breethe000

Hey everyone, new to the community.

I wish i had found this site earlier in my diet, already learning so much about my diet and things to change... (afterall this tool just makes me be more honest with myself) would have been a great tool to have to keep track of my body measurements overtime too, something i neglected to think about.

anyways, i've been on my own diet/workout plan since last october. starting weight was 268 and currently i am at 250. i started my diet with a 0 carb cleanse.. 0 carb is kind of a joke because i still was allowed fruits which are carbs, just not grains/potatoes. then my friend got me motivated enough to sign up at his gym a month later. i've had gym memberships in the past and always went to try to bulk up and just get huge. this time i wanted to try something different and focus more on cardio and maybe add weights in the future. so i started going to the gym 3, 4 then 5 times a week doing nothing but cardio for an hour. i lost 2-3 pounds a week this way until i hit 250.

this is where my problem begins, i have been at my current weight for almost 2 solid months. about 4-5 weeks ago i added a lifting regiment to see if maybe i could build a little muscle to help increase my metabolism. ive fluctuated from 248-256 over the last 2 months.

looking for a little help
im currently taking a multivitamin from gnc as well as a wheybolic protein shake. just added a vitamin E pill yesterday as i found out im not getting enough from my diet (after being honest and entering it here).

im eating 2000-2300 calories daily from what im reading here and elsewhere i need to be eating 3300 to maintain weight... maybe im undereating?

i know i need to quit pop but its my vice, what can i say

oh and i guess one thing i forgot, my goal is to get down to 230 by june, im not really lookin to shred the weight fast im in this for the longhaul, already been goin at it for 4 months its all habitual now.

fit4luv

Great job on the weight that you've lost! Plataues (spell?) are common, so I hear. To get you started with more ideas of how to break the barrier, you can click onto FitDay's Best of Series - listed in my signature.

Until you get more response:

If you haven't already, I'd visit around this forum for more specific advise.
Eating: There's always that of checking eating portions once again, changing combination of foods, changing when we eat and so on. You mentioned pop -- I know that's your one thing, but maybe do one less daily???? Or maybe there is something else you can focus on??? More fiber? I have no idea where you really are eating wise and what your circumstances are. Sometimes I know I need to be reminded of the basics.

Activity - check out the Exercise forum if you haven't already. I'm discovering great information there. I'm sure more will be along with great advice.

Hope you can stick around.

rpmcduff

Some ideas for you to look at. What do your macro-nutrient percentages look like? The Carb/Protein/Fat mix should be around 40/30/30. If you are lifting are you lifting heavy? I recommend weights that will only allow 6 reps to failure? Are you doing Squats and Deadlifts to add core mass and increase the metabolic furnace? Are you getting enough protein ( .75 to 1.0 grams per pound of lean body weight minimum).

Are you still doing all the cardio with the weights? Are you giving your body a chance to recover between workouts? Overtraining can actually stall your weight loss progress.

All of these are just things to consider. And I don't have all the answers or I wouldn't be stalled on a plateau also. But I keep making small changes (I have recently returned to the gym after a 3 year hiatus). I hope to see progress from the weights and HIIT cardio.

fit4luv

Hi Ron or anyone else ~ What does the bolded phrase mean? (BTW - Just to be clear, I bolded that part.) I'm thinking ahead for when I plateau.

crazigerl

Welcome,

I will only say that pop screws with your sugar numbers and that just by itself can wreck all the good you do otherwise. Also I had to up my calorie intake as my body was hanging on to every calorie. However, cuz I'm female I'm not sure if that is your situation but the guys here will certainly have great insights for you.

Fit4luv, 6 reps for failure means picking a weight that you can only lift 6 times before you can do no more. It shreds the muscle fibres and when your body repairs the muscle you get some big gains as well as some wonderful fat burning results.

fit4luv

Thank you, crazigerl.

breethe000

Thanks for the additional inputs and ideas. i was actually coming on here to update the post because it looks like adding more calories was the answer i needed. i've started to lose again!

anyways my macro fluctuates a little from 45/25/30 to 40/30/30 carb/protein/fat. my lifting regiment is merely 3 days a week, im doing a lot of high rep 10-12 3 set on 3-4 muscles within a group (chest back etc) sunday is chest/back monday is legs and thursday is arms/shoulder. i tend to toss in abs any day they arent too sore. im getting anywhere between 170-220 grams of protein daily at a weight of 250 im probly overloaded if anything there.

i'm training to run a 5k with some friends from work, so yes i'm definitely still doing cardio. i run atleast a mile pre-lifting to get warmed up. then i walk for 30 mins after lifting to keep my heart rate up to keep burning a little bit longer as well as it helps me not be as sore the next day. i also do not go to the gym tues/weds or sat. so i have 3 days off a week from training so i dont believe its overtraining.

so far the change that seems to be making the difference was just eating more. something i would have never thought to do on my own. a tip i read on these forums on a page devoted to nothing but plateaus. so thank you fit day community!

rpmcduff

Glad to hear you have broken the plateau! Everyone has different goals so I wanted to point out that different repitition ranges will help you achieve different muscle goals.
10+ reps done in 3-4 sets will produce the most muscle endurance.
8 reps done in 3-4 sets will produce the most muscle strength.
6 reps done in 3-4 sets will produce the most muscle mass.

These are not mutually exclusive. Will you get stonger doing 10 reps instead of 8? Yes, but not as quickly. Same with mass 6 reps gets you bigger faster than 8 or 10. Just be sure you are working to failure. And ladies you are not going to turn into a muscled freak by lifting at a 6 rep range (you don't have the testosterone necessary) but you will get that toned look that many are looking for. I especially recommend moving to lower reps for squats and deadlifts that work large core muscle groups.

fit4luv

Ron -- What a helpful post. I know this isn't a thread I started & it's not in response to a post of mine. Still, thank you so much in helping me to set goals with toning/strength training.

crazigerl

Ditto from me too, I actually posted this in to my journal. I am truly amazed at how generous everyone is on this board in sharing. Did we hijack the thread yet?