losing bodyfat

[Built]

honestly she isnt eating more than we think, she has been weighing food and used a food diary and it normally comes out around 1200, but she was having more carbs then, for the last week she is trying to reduce her carb intake and up the protein

Good.

and that would tie in if she had pcos. she's also going to do weights twice a week (she was doing none before) to as well as cardio 3 times. hopefully that will get it moving and she's scheduled in for a blood test in the next couple of weeks

What macro mix is she shooting for? If I can offer a suggestion, I'd say try for about 90-120g protein and 60-90g of fat, with carbs in the 50g range (or less). Try to get in as much fibre as possible - stuff like broccoli and other green and leafy veggies (not peas).

sounds like she is eating too little and screwed up her metabolism

i did think that too, but i did extensive reading on the subject of famine mode that sort of idea and although your metabolism does get slower as you cut calories, it only drops vastly when your bodyfat is very very low

Mike, it was a good thought, but I think dteller's right here - she's not lean enough for this to have happened, not to this extent. Something's amiss.

 

[dteller1]

her carbs are definitely less than 50g, i dont think her protein is quite that high unfortunately, i would estimate her protein to be around 60g, what things could she add to increase protein? she doesn't want to have shake type things, but she is trying to have nuts and some cheese's etc as a snack inbetween meals, celery and peanut butter that kind of thing, fat is probably somewhere in that range, she is trying to eat any carbs she does have as wholegrain ones, nothing with white flour in, the doc has told her to take a break from exercise this week, she was exercising every day, then next weekend she is going to exercise 5 times a week, 2 weights and 3 cardio's, take the tablets. she is booked in for a blood test and ultrasound so hopefully it will all be sorted. i know you cant spot reduce fat but she doesnt carry her fat all over its only a little round her stomach really, probably why she notices it more as the rest of her doesnt carry much. is it worth trying to get her to have a protein shake before bed? she has just started using fitday today, so that should give a better idea of macronutrient breakdown

 

[Built]

She should not be snacking at all. Nuts are very low in protein. I'd suggest no grain whatsoever. It doesn't matter what time of day or night she eats - the only thing that matters is that she runs a deficit.

What's the ultrasound for?

Glad to hear of the fitday. Post it up once you have some numbers. With any luck, she's been underestimating her intake - if she has, this next step will be easy.

 

[dteller1]

ultrasound is for the pcos, to verify she has it i'd guess, but first of all she's having another blood test, her last was beginning of 09, so they are doing that first. so she's done todays fitday and it came out at 1250 calories, 70g fat, 40g carbs, 110g protein. ive managed to persuade her to have a protein shake before bed, ive read it can help stabilize blood sugar through the night and obviously give a protein boost, they are screening her for diabetes as well, although i think its unlikely she'd have it. 140lbs for 5 foot 7 is a healthy weight adn she has a health bf she just wants to lose some of the excess, other days would be slightly higher carbs depending on the breakfast, some days she has shredded wheat/special k which have very little sugar but obviously have complex carbs.

 

[Built]

Trust me on this. No grain. No carbs in the morning, period. If she's going to have any carb at all, have it before her workouts so her glucose transporters can help her metabolize it. If she has it in the AM, she'll promote more insulin and for PCOS, this means more PCOS.
​

 

[dteller1]

ok i will let her know, in terms of the above breakdown, is that ok? how low should carbs be for the day?

 

[Built]

She's fine. On the lifting days, she could have 20-40g more carb in the form of a starch, ideally potato, sweet potato or rice, either before she trains or half before and half after (her choice).

 

[dteller1]

thanks built your very helpful and i appreciate it, ive advised her against cereals and she's going to have things like scrambled eggs, omlette, boiled eggs, bacon, turkey rashes, sausages? is that better? with main meals if we have any carbs its going to be sweet potatoes/whole grain rice that kind of thing, low gi carbs

 

[Built]

GI doesn't matter worth shit, no matter what you read or what the doctors tell you. White and brown rice have almost the same GI. Mars bars have a lower GI than mashed potatoes, but guess which food is highest on the satiety index?

If she must have a starch, try potatoes and pulses. They're more filling.

 

[Built]

Also have her drink a small whey shake before meals. This helps with both satiety and with glycemic control. And no snacks - have her try for three meals a day with nothing eaten in between. Large, infrequent meals are better than small frequent meals for both satiety and for glycemic control. (And yes, I know this flies in the face of what we've been told for years, but the research supports it and my personal experience backs it up, at least for myself).

Good luck.

 

[dteller1]

so in regards to the breakfasts, are they a better choice there is little to no carbs in most of those?

 

[Built]

Well, I'll tell you how I eat these days - you can take from this whatever you can use. Keep in mind my calories are higher. This is about 2000 calories, with about 220-280g protein, 80-100g fat and under 100g carb on average.

10-11 AM: Whey shake with 5g fish oil. 10 minutes later: One tin of tuna (100g), 200g cottage cheese. Possibly half an avocado or some walnuts depending on my calories.

3-4 PM: Whey shake with 5 fish oil caps. 10 minutes later, meat, buttered veggies, yogurt with raspberries.

9-10 PM: Whey shake. 10 minutes later, meat, veggies, salad, oil dressing, whatever else my calories allow. If it's a training day, I may have some rice or a dosa (chickpea crepe) with this meal, since I train in the evening and this meal is post-workout.

That's it.

 

[cameron19]

I agree to you mike , if she eat less the more she feels
the starvation mode.

She need to eat less, more often.Not only will it increase you metabolism through the day, but it will also help you control your diet. Take time to chew your food. Digestion begins with the mouth, when you chew your food it's mixed with your saliva which contain digestion enzymes.You can keep your body healthy if you achieve thorough digestion, so chew your food properly and savor the food.

If she want to really lose weight do it properly and do some natural
weight loss.

​

 

[dteller1]

I agree to you mike , if she eat less the more she feels
the starvation mode.

She need to eat less, more often.Not only will it increase you metabolism through the day, but it will also help you control your diet. Take time to chew your food. Digestion begins with the mouth, when you chew your food it's mixed with your saliva which contain digestion enzymes.You can keep your body healthy if you achieve thorough digestion, so chew your food properly and savor the food.

If she want to really lose weight do it properly and do some natural
weight loss.

​

thanks for the advice but i think we've debunked starvation mode earlier on. besides we are only talking about the last 10lbs or so, she has lost 60 already!

 

[Built]

I agree to you mike , if she eat less the more she feels
the starvation mode.

She need to eat less, more often.Not only will it increase you metabolism through the day,

No, it won't. Meal frequency does not impact upon metabolic rate.

 

[dteller1]

so she is now tracking fitday and calories are at around 1200 every day, protein is normally about 90g, fat about 70g carbs are about 50g. started doing weights twice a week and some form of cardio on 3 days. Would it be possible for weight to stay the same or even go up a little with the introduction of weights, but still lose fat?

 

[comingsoon]

I think she has to take walking after meals specially after supper.

 

[Built]

so she is now tracking fitday and calories are at around 1200 every day, protein is normally about 90g, fat about 70g carbs are about 50g. started doing weights twice a week and some form of cardio on 3 days. Would it be possible for weight to stay the same or even go up a little with the introduction of weights, but still lose fat?

Yes, if she eats at a surplus.

No, if she runs a deficit. That being said, her muscles may become a bit inflamed initially and hold water. This will pass. True muscle gain on a female running such low calories will be in the range of ounces per month at best.

 

[dteller1]

what about things like glycogen retention? ie glycogen being stored? its early days, but 1200 calories a day, and orlistat, blood test on wed hopefully that will shed some light, im confused why it doesn't go down, i read an interesting study about ladies with pcos and insulin resistance having significantly lower bmr's

 

[Built]

I thought about glycogen; it's possible, but 70g of carb ain't much to reglycogenate on.

 

[dteller1]

that is true but if the body needs glycogen, will it not convert the glycerol from lipids to glycogen. Ladies with PCOS have higher test levels, do they potentially build more muscle?

 

[Built]

You're not going to get any significant reglycogenation on below-maintenance calories and low carbs. I did Atkins for a long time and I got no pumps in ketosis.

 

[dteller1]

is there any reason you can think of someone wouldn;t lose weight with an intake that low?

 

[Built]

Thyroid.