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