Hello, have been inspired by this site since I began my fitness quest on Jan 1st. Since then I have read Burn the Fat feed the muscle and about another 4 downloadable books, tens of websites and four normal books on sport/nutrition/losing weight etc.so I am not uninformed! But I would really appreciate your help on my slow fat loss, please excuse length of post!

I am female 42 (british living in Nice south of France J
5 ‘6 58kg and approx 19% body fat (calipers show my upper body at around 14/15% and tanita shows lower body at 23% yes I hold all my weight in my legs) I reckon I am endo-meso
I already show more muscular definition in upper body than some guys who have been going to gym in years! So much for women not bulking up !! J

I began 5 months ago at 61kg and 22% on calipers (24% tanita)
I have been exercising 5/6 times a week and have changed my routine about 3 times....
At present I am doing Upper/lower body split 4 times a week for 40 mins and lifting 5-10 reps and 5 sets (heavy much more than the other girls in the gym)

I do cardio 4-6 times a week and varies for HIT to long distance runs

Have always been pretty fit but think i was skinny fat due to years of anorexia when I was in teens/early 20s...My only goal all along is to become really fit again and get some muscle definition in my legs said i was already skinny... but compared to upper body I have flabby/jiggly legs with no muscle defintition and eg socks still cut into calves etc... I can tell the muscles beneath are larger and much stronger.......I do understand there is no spot reduction

Apart for a month’s attempt in middle where tried to bulk but gave up as i gained 1kg of muscle BUT also added 1kg fat/1% of body fat on lots of exercise and clean diet (2200 cals)

I eat at present average of 1630 per week (including two higher cal days) have tried down to 1550 and up to 1800;;; have also tried zig zagging I do 5 meals a day!
I eat 98% clean foods drink 3 litres of water per dayday and a ratio of 50/30/20 C/P/F... also taper carbs towards evening

So WHAT IS THE QUESTION you ask?
I average a fat loss of about 0-0.2kg per week and have persisted but get very discouraged at such slow loss when feel it should be 0.5-1kg per week!!!! Has anyone any tips PLEASE??? Or is it a case of being pâtient??? Also do you think if I lost another 2% body fat this would get some definition in my legs... at this rate this will take another 3-4 months...

THANK YOU :)

I am in a similar position where my fatloss is not fast enough to suit me, but judging by your stats
You really do not have much fat to lose.

Keep in mind if you are 19% bodyfat and drop
1kilo of fat to 57kg. You will be around 17.5%...

So even at this slow rate as long as you maintaine your muscle mass (and no reason you should not at 0.2kg/week) You can still drop a good % of bodyfat in a couple of months)

Shahar.

Hi Jedi-

Two things that might help.

1) Perhaps you should try changing your macronutrient breakdown. Try going with a 40/40/20 (P/C/F) for a little while and see how that works for you. When designing your meals, try to remember that your body is much more receptive to complex carbs during specific times of the day including breakfast, pwo, and your pwo #1 meal (whole foods). The increase in protein and slight drop in carbs might be the kickstart that your body needs to get your metabolism rolling again and burning fat. Also, feel free to post your diet on here. Often times people think they are eating great and when they post they find out very quickly that many things could be the problem in not burning as much fat as they want.

2) How long have you been doing that lifting routine? Do you do the same rotation of exercises every session? Remember, your body will acclimate to anything you do overtime. The human body is very smart. You need to trick and manipulate it by changing things like the exercises you do, reps/sets, the order in which you perform those specific exercises. These changes will keep your body constantly guessing and will help to fuel more muscle growth and hopefully in turn help you burn the fat that you want to lose.

If you give us some more details training/nutrition wise we might be able to pinpoint where you can make adjustments so that you will be on your way to reaching your goals!

wow so cool to get replies. feel like i have been doing this alone for 5 months and my firends have not been supportive.. they think i am becoming skinny and too muscular :(

This is the third time I have changed my weightlifting routine in 5 months... and I change my cardio regularly

At the moment do 4 days split upper lower 40 mins with 5x5 sets of 7/8 exercises then usually i follow this with 20 mins HIT then I do one or two other days 45-60 mins running. quite often hike/play squash/kayak too

I have eaten healthily all my life so just being especially strict at the moment and have been pretty much weighing everything.. Fast food is not a temptation here in France I know noone who eats it :)

I am doing 5 days at 1550 cals and 2 and 1800
I eat few or no carbs at the end of the day.

typical days 3 litres water
7.00 AM breakfast otmeal+ 2 scoops soy protein + about 12 raisins
I coffee skimmed milk 360 cals

10.30 100 grams cottage cheese and apple + coffee+ milk 220 cals

lunch chicken sandwich with homemade wholegrain bread and small salad + drizzle olive oil 400 cals

banana pre workout 110 cals
1700 workout
post workout protein shake 200 cals

20.00 evening meal salmon and broccoli 300 cals

i think i would struggle to keep on a very low carb diet so hesitate to do this..do this

I lost the most the week i went up to 1800 as I wa smoving towards trying to bulk but then the next week when i moved up to 2100 I gained equal amounts of fat and muscle so gave up :(

thank you for taking the time to find out more, hope these details help

wow so cool to get replies. feel like i have been doing this alone for 5 months and my firends have not been supportive.. they think i am becoming skinny and too muscular :(

Well you know what you want and know what your goals are so don't worry what others think. If they stepped into the gym with you they would probably be huffing and puffing after two minutes. Keep at it! :)

At the moment do 4 days split upper lower 40 mins with 5x5 sets of 7/8 exercises then usually i follow this with 20 mins HIT then I do one or two other days 45-60 mins running. quite often hike/play squash/kayak too

Personally I think you should devote your weight lifting days to only weight lifting. Realistically, just by doing HIIT only, you should have given max effort and feel completely worked. I can't imagine that you could go through a full weight lifting workout and then give max effort for a HIIT cardio routine. I would try your four day split and do your HIIT on your off days. If you want more cardio, do LISS in the morning and make sure you do your weights atleast 6 hours after you do cardio, so sometime in the late afternoon.



I am doing 5 days at 1550 cals and 2 and 1800
I eat few or no carbs at the end of the day.

Just remember that carbs are your friend at the right times. If you workout at night for example you will want carbs as pwo fuel. Just because it is night time doesn't mean that carbs are bad. Of course if you aren't training try to have some P/F combinations.


typical days 3 litres water
7.00 AM breakfast otmeal+ 2 scoops soy protein + about 12 raisins
I coffee skimmed milk 360 cals

Try dropping the raisins and go for some blueberries or a banana. Also, try getting a whey protein instead of soy. There are much better protein options than soy.


10.30 100 grams cottage cheese and apple + coffee+ milk 220 cals

Are you drinking the milk or just using it in your coffee? Some people say that dairy gives them a bloat so therefore don't use it during a cutting plan.

lunch chicken sandwich with homemade wholegrain bread and small salad + drizzle olive oil 400 cals

Homemade wholegrain bread sounds good. :nod: :drool:

banana pre workout 110 cals
1700 workout
post workout protein shake 200 cals

Based upon the calories your pwo shake sounds like only protein. You should try and get some carbs in at this point. Your body will be most receptive to the nutrients you take in at this point and will use it immediately for fuel and to replenish your body. Try getting some dextrose, a simple sugar, and use that with your protein shake.

20.00 evening meal salmon and broccoli 300 cals

You should eat a solid meal about an hour and a half after your pwo shake. This meal should have some complex carbs like brown rice, sweet potato, etc. Your body is still ready to utilize any food you give it at this point so make sure you get a good P/C meal in at this point.



i think i would struggle to keep on a very low carb diet so hesitate to do this..do this

With a 40/40/20 breakdown, you will not be low carb. :nod: In fact, that is a good amount of carbs to go throughout the day.


I lost the most the week i went up to 1800 as I wa smoving towards trying to bulk but then the next week when i moved up to 2100 I gained equal amounts of fat and muscle so gave up :(

You probably didn't gain a pound of fat and muscle. The scale probably went up but I bet most of that was water weight. One or two weeks won't make your body change drastically, especially if you are eating healthy. I would stick to your plan right now as you are cycling calories. Use fitday to see how much you eat and the macro breakdown. Try to make it a 40/40/20 or as close as possible. Remember, this stuff takes time. Stay consistent, work hard, eat clean, and track your progress. Take pictures once a week too. Often times a scale or bodyfat measurement can be misguiding. Pictures are quite honest in showing progress.

Good luck and keep posting! :)

Honestly, it sounds like you are already very fit. For you, 0.2 kg or fat loss per week is a pretty good target. This will keep your muscle loss to a minimum.

If you lose 1 kg/week, you'll be underweight in 5 weeks.:p

If you lose another 2% of body fat, you will definitely see more definition in your legs. I've lost no fat in the last 18 months, but I'm much more defined now than I was because I have kept up my strength training program.

Well guys thank you so much for these encouraging and helpful replies... it is cool to "talk" to like-minded people.... from your information I plan to tweak my diet and maybe go to three days lifiting only and three days cardio only as I can't face getting up before 5.00 in the morning to do cardio then :) so i can concentrate on either one or the other, I did do this back in March/April and preferred this because as you say when you have lifted hard you have little energy left for cardio...

If I do three days weights would it be better to go back to a full body workout or stick with the upper/lower split?

Actually I just put a drop of milk in my coffee but I have no trouble with dairy so think I will keep my milk in protein shakes and the natural yoghurts, will change to wey only protein powder... on the protein powder i can get here in France it says 75 cals for 20grams so I put this in milk for my PWO shake

Have to say haven't taken any photos so guess I can give that a go... will have to be on the self timer though as my friends would just laugh :)

Yes I am very fit at the moment. Am pretty lucky that have remained more or less active all my life and seem to have a good natural level of cardio fitness. however, since exercising 6 days a week since beginning of Jan I have seen vast improvements too... When I reach my body fat % goals I am thinking of training for a semi marathon as my next goal.. I want to be sure that I enter menopause very fit and healthy

Guava and Big Dawn thanks for encouraging me that 0.2kg per week seems OK and it is true I don't seem to have lost any muscle if anything I have gained

Good luck with all your goals
Jedi

If I do three days weights would it be better to go back to a full body workout or stick with the upper/lower split?

That is really up to you. If you want to change your routine to three days a week of full body then give it a go. When trying to lose weight/bodyfat many believe one day of complete rest is important since your calories are a bit lower than normal. With full body you could do three days of lifting, three days of cardio, and if you felt good enough and wanted to do so, throw in that extra cardio session on your off day. Just listen to your body.



Yes I am very fit at the moment. Am pretty lucky that have remained more or less active all my life and seem to have a good natural level of cardio fitness. however, since exercising 6 days a week since beginning of Jan I have seen vast improvements too... When I reach my body fat % goals I am thinking of training for a semi marathon as my next goal.. I want to be sure that I enter menopause very fit and healthy

See, this is the most important part. You feel good about what you do and recognize that you are a fit person! :nod: Yes reaching your goals and trying to get to X% bodyfat is fun/challenging to reach for, but as long as you are happy with what you are doing then the rest is not that big of a deal (friends comments, etc.).


Guava and Big Dawn thanks for encouraging me that 0.2kg per week seems OK and it is true I don't seem to have lost any muscle if anything I have gained

Jedi, Is this your new nickname for me? :D :lol:

metabolically speaking, slow cuts and slow bulks are best in the long run for general health (IMO). IF your ficus was pure bodybuilding then you *might* take a different approach.

Your fat loss (I don't like the connotation "weightloss") is darn near perfect, reasonable and sustainable. Your not stalling and at this rate you probably won't stall so don't mess with what is working. Only change things up when you've become mentally unable to keep it up or your body evens out and you want/need to go further.

I say nice work....keep it up.

Quote:
Guava and Big Dawn thanks for encouraging me that 0.2kg per week seems OK and it is true I don't seem to have lost any muscle if anything I have gained

Jedi, Is this your new nickname for me?

It seems We have been fused into one being.

I wonder if we get special powers as compensation
for the multiply personality disorder.

Shahar.

Woops guess i haven't got the hang of posting yet as this is my first time hence wanting to give you all personality disorders:D actually was just trying to say a word of thanks to all who had replied so stuck it all on one mail!!!
Interesting how its mainly blokes replying on the womens' site :)

Its relative to your goals.