Unique Case ? Maybe - What am I missing.

[ISMISIBM]

Hi everyone. Only my 2nd post so I will try not to ramble on.

Starting stats: 42 yrs old; 6'3 290 pounds (Ideal weight based on the science 331). Lots of bell to lose, probably around 52-54 at its biggest. 3XL in shirts. 2XL in shorts etc.

Exercise Plan: I have been going to the gym about a month now. 4 Times a week. 45 minutes of hard Cardio with 45 minutes of high rep low weight strength training. Probably burning about 800 calories a visit.

Now the hard part and why I called this Unique.
Daily Diet. Most of our foods is blue menu if its processed and try to stay fresh where we can. We try to get as much chicken/turkey as we can and we really avoid anything fried. Occasionally we have a burger/fry meal but usually only once a week. Salads Daily, Lots of fruit and drinking a couple liters of water. The problem is overall I don't think I ever eat more then 2300 calories a day. Its been like this for a year or more and somehow I am sustaining my weight. I have done some research and even at the Gym they told me maintain calories is 2600-2700. When you throw in my close 4k calories lost a week in exercise how am I not losing weight?

I have debated seeing a trainer but it can get expensive and honestly It shouldnt be rocket science to get down to a manageable weight. I am not looking to participate in fitness contests or body building; just get down to a XL shirt and 38" waist again. At this point I am worried about dropping 300 calories a day to kickstart the process. Is it better to maybe up my food intake to 2800 calories a day for a couple weeks while maintaining the exercise and see if that works?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to remain positive but there are days I am just ready to write a book about the struggles of weight loss and really maybe we are just meant to be a certain way. Maybe we cant all be 15% body fat etc.

Thanks in advance. Hope I wasn't too wordy.

 

[annejohns]

Hey ISM...
Actually, the science of training and nutrition does sometimes fall into a rocket-science-kind-of category! But, I think you can find what you are looking for through this forum and others.

First let me say that if you have begun an exercise program and have changed eating habits, it may be that the scale is showing lean mass gains. Men are blessed with testosterone which allows for gains even if the proverbial nail is not being hit on the head.

Use the abdomen measurement (right across the belly button) to track fat loss. The measurement will decrease with fat loss (even though the scale may be increasing).

Be careful of too much cardio and too much endurance-based weight training. This can lead to injuries and after about 12 weeks, will not enable lean mass gains. In other words, you will hit a plateau and the fat losses will diminish. You can keep your hard cardio days in but begin to gradually change the strength training into separate days of true strength training -- that is higher weight loads and lower reps. A good goal is 4-6 sets of a given exercise, 6-10 repetitions, loads of 80-90% or 1RM.

I am happy to help you with the progression from the endurance weight training to the strength protocols.

As for eating, yes! keep it fresh and clean. Eat lot's of healthy animal proteins and vegetables of all kinds. 1-2 servings of fruit is all you need: in the morning and after workout. Eat 20g animal protein every time you eat and eat multiple times per day.

Again, if you want more info or clarification, I am happy to help.

Weight loss is incredibly hard and forums like this are pretty amazing. You are not alone.