All time low

[Fguarin20]

I am 24 an have been fairly fit all my life, I have used to run a lot 3/4 years ago and did marathons etc... Needless to say I was really slim, and weighed about 3.0 stone lighter.

A couple of years ago I started weight training and started to looked the bet I ever had, as I was building muscle and I didn't have much body fat so the results were great! However due to a new job moving in with my girlfriend etc I stopped going to the gym and tore my ankle ligaments which playing football (play Sunday league every week). This was about 9 months ago.

I have been back in the gym now for about I've months, I am probably the strongest I have ever been... But the biggest also both good muscle and bad fat. I am really struggling to loose weight... I do eat well usually protein shake in a morning, tuna wraps/pitta(wholemeal) at dinner then I eat a lot of fresh chicken and meat (don't use oil) for tea with veg, rice or pasta. I have 2 protein shakes a day depending on meal and training times, also whilst having fruit and crab as snacks etc.

I am just getting down beat as I feel I am really committed but just am struggling to loose weight, however I don't want to go back to my skinny days, I want to be able to look good with the muscle I have built up. I do intense 45-60 mins in the gym but admittedly need to up the cardio but play competitive 1-2 times a week at soccer/football. I do think my job has impacted as before I was a sports student now I work in banking, basically on my backside!

At a loose end really of what to do differently, any tips?
Help me look good again... Please!!!

[rpmcduff]

Sounds to me like you exercise and eat healthy. That tells me the problem is in how many calories you are consuming. With your new job being sedentary, your Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) or how many calories your body burns daily has probably gone down. Use the tools here on Fitday to calculate your BMR (I use the lowest activity option available because like you I sit all day on the job) if you haven't already. Log your food (all of it). Develop a plan to acheive a 500 to 1000 calorie deficit through what you eat and what you burn through exercise. This will allow you to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. Keeping your protein intake between .75 to 1.0 gram per pound of lean body weight will help you maintain muscle while losing body fat.

White rice and pasta should be limited to post workout meals as they are simple carbohydrates that are easily converted to fat if you body does not need them to refill your glycogen or energy supply. Consider substituting brown rice and whole grain pasta or reducing/eliminating them and eating more vegetables.