Add a complete protein to breakfast. Try adding eggs or if short on time some type of complete protein powder into the oatmeal.
 
Keith, I'm no expert, but I just wanted to echo what Trevor wrote above, since it is exactly what I've been following for the past year with a great deal of success. I've been losing fairly slowly (about 3 lbs. a month, average), but steadily. I generally eat around 2,600 calories a day, and get in around 600 calories a day from exercise, giving me a daily deficit of around 500 calories. I've been doing compound lifts the entire time. This has kept me from losing a lot of lean mass.

Plateaus are normal, but at 1,500 calories, you can expect them to be MUCH worse. You're not giving your body enough energy to repair your muscle tissue properly, and as a result, you're going to lose weight, if at all, from your lean body mass, not your fat mass.
 
you guys rock! I really appreciate the input and I think I need to see a fitness expert to help me develop a routine that's good for me. all I've ever known was individual exercises... what are some exercises I can do to help me get away from isolation stuff?

I have dumbells and a machine (everlast 900) that does chest presses, flies, pulldowns/ups, leg extensions (never use that). its a nice machine for what it does.

any suggested routines that have worked for you guys?

I did 1900 calories yesterday and boy was it hard to eat all that food! I had to end up making an egg beater omlet at the end of the night to get more stuff in. all I felt like I was doing yesterday was eat eat eat!
 
Darth - go to the On Topic forum, and look for a sticky thread called "Words of Wisdom". Then find a thread by Steve called "Basic Lifts". That's a great place to start. There's a whole lot of other information in that thread you'll find very useful as well.
 
if your lifting exercise is to build muscle to aid weight loss...

You need to get your legs and shoulders involved...

Not all muscle groups are created equal...but all muscle weight uses calories the same...so bump up the muscles that grow easier, to utilize the calorie burning that comes automatically from muscle mass.

I seriously would say, if I could only do one lift...it would be squats....
 
chef said:
if your lifting exercise is to build muscle to aid weight loss...

You need to get your legs and shoulders involved...

Not all muscle groups are created equal...but all muscle weight uses calories the same...so bump up the muscles that grow easier, to utilize the calorie burning that comes automatically from muscle mass.

I seriously would say, if I could only do one lift...it would be squats....
Click to expand...


I do my shoulders and do it with compound lifts (i.e. arnold presses, upright rows, etc.), I now see the importance of doing my legs and will start incorportating them tomorrow. Lunges, squats, and extensions... oh my.

I ate 1650 calories so far today (again, feel like I am eating SO much), so I have another 100 to go (not even sure what I am going to eat). I am VERY afraid to eat anything higher than the zigzag of 1720/1920, just because I haven't eaten like that in a long long time.
 
Make sure you research squats before you get going on them buddy...it is one of the more dangerous lifts around...(with the exception of overhead obviously)

Anyway good luck w/ the new exercises.

Chef Soli
 
Darth Pooh said:
I do my shoulders and do it with compound lifts (i.e. arnold presses, upright rows, etc.), I now see the importance of doing my legs and will start incorportating them tomorrow. Lunges, squats, and extensions... oh my.

I ate 1650 calories so far today (again, feel like I am eating SO much), so I have another 100 to go (not even sure what I am going to eat). I am VERY afraid to eat anything higher than the zigzag of 1720/1920, just because I haven't eaten like that in a long long time.
Click to expand...

Have you changed your routine yet? Be sure to read the "basic lifts" thread its full of great info you will find usefull. I would suggest against the use of leg extensions entirely. Also, please post of your routine in full. I am somewhat concerned about it at this time.
 
You've been given some good advice here.

I just want to add something. If you've been eating 1500 calories for an appreciable length of time, jumping up to where you're *supposed* to be isn't necessarily the best option.

Your body doesn't *know* where it's supposed to be. And ramping up calories so quickly would almost certainly lead to excessive weight gain. You see, metabolism is a very dynamic variable. It swings concurrently with what you're doing. If you're under-eating, you better believe that your metabolism is going to auto-adjust to match the decreased intake. It's not a permanent phenomenon, but it's real.

To start eating a more sane amount of food relative to your current weight, I'd ramp cals up slowly on a consistent basis. Maybe every 2 weeks or so add 10-20% to your intake.

Once you reach your supposed maintenance which might be something like 13-14 cals per pound, sit at that intake for a couple of weeks. Let things re-adjust.

Then, you can start dieting using a *sane* caloric deficit. Something like 20% from said maintenance.
 
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Trevor M. said:
Have you changed your routine yet? Be sure to read the "basic lifts" thread its full of great info you will find usefull. I would suggest against the use of leg extensions entirely. Also, please post of your routine in full. I am somewhat concerned about it at this time.
Click to expand...

Real simple,

Mondays Chest / Biceps:

Chest Press on the machine (don't have a bench here) 12 reps x 3
Flies on the machine 12 reps x 3
Dips (elbows out) with a 15 lb weight now for more weight 12 reps x 3

21's 2 sets, once at the beginning once at the end
Hammer Curls 10 reps x 3
Barbell Curl 10 reps x 3

Tuesdays Triceps/Back/Shoulders

Tricep Pulldown 12 X 3
Kickbacks 12 x 3
Dips (elbows back) 12 x 3

Pulldowns 12 x 3
Seated Rows on the machine 12 x
Bentover row 12 x 3

Arnold Press 12 x 3
Front Raise 10 x 3
Upright rows 12 x 3

Wednesday - Legs - just started this week

Squats 12 x 3 no weight
Lunges 2 sets of 3 minutes
Extensions (didn't get your message until after you told me it's a bad idea)

My legs are so EFFING sore right now. I could barely get through my cardio today. I also gained weight since I bumped up my caloric intake to the zigzag, I don't like that at all! Makes my goal of 190 even further away, makes me feel like what I was doing before was fine at 1500 calories. I started using whey protein yesterday too. This totally blows...
 
Your body will get used to the calories...AND it will thank you!

That soreness will go away faster because of said calories....look at it this way.

If you are tearing up muscle...or anything else for that matter....and not giving yourself the fuel to even begin to heal the muscle you tore....then what is the point? This includes the lifts you have been doing...

Lack of calories due to dieting...can make you lose muscle mass if you don't adjust to a caloric deficit that is big enough to still heal yourself.

OP:
I also gained weight since I bumped up my caloric intake to the zigzag, I don't like that at all! Makes my goal of 190 even further away, makes me feel like what I was doing before was fine at 1500 calories. I started using whey protein yesterday too. This totally blows...
Click to expand...

Remember...if your lifting is doing what it should be doing (due to you wanting to use heavy weight after the change you made), and you start building muscle...that will dramatically slow your weight loss. Muscle weighs more than fat...

Unless you actually see yourself gaining fat...stop worrying about the weight so much...your body is just adjusting.

**What I have said here is simply from what I understand...Steve and Trevor are much more knowledgeable than myself...so if they disagree take their word on it.**

Chef Soli
 
Darth Pooh said:
Real simple,

Mondays Chest / Biceps:

Chest Press on the machine (don't have a bench here) 12 reps x 3
Flies on the machine 12 reps x 3
Dips (elbows out) with a 15 lb weight now for more weight 12 reps x 3

21's 2 sets, once at the beginning once at the end
Hammer Curls 10 reps x 3
Barbell Curl 10 reps x 3

Tuesdays Triceps/Back/Shoulders

Tricep Pulldown 12 X 3
Kickbacks 12 x 3
Dips (elbows back) 12 x 3

Pulldowns 12 x 3
Seated Rows on the machine 12 x
Bentover row 12 x 3

Arnold Press 12 x 3
Front Raise 10 x 3
Upright rows 12 x 3

Wednesday - Legs - just started this week

Squats 12 x 3 no weight
Lunges 2 sets of 3 minutes
Extensions (didn't get your message until after you told me it's a bad idea)

My legs are so EFFING sore right now. I could barely get through my cardio today. I also gained weight since I bumped up my caloric intake to the zigzag, I don't like that at all! Makes my goal of 190 even further away, makes me feel like what I was doing before was fine at 1500 calories. I started using whey protein yesterday too. This totally blows...
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can not recomend enough that you drop that routine entirely. Again I will suggest you visit the basic lifts sticky, then if you require more direct asistance we will be glad to help.

The soreness will eventually disapate within a week or two. How much weight exactly?
Weight flucuation is normal in all persons, especially if you have been in an outragious deficient for so long and are just comming out of it...
 
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Steve said:
You've been given some good advice here.

I just want to add something. If you've been eating 1500 calories for an appreciable length of time, jumping up to where you're *supposed* to be isn't necessarily the best option.

Your body doesn't *know* where it's supposed to be. And ramping up calories so quickly would almost certainly lead to excessive weight gain. You see, metabolism is a very dynamic variable. It swings concurrently with what you're doing. If you're under-eating, you better believe that your metabolism is going to auto-adjust to match the decreased intake. It's not a permanent phenomenon, but it's real.

To start eating a more sane amount of food relative to your current weight, I'd ramp cals up slowly on a consistent basis. Maybe every 2 weeks or so add 10-20% to your intake.

Once you reach your supposed maintenance which might be something like 13-14 cals per pound, sit at that intake for a couple of weeks. Let things re-adjust.

Then, you can start dieting using a *sane* caloric deficit. Something like 20% from said maintenance.
Click to expand...

I hate to quote myself... but did you not read this?

Also, I concur with T.... that routine's probably not what you should be doing.
 
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