I cannot seem to get past this plateau and I wonder if you folks can tell me if I'm doing too much and stripping muscle, or what is going on, because I really don't know. :blank:

I'm 5 foot, 104lbs, BMI 19% and body fat % of 22 according to my omeron monitor (I know it may not be the most accurate gage). I am small boned.

Diet

I follow this pretty darn strictly.

I have lower cal days on Mon, Tues, Weds, Fri, of 1600 cals, and the other days 1900, which is what I think at my size and weight is my maintaining cal intake.

Low cal days

Toast w/peanut butter, 1/2 cup of fruit, water and tea.

Blt on whole wheat w/turkey bacon, or a turkey sandwich, apple, water

Spinach salad w/low fat dressing, nuts like cashews or seeds like sunflower seeds. both low salt, water

Dinner varies, 3 oz of meat, chicken or fish, 3 oz of grains, usually rice, 1 cup veggies, water

Here I will admit to my guilty pleasure, low fat frozen yogurt, 2 cups, but it's how I get both my serving of dairy a day, and also get a treat. If I don't get some kind of cheat I tend to binge when an opportunity arises.

Normal cal intake days

3 small pancakes with syrup, coffee with 1/2 tbl of sugar and 1 tbl spoon no fat creme, orange juice, water

eggs w/green and red peppers, water

spinach salad, water

Dinner is 1 cup fruit, 1 cup veggies, 2 oz of grains, and this is when I allow myself red meat, and starchy veggies like corn or potatoes (Ii don't care for sweet potatoes-wish I did).

3 cups of low fat frozen yogurt

Exercise

I exercise in between the first and second meal. Also between dinner and my nightly frozen yogurt.

Mon

Ployometrics 20 minuets

I do one to two minuet drills, things like mule kick, one legged squat, alternating superman, among others using 10lb medicine ball.



Split session-balance, I do bosu ball exercises and yoga positions for balance, 7 exercises in all, doing 3x10

Tues

Resistance training on my total gym, 11 exercises in all, lateral lunges, leg presses, calf raises, crunches, lat rows, shoulder raises, 3x 10

20 minuets of cardio on an elliptical with speed intervals

split session-stretch, 11 exercises, like downward dog, wall chest stretch, hip flexation stretch, hip rolls, glute stretches, hamstring, excetera, 20 minuets

Cardio, tension level intervals 20 minuets

Split session-lunges, crunches, plank, calf raises,squats, shoulder presses, 10 exercises 3x10, 20 minuets

Thurs is weights, similar exercises, plie squats, crunches, shoulder raises, bicep curls, working with 10-15lb dumbbells, 20 min 3x10

Cardio is intervals again, 20 minuets

Split session-Balance exercises same as Mon's split session

Fri I do kettlebell exercises with 19lb kettlebell, windmills, Turkish getups, snatches, cleans and presses, swings in a circuit, 20 minuets total

Split session-Stretching, same as Wed

Rest Sat and Sun.

Please let me know if there is any info I left out that is needed to get help.

Thanks in advance!

Am I posting in the correct forum? I hate to bump my own post up but I had an exspectation someone would be able to help me.

Anyone???

Honestly, it looks like you are doing OK - I think you might want to put one rest day in the middle of the week, and shift your workout to Sat or Sun, but this is a personal choice.

Hell, your doing more than me on the workout side, so I can't really criticize. I am finding that for me, diet is the single most important factor in fat loss, lifting is to maintain or gain muscle mass and increase BMR, and cardio is for overall health (and a good fat burner as well). Looks to me like you are covering your bases pretty well.

Thanks so much Kevin!

I really liked doing what I was doing and hoped that I shouldn't cut anything out. I especially like bouncing on that Bosu and swinging that old kettlebell around. :cool:

Over time I've slowly created a little gym in my loft, and I work at home, these are luxuries I know not everyone has.

I've just been at this plateau since before Xmas. But my body fat % went down, but I still weigh the same. May be I'm placing too much importance on what the scale says.

I'd just like a little more definition in my abs and arms, I know diet is key, but if I ate any less I would have such low energy.