Advice Please

[canadianrookie]

Hello All,
I've been working with the following diet for the past 6 months and have made (in my mind) some decent losses (30lbs since January). I haven't seen much of a change on the scales lately and was thinking maybe it was time to make a change, Any suggestions?
--------------
Stats:
Age: 28
Height: 5:11
Weight: 252lbs
BF: Unknown - guessing low 20's
--------------

08:00
3 egg whites w/ diced ham and onions
1/2 whole grain bagel
1/2 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

11:00
1 Protien Shake
1/2 whole grain bagel
1/2 cottage cheese
1/4 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

13:00
1 Protien Shake
1/2 whole grain bagel
1/2 cottage cheese
1/4 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

16:30
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

19:00
6oz steak (fat trimmed)
1/2 cup steamed broc.
1 cup wholegrain rice

21:00
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.


The 19:00 protien changes to break up monotony.
Any sugestions would be very welcome!!
Thanks!

[Freebsd1977]

First, let me congratulate you on your weight loss. 30 lbs is alot of weight lost, think of it like this: 1 lbs of fat over your obese limit is around 1.6 kilometers of blood vessels that your heart needs to pump. No wonder all obese people have blood pressure problems. Second, since you lost 30 lbs already with that diet, why would you want to change it? If you really want to change it a bit, try a 3 day diet/1 day cheat technique.
Eat whatever you want on the cheat days, no worries you won't put on pounds as your body will just replenish its energy tanks. It works as it shocks your body and your metabolism out of plateaus.

[SteveMan]

First, let me congratulate you on your weight loss. 30 lbs is alot of weight lost, think of it like this: 1 lbs of fat over your obese limit is around 1.6 kilometers of blood vessels that your heart needs to pump. No wonder all obese people have blood pressure problems. Second, since you lost 30 lbs already with that diet, why would you want to change it? If you really want to change it a bit, try a 3 day diet/1 day cheat technique.
Eat whatever you want on the cheat days, no worries you won't put on pounds as your body will just replenish its energy tanks. It works as it shocks your body and your metabolism out of plateaus.

3 day diet 1 day cheat?? You know what that diet is called?? a half ass diet. Lets look at at the numbers. 3500cals = 1lb of fat. If during the 3 days of dieting he manages to lose 1500 cals = 1/2 lbs and on the 4th day eats a large pizza and 12 pack of bud, then those 3 days he dieted are wasted.

I do agree with him reaching a plateau but if you suddenly consume 6-7k cals every 4th day then the body will not suddenly adjust and speed up rapidly, you will just put on fat at a very fast rate.

My suggestion is to look at your cardio routines carefully. That is a fairly slim diet and your body has adjusted to it so the total calories you take in are just maintaining yourself, the caloric deficit has worn off which is perfectly normal.
Try increasing your calories slightly and doing more cardio to get your metabolism going again. Remember the saying "Fat burns in a carbohydrate fire"... or something like that. Limiting your carbs to much will limit fat loss and cause muscle atrophy, giving you less energy to workout and if the body feels it needs carbs it will break down protein to get them. Its an up hill battle, the body is on survival mode, thats how we are made and when we limit our calories weight loss will occur but our metabolisms will slow down because survival instincts come into play.

I don't know how much cardio you are doing but I suggest adding maybe 250 extra calories to your diet and increasing your cardio if you can. This will boost your metabolism back up because right now it is probably pretty slow. Plus, if you maintain that boring ass diet for to long then your body will get use to such a low calorie diet and when you finally want to incorporate maybe the odd beer or burger without worying about gaining it will be difficult. One way of doing this is adding muscle as it burns up calories. But cheers on the 30lbs, thats no easy task.

The more you eat and more cardio you do = more overall fat burned without slowing down your metabolism, but increasing it instead.

[L3]

if you plan to go au naturel, listen to steve:
-up your cardio, you dont mention that you do any...
-do your cardio early in the morning on a empty stomach (you can have 1 protein shake before)
-look up HIT cardio training and switch it up, stay away from prononged cardio (30+ mins)

if you want to go the easy (more expensive) route:
-go buy some CLA and ECG, work great together, you can have 6-8grams of cla a day, watch out for the ECG it will make you crash hard.
-go buy some acetyl-l-carnatine and stack it with flaxseed oil pills(it won't be on the shelves but im sure someone knowledgable at the store can help you out)

if you really want to shed the weight do all the above, AND go on a starvation diet for about a week, ie. cut out all carbs from grains. then start from scratch and follow steves' advice.

good luck and don't even think about "cheating" :P

[canadianrookie]

Thanks for the advice!
I have kinda hit a plataeu and it is the most boring/bland eating routine I've ever followed.
I neglected to mention a few items.

I do have a cheat meal on the weekends (or shifted around for holidays/birthdays ect...)

Routine:
I do cardio approx 4x a week (sometimes it's 3x) For cardio I've tried to mix it with at least 1 x 45 min bore-fest on the eliptical trainer and a min of 2 x 30 min HIIT runs on the treadmill. Should I drop the 45 and stick with the HIIT?
Weights are 4x a week.
Monday = Pull
Wed = Push
Thur = Leg
Friday = Arms

The third thing that I neglected to mention (and probably more important then anything else, I appologize for leaving this out) is that I'm type II diabetic (non-insulin dependant). Since being diagnoised I've been VERY hesitant to try new sups. I've read that CLA can sometimes increase insulin resistance, but then again I've read some articles that mention it doesn't so I never really know what to believe.
By ECG are you refering to the Ephidrine, Caffiene, Green-Tea stack?

So you think droping grains out of my carbs for a week would kinda reset things?

Thanks again!!!

[bigben]

I'd drop the bagel and oats and substitute fruit and non starchy vegetables. I don't find grains help me lose fat as well as something completely unprocessed like an apples, brocolli, carrots, spinach. 30 lbs, you are doing great.

[wrought]

08:00
4 egg whites w/ diced ham and onions

11:00
1 Protien Shake

13:00
6oz lean meat (chicken, turkey, beef, whatever)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

16:30
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

19:00
6oz steak (fat trimmed)
1/2 cup steamed broc.
1 cup wholegrain rice

21:00
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

Get rid of the bagels, the cottage cheese, and the oatmeal. No dairy, and limit your starches. If you're hungry have more broccoli. You'll crack your sticking point and be a complete pleasure to be around. :puff

[SteveMan]

08:00
4 egg whites w/ diced ham and onions

11:00
1 Protien Shake

13:00
6oz lean meat (chicken, turkey, beef, whatever)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

16:30
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

19:00
6oz steak (fat trimmed)





1/2 cup steamed broc.
1 cup wholegrain rice

21:00
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

Get rid of the bagels, the cottage cheese, and the oatmeal. No dairy, and limit your starches. If you're hungry have more broccoli. You'll crack your sticking point and be a complete pleasure to be around. :puff


I would eat the majority of your carbs before dinner and taper them off before you hit the sack. Additionally eating carbs in the morning helps reduce cortisol levels which is important since you are dieting. IMO, you should add another 50g of carbs to your diet, that is looking like a ketogenic diet...which is an absolutely terrible diet unless you sit on your ass all day and don't exercise.

[The Terminator]

3 day diet 1 day cheat?? You know what that diet is called?? a half ass diet.

I do agree with him reaching a plateau but if you suddenly consume 6-7k cals every 4th day then the body will not suddenly adjust and speed up rapidly, you will just put on fat at a very fast rate....


I would strongly disagree. This is a very well known method for shaking up metabolism, whether it be simply keeping the same energy intake and chaning the macronutrient profile drastically to what is put in the body, or as you say, a large (5000+ calories) day of food eating. Metabolism doesn't know days, it does know consistency and how to become more efficient.



Limiting your carbs to much will limit fat loss and cause muscle atrophy, giving you less energy to workout and if the body feels it needs carbs it will break down protein to get them.

While this is somewhat true as far as the energy aspect, it all depends. No matter the diet, I have continued to get stronger. One will get stronger with carbs faster, yes, but when one is on a keto diet it's not for muscle gain. The gym workouts should be optimized towards HIT training and quick muscle stimulation on a keto diet to ensure that muscle maintenance is key.

As well, ketogenic diets are muscle sparing. Google Scholar will tell you all about this, as many studies have been done regarding this.

As for the muscle atrophy, it's due to the lack of glycogen and water in the muscles. That size returns within days of eating carbs again.

And for the last point, the body still has access to carbs on a ketogenic diet, due to the effects of gluconeogenesis - the conversion of amino acids to glucose.

Targeted Ketogenic Diets (TKD) can work very well for getting more energy in before a workout, and stimulating muscles with insulin as well as allowing the person on TKD to remain in ketosis.

Cyclical Ketogenic Diets (CKD) work very well for maintenance and limited muscle gain in most.


IMO, you should add another 50g of carbs to your diet, that is looking like a ketogenic diet...which is an absolutely terrible diet unless you sit on your ass all day and don't exercise.

I disagree again, for all of the above points. While Keto diets do work well in the immobile, they produce even more drastic results in those who are in ketosis since the primary fuel is no longer glucose, but fats. In addition to this, since one is eating proteins, fats, and green veggies, more calories are burnt due to dietary thermogenesis. Since whole veggies take a lot to be broken down and metabolized in the body, they often have a negative caloric impact by the time they come out the other end. Same thing with protein, which requires the most temperature to break down the amino's.

Cardio on keto is 100% fat burn, regardless of the time of day.

Matt

[The Terminator]

Hello All,
I've been working with the following diet for the past 6 months and have made (in my mind) some decent losses (30lbs since January). I haven't seen much of a change on the scales lately and was thinking maybe it was time to make a change, Any suggestions?
--------------
Stats:
Age: 28
Height: 5:11
Weight: 252lbs
BF: Unknown - guessing low 20's
--------------

08:00
3 egg whites w/ diced ham and onions
1/2 whole grain bagel
1/2 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

11:00
1 Protien Shake
1/2 whole grain bagel
1/2 cottage cheese
1/4 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

13:00
1 Protien Shake
1/2 whole grain bagel
1/2 cottage cheese
1/4 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

16:30
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

19:00
6oz steak (fat trimmed)
1/2 cup steamed broc.
1 cup wholegrain rice

21:00
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.


The 19:00 protien changes to break up monotony.
Any sugestions would be very welcome!!
Thanks!

Still looking to cut I'm guessing? We've both come a long way. I was 295 last summer, started cutting from about 28% BF (was on a life time bulk). I had an accident involving a horse and a beach (fell off twice, a few good injuries) in September that put a slow down on things. By the beginning of May, I had taken myself down to a carb loaded 245lbs. I'm beginning to transition my diet right now to a primarily carb/protein diet with cyclical carb intake.

I was using T3 and clen, and had to increase my carb intake drastically to turn my thyroid back on (long story, T3 ran out, supply never showed up) and I'm sitting at the same BF% but 255ish right now.

You can keep on the same diet, and throw a carb day in every 4 to 6 days as suggested, or you can loosen up on the weekends. If you were to get intoMonday to Friday, and carb load on the weekends you would be able to eat slightly more calories, as well as have the option to start gaining more lean mass due to insulin action from the carbs on the weekends, raising your metabolic set point. The more muscle, the more calories needed to maintain.

Suggestions I would make are in bold.


08:00
3 egg whites w/ diced ham and onions
1/2 whole grain bagel Drop the bagel. While it might be made from whole grains, it's still a "processed" carb.
1/2 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

11:00
1 Protien Shake Here's the question - are youworking out right here? If no, then this shake is a waste. Eat a whole protein, something that your body has to work at to break down.
1/2 whole grain bagel processed carb
1/2 cottage cheese
1/4 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

13:00 same as above
1 Protien Shake
1/2 whole grain bagel
1/2 cottage cheese
1/4 cup quaker rolled oats with cinnamon added

16:30 add a fat or give this meal the rice from the next one.
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.

19:00 drop the carbs from the rice to the last meal. Add a fat in or leave the fat on the steak.
6oz steak (fat trimmed)
1/2 cup steamed broc.
1 cup wholegrain rice

21:00 Add a fat
1 Chicken Breast (boiled or grilled depending on weather)
1/2 cup steamed broc.


The 19:00 protien changes to break up monotony.
Any sugestions would be very welcome!!
Thanks![/QUOTE]

Matt :)

[fathead]

congrats on your progress.

remember a couple things though: the initial pounds will always come off the fastest. youre not going to lean up at a constant rate right down to 5%bf, so dont be too discouraged if youve slowed down.

Be very careful which advice you follow, as some of it will be good and some of it will be bad, even though it sounds like its coming from a knowledgeable or experienced person. The same goes for training/gear/etc.

One guy will tell you HIIT is the only way to go, another will tell you 60 min at low intensity, no carbs before bed, etc both will swear theirs is the way. You need to experiment for yourself and see what works best.

good luck

[L3]

canadianrookie: since you are type II, i would strongly suggest that you ask your doctor before you switch up your diet drastically

chances are you arent gonna like what he/she says, doctors are kindof tools when it comes to working out, but hey they have a MD and i dont..

you may have to come to terms with the notion that you may not be able to loose drastic amounts of weight due to your condition :S

What wrote ECG i actually meant EGC . Its green tea extract. To make sure your green tea supp is effective it shold have at least 40%+ EGC content per pill. Its an ok stimulant, but the crash is deadly, like it literally makes me pass out (or maybe im just a big girl).

ECY = ephedra/caffeine/yohibine , very IN-effective compared to the sides. Those three stimulants will eff you up. Better go with a commercial product instead of making it yourself, i guarantee you'll do it no more than 2ce and be left over with a bunch of stimulants you dont want.

as for CLA i pop that shit like candy but if i was you id take 0 chances and do more research on your own

[canadianrookie]

Wow...
thanks for all the advice and encouragement all!!
So I think the general opinion is to drop the bagel, up the cals a little and increase the cardio to jump start the metabolisim. I think I'll stick to the cheat meal rather then going with the cheat day.