Stuck for months!!!!

U

uther

New member
Good Morning all.
I have been stuck at the same weight and body fat % for months.
Need help. I train with a strenth trainer and been following there fat loss plan but , they are rather stumped at why I have been stuck at my current weight. My Info is a s follows.:

age 37, 5'8'' male, current weight 209lb
I weight train 3 days per week, 1 hour per day, and do cardio for 1 hour 3 days a week.
I burn on average ( using a heart monitor) 850- 1200 cal. per day.

Currently they are having me trying a carb cycling diet:
meal 1.. 8 egg whites, 1 yoke , coffee
meal 2. protien skake, about 132 cal.
meal 3. grilled chicken breast , a tsp reduced fat cheese
meal4. Protien shake, about 132 cal
meal 5 . normally something like lunch.

This has been for about two weeks ( they want my body to shock it self to burn fat)I eat that way for two days then on the third I eat the same plus carbs. then repeat any thoughts?
For the past 6 months I was eating the above plus eating veggies with my lunch and dinner and having Oatmeal with my breakfast .
I started over a year ago at 249 so I am down 40 lbs, but nothing in 5 months.
Any help would be great.... As I don't know what else to do, they suggest double sessions, running in the am. then lifting later so I burn even more.
But I don't think thats the answer....?????
 
I think you're unfortunately undereating. A rough guess of that daily total would be about 600-800 calories. You say you did eat the same, but with the veggies? Vegetables do not contain alot of calories per serving, so I bet you're problem is that you're not eating enough to successfully lose weight.

Though Im younger than you, when I was 200 trying to reduce, I ate 2300-2700 calories per day, no carb cycling. I dropped 10lbs and 6% bf in a short time. I know some people like real world examples.

Did your trainer give you that diet specifically?
 
Thanks for the advice, always nice to get some other insite.
My trainer had a program that he gives to everyone of his clients. When I got stuck a couple of months ago he suggested that I increase my cardio.
That didn't help, so he has me doing the protien only for two days then carbs on my third..:confused:
And I'm still stuck. I keep track of my eating and my excersise .cal burned etc. daily. I do not workout on sunday's ,come monday morning I'm good and rested and ready to go,Mon,tues & wed. I have great workouts will hit sometimes 1200 cal burned if not more, by thursday it's like i got hit by a truck,just tired and burned out.
Has to be to few calories.
Spoke with him yesterday, he suggested either upping my food intake with more protien or doing MORE cardio i.e double sessions , one in the am and one later in the day. But I can't see how burning MORE calories will help?:confused:
 
If you have a program that is generalized to all his clients, then you may need a new trainer. A trainers program should be specific to your goals, your body, and your problems (if any).

Definitely dont go with double aerobic sessions, thats just silly nonsense. Count your calories on fitday.com, let me know the total. If it is undereating, you're gonna have to work to repair your metabolism.
 
I figured it out the other day average cal is 1050-1500
If I figured it ouy correctly my bmr is about 1980 cal
 
What would be involved in repairing my metabolism?
I was planning on adding complex carbs to my breakfast( oatmeal)
And also too my lunch. So that maybe add say another 600 cal maybe per day?

I think the issue w/ my trainer is he's a Natural bodybuilder, lives on very low cal to stay ripped all the time , uses Lipadrine w/ ephedra so he burns everything he takes in. So he feels that what will work for everyone.
 
Well hes not training natural bb's ya know. Program design should reflect the clients situation, not the trainers. Anyways...

I would start by upping your calories around 200-500 for 7-14 days at a time. With a BMR of 2000, you're gonna want to eventually settle around 2300-2700.

Are you gonna gain some weight? Most likely, but thats what happens when you've been eating so low for so long. I would take a look at this book
 
Thanks for the advice. It's been so difficult that I can't even think straight.I'm planning on adding more calories starting tommorrow . Should it be complex carbs? And I'll continue with my normal workout.

what I was thinking of:
1. 7egg whites,1 yoke, cup of oatmeal,coffee.
2. 2scoops protien powder about 176 cal( made w/water
3. chicken breasts w/ ?( not sure veggie or complex carb)
4. 2 scoops protien pwdr 176 cal
5 protien w/ veggies

Thanks for all your help.:confused:
 
Is there any way you can get food instead of the protein shakes? One shake after your workout is ok, but it shouldnt be used as two of your 5 meals.

How about for 3, a chicken salad. Use romaine lettuce or spinach leaves.

Yes I would add more vegetables. I try and so should everyone to get vegetables in at every meal.
 
Thanks for the help.
as far as the protien shakes go, I don't know why but I just find them a nice simple thing to have, very light on the stomach, maybe from my years of power lifting i just got accustomed to using them ,could I replace the #3 meal with chicken or other protien and veggie or fruit, sure.

At this point I'll give almost anything a wirl. Though I have not lost any weight or fat for quite some time my strength levels have stayed the same even with the low cal. which I'll take at least I have not lost any strength.

Started the cal increase today. What do you about EFA's?

thanks ..
 
Hi Uther,

You're getting some pretty good advice from Tony so I don't want to repeat what he's already said or to complicate things for you. Just a couple of observations, though.

It's extremely difficult to lose fat and build muscle so I'd suggest you determine your primary goal. You can certainly lose fat and minimise muscle loss, though.

The root of your problem certainly looks like undereating. How on earth have you gone for so long eating so little whilst sticking with a pretty demanding workout routine - no wonder you feel burned out by Thursday! There's no such thing as a one size fits all diet or exercise program - I'm surprised your trainer hasn't provided you with a personalised programme?

Increasing your calorie intake over 5-6 meals spread throughout the day would make sense, with some protein at each meal and some complex carbs - carbs are your primary source of energy and you'll need them to fuel your workouts and to aid recovery between workouts.

I'm with you on protein shakes, they're convenient and easy on the digestive system and mixed with some fruit in a blender provide a pretty balanced liquid meal. If they work for you then you may want to stick with them.

As Tony has advised, you'll need to gradually increase your energy intake to boost your metabolism before you'll see any further significant fat loss.

You're certainly putting in the time and effort and with a few changes in strategy - starting with your personal trainer, maybe? - you should see some results before too long.

Best wishes,
Marcus
 
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