Damn Diet Plateau!

[AirWolf]

Last year I started a cutting diet and dropped from 240 to 200lbs and from 24 to about 15% bodyfat...but then I got stuck. I've been hovering at just over 200lbs and 15-17%bf for the better part of a year. During the winter this was cool w/ me and I figured I would just try to add a bit more muscle but now that spring is here I want to get through this damn wall.

I upped my cardio from 1 hour elliptical 2 days a week (about 1000cals) to 1 hour 4 days a week. I made this change a month ago and haven't dropped a pound or %. I have noticed my appetite in the evenings I do cardio skyrockets and as much as I battle to stay on my normal diet I tend to sneak in an extra scoop or two of ANPB...but even with that I should be noticing some losses

So - any ideas? Is my body just trying to stay at this weight and I need to give it more time to adjust? Should I try tinkering with my diet or changing my cardio up? Do I just need to sack up and stop eating those extra scoops of ANPB?

-Wolf

 

[36drew]

I'd suspect something in your diet isn't in line. Its a tough call to say exactly but eating 2-3 spoons of peanut butter daily can add to 200-300 calories and take a big chunk out of the deficit you are trying to create.

Post up the rest of your diet and I will see if there is anything that stands out. It sounds like right now you know what it takes to maintain. Logic dictates eat less and move more (but we all know sometimes its not quite that simple).

 

[Bass402]

when you were on that cutting diet what was your caloric intake? i started off at 239 two weeks ago and now i am at 229. i know the big thing here is to lose fat but not muscle, but i am pretty much trying to lose anything i can right now. i have been keeping my calories around 1100-1200 a day and i actually feel fine. i would say that if 200 isnt good enough, quit buying the peanut butter so it doesnt tempt you. find something else to substitute.

 

[AirWolf]

Here's an average day:

Meal 1 - 8am
1/2 cup oatmeal (or 1/2 cup wheat)
1 scoop protein

Meal 2 - 10am
1 scoop protein

Workout

Meal 3 - 1pm
2 scoops protein, maltodextrin, dextrose

Meal 4 - 2pm
Lettuce, 4oz chicken, 3oz tuna, 1/2 handful peanuts, 1 teaspoon lowcal ranch

Meal 5 - 4pm
Lettuce, 4oz chicken, 3oz tuna, 1/2 handful peanuts, 1 teaspoon lowcal ranch

Meal 6 - 7pm
6oz ground turkey, kidney beans, tomatoes, slice wheat bread, slice 2% cheese

Meal 7 - 11p
1 tablespoon ANPB
1 tablespoon flax seed oil

Pretty much the same diet has held the entire time with a little calorie cycling thrown in - last time I did a detailed look at what I was eating I hit between 2200 and 2500 cals/day.

bass- your cals sound waaayy too low for a guy your size.

 

[poysyn]

when you were on that cutting diet what was your caloric intake? i started off at 239 two weeks ago and now i am at 229. i know the big thing here is to lose fat but not muscle, but i am pretty much trying to lose anything i can right now. i have been keeping my calories around 1100-1200 a day and i actually feel fine. i would say that if 200 isnt good enough, quit buying the peanut butter so it doesnt tempt you. find something else to substitute.

You are eating about what a 50lb 75 year old should be eating. your losses are going to be mainly muscle and your body will enter starvation mode and probably end up storing more fat. get your bmr, eat 500-750 less and exercise and you will at least get better results

 

[poysyn]

Here's an average day:

Meal 1 - 8am
1/2 cup oatmeal (or 1/2 cup wheat)
1 scoop protein

Meal 2 - 10am
1 scoop protein

Workout

Meal 3 - 1pm
2 scoops protein, maltodextrin, dextrose

Meal 4 - 2pm
Lettuce, 4oz chicken, 3oz tuna, 1/2 handful peanuts, 1 teaspoon lowcal ranch

Meal 5 - 4pm
Lettuce, 4oz chicken, 3oz tuna, 1/2 handful peanuts, 1 teaspoon lowcal ranch

Meal 6 - 7pm
6oz ground turkey, kidney beans, tomatoes, slice wheat bread, slice 2% cheese

Meal 7 - 11p
1 tablespoon ANPB
1 tablespoon flax seed oil

Pretty much the same diet has held the entire time with a little calorie cycling thrown in - last time I did a detailed look at what I was eating I hit between 2200 and 2500 cals/day.

bass- your cals sound waaayy too low for a guy your size.

At your weight/activity that calorie number looks good. Although your diet is not 100% perfect, I don't honestly believe any of the extras (low cal ranch/cheese) are the reason for your 'plateau.' If your weight isn't changing that could be a good thing, maybe you are keeping or even adding lean mass while losing fat.

As for your body fat percentage..what are you using to measure? I have an electric scale that hasn't changed for over a month even though I have probably dropped 2-3%..

 

[RBtrucking4]

ya those scales are louzy, complete waste.

 

[AirWolf]

At your weight/activity that calorie number looks good. Although your diet is not 100% perfect, I don't honestly believe any of the extras (low cal ranch/cheese) are the reason for your 'plateau.' If your weight isn't changing that could be a good thing, maybe you are keeping or even adding lean mass while losing fat.

As for your body fat percentage..what are you using to measure? I have an electric scale that hasn't changed for over a month even though I have probably dropped 2-3%..

Thanks for the feedback - I know the diet isn't 100% on...but little things keep me sane. I was hoping that I was adding lean mass, I've actually started looking a little better in the mirror the last couple weeks - but yah I'm using a bf scale that seems to be stuck at 16% and adding lean mass while doing an hour a day (4x/wk) of cardio seemed to good to be true.

 

[Bass402]

what constitutes starvation mode though?? shouldnt i be hungry if i am going into starvation mode? if i am to raise my cals up to about 1800-1900, as long as the food is "healthy" and i keep my stats at 40,30,30 i should be fine in still losing weight right?

 

[poysyn]

what constitutes starvation mode though?? shouldnt i be hungry if i am going into starvation mode? if i am to raise my cals up to about 1800-1900, as long as the food is "healthy" and i keep my stats at 40,30,30 i should be fine in still losing weight right?

Well Bass, I do not know your stats but I'm gonna go on a limb here and attempt to calculate your BMR. I'm going to assume (at a minimum) you are 5'8" tall, and 45 years old (at a maximum.) If that was the scenario your body would require 2,150 calories if you layed in bed all day. If you are 6 foot and age 25 thats 2336.. Now add in an activity factor..assuming you exercise 3-5x a week..you'd burn approximately 3300 or 3600 (the latter of the two figures) . That is a 2300 calorie deficit at your current in take, which as you can see is rather significant.

That, right there, is starvation mode. Steadily increase your calorie intake to AT A BARE MINIMUM 2100. You will feel better, have more energy, and lose just as much fat, if not more, while retaining a much larger amount of lean body mass.

I want you to consider that you are eating the calories it would take a 75 year old, 4 foot tall, 150 lb man to eat to function properly!

 

[Bass402]

i am 6'2'' and started at 240 but i am now at 229. i know that 1200 cals is low and i can get it to around 2000, is the major thing with fat loss the food you eat that adds up to 2000 cals??? like if i was to eat anpb and chicken and green veggies and tuna that added to 2000 cals or eat french fries and hamburgers that added up to it, what is really the difference there? i am just having a hard time understanding that? i am in no way doubting anyones intelligence on here cuz yall seem to know plenty about this kind of thing, i have just changed my diet FROM ff and burgers TO the first things i listed and i feel great.

 

[poysyn]

i am 6'2'' and started at 240 but i am now at 229. i know that 1200 cals is low and i can get it to around 2000, is the major thing with fat loss the food you eat that adds up to 2000 cals??? like if i was to eat anpb and chicken and green veggies and tuna that added to 2000 cals or eat french fries and hamburgers that added up to it, what is really the difference there? i am just having a hard time understanding that? i am in no way doubting anyones intelligence on here cuz yall seem to know plenty about this kind of thing, i have just changed my diet FROM ff and burgers TO the first things i listed and i feel great.

Do you run your car on gasoline (good, natural foods) or on water (empty calorie, refine sugar infested, saturated/trans fat infested foods?)

Many theories revolve around total calories, and while it is definitley true, the quality of the foods you take in are very important as well. Do some reading around these boards and you will find yourself criticizing what the rest of the world around you eats. In my opinion, it is one of the biggest motivating factors for me. I have no desire what-so-ever to eat fast food, etc ever again.

I still think that even 2,000 calories is very low. Keep in mind that it would be optimal to have your fat lost by exercise then diet alone, and with a calorie deficit (in your case now knowing your stats, and still ASSUMING you are exercising 3-5x a week would be around 3500 TDEE) that much will be more readily gained back as fat then if it were burned. If you aren't on a current weight training program and cardio program I would suggest it. It will greatly boost your metabolism and before you know it you will be walking around with a 6 pack

 

[harbinator]

I recently got over a plateau of mine by doing 1 month of bulking and then into a low carb diet while still lifting heavy and increasing cardio from 2 days a week to 4-5 days a week. I was at 240lb for about 4 months now Im almost into the 220s.