stuck at 168lbs =/

[paintballproam]

posting this for the girl

starting stats 5'8 192 35%+ bf
current stats 5'8 168 26%bf

diet is 1400cals/day 200g protein, low carbs only coming from oats in the morning, the rest of the cals made up in good fats

heavy weight training m/w/f cardio 45mins hiit sun/tues/thurs

was dropping consistantly and now stuck at 168 for 3weeks.

supps:
multi v
oxy elite pro
100% on whey

 

[musclemom]

posting this for the girl

starting stats 5'8 192 35%+ bf
current stats 5'8 168 26%bf

diet is 1400cals/day 200g protein, low carbs only coming from oats in the morning, the rest of the cals made up in good fats

heavy weight training m/w/f cardio 45mins hiit sun/tues/thurs

was dropping consistantly and now stuck at 168 for 3weeks.

supps:
multi v
oxy elite pro
100% on whey

She's probably in starvation mode. You didn't give her age, but it's around 1600 or 1500 depending on whether she's 20 or 30. She's eating below her BMR.

I'd say bump her calories to at least 1700 (SLOWLY, say 150 this week, 150 next week). Also, consider a carb refeed (cheat day?) or even changing her macros (many women have very good luck with a 40p/30c/30f ratio.

If she still stays stuck you may need to increase her calories until you get her to 12x her body weight. You're working her hard and she's not eating much, women's body's are highly susceptible to going into starvation mode, it's that whole reproductive perogative.

 

[paintballproam]

shes 18, someone on here suggested 1350-1400 cals so thats why her diet is set up that way. so would you say to add carbs? fat? or protein to increase her cals? and i always was told 10xbw to cut, could be wrong tho.

but at 1700cals she wont be gaining bodyfat, right?

 

[musclemom]

shes 18, someone on here suggested 1350-1400 cals so thats why her diet is set up that way. so would you say to add carbs? fat? or protein to increase her cals? and i always was told 10xbw to cut, could be wrong tho.

but at 1700cals she wont be gaining bodyfat, right?

10x to 12x bodyweight to cut, and actually, if you go by BMR, someone who is active can generally add 500 calories to their BMR and still expect to lose weight.

Her BMR is 1620. She is eating almost 200 calories a day below her BMR. By eating below her BMR her body is perceiving a famine situation. She will neither gain muscle nor lose fat. I don't know what the magic number is, but you can only get away with drastic calorie cutting when you're more than 20 or so lbs. over your ideal weight.

The thing is, at 168 she's not obese, just a pinch into the overweight category. Not as low BF as she would like but you both need to remember that the closer a person gets to their ideal bodyweight the harder it gets to lose weight. She needs to increase her calories so she can increase muscle mass and tip the scales in terms of her metabolism. Which means she actually may need anywhere from 1680 to as high as 2120.

As I said in my previous post, I'd increase her carbs and reduce her protein. She's been on an extremely high protein diet with virtually no carbs for about 2.5 months or so now. Change things up a bit. Give her some fresh fruits and veggies.

Fat loss is about sustainability. She needs to learn how to eat healthfully and develop sustainable eating habits that will last her a lifetime. A 40/30/30 ratio is more sustainable over a longer haul.

 

[RottenWillow]

posting this for the girl

starting stats 5'8 192 35%+ bf
current stats 5'8 168 26%bf

diet is 1400cals/day 200g protein, low carbs only coming from oats in the morning, the rest of the cals made up in good fats

heavy weight training m/w/f cardio 45mins hiit sun/tues/thurs

was dropping consistantly and now stuck at 168 for 3weeks.

supps:
multi v
oxy elite pro
100% on whey

If she were carb rotating then 1400 would be ok for the bottom end of the range. If her LBM is 124lbs (based on your figures) then sitting at 1400 kcals everyday, plus exercise, is too low. Only weight she'll lose from now on eating like that is skeletal muscle.

 

[paintballproam]

ok so i switched her to 40p/30c/30f and started her at 1450cals first week, she said she felt like she was gaining weight, probably some bloat from carbs but weighed in at 168, she then bumped it up to just about 1700cals, same macros, but is now up 2lbs, should she stick with the 1700? shes trying hard to lose weight

 

[musclemom]

ok so i switched her to 40p/30c/30f and started her at 1450cals first week, she said she felt like she was gaining weight, probably some bloat from carbs but weighed in at 168, she then bumped it up to just about 1700cals, same macros, but is now up 2lbs, should she stick with the 1700? shes trying hard to lose weight

Tell her to stop obsessing over the scale. How are her clothes fitting? Get her to take her measurements, start from the neck and work down, including arms, measure at the waist, belly button hips, mid thigh.

There is NO way she is gaining FAT on 1700 calories, absolutely none. Not at 18 and 5'8". She's BARELY eating her BMR and active. And you certainly haven't given her body a lot of time to adjust to a new eating habit, you only made your first post 9 days ago. You need to give her at least two weeks (ideally four) on any eating plan before you reevaluate. Her metabolism may still perceive starvation and be hoarding calories. She might need more food, 1800 or even up to 2000.

She's been virtally starved for a couple months, she's finally getting fed, there's going to be an adjustment period but when you get the right balance (and cutting her food MORE is NOT the way to do it, not this close to normal weight) she's going to start building muscle like she hasn't been able to before. I know some personal trainers who tell girls to throw their scale out the window, that might be a good idea with this young lady.

What we really need is to see exactly what she's eating, and when she eats it, meal by meal. The macros don't tell us a lot. What would be even better would be if she joined the forum here so she can communicate directly with us.

 

[paintballproam]

her diet consists of
oats
whole grain pasta
chicken breasts
protein shakes
1% milk
fruits+veggies
olive oil
multi v

i know breakfast is oats, pwo is a shake, next meal is 4oz pasta, the rest of the meals are usually chicken+fruit or veggies and milk, the olive oil gets mixed into 1 meal, and pre bed is a casien protein shake. so ill have her stick to the 1700cal diet at the macros you suggested and see where it goes in 4-6weeks or so

 

[musclemom]

her diet consists of
oats
whole grain pasta
chicken breasts
protein shakes
1% milk
fruits+veggies
olive oil
multi v

i know breakfast is oats, pwo is a shake, next meal is 4oz pasta, the rest of the meals are usually chicken+fruit or veggies and milk, the olive oil gets mixed into 1 meal, and pre bed is a casien protein shake. so ill have her stick to the 1700cal diet at the macros you suggested and see where it goes in 4-6weeks or so

It would really help if you could get her to put down one average day of meals, in terms of how much, what and when.

Just from what you've said, it looks like she's not getting any protein for breakfast, and pasta (even whole grain) is not a very good carb source (too high glycemic). Sweet potato or brown rice would be much better.

 

[RottenWillow]

Tell her to stop obsessing over the scale. How are her clothes fitting? Get her to take her measurements, start from the neck and work down, including arms, measure at the waist, belly button hips, mid thigh.

There is NO way she is gaining FAT on 1700 calories, absolutely none. Not at 18 and 5'8". She's BARELY eating her BMR and active. And you certainly haven't given her body a lot of time to adjust to a new eating habit, you only made your first post 9 days ago. You need to give her at least two weeks (ideally four) on any eating plan before you reevaluate. Her metabolism may still perceive starvation and be hoarding calories. She might need more food, 1800 or even up to 2000.

She's been virtally starved for a couple months, she's finally getting fed, there's going to be an adjustment period but when you get the right balance (and cutting her food MORE is NOT the way to do it, not this close to normal weight) she's going to start building muscle like she hasn't been able to before. I know some personal trainers who tell girls to throw their scale out the window, that might be a good idea with this young lady.

Ok you've left me nothing to type.