Gen-X

Hi All,

My first post, so please bare with me. I know alot of people post specific to themselfs, this sometimes inspires other people or relates to them, how ever i'm get to find anything covering my issue.

About 4 years ago i started my weight loss program, going from 18st at 20yrs old, to 12st 7lb by the time i was 22, during which time i was weight training as well as cardio work so at a guess loosing over 6stone. I'm not here for prise, or well dones, i just need to know whats gone wront before i hate myself anymore!

I'm now 24, a little fatter than I was back then but only by about 2-3% bf, but have bulked naturally and now weigh in at 15st 5lb, my problem, I can't lose the weight anymore.

I've been on alot of forums, read alot of info on fat loss, dieting and exercising info over the years so feel myself quite well versed in training, supplements and general weight info, how ever I was wondering if your body can adapt to low calorie dieting.

I've been scared of putting weight back on again so always kept my calories down, which is worrying how i've managed to bulk on less tha 2000 callories a day. Now im on anywhere between 1200-1500 callores a day, unable to lose weight, but go over 2000 and a start to put weight on.

Diet:

meal 1: Oats and Protein Shake
meal 2: Apple and Shake
meal 3: Smoked fish of some sort and 1 slice wholemeal bread
meal 4: Diced chicken or ham salad
****Train****
meal 5: Palm of nuts and shake

Training

Mon: Chest
Tues: Back
Wed: Rest
Thurs: Legs and Tri
Fir: Shoulds and Bi

Cardio 3 times a week after weights

I train hard and push myself constantly, i dont have a problem gaining muscle, but losing weight.

I'm also struggling with the excess skin from the weight loss which I am looking to have removed towards the end of the year but if anyone can shead some light on what my be the problem please let me know.

Regards

Gen-X

Flabby_Abbie

By 'weight' I assume you mean 'fat'? Weight refers to whole body weight, not just fat weight. I've just finished doing a VLCD and lost 2st in 6 weeks (starting off at 415kcals a day and then gradually moving up the plans and now maintaining at 1500).

Doing a VLCD isn't Easy Street; it takes dedication if you want to get into ketosis quickly (which means that your body is using stored glycogen and, once that's depleted will use your stored fat as an energy source, hence you lose the flab (fairly) fast. I lost 10lbs my first week, and then 7 my second, and it evened out to a 4lb/week loss (would have been more if I'd not cheated and regained nearly a stone over 10 days!).

The flab disappears faster the more you have to lose, though a weekly loss of 4lbs seems to be about the norm (I've been doing the Cambridge Diet and that's a typical loss on 810kcals/day).

Doing a VLCD like that is very motivating as you see the scales moving in the right direction very quickly, but the other thing you have to keep up (and this has been my Achilles heel) is the fluid intake. Cambridge dictates that you must drink at least 2.25l of calorie-free liquid per day (that can include tea and coffee) to keep your kidneys functioning at their peak because, if you do not, then some of the kidneys' work is taken on by the liver, which isn't then performing its usual task of helping to metabolise and remove fat, so you gain flab.

I have been using Bio-Oil to tone my loose skin (I can't afford surgery!) and it works (it's recommended to women to tauten abdominal skin after birth).

The CD is a low-carb, low-fat, high-protein diet, and you are monitored by a Counsellor through your entire journey.

Depending on your BMI, you may not qualify for the Sole Source programme (you need to be BMI 25+1 (e.g. my BMI was 25 at 11st, but I couldn't sole source, because I would have had to have been 12st).

I am neither advocating, nor endorsing, any VLCD - the CD or otherwise, I'm just telling you that it's worked for me (when all other diets have failed).

I would say that your diet is quite high on the carbs, and low on protein. Oats, apple, bread and nuts are all high-carb foods - your only protein sources are the shake (you don't say what it is) chicken (which is higher protein than ham - poultry is higher in protein than red meat, ditto white fish having a higher protein content than red/pink) and/or ham.

I would ditch the smoked fish (which can also be quite salty - and not only is salt bad from a cardiac PoV, it will dehydrate you) in exchange for a tin of tuna in spring water. Zero carbs, zero fat and about 25-30g protein per (drained) tin.

Other good protein sources include: -

Poultry
Cottage cheese (the plain variety - if you want to stick to a (V)LCD, then the flavoured kind has too much in the way of carbs)
White fish
Tuna
Quorn (though not the stuff made to look like ham, bacon or pork)
Tofu
Skimmed milk (on the CD 810 programme you're allowed half-a-pint skimmed a day).

Hope that helps a little,

Sarah

beequeth

Mate, Your problem is that your metabolism has slowed right down and your body is more than likely in "famine" mode because of the tiny amount of food / kcals that your eating.

Also, there is almost no fat in your diet. You need EFA's to help in the process of burning the bodyfat away. You need to have lots of fibourous green veg as well mate.

The way forward is to shake up your diet considerably, and get your metabolism up and running.

If it were me, to start with I'd take a week off diet and eat pretty much what you want (within reason), pizza, KFC, veg and poultry dinners etc.

From there a carb cycling approach could work for you, theres plenty of info on here about how to plan that - do a search and check out the stickies at the top of the page.

To really get the benefits, I would up the cardio to 6 days a week, and try to do it first thing in the morning before breakfast, seperating it from your weights session.

With your metabolism as it is be very cautious about adopting a VLCD approach.

It may also help you to get some over the counter fat burners to speed things up a bit.

Thats my 2p.

BabyYoYo

Excellent Post beequeth.

It sound like your body is in starvation mode and that any food is being stored immediately rather than being used in normal metabolic function.

Training like you are requires much more input food wise.

Check out the link below, it details everything you'll need to know about caloric needs.

http://www.uk-muscle.co.uk/measureme...your-diet.html

As beequeth says, you may benefit from a carb cycling programme. This will kick start your metabolism again!

Hope this helps!

Kate x

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Gen-X

cheers guys, i'll be starting new diet monday after having this week eating pretty much what i want. I'll hit cardio in the AM and weights of an evening and keep you posted on results. I'm looking forward to trying something new but as I'm sure you'll understand if you do something long enough it's hard to break a habit, even if you know its not god for you!

pauly7582

From your history it sounds like you dieted for 2 years straight, lost 6 stone and therefore must have lowered kcals considerably. I'd have your thyroid checked out with your GP mate.

A period of high kcals and intense training might put it right if it is suppressed slightly.

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6' 0"
220lb
11% bf
BP: 180k
DL: 260k
Squat:200k

Dieting
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