Explain to me whats happening please. feeling discouraged

[Rowe1]

Some of you regular readers have been keeping up with my progress since october when i joined this forum. I've read the sticky threads to death btw. Having a hard time applying what i've read though.

I'm seeing progress in the gym, but not on the scale, and i'm having a hard time figuring out why.

My main work out consists of Cardio on the treadmill. I run for 30 minutes with a 5-10 minute cool down afterward. I switch up my days between interval sprints, and endurance jogging.

Best way i can describe what i do is for the jogging sessions i set the tread mill to a speed i know i can jog for thirty minutes straight with minimal effort, and bump it up .2-.4 mph to feel the resistance. for the springs i walk a brisk 3.5 on the tread mill for 2 minutes and sprint at 6.0 mph for as long as i possibly can (which is barely over 60 seconds atm). I do this on and off for 30 minutes up to the point where my sides and legs start to cramp up.

I really push my self on the treadmill. I'm 355 lbs 5'10" 24 years old, and my heart rate maxed out is 179bpm for the duration of these work outs.

After these work outs i do some core training on the mats at golds gym. like 10 different sets of crunches and leg lifts.

What i'm noticing is the scale hasn't budged in a month now, but i'm able to run longer and harder ever week. My mile time a lone is down to 13:19 seconds, and i've been able to jog straight for 30 minutes at 4.5 mph and thats roughly 1.6 miles. I think thats a great accomplishment for some one my size.

I have a cloth measuring tape, and a scale. Other then that i have no idea how to track whats happening to my body.

Other then the progress of me being able to push myself harder during cardio. I need to know if I'm going to see results in the mirror as well as the waist line if i keep doing what i'm doing.

My BMR is 3200 calories a day. I'm eating 2300 calories a day. I drink only water.


what do i need to change? advice? help? getting discouraged.

 

[BigMOFO]

I think 2300 calories is waaaay too low for you. I think you should relax your diet/cardio routine. Give yourself a break for a while and build up caloric intake to something more in the 2800-3000 range over the course of a couple of weeks.

 

[Rowe1]

What would that accomplish? Reseting my body or something?

 

[schokobaerchen]

somehow....eating to less is like killing your whole normal metabolism

But I wouldn't just take a break and start new. I would just go on with the sports and I would calculate how much calories I need. I just now German sites which calculate the caloric intake you need but I am quite sure there are english ones as well Usually they calculate it by your weigth, higth, age and regular daily physical activity. Of course these calculations are just guidelines but for me it works

good luck

 

[usedtobefatmatt]

How long has it been since you lost any weight?

I'm going to assume that you are measuring and weighing all your food. Sometime out portion sizes can be destorted.


Matt

 

[Doc Bunkum]

My BMR is 3200 calories a day. I'm eating 2300 calories a day. I drink only water. what do i need to change? advice? help? getting discouraged.

I think 2300 calories is waaaay too low for you. I think you should relax your diet/cardio routine. Give yourself a break for a while and build up caloric intake to something more in the 2800-3000 range over the course of a couple of weeks.

What would that accomplish? Reseting my body or something?

One of my favorite authors is Carolyn Classick-Kohn,MS,RD. The chick knows her stuff. (Those initials behind her name should be a good indication of that).

Anyhow, she wrote an article sometime back that addresses your question. I've quoted it a number of times because it's really good. It may seem like a paradox, but you may have to eat more to lose more. Here's why:

Five reasons why "eating" helps you lose weight

Reason 1 - The goal is to lose body fat, not water and muscle. Eating the right amount of food helps to protect your body from losing muscle mass. The slower you lose weight, the greater percentage of body fat loss. The faster you lose, the more you muscle you lose. Which brings us to reason #2

Reason 2 - The key predictor of weight gain is a low metabolic rate. Eating helps maintain your metabolism at a higher rate. (Metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories). When you preserve lean muscle mass by eating enough food and lose fat instead, your body will need more calories to function. This means: a lean, muscular body with less fat (the new you) needs more calories to maintain it weight compared to someone who loses weight rapidly. So now, you don’t have to starve to maintain your new weight.... you have arrived and will be more likely to stay at your goal because you ate!

Reason 3 - Eating gives you the energy you need to lose weight successfully. Eating enough calories while you lose weight gives you “staying power”. It's much harder to stay on a very low calorie diet long enough to lose the weight you want. Being hungry is o.k.. Feeling deprived and starved is not. And, did you know that very low calorie diets are associated with an increase in “binge” eating? Definitely not a good outcome.


Reason 4 - When you eat enough food, you will have more energy to burn off the calories through physical activity. People who don't eat enough often don’t have the energy to get through the day, much less do extra exercise to build lean body mass and burn fat. This happens especially in women who are exercising a lot and cutting calories at the same time - it multiplies the effect of too few calories.


Reason 5 - If you don’t eat enough food, you won’t get the nutrition you need to stay healthy. Improving health and looking better are two key reasons people want to lose weight. People who are not eating enough simply don’t look well because they aren’t as healthy as they need to be. Healthy people have better looking skin, hair and teeth, and overall their higher energy level is much more attractive than someone dragging around. So fast weight loss really doesn’t accomplish either the goal of looking or feeling better over the long haul.

What’s the right amount of calories for you?

Follow a diet with the right amount of calories for you to lose weight safely and to optimize your body composition - losing more fat and less muscle. This is absolutely key to making you successful at staying at your new lower weight. Your weight loss calories are determined based upon your age, physical activity, sex, height, current weight, and special needs. For greater success, find a diet plan that works with your lifestyle and provides a healthy balance of good foods, not a "quick" scheme.


Right.

And just how do you find that "right" diet plan?

This whole game about losing weight (or building muscle) is all about self discovery. You have to find what works for you and the way you do that is by keeping a journal and keeping track of all the variables.

If something isn't working, then change something in the routine. Just give it a chance to work, though. Read lots, like the stickies on this forum, and ask a lot of questions. But make sure your source of information is on the up and up and not by somebody trying to sell you something.

 

[Derrick]

Good post. Rowe, I'm not a doctor or personal trainer but I have tried all kinds of strategies. There is so much truth to what Doc said about you have to find what works for you and if it stops working then change something and give it a chance. No matter what though, keep trying! Never give up.

I have found that eating 5 to 6 times a day works best for me. I originally learned this from reading Bill Phillips' books but I am sure it has been around for a long time and I know many other experts endorse it. Now, I do not eat 6 regular meals a day. I eat only 3 regular, healthy meals. However, in between regular meals, I often have a cup of yogurt, veggies or fruit. My favorite is a slim fast shake with a teaspoon of psyllium husks or colon cleanse powder (high protein / low fat diets combined with lots of excercise make me constipated). Fiber one bars are great snacks but only if you are going to be alone for the next 12 hours. Even if I am not hungry I still have something just to keep my metabolism going. If I am already feeling hungry and I just had a hard workout in the morning or have one coming up, I might eat a bananna and half a sandwhich in between meals. Not quite what I would consider a full meal but close. I'm contantly fueling my body this way so I continue to gain muscle and lose fat. I do try to keep a mental note of how many fat grams I take in each day. I try to keep it under 30 grams of fat.

I also mix up my excercise routines quite a bit. I swim, jog, and bike. I also do yoga, kickboxing and weight lifting. I am not saying you need to do that many things but try the bike or eliptical for a while. The jogging can be put on hold for a couple months. You have to give yourself time. I lost 10 lbs the first month of my journey but ever since then I only average about 1 lb a week, sometimes 2. I know your road to your destination is much futher than mine ever was but 1 to 3 lbs a week is healthy and you are much more likely to keep the weight off. Just think, 52 weeks in a year. 2 lbs a week on average. Just think where you could be January 27, 2010.