Need help with Diet

[terryl965]

Ok I have gone from 281 down to 242 and bamm nothing has happened in the last couple of week, I have not lost while I have not gained. I am stuck, can anybody give me some advise. I am eating about 1800 calories a day and I am still working out for two to four hours a day.

 

[Lynne]

Ok I have gone from 281 down to 242 and bamm nothing has happened in the last couple of week, I have not lost while I have not gained. I am stuck, can anybody give me some advise. I am eating about 1800 calories a day and I am still working out for two to four hours a day.

Wow. I eat more than you do! *blushes* It sounds to me like you need to up your calories, Terry. Don't you get hungry? Aren't you lagging in energy?

I'd go out and have some Tex-Mex! Honestly. A few caloric meals might stimulate your metabolism.

Congratulations on the 40 pound weight loss. That's nothing to sneeze at.

 

[JadeDragon3]

I agree, you need to eat one or two good meals to jump start your metabolism. And by good meals I mean eat something with more calories in it.

 

[terryl965]

Wow. I eat more than you do! *blushes* It sounds to me like you need to up your calories, Terry. Don't you get hungry? Aren't you lagging in energy?

I'd go out and have some Tex-Mex! Honestly. A few caloric meals might stimulate your metabolism.

Congratulations on the 40 pound weight loss. That's nothing to sneeze at.

When I get hungary it is a rice cake or something like that or some slice apple and grapes. Yes I am hungary all the time but the wieght needs to come off, so I can compete again. I know 50 and wanting to compete what the hell is wrong with me.

 

[Lynne]

When I get hungary it is a rice cake or something like that or some slice apple and grapes. Yes I am hungary all the time but the wieght needs to come off, so I can compete again. I know 50 and wanting to compete what the hell is wrong with me.

I never could do the low-fat thing with rice cakes and apples. I have tried it. I lost weight at first and then no more.

I know what you mean about enduring hunger. If you eat more protein, it's possible hunger will decrease. What about eating some protein with your snacks? I don't mean yogurt either (too much natural sugar and it will make you starve). Protein is satiating. Fruit, rice, yogurt and all of that will actually increase your hunger. You'd be better off eating 1/2 a tuna sandwich or a tortilla (even a white flour one) with some beans for snacks.

You may need to shake up your exercise routine. If don't jump rope, you could try doing that a few times throughout the day.

You are male, you work out a LOT, and only eat 1800 calories a day. I think you have slowed your metabolism. However, plateaus are normal during weight loss -sometimes they last for weeks.

 

[JadeDragon3]

When I get hungary it is a rice cake or something like that or some slice apple and grapes. Yes I am hungary all the time but the wieght needs to come off, so I can compete again. I know 50 and wanting to compete what the hell is wrong with me.

Nothing wrong with that. I'm 35 and haven't competed since I was 21 or so and I'd like to get back into competing. I just watched the U.S. Open on ESPN2 last night and saw all these guys/gals competing and doing their forms and fighting and it made me want to start doing it again. Your never to old to compete. Look at people like Steve "nasty" Anderson and Terry Creamer and Scott Casamassa. These guys are all 40 and over and still competing. These guys are winning every tournament they go to. Granted they have been competing not stop for 20+ years but never the less they are still over 40. You can do it and your not crazy for wanting to do it. I say go for it.

 

[buldog]

do you mix up your workout routines? If not every few weeks try something different to shake up the body and get past the plateau. Work the same muscle groups but just use a different exercise to do it. Also 1800 calories is fairly low for a man your size. Is your strength good or are you struggling with the workouts? If so your metabolism may be really low and you may need some more fuel to burn. Ask EXile about this he is very knowledgable about the body and exercise. Good luck with your diet.

 

[KempoGuy06]

all this is good advice. more calories to jump start you metabo. mixing up the work out

May I suggest something like an apple and a couple of slice of white bread in the morning before you work out (i assume you work out in the morning?). These are simple sugars that will break down fast to jump start you metabo and will give you energy in the workout. Post workout i suggest a hearty breakfast stuffed with protein and fatty acids (eggs, cheese, peanut butter) and some good quality carbs (whole wheat bagel, oatmeal). this will help keep you metabo up and burning calories and fat through out the day. shoulf you feel hungry through out the day I also suggest more protein, stay away from the carbs and fruit. Also before your next workout I recommend a protein shake 30 minutes before and with in 30 post workout. This will supply your muscles with the proper nutrients and to help them repair themselves and recover quickly.

B

 

[shesulsa]

Terry, plateaus occur - especially when you're losing as much weight as you are - where your body re-allocates your fat stores and adjusts to your new weight.

I wouldn't change anything for two or three weeks and let your body adjust. Then instead of slamming in more calories, it is now indicated for people over 45 who have a lot of weight to lose to actually restrict their calories even more - but your frame, I believe, probably requires all 1800 you're currently taking in. You're about 6', right?

Anyway - consider, if you can, high-volume, low-calorie food. That means A LOT of fiber - greens, raw veggies mixed with lower fat nuts and seeds with some dried fruits.

I'm really busy this weekend of course, but I'll see if I can find a link or two for you. And congrats on how far you've come!

 

[kempo-vjj]

I agree it's the platuea thing. The body is always trying to regulate itself. I have the opposite problem. I am trying to gain weight. 6'6" and 180. It's hard trying to trick it. I would suggest as above changing your work out routine, between light weights, and cardio and mixing it up. Also with your calories, just make sure what kind of calories your taking in. Pasta's and bread and some say milk, are the worst, although the most tasty.

 

[Fiendlover]

Nothing wrong with that. I'm 35 and haven't competed since I was 21 or so and I'd like to get back into competing. I just watched the U.S. Open on ESPN2 last night and saw all these guys/gals competing and doing their forms and fighting and it made me want to start doing it again. Your never to old to compete. Look at people like Steve "nasty" Anderson and Terry Creamer and Scott Casamassa. These guys are all 40 and over and still competing. These guys are winning every tournament they go to. Granted they have been competing not stop for 20+ years but never the less they are still over 40. You can do it and your not crazy for wanting to do it. I say go for it.

Omg Scott Casamassa is my sensei. :ultracool He LOVES competeing and he's very good. I've watched him a couple times. His brother (my shihan) chris has won grand champion before as well and hes over 40 too I believe.

 

[Lynne]

There is a nondieting approach, too, if you are interested, Terry.

-Only eat when you are hungry or weak. That means don't eat breakfast unless you are hungry. For a lot of people, eating first thing in the morning when they aren't hungry causes them to eat all day long versus the popular notion that breakfast keeps you from eating too much later in the day. Diet nerds will say you eat more and are hungrier from breakfast because your metabolism has been stimulated. Umm...methinks it's because one has caused their blood sugar to rise too much by eating when they aren't hungry, causing a blood sugar rollercoaster ride all day long.

-Don't cut any foods. Eat only the foods you like/love. Most food has some nutritional value.

The good thing about eating when you are hungry is that your appetite control mechanism will work. You will become full when you have met your body's needs. If you eat on a schedule, you will have to count calories because you will never feel full.

I know you are hungry all the time, Terry. This might be an answer for you. Weight loss might be slower though.

Though metabolism can slow down some, I don't put too much faith in the starvation theory. If the starvation theory were true, those poor people subsisting on 600-700 calories a day in the WWII concentration camps would have blown up like refrigerators. Instead they were skeletons with a bit of skin. I think the truth of the starvation theory is that one will regain a lot of weight when they go back to normal calories for someone of their weight.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Terry it sounds like you need to change up the exercise routine. I would not worry to much about intake this point but your exercise routine may need a shock. So how is this find someone that will push you as a good coach would. Do some different exercises and have that person help motivate you. Be creative in the exercises and move away from your normal routine. Change is good and embrace it!

 

[Nomad]

You are male, you work out a LOT, and only eat 1800 calories a day. I think you have slowed your metabolism.

I think this is a key point. Based on your weight alone, you should be eating closer to 2400 calories per day to lose weight at a good pace. Try to eat these in healthier foods (not pizza and beer), and split them up into smaller meals so you're eating something every 3-4 hours while you're awake. This should relieve some of the hunger feelings, and will also elevate your metabolism.

Change up your workout routine; if you do something regularly (eg run 5 miles a day), your body gets used to it and as a consequence, you use fewer calories doing the same thing. Try doing high intensity interval training; in my experience this works very well, and the intensity is way more important than the duration.

For a good primer with loads more information, I found The Fighter's Body: an Owner's Manual http://www.amazon.com/Fighters-Body...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227741028&sr=8-1 to be very helpful.

Congratulations on your current weight loss, and good luck getting to your goals! This is not an easy thing you're doing, but it feels great as you start seeing the changes and getting closer.

 

[Kacey]

I agree with those who say you're not eating enough. It sounds odd to many people that eating more will help with weight loss - but eating too little, as others have said, will slow your metabolism; your body is programmed to retain excess fat when intake drops too low for too long, as a survival response to starvation.

Have you measured yourself? Often, redistribution of weight will occur even if weight loss doesn't - muscle weighs more than the same volume of body fat, and you may be gaining muscle and losing fat without realizing it.

Have you talked to a dietician? Losing weight permanently requires more than just limiting your calorie intake - while Lynne is right, and most foods have some nutritional value, some foods will appease your appetite and help you lose weight better than others - and a dietician or nutritionist can help you choose the right foods that will keep you healthy for the rest of your life. You have to start considering how you eat to be a lifestyle - not a diet - or when you've lost the weight you want to lose, you'll go back to your previous eating habits and gain it back.

 

[newy085]

Terry, how much protein are you getting. With a calorie count that low, you may have low protein, which will result in a plateau. If you started your diet on a low protein diet you will have seen massive weight loss over the first 4 weeks, then you hit a wall. This is mainly due to the loss of water weight in your muscles through the loss of protein, (for every 1g of protein it holds 4g of water).

When you run out of protein your body losses the ability to process fat so you get stuck, and the muscles will instead break themselves down for energy. Not sure if this is your problem, but I would look at a protein supplement anyway, if your not already taking one. Your body needs at least (0.8g of protein) / (kg of bodyweight) to maintain functions. Rough calculation thats around 90g a day of protein you should be getting (360 calories worth).

 

[Brian King]

Terry
Congratulations on the progress so far made. It is inspirational sir even on this day of Thanksgiving feasts LOL. I cannot help you with formulas and charts but I have started to read a book (sigh one of many so much to learn so little time) this week that I am really enjoying and think that you and others would also enjoy and possible benefit from. It was written years ago by Mike Huckabee (yup the guy who ran for president this year and did well and on budget) titled Quit Digging Your Grave with a Knife and Fork. A 12 stop program to end bad habits and begin a healthy lifestyle. It is very inspirational and supportive type of read that has changed lives written by somebody that is not a health professional and lifetime athlete. In other words it is written by somebody in the same trenches as we are in Terry, somebody who has successfully beaten bad habits and changed his lifestyle. The book does not support one diet from another realizing that some diets work for some and not others but rather focuses the steps (stops) that helped him to change and save his life. It is an easy non technical read and worth every penny.
Highly recommended even if you only need to lose five or ten pounds (can’t hurt) and even more highly recommended if you need to lose more to stay alive.

Good luck sir
Brian King

 

[girlbug2]

Heh, I hope this link works:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=377191

As you can see there are a lot of competing schools of thought on diet and working out, even with low carbers. But one consistent thing I noticed is that nobody recommended going low cal.

You've tried the mainly carbs approach, have you tried the low carb approach? I can testify that it works wonders. I am on Atkins this fall, but transitioning to a Paleo low carb diet as I've noticed that grains and dairy are not my pals. My health has never been better, not even as a teenager, and I just turned 40. There's a lot of other benefits to this way of life, but I won't bore you with a long list, let's just say it's surprising how, besides weight loss, low carbing has cleared up other problems like insomnia and ear infections. I'm looking forward to continuing my weight loss and increasing my strength and effectiveness in the Martial Arts.

 

[Phoenix44]

As you lose weight, your body requires fewer calories to maintain itself and for activities, so slower weight loss is not unusual. Since you're working out, remember that muscle is denser than fat, so you may notice you're losing fat or fitting into smaller clothes, but that your weight doesn't seem to be changing much--that's a good thing. And don't starve yourself--it'll just slow down your metabolism to conserve those calories.

Good luck.

 

[Tames D]

Heh, I hope this link works:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=377191

As you can see there are a lot of competing schools of thought on diet and working out, even with low carbers. But one consistent thing I noticed is that nobody recommended going low cal.

You've tried the mainly carbs approach, have you tried the low carb approach? I can testify that it works wonders. I am on Atkins this fall, but transitioning to a Paleo low carb diet as I've noticed that grains and dairy are not my pals. My health has never been better, not even as a teenager, and I just turned 40. There's a lot of other benefits to this way of life, but I won't bore you with a long list, let's just say it's surprising how, besides weight loss, low carbing has cleared up other problems like insomnia and ear infections. I'm looking forward to continuing my weight loss and increasing my strength and effectiveness in the Martial Arts.

Did you say you just turned 40 ?

. I've been hearing the Atkins diet is a little dangerous but have to admit I don't know much about it.