Need some help

[Munkeee de Sade]

Hi I am new and I was wanting to know if any of you could help me. I started a diet in Aug of last year. I weighed 185lbs. I now weigh 140lbs. For the last 3 months no matter what I do I can't loose anymore weight. I eat less that 600 calories a day.
Monday:arms:cardio
Tuesday:legs:cardio
Wensday:cardio
Thursday:abs:cardio
I don't eat sweets exept maybe once a month. I quit eating yogert to see if that would help. I don't eat bread exept maybe once every two weeks. I can't figure out why I can't loose anymore weight. atleast I am not gaining any weight

 

[Arioch]

Are you for real?

There is a reason we are required to feed convicted murderers more than you are eating, you know.

Do you work your torso at all?

 

[DAWNLYNN]

What are you eating? How often?

You dont need to cut out yogurt, just make sure it is the right kind.

Also, you could try fat free cottage cheese with fruit added.

 

[Munkeee de Sade]

I have been eating yogurt, bonless skinless chicken breasts, and salads.

What kind of yogurt do I need to get?

I forgot to put, I do chest and shoulders with my arms.

When I do cardio, I ride an excersize bike with the arm attachments for 30 minutes to an hour.

Thanks.

Munkeee

 

[nikkita]

can you describe your actual diet?

 

[Arioch]

And your back?

And how about just eating some damn food for a change?

 

[SteelWeaver]

Are you sure you don't mean 1600 cals per day?

 

[Pink Space Biscuit]

Ditch the yogurt, make sure your salads are more than just lettuce, get good veggies like broc, green beans, stuff with fiber. Oh and add another 1,000 calories, if you really meant 600. Replace the yogurt with good carbs like oatmeal, brown rice, sweet potatoes.

Your body is holding on to what's left with dear life. You need to tell your body hey I'm feeding you every day with lots of good stuff, its okay to let it go.

I'd personally lift more than just the first two days of every week. That's a long ass rest period. Shock your body and change to a 3 or 4 day split, including BACK & CHEST!

Make sure you are drinking enough water. Try mixing up your cardio, some high intensity sessions, some long moderate ones, try different machines if you have access to them.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Nothing new to add - just want to say listen to what everyone has said here - they are right! Add more food, spread out your weights, and add more food!

 

[Munkeee de Sade]

I forgot to post I have been working chest, shoulders, and the rest of the upper body on the day I listed arms. I am thinking of starting to work out with weights 4 times a week (upper body twice & lower body twice, or a different body part each day) and doing cardio 4 times a week.

I have been eating on average about 600 calories a day, some days I may have 100 or 200 calories more. I am just worried that if I eat more I will get fat.

Shouldn't my body be burning stored body fat, though? I just haven't been able to loose any weight lately.

Nikita, I have been eating salads, grilled bonless skinless chicken breast, vegtables, rice, and yogurt.

 

[SteelWeaver]

Munkeee, your body thinks it's STARVING. Our bodies are programmed to hang onto FAT as soon as they detect a famine - that's how our pre-historic ancestors survived periods of low to no food, when floods or droughts or whatever killed off all their food. The fattest ones with the slowest metabolisms survived. The body automatically slows down all its functions, and goes into the most energy-conservative mode possible, and then starts burning up muscle for fuel, since muscle is expendable, but fat contains VAST reserves of energy (more than double protein and carbs).

THUS - eat too little, and you'll NEVER burn any more fat, and the less you eat, the more muscle your body will burn, and the less capable your body will BE of burning fat, since it is MUSCLE which uses ENERGY (i.e. fat). You won't have anything left to acutally DO the burning anymore. You have to trick your body into thinking it's in a period of abundant plenty, so that it will start thinking all those fat stores aren't so important anymore, and will let go of them. The average human body requires an ABSOLUTE MINIMUM of 1200 calories a day JUST to get all the vitamins and minerals we need (assuming good soil quality, etc).

Right now those 600 calories you're eating are going STRAIGHT into fat stores, for emergency use later, while your body cannabalises itself to survive day to day.

So, increase your calories to a minimum of 12 - 15 times your bodyweight in pounds (or more) which will still be at or below mainenance levels. You'll probably add a little fat while your body adjusts, but then it'll realise all is well, and will start using excess calories (if you're kind enough to give it any) to lay down new muscle tissue, which will in turn burn energy (i.e. FAT) and voila! nice new lean you!

Make sure you eat quality food - and PLEASE do a search around Elite and on this board for calorie levels or requirements. There've been several threads about people starving themselves to death thinking they're gonna burn fat that way. Forget about it - it'll never work. You need to EAT MORE.

 

[DAWNLYNN]

ditto.

You have to feed muscles, to burn fat

 

[Pink Space Biscuit]

Is it okay if I only water a plant every 9 months? Come on now, eat, eat, eat!