I dont have calipers available for use, so right now I'm not sure if my bf is dropping. Even though weight decrease doesn't necessarily mean its fat, sometimes the idea of a value dropping shows an indication that something is happening. For me from sept to dec, I stayed consistently @ 200lbs. For a brief period, I dropped weight during the xmas hols to 195lbs. Now a few week after xmas hols it seems to have stalled again. I may have dropped bf, can't really tell. Its very frustration to say the least.

I've changed my routine to splits to try and build as much muscle in each group as I can and will see what happens in 5 and half weeks. If nothing has decreased (just got a myotape) since last measurements... well... don't really want to think about it.

Any ideas what I can do to shake things up?. Ive tried to keep a mental note of foods I've eaten and done a quick calculation of how much calories is in each (just by looking at it) but haven't weighed or worked out specific intake for the day. I try and aim for 2000 most days. Diet has been pretty clean..

So far im thinking of adding a cheat day... just because my variety of food is quite limited, and doing some morning CV (fasted) tomorrow.

I might post a pic for bf estimating, so hope you don't mind.

(sorry for the longish post, im ranting. I just imagined myself still pluggin away for the next few years with no change and totally giving up..)

:d_eek: :d_confuse

Whenever I hit a plateau I wildly fluctuate my calories 2 days in a row. Like Monday I might eat 3200 calories and Tuesday eat 1400. In fact I try to do that fairly often, plateu or not, to keep me sane.

I dont have calipers available for use, so right now I'm not sure if my bf is dropping. Even though weight decrease doesn't necessarily mean its fat, sometimes the idea of a value dropping shows an indication that something is happening. For me from sept to dec, I stayed consistently @ 200lbs. For a brief period, I dropped weight during the xmas hols to 195lbs. Now a few week after xmas hols it seems to have stalled again. I may have dropped bf, can't really tell. Its very frustration to say the least.

I've changed my routine to splits to try and build as much muscle in each group as I can and will see what happens in 5 and half weeks. If nothing has decreased (just got a myotape) since last measurements... well... don't really want to think about it.

Any ideas what I can do to shake things up?. Ive tried to keep a mental note of foods I've eaten and done a quick calculation of how much calories is in each (just by looking at it) but haven't weighed or worked out specific intake for the day. I try and aim for 2000 most days. Diet has been pretty clean..

So far im thinking of adding a cheat day... just because my variety of food is quite limited, and doing some morning CV (fasted) tomorrow.

I might post a pic for bf estimating, so hope you don't mind.

(sorry for the longish post, im ranting. I just imagined myself still pluggin away for the next few years with no change and totally giving up..)

:d_eek: :d_confuse

How much cardio do you do?

My guess is that it's the food you need to nail down. Get serious about it, start writing down stuff. Remember, progress is slow, there's no need to weigh yourself more than once a week, and it shouldn't change that much, maybe a pound or two each time.

i am willing to bet those 2000 calories you consume a day are:

1) not enough to fuel your body to do anything with
2) your not eating the proper nutrients when they are needed
3) the foods you consume arnt as healthy as you think

I dont do any cardio now. Just focusing on weights. But from tomorrow i'll do some morning cv for a while see if it helps.

I'll try and jot down the stuff I eat, and I'll try and make sure to hit my 1lb loss limit instead of the 2lb loss per week calorie aim.

Thanks for the replies.

I feel you man. I went from 225-185 a year ago, but havn't really been able to drop below 185 since. Working out isnt hard for me, but the diet is

Im going to get into shape this time around and stick to the damn diet :flex:

I know exactly how frustrated you are. I was doing morning fasted cardio and heavy weight lifting for about 6 months and dropped about 25 pounds but still had some fat around the belly. I began weighing my food and calculating the exact amount of nutrients I was eating about 2 weeks ago and I have seen a big difference. I've lost 2 inches from my waist and my abs have started to poke through by just changing my diet. I figured out that I was eating too few calories and the wrong proportions. I now eat about 2000 calories/day with a 40/40/20 (protein, carbs, & fat) ratio. I suggest that you keep track of everything you eat and make sure that you're eating the right nutrients in the right proportions. The sticky on nutrition really helped me out. I would also start doing morning cardio if you want to speed up the fat loss process.

I also cheat once per week. Nothing excessive, but it helps keep you sane.

Just keep at it and don't get discouraged. :tu:

shit id be happy to be where you werent happy at raydog... you know with your belly.

6 months huh.


anyways... isnt theire disagrement on how much the macro nutrient percentage is on a cutting diet? some say more carbs then protein and others say more protein then carbs. i dont know whos right or wrong so im just going with more protein then carbs at the moment.

Cheers again.. off to do that morning CV now.

But first, any ideas wha my BF is now. Im kinda hoping its high but not too high.. (not happy with face, but i hope ive made some progress with losing fat from my body).

Thx

I'm no expert by any means and I don't have much experience with giving people health advice, but I'd say that your BF% is around 15-18% I only say this because you don't look that different from what I did about 2 weeks ago and I measured my BF to be around 17%. I would say again that adjusting your diet and doing morinig cardio would help you out tremendously. You look pretty good, keep working hard and you'll see results in time. I'm a very impatient person and I had a hard time being patient with my body and the way it decided to lose fat. I guess we all just have to wait until our bodies decide to listen.

krossspyder: I don't know what percentages are right or wrong, I just picked one and the 40/40/20 ratio is working for me right now. I know that everyone's body is unique and different things work for different people. I guess that you just have to pick one and adjust it to what works for you. As I learned the hard way, it takes a long time to figure out exactly what nutrinets your body needs.

Sorry if I'm being vague in any way, but I'm just learning how to do things the right way and can only try to give advice based on what's worked for me so far.

Good luck to everybody and hopefully we'll be sharing stories about how cut and happy we are some day. :flex:

Patience is one of my best features :) (modesty is not :lol: ). But the results ive gotten over 6 months is pretty pants compared to my 9 month plan to get to my goal... 9 months of 2lb per week loss = my goal weight.. And I even complained about the time it would take. I guess this is someone's way of balancing out my comments... *shakes fist @ someone

I think my issue is undereating. Studies doesn't allow much time for it, and the vegs Ive been eating are soooo low cal. It would take a carload to get the required amount into a single meal... I feel sorry for vegetarians.

I think I also my be overeating on carbs. Need about 160g-200g of carbs, and my first meal went up 77g (oatmeal and milk)... And I have milk related foods quite a lot during the day.

Cheat meal planned for tuesday (odd day I know but its the only day I dont work). A binge day.. can't wait.

Thanks for the percentage figure, but I dont really think im @ 18% yet. 15% is a pretty flat gut, and my gut still hangs over trousers. :o

Back to my studies..

You look to be about 23% bodyfat. As well, oatmeal and milk is a sh*tty way to begin a day. It really is.............where is the PROTEIN?????????
Please don't say from the milk. The milk has more carbs than protein, and all of the carbs in milk (yes, all of them) are pure sugar. (LACTOSE)

I'd introduce that cardio now. It's a tool that will greatly assist you, and I'm amazed you haven't done so yet. That is why you are frustrated, so get some good cardio going, and lose the gut and frustration. :cool:

Keep in mind though that cardio only serves to accelerate progress from any already STERLING dietary approach. That is something you really need to work on, or all the cardio in the world ain't gonna do jack diddly sh*t.

:tu:

~SC~

You look to be about 23% bodyfat. As well, oatmeal and milk is a sh*tty way to begin a day. It really is.............where is the PROTEIN?????????
Please don't say from the milk. The milk has more carbs than protein, and all of the carbs in milk (yes, all of them) are pure sugar. (LACTOSE)

I'd introduce that cardio now. It's a tool that will greatly assist you, and I'm amazed you haven't done so yet. That is why you are frustrated, so get some good cardio going, and lose the gut and frustration. :cool:

~SC~

Thanks swolecat. My BF scales said I was about 22.5, course it said I was 25% yesterday, so appreciate your feedback on BF.

I was gonna say milk :o Better change that oatmeal then.

Is low intensity cardio ok after a legs workout day? or is it best to let them rest.

Oh and reason why i left out cardio was I wanted to use whatever energy to build muscle (even though I know muscle doesnt grow on a deficit) and I wasnt sure if i was overeating. Didnt want to add cardio to make the deficit gap to high.

It is more than okay to do cardio DAILY, provided your dietary approach supports your cardio/weight training efforts.

Remember, diet IS key. The old phrase "you are what you eat" has never been so true.

~SC~

*sets alarm for 6.

Done.

I know most ppl seperate cardio and weights by 8 hrs or do it on diff days. On my weight days, could I do the CV , eat something then go to the gym for weights?. That way I get to do CV fasted, and get the energy for weights.

Ideally you want to seperate aerobic/anaerobic activity by at least 6-7 hours or three meals.

Again, this is all going to be based upon what exactly you are doing, so w/out going into too much detail where it may not be needed, I must go.

I've got my cardio to do. :cool:

Good luck!

~SC~

Trouble with that is I have studies (6ish hours) followed by work 7-10ish (I dont have gym access after 4). So my weights is done early in the mornin when theres fewer people in the gym. I don't mind waking up earlier to fit it all in if need be.

Thanks for the constructive feedback.

Good luck with the cardio. :tu:

Trouble with that is I have studies (6ish hours) followed by work 7-10ish (I dont have gym access after 4). So my weights is done early in the mornin when theres fewer people in the gym. I don't mind waking up earlier to fit it all in if need be.

Thanks for the constructive feedback.

Good luck with the cardio. :tu:

If you are doing wight training in the morning oatmeal is not bad to eat as your first meal. You need carbs to get enough energy to train properly. Try to eat both protein and carbs after your training. And after that eat meals with more protein and less carbs the rest of the day. That will work if you eat the right number of calories/day. Some people cant properly digest milk so you could try to remove that from your diet.

If possible you can do some cardio also. Try to do it 2-3 times/week.

Regards!

I like my milk, good source of calcium, works better on oats and cereal than water. I will try and cut down on it see if it helps thanks. Wonder if milk with no carbs - little carbs is ok.

2 SwoleCat:

If you don't mind can you give me a BF guess for this starting pic of mine. Appreciate it if you can.
http://forums.johnstonefitness.com/showpost.php?p=106202&postcount=2

Wonder if milk with no carbs - little carbs is ok.


No such thing. Unless its fake.

I think I bought some fat free milk UHT treated or something, that may have no carbs. Can't be sure though. Will check when im in the shops next time.

Cheers again.. off to do that morning CV now.

But first, any ideas wha my BF is now. Im kinda hoping its high but not too high.. (not happy with face, but i hope ive made some progress with losing fat from my body).

Thx

good work - im coming from a similar position (also a brit)

for body fat - i use tanita scales - about 40 quid? i think - their accurate enough at this level to chart bf%

I think i may have the same scales as you, my cos about 40 quid. For me though i need it accurate to 0.5% which these can't provide. I'm hoping to aim for 0.5-1% bf loss for a week, so i need that accuracy, but my bf readings give +5-7% difference.

I think i may have the same scales as you, my cos about 40 quid. For me though i need it accurate to 0.5% which these can't provide. I'm hoping to aim for 0.5-1% bf loss for a week, so i need that accuracy, but my bf readings give +5-7% difference.

I don't think there's a scale in the world that could give you that accuracy. I weigh myself under the same conditions every morning and average them out over the week. One tip I've found is that you get a more stable reading if your feet are clean and dry, so I always take a shower first.

my point exactly :) afaik calipers are more accurate but i aint sure to what degree. Planning to get some soon but i need to know more on how to use it.

Hey there! I just checked out your progress pics and you've come a long way so far! Keep it up!

I just wanted to make a suggestion about your breakfast. I LOVE oatmeal too, but to get a good balance of protein and carbs, I mix oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder (I use MyoPro). It tastes great, and 1/2 c (dry) oatmeal (made with water) with 1 scoop MyoPro has 270 cals, 26 gms protein, 27 gms carbs and like 3-4 grams of fat. It really keeps me satisfied until my next meal.

Stay strong! You WILL get there!

*Sara* :tu:

appreciate it :tu:

Just waiting for my 5KG (11lb) tub of protein to arrive (along with the maltodextrin, and casein - should be able to add some cals using those). Gave my rasberry one to my brother, as it was too sweet for my liking.

Hopefully the next few weeks I should hope for some quite big changes rather than in 3 weeks time when i start the new term.. then busy busy till summer. (sigh - summer.. :d_rolleye )