Stuck for 5 months - no weight loss -HELP!

[Ginger1961]

So I have been on this quest, like everyone else I suppose, to be in the best shape I can possibly get myself in. I'm extremely disciplined. I do not have any issues eating clean or completing my workouts but for some ungodly reason I cannot get any further. I have gone from 147 lbs to about 125 lbs in two years. (I'm 41 by the way and 5' 3" tall). That's how long I have been lifting weights. I know that I have gained muscle and lost fat along the way so my fat loss is probably way more the 22 lbs considering the scale loss. I have seen changes in my body but not in 5 months. I still have quite a bit of belly fat. I do the tape measure as well. No losses. I just don't get it. I'm wondering if maybe some of you veterans out there might be kind enough to offer some suggestions before I go completely bonkers!!! This is a summary of what i'm doing:

Cardio 6 x per week - typically first thing in the morning on empty stomache 35 minutes (spinning or running) - heart rate usually between 148-158

Weight training 3-4 times per week - usually I rotate between upper body and lower body with a day off in between. I do abs every day.

Nutrition

I eat 5-6 times a day usually around 1400 calories a day. I do have the odd glass of red wine with dinner.

Typical day goes something like this

2 eggs and 3 egg white scramble with cracked pepper. 1/3 cut oatmeal dry - cooked with dash of cinnamon and half small apple.

mid morning snack - yogurt and berries

Lunch - 1 whole grain wrap with chicken grilled (3-4 oz.) - veggies with hummus

afternoon snack - raw veggies - walnuts - whole grain of some sort - maybe 1/2 english muffin all natural peanutbutter

dinner - grilled meat 5 oz chicken/fish salad - sweet potato or rice and cooked veggies

I also drink 2-3 litres of water a day.

That's pretty much everything I think. Any advice that anybody could offer, would be so much appreciated. Thank you again.

 

[ceazur]

1400 cals and that strict of dieting/lifting/cardio and still a plateau? Usually I would be typing " drop the calories " but that just doesn't seem healthy to go any lower. I would say that HIIT would probably come into play a little. How about changing the workout routine completely? Targeting different muscles different days different reps sets intensity. EVERYTHING. EVen try changing the diet around. Although ppl are going to disagree with me, I also am losing weights and I know you need good fats yadda yadda yadda but I stopped eating nut butter just to better satisfy my mind that im doing all i can to lose it. I also would suggest if your up for it a low to no carb diet. THey work, weight loss is generally cals in/cals burned but I know several ppl including myself who have success without carbs. ITs harder because it takes away convenience of different foods that make the day easier but its mind over matter. HEres some links: Hope I helped and others will come, just wait. And stay strong! Nothing taste as good as looking good!!

HIIT Cardio Training
Getting Started on a Low Carb Diet

 

[Ginger1961]

Thanks Ceazur,

I have done at one time or another during the last few months everything you have suggested. I know that some people are probably going to say, No Way. But, I have. I keep a journal of everything I eat, everytime I workout - I even record how much sleep I've had. Yep, Type A personality. To a fault at times. I tried carb cycling per Tom Venuto's articles that I'm like a sponge reading. I've tried calorie cycling. I usually try it for a couple weeks then go back to my regualar way of eating. I end up gaining weight sometimes. Not much but 3 pounds is a max and then I toss it. Ah let's see. The spinning and the running are performed on the HIIT premise. Each track in the spinning routine is about 5 minutes long. 5 tracks in total. Inside each track are 3 phases or intensity. I also do the same with my running. Including sprints up hill etc. etc. I even tried adding a second cardio in the evening but a steady state cardio thinking it may help. NOTHING! I will take a week sometimes and not do either spinning or running and do a tae bo type class or kick boxing. It's like my body is set to remain where it is come hell or highwater. Friends of mine have competed in competitions locally. I've gone to them for their advice and their advice is what helped me lose up to this point. They are at a loss. It's not that I have a lot to lose but I just hate that I've come this far. It's like doing something 90% of the way and someone putting up a roadblock and saying "sorry that's far enough". I'll do whatever I'm told to do. The people that know me say they've never seen anyone follow instructions to the letter like I do. I don't know anything else to try to be honest. I've even done the "cheat day" thing. Where once a week have what you like. Well I'd go up a pound or two but then take it off again within a day or so but never get down lower than 125. I'm only a size 2 but i have a real issue with my tummy. It's got visible fat that is not pretty to look at. Looks almost like cellulite even. If that was gone, I probably wouldn't be changing anything. UGH! I think I'm at the end of my rope.

 

[ceazur]

no your not, your going to beat this. Have you tried dropping every single carb? I mean 20grams each day for a week, 10 grams daily the next week then try to drop to 5grams or lower a day. If you have the discipline you say then you could do it and im almost sure you could thin it out. And cheat days are for the weak. I would run every single day no matter what. YOu have to push yourself harder and further. Go lower on squats and get 1 more rep, do crunches for 10 extra minutes. RUn an extra quarter mile. while running and feeling weak, remember what your doing it for and that 2 minutes after you stop the pain will be gone. YOu have to want it!

 

[Ginger1961]

I can't say I've done a full on no carb diet for years. That's how I initially dropped weight after pregnancy. I was up to 195 pounds a little over 10 years ago. I can't even believe that when I type it. I did Atkins and droped 55 pounds in about 5 or 6 months. The weight fell off like water. I'm talking 9 lbs in 9 days and it just kept going. I don't ever recall hitting a plateau during that time. I was told by trainers that it was a no no for me. They say I'm doing too much exercise and it will hurt my body. I know I can do it. I've done it before. Are you talking full on ketosis as well. As in buy the strips and make sure I'm in the deepest purple possible. I can do that! Do I keep up the same cardio and weight lifting routine as well? How many cals am I shooting for? Throw it at me and I'll do it. I am so glad I found this board. I just needed someone to tell me I could do it and how to get there. Most people keep saying that I shoud be happy with how I look. I get the old comments like "you're 41 and look like you're 30, you should be happy with what you have now"....bullsh*t. I don't care how old I am. If I put in the time and discipline, I should be able to walk down a beach with a bikini on and not have to worry about fat on my belly. PERIOD.

Thank you so much.

 

[kyoun1e]

From reading your responses and getting a feel for your level of determination, I'm going to guess it's been a while since you've had a diet break. If that's the case...bad, bad, bad.

If you've been banging away at this for 5 consecutive months your body may be hating you. See leptin threads. Eating at maintenance for 2-3 weeks to reset everything and then starting again could be the best thing to do.

Also, that seems like way too much cardio. No diet break + all that cardio = results stall...and worse...muscle loss.

KY

 

[Ginger1961]

Kyoun1e

I just checked my journal and it was about 2months ago that I took a "diet break". Put myself up to 1700-1800 cals a day for about 10 days or so. I gained a couple pounds (2-3) once I returned back to my regular scheduled program I droped them. I have to say it was some work to get that many calories in without eating junk. I wasn't sure on the amount of cardio I should be doing. The last 10 pounds I lost I did it by working out 6 days a week. Three days cardio and three days weight training and never together. Took me about three months to take those ten pounds off and that was last fall. Which takes me to now. That's when I started tweaking. Everything I read said cut your cals, increase your cardio, up your weight training. Did it all. So should I take a couple days break and then maybe start the low carb diet as suggested by ceazur?

 

[Built]

Ginger, would you post up your calories and grams of protein carb and fat?

Also, you are 5'3" and weigh 125 now, right?

Describe your weight training. What is your routine, rep range, lifts, and weight of those lifts?

 

[Ginger1961]

A typical day is usually about 80 -90 g of carbs; 160 g of protein; 50-60 grams of fat. Usually about 1400 cals per day.

I usually do a higher rep lower weight for my training.

Leg day usually consists of - squats - Usually about 70 lbs on the bar - I'll do three sometimes four sets with about 12 reps full range. Then I'll do lower weight Usually around 50 - 60 lbs in the lower end of the squat range. As low as I can get. I'll add a few pounds and go for mid range. I'll do them in various leg positions (width).

Lunges - lunges are done weighted with a bar lower weights - maybe 40 lbs - 3 sets about 10 reps. Varying again in ranges from high to low.

Lunges done hold a plate again. 3-4 sets with 10-12 reps

Lunges off a step holding plates. 3 sets 15 reps

Straight leg deadlifts - 30 pounds

Upper body - I'll do chest and back I'll vary between push ups and bench press in varying positions on the bench. Incline/decline/flat 50 pounds on the bar max. I have a shoulder injury so I can't pushto hard on the upper.

Biceps/triceps/Shoulders - I'll post again with that information.

 

[Ginger1961]

Shoulders - I do a range of different exercises and vary my weight. I'll do split raises with free weights 10-12 lbs each - again usually 4 sets with 10-15 reps in each set; pull ups with a bar - typically 30-35 lbs same #reps and sets. Overhead presses while standing with just slightly less weight than pull -ups. Again, as I said earlier I have to watch it with the weight training. I was in a car accident a number of years back. Hurt my shoulder pretty badly, broke a wrist and blew out my SI joint in my left hip. Rotated anterior a couple of mm. It still pops out ever now and then. Sounds worse than it actually is.
Any suggestions or advice, I'm game.

Biceps are typically curls full range, bottom half, upper half - 4 sets 15 reps varying in speed with each set.

Triceps - over head extensions with 20 pound plate - dips - dips with plate on lap, tricep push-ups - tricep presses - 40 pounds on the bar usually 4 sets 12 reps.

This is all just a sample and what i've done this week. But I change the routine quite often.

I've also been known to take the odd barbell class. They call it group power and it is a all over body training class an hour long with lighter weights. I think I answered everything you asked. Not sure if this makes a difference in your assessment but my measurements are 36.5 - 26.5- 36.5

I do pilates a couple times a week as well. For nothing else but to stetch out the muscles i'm beating up.

Thanks a bunch guys.
G

 

[Ginger1961]

and yes I am 125 and 5' 3.5" to be exact...just want to make sure I get everything out there.

 

[Built]

Okay, well, 1400 is only just over 11 calories per pound, which is a little low for you (I maintain on about 15 x my weight). Protein and fat look good though, I'm happy to see you don't drop the fat down too low.

Why only light weight with all those reps - it's a pretty miserable way to cut. Why not lift heavy in low reps for this?

 

[gtbmed]

High volume lifting, cardio, and a caloric deficit. Can anyone say cortisol?

 

[Ginger1961]

Cortisol = stress hormone, which is indicative of belly fat, yes? bit of an equation! So back off a bit on cardio? Reduce reps and higher weight? Increase the carbs a bit?

 

[sassy69]

Also curious as to what your bodyfat is?

 

[Built]

Cortisol = stress hormone, which is indicative of belly fat, yes? bit of an equation! So back off a bit on cardio? Reduce reps and higher weight? Increase the carbs a bit?

Successful cutting is heavy low-rep, low-volume training plus diet.

Can you post up some pix?

 

[sassy69]

One small thing I noticed is you said you do abs every day - two things about "abs" - it is a muscle group just like every other muscle group - and normally we train any muscle, giving a day or two for it to recover before training it again. Also note that "abs" are covered by a lot of the core exercises (e.g. the functionally correct 'full body' stuff like squats, DLs, etc.) so in a sense you are sort of overtraining your abs. In fact, a lot of training can actually make you thicker - because you are building that particular set of muscles.

The second thing is that "abs are made in the kitchen" - i.e. to "get abs" its more about dropping the bodyfat that often tends to sit on top of the actual muscle, and not building the muscle itself.

So just for the purpose of what you perceive as "belly fat", all the ab work could conceivably be contributing to a thicker look instead of leaner.

And on a completely different note, women, in particular, have a lot of trouble w/ bodyfat in certain areas, wherever it tends to have a greater concentration of fat cells, due to estrogen, and also whatever is your genetic tendency. So just plain old estrogen may be a contributing factor.

And a final thought is to not get hung up on the scale - it sounds like even though you're trying different things, if you see anything more than a couple pounds change on the scale, you freak out & go back to your usual protocol. FWIW, I can go up or down 5-8 lb of water over the course of a day - from morning to night as well as "that time of the month". Those changes are water weight and in the big picture, are incredibly variable and have nothing to do w/ "fat". I'd suggest that if you want to try a change, to just stick w/ it for at least 3 weeks - as that's how long it generally takes for any consistent change in your protocol to "show" an effect in your body. Of more concern I think is changing your body composition than the weight - this is why I asked in a previous post about your bodyfat. The scale only measures the sum total of your bone, lean muscle mass, bodyfat and water. It isn't really telling you all that much about your body composition - and this is why I'm suggesting to even just throw out the scale. Go by how your clothes fit or get a 7-9 point skin fold bodyfat test on a regular interval to watch for relative changes in bodyfat (its not literally accurate as a measure of bodyfat but it gives you a decent measure of relative change & trends in change to show you the change in body composition over time).

 

[Ginger1961]

Okay well this feedback is great! I'll post a pic or two a little later on today as soon as I figure out my camera. I'm pretty sure it is def fat on the tummy. It's not just that I'm thinker, I'm jiggly. I'll def take your advice on heavy low volume, low rep training. Can you tell me what the best form of cutting would be? Is low carb okay, or just keep an eye on the calories. To be honest, I've often though and my doctor has mentioned from time to time that she thinks I may have a sensitivity to carbs and has thrown out Insulin Resistant a time or two. I do notice some pretty nasty lows if I'm not paying really close attention to what I'm eating. The few months I was on Atkins I had no issues with the lows and as I said earlier my body responded really well to it. I really am not sure what my body fat percentage is. The small area in Canada that I live doesnt' have a lot to offer as far as this stuff goes. There are not too many places that I can go to have it done but I'll make a call or two tomorrow.

Thanks again

 

[gtbmed]

You'll always have to "keep an eye on the calories" when you're cutting. It's unavoidable.

But a low-carb diet is normally a good way to curb hunger. If this type of diet has worked for you in the past then I don't think there's any problem with trying it again.

The key is to monitor your calories and your weight. Your training should be short, simple, and heavy.

 

[Ginger1961]

What about cardio while cutting? A friend of mine told me that once before a competition her trainer had her do nothing but walk on an incline (treadmill) for an entire week while she followed a low carb form of dieting. She said she barely broke a sweat but lost 4lbs of fat that week.

 

[Built]

A little bit of cardio on a cut won't destroy you. Walking is a good one because it doesn't stimulate appetite - in fact, it can help kill it.

But you're best thinking that exercise burns zero calories. For the deficit, look to your diet.

To drop weight, eat less than you require to maintain your weight.
To maintain muscle, eat enough protein and lift heavy things in low-rep, compound lifts a few times a week. (squats, deads, chins, cleans, bench).
Any guesses what happens to your body if you drop weight while retaining muscle?

 

[Ginger1961]

Lose body fat??? Was that a trick question?

 

[Built]

No trick - just not always all that obvious.

Most folks think the strategy is to burn off bodyfat. But at the low levels, as you become progressively leaner, you may need to rethink this. The body tries to protect itself, yanno, from the famine you're trying to escape (all that cardio while starving...) - it tries to drop muscle and conserve bodyfat, to reduce the rate of expenditure and conserve resources.

So you change the strategy.

Starve off the weight. Take steps to retain the muscle. With no other options, the body grudgingly drops fat.

 

[sassy69]

What about cardio while cutting? A friend of mine told me that once before a competition her trainer had her do nothing but walk on an incline (treadmill) for an entire week while she followed a low carb form of dieting. She said she barely broke a sweat but lost 4lbs of fat that week.

One comment about trying to follow what some competitor friend of your said they did before competition is to understand that the goal of competition prep is QUITE different than cutting to maintain. Competition is all about dialing in slowly & w/ some extreme methods (including water manipulation, carb manipulation and tweaking of the looking a certain way on competition day AND THEN EXPECT TO REBOUND AFTER THAT DAY IS OVER. So I'd suggest you don't get excited about whatever selected part of this competitor's prep protocol you hear about - you probably didn't get ALL the details in context.

On another topic, I'm curious if you've ever looked into any food allergies (e.g. allergy to gluten / wheat?).

 

[Ginger1961]

No, I never have been tested for allergies. Like I said earlier, the only thing that was brought to my attention by my doctor and one "girl specialist" was IR - Insulin Resistant. When I was my heaviest at 195, I was still exercising and eating a relatively healthy diet. My cycles were crazy. Sometimes not having any girl time for 6 month stretches and then after a battery of tests, mostly processes of elimination, the specialist and my doctor came up with the theory of IR. Said why don't you try this new fangled thing that's back out there and cut out the carbs. At that point I was willing to try anything. The results were crazy. Everything returned to normal. Like absolute clockwork and the weight fell off with little to no effort. Mind you, that only took me so far. I sat at about 140 lbs or so for years but then two years ago I decided okay that's just not enough. I can do better than this. Started weight training and consistant cardio training and watching what I ate. I am one of those very few people who honestly love love love working out and eating right. I don't feel deprived because it makes me feel good. My friend told me that I absolutely had to include some carbs or I just was not going to be able to build any muscle. She was right. I started building and lost fat and scale weight. Took that last ten off but have been sitting where I am for a very long time. That is until I hit the dreaded plateau and now it just maddens me. All this effort with no reward makes Ginger a frustrated woman, if you know what I mean. I do not expect to look like the fitness competitor on stage. I think I'm probably past that. I just don't want the ugly mid-section I have. That's my goal. I'm realistic. Get rid of that and tighent areas up and I'm a happy camper. I keep trying to upload a pic but the system is telling me that the pic exeeds the size for the forum. I'll try to change it a bit. I read a quote once online that said the definition of madness is doing the same things over and over again but expecting different results. I think that's me. I need a change and am so ready for it. I just turned my scale over to my bf. Told him not to give it back to me for three weeks. His response "yeah if I give it back to you at all". Kinda says a lot about my plight.

 

[Ginger1961]

Sorry,I've been trying everything to copy up a pic or two but the resolution and size of pics on my camera is too big for the site to handle. If you want to shoot me off an email address to send it through, I can do that. I'm so not good with this stuff...

 

[Ginger1961]

Holy Hannah - I think I managed to get one up here. What a mission. This is not a pic from today but it is exactly what I look like give or take. The only thing I could get to upload was a vacation pic but at least it gives you an eyeball of the grewsome tummy region. Pardon the beer in my hand but I was on vacation haha! That was the second last "diet break" I took in the fall.

 

[Built]

Honey, you're TINY! You just need some muscle on you.

Stop trying to drop any more weight. Dropping more weight will not produce the look you desire. Let's fix up your training a bit and gradually creep the calories up so you can get a smidge more muscle on you and harden up, okay?

Are you willing to give your training an overhaul and agree to stop trying to lose for a bit? I'm not talking a full-on bulk - rather, a moratorium on losing.

This okay by you?

 

[Ginger1961]

I'm game for whatever you think but I guess I'm a little suprised you don't think I need to lose anymore. I think I am my own worst enemy

Tell me where to start then. I have my own gym at home so I have access to whatever I need. No machines though. I have my own spinning bike as well but I guess I won't be needing that.

 

[Built]

I want you to start lifting a lot heavier than you have been.

What's the heaviest below-parallel squat you can do for say, five reps?