OK...Here's My Dilemma...

[Rayca]

Hi everyone!

I'm a newbie on this forum and I'm getting confused on how to design my BF loss diet. I've been working out for 18 months or so after a ten-year layoff. Worked out for about 10 years back then. Waaaay b/4 the internet. I've gotten lost this year on low/carb, ketogenic and even PSMF diets. I think I've gone a little overboard with experimenting and I'm just getting fatter. I was skinny/fat when I started (107 lbs.) and "bulked" (never do that again) to gain mass quickly. So, here's what's going on:

5'2"
123 lbs.
25-27% BF
1130 cals. BMR
1725 Maintenance

Heavy, progressive, mostly compound movements 3X wk. : Right now it's only intensity I'm concerned with, not volume. I do the same exercises so that I can assure I'm not losing strength. 4-5 sets, reps @ 6, 5, 5, 4 (sometimes 2)
Cardio - 3 days

Diet - has been mainly low carb but have thrown in some of what I mentioned. 123g protein, anywhere from 30g - 75g carbs, fat the rest. Approx. 1050 - 1200 cals., depending on the diet.

I'm not losing as well as I'd like but I am within the standard 1.25 - 2 lbs. week. Thank gawd I haven't mucked up my metabolism too much. I'm pretty confused at this point and my thinking is that I should back it up to what I did 10 years ago -- 6 meals, a little protein, carb, fat for each. Nothing fancy. I can't tell you how much muscle I built in a pretty short amount of time with very little protein and LOTS of carbs. Back in the '90s, it was all about carbs, not protein. So I'm going to try a more isocaloric mix, say, 33% of each macro. Please also keep in mind I'm an older female so I'm not sure how much bouncing around on different diet strategies these old bones can handle.

Another problem is probably what most people have: cravings---unstoppable ones. I never had a real problem with cravings, though, until I started bodybuilding. I've never been able to figure that out. Why that would cause it. 6 meals help a tremendous amount with that and I'm fine until the evening, which again, is when I think most people get them? Should I just shut up and suck it up? I do tend to whine a bit so feel free to tell it like it is. It's pretty depressing at times, though, so.....should I avoid the infamous cheat meal, refeeds, etc. and just keep it simple?

I know I'm all over the place here so please let me know if there's anything else you need to know.

 

[superqt4u2nv]

Hi everyone!

I'm a newbie on this forum and I'm getting confused on how to design my BF loss diet. I've been working out for 18 months or so after a ten-year layoff. Worked out for about 10 years back then. Waaaay b/4 the internet. I've gotten lost this year on low/carb, ketogenic and even PSMF diets. I think I've gone a little overboard with experimenting and I'm just getting fatter. I was skinny/fat when I started (107 lbs.) and "bulked" (never do that again) to gain mass quickly. So, here's what's going on:

5'2"
123 lbs.
25-27% BF
1130 cals. BMR
1725 Maintenance

Heavy, progressive, mostly compound movements 3X wk. : Right now it's only intensity I'm concerned with, not volume. I do the same exercises so that I can assure I'm not losing strength. 4-5 sets, reps @ 6, 5, 5, 4 (sometimes 2)
Cardio - 3 days

Diet - has been mainly low carb but have thrown in some of what I mentioned. 123g protein, anywhere from 30g - 75g carbs, fat the rest. Approx. 1050 - 1200 cals., depending on the diet.

I'm not losing as well as I'd like but I am within the standard 1.25 - 2 lbs. week. Thank gawd I haven't mucked up my metabolism too much. I'm pretty confused at this point and my thinking is that I should back it up to what I did 10 years ago -- 6 meals, a little protein, carb, fat for each. Nothing fancy. I can't tell you how much muscle I built in a pretty short amount of time with very little protein and LOTS of carbs. Back in the '90s, it was all about carbs, not protein. So I'm going to try a more isocaloric mix, say, 33% of each macro. Please also keep in mind I'm an older female so I'm not sure how much bouncing around on different diet strategies these old bones can handle.

Another problem is probably what most people have: cravings---unstoppable ones. I never had a real problem with cravings, though, until I started bodybuilding. I've never been able to figure that out. Why that would cause it. 6 meals help a tremendous amount with that and I'm fine until the evening, which again, is when I think most people get them? Should I just shut up and suck it up? I do tend to whine a bit so feel free to tell it like it is. It's pretty depressing at times, though, so.....should I avoid the infamous cheat meal, refeeds, etc. and just keep it simple?

I know I'm all over the place here so please let me know if there's anything else you need to know.

How old are you? Age is a factor in metabolism.

How long are you sticking to each diet for? You can't really mix concepts if you are going to do low carb you need to stay in ketosis. In order to do that for your size need to be having no more than 40 grams spread out over they day mostly from green veggies or a little from nuts.

Cravings can occur for diffrent reasons one is a spike in insuline normally from high GI carbs. Another is from artifical sweetners I dropped them all except for the odd diet pepsi or sugar free syrup at starbucks I try not to do that more than once or twice a week.

Cheat meals is an individual thing I can't do them unless I hit a good stride for at least 4 weeks it takes me of course if do.

Welcome to Elite be sure to check out http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/w...e-fitness-womens-forum-start-here-678961.html it has a wealth of training and diet information.

If you could list your current meal plan: including how many meals, portions, what you eat and when you eat.

Along with the macro's if you are not sure how to calculate that sign up for www.fitday.com it's free plug in what you have eatin for the day it will give you a macro break down.

 

[Rayca]

Hi superqt4u2nv, and thanks for responding. Here is some more info. about me:

1. 59 yrs.
2. I've been doing low carb since the beginning of the year but I've also tried Keto w/more fat and less protein and recently Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss (RFL) diet. I should explain that I am not carb-phobic and I don't believe I'm carb-sensitive or insulin resistant. I'm merely looking for a way to stay on track without the cravings and eventual giving in and low carb certainly curbs appetite as well as cravings. My guess is that I'm low on serotonin, which is very common post-menopausal. As soon as I start doing well on a diet/exercise program, my sleep starts to take a nose-dive. This has been going on since my 30s when I started noticing "changes" in my body. It has gotten progessively worse and now to compensate for lack of sleep, my body wants the dopamine supplied from carb loads. Again, this is my guess but I can really "feel" that's what's going on.
3. Right now, meals break down to:

Post workout meal: 7 a.m.
2 oz. beans
2 oz. sweet potato or rice

Meals 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6: 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
2 oz. protein = ham, lamb, chicken or turkey with skin OR 4 oz. fish
2 oz. carbs = rice, sweet potato or beans, i.e. kidney or pinto
2 oz. green veg.

2 deviled eggs w/1T mayo (only with the final meal), which is 6:30 p.m.

I eat 6 meals of this, which is about 1100 cals. The macro breakdown is: 90g P (35%), 47g F (40%) and 65g C (25%). I seem to do a little better on an isocaloric even mix like this. I also find that cravings start to get a little worse at around 75g carbs or so.

Thanks again for your time and if you need to know anything else, let me know.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Couple things jump out at me. I may have overlooked something, sorry if I did.

First, where is your fat intake? I see virtually NO fat intake. Add some almonds, walnuts, flax, etc.

Second, are you not eating anything at all between 6:30pm and 7:00am? Aye chihuahua. That is 12 hours with nothing. I'd add in a protein shake with fat added a little before bed. Or a pure protein source and a little fat before bed, if you don't want to do a shake.

 

[Rayca]

Couple things jump out at me. I may have overlooked something, sorry if I did.

First, where is your fat intake? I see virtually NO fat intake. Add some almonds, walnuts, flax, etc.

Second, are you not eating anything at all between 6:30pm and 7:00am? Aye chihuahua. That is 12 hours with nothing. I'd add in a protein shake with fat added a little before bed. Or a pure protein source and a little fat before bed, if you don't want to do a shake.

Hi Daisy Girl! Thanks for taking a look.

I get my fats from egg yolks, mayo (homemade), lamb and skin from chicken and turkey. I believe I said that amounts to roughly 40% of my cals. I've done and do nuts and seeds at times. I'm just not doing that right now. I usually cycle food combinations about every couple months. Maybe that could be part of my problem. I go to bed between 8 and 9. It doesn't seem prudent to eat right before I go to bed. I'm just bloated in the morning, if I do. I prefer to get my nourishment from real food and not protein shakes. What fat would you suggest putting in a shake? Flax and hemp oils are pretty processed so I usually use coconut oil when I use oil for cooking. I take EFA fish caps., at times too. I'll admit, I'm not too good about taking my vits., supps. You may be right about too many hours without food though. I could try a pre-w/out meal but I would rather start eating earlier than stop eating later.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

I suck at taking viatmins too. Even when pregnant, I rarely took my prenatals and went into severely anemic levels since the baby was taking everything from my food. Doctor was WAY pissed at me. I always have the best intentions, but forget. sigghhhhh

I didn't think about egg yolks and fat in meat as fat sources - just not used to seeing people get fat from them around here. I still like getting fat from things like almonds and walnuts.

When I added a fat source to my shakes, I added ground flax seeds. You could buy whole organic seeds and grind them yourself in a coffee grinder or food processor.

Even a small amount of food may help - I am not talking a whole meal before bed. Maybe just a handful of nuts or 2-3 oz of chicken. Just something small to help fuel your body to rebuild while you sleep.

 

[Rayca]

Yep, I actually have hemp seeds in the fridge. I just like cycling food every couple months or so. It's just my biology. I like the same stuff over and over and then all of a sudden I have to have avocado and I'll add/replace to eat that for a couple months. Gotta have salad, so out come the nuts. I know I should be cycling every day or every couple days but I just go by what I feel at the time. Also I have a killer commute so it's just easier for me to do the same things for a while. I was thinking like what you suggested, a handful of nuts or even 1/4-1/2 avocado w/a 1/2 scoop of whey. I have tons of whey. I'm not really against it, I'm just "off" it right now. Got sick of it, but nuts w/hard boiled egg whites or avocado w egg whites might work and I don't think it would be tummy upsetting. Yea, I'm sure most peeps are not saturated fat friendly but I don't see enough "clear" data to suggest it's gonna shorten my lifespan AND I do get plenty of low fat fish and chicken w/out skin. Pork chops have less fat than skinless chicken breasts and they're tasty. Thanks again for your help, DaisyGirl. I'm gonna try a little meal b-4 bed.