just looking for some advice, my girlfriend is trying to lose weight at the minute, she is 5'7'' and 138lbs and approx 25.5% bf according to the scales. Over the past 2 years she has lost a lot of weight going from 200lbs to her current weight through exercise and diet. But recently the scales are stuck, i mean will not budge and have been for approx 2 months, she is eating about 1200 cals a day, doing either 2 gym classes or 2 HIIT sessions and ive convinced her to do 2 weight sessions per week as well (before this she would have done about 4 cardio type sessions per week but no weights), she is walking to work when its dry about 1 and a half miles there and 1 and a half back but still the scale doesn't move at all, or it goes down 1 week and goes up the next it just sort of hovers around where it is, no significant change in body fat, she is aiming to get to about 126-130lbs, there HAS to be a calorie deficit only taking in 1200 cals, just cant see why its not working, she has had plateau's before but they;ve always gone after a few weeks. She has been to the doc's about a year ago when a similar thing happened he did some blood tests and the only slightly abnormal reading was slightly elevated testosterone but they said this could have been due to exercise. Anyone got any advice or been a similar situation?
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- Thread starter jon1234
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She's been eating at a caloric deficit for about two years? Perhaps she should spend some time eating at maintenance for a few weeks. When was the last time she had a training deload week or some sort of diet break?
i'd imagine pretty much never....she is going to america for 7 days with work so no exercise for a week, and ive read about having a cheat day once a week may be a good idea, you think because she has been dieting for so long her metabolism is crawling?
If she has, in fact, been at a deficit for a long period, then it might be a good idea for her to reset her metabolism. However, most people who are not actively and accurately tracking their caloric intake are taking in many more calories per day than they think they are. Does she use something like fitday? If not, it might be an eye opener.
From what I read above, she is doing a LOT of cardio/aerobic stuff, yes? It is very common for people (especially women, IMO) to think that cardio is the answer, and that more and more will increase fat loss....the opposite is true.
I would encourage her to closely re-evaluate her diet, put together a do-able weight training routine, starting slowly, as not to get discouraged, learning the basics. The cardio is okay in smallish doses.
Built is the best source for a more educated answer to this scenerio...she's been there, done that......and she's kinda smart too.
From what I read above, she is doing a LOT of cardio/aerobic stuff, yes? It is very common for people (especially women, IMO) to think that cardio is the answer, and that more and more will increase fat loss....the opposite is true.
I would encourage her to closely re-evaluate her diet, put together a do-able weight training routine, starting slowly, as not to get discouraged, learning the basics. The cardio is okay in smallish doses.
Built is the best source for a more educated answer to this scenerio...she's been there, done that......and she's kinda smart too.
she has a notebook she writes calories in of everything she eats, she has only been having 3 meals a day no snacks, and it totals 1000-1200 calories most days. maybe its just to little at such a long time?
dude she thats y her metabolism is crawling combined with diet for so long, u cant exceed 4hours without eating, u have to feed ur metabolism 2.5 to 3 hours should be the normal duration between meals, for a total of 6 meals a day, have her try that for a bit and see what happens after her break. keep in mind it takes the body about 21 days to adjust to a new diet. i would also suggest a training regimine focused on weight training 4-5 times a week and cardio 3-4 times low intinsity. like the stair mill or walking on an incline. see what happens
Um, I'll go out on a limb here and say that most of that is outdated information, and none of it is accurate.
Tell her to simply start over, starting with this:
http://www.ironmagazineforums.com/new-members-begin-here/97077-read-me-first-homework-1-newbies.html
Sounds like excellent advice to me. Time to focus on maintenance for a bit. After a few weeks or even months, she will come back stronger and ready to finish things off. Sounds like she is in pretty good shape as it is, so cutting further can be a tough challenge. Last five or ten pounds are always the toughest. I think she should give it a rest diet-wise, and try to avoid any bounce-back gains.
That's because it is. The information you cited is basically "bro-science" that Fitness magazines use to sell. Studies have shown and continue to show that eating six meals every day doesn't effect anything. Aside from your satiety perhaps..
Eating frequency has been a disputed topic for quite a while. As of late, the more common consensus is that it really doesn't matter how often you eat, or when you eat for that matter. Of course, eating more frequently makes life easier when one is trying to consume a considerable amount of calories and/or protein...all dependant on your diet, of course.
As for this part...
This is what we call Over-Training.
well u must know some magic i dont know, im not a pro but know some, i cant get scientific about it but do some research on the effect starving ur body for more than an average of about 3.5 to 4hours has on ur body's insulin levels, when u deprive ur body from something it will hold on to it, and it definitely has a direct impact on ur metabolism, ur body is going to try at all caust to conserve energy, if ur not feeding ur body with nutrients consistently then ur metabolism will have no need to be in overdrive and burn up the food uve just consumed because it doesnt know when ur gonna feed it again, thats y it is essential to be consistence with ur nutrient intake, u go ahead and try that eat whenever u want crap and see how u dial in 12 weeks. i dont care wut u run. i read that post on the eating more meals has no proof, it also said if u like to cook veggies in a stew u should, u gonna tell now that sodium doesnt cause water retention?
I know there are lots who believe otherwise, but there is in fact no evidence in the literature that it matters.
Many of us have moved toward less frequent eating. Read leangains (Martin Berkhan) for more on this. Also Lyle Mcdonald.
slimshady95
Registered
Ummm,u talk a lot about the scale not working or moving,hmmm maybe get a new one.
Jon, props to your girl fro dropping so much weight!
Now, at 5'7" and 138 lbs, she's TINY! She's smaller than I am - I'm the same height and weigh 145 lbs - and I wear a size four.
Are you sure about that 25.5% bodyfat reading? If it's a scale you stand on, and she's dieting, it's going to overestimate her bodyfat BIGtime.
I carry about 119 lbs lean mass, and I'm quite muscular. 25.5% bodyfat at her weight puts her at 102 lbs lean mass, which just doesn't sound right considering her former weight AND the fact that she works out. My money is on her actually carrying more muscle than this. If she's got even 110 lbs lean mass (that's about how much lean mass I have on me in my profile pic, and I'm 130 lbs in that shot), then she's 20% bodyfat right now and dropping below this is WORK for a woman, particularly given how heavy she's been in the past.
Also, does she weigh her food, or eyeball it?
(PS I am also of a mind that she needs to take a month or so to resestablish her maintenance calories; I've done this on numerous occasions and can help if she needs some guidance)
the thing is she has only just started lifting weights for the last 2 weeks! Before that it was all cardio for 2 years and i think she may have lost some muscle, she has obviously gotten way smaller than she was! But still carries a bit around her stomach its just this she wants to lose, some of it may be lose skin from when she was bigger? She was weighing food, do you think 1200 calories is to low? From measurements she works at about 25% bf as well, i was thinking up the calories to 1500 a day have 2 full body weight sessions, 3 cardio days and 1 cheat day a week to reset metabolism?
Okay, if she's weighing her food and it really IS 1200 calories a day, have her make an appointment to get her thyroid checked. Meanwhile, have a read at the link in my sig on "getting started" - have her lift three times a week. She can do half an hour of cardio after she trains if she likes, or in the AM, or on the off-days. Or she can walk for up to an hour most days - and it doesn't have to be all at once. Cardio more intense than walking shouldn't happen more than a couple of times a week, if at all for now.
While she does this, have her increase the calories to 1300 a day for two weeks.
Then 1400 a day for two weeks.
Then 1500 a day for two weeks.
Her weight will creep up, slightly, as she reglycogenates. This is normal but she's going to freak out. Tell her to relax and drop me a PM if she needs to hear it from a woman who'se been there. She can expect her weight to drift up to about 143 lbs, then it should more or less stabilize if she does this right.
She should be able to creep the calories up to where she's eating about 13 - 15 times her bodyweight in calories. She can increase her activity level while she does this, and she should be able to get strong enough within a few months to be able to squat half her bodyweight for at least five reps.
The goal from this point forward is "avoid gaining", rather than "losing". She needs to do this if she's ever going to be able to diet off the rest of the weight.
Oh and if she's on the pill, get her to stop those NOW. The pill is a nightmare for a woman's metabolism.
While she does this, have her increase the calories to 1300 a day for two weeks.
Then 1400 a day for two weeks.
Then 1500 a day for two weeks.
Her weight will creep up, slightly, as she reglycogenates. This is normal but she's going to freak out. Tell her to relax and drop me a PM if she needs to hear it from a woman who'se been there. She can expect her weight to drift up to about 143 lbs, then it should more or less stabilize if she does this right.
She should be able to creep the calories up to where she's eating about 13 - 15 times her bodyweight in calories. She can increase her activity level while she does this, and she should be able to get strong enough within a few months to be able to squat half her bodyweight for at least five reps.
The goal from this point forward is "avoid gaining", rather than "losing". She needs to do this if she's ever going to be able to diet off the rest of the weight.
Oh and if she's on the pill, get her to stop those NOW. The pill is a nightmare for a woman's metabolism.
jmorrison
Registered
Tennfan, dont get so defensive bro. The advice you gave was pretty much the standard 8-10 years ago, but current research has basically debunked it. There MAY be a slight advantage (or maybe not) to eating more or less often, but far more important is to simply eat in the manner that makes you more comfortable.
After all, being hungry sucks. If you are hungry all the time you won't stick with it. So if eating 6 meals a day helps you with this, great, if you like to just snack around during the day and then have a big meal in the evening, thats great too.
No one is attacking you! It's obvious that you are trying to help, but research in regards to bodybuilding changes all the time, and we are all just here to learn!
Increased meal frequency does not promote greater ... [Br J Nutr. 2010] - PubMed result
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/4/981
I think you need to eat as many times per day as you want. Calorie count is what really matters.
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