HELP! I am so close to getting lean

[iwannablean]

Hello Everyone - I am new to this board and have read through many of the discussions and found them to be very useful. I appreciate having a venue to share such wonderful information. I wanted to share my situation and ask for advice.

I am 25, mother of three, height - 5'3", current weight is 130, with body fat at about 25%. I am trying to get down to 15% bodyfat, regardless of what I weigh.

I have been working out for about six months now, but I haven't seen any real losses in bodyfat. I have seen increased muscle mass, however, but now I want to lose the body fat to reveal the muscle!

My workout regimen is weight training for one hour, 3 days per week - pretty heavy. (My boyfriend does Strongman, so he has gotten me into lifting more aggressively - like deadlifts, squats, and bench- typical powerlifting stuff). I also do cardio two times a week (SPIN class - 45 minutes each time), and then I have two days of rest.

I have been playing around with my diet, trying to find what works best. Currently, I am eating about 1150 calories per day, with a ratio of about 50% Protein, 40% Carbs, and 10% Fat. I have been at this caloric range for about two months. The problem is I seem to be stuck. I will start to lose weight (bodyfat), but then it seems to plateau or spike back up. I have been at 130 for about a year now, and am getting really frustrated.

To further complicate matters, I have heart problems that prevent me from taking any kind of fat burners or hormones.

So, my question is what can I do to lose this stubborn body fat without taking any fat burners, and still keep the added muscle mass?

 

[Japanese machine]

maybe you can look into the "ZONE" diet. it is supposed to work great for woman. also what is your bmr?

its great that your bf introduced you to those "core" excercises but also keep in mind, that with all the heavy lifting and spin classes you may be overtraining. do you have any symptoms? ie. insomnia, restlessness, raised bp??

it may further help if you post exactly what you eat, perhaps you are not combining food well.

 

[keiko]

I think your caloric intake is too low. Even at 10 cals per pound to cut, you could be eating around 1300 cals a day.

 

[iwannablean]

Thanks for the suggestions. I have looked into the Zone diet, and my current diet is very similar to it.

On a weight training day, I have about 1300 calories, usually consisting of the following:
Breakfast - 1 pkg oatmeal, 1 1/2 scoops protein (supplies 20 grams protein)
Mid-morning snack - apple, 1 1/2 scoops protein
Work out at lunch
Post-workout - 1/2 turkey sandwich (about 3 oz. turkey on 1 slice of whole wheat bread with mustard)
Mid-afternoon snack - orange, 1 1/2 scoops protein
Dinner - 1 can tuna, small salad with lite dressing
Before bedtime - 1 1/2 scoops protein

On a cardio-only day (SPIN class), I have about 1000 calories, consisting of the same as above, minus the fruit and the before bedtime protein.

My calories average out to be approx. 1150 over a seven day period, and the ratio is usually about 50% protein, 40% carbs, and 10% fat.

Supposedly, to maintain my bodyweight I need 1500 calories. I want to lose weight though, so I figured that 1150 would be a good reduction point. I am not sure what "BMR" is, forgive me for being dense. Could you elaborate please?

I don't really have any of the symptoms you listed in relation to overtraining. My blood pressure is actually kind of low, it is 96 over 50, and my heart rate ranges from 55-60 BPM. I don't lift heavy every workout because I am afraid I will get burned out. I try to lift heavy for two weeks, and then do less weight with higher reps for two weeks. I have taught the SPIN class for the last three years, and I really can't cut back on that because I teach. I have thought about doing another day or two of cardio because I know it will help burn fat, but I have also read that too much cardio can make you lose muscle, which I don't want to do.

Does my food intake sound alright, and what about doing more cardio?

 

[fitbitch]

Since I have not been able to find my password...for well over a month now...i made a temporary name till the boss fixes me up!! So to all that knew me this is New@ Anyways....If you are trying to lose bodyfat you are going to have to make some changes in your diet...I would get rid of the apple, and bread! You need to eat more protein...bigger portion sizes...like 6-8 oz of meat...with veggies!! You are not eating enough food...this is your main problem as well as taking in carbs that are not really necessary...Keep your carbs complex...stay away from processed foods...simple sugars etc. You should train hard and heavy...but put some drop sets, super sets etc in your workouts...keep them intense. I would try to get 4 days of cardio...nothing major..walking..biking etc..in the A.M. on an empty stomach. Keep your water intake UP!!! Shakes are ok, but try to make your meals real food. Eat foods like chicken, turkey breasts, fish, lean red meat, egg whites, and tuna. Tons of green veggies...good fats like flax oil and olive oil. 1-2 tbsp a day. Your DIET is the key to getting lean....the rest will only help!

 

[iwannablean]

Wow, what great information! Thanks to everyone for providing such insight. After reading your suggestions, I looked back at my diet journal, and my carbs really are too high, so I am definitely going to cut them back some more and replace them with additional protein and a little fat.

I am also going to take your advice on increasing my cardio by adding it to my non-training days (I plan to do it in the AM before breakfast). My boyfriend has been actively monitoring our discussion, and he is really being suppportive. I don't have a treadmill at home, and I can't go to the gym in the AM, so he is going to bring a step machine over so that I'll have something to use. He's so great.. Anyway - I am also going to start moderating my weight training between light and heavy sets every other week.

It was mentioned that I am not eating enough food, but historically if I go above 1300 calories, I either stabilize or start to gain weight...is this because I was eating too many carbs? I just don't want to up my calories too much.

 

[iwannablean]

Well, after all the good nutritional advice, I have modified my diet to include the following:

Non-workout days - cardio (4 per week):
Protein 158 g 632 cal 63%
Fat 23 g 207 cal 21%
Carbs 100 g 160 cal 16%
Total Calories - 999

Workout days (3 per week):
Protein 158 g 632 cal 51%
Fat 23 g 207 cal 17%
Carbs 100 g 400 cal 32%
Total Calories - 1239

Average over the week - 1095

I am going to try this for two weeks and I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks again for all of the great advice -

 

[keiko]

You're going to go under 1000 cals on your recovery days? Uh, I'd not be able to get out of bed.

Look, try it, but the consensus of advice you got was that you're not eating enough. You're not losing weight because your body is convinced you're going to stop feeding it.

 

[rez]

increase cals, decrease carbs and increase fats. worked for me!

I also recommend doing cardio everyday FTITM even if its a 30min walk..I think thats really important.

 

[nikkita]

increase cals, decrease carbs and increase fats. worked for me!

I also recommend doing cardio everyday FTITM even if its a 30min walk..I think thats really important.

it would not just be any fats, but healthy fats like omega3 or omega6

 

[iwannablean]

Spatts -

What is AMR? I am not familiar with that term...

Also, just an update about my progress -
I have been eating 1200 cal weight training days and 1000 on non-training days, and have seen a decrease in bodyfat. I feel satisfied as far as hunger, and I still have enough energy to train adequately. It has been suggested several times that I increase my calories. Any specific suggestions as to how many calories, and the breakdown by grams of protein/fat/carbs? Right now I have about 150 grams protein/23 grams fat/90 grams carbs on training days and on non-training days I cycle the carbs low to 40 grams and the rest stays the same.

I would appreciate any suggestions about caloric consumption.

Thanks for all the great advice.

 

[iwannablean]

Yes, that makes a lot of sense. How do I calculate or figure out my AMR and/or BMR?

 

[iwannablean]

I think my AMR is approximately 1000 because I have about 100 pounds of lean mass and 26 pounds of fat. I am consuming an average of 1085 calories over a seven day period, with a 60/20/10 split of protein/carbs/fat.

So from here, I should add in what I burn from exercise? So if I want to lose bodyfat, how much should I subtract? Sorry if I am asking silly questions, but I am just trying to get this diet thing right!

Thanks for all the great advice.

 

[w84me]

its confusing ... we understand
this site has different calculators to help you with different tests ... the one below is for "target weight / body composition"

Body Composition Calculator

 

[PursuitOfShredded]

Spatts and Fit...

are on the money. You need to eat FOOD and more calories.

Something like (assuming no fat burner or caffeine for your condition):

am: do cardio
meal 1: two whole eggs and some egg whites, oatmeal
meal 2: can of tuna, water
meal 3: chicken breast (at least 6 oz.), salad with flax seed oil
meal 4: whey shake
lift
meal 5: flank steak (5 oz.), salad with flax oil, at least half of baked sweet potato


This was quick, but as you can see, there's REAL FOOD, vegetables (not many calories in most...also, they have phytochemicals which chemists can't replicate yet, but they have complex properties/enzymes that help with digestion/absorption and weight loss) and GOOD carbohydrates with FIBER and vitamins/minerals you need.

BTW you said you haven't lost weight but had gained muscle (stuck at 130 lbs.)...if that happened, your body composition HAS to be more favorable.....less body fat percentage/more lean body mass percentage......and you said "if I get down to 15% I won't care what I weigh......quit lookin at the scale, girl!!!

POS

 

[w84me]

one more thing ... if you can do it, it works ...
on your cardio days - -
do cardio early in the a.m. and wait a full hour before eating anything, this helps keep the metabolism at a higher rate the rest of the day

of course - drink water!!

 

[rez]

one more thing ... if you can do it, it works ...
on your cardio days - -
do cardio early in the a.m. and wait a full hour before eating anything, this helps keep the metabolism at a higher rate the rest of the day

of course - drink water!!

i always do this..i do however have a teaspoon of l-glutamine powder straight after cardio..it helps decrease hunger during this time

 

[w84me]

Cardio in a.m. / wait one hr. to eat

When we are at rest 20% of our usable blood is in our muscles and the remainder is in our major organs and other systems. After the first 5 minutes of vigorous exercise the percentage switches to 80% in the muscles and 20% in the organs and other systems. In order for this to occur blood must be diverted form other major organs to supply this shift to the muscles. Directly after the workout, approximately 30 to 50 minutes our bodies undergo EPOC (exercise induced post oxygen consumption) to supply oxygen to those muscles that were just worked.

Hormones circulating after workouts directly affect muscle adaptations. These steroid and nonsteroid hormones are transported through our body by the cardiovascular system.

Nonsteroid hormones are soluble in water and therefore are easily transported in the blood (blood is composed of 58% plasma (watery portion of the blood) and 42% hematocrit (portion composed of red and white blood cells).

Steroid hormones are lipids and must be bound to blood protein. Therefore, the natural transfer of blood to the muscels during exercise and the 30 to 50 minute period following exercise assist in transporting these hormones to their intended destinations. As stated earlier, in order to meet the demand of the muscles during exercise, blood must be diverted from the other major organs like the small and large intestines, stomach, liver, etc. Therefore it would benefit you to wait for approximately 30 to 50 minutes before having your post exercise MRP since blood will not be readily available for digestion and absorption at this time.

I hope this helps.

 

[iwannablean]

First of all, thanks to all of you for continuing to supply such great advice. Time for an update about my progress....

I have been eating really clean for about two weeks (we went on vacation to Chicago in mid-July, so I had to splurge on some deep dish pizza and other fare...) and am seem to be steadily losing bodyfat. I am at 126-128 lbs. and about 19% bf using calipers, so that is not totally accurate. I took your advice and starting using Fitday.com, and I LOVE IT! It is so easy to use. Here is an example of what I am eating:

Training days - (3 days per week)
Meal 1 -
1 pkg instant oatmeal
protein shake

Meal 2 -
1/2 cup fruit
Protein shake

Meal 3 -
6.5 ounces tuna
1 small pita w/ lettuce

Meal 4 -
Protein bar

Meal 5 -
4 ounces chicken breast
1 cup veggies

TOTALS - 150 g protein/90 g carbs/20 grams fat = 1140 to 1200 cals

Non training days (4 days per week)
Meal 1 -
1 pkg instant oatmeal
protein shake

Meal 2 -
Protein bar

Meal 3 -
4 ounces turkey breast
with a green leafy salad
2 TBSP light italian dressing (olive oil base)

Meal 4 -
Protein shake

Meal 5 -
4 ounces chicken breast
1 cup veggies

TOTALS - 155 g protein/40 g carbs/25 g fat = 1000 cals

As far as training, I am doing 50 minutes of weights three days per week - Monday is Back, Wednesday is Chest, Shoulders, and Tris, Friday is Legs. Tuesday and Thursday are 50 minutes of cycling class (SPINNING) followed by 15 minutes of abs.

I have been trying to work in the morning cardio because I think it will really kick in the fat-burning, but I just have no energy in the mornings, or I am so tired that I don't get up in time. I need more discipline!!!! haa

I am pretty happy with the results so far, but I my weight keeps yoyo-ing a bit. I guess I need to stop looking at the scale and start measuring bodyfat instead.

Thanks again for continuing to help me achieve my goals!