Hi all,

I need some advise from you guys who have the experience. I have been cutting for just over a year now and have lost 47 kilograms (103 pounds) thus far. I started out at 130 kilograms (286 pounds) and am very happy with my results. My bodyfat % is still a little high for my liking at 17%, I would like to get down to at least 10% but maybe lower.

Now my problem is this...

1. I am struggling with very low energy levels, just lately though, no changes in my diet. (I suspect that my body is just tired of cutting).
2. I am getting impatient about putting on some muscle mass.
3. I am losing motivation (not badly but I just dont feel as motivated as I did a month ago and that is worrying me).

Now I dont expect a pep talk at all... mainly I would just like some opinions on what my next move should be. Should I hang in there until I reach my body fat goals and just deal with the lethargy or should I start a bulk (which I am terrified of because I dont want to get fat again) or should I just up my calories by about 300 or 500 and continue doing what I am doing?

I have just taken a week off training as I do every six to eight weeks. It just so happend to coincide with the birth of my second child (a little boy :) ), so I am not getting a full eight hours sleep a night but then again I never did before either. I get roughly 6 to 7 hours a night which is sometimes interupted due to my two and a half year old.

Anyhow, just looking for some opinions if someone has some free time.

Kind Regards, :tu:

Preach

Congrats on your kid :) I would bump the cals up 250 to 300(few more carbs) for a few weeks and see how things goes. You might continue to lose weight.

How's your nutrition before and after your training sessions?

I also don't think its necessary for an average trainee to take a week off so often has you do but if its working i would continue with it.

Congratulations on your 2nd child!

I do think a week off is good. Allows the body to fully recover.

Well, first of all, dont think that you are alone on this one, because myself and I think every single person who loses weight, has been through what you are going through, so dont feel like you are alone, because thats how I felt when I went through it.

It just takes some certain motivation from things in life in order to kickstart you again, I know it seems tricky but it works, I have only just gotten over a LONG downtime because I took like 2 months off of training because of things happening around me in life :o

I just suddenly chose about where exactly do I want to be in another 3-4 months? lazy and unfit again? no way, you and I have worked WAY too hard to get to the point where we are now, so why let down your training? you should work even harder, pushing yourself now through this time, you know that in a month or so, you will feel awesome for having pushed yourself with the training and getting closer to your desired level.

With the energy levels being lower, how much protein are you getting? I now have protein after my workouts, and protein before bed, because I have been learning all about how the body works during your sleep, and it actually ends up taking deposits from your muscles because of the long deprived energy. So maybe you should try to atleast inhibit that by taking a protein shake as your last meal of the day, maybe this will help, Im not an expert but I know it has helped me.

That will also help about putting on muscle mass, because as I said, the body starts feeding off of your muscle after a while in your sleep, because it has nowhere else to go, if your looking to put on mass, then I would suggest having protein and cottage cheese as your last meal, but I would just try to up the calories a little more before you make drastic changes, you could still want to loose more weight before you start bulking, but if you are want to bulk, try the cheese and protein, because this will atleast help a bit while you sleep, unless your willing to wake up and eat, but with a newborn im guessing your sleeping would be all over the place (congratulations by the way :tucool:).

Also, see how you feel in a week or 2, maybe this is just a slight feeling that will pass, because I knew I had ups and downs during my journey, one week I would feel like im not getting anywhere because of the lack of motivation I had that week, but then the next week I was on top of the world, with awesome motivation because I know how far I have come.

Lol, I just go on and on when I start making a post..ill stop now, maybe I should become a writer or somthing :lol:

Good luck mate :tu:

Your BMR is probably very low...and after being on negative calories that long you are perhaps not feeling very good...

I would advice you to take a brake from cutting for 2-3 months. Try a clean bulk without over-eating. I guess 700 more calories/day and your training focused on building strenght and muscle could be a good start. If you start to get higher BF% fast you can decrease calories somewhat. If you see no significant increase in BF% you can try to add 200-300 calories more.

I think you should give your body some time to recover from being on negative calories and if possible add some muscle. Remember that your BF% depends both on how much fat you have and also on how much muscle you have...If fat stays the same but with more muscle(higher LBM) your BF% will be lower...

:gl:

Hey Preach, congrats on EVERYTHING, especially your new baby boy!!!!! Damn you've lost a lot of weight.:tucool: I think perhaps at this particular stage of the game it might be better to recruit the assistance of a pro. Square business. A trainer will probably be able to help you tweak your routine/diet past this stalling point. IMO, you're at a major crossroad in your transformation. Don't turn back now!!!!!!