Howdy all,

I've been working on getting into shape for over a year now. I weighed a max of 460 pounds in September 2003, and I've been fat all my life, so I decided to make a change. I'm fairly tall though (about 6'7") and have a heavy frame (wrist 8", broad shoulders), so I realize that I'm never going to weigh 180-210 pounds like almost every weight chart I've looked at has told me.

Currently I'm 25 years old and weigh 282 pounds, and I've been hovering at that mark for a month now, despite my best efforts. My other measurements are chest 50", waist 40", and hips 45". According to my calipers, I'm around 17-19% bodyfat. My goal is to eventually get to about 8-10% bodyfat.

I try to take in about 2500-2600 calories per day in a 40/40/20 split between carbs/protein/fat. I also try to do 20-45 minutes of cardio 4-6 times per week, and weight training 3 times per week. Here's what my typical daily schedule looks like:

7:30 am - Whey protein shake (23g protein mixed with water), 1 glass of green tea

8:00 am - Cardio (currently doing 12 minutes of HIIT and trying to work my way up, used to do 45 minutes at 70%)

8:30 am - Post-workout shake (46g protein mixed with water)

9:00 am - 3/4 cup oats cooked in water, with 1/4 cup almonds for EFAs

12:00 noon - Large grilled chicken breast, 1-2 cups of broccoli

3:00 pm - 2 soy burger patties on a low-carb bun, with 1 teaspoon each of ketchup and mustard

4:30 pm - If i'm going to do weight training, I do it at this time, and follow up with a post-workout shake (46g protein mixed with 8-12oz skim milk, plus a few raisins for simple sugars)

6:30 pm - Large grilled chicken breast, scrambled eggs (8 whites, 1 yolk), 1-2 cups of broccoli

10:00 pm - Either a pre-bedtime shake (23-46g protein mixed with water) or 1 cup of cottage cheese

I also drink at least 1-1.5 gallons of water per day, and take a multivitamin and antioxidant every morning.

I carefully measure my portions and monitor my calories using FitDay, and almost every day I end up around 2500-2600, yet my weight hasn't budged for 4 weeks now. Anyone have any ideas on how I can bust through this brick wall?

Thanks!

You say you do 20-45 minutes of cardio 4-6 times a week, is this including the HIIT at 8:00 am? If not, you should seriously cut back on your cardio. First of all, HIIT every day is not recommended. Also, if you do HIIT every day, that's 14-16 workout sessions per week (7 HIIT, 3 weights, 4-6 other cardio). You don't need this many, ever. I busted through a plateau by simply stopping doing cardio in the morning.

Being a 282 lbs guy at 17-19 % bodyfat means you burn a lot of energy. Your lean mass is somewhere around 230 lbs, which is not puny in any way. I consider myself a huge guy, and my lean mass is "just" 215-220 lbs. I eat an average of around 2,900-3,000 kcals, and I'm losing quite a bit of fat right now. I exercise 6 times per week, never in the mornings now. I bet you could up your daily energy intake by 5-600 kcals without any threat to your fat loss. It might even burst it, and that's when you do cut back on exercising.

Anyways, where you really 460 lbs about a year ago? Losing 180 lbs is...amazing, to say the least. Hope you do meet your goals someday.

(and on a side note, I think you don't need to drink that much protein shakes)

You say you do 20-45 minutes of cardio 4-6 times a week, is this including the HIIT at 8:00 am? If not, you should seriously cut back on your cardio.

The HIIT is replacing my 45 minutes of low-intensity cardio that I'd been doing for the past few months. I felt my routine was getting stagnant, so I decided to change things around a bit.

Being a 282 lbs guy at 17-19 % bodyfat means you burn a lot of energy. Your lean mass is somewhere around 230 lbs, which is not puny in any way. I consider myself a huge guy, and my lean mass is "just" 215-220 lbs. I eat an average of around 2,900-3,000 kcals, and I'm losing quite a bit of fat right now. I exercise 6 times per week, never in the mornings now. I bet you could up your daily energy intake by 5-600 kcals without any threat to your fat loss. It might even burst it, and that's when you do cut back on exercising.

Right then, starting this week I'll try bumping my intake up to 3000-3200 per day, and see what happens.

Anyways, where you really 460 lbs about a year ago? Losing 180 lbs is...amazing, to say the least. Hope you do meet your goals someday.

Thanks. Yes, I really was 460 pounds slightly over a year ago. Still have a pair of my old pants with a 60" waist, and a couple of my old size 5XL shirts. I lost about 30-40 pounds in the first 6 weeks or so, most likely water weight. I think I have a picture of myself from around that time somewhere, maybe I'll post it someday.

(and on a side note, I think you don't need to drink that much protein shakes)

All right, I'll keep that in mind too. Maybe I'll cut them down to pre- and post-workout only. It can be kind of hard getting 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight at my size otherwise though.

Thanks for your help!

The HIIT is replacing my 45 minutes of low-intensity cardio that I'd been doing for the past few months. I felt my routine was getting stagnant, so I decided to change things around a bit.
I see. I still don't think 4-6 sessions of HIIT is good though, you could do two HIIT and the rest 45 minute low intensity. There are lots of threads on HIIT and how often to do it if you do a search.

Right then, starting this week I'll try bumping my intake up to 3000-3200 per day, and see what happens.
Sounds good. I bet ya it will do you good.

Thanks. Yes, I really was 460 pounds slightly over a year ago. Still have a pair of my old pants with a 60" waist, and a couple of my old size 5XL shirts. I lost about 30-40 pounds in the first 6 weeks or so, most likely water weight. I think I have a picture of myself from around that time somewhere, maybe I'll post it someday.
That'll be a before/after shot worth while. May I ask if you have any problems with lose skin? Most people would claim that you can't lose that much in such a short period of time without having those problems.

All right, I'll keep that in mind too. Maybe I'll cut them down to pre- and post-workout only. It can be kind of hard getting 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight at my size otherwise though.

Thanks for your help!
No problem. Where all here to help each others, and ourselves. If you ask me, 1g / lb of body weight is far more protein than what is really needed.

I see. I still don't think 4-6 sessions of HIIT is good though, you could do two HIIT and the rest 45 minute low intensity. There are lots of threads on HIIT and how often to do it if you do a search.

I shall do that, thanks.


That'll be a before/after shot worth while. May I ask if you have any problems with lose skin? Most people would claim that you can't lose that much in such a short period of time without having those problems.


Yes, I've got some loose skin around the stomach and upper legs, and a little bit on the chest. I'm hoping it will eventually tighten up after I lose more body fat and add some more muscle to fill up some of the empty space.

Here's a link to my before and after shots. The first one is a shot from late August 2003, when I weighed between 450-460 pounds, and the second one is a shot from this morning, at 282 pounds.

Photo Album (http://photos.yahoo.com/lawsonchubo@sbcglobal.net)

Holy hamster! That IS amazing. You should post that in the media gallery. You would certainly be an awesome inspiration to people who have a lot of weight to lose.

Congratulations on your fat loss thus far Chubo!
Knubb is right about the inspirational factor of those pictures. I have a similar build at 6'8 but i have never been 460 pounds. My max was 333. Seeing your pictures makes me feel silly complaining getting under 300 pounds. If you can lose that much in a short amount of time, i know i can lose not even half that weight. well done.

I hope you break through this plateau. I have just currently broke a 8 month plateau(about time!). I found switching from HIIT to moderate intensity cardio helped alot or vice versa

Good Luck!