Hi everyone
I have been on a fat cutting diet/cycle for quite a while and I am NOT losing...I have cut my calories (around 1600-1700 per day), lowered my carbs, cycled my carbs, etc...I do cardio 6-7 days a week (sometimes fasted). I lift weights (total body) 3-4 times a week. I am female, 5'8" and approx 136 pounds. I have good muscle definition in my abs and legs, but still need to shave it off of my triceps and lower back (esp. triceps). I put on some mass during a bulk phase that I went through and I need to lean out. This is proving to be impossible :mad:

Should I:
lower calories?
do HEAVIER tricep/back exercises to build the muscle and kill the fat?
more cardio?

A typical diet is:
bkfast
1/2 cup oats and 1/2 cup Fiber One
1/2 cup cottage cheese

snack
8 almonds

lunch
spinach salad with lots of veggies and shrimp & grilled chicken (maybe walnuts)- no dressing

1/2 cup fiber one (or oatmeal) & 1/2 cup cottage cheese

apple

dinner
frozen spinach or broccoli, tuna or salmon, maybe salad?, sweet potato (if weight day)

sugar free/fat free hot chocolate


ANY ADVICE APPRECIATED!!! :D

I think you might want to try cutting your calories some. 1600-1700 calories at your weight and activity level would work for men, but females have a smaller RMR. Try going down to 1400 and see where it takes you.

You are eating four times a day, and one of them is just a handful of almonds. There is some room for improvement there. Spread out your calories between 5-6 meals. I've gone as low as 1400 calories a day in 6 meals and, if you make the right choices, you will NOT feel hungry (aim for at least 2 lbs of fresh veggies a day).

Try to get protein with every meal. Substitute, for example, half of the almonds for some tuna or chicken and you'll have a superb pro/fat combo.

Do only small changes at a time, so you can learn what works for you, i.e. don't lower your calories + increase number of meals + increase protein at the same time. Stay for a week in your range of 1600 with more meals and see what happens. If you lose about 0.5-1 lbs, you're on track. After that lower your calorie intake accordingly with your progress by about 100 every week.

If nothing of that works, and since you are doing a lot of cardio already, you could try going to mainteinance for a week (maybe 1900-2000 cal) still remaining fairly active.

Also, how is your leg workout? I think that is, together with the back, the most important workout of the week if you want to burn fat. Give it everything you have inside. Be a beast on legs days.

Try lots of things, just one at a time. Good luck!!!

:tu:

Hi everyone
I have been on a fat cutting diet/cycle for quite a while and I am NOT losing...I have cut my calories (around 1600-1700 per day), lowered my carbs, cycled my carbs, etc...I do cardio 6-7 days a week (sometimes fasted). I lift weights (total body) 3-4 times a week. I am female, 5'8" and approx 136 pounds. I have good muscle definition in my abs and legs, but still need to shave it off of my triceps and lower back (esp. triceps). I put on some mass during a bulk phase that I went through and I need to lean out. This is proving to be impossible :mad:

Should I:
lower calories?
do HEAVIER tricep/back exercises to build the muscle and kill the fat?
more cardio?

A typical diet is:
bkfast
1/2 cup oats and 1/2 cup Fiber One
1/2 cup cottage cheese

snack
8 almonds

lunch
spinach salad with lots of veggies and shrimp & grilled chicken (maybe walnuts)- no dressing

1/2 cup fiber one (or oatmeal) & 1/2 cup cottage cheese

apple

dinner
frozen spinach or broccoli, tuna or salmon, maybe salad?, sweet potato (if weight day)

sugar free/fat free hot chocolate


ANY ADVICE APPRECIATED!!! :D


We all have our problem areas. Vary your reps and set schemes.

Cut your cardio to 3x per week with a complete day of REST from lifting/cardio

Full body do 3x per week. Not 4x

Eating 5 small meal a day should rev up your metabolism and get you out of your funk.

Try this for the next 3 weeks:

Meal #1:3 oz chicken, 99% ground turkey, or 96% lean ground beef; 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg; 1/2 cup oatmeal or 1 serving cream of rice

Meal #2: 5 oz chicken or 99% ground turkey or 1 cup non-fat cottage cheese; 1/2 apple or 1/2 fresh peach or 1/2 cup fresh pineapple; OR 2 scoops of a good protein blend in 16 oz water.

Meal #3: 6 oz chicken, turkey, or tuna; 2 cups non-starchy veggies or 2 cups salad (no cheese, croutons, bacon) 2 tbls low fat dressing.

Meal #4: same as Meal #2

Meal #5: 6 oz chicken or 2x per week 96% lean beef; 4 oz sweet potato or 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or 1/2 whole wheat pita pocket; 1 cup non-starchy veggies

Very gradually increase your water intake each day, so by the end of the 3 weeks you are drinking 16-20 oz more than when you began the diet. Include a good women's multi vit/min formula.

Try and get your bodyfat measured before and after.

Good luck!

You are eating four times a day, and one of them is just a handful of almonds. There is some room for improvement there. Spread out your calories between 5-6 meals. I've gone as low as 1400 calories a day in 6 meals and, if you make the right choices, you will NOT feel hungry (aim for at least 2 lbs of fresh veggies a day).

Try to get protein with every meal. Substitute, for example, half of the almonds for some tuna or chicken and you'll have a superb pro/fat combo.

Do only small changes at a time, so you can learn what works for you, i.e. don't lower your calories + increase number of meals + increase protein at the same time. Stay for a week in your range of 1600 with more meals and see what happens. If you lose about 0.5-1 lbs, you're on track. After that lower your calorie intake accordingly with your progress by about 100 every week.

If nothing of that works, and since you are doing a lot of cardio already, you could try going to mainteinance for a week (maybe 1900-2000 cal) still remaining fairly active.

Also, how is your leg workout? I think that is, together with the back, the most important workout of the week if you want to burn fat. Give it everything you have inside. Be a beast on legs days.

Try lots of things, just one at a time. Good luck!!!

:tu:

I know what you mean about legs! Squats can tone everything if you do them with enough intensity and consistency! My leg workouts are intense and I love it. I will try dropping my calories, but that always seems to put me in a "crazy" phase where I analyze my diet to the point that it makes me nuts!!! 1400 just seems really low, but I will give it a shot.

I know what you mean about legs! Squats can tone everything if you do them with enough intensity and consistency! My leg workouts are intense and I love it. I will try dropping my calories, but that always seems to put me in a "crazy" phase where I analyze my diet to the point that it makes me nuts!!! 1400 just seems really low, but I will give it a shot.
do what mastover said.

++protein;

do what mastover said.

++protein;
:tucool: :tucool:

We all have our problem areas. Vary your reps and set schemes.

Cut your cardio to 3x per week with a complete day of REST from lifting/cardio

Full body do 3x per week. Not 4x

Eating 5 small meal a day should rev up your metabolism and get you out of your funk.

Try this for the next 3 weeks:

Meal #1:3 oz chicken, 99% ground turkey, or 96% lean ground beef; 2 egg whites + 1 whole egg; 1/2 cup oatmeal or 1 serving cream of rice

Meal #2: 5 oz chicken or 99% ground turkey or 1 cup non-fat cottage cheese; 1/2 apple or 1/2 fresh peach or 1/2 cup fresh pineapple; OR 2 scoops of a good protein blend in 16 oz water.

Meal #3: 6 oz chicken, turkey, or tuna; 2 cups non-starchy veggies or 2 cups salad (no cheese, croutons, bacon) 2 tbls low fat dressing.

Meal #4: same as Meal #2

Meal #5: 6 oz chicken or 2x per week 96% lean beef; 4 oz sweet potato or 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or 1/2 whole wheat pita pocket; 1 cup non-starchy veggies

Very gradually increase your water intake each day, so by the end of the 3 weeks you are drinking 16-20 oz more than when you began the diet. Include a good women's multi vit/min formula.

Try and get your bodyfat measured before and after.

Good luck!

Thanks Mastover for the advice! I am going to give it a shot...but giving this diet a quick eye, it seems a bit high in calories and low in carbs. My body really craves carbs if I go too low....I usually get one gram per pound of weight? Is that too much during cutting and if I do cut carbs down dramatically, what happens when I increase them again? (I am referring to those people who do low carb diets and then lose a ton and then gain it back PLUS some!):nope:

Thanks Mastover for the advice! I am going to give it a shot...but giving this diet a quick eye, it seems a bit high in calories and low in carbs. My body really craves carbs if I go too low....I usually get one gram per pound of weight? Is that too much during cutting and if I do cut carbs down dramatically, what happens when I increase them again? (I am referring to those people who do low carb diets and then lose a ton and then gain it back PLUS some!):nope:
His proposed plan was not "low-carb." It may be lower than you're used to, but I would not consider it "low-carb" at all.

1/2 cup oatmeal or 1 serving cream of rice
...
1/2 apple or 1/2 fresh peach or 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
...
2 cups non-starchy veggies or 2 cups salad (no cheese, croutons, bacon)
...
1/2 apple or 1/2 fresh peach or 1/2 cup fresh pineapple
...
4 oz sweet potato or 1/2 cup cooked brown rice or 1/2 whole wheat pita pocket; 1 cup non-starchy veggies
...

read the name of your thread
read mastover's signature
decide from there.

Thanks Mastover for the advice! I am going to give it a shot...but giving this diet a quick eye, it seems a bit high in calories and low in carbs. My body really craves carbs if I go too low....I usually get one gram per pound of weight? Is that too much during cutting and if I do cut carbs down dramatically, what happens when I increase them again? (I am referring to those people who do low carb diets and then lose a ton and then gain it back PLUS some!):nope:


This plan will initially create a thermic effect on your body, as well as keeping you in a steadier and more balanced nitrogen state. I believe that diets should be cycled much like we do training routines. The proposed nutritional plan should provide a good anabolic jolt to your system, hence setting you up for continued progression with carb cycling schemes. Expect to lose a good portion of water weight at first, followed by increased fat burning. If you continue to drop, while maintaining/increasing strength in the gym, continue longer than the 3 weeks. Once change is imminent, expect to eat more food to keep your metabolism fired up. You will turn into a fat burning furnace ;)

I think you might want to try cutting your calories some. 1600-1700 calories at your weight and activity level would work for men, but females have a smaller RMR. Try going down to 1400 and see where it takes you.


that is not necessarily true.. I was eating around 1300 and was NOT seeing any improvement in fat loss or muscle gain.. my trainer upped my callories to 1800 and I started losing fat and gaining muscle and I'm FEMALE... 5' 2.5" and I weight around 140 lbs... you can't generalize that women can eat that low... it works for some, but not for others.. if she is doing any good amount of weight training.. which it sounds like she does, she would NOT want to drop that low if she wants to keep the muscle

The increased protein and calories in mastovers diet will actually supress your carb craving to some degree because your blood sugar will be a little more stable.

The increased protein and calories in mastovers diet will actually supress your carb craving to some degree because your blood sugar will be a little more stable.

not only that, but the carbs he suggested are high fiber (oatmeal, fruits, veggies, etc.) which will also help you to feel full :tu:

not only that, but the carbs he suggested are high fiber (oatmeal, fruits, veggies, etc.) which will also help you to feel full :tu:

I hear ya....I firmly believe bulking should be no different than cutting other than an adjustment in cals (for the most part, as mastover said you have to keep the body guessing to a degree....in exercise and diet). Not really into dirty bulks. It creates WAY too much work for a cut....plus metally....for me, the cleaner I can maintain my diet the easier it is. It's funny that everyone around me seems always compelled to push chocolates, cakes and other crap on me as if by me eating it will make them feel better while they chow down.... I've never quite understood why some people take that stance. It almost offends them when someone hunkers down and says I'm going to change and actually does it. If you set your mind to something, it can be pretty straight forward.

Sorry for digressing and derailing the thread a little....my apologies..

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